Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

The following morning arrived with quiet stillness as soft sunlight filtered through the hospital window, casting pale rays across the neatly made room. Outside, Konohagakure had returned to its ordinary rhythm. Shinobi leapt across rooftops, merchants reopened their stalls, and children hurried toward the Academy with laughter that drifted faintly through the open window.

Inside the room, however, everything remained calm.

Naruto sat upright against the raised hospital bed, a book resting forgotten in his lap. His injuries still protested every movement, but the pain had become manageable enough that he could finally remain awake for longer than a few minutes.

A gentle knock sounded against the door and Naruto looked up. "Come in." The door slid open as Sarutobi Hiruzen stepped inside, carrying a long wooden box beneath one arm. Unlike yesterday, there was no visible hesitation in his movements, only quiet resolve. "Good morning, Naruto."

"Morning." The old Hokage smiled faintly before taking his usual seat beside the bed, and for a few moments, neither spoke, then Hiruzen carefully opened the wooden box. "I promised," he said quietly, "that I would begin telling you about your parents."

Naruto's breathing caught. From within the box, Hiruzen removed a single framed photograph, and he held it for a moment, his weathered fingers lingering along its edge before extending it toward the boy. "I thought..." His voice softened. "You should see them first."

Naruto accepted it with both hands and the instant his eyes fell upon the photograph, the world around him seemed to disappear. A young man stood smiling brightly into the camera, his blond hair was unmistakable, wild and spiky. The same brilliant blue eyes Naruto saw every morning in the mirror looked back at him, full of warmth and quiet confidence. He wore the white cloak of the Fourth Hokage with one arm wrapped protectively around the woman standing beside him.

The woman... She was breathtakingly beautiful. Long crimson hair cascaded down her back like flowing silk, framing a face illuminated by a radiant smile. Her violet eyes sparkled with unmistakable happiness, while one gentle hand rested atop a noticeably swollen belly.

The man beside her held that same belly with extraordinary care, as though protecting the greatest treasure in the world. Neither of them looked at the camera as they were looking at each other, smiling, entirely lost in the simple joy of the family they were about to become.

Naruto stared silently as his fingers tightened ever so slightly around the frame. "That's..." His voice barely existed. "My Mom and Dad..."

Hiruzen nodded as his expression became gentle. "Your mother, she was pregnant with you when this photograph was taken. Only a short time before your birth."

Naruto lowered his eyes to the rounded stomach as a tiny, almost imperceptible hand rose to touch the glass. For several long moments, Naruto said nothing as he simply traced the outline of the photograph with trembling fingers. His father wasn't posing like the legendary Fourth Hokage whose stone face overlooked the village