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Chapter Text

You could've heard a pin drop. All the occupants of the room, consisting of the rookie 9 (sans Sasuke), Team Gai, and Tsunade looked to the cause of the shock-induced silence.

They were gathered to discuss the mission that really should've gone to jounin, but due to lack of manpower caused by the consecutive attacks on Konoha, would be carried out by gennin (who really should have been promoted to chuunin by now). They were just discussing who would take the most dangerous part of the mission, infiltration of the base to gather information and map out the area, when Naruto's comment made everyone freeze.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, it was Kiba who broke the silence. "W-What did you say, Naruto?"

Naruto, in his typical cheerful obliviousness, didn't notice the sudden tension in the room. "I said it make sense that I go, since I'm the most expendable". Upon not hearing anything, they whiskered blonde finally looked around, noticing the shock on his teammates' and Tsunade's faces. "Oi! Don't be so surprised! Even I can make a smart comment every once in a while!"

Tsunade, using her Hokage composure, was the first to recover. Her booming voice filled the room, "Why on Earth would you think that, you stupid child?!"

Naruto looked confused. It was pretty obvious to him. "I am unwanted, baa-chan". He stated as if it were a fact. Tsunade still didn't seem like she understood. Naruto frowned. Did she want him to explain more? It hurt him to think that. She must know he was unwanted, everyone knew, so why was she making him say it? A flash of pain entered his eyes. Was this a way to humiliate him? But no, Tusnade-baa-chan wouldn't do that to him. She wasn't like the villagers. But why did she want him to relive all of this? He head already accepted the fact that he was unwanted, true, but that didn't mean he liked talking about it.

Naruto looked around the room for support. Surely someone could back him up on this- they had all known him for a while now. Contrary to the blonde's expectations, most of his teammates were still looking shocked. All except Shikamaru, really. Shikamaru seemed to have come to a realization, and was looking increasingly angry. His face was contorted into an ugly grimace, and his previously laid-back posture that screamed "lazy and uncaring" was now tense. The cigarette he was smoking laid crushed in his hand. He reminded Naruto of a cornered animal, ready to lash out at anything that came too close.

The blonde looked back at Tsunade and remembered she was still expecting an explanation. He adopted his most cheerful smile, the one he used when he faced the rejection of the village he so loved and protected, and piped out, "Well, I'm rather disliked, baa-chan. Everyone here can attest to that- the teachers at the Academy said it all the time." He looked around, expecting nods and jeers, and was surprised to find them still rather motionless. Was something wrong with them? He was starting to get worried. Tsunade seemed to want to say something, but Naruto didn't allow her. He just wanted to get all this over with. "I don't have a family, and I've been living alone since I was four. All the neighbours left the building once I moved in. The villagers obviously hate me. They charge three times the normal price for food and supplies, and they used to try to kill me when I was a kid. There'd be an attack at least eight times a year before I became a ninja, always at least one on my birthday. Only reason I don't have scars is because of my fast regeneration". He laughed at that. "Whenever the beatings got too brutal, though, one of the people jiji sent would save me! The looks of frustration of the villagers' faces when I wouldn't die were priceless!" He laughed again, that loud, obnoxious laughter he was famous for, but noticed that nobody was laughing with him. His laughter died off.

He looked around. Well, this was awkward. He felt like everyone was in on some inside joke that he wasn't included in. He wasn't getting their reactions at all. At least his teammates were no longer standing quite so motionless. Instead, they looked at him with dawning horror. He was used to these expressions, he saw them all the time when a previously misinformed villager started talking to him, only to realize that they were talking to the kyuubi-brat. It hurt more than he'd care to admit to see the expression on his friend's faces. Would he be rejected now too? He was broken out of his thoughts when, to his left, he heard a loud sob. The usually quiet Hinata-chan had her hands covering her mouth, tears glistening in her eyes. To her left, Kiba looked a lot like Shikamaru, like he was ready to lash out at whoever stood too close or breathed too loudly. To Hinata's right was Shino. Naruto couldn't see his expression due to the coat covering his face and the black glasses, but he could hear the agitated humming of this kukabicho coming from underneath his clothes.

Next to Shikamaru, Choji had stopped eating. He had put down his bag of chips and was looking down at the floor, hair covering his face so Naruto couldn't see. The blonde idly wondered what was so interesting about the floor. Choji seemed to stare at it with unusual intensity. His hands were tightened into fists, and he seemed to be trembling. On Shikamaru's other side was Ino, who also stood still with an expression of horrified comprehension on her face. She clutched her sides, as though trying to stop her hands form doing something else.

Neji looked at him like he'd never seen him before. His mouth was opening and closing, as though he wanted to say something but didn't know what. Naruto would've laughed, he'd never seen Neji this discomposed except at their fight during the chuunin exams, if the silence weren't so heavy that breaking it would seem criminal. Next to him, Tenten was fingering one of her more deadly-looking weapons (had it always been in her hand? How had he not noticed that before?), and seemed to be glaring at the windows overlooking the village. Lee seemed like he didn't understand what Naruto was saying. As though the words weren't making sense to him.

Naurto turned back to Tsunade. She still hadn't said anything. He figured he'd finish his explanation. His teammates were acting way too weird right now. Naruto shrugged. "I'm a useless demon-brat. No one will miss me if something goes wrong."

Naruto heard a distinct crack. With wide eyes, he saw the Hokage desk practically disintegrate under Tsunade's grip. The destruction of the desk seemed to be some sort of signal for the world to erupt into chaos. It was as though the noise of the desk falling apart broke them out of their stunned silence. Everyone tried shouting at the same time, so much so that Naruto couldn't understand what any of them were saying.

"QUIET!" The noise stopped as everyone looked at a furious Tsunade. "Who said this, Naruto? Who called you that- that name?"

The whole room seemed to suck in a breath in anticipation. Naruto could swear he felt some KI coming off some of them.

Naruto drooped. He was getting tired of this conversation. This wasn't a fun topic for him, he'd really rather not talk about it. "Everyone, I guess. Villagers, the academy, ninja... I'm pretty universally hated baa-chan". He gave a sardonic smile, so different from his usual sunny smile that some of them flinched.

"Since when have you believed that it would be okay for you to die, Naruto?" Shikamaru was calm as he posed the question. It reassured Naruto who wasn't sure why everyone was so agitated all of a sudden.

"You guys are way too serious! It's not like I want to die. If I did I'd already be dead. There were plenty of opportunities as a kid, after all." The blonde snorted. There certainly were plenty of opportunities. And eager volunteers as well. "But between me and someone else, it's better for me to die. Less people would miss me. A lot of people would be happy. I'm an unwanted demon brat, after all". He paused, but Shikamaru's expression still hadn't changed. Why weren't they getting what he was saying? "It's logical. Really, Shika, you're smart. You don't need me to tell you this".

Before Shikamaru could say anything, someone else spoke. "If you were to die on this mission, don't you think Sakura would miss you, at least?" The carefully posed question came from Ino, who seemed almost hesitant. Naruto had never seen her so unsure of herself before.

Naruto thought about it for a minute. "She might be a bit sad at first, but she's still got the most important team member – Sasuke". He turned around to Sakura and caught her worried face. Ah, of course! "Don't worry, Sakura-chan! Even if I die, Sasuke will definitely be brought back to Konoha! Just you wait!"

Sakura had tears in her eyes. "Naruto you idiot!"

Naruto laughed. "See? She'll be better off without me, really."

Ino had to restrain Sakura to keep the pink-haired kunoichi from hitting him.

"And what about your dream of becoming hokage, Naruto?! Are you just gonna give up on that?!" Kiba shouted. The Inuzuka boy was red in the face, and sweating profusely. He seemed breathless and confused. Like he didn't know what to do with this situation.

"Of course not!" Naruto was indignant. He'd never give up on being Hokage! "Being Hokage doesn't mean much if one of you is dead, though".

The room became silent again.

"Oi, Naruto." Naruto turned back to look at Shikamaru. The latter seemed to have regained control over his body. He no longer looked murderous, although the intensity had not left him. "Our lives wouldn't mean much if you were dead, either".

To this, Naruto turned wide blue eyes to the rest of the room. He was genuinely perplexed. "Of course they would! You all still have your parents, or siblings. You'll still have teammates, teachers, friends, and the entire village!" He comforted. "You'd hardly notice I was gone".

Shikamaru's eyes steeled over again, and he began muttering indistinct curses. He suddenly looked up, and lit another cigarette. "This is obviously going to take a while." The others in the room seemed to understand him, and each looked like they were preparing for battle. Naruto was clearly missing something. Shikamaru took a deep breath and breathed out the smoke. With a meaningful glance to the rest of the room, he announced, "We're going to Ichiraku Ramen".

Naruto was still confused, but had learned not to question a good thing. And going to Ichiraku Ramen was definitely a good thing. "All right! Let's go!"

Shikamaru gestured to Choji, and the big teenager hurriedly joined them. Ino came along as well, complaining about how she was going to gain so much weight. Team 8 was close behind, Kiba throwing an arm around Naruto's shoulders, Shino falling into step right behind them, Hinata walking determinedly next to him, for once not fainting after an extended period of time in Naruto's company, though hints of red could be spotted on her cheeks. Lee was running ahead, shouting about Naruto's extreme youth, Tenten chuckling a bit at the scene. Even Neji joined in, berating Naruto for his unbalanced diet. All had a hard gleam in their eyes when looking at the blonde ball of sunshine.

Sakura, apparently the only one who remembered why they were in the Hokage's office in the first place, turned to Tsunade, "Sensei, may we be excused?"

Tsunade looked like she had aged decades. She looked her real age, or perhaps even a little older than that, wearing a defeated expression. "Yes, you're all excused. I'll contact you later to give you the details of the mission". She had villagers to find... and punish.

And so they headed for Ichiraku Ramen.

And if one of rookies hugged Naruto a second longer than usual, or if they made sure to listen to his ideas and feelings with more attention than before, or if they hovered protectively by his side when walking through the streets of Konoha, or if the villagers who looked like they would say something to Naruto received subtle glares and a healthy dose of KI, well, the others pretended not to notice.

Chapter Text

Troublesome. Tsunade was discussing who would take a high-risk infiltration job when the logical choice was clearly Hinata or Neji, who could see past walls and therefore locate potential obstacles or enemies with their Byakugan, or Shino, who could possibly locate the document and determine what path he should take through the use of his kukakibuchou. Shikamaru would've said Kiba was a possible prospect as well, due to his tracker abilities, but Kiba wouldn't know tact and discretion if it paraded around naked right in front of him. Even Naruto was more discrete than Kiba.

Actually, Naruto wouldn't be a bad idea. Despite his boisterous attitude, the hyperactive blonde was capable of discretion. Many people overlooked this, but the fact that he had managed to get away with his numerous pranks during his academy days was very impressive. He hid himself so well only Iruka could find him, despite the fact that he wore bright orange (not exactly the most inconspicuous of colors). And he ran so fast that the chuunin sent to chase him couldn't keep up. Most impressive, however, is the fact that he managed to complete the pranks without being caught in the act. The painted faces of the Hokages on the Hokage monument came to mind. How on Earth did no one notice that? Naruto had to have spent at least two hours painting them. Additionally, Naruto was powerful and would be able to defend himself in case the enemy nin ever cornered him.

From the corner of his eye, Shikamaru saw Naruto about to speak. How surprising. Had the blonde achieved the same conclusion as him?

"It makes sense that I go, since I'm expendable".

The room was silent.

What. Shikamaru stopped, cigarette halfway to his mouth. He must've heard wrong.

Kiba was the first to react. "W-What did you say, Naruto?"

Naruto smiled like he always did, all bright and almost blinding (Shikamaru knew a group of Kiri ninja who swore that one of their comrades became permanently blind after having that smile flashed at him. It was probably one of Naruto's most lethal weapons, right there with his troublesome ability to convert enemies into friends). He saw the smile and immediately relaxed. Of course, he must've misheard. Maybe Ino was right, he should pay a little more attention to these meetings. If he kept dozing off he'd end up hearing weird things. Shikamaru continued to bring the cigarette to his mouth. And then Naruto spoke again. With that shining smile, he cheerfully repeated himself, "I said it make sense that I go, since I'm the most expendable".

Shikamaru wasn't the only one who froze. His mind was trying to compute what had just occurred. His world had just flipped. The tone of voice and the context didn't match up at all. It was like watching a scene from a kid movie with the soundtrack for a horror one. Wrong, and deeply disturbing. The blonde said it so casually, like he was talking about the weather. Naruto just made this absolutely absurd statement, acting as though they'd accept it as an already acknowledged fact.

"Oi! Don't be so surprised! Even I can make a smart comment every once in a while!" Shikamaru couldn't help but think the blonde had never been dumber (Perhaps not dumb. Naruto had never been dumb, no matter what people said).

"Why on Earth would you think that, you stupid child?!" The Nara distractedly noted Tsunade's yell. He didn't turn around to see her, all he could focus on was the blond teenager in front of him, acting as though he didn't realize the effect his statement had on the lives of his teammates. Knowing him, he probably didn't.

Naruto looked confused. Hurt briefly flashed through his eyes. "I am unwanted, baa-chan".

With that so innocently delivered statement Shikamaru felt a white hot rage course through him. Of course. Of course. Why hadn't he seen this before? Everyone knew Naruto was an orphan, and he never saw him with an adult other than Iruka. No, rather, it's not that he hadn't seen. He had, they all had. He noticed the way the villagers treated Naruto (How could they not? They were painfully obvious), but had dismissed it. Naruto just always seemed so energetic, so pure, so strong, so immune to the worries of mere mortals, that Shikamaru had not thought the blonde would be affected.

The lauded genius had never felt so foolish. Naruto was but a child at the time (was still just a teenager. Oh god, he was still so young for all the things that happened to him). It was no wonder all the neglect he experienced would influence him. He had no adult to tell him that they loved him, to prove to him that he was worth something. After repeatedly hearing, every day, several times a day, that he was worthless, then was it really a surprise that the child started believing it?

Shikamaru cursed himself again. Why hadn't he noticed this earlier? Why hadn't anyone done anything?

Naruto smiled cheerfully again. This time, Shikamaru was not deceived. Rather, he braced himself. He could see where this conversation was going, and it was not pleasant. "Well, I'm rather useless, baa-chan. Everyone here can attest to that- the teachers at the Academy said it all the time." Naruto looked around, as though expecting people to back up his claims. Shikamaru cursed internally. Did Naruto truly believe that the people here considered him useless? Did he not expect any support from them? Even after all they had done for each other? "I don't have a family, and I've been living alone since I was four. All the neighbors left the building once I moved in. The villagers obviously hate me. They charge three times the normal price for food and supplies, and they used to try to kill me when I was a kid. There'd be an attack at least eight times a year before I became a ninja, always at least one on my birthday. Only reason I don't have scars is because of my fast regeneration". Naruto laughed at that. Shikamaru failed to see the humor. "Whenever the beatings got too brutal, though, one of the people jiji sent would save me! The looks of frustration on the villagers' faces when I wouldn't die were priceless!" He laughed again, that loud, obnoxious laughter he was famous for, but noticed that nobody was laughing with him. His laughter died off.

Shikamaru was speechless. The reality was worse than his theories, far worse. Shikamaru had thought that Naruto suffered from neglect and verbal and emotional abuse. These, already, were horrible crimes that no child, especially one as precious and caring as Naruto, should go through. But to know that he suffered through multiple beatings and assassination attempts… for a four year old to know that the people around him wanted him dead… Shikamaru paled. This was so, so much worse than what he had expected. A brief glance around the room showed similarly pale and horrified faces. Good, his teammates were beginning to understand the severity of the situation.

Horror quickly gave way to rage. Each word fed the cold fury that Shikamaru was feeling. How dare they? How dare they? How dare they even deign to touch one hair on this amazingly kind boy's head? This boy who had repeatedly sacrificed himself for his friends and for his village. This boy whose most fervent wish was the approval of those he cared for. This boy who had been given a cruel hand by fate, but who smiled every day and showed that the impossible was possible.

Shikamaru idly noted that the cigarette he had crushed in his hand had burned his palm.

Naruto shrugged. "I'm a useless demon-brat. No one will miss me if something goes wrong."

Dead, Shikamaru thought. All of those that made this wonderful boy in front of him, his friend, believe in this shit were dead.

A loud crack echoed across the room. The Hokage desk practically disintegrated under Tsunade's grip. Although she hid it well, Shikamaru could detect the slight trembling of her shoulders. With the destruction of the desk, the world seemed to erupt into chaos. It was as though the noise of the desk falling apart broke them out of their stunned silence.

"QUIET!" The noise abruptly stopped as everyone looked at a furious Tsunade. "Who said this, Naruto? Who called you that- that lie?"

The whole room seemed to suck in a breath in anticipation. A name. A name was all they needed. A name to blame for all of the damage Naruto suffered. A name to blame for the painful emotions coursing through them at the moment. A name to punish.

Naruto seemed to droop, exhausted. He was too tired to maintain his happy-go-lucky façade. And it was a well done façade, too. Shikamaru marveled at the blonde's ability. He had only noticed now, when the truth had been made glaringly obvious, that the superficial, carefree, always happy Naruto was just a front. Oh, Naruto could be all those things, of course, but he used them as a constant mask to hide his pain and tiredness. Used one aspect of his personality to hide all the others. Shikamaru, if possible, became even more furious. Whether his fury was directed at the people who forced Naruto to instinctively hide his pain, or at himself for allowing things to get to this point, he was not sure.

"Everyone, I guess. Villagers, the academy, ninja... I'm pretty universally hated baa-chan". He gave a sardonic smile, so different from his usual sunny smiles. Shikamaru almost flinched. That smile did not belong on Naruto's face. He wouldn't let it stay there. A look around the room assured him he was not the only one who felt this way.

Shikamaru took a deep breath. He had noticed that people's extreme reactions to the so carelessly delivered information were confusing Naruto. He tried to keep his voice even. "Since when have you believed that it would be okay for you to die, Naruto?"

"You guys are way too serious! It's not like I want to die. If I did I'd already be dead. There were plenty of opportunities as a kid, after all." Shikamaru felt his nails dig into his palm. He put his hands in his pockets to hide the blood. "But between me and someone else, it's always better for me to die. Less people would miss me. A lot of people would be happy. I'm an unwanted demon brat, after all". He paused, as though expecting Shikamaru to suddenly go 'A-ha! Of course! I see your point now. Your life truly is less valuable than ours'. When Shikamaru failed to agree, Naruto continued, "It's logical. Really, Shika, you're smart. You don't need me to tell you this".

What Shikamaru wanted to scream was that Naruto's life was worth at least 20- no, 50 of those villagers! That he had to stop saying these unforgiveable things as though they were accepted facts. He wanted to get on his knees and apologize for failing his friend, for not realizing until the truth was made painfully obvious for all to see.

"Don't you think Sakura would miss you, at least?" This came from Ino, who seemed to understand what was going on more than the rest. The Yamanaka jutsu specialized in the mind arts, after all. Several ninjas on long-term missions had to get a Yamanka to check them to make sure that they were mentally healthy. Shikamaru knew Ino had been reviewing some clan teachings with her father lately. She was probably very knowledgeable on the human psyche. If only her expression weren't so crestfallen, so heartbroken, Shikamaru would've felt better. As it was, he could only wonder what kind of damage Naruto's psyche had suffered through all these years of abuse. And how it could be undone.

"She might be a bit sad at first, but she's still got the most important team member – Sasuke". Naruto turned to look at Sakura, as though just realizing something. "Don't worry, Sakura-chan! Even if I die, Sasuke will definitely be brought back to Konoha! Just you wait!"

Sakura had tears in her eyes. "Naruto you idiot!"

Naruto laughed. "See? She'll be better off without me, really." Of course, Naruto completely missed the point.

"And what about your dream of becoming Hokage, Naruto?! Are you just gonna give up on that?!" Kiba shouted. The Inuzuka boy was completely disheveled. He looked like he might start hyperventilating at any second. Obviously, child abuse was an entirely foreign concept to him. Poor Kiba didn't know what do to with the situation. Although, in all honesty, none of them were much better off. "Of course not!" Naruto was indignant. "Being Hokage doesn't mean much if one of you is dead, though".

The room became silent again.

Shit. Shikamaru nearly laughed. Typical. Sometimes they'd get carried away by Naruto's carefree mask and then there'd be moments like these. Moments where they'd be reminded of Naruto's power. They couldn't help but marvel at their friend's selflessness. These were defining moments. Loyalty-inspiring moments. Shikamaru felt humbled (and he was sure he wasn't the only one, given the expressions on the others' faces). He vowed to always protect this amazing, selfless person.

"Oi, Naruto." The normally lazy ninja started. He tried to maintain calm and not let how upset he was with this situation show. "Our lives wouldn't mean much if you were dead, either".

Shikamaru almost expected it when Naruto replied, "Of course they would! You all still have your parents, or siblings. You'll still have teammates, friends, and the entire village!" He comforted. "You'd hardly notice I was gone".

That was a lie. He'd notice. They'd all notice. Naruto was their beacon. He was their laughter in times of peace and their strength in times of war. He was the one they could place all their beliefs onto, and know that he would carry them effortlessly. No, they'd all notice if he was gone. Konoha would be a darker place without Naruto.

Shikamaru's eyes steeled over. He wanted to shout at the blonde shinobi, tell him that that wasn't how things worked. That Naruto's life was infinitely more precious than the lives of those villagers that had forced these twisted beliefs into his head as a child. That he needed to quit this sort of thinking now, right this instant, because it was hurting the people that cared for him. That he wasn't sure if he could take it much longer because every self-deprecating word that came out of Naruto's moth fed a rage the likes of which Shikamaru had never experienced before.

Of course, Shikamaru couldn't say these things. Naruto wouldn't understand if he simply said it like that.

Shikamaru sighed. "This is obviously going to take a while." Mental healing always did, after all. He couldn't hope to convince Naruto of his self-worth in a day. And Naruto probably had a shitload of other emotional scars – Shikamaru didn't doubt for a second that there was more where this twisted sense of self came from. He took out a second cigarette and lit it. Taking a deep breath, he exhaled the smoke. With a meaningful glance to the rest of the room, he announced, "We're going to Ichiraku Ramen".

Looking at the rest of the teammates as they surrounded him and Naruto, he spotted eyes full of hard determination, and a touch of icy rage. Good, they were all on the same page then. This treatment of Naruto would not be allowed to continue. Now that they knew about it, they were going to deal with it. Efficiently, ruthlessly, painfully – the shinobi way. No one would be allowed to abuse Naruto anymore. If any villager so much as looked at the blond in a way they didn't like, punishment would be delivered. And slowly, day by day, Shikamaru was sure that they'd be able to convince Naruto that he did have a family. People that would follow him through thick and thin, that loved him, that saw all the good that he was capable of. Naruto would never feel unwanted another day in his life.

They'd make sure of it.

Chapter Text

Shikamaru was the genius, not Ino. Ino freely admitted it, with no shame whatsoever. Shikamaru was the strategic mastermind, as well as the leader of Team 10 – she’d never say it out loud, but it was a fact.

But damnit it was Ino who was the most knowledgeable on people.

So how had she never seen all of this?

She should have noticed that Naruto’s cheerful act was just that – an act. She should have noticed that he was suffering from emotional abuse, from neglect. She should have noticed that Naruto’s view of others and himself was completely twisted, that his sense of worth was nonexistent – and shit if only she had noticed she could have donesomethingsavedhimpunishedthosevillagers.

The Yamanaka jutsu was centered around delving into the brain. It explored the human mind like no other jutsu in existence. Hidden feelings, complexes, instabilities – the Yamanakas could discover them faster than the person that had them in the first place.

Her clan’s jutsu was often used for interrogation, or to determine whether or not a shinobi was still mentally stable and able to continue his or her duty. As part of her training, Ino studied people. She researched different mental issues, memorized the telltale signs of lying, looked for hints at hidden emotions and thoughts in those around her.

Ino prided herself on analyzing people. She constantly observed others, and from them could deduce feelings, thoughts, their relationships with other people. She noticed things.

She noticed the obvious things and she noticed the hidden things that were betrayed by an involuntary twitch or a slight softening of the eyes. (But there was so much about Naruto she had not noticed).

How Hinata was head over heels in love with Naruto, and his comic obliviousness to the fact. (And perhaps she should have realized he was so oblivious because the idea that someone could love him was completely alien to him. The obliviousness suddenly wasn’t funny anymore.)

How Sakura was always trying to compensate for being the weakest member of Team 7, and her struggle to keep up with the obscene powerhouses that were Sasuke and, most notably, Naruto. (Truly, Naruto was ridiculously strong. She forgot that, sometimes, when he wore his carefree and silly mask).

How Choji offered Naruto chips, a sign of everlasting friendship for an Akimichi, on days where the latter was particularly sad or subdued. (She shouldn’t have dismissed Naruto’s sad days as having petty reasons behind them. She now realized that he was not sad because of low grades or because he was rejected by Sakura).

How Kiba took care to be even louder and more annoying than usual whenever Naruto was quieter. She recalled a day where Naruto had entered the academy classroom without his usual fanfare, silently making his way to his seat with his head down and eyes to the floor, and Kiba had ambushed the poor blonde and sent them tumbling onto the ground, inciting a shouting match between the two and rekindling Naruto’s liveliness. (She should have noticed how Naruto always seemed more comfortable with Akamaru, Kiba’s dog, than with any of his human classmates).

How Naruto, despite his brash nature, always avoided crushing Shino’s kukakibichou when he went to touch the stoic Aburame. And how Shino respected Naruto for it in return. (How could she have ever thought that someone so subtly careful and considerate was nothing more than a happy-go-lucky orange child who knew nothing of the pains of the world?)

How Naruto, despite calling him Bushy-Brows, always had the utmost respect for Lee’s ambition. He resolutely supported Lee, and even called him rival. (She knew, now, that Naruto had never received support and respect from anyone. It was what he most dearly wished for).

How Shikamaru treated Naruto with added consideration. Despite acting foolish, Naruto secured Shikamaru’s attention. Ino knew that Shikamaru himself hadn’t even noticed how his eyes followed Naruto wherever he went, intrigued and strangely protective. (She should’ve realized Shikamaru would never have given Naruto so much of his attention if the orange-clad blonde were only a troublesome kid).

How Neji treated Naruto with extra respect and an almost reverence, as one would an admired superior. The way his eyes would suddenly tighten with resolve when he looked at the blonde, evidence of his desire to one day pay back his debt to Naruto for saving him from himself. (Naruto always did have the uncanny ability to inspire admiration and respect).

How Tenten always did small things for Naruto, saving him an extra sweet or listening extra attentively to him when he spoke. Ino knew that it was done out of gratitude and respect for Naruto’s help in curing Neji of his fatalistic attitude. (And she had noticed how Naruto always flinched at the sight of Tenten’s more mundane weapons, knives that looked like they could belong in a kitchen, that could be used by villagers, while he remained unaffected by her obviously shinobi tools. Ino should have suspected. She should have done something).

And so Ino noticed things. But she did not notice what was most important. And Naruto suffered because of it.

There was no excuse.

She was responsible for allowing this selfless, awe-inspiring boy to suffer for years.

But she would repent.

And she would make sure the villagers repented. Violently.

As she walked out of the Hokage tower with the rookie 9 and Team Gai, Naruto solidly in the middle of the pile, Ino promised herself that she would make it up to Naruto. She might not have been able to use her clan training to notice what Naruto was going through, but she could sure as hell use it to help him realize that his view of himself and the world was wrong. That the villagers were wrong- Naruto was not expendable, and not just because he had the Kyuubi in him. He was important because he had proven anything he had ever needed to prove and more, because he had friends who would sacrifice everything for him, because he was the most powerful and inspiring person any of them had ever met.

Ino knew it would take a while. Naruto’s unhealthy way of thinking had been cultivated – like a weed, Ino thought – from when he was still very young. Those were always the hardest to remedy. It would take time, and effort, (and hopefully some villager blood and suffering), but Ino would help him. And the stubborn, self-sacrificing boy would realize how important he really was, whether he wanted to or not!

Ino didn’t need her clan’s jutsu to figure out the others felt the same way.

Every day of the following month, Naruto found flowers on his doorstep. He received jasmines (love – for she was his family now and family loved each other), agrimony (thankfulness – for having become the person he is despite everything), arborvitae (everlasting friendship – for she would never abandon him), canterburry bells (gratitude – for everything he has done for them), brooms (humility – for she was humbled by his strength of will), borages (courage – for she always felt braver when she was with him), heliotropes (devotion – for she was devoted to helping him, always), coreopsis (always cheerful – for she hoped his happy and carefree act would no longer be an act), stars of benthlehem (atonement – for she had to atone for not realizing, for allowing him to suffer), gladiolus (conviction – for his never failed to awe her, and hers was now to always support him), as well as many others. On the last day, to his absolute bewilderment, he received almonds (a promise. A promise that she would never, ever fail to notice again).

She will always be there for him. They all will.

Chapter Text

Neji was mortified.

A week had passed since the disgusting revelations of the Hokage tower, and Neji couldn’t stop thinking about it.

His mind was consumed by thoughts of a lonely four-year-old Naruto begging for attention, of him receiving beatings as birthday presents and rejection as daily medicine.

What bothered him the most, however, were his own actions. Specifically, how he had treated Naruto during the Chuunin Exams.

He recalled his words to Naruto on the day of the finals. He remembered thinking that the blonde was nothing more than a happy go lucky idiot who knew nothing of the world. Spouting empty promises, a shallow determination with nothing to back him up. Idealistic, Neji had thought. And utterly idiotic. Neji remembered feeling insulted that the kid dared to even insinuate that he would win against the Hyuuga.

“ Hey... you! Loser! I have two pieces of advice for you. First of all, of you intend to call yourself a shinobi, stop that stupid cheering of yours- it's disgraceful. And second... Once a failure, always a failure! You can't change that!”

Kami, he had really said those things, hadn’t he?

He felt like hitting his head against the wall. Repeatedly. Hopefully until he reached unconsciousness. And then maybe someone would take pity on him and dig a big, deep hole for him so he could be swallowed by it. Neji would have gone through with it, too, if he weren’t a proud Hyuuga walking through a public setting. He’d try to physically murder his mortification once he was alone in his room and others weren’t watching.

Honestly, what had he been thinking? How could he just – just – mouth off like that without knowing anything about the person? He had called Naruto disgraceful. He had called his savior a failure.

And Naruto truly was his savior. The exuberant shinobi had freed him from the darkness that plagued the young Hyuuga. He had shown him a future full of possibilities – a future Neji could decide for himself, with no one to tell him otherwise. He had been liberated, his shackles broken, and it was all thanks to the blonde.

Naruto was the farthest thing from disgraceful and a failure Neji could possibly imagine!

He freed me from my cursed fate.

Neji felt like screaming in frustration and embarrassment and fervent shame. The words he threw at Naruto that day kept reverberating in his head in vicious circles. If only he could go back in time to take back what he said!

There was no recipient more unworthy of those insults.

Naruto was not disgraceful – anyone should be beyond proud to be able to call him comrade. He was not a failure – he was the salvation of not only Neji, but countless others.

Naruto was the light in the darkness. He was hope amidst despair. He was strength when all that was left was weakness.

How can someone like this exist?

Naruto had suffered more than Neji in his childhood. Neji couldn’t possibly imagine everything Naruto had had to go through. Yet, while Neji had become a broken, hateful person, Naruto had shouldered his own pain and became someone others could look to for inspiration. Naruto overcame his childhood suffering (despite it still having lingering effects), wishing to help the world instead of resenting it as the Hyuuga had.

Neji sometimes felt unworthy of even standing next to him. Naruto was larger than life, at times.

And this beacon of light, of hope, of strength, had suffered for years. Had been abused ever since he was a child. At the hands of people who didn’t even deserve to lick the soles of his feet.

“Oi”.

Neji’s mortification was quickly replaced by anger. These two seemed to be the only emotions he could feel this past week.

“Oi Neji”.

If Neji saw even one disrespectful movement from the villagers directed towards Naruto, he’d do unspeakable things. Things the likes of which even the Torture and Interrogation team had never seen. Things that would forever make the villagers tremble at the mere thought of doing anything to harm Naruto-

“Neji!”

Neji was finally broken out of his homicidal reverie. He looked only to find Naruto standing in front of him, hands on his hips.

“What are you doing?”

Neji noticed Naruto seemed restless. Confusion was obvious on his face, and Neji could detect faint frustration as well. There was a brief silence as Neji thought about how to answer.

“I am accompanying you”.

Naruto seemed to become even more agitated at that.

“Okay, yeah, like, that’s what you’ve said the last ten times I asked you just today, as well as the hundreds of times I’ve asked you for the past seven days, but you’ve been ‘accompanying me’ since 6:30 in the morning through the village, to the training grounds, to the top of the four statues, to the barbeque place, to the training grounds again, to Ichiraku Ramen, and now you’re ‘accompanying me’ back to my apartment. As you have every day. For the past seven days.” Naruto paused, waiting for a reaction from Neji. Neji stared blankly back at him. As though to emphasize a point (that Neji was clearly not understanding), he elaborated, “You’ve woken me up by invading my apartment at 6:30 in the morning every day for the past seven days to ‘accompany me’”.

Well, that made him sound like a stalker. Neji wasn’t stalking Naruto. He was just guarding him. Neji took his duties very seriously, and he had appointed guarding Naruto as one. Therefore it was only natural that he be with the blonde from the moment Naruto awoke to the moment he went to bed (and even sometimes after that, just in case someone tried something while the blonde was sleeping). He was glad to do it. He learned much about his savior. Neji had learned what Naruto’s favorite ramen was, that he had a devoted follower in the third hokage’s grandchild, that he lived in a hovel in the red light district (and oh, did he feel like hitting someone when he saw the place. He wondered how a four-year-old Naruto must have felt). He also learned that Naruto trained diligently every day and succeeded in learning ridiculously powerful jutsus in little time, that he received flowers from a certain Yamanka every morning (much to Naruto’s confusion as the blonde had no idea what they meant or even who they were from), and that he engaged in deep meditation on top of the Hokage monument, often spending hours overlooking the village with a serene expression and a small smile that filled Neji with a profound sense of peace (something he would have never thought he’d manage in Naruto’s presence, savior or not).

Neji would concede that perhaps – perhaps – his behavior was slightly stalker-like. Slightly. Maybe it was in the Hyuuga blood?

When Neji continued to stare blankly at him without answering, Naruto made a sound that seemed almost animalistic in its pure frustration.

“Okay, fine.” He visibly forced himself to calm down, closing his eyes, forefinger and thumb massaging his temples. He was resigned to Neji following him around everywhere. “You’re accompanying me. That’s fine. Great. I like the company, you’re a great guy, Neji, but…

“Why are you always standing behind me?”

And Neji was. For every step Naruto took, Neji took one as well, always two steps behind. When Naruto took a step back in order to stand beside Neji, Neji would take a step back as well, maintaining the two-steps distance. He was following Naruto like a subordinate would follow his superior. The way the Jounin Commander or ANBU Captain respectfully stood behind the Hokage.

Naruto would’ve been flattered if he wasn’t so utterly bewildered.

Through it, Neji wanted to convey his deep respect for Naruto. He owed Naruto everything, after all. If, simultaneously, the act served as a warning for the villagers that messing with Naruto meant messing with the Hyuuga genius, then all the better.

“Because I wish to”. Neji finally answered the question.

The sigh Naruto gave in response was both fond and exasperated.

“You know, Neji” he started. “You don’t have to stand behind me. You don’t answer to me, in fact, we both answer to the same person. You can stand beside me”. Neji was entirely unprepared for the blinding smile that was flashed his way. Truly, that thing was a weapon. “After all, we’re friends, right?”

Unbeknownst to Naruto, his question had just worsened his situation – Neji might never stand beside him again. His respect for the blonde was too great. The Hyuuga was once again overcome with admiration for Naruto. He is so powerful, so selfless. So ready to forgive despite all the wrongs committed against him.

“Naruto…” Neji started, and then hesitated. He didn’t know how to do this. “I- I just wanted to say…” Kami, he really was acting like his cousin. He took a deep breath to compose himself. “For a long time I have wished to apologize for my crude and erroneous words at the Chuunin Exam finals. I am deeply sorry for the things I said”. To finish it off, Neji gave a deep bow.

The people around the duo stopped what they were doing to stare. A member of the proud Hyuuga clan bowing? And to the demon-brat as well?

A sudden burst of laughter woke them from their stunned paralysis. Startled, Neji looked up only to see Naruto clutching his stomach, trying, and failing, to suppress his laughter.

“Oh, Neji!” Naruto had to take deep breaths to get his shaking under control. “Is this why you’ve been acting so weird?” His laughter finally calmed down as he pressed a hand to the Hyuuga’s shoulder. “There is no need to say sorry, Neji. I haven’t thought about that in a long time.” He looked into the Hyuuga’s pupiless eyes and Neji almost drowned in sky blue. “You’re a different person now. I’m proud to call you my friend”.

The Hyuuga stood dazed for a moment. Truly? Just like that? I’m forgiven? But Naruto said it with such earnestness that Neji couldn’t help but believe it. He would always regret his words on that day, but they would no longer haunt him as they had for the past week.

Neji smiled. It was moments like these that made him think that Naruto’s dream of becoming Hokage wasn’t so far away after all. Naruto truly was an amazing person. Neji would follow him until death.

“Well then, laughing like that made me hungry again!” Naruto suddenly burst out, wide grin in place. Already walking towards the restaurant, he shouted, “Forget the apartment, I’m heading back to Ichiraku Ramen!”

“Very well,” Neji replied, starting after the blonde, a respectful two-step distance from him, as always.

“I shall accompany you”.

Chapter Text

Shino was at a complete loss.

He prided himself in his logic. He recognized both his strengths and his weaknesses objectively. He was proficient at his clan’s jutsu, at tracking, at maintaining a cool head.

He was not proficient at dealing with other people.

He was most especially not proficient at reassuring others or being comforting in any shape or form.

Usually, Shino would have accepted these facts and moved on to the next problem. He knew that both of his teammates, Kiba and Hinata, were more adept at dealing with emotional matters than he. They could take care of it in his stead, and he would focus on something he would be of more use at. It was a logical and efficient distribution of resources. Usually, this is what would have happened.

But nothing was usual about this case.

Despite his lack of intrapersonal skills, Shino sincerely wished to express his sympathy for Naruto’s past – personally. He wished to comfort him, to alleviate the blonde’s burden, even if by only a fraction. He wished to ensure that Naruto was aware that he could call on the Shino at any moment, and the Aburame would be there.

It was a novel experience for Shino.

Usually, Shino was one of the best at analyzing a situation without the bias of emotion.

So why was he so constantly consumed with rage?

Ever since he had heard Naruto’s unwitting revelations, all he could feel was a fervent and utterly illogical desire to hurtmaimkillthebastardswhodidthis-

Usually, Shino could push past the emotion to make the best, most rational decision. Hinata was oftentimes too compassionate to do so, and Kiba was entirely too reckless and emotional. As such, rational decision-making was a skill he had cultivated through the years of being on Team 8. And yet, that skill completely escaped him at the moment.

And so Shino was at a loss. He was bereft of his usual cool-headedness, consumed with rage and the intense desire to comfort a friend, despite it being one of his weakest attributes.

He used several logical arguments to attempt to convince himself otherwise, but they were fruitless. Shino wanted – no, needed – to help Naruto somehow.

No man should bare the burden Naruto did alone.

And what a burden it was.

Shino was no stranger to rejection. Ever since he was small, he was often considered “that creepy bug kid”, and the image had not completely dissipated with the passage of time. Shino was not bothered by such things. In the Academy, he analyzed the children who called him creepy and rejected him, and judged most of them to be incompetent. True ninja would not be bothered by his methods, so long as they were useful. He deemed them unworthy of his time and efforts. Shino knew that, as with the Aburame before him, his teammates and the Konoha nin as a whole would learn to appreciate his bugs when in battle, and that the others would recognize and accept him eventually.

Shino could admit, however, that a large part of being able to judge these things so steadily, and accept them, was having a family to support him once he came back home alone again.

There was an odd ache in his chest when Shino realized that Naruto did not have such a luxury. The blonde dealt with a worse form of rejection than the Aburame, yet managed to overcome it without the aid of a family, or even friendly acquaintances. It was a feat worthy of admiration.

Shino concluded that Naruto should hastily be reminded that there were those that would now support him. That the entire world could reject the blonde, denounce him a demon, and his friends would not care. They would become his family and support him, the way he should have always been supported.

And then they would proceed to cheerfully murder those that had dared to insult Naruto.

Shino would personally grant them a gruesome death via kukakibichou.

Ah, he was allowing his emotions to dominate his thoughts again. Truly, how unusual. He supposed this was one of the reasons Naruto was the number 1 most unpredictable ninja. Unusualness seemed to follow him.

But first, Shino had to find him.

Shino found the subject of his search (and the source of his unusual emotions) sitting cross-legged on top of the Hokage monument. Much to Shino’s surprise (it would have been astonishment, but such strong emotions typically eluded him. The fervent rage he felt at Naruto’s treatment was unusual, as everything else about this situation), Naruto appeared to be meditating.

Shino was struck by how powerful Naruto looked, sitting cross-legged at the edge of the monument. There was something about his posture, or his expression, or perhaps his mere chakra presence, which calmed Shino from his unusually turbulent emotions. For some inconceivable reason, Shino felt reassured by the sight. It felt like home, like strength, like an uncontrollable force of nature, as big as the sky, both threatening and welcoming. Shino felt he could stare at the orange-clad ninja for hours and not get tired.

Eventually, Naruto opened his eyes. Shino realized he had simply stood staring at Naruto for the past forty minutes. How unusual. Shino moved to announce his presence, but was once again brought to a halt by the image before him. Naruto was overlooking Konoha, the village that had shunned him and rejected him, with a small, peaceful smile on his face. For some reason, seeing Naruto like this filled Shino with warmth and anger. They did not deserve such a kind smile.

It was this village, and the people in it, that made Naruto suffer throughout all these years. That warped his sense of self-worth. That made him think he was expendable. Shino was quickly reminded of his purpose for coming here.

Schooling his visage into its usual stoic expression (at least one thing should remain constant, or Shino feared he might lose himself), Shino called out to him.

“Naruto”.

Naruto looked up, serene expression gone, and in its place one of surprise at seeing Shino there.

“Cease such thinking immediately.”

“Eh?”

“You are not expendable. Why? Because you have friends who care for you deeply and would mourn your loss.”

“Shino, what are you talking-“

“Your thinking of yourself as expendable therefore makes said friends sad. It makes us act in ways that are most uncharacteristic, my present self as an accurate example. Why? Because we worry for you and rage at the past that you have had. We wish to spend more time with you. Why? Because we wish to prove to you that we would all heavily mourn your loss should you perish. Or get injured. Physically or emotionally. Neither are acceptable”.

Shino progressively got more agitated. He was irritated with himself. He may not have been good at understanding emotions, but even he could tell that he was making little to no sense. Naruto would not understand what he was attempting to convey. This was a foolish endeavor. He knew that he was not adept at communicating his emotions, or thoughts related to emotions. He should have continued to simply protect Naruto from afar, leaving the actual comforting and emotional helping to people like Ino (who dealt with emotions and the mind every day through her clan training), Kiba (who seemed to understand Naruto’s actions and had no problem at all in loudly announcing his feelings), or Shikamaru (who was a genius and had a strangely close bond with Naruto). Even Hinata, despite her stuttering, would have been better. She had a soothing quality to her person that would have doubtlessly aided Naruto. Choji also possessed a calming, affectionate characteristic that would have made him more suitable. In fact, as Shino looked back upon all the options, he could not help but conclude that, of their group, he was the least suited for the position of comforter. Shino was feeling quite foolish – it was not something he felt often. He should desist of this foolhardy self-imposed mission and find something better suited for his talents. Yes, he would leave Naruto’s emotional wellbeing to those that actually possessed the ability to help him cultivate it in a healthy manner. Well then, he should quickly apologize and –

“Thank you”.

Shino’s uncharacteristic rambling thought process was brought to a halt.

“What?”

“I said, Thank you.”

Naruto looked directly into Shino’s eyes. The sunglasses were not enough protection against the weight of his gaze.

“It means a lot that you came all the way here to tell me you care. I think of you as a friend, too, Shino”.

And then, Naruto flashed a small, heartfelt smile. It was beautiful in its sincerity, and all Shino could do was stare. He felt he should immortalize this moment somehow, Naruto smiling with the entirety of the Konoha village behind him. Shino was not sure what he was feeling, perhaps a mixture of awe and affection. He was not good at emotions – he couldn’t quite tell. He just knew it was a powerful sensation.

This man – Naruto – would accomplish great things someday, already had. And Shino would be sure to be present to witness it, and support him should he ever need aid. Naruto would never feel alone again.

As Shino moved to leave the clearing, he noticed Neji leaning against a tree, near both Naruto and the Aburame. Had Shino honestly been so agitated that he had not noticed the Hyuuga’s chakra signature? This was most shameful. Truly, usually he did not let his emotions impede his judgment, or his shinobi skills.

As he looked at the Hyuuga, the latter gave him a discrete nod. Neji seemed… grateful? For talking with Naruto?

Ah, Shino realized. I was acknowledged. And thanked. I helped Naruto, even if by only a little.

But then, Shino knew best how something little, the size of an insect, could carry great power. He would ensure that he would help Naruto little by little, so that one day the blonde would realize how important he actually was.

Perhaps Shino was not so ill suited to matters of emotion after all.

But this would only apply to Naruto. All of the other cases necessitating human communication, or dealing with emotions, he would leave to his capable teammates.

Naruto was the exception. After all, it was he who caused the unusualness.

Chapter Text

Kiba was confused.

No, confused didn't cut it. He was baffled. Bewildered. Absolutely and irrevocably mystified.

He felt disoriented, as though the world had suddenly started spinning the other way around, or the sky became green and the grass became blue, or Akamaru suddenly turned into a cat, and nobody else seemed to notice.

Kiba was used to demonstrations of love and care. He came from a large clan – a pack – that followed many of the ways of their canine companions. For one, they were very tactile people. When one of them was sad, the others would pile up and provide comforting touches. When one of them was happy, they'd all hug and high-five in celebration. When one of them was hurt, they'd lick his wounds and snuggle together at night. Every day was full of affectionate touches, showing their tenderness for each other much more physically than most.

Kiba never not knew he was loved.

He'd always taken it for granted, complaining about his mother's nagging and his sister's bossiness.

Of course, he knew that there were orphans. Knew that there were children abused by those around them. Knew that some people grew up in an environment so terrible it changed them forever.

But I didn't know Naruto was one of them.

Kiba had trouble equating the miserable and morose orphans he knew of to his ever-shining, ever-smiling, ever-laughing fellow academy dead-last.

It couldn't be true. There was no way Naruto had had to live alone since he was six years old. No way was he systematically neglected and abused. No way did he have to suffer assassination attempt after assassination attempt, not only throughout the year, but on every one of his birthdays as well.

Imagining Naruto living through that made Kiba sick to his stomach. He wanted to throw up, as though he could physically expel all these horrid truths through his mouth. As though doing so would make it so that they had never existed.

Well, he wanted to throw up, but more than throwing up he wanted to punch something. Preferably the villagers who had tried to kill Naruto. He'd settle for those that had insulted him and made him think he wasexpendable of all things. He wasn't picky.

Kiba could still hardly believe that had happened to Naruto. How could anyone treat a child that way? How could anyone treat Naruto that way? Naruto, who was so ridiculously selfless and powerful in equal measures that he was pretty sure the laws of nature simply didn't apply to him.

Kiba looked down to make sure Akamaru hadn't turned into a cat.

Nope, still a dog.

Fuck. He wasn't dreaming. Naruto really had lived through all that.

Fierce rage flooded through him.

How dare they?

Naruto was part of Kiba's pack.

He wasn't the only one in his pack. No, there was Shino and Hinata, as well as Shikamaru and Ino and Choji, and Tenten and Lee and Hinata's haughty cousin too. Even Sakura was part of his pack, despite her shrill voice and the way she had always nagged at him during their Academy days, and Sai, who was still relatively new (but accepted and cared for by Naruto, which was enough for Kiba).

And Naruto… Naruto was their Alpha.

In the beginning of his ninja career, Kiba fashioned himself as the Alpha. He was strong and proud, and thought he would be able to protect everyone (and totally score hot babes while he was at it)! He kept believing that right up to the point where he subconsciously – instinctively – looked to Naruto for guidance during a mission gone wrong.

They were in a small village near the border of the land of Fire, and the Iwa nin they were chasing after started a commotion in the middle of the village square. The Konoha team belatedly realized that the Iwa nin they were chasing had met up with an S-rank missing nin in the village, turning the mission much more dangerous than had been expected. They had killed several civilians already and the missing nin seemed unstoppable with his greater experience and insanely strong earth jutsus. He was easily picking the Konoha ninja off, one by one. Kiba was one of the first to be attacked and injured. He hadn't been able to stop him, unable to do anything but watch as the villagers got slaughtered and his comrades were defeated. Just as people seemed about to lose all hope, Naruto had bravely stood in front of the them, a human barrier between the missing nin and the Konoha ninja. He had ordered Shikamaru to come up with a plan to evacuate the villagers around them and eliminate the Iwa nin, while he singlehandedly took care of the largest threat; the missing nin, throwing in an inspiring speech that would stay with all those present for the rest of their lives while he was at it.

Kiba realized then that it was Naruto who protected them, who guided them. Who showed them hope when others had already given in to despair. He was their leader, and they would follow him into the depths of the Shinigami's stomach.

As galling as it was to admit, Naruto was the Alpha of their pack.

Not that Kiba would ever be telling the blonde.

Speaking of… he had been tailing the subject of his thoughts for a while now. It seemed Naruto had finally noticed.

"Kiba?"

Kiba was assaulted by stunning cerulean eyes. He was rendered speechless for a moment, wondering, not for the first time, if the eyes were some form of constantly active lesser known dojutsu that entranced the viewer.

More potent than the eyes for Kiba, though, was Naruto's smell. He smelled of fox, ramen, and sunshine, with strong undertones of power and determination. Kiba realized Naruto smelled like home to him. It was a comforting smell, and Kiba felt renewed confidence surge through him. He felt like he could take on anything, knowing that Naruto would be there for him all the way.

As he approached Naruto, Kiba fought the urge to bear his neck in a show of submission to his Alpha. Naruto probably wouldn't understand the gesture anyway. Perhaps in the future Kiba would teach him.

"Have you been silently following me around? God, you too? I hope this isn't some fad or something. Neji's been at it for more than two weeks now. I'm starting to wonder when he sleeps. If he sleeps. This can't be healthy for him".

To this, Naruto shot Neji, who was steadfastly two steps behind him, a look that was equal parts concern and exasperation.

Kiba didn't answer. He didn't say anything. He simply walked towards Naruto, pace increasing with every step. Once he deemed himself close enough, Kiba launched himself at the blonde. He wrapped his arms around the orange-clad ninja and hugged him tightly. Naruto backed a few steps from the impact, trying to regain his balance. Upon registering what Kiba was doing, he froze up, as though he wasn't used to receiving hugs and didn't know how to react.

Upon having this thought Kiba struggled to control his killing intent, keeping it from terrorizing the surrounding villagers and ruining his hug with Naruto.

A few slightly awkward moments passed before Naruto put his arms around Kiba and hugged him back. They stayed that way for a while. He distractedly noticed that Naruto had grown a lot recently, was now as tall as Kiba. Kiba stayed that way, making sure that his scent would stay on Naruto, alerting anyone with a skilled nose that the blonde had at least one friend that would retaliate against the pitiful fuckers that did him harm. Akamaru nuzzled the blonde from behind, leaving his scent on Naruto as well.

Naruto was theirs. Well, theirs and the rest of the rookie teams'. No one was allowed to mistreat him.

Belatedly, he realized Shikamaru was standing beside Naruto, with Neji right behind both.

Looking at Shikamaru over Naruto's shoulder, Kiba spotted a knowing gleam in the Nara's eyes. The genius definitely understood what Kiba was doing, and from the nod he had given Kiba, approved of it.

He looked at Neji next, who had frozen since he saw Naruto's abnormal reaction to a hug. The Hyuuga recognized what it meant. Kiba noted clenched fists and definitely gritted teeth in the normally aloof Hyuuga.

Well, it was good to know he had allies in taking care of their Alpha.

"Kiba?"

Ah, he was still hugging Naruto.

Kiba tightened his hold for a few moments, oddly reluctant to let go, before finally releasing Naruto.

"Come on. We're going to eat. I'm treating."

"E-eh? Oh. Okay, then. Sure." Shaking his head, as though coming out of a daze, and looking decidedly like he wasn't sure what was going on, Naruto walked forward. After a few moments, he seemed to accept the fact that Kiba had just hugged him and was now offering free food. Naruto wasn't one to turn a meal down. More animatedly, he exclaimed, "All right! Let's go!" Fist pumping the air.

And then he stopped. "Oh, wait." Turning to Neji, he asked, "Neji, do I have a lunch planned with Choji today?"

"No, your lunch with Choji is the day after tomorrow".

"Oh, thanks. That's perfect then! Let's go!"

It was Kiba's turn to shake his head and wonder what was going on. Well, it looked like Neji had become Naruto's personal secretary. He wondered if Naruto realized how strange it was that the Hyuuga knew his schedule better than the blonde himself. Well, not any stranger than having said Hyuuga follow him around everywhere. Perhaps Naruto did realize it was strange, but was just used to it by now. With the way things were going, Kiba almost expected Neji to start calling Naruto 'Naruto-sama' like he did Hinata. Knowing the prim and proper Hyuuga, he probably would.

Kiba laughed loudly. "Awesome! I know a great barbeque place!"

The four ninjas walked around the village, lead by Kiba, until they stopped in front of a nice BBQ restaurant on a deserted street with a delicious aroma coming out of it. Kiba felt his mouth water. He was starving.

"This place is seriously great. It's always empty at lunch time so the food arrives really fast -"

He was interrupted by Naruto's uncharacteristically quiet voice.

"Kiba, maybe we should go somewhere else…"

Kiba really should have realized something was wrong when he saw Shikamaru's eyes narrow at Naruto's hesitant tone.

But Kiba was oblivious. He blamed it on the hunger.

Kiba opened the door to the almost empty restaurant, mind already focused on the sweet smell of meat coming from inside. He turned and smiled brightly at Naruto, one foot already through the door.

"What are you talking about? Their ribs here are amazing. I swear you're gonna love it!"

"Oi, Kiba-"

"What are you doing here?"

Kiba turned to find the owner of the restaurant standing in the entryway. He had probably come out upon recognizing Kiba to greet him. The Inuzuka were their second biggest patrons, after all. Right after the Akimichi.

For a second, Kiba thought the man was talking to him. But then he noticed that the owner's hateful gaze was directed solely at Naruto.

There was a sinking feeling in Kiba's stomach.

"We don't serve demon scum here."

Kiba watched as, before his eyes, Naruto wilted. He hunched in on himself a little bit, not enough for a civilian to notice, but all too obvious for shinobi who were trained to study the body's movements. Kiba watched, horrified, as something in Naruto's eyes died.

And it was like a kick to the gut.

Before he could say anything, do anything to wipe that look from the blonde's face, though, Naruto had righted himself, giving the owner a smile so wide his eyes closed. Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. When he opened his eyes again they were no longer the bright cerulean of open skies Kiba had come to adore, but a dull blue similar to murky water.

This fake happy expression was so realistic Kiba wouldn't have thought anything was wrong had he not seen the sudden shift himself.

Kiba clenched his fists as he realized that the expression was so convincing because Naruto had had to do it thousands of times.

Had to smile through his pain thousands of times.

Kiba grew furious.

"Sorry, sorry, owner-san. I was just on my way-"

"NARUTO, SHUT UP!" Kiba roared. If there was a brief flash of hurt that appeared in Naruto's eyes at the shout, it was quickly eliminated as Kiba continued, "YOU DON'T HAVE TO APOLIGIZE TO THIS BASTARD!"

Before Naruto could blink, Kiba rounded on the restaurant owner.

"AND YOU! WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL MY FRIEND? THIS AMAZING MAN WHO HAS SACRIFICED SO MUCH FOR THE VILLAGE- SACRIFICED SO MUCH FOR ITS NINJA, FOR ITS CIVILIANS- FOR STUPID, UNGRATEFUL PEOPLE LIKE YOU! YOU BASTARDS SHOULD BE HONORED TO EVEN TALK TO HIM!"

The owner seemed genuinely baffled that someone was coming to Naruto's defense.

"Inuzuka-san, you must be mistaken. It is nothing but a demon that refuses to die." The confusion was soon substituted by misplaced sympathy. Kiba felt like punching the man. "I see that it has deceived you – that is the way of a demon. But virtuous ninja like you should not associate with it." Then, in almost a whisper, but still audible to all those around, he sealed his fate. "Do not worry, many of us have been taking measures to eliminate it. Soon, you shall be released from its hold".

Kiba could barely think. He had been stunned to silence all throughout the owner's speech by the sheer ignorance in his words. That last statement roused him from his shock-induced paralysis, however. This was one of the men that had tried to assassinate Naruto when he was still just a child? Kiba then realized the very much present tense of the owner's last sentence. They were still planning on killing Naruto?!

Something in Kiba exploded.

"YOU- YOU FUCKING LUNATIC!" He gripped the owner's neck and lifted him off the floor. "YOU WERE ONE OF THOSE THAT TRIED TO KILL NARUTO AS A KID? WHEN HE WAS 10? WHEN HE WAS 8? WHEN HE WAS6?!" Every sentence was punctuated by Kiba smashing the owner into the wall of his own restaurant. "NARUTO ISN'T AN IT, YOU BASTARD, HE'S A PERSON! HE BLEEDS LIKE A PERSON, HE FEELS LIKE A PERSON, HE HURTS LIKE A PERSON! AND HE'S A PERSON A THOUSAND TIMES BETTER THAN YOUR COWARDLY ASS COULD EVER EVEN HOPE TO BE!" Another smash. Blood leaked out of the owner's mouth. "AND NOW HE'S GOT FRIENDS WHO WILL DEFEND HIM TO THE DEATH! YOU TOUCH A HAIR ON HIS HEAD WE'LL FUCKING KILL YOU. NO, WE'LL MESS YOU UP SO BAD YOU'LL WISH YOU WERE DEAD. AND THEN WE'LL FUCKING KILL YOU ANYWAY." Smash. "IF YOU THINK YOU CAN GET AWAY WITH THAT KIND OF SHIT THEN YOU'RE EVEN DUMBER THAN I THOUGHT!"

Kiba was panting from shouting so much. By the end of Kiba's threats and accompanied smashing, the owner was almost ready to lose consciousness.

"OH NO YOU DON'T, YOU LITTLE SHIT. YOU DON'T GET TO GO TO SLEEP RIGHT NOW. YOU STILL HAVE TO SUFFER A LOT MORE FOR WHAT YOU DID."

Out of the corner of his eye Kiba saw Shikamaru make a move. Kiba knew that technically ninjas weren't allowed to attack civilians unless it was in self-defense, but he didn't care. This bastard needed to pay. He was sure Tsunade, whom everyone knew viewed Naruto as a grandson, would overlook it just this once.

"Don't try to stop me, Shikamaru! He deserves to be beat the fuck up!"

"And who said I was going to stop you, Kiba?"

Kiba let go of the owner in his surprise. The man crashed to the floor, heaving large gasps of oxygen and trembling all over from the intense killing intent he had been subjected to. He looked pathetic. Kiba ignored him and turned around to look at Shikamaru. The usually slouched Nara was standing up straight, firm and intimidating. If the posture didn't already indicate the genius' aggressiveness, then his eyes eliminated all doubts. In Shikamaru's eyes was a blazing inferno of fury and hatred that spelled death for all who caused it.

Next to him, Neji looked ready to commit murder. In his anger, he had subconsciously activated his Byakugan and was looking for the points in the owner's body that would hurt the most once hit.

"No, neither of us is stopping you. I believe we're going to help you now".

Kiba smirked.

Shikamaru and Neji took a step towards the owner, bodies prepared to strike, but were stopped by Naruto's voice.

Naruto had stayed still throughout the entire altercation, shocked that Kiba would defend him against one of the villagers. No one had shouted at one of them like that before. And now Kiba was ready to beat the villager up (already had beat him up a bit)! Even Shikamaru and Neji looked ready to join him. This made Naruto act. Harming a civilian was illegal. He didn't want his friends to get in trouble for his sake.

"W-Wait! Guys, you really don't have to! It's okay. This kind of stuff doesn't really bother me anymore".

Kiba glared at Naruto for his unconvincing pitch.

"Well, too bad Naruto. Cause it bothers us".

Shikamaru and Neji's eyes glinted with hardened determination and cold fury in response.

As one, the three shinobi turned back to the restaurant owner.

The owner whimpered.

Chapter Text

Choji had always been a very sweet boy.

He saw the good in people (unless they called him fat), and he had always found that never was there so much good in one person as there was in Uzumaki Naruto.

From the very beginning, he had known there was something different about Naruto.

Oh, it wasn't the way the villagers treated him or the whispers that followed him or even his (rather impressive, really) affinity for pranks.

It wasn't even the way Naruto wasn't afraid to draw attention to himself, shouting loudly and wearing the blinding orange jumpsuit (Although Choji did admire that, as his own lack of self-confidence would never allow him to be so outgoing).

No, it was not any of these things that made Naruto different from everyone else.

Instead, it was the way he occasionally lit up a room with a sincere smile that somehow seemed different than his other grins. The way he managed to command everyone's attention even while quietly sleeping in class. The way the class always watched him, consciously or unconsciously, and couldn't seem to tear their eyes away…

It was the way his eyes softened and he became much more quiet whenever Choji offered him a chip. It was at these times that Naruto often gave a heart-wrenchingly beautiful yet small smile that Choji thought put all of his other large and toothy ones to shame.

There was a raw magnetism to Naruto that Choji couldn't help but admire.

He had some sort of aura that simply made people stop and listen. The effect only increased with time. Now, people stopped and followed.

Because that's what Naruto did. He led them.

Choji did not mean that in the absolutely literal sense with which Neji was doing so (although Neji also followed Naruto in the way Choji was talking about). Choji meant that Naruto showed them the path to follow. He guided them, inspired them, galvanized them into action with awe-inspiring speeches and selfless actions.

The fact that he was so powerful certainly didn't hurt.

Without truly noticing, the people Naruto interacted with started orbiting around him, as though they were planets and he was their Sun. Naruto's every emotion affected everyone else. His every decision was noted. His approval was sought after and his disappointment was the stuff of nightmares.

No, really. He had seen veteran shinobi puff up in pride after receiving a word of praise from Naruto, in a way they didn't when praised even by their superior. And Choji, himself, had had nightmares of one day disappointing Naruto. It was often his motive for training so hard.

Choji had no doubts that Naruto would be Hokage one day. It'll happen sooner rather than later, he thought.

People were already used to deferring to him, even if unconsciously. When faced with a new person, their teammates would often look to Naruto to see what he thought of him or her, using it as a guideline to check if the person should be welcomed or spurned (as was the case with Sai). When stuck in a dangerous situation, they all looked to Naruto who unfailingly inspired them and ensured that they survive the ordeal.

And through it all, Naruto never ceased to be a deeply caring person.

The blonde never failed to amaze with his intense compassion, his determination to do the right thing, his countless selfless acts.

Choji smiled as he remembered a moment from his Academy days.

Shikamaru was sick with a fever and didn't come to the Academy that day. The other kids had immediately noticed that his loyal and cunning defender wasn't with him, and proceeded to use the opportunity to joyfully torment the sweet and shy boy for the day.

At first, it had been small things. Whispering about him right in front of him and making sure he heard their mean comments. Knocking his pencil case over. Kicking his chair so that he fell on the floor when trying to sit.

Little things that hurt Choji, but that he could deal with.

It was only at lunch that they decided they hadn't been tormenting him enough.

Choji was sitting under a tree near the kunai-throwing training ground when his four main bullies approached.

It was Hontarou Keiji and his three minions. Keiji was tall for his age with dark brown hair and eyes, and a mean smirk on his face.

"Watcha doin' out here, fatso?" Keiji started.

At the time, Choji's immediate reaction to being called fat was not to bash the offenders' heads in with his immense strength. He didn't quite have the confidence to do that. It would still take him a while to get to that point.

Instead, he hunched in on himself as he tried to ignore the hurtful words.

"Why aren'tcha playin' ninja with the rest of us?" Keiji continued, before gasping dramatically, "Oh, wait! I know! It's cause no one likes you!"

"Yeah, you suck at being a ninja! You're just a loser!" Chipped in one of the ever so helpful minions.

At Choji's continued silence, Keiji began to laugh.

"What? Not gonna say anything now that your loyal knight abandoned you, princess? You're all alone now!"

Choji continued to shrink into himself.

"Keiji, what are you saying? Princesses aren't that fat and stuuuuupid."

Suddenly, a hand swooped in and stole Choji's lunch from him. Choji looked up to find Keiji had it in his hand, and was dangling it mockingly in front of the plump boy.

Choji moved to protest, but Keiji cut him off.

"I'm doing you a favor, fatso! Maybe this way you won't be so fat anymore!"

Choji shot up from the ground and made a move to take his lunch back, but Keiji's minions were there to restrain him. He was on the verge of helpless tears as Keiji exaggeratedly picked up a delicious-looking piece of beef and was about to let it drop into his mouth when a voice interrupted the bully.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?"

Keiji, Choji, and the minions looked up to find no one other than Naruto. The blonde hadn't been there in the morning; skipping class and plotting some nefarious prank on unsuspecting storeowners no doubt, but appeared to have arrived just in time for lunch.

And just in time to find Keiji and his minions bullying Choji.

"I asked, what do you think you're doing? Answer me!"

It was the first time Choji had seen Naruto be so intimidating. The look in his eyes was scarier than Sasuke's hateful glances, scarier than Iruka-sensei's face of doom, and much scarier than his bullies' malicious glares. Instead of a goofy expression, Naruto's eyes were narrowed and his face was set in a deep scowl. Despite Keiji being considerably taller than the rather small (and quite thin, now that Choji thought about it) blonde, he still backed off. There was just something about Naruto that said that, despite his being dead-last, you did not want to get into a fight with him.

"We weren't doin' nothing! Just foolin' around!" Keiji justified. He couldn't explain the sudden fear he felt as the subject of Naruto's anger. He just knew he had to get out of there.

"Yeah? Then give Choji back his lunch and scram! I don't wanna see your ugly faces around here!"

Keiji looked ready to bolt (one minion already had), and quickly handed Choji's lunch back to him, delicious piece of beef back in the bento.

"T-Tche. We were just leavin' anyway!"

And with those parting words, Keiji and his remaining two minions ran out back to the Academy building, as though if they didn't run fast enough Naruto would chase them down and hit them anyway.

"You okay?" Naruto looked back at Choji, who was now laying on the ground, still a bit stunned at what happened.

Choji hesitantly nodded.

Nodding at this, Naruto plopped himself down beside Choji, helping him sit back up.

"Don't listen to those jerks. They've got nothing better to do than bully others." Naruto scowled in the direction Keiji and his minions had run away to. "I think you're a great guy! And since I'm gonna be Hokage one day I know more than them!"

Naruto smiled convincingly at Choji, and the Akimichi was momentarily stunned once more. That smile was so bright and blinding…

Then Naruto's words caught up to him. Choji blushed in pleasure. How could Naruto just hand out compliments so shamelessly like that? "O-Oh. Thank you, Naruto-san."

"Oh, none of that, now! Just call me Naruto!" Another wide grin.

This time, Choji was more prepared for the powerful smile. He smiled shyly back. "Then please call me Choji, Naruto."

"I intended to, Choji!" Naruto exclaimed loudly, followed by laughter.

Choji found himself laughing along with him.

Shyly, Choji asked, "Do you want a chip?"

Akimichi Choza, head of the Akimichi clan and father to Akimichi Choji had been worried all day. He knew that Choji had trouble with the other children at the Academy (As all Akimichi's had. Mostly it was the civilian brats that didn't understand how their big statures were necessary for their clan jutsus, and how formidable they were in battle), and often relied on Shikamaru for support. Without his best friend there, Choji must doubtlessly have had a terrible day. Choza gritted his teeth at the thought of other kids bullying his kind-hearted son. He just hoped Choji didn't come back depressed like he had back before he became best friends with Shikamaru.

So Choza was surprised when he saw Choji open the door to the clan house with a wide grin on his face.

"I'm home!" He shouted. Even his shout sounded happy!

Choza chuckled as he saw Choji immediately head to the kitchen to find something to eat.

"Welcome home, son!"

Choji turned to find his father come into the kitchen as well.

Choji stopped scavenging for food (and this was new, since when did Choji stop preparing food to talk about something?) and started jumping up and down excitedly in front of a very bemused Choza.

"Hey Otou-chan! Guess what!"

"What is it, Choji?"

"I made a new friend today!" Just saying it made Choji look like he would burst in joy.

"Ohoho! So more people are finally finding out how great my amazing son is! And who is this lucky person?"

Choji grinned even more widely, if that was possible. "His name is Uzumaki Naruto, and he's really cool!" Choji then proceeded to regale his father with the tale of how his new friend sent his four bullies running away with just a glare.

Choza froze for a second. Uzumaki Naruto… that was the Kyuubi Jinchuruki. He wasn't like those villagers that hated the child, and he had never warned Choji away from him, but that didn't mean that he was perfectly comfortable with his son close to the Nine-tailed fox container. He knew about other jinchuurikis, ones where they became sociopaths or just went crazy. Not all of them were like that, of course, but there were still a worrisome few. But, then again, the Hokage trusted and doted on the young boy, so surely he wasn't a threat to others. And anyways, Naruto had defended his son from bullies – that showed admirable kindness and a strong moral compass, not exactly attributes of an unstable sociopath. It would be unfair to deprive the child of friendship when he doubtlessly didn't have many people that cared for him in the first place.

Well, Choji had always been a good judge of character, always seeing the good in others, so Choza supposed he'd just trust his son in this case.

Either way, it was too late to separate the two at this point. Choji was very loyal to those he considered his friends, and now that Uzumaki Naruto was one, Choji would never part from him, not even on his father's orders.

Choza sighed. "Be good to him, okay, Choji? Naruto-kun's had a… difficult time."

Choji should have suspected something was off when his father told him that, but he had been very distracted when the next day Keiji and his minions came to the Academy with bright pink and orange hair. They had been laughed at all day long. No matter how hard they tried to wash it, it just wouldn't come off. Naruto had winked at him, and Choji offered him another chip.

If Choji hadn't considered Naruto his friend before, then that had certainly cemented it. Naruto had Choji's loyalty for life.

After that day, he had simply never thought about his father's comment again.

In his mind, there had been no reason to be concerned. Naruto was stronger than anyone he knew, perhaps not so much physically (as he had still been beaten by Sasuke every other day at the time), but mentally and emotionally. Naruto was more powerful than anything, and nothing could bring him down. Nothing could affect him! Naruto was Naruto, and he wasn't beheld to the same rules as the rest of them.

Oh, how he had been wrong.

Naruto was strong, yes, but he had still been a child. A child with no family, few friends, and a village full of people who hated him.

People who wanted to kill him

Who had already tried to kill him.

Choji heard a sharp crack. He looked down to discover his hands clutching the wooden table he was sat at, said table now suddenly sporting a large crack down the middle.

"Oh? Has the table offended you somehow, Choji-san?"

Choji looked to find the owner of the BBQ restaurant he was at smile benevolently at him. He was a short and funny old man with a bald spot almost as large as his white beard was long. He leaned forward over a cane and had trouble walking, but despite that always made sure to greet his customers personally.

Choji jumped to apologize.

"Oh, owner-san! I'm so sorry! I was just thinking something unpleasant and before I knew what was happening… I promise to pay to replace the table."

"Nonsense, nonsense." The old man smiled, "You and your family have done enough for my establishment. Just sit down somewhere else while we replace the table and don't worry about it."

Choji smiled back at the old man as he walked with him to another table for two.

"You seem to be in a good mood, owner-san."

The kindly old man chortled in the way that only kindly old people can.

"Well, my competitor's BBQ shop closed down recently, so my sweet old restaurant is bursting with new customers and profits."

Choji remembered this. The Inuzuka clan had not only revoked their patronage, but also publicly denounced the BBQ place the owner was talking about, citing it treated its clients in the most abhorrent manner. He knew Kiba was the one who had first petitioned to denounce the place, and had apparently succeeded. The Akimichi heir also knew that Kiba's mom, Inuzuka Tsume, had talked to Choji's dad about it, and immediately the Akimichi had sworn that never again would one of them set foot inside the place. And, frankly, once an Akimichi said something like that about a restaurant there was no other option but to close down.

Of course, something was off about all this. The Inuzuka and Akimichi would not so publicly ruin a restaurant this way just because of bad customer service. It required much more than that to gain that level of rejection from two large and rather relaxed (compared to the stuffy Hyuuga) Konoha clans. Choji may not have the genius brain of Shikamaru, but even he could tell that something more was going on. He resolved that the next time he saw Kiba, he'd ask about it.

Meanwhile, the old man started talking again, "Although I did hear the owner was found beat up in a deserted alley. They say his right arm broke and two of his ribs cracked. His body was so covered in bruises and animal bites that he was almost unrecognizable!" The old man paused a bit, as though contemplating something. "It's not so bad, though. Couldn't have happened to a more deserving person, I say. He was a nasty man, always vicious to those he deemed below him. Prone to violence, he was. And he'd always lurk around with other unsavory folk, whispering and muttering amongst themselves. Didn't want to cross them if you were ever walking alone at night. Gave me a bad feeling, they did."

Choji was left thinking about the owner's words as the old man walked away to greet others.

He was startled out of his thoughts by the voice of the person he had been waiting for.

"Sorry for being late, Choji, Shika stopped to talk to me on the way."

And there, heading towards him, was the constant subject of his thoughts ever since the night of the revelations. He was looking well, Choji thought. More filled out, as though he had been eating better and somehow a bit more cheerful as well.

Perhaps our efforts to show him how much we care are paying off?

As he saw Neji was standing guard outside the restaurant door (Wait, was he really just going to wait outside the door until Naruto was done eating? Wasn't he going to at least come in and sit down? He could've just sat down with Choji and Naruto! Was Naruto not reacting because he was just used to this kind of subservient behavior?), he decided that it was impossible not to get better with such devotion aimed at him. Neji probably made sure the future Hokage slept regularly and ate things other than ramen.

Neji really is a good secretary, he couldn't help thinking.

Finished admiring Naruto's seemingly improved health, Choji moved to embrace his friend. After their hug, they both sat down at their wooden table.

"It's no problem, Naruto. What did Shika want to talk about?" He asked curiously. It's not often Shikamaru went to the trouble of looking for someone to talk to them. He mostly just talked to whomever he saw that day.

"Hmmm? Oh, nothing much. Said I should be careful, some villagers might be after my life again."

The casual way Naruto said that made Choji freeze. What?

He didn't realize he had voiced his thought out loud until Naruto responded to his question.

"Some villagers might be after my life again." He paused, picking up the menu and leafing through it as he continued to talk distractedly, "It's actually kind of weird. I haven't had to deal with assassination attempts from the villagers for three years because of the training trip with Ero-Sennin, so I guess I'm kinda out of practice. I'll get used to it again soon enough, though."

Choji heard another sharp crack of wood breaking, and looked down to find another wooden table had fallen victim to his powerful emotions. Instead of there only being a large gash, however, the whole table cracked in two, the separate ends of the table falling to the floor.

Naruto, still holding his menu, watched the table fall apart under Choji's strong grip with wide eyes.

"O-Oi… Choji, you okay?"

"Just fine, Naruto."

Choji smiled at Naruto, but a glint that promised death and destruction to whomever had pissed the large Akimichi heir off could be seen in his eyes.

No one will hurt Naruto. Not again. Not ever.

Those who tried would find that the sweet and kind-hearted Choji was not so sweet.

Chapter Text

Kakashi immediately noticed when the younger generation of shinobi started acting differently.

He may act carefree, with his nose constantly burrowed in his Icha Icha, but that did not mean he didn't notice.

He had been ANBU Captain once, after all, and he was still a paranoid veteran shinobi. He noticed everything.

Frankly, it wasn't like they were hiding the shift, really. Anyone with a pair of eyes could see that something was different.

And it was all centered around one person.

His student.

Naruto.

He wasn't surprised. It was always Naruto, somehow. Everyone else just seemed to gravitate towards him, like a moth to a flame.

But now that gravitation took an even more serious turn.

And he had noticed.

He noticed how Hyuuga Neji always followed Naruto around, two steps behind like the ANBU Captain would follow the Hokage.

He noticed how Yamanaka Ino left flowers at Naruto's door every morning for a month.

He noticed how Aburame Shino sometimes followed Naruto up to the Hokage Monument, and how he'd simply watch Naruto meditate for hours.

He noticed how Akamichi Choji invited Naruto out to lunch more often, and occasionally brought him home-made bentos.

He noticed how Inuzuka Kiba took every opportunity available to hug Naruto or touch him in some friendly way, so much so that Kakashi could constantly smell him on his student.

He noticed how Hyuuga Hinata no longer seemed quite so prone to fainting around Naruto, instead finding a renewed determination to maintain a steady conversation with him regularly.

He noticed how Tenten took to caressing her weapons while in the company of certain civilians and Naruto.

He noticed how Sakura punched Naruto less, and how she was prone to the occasional bout of depression.

He noticed how Guy's weird mini-clone shouted Naruto's name to the horizon every time he did one of his inhuman exercises.

And he noticed how Nara Shikamaru could often be found hanging around Naruto, gazing at clouds together, talking, playing shogi, or, when alone, talking in whispered voices to random civilians around the village.

And all of this was weird. Yet no matter how hard he dug, or casually eavesdropped on conversations, or asked discrete questions, he couldn't seem to find out exactly what caused this sudden change.

He had even asked Naruto, who was at the center of everything, about it, but the blonde had merely shrugged and said he had no clue. They had all suddenly started acting differently overnight for no apparent reason.

He would have asked the Hyuuga that was constantly following his student around, but detected faint traces of animosity directed towards him. It puzzled him, but he figured he couldn't be bothered to actually ask.

Yet the issue still nagged at him, and he kept expecting something to happen.

So he was not entirely surprised when the Hokage summoned him to her office.

Immediately upon arrival to the Hokage's office, through the window of course, Kakashi noted several things.

The drapes were pulled to block the sunlight and give the office a stagnant, dark feeling.

The desk was even messier than usual.

There was more alcohol than usual (which was quite a feat).

Shizune wasn't there to berate her master for her drinking and to get her back to her paperwork.

But the most discernable difference was the Hokage herself.

Tsunade looked like she had aged a hundred years.

There were dark bags under her eyes, indicating severe lack of sleep. Wrinkles had appeared on her face, suggesting intense worry. Gloom seemed to latch onto her and refuse to let go.

She looked like she bore the weight of the world upon her shoulders.

Kakashi immediately feared the worst. Were they about to go to war?

He hadn't heard even a whisper about war, though. Surely there would have been some sort of indicator that he could have picked up. The village was no more tense than usual, there had been no news of enemy moves that he was aware of, none of the other elite shinobi had been acting differently.

"Sit down, Kakashi." The Hokage ordered.

Kakashi was momentarily stunned by how gruff Tsunade's voice was. It sounded like she had been screaming at the top of her lungs recently… or crying.

Kakashi raised his eyebrows. A ninja didn't normally sit down in his Hokage's office, especially if said Hokage was about to tell him they were going to war. Point being, there was only the Hokage chair in the room, and it was currently being occupied by the Hokage herself.

Seeming to realize this herself (and how out of it was she if she hadn't noticed the lack of a second chair?), she called.

"Shizune."

He turned to see Tsunade's dark-haired secretary effortlessly bring in a chair.

She, too, seemed to have aged enormously since he last saw her. The energy and goodwill he had come to associate with her and her pig was gone, replaced by the same moroseness evident in their Hokage.

Shit, we really might be going to war. Kakashi concluded. That, or someone close to both of them has died.

"Sit down," Tsunade repeated.

He did.

Then, as though broaching a matter of great importance, she started,

"What do you know of Naruto's childhood?"

Kakashi was confused. This wasn't the announcement of war and impending death and destruction he had been expecting. What did Naruto's childhood have to do with this?

"Judging from your expression, not much." Tsunade continued. She laughed bitterly, "You might be as clueless as the rest of us."

Then her face shut down. "No… No. You could not have been as clueless as I was."

Kakashi frowned. He didn't understand why Tsunade was asking such things. And he wasn't clueless, he did know a bit. He had checked up on his sensei's son a few times as an ANBU, after all. Not enormously, but enough to know some things.

"I know that he lived alone at a young age, as I did. He spent most of his time playing pranks and skipping the Academy. It was a mostly happy, if irresponsible, childhood."

Tsunade heaved a world-weary sigh. She looked him in the eye, as though she was going to impart some dreadful secret unto the silver-haired shinobi that would change his life forever. There was a measure of pity in her eyes that discomfited Kakashi. He was not used to being pitied.

"It was not a happy childhood."

Kakashi opened his mouth to refute – to tell her of how Naruto always smiled as a kid, how he was a hyperactive bundle of excitement and joy, how he had seen all of this himself – when she continued.

"Naruto thinks he's expendable."

Kakashi didn't understand what she was saying, the words weren't computing.

Tsunade didn't give him any time to process the information.

"I thought it was a joke, at first." A shadow of a smile crossed her face as she seemed to remember something pleasant, "He's always pulling jokes, although even they are usually a bit more tasteful than this." The hint of a smile quickly disappeared and the melancholic air evaporated to be replaced with a heavy severity Kakashi had only heard during tragedies. "But then I noticed the sincerity in his voice." When she looked at him, her eyes were haunted, and there was a sheen of wetness that was barely detectable.

Tsunade looked into his uncovered eye, and there was such sadness in hers that Kakashi could hardly breathe.

"Kakashi, he believes it. From the bottom of his heart, he believes it's all right for him to die."

Tsunade started speaking more rapidly now, as though saying it faster would make it be over faster, or perhaps she was close to hysteria.

"He believes that that no one would be upset over his death."

What?

"He believes he is unloved."

No.

"He believes he is worthless."

Impossible.

"He called himself an unwanted demon-brat."

NO!

Tsunade gave him a look so full of helplessness Kakashi didn't know what to do. "When I asked him who called him that, who would have dared say it so much and so frequently that he believed that horrible lie truly and completely… you know what he said?"

It was all Kakashi could do to shake his head no.

"He told me 'everyone, Baa-chan.' As though it were the most obvious thing in the world."

Tsunade laughed, and it was perhaps the most painful-sounding thing Kakashi had ever heard.

"How can I just punish 'everyone'? How can I even start tackling this when the problem is everyone?" She looked despairing and lost, and very un-Hokagelike. "What can I do?"

Even Kakashi, bastard that he was, would have ordinarily made an attempt to comfort Tsunade when faced with such a sorrowful expression. But at this time he was too busy dealing with the myriad of emotions coursing through his own mind to deal with someone else's.

Just how badly have I wronged sensei's son?

He had always thought that Sasuke was the one who needed help of his three students. That Sasuke was the one with fragile emotional connections – the kid obsessed with vengeance, with killing his last remaining family.

Kakashi had immediately assumed that that was what the problem he'd have to deal with would be. That's what he'd have to focus on.

And look where focusing on Sasuke had gotten him. The avenger had gone and become a missing nin working with Orochimaru, a known enemy of the village. He had attacked one of Kakashi's students (Naruto. Of course, it was always Naruto) with the technique that Kakashi himself had taught him.

In comparison, Naruto… Naruto had always been so cheerful. He'd be kicked down, but then he'd get right back up again. He'd be cut, but then he'd just wipe the blood off with a dirty sleeve and proclaim he didn't even feel it. He'd be beat up, only to give a blinding – idiotic, Kakashi had thought at the time – smile and declare to all the world that he'd be Hokage.

Naruto possessed a sort of unshakeable confidence that made everyone around him believe that he'd be okay. A little hurt, but okay. Nothing could stop Naruto. He was a force of nature.

Kakashi had also bought into this for some reason. He failed to see these deep psychological issues that were present in his student. To call himself expendable… to think himself worthless… to refer to himself as a demon-brat… These were not the sorts of concepts that spontaneously appeared in a day. These deep-seated twisted, sick beliefs were the product of continuous exposure, of accumulation, of not days, not months, but years of psychological and emotional damage.

And Sharingan no Kakashi had detected none of it.

He had seen Naruto smile and laugh obnoxiously, and he assumed all he had to worry about with the blonde was getting him to stop being so loud.

Kakashi had been fooled. An ex-ANBU fooled by the act of a genin brat.

And that kind of skill didn't arise spontaneously either. He needed to know how Naruto learned to cover his pain with a mask of a smile – and why. Why did Naruto learn this, what twisted his perception of his own self worth in that manner?

"What-" Kakashi's voice sounded weak and vulnerable to his ears, completely unsuitable for a shinobi. He stopped, taking a deep breath to compose himself before starting again, "What makes him think these things?"

If possible, Tsunade seemed to deflate even more.

"Oh, Kakashi." And again she shot him a sorrowful look that left him dumbfounded. And scared. Scared in a manner he hadn't been in years. Scared of what he might learn about Naruto's past. Of what else he might discover that he had completely missed.

Tsunade closed her eyes as she recounted what Naruto had told her on that revolutionary day.

"He was neglected, Kakashi. He was kicked out of the orphanage when he was four, and has been living alone ever since. His neighbors, once they saw who it was, moved out, so he was left in an abandoned building in the middle of the red district all by himself. He has never experienced the love of a family.

"The civilians did not stop at only ignoring him, however. The merchants charged him three times the normal price for food and clothes, so he was deprived of stable nutrition and proper supplies. It is doubtlessly why he eats so much ramen – it is cheap, and one of the only foods he can get from people who do not hate him. Most of the other civilians insulted him, told him he was worthless, expendable, nothing but a demon-brat so much that he now believes it."

Rage and sorrow fought a fierce battle for dominance inside Tsunade, both bleeding into her voice at different times.

"It is all he ever knew. We may think him invincible and untouchable now, but he was just a child. For him, such rejection was normal. He grew up thinking that he could die the next day and people wouldn't care – no, that they'd celebrate! What does that do to the mind of a child? How does that change them?"

With every word Kakashi felt a piece of him die. Distractedly, he observed that his hands were faintly trembling by the end of Tsunade's speech, and he was numb all over.

But the worst was perhaps yet to come.

"And he was attacked." To this, Kakashi's numbness abated slightly and he looked up, alarmed. "Several times a year, there'd be an assassination attempt to kill the 'demon-scum', and always at least one on his birthday. The civilians would get in groups and try to kill him. He laughed about it when he told me. Said that the only reason he didn't have scars was because of his regenerative powers." Tsunade had a haunted look in her eyes, as though she were imagining the horrifying scenario. "He probably only survived due to the fox inside him. Ha! Never thought the day would come where I would be thankful the demon was put inside Naruto."

Tsunade sombered once more.

"His birthday presents were blood and pain. And always rejection. It's a miracle the boy has become the person he is today, isn't it?"

Tsunade looked at Kakashi for agreement, only to find him frozen in place.

Kakashi was horrified.

He had failed.

Again.

He had not realized what was happening to Naruto, to his student, to his sensei's son, to the only family (blood-related or otherwise) he had left.

Naruto had been suffering, and he had seen nothing.

Kakashi had seen his old team in Naruto's. He saw himself in Sasuke, the stoic prodigy child with stunted emotions. He saw Rin in Sakura, as the girl with a hopeless crush on the prodigy and who was crushed on by the dead last in turn. Worst of all was Naruto. Naruto was a cruel combination of Obito, as the cheerful dead last who was always foolishly competing with the team prodigy, and Minato-sensei, as the physical blonde and blue-eyed copy of his father figure.

It only got worse as Kakashi got to know Naruto better, and more of Minato's traits appeared. His charisma. His ingenuity. His leadership skills.

Was that why he had avoided Sakura and Naruto so much in favor of Sasuke? Because they reminded him of the team he had slowly learned to love and then failed to save? The teammates that were both deadbecause of him?

Had he truly allowed his past to influence his perception like this?

He should have spent more time with Naruto, should've looked deeper to understand him better. He, who always told other to "look underneath the underneath", had maintained a painfully shallow view of his students. He had been afraid of them, of their resemblance to his old team, and so fucked everything up.

How did he not notice the neglect? The abuse? The assassination attempts? There had been days that Naruto had been quieter than usual, but he had simply dismissed it as stomach pains. There had been days where he noticed that Naruto was thinner and shorter than he should be for his age, but he had dismissed it as the boy's unwillingness to eat anything other than ramen. There had been days where the boy looked at him with such longing, longing for a connection, (a friend amongst a team that either rejected him or incessantly insulted him?) and Kakashi had taken a look at familiar deep cerulean eyes and run away.

Because Kakashi was a coward.

Naruto had suffered for years because Kakashi was an absolute. Fucking. Coward.

He might never be able to face Minato-sensei again.

No, that was true. But that wasn't what was most important.

Most importantly, he might never be able to face Naruto again.

The amazing, selfless boy who still called him sensei. The person who was his family, whether the blonde knew it or not. The person who kept that small shred of compassion he had still alive. The person who inspired him every day with his words and his actions that inadvertently affected hundreds of others.

Shit. Kakashi cursed inside his mind. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.

In a rare show of weakness, he burrowed his face into his hands, palms pressed tightly to his eyes that were suspiciously wet.

"I really fucked this up."

Tsunade snorted at his obvious stress. He glared at her in answer.

"Here ya go." She said, pouring a generous amount of sake in a cup. "Drink up, Kakashi."

Kakashi did.

"I'm going to apologize to him." This was said with such determination, such strength that Tsunade could only stare for a second.

"He probably won't understand what you're apologizing for."

"I don't care." Kakashi was resolute. "I'll apologize, and then I'll spend the rest of my life atoning." Kakashi stood up from his chair, fists clenched. "I'll support him in whatever he does, whether it's ramen chef or Hokage. I'll be a real teacher, and teach him everything I can. I'll show him how much I care. I'll show him that he is everything but expendable, that he is worth the world to me, to us, that he is irreplaceable and that I was a fool for not making sure he knew earlier."

"And then I'll rip the bastards responsible apart."

The end of his sentence had become little more than a snarl, but Tsunade understood, and was comforted. Kakashi understood and would help Naruto believe in his own importance again. Together with the rest of the rookie 9 surely, surely they'd be able to make a difference.

There was a knock on the office door.

"What is it?" Tsunade shouted.

Nara Shikamaru opened the door to the Hokage's office and entered with quick steps that were uncharacteristic of him and his clan.

"What? This isn't a good time." All she wanted to do was drink and find the bastards responsible for making her Naruto suffer for so long.

"I've got information you'll want to know." He replied, face stoic and posture straight.

"I have reason to believe that there is a plot to kill Naruto in Konoha."

Kakashi gave a bloodthirsty grin.

Chapter Text

Tenten didn't know Naruto as well as the others. She hadn't fought him like Neji, hadn't declared him her rival like Lee, and she hadn't spent her academy years with him like the rest of the genin.

She did know some things, though.

She knew he was an orphan.

She knew he loved ramen.

She knew he wanted to become Hokage.

She knew he was much more powerful than he seemed.

She knew he had played an instrumental part in stopping the Invasion of Konoha.

She knew he had been betrayed by a teammate.

She knew he would do anything for his friends.

She knew he didn't bully Lee, or belittle him.

She knew he was the one who had helped Neji from his self-destructive path (When all of her continuous efforts had achieved nothing).

Beyond that, even from her brief interactions with him she knew he was something special.

(At the very least, she hoped he was something special. Neji had been stalking the poor boy as, if not more, efficiently than his cousin ever had. She even thought that Hinata might get jealous soon.)

She couldn't really blame Neji though. There was just something about Naruto.

A strange sort of magnetism that sucked you in and charmed you until you never wanted to leave again.

Whenever Tenten saw the blonde, she felt an inexplicable attraction.

It was not a romantic attraction, but rather a sort of natural pull to simply be near him. To talk with him, to laugh with him, to preserve his smile. An unfamiliar yet urgent need to be a part of his life, an instinct that told her that being his friend was the greatest reward she could ever have, that this, this was something special. Something she couldn't let go of. Something she should treasure.

As she spent more time with him she learned more. She learned his laugh was contagious. She learned his smile had a radiance that warmed any who were near it. She learned his sky blue eyes had the uncanny ability to shine with such earnestness it left the viewer dazed for a few seconds.

She learned he was absurdly loyal, absurdly trustworthy, and absurdly inspiring in times of crisis.

And just absurd in general.

She learned that someday, maybe, she wouldn't mind calling him Hokage.

So when she found out about his nonexistent sense of self-worth and his past abuses as a child, she was not as devastated as Hinata and Choji, not as shocked as Kiba and Lee, not as wrought with guilt as Ino and Sakura, not as overtaken by all-encompassing fury as Neji and Shikamaru, but she was pretty damn pissed.

Because she liked Naruto.

More specifically, she liked him happy, laughing, and most certainly alive.

And she really, really didn't like the bastards who made him think it was okay for him to be anything otherwise.

Hearing everything he went through had been like having a bucket of ice cold water dumped over her face. And not just ice cold water, but ice-cold water with a few large chunks of ice still in it, that hurt and bruised your head when the bucket was dumped. Chunks of ice that happened to be shaped as extremely sharp and deadly needles that pierced your skin straight to your heart, impaling the organ and making all the blood in your body turn to frost until all you can do is breathe shallowly and hope it passes soon.

You know, that kind of feeling.

She figured, since it was those bastard villagers' fault anyway for making her feel like that, she'd repay the service tenfold.

She was a weapons mistress. She had plenty of ideas for them.

As Tenten walked through the village, the civilians around her took a wary step back, afraid of the near maniacal grin on the young girl's face that promised all sorts of painful occurrences. She was chuckling in what most would describe as a decidedly evil manner, absently fiddling with a kunai in her hand. It was a shock to most to see the normally fairly composed kunoichi behaving in this manner. They had learned to expect strangeness from her teammates, and had figured she was the normal one of the set.

It appeared they were wrong.

Suddenly, as though it had never been, Tenten's expression changed from gleefully murderous to earnestly happy and innocent. Her face lit up and she seemed to be radiating excitement, as though she had been pleasantly surprised by the sight of a rarely-seen friend. The onlookers could only shudder at the sudden change in expression, and some wondered whether they had imagined the entire thing.

Looking to see what had caused the sudden mood shift, the villagers collectively sneered.

There, walking through the village as though he hadn't a care in the world and with his back turned to them was the demon-brat.

And so came the automatic response at the sight.

"It's disgusting, how that creature is allowed to roam the village freely like this." One of the villagers snarled to the person next to him, revulsion and hatred all too evident in his voice.

"Did you see how it's walking around with others these days? The ninjas are treating it like a fucking person now." Another growled. He spit onto the pavement, as though needing the physical demonstration to express his disgust.

"The Hokage should lock it up before it decides to murder everyone again." An old woman said sagely, as though imparting some great wisdom.

"Lock it up? That thing doesn't deserve to live!The Hokage should just hurry up and kill it. We know it's just a matter of time anyway."

"You think people haven't tried?!" Another looked indignant, "It just won't fucking die! It uses its demonic powers to heal anything!"

Another of the nearby villagers opened his mouth to further comment, but was quickly stopped when a vicious kunai imbedded itself in the concrete wall behind him. A moment passed and he felt a sting on his cheek, where a red line appeared, a single drop of blood trickling down to his chin.

Paralyzed and afraid, it was all he could do to notice that a variety of other weapons had suddenly appeared entrenched in the walls near the other civilians he was talking with, all of them with shallow cuts on their cheeks where the weapons must have made contact.

Slowly, apprehensively, they turned to the kunoichi they had been observing earlier, eyes wide and uncomprehending, not understanding why she would suddenly attack them.

Tenten felt sick. Hearing these- these fucking idiots talk about Naruto like that, like he wasn't even a person. Naruto who was- who was everything that was so loyal, so wonderful, so strong – who would give his life to protect these very same shittyunforgivingpiecesofshit- How dare they! How dare they speak of him like that! Had they always done that? Did they do that where Naruto could listen? Did Naruto have to put up with all of this fucking shit every fucking day?

Tenten felt something inside her snap. She was usually a fairly tolerant person, having to put up with the shenanigans of her team who was nothing if not eccentric on a daily basis, but this – this was too much.Way too much.

No one talked about Naruto like that.

She turned to Naruto, making sure that his back was still turned to her and the villagers and that he hadn't seen or heard anything.

They're lucky. Tenten thought. They're so, so lucky.

If Naruto had heard them then their day would have become much, much worse.

As it was, though, they wouldn't be escaping unscathed.

Ever so slowly, like a lion approaching its prey, she stalked towards the still paralyzed civilians.

With a snarl, the weapons mistress hissed, "You all disgust me."

The civilians looked affronted, but too terrified to say anything.

"You are nothing more than cockroaches. Filthy, pathetic, crawling around self-importantly as though you know everything when really it's you who should be locked in cages, where no one can be affected by your bitter venom. It's you who should be killed, for all of your ignorance and cruelty."

"S-so the demon-brat really is planning on killing all of us! He's convincing you that we should all die!"

Tenten couldn't hold it in. She laughed. It wasn't a laugh of joy, however, it was harsh and almost painful. The civilians winced when they heard it.

"Naruto? Want to kill you?" Tenten laughed again. "You aren't worthy of even feeling his foot on your face!"

The villagers stood still, this time paralyzed not by fear, but by the sheer revulsion in the kunoichi's tone.

"You mean nothing! You are nothing!" She had to take a moment to compose herself, lest she do something she regrets. "You see that man over there?"

She pointed at the still oblivious blonde who was talking to Neji.

"He- He means everything. He is loved so fiercely that people will lay down their lives for him! He is the inspiration! He is what we fight for, whom we follow to battle without questions, whom we know will always support us! There will be tales of his heroic deeds decades- no, centuries from now! He will be worshipped! And still it will not be completely what he deserves! Because he is beyond us all!"

She was trembling now, fists clenched and hair fraying out of her usually neat buns. Her face was flushed and her eyes were wild. The villagers had never been so afraid.

Tenten shot them a piercing glare, "And you worms won't be worthy enough to grovel at his feet."

And, before she could enact scenes of mass violence and torture, she gave a roughly ordered, "Leave."

The rest of the street had already been vacated, the villagers knowing not be stay around when a ninja was so visibly incensed. That this was one that had previously been considered one of the most calm andnormal ninjas out there only added to their fear.

Tenten turned to see if Naruto was still there, only to find him and Neji gone. She figured her teammate must have seen the situation and guessed what was happening before quickly and efficiently leading Naruto away from it. Naruto shouldn't have to deal with scum like this. Even if they couldn't erase his past, much as they'd desperately like to, they could do this. They could take care of these idiots so that he didn't have to waste his time on them. So that he didn't even have to see them.

This they could do.

And it felt good.

Tenten turned back to look at her prey. At the six previously maliciously gossiping villagers' still terrified and uncomprehending stares, she repeated, "Leave. Now."

As though something had finally clicked, the villagers rushed away from her in a mad scramble, hurrying to get as far away as possible from the murderous kunoichi with the mad gaze and trigger-happy fingers.

As the last one tried to run off with the others, he felt a blinding pain in his foot. Hesitantly, as though afraid of what he might find, he looked down at the throbbing appendage.

There, imbedding his foot to the street floor, was a kunai. The villager was about to let out a guttural cry, but was silenced by hand on his mouth and the skilled application of a gag.

Trembling and with eyes so wide they looked like they would fall out of their sockets, he turned to the owner of the calloused yet feminine hand.

"Shhhhh," Tenten comforted almost affectionately. She could have been a mother soothing a child after a nightmare. "You're going to come with me now."

The villager attempted to say something, but couldn't form any words due to the gag in his mouth. All he could do was shake his head rapidly, quick, jerky motions that he kept repeating over and over.

Tenten grabbed his chin to stop him and made him look her in the eyes. His were wide and terrified, a frantic gleam to them. Still with a soft voice, the kunoichi continued, "Oh, but yes. You see, you said some pretty interesting things earlier. I don't know if you remember," She went to brush his hair out of his eyes before pulling it sharply, earning a whimper, "Something about trying to kill Naruto before and failing?"

The villager started crying silently, big, fat tears leaking out of his eyes. He gave more mumbled responses, and she thought he was saying please, but she couldn't be sure. She didn't much care.

The villager looked around desperately, searching for someone to help, but found only an empty street.

"I know some people who would be very interested in what you have to say."

Gently, Tenten placed a delicate foot on top of the kunai still imbedded in the villager's bleeding foot, earning another whimper and making his eyes dilate.

"To be honest, I didn't have to do all this to take you with me," She applied more pressure to the kunai, twisting it and making even more blood soak the floor. "But I really, really wanted to."

With a last, vicious smile, Tenten bent down and sharply pulled the kunai out of the villager's foot, eliciting another pained cry from him. Faster than the eye could see, she picked him up and they vanished.

Chapter Text

OMAKE

It was a beautiful day, and Ino couldn't resist stepping out of the flower shop and basking in the sun.

Quickly turning the CLOSED sign of the shop, she took off her worn yellow apron and stepped outside. She figured the shop wouldn't miss her much if she just left for a few hours. She spent most of her time at the Torture & Investigation department nowadays anyway- managing the shop was a hobby more than anything else.

The moment Ino was out she closed her eyes and took a deep breath of the fresh air. What a wonderful day. She hadn't felt this good in a while, the violent storm of negative emotions caused by Naruto's big inadvertent reveal some three months ago had made her and the rest of the rookies a bit depressed (a bit depressed being a euphemism for a heart-wrenching mixture of guilt, fury, horror, and intense sorrow).

But there's no way to be sad today, Ino smiled. Staying inside would be a crime when it's so nice out! The birds were singing, the wind whistling, the sun shining on its joyful recipients. It's like a permanent Naruto smile, she thought. Ino couldn't help but feel good.

Still smiling to herself, Ino opened her eyes.

Her smile got even wider.

Looks like today is my lucky day.

A head of sunshine blonde hair could be seen in the distance.

"Narutooo!" She called, both hands cupping her mouth to make the shout louder. An orange-clad ninja dutifully turned to her in response.

Either her joy was contagious (much as his normally was) or he was also in a good mood, because he gave a wide grin, his sky-blue eyes lighting up when he saw her, "Inooo-chaaaan!"

Ino giggled. Today was a beautiful day and she couldn't think of anyone she'd rather spend it with.

Naruto is a lot like this day, she felt. Sunny, carefree, and with a laugh-inducing ability to warm you to your toes.

She was sure the others would be jealous she got to spend such a nice day with Naruto, and chuckled evilly thinking of ways she'd rub it in their faces. Although maybe she wouldn't rub it in Hinata's face toomuch, she wasn't completely sadistic despite her time in T&I.

Ever since that day each of the rookies had taken care to spend more time with Naruto, and they had, to their surprise, unanimously agreed that it was something they'd never get tired of doing. None of them had quite realized how wonderful just spending time with Naruto would be – she had never met someone who could be both energizing and calming like him. He was there to have fun with you if you wanted to, but he could also just silently sit with you in peaceful tranquility. She had seen both Naruto and Shikamaru cloud-gaze and play shogi together for extended periods of time. She hadn't thought Naruto was capable of being silent for hours on end, but he was.

He also had the unique skill of being able to offer you the exact support you needed at the moment. The blonde always seemed to sense exactly what the other person needed (which she was often frustrated by. It was supposed to be them that finally took care of him and were what he needed, not the other way around) and Ino always spent as much time as she could with him. What initially had started as almost a duty to make sure he knew he was cared for quickly became one of her favorite pastimes.

"It's a beautiful day, isn't it?"

Ino looked up at eyes that matched the sky and hair that matched the sun. Along with the power of raging typhoons and the steady will of great mountains, was it any wonder that people kept comparing him to a force of nature? "Absolutely wonderful," She agreed.

They started walking together at a leisurely pace. They basked in the sun together in comfortable silence before Naruto asked,

"So how is business at the flower shop?"

"The usual, the usual. I haven't actually been spending much time there recently because of the T&I department. My cousin's the one who manages the shop now."

"Eh? Do you mean little Inoka-chan?"

"Yup!"

"Eeeeeh… Inoka-chan, huh? They grow up so fast…"

Ino chuckled in response. Naruto had met Inoka a few years ago when he found her alone in a park, crying. The flustered blonde had comforted the young girl (apparently some boys had called her names) and walked her back home. The next day, the boys mysteriously arrived at school in varying shades of pink, lavender, and orange. Ever since, Inoka had worshipped the ground her Naruto-nii-chan walked on, much to the initial jealousy of Konohamaru. "You sound like an old man, Naruto!"

"Eeeeeh?!" Naruto was comically affronted at the accusation, "Nooo! I spent too much time with Ero-Sennin and Obaa-san! I caught their oldness!"

"Oldness isn't a disease, Naruto."

Naruto ignored her and lamented dramatically some more before a thought seemed to occur to him.

"Ne, Ino-chan," He started, "Ya know a lot about flowers, right?"

"Of course! I do help run a flower shop, you know?"

"Right, right," Naruto laughed, "You know anyone who bought a bunch of bouquets of flowers n' stuff 'bout 2 months ago? Like, a bouquet every day for a month?" Cerulean orbs turned to her earnestly.

Ino froze. There was no way she was admitting that she was the one who left him flowers every day! That was too embarrassing!

"E-Eh? Oh, I wouldn't know anything about that…" Damn, why was she blushing?!

Of course, Naruto was oblivious to all things that pertained to him. His shoulders sagged a bit in disappointment, "Oh, that's too bad."

"W-What about you?" Ino really wasn't used to being so flustered, what was wrong with her?! That gaze was entirely too intense! It wasn't fair! "How is training going?"

Naruto immediately perked up, "It's going great! I've been training with Neji and Shikamaru a lot," Wait, Shikamaru was doing extra training?! Of his own free will?! What kind of superpowers did Naruto have?!"And Kakshi-sensei has been teaching me a lotta really cool new techniques recently, too," Naruto beamed at her. Ino thought she might go blind because of its brilliance. She should remember to always bring sunglasses when she was with him. "Just you wait, Ino-chan! I'll be Hokage in no time!"

Ino smiled. It was nice to know some things never changed. The conversation continued in much the same fashion as they spent their time pleasantly walking around the village. Naruto was so charismatic and energetic that Ino found all of her attention focused on him.

Later, she'd blame Naruto's unique ability to command all of people's attention for the fact that she didn't notice anything at first.

It was only an hour into their walk around the village that she began to realize there was something… curious.

The first incident was very discrete.

"It's a beautiful day and all, but you've got to say, it's pretty damn hot." Naruto's tan face was had a thin veneer of sweat to it.

Ino was about to agree – despite her lighter and more airy attire even she was feeling the heat – when a refreshing breeze came from behind them.

"Ah, that's much better." Naruto seemed to sigh in relief as the wind ruffled his hair.

What a coincidence, Ino thought. Just when we were complaining about the heat, too.

She would have dismissed it as just that, but then realized that there was a tall wall behind them. If there was to be any wind at all, it would have come from their right or left, where there was a wind passage.

She might have given it some thought, but then Naruto distracted her as he started to elaborate on his training with Kakashi.

The second incident was much like the first.

"-And then I gave the naked lady the cake and ran out of there! So the rabbit had no idea it was me. "

"No way!"

"Really! I swear it was a 10-foot rabbit, too! From toe to tip of his ear- all covered in orange! He was furious, dattebayo!"

"I don't believe you!"

"But it's true! Ask Ero-Sennin!"

Ino was laughing so hard she felt her legs might give out. In between gasps, she barely managed to speak, "Y-You need to write down the place. I won't believe it 'till I see the neon sign!"

Naruto grinned at her, and this was enough to send her into uncontrollable fits of laughter again. She doubled over, closing her eyes to stop the tears of laughter and clenching her stomach. This was better training for her abs than Asuma-sensei's workout!

"Talk to any of the locals- they'll back me up!"

When Ino finally managed to get herself back under control, wiping the tears from her eyes, she paused.

Naruto had a sketchpad and an already inked brush out, writing down the name of the restaurant it all took place at in surprisingly good calligraphy.

The surprise form this was enough to give Ino a much needed respite from her hilarity.

Since when is Naruto the kind of person who walks around with a sketchpad and an ink brush? Ino wondered. And where did he get the ink to dip his brush in?

But before Ino could ask, Naruto was finished writing, handing her the piece of paper, and had started another story of his adventures with the Toad Sannin. Momentarily, Ino was bent over again, trying and failing to stop herself from laughing her eyes out as they continued walking.

In the third incident, Ino grew paranoid.

As they were walking, Naruto's stomach gave a loud rumble.

Ino turned to him, a knowing smile ready to form at her lips and a tease at the tip of her tongue, when she saw a bizarre sight.

Naruto held a bowl of what appeared to be roasted vegetables and beef, still visibly steaming in his left hand, chopsticks in his right.

Ino gaped at the bowl. That wasn't there two seconds ago, was it?!

With a disgruntled but resigned expression, Naruto gingerly picked up one of the vegetables and started eating.

"I thought you didn't like vegetables." Greater than the mystery of how the bowl appeared was the mystery of why Naruto was willingly eating vegetables.

Naruto grimaced, "I like some vegetables," He argued petulantly, "just not most of 'em." He sighed, as though having said this a thousand times before, his voice turning monotone, "But fruits and vegetables are instrumental to my health and I must eat them regardless of my personal preferences."

Ino frowned. He sounded like he was quoting somebody. A rather formal somebody if the large words were any indication. Maybe Iruka-sensei?

Naruto hadn't stopped walking while eating and talking, and Ino distractedly followed. She knew they hadn't stopped anywhere for food, and she didn't spot any storage scrolls on him. Delicious bowls of steaming hot vegetables and beef didn't appear out of thin air. Where on earth had he gotten that bowl?

And where could she get one? That looked delicious!

In true Naruto speed, the blonde finished his bowl of vegetables and beef in the next few seconds. Ino would've been impressed if she wasn't already on a team with an Akimichi.

"Oi, Naruto, where did you get-"

She stopped.

Naruto, still walking, had stretched his right arm, right hand holding the now empty bowl, as though waiting for something.

What the hell…

Before Ino could even stop to think of possible reasons for this bizarre action, a cup of steaming hot ramen replaced the bowl in Naruto's hand.

It was like magic. Naruto was weirdly holding an empty bowl then – blink – the bowl is gone and in its place is a cup of ramen noodles.

Completely baffled, and wondering if there had been something extra in her coffee this morning, Ino frantically looked around. She caught Neji, 2 steps behind Naruto as was custom (she hadn't even realized he was following them. She got too used to feeling his chakra signature with Naruto's, so she immediately dismissed it), sealing something back into a scroll.

Had-

Had he just-?

No, no way. Must've been a trick of the mind. There was no way Neji had kept an already prepared and hot cup of ramen (and not even instant! This looked like high quality ramen!) sealed in a scroll only for Naruto. And for Naruto to have simple needed to gesture, without even looking at the Hyuuga, spoke that this had to have happened several times.

Neji didn't even like ramen!

Breathe, Ino. It's the stress from the T&I department and the general situation with Naruto. There is no way that Neji is Naruto's super-secretary.

Yet, once Naruto was done with his ramen, he simply stretched his arm again, holding the bowl of ramen. Ino paid acute attention this time, making a concentrated effort not to blink, and saw the flash of Neji's movements. The super-secretary had quickly taken the ramen bowl and sealed it into a scroll once again, presumably to be disposed of later.

With wide eyes, she looked back at Naruto who was behaving as though nothing had occurred.

Oi, oi, oi! This isn't normal! How is Naruto not even reacting to this?!

"You! It's you!" Ino accused, pointing a finger at the Hyuuga, "You're the one who has been doing all these things all day!"

Neji shot her an unimpressed look.

"You- the wind that couldn't have come from anywhere- the paper and the ink brush- the missing ink- the bowl of vegetables- that, that was all you."

Neji gave her a look that practically screamed 'astute observation, Yamanka. What else can you enlighten us with today?'

Ino couldn't believe this! Neji was acting like- like-

"You- You're his secretary!"

Despite all evidence to the contrary, Ino had expected Neji to deny it. She had expected some sort of snide remark about how Hyuugas were secretaries to no one and Neji was insulted she'd even insinuate such a thing, much less actually verbalize it, not- not-

Is Neji blushing?!

Had she not been looking so intently and trained to find these things, she would have missed the small smile and the light pink that dusted his cheeks.

Wha- Why- Why was Neji blushing?! And looking mighty pleased at being called a secretary!

Ino knew her jaw had dropped and her mouth was open in a rather unflattering way, but she couldn't help herself. All of this was so- so weird. Her confidence in her skills at judging other people's personalities was dwindling by the day! Everything about Hyuuga Neji said that he was a proud, dutiful shinobi who would bow to no one.

And yet here he was blushing and holding back a shy smile when being accused of being Naruto's secretary.

She needed some time.

She needed to reevaluate her life.

"Oi, Ino, you okay?" A concerned Naruto asked.

"I- just – wha- how are you not-" The usually very communicative kunoichi struggled for words, "not reacting to all this?" She ended her question with wide eyes and even wider hand gestures, as though trying to physically compensate for her sudden inability to express herself through words.

"Hmmm? Reacting to what?" And there was genuine confusion in his eyes, the obtuse bastard, even though Neji was literally standing two steps behind him.

Ino gaped at him a little longer, making a series of unflattering confused grunts that sounded more animal than human, before finally -

"Dammnit! How are you not reacting to all that!" Triumphantly, Ino pointed an accusing finger at Neji. There, she thought, that was pretty clear. He has to understand now and I'll finally get an answer.

Naruto looked behind him in the direction that Ino was pointing at.

"The bakery?"

Ino was shocked. What? What bakery? But when she turned to look she saw that indeed, behind Neji stood "Yamada-nee-chan's Prized Bakery" in sharp golden letters over a pink headboard, with a "Best Bread in Konoha" sign right under.

"They do advertise the best bread…"

"I- You- Wha?" Ino felt like pulling her hair out. "No, no, Naruto! Neji! The proud Hyuuga with the I-will-bow-to-no-one attitude! How are you not reacting to- to-" She struggled for words. Trust it was Naruto that would make her suddenly speechless. She'd have to keep this hidden from Shikamaru, he'd probably start calling Naruto sensei and ask the blonde to teach him how to silence her like this. "-to Neji'ssupersecretaryness?!"

Naruto was taken aback by her vehemence by the end, "Supersecretaryness?"

This was like pulling teeth. No, she had done that at T&I, this was way harder than just pulling teeth.

"Yes! He creates wind when you're hot! He gives you paper and brushes and ink when you need to write something! He stores vegetable bowls and your favorite ramen for when you're hungry! NEJI IS YOUR SUPERSECRETARY!" Ino was out of breath and practically yelling by the end.

Naruto looked deep in thought, "Hmmm? What are you saying? He's not my supersecretary, Ino. Neji's my friend." He gave her a pointed look at this, as though emphasizing this last part. "But Neji is definitely super. He always has everything I need, and he makes sure I get to everything on time." Naruto turned to smile gratefully at Neji, who couldn't hide a pleased flush, "I don't know what I'd do without him. I don't even remember what life was like before he started accompanying me everywhere."

"But- he follows you around everywhere."

"He accompanies me."

"And keeps track of your appointments."

"His memory is simply better than mine."

"And gives you stuff you need."

"He always carries a lot of stuff around anyway, so there's no harm in lending me some if I need it."

"Which he just happened to start carrying around once he started following you."

"Accompanying, and I don't know when he started carrying all this stuff."

"And I bet he teaches you calligraphy, too."

"He insists it's an important skill for a Hokage to have."

"And stores vegetable bowls for you."

"He's concerned about my health, just as I am for his."

"And stores piping hot ramen cups for you."

"Like I said, he carries around a lot of stuff."

"Which he doesn't even like."

"Well, no one is perfect. Even Neji is allowed to dislike ramen."

"All this without you even having to ask."

"Neji understands me very well."

Ino was speechless. She wasn't sure what was more shocking. Neji being Naruto's supersecretary or Naruto's apparent utter denial about it.

There was one thing she was sure of, however.

Dammnit, I wish I had a super-secretary.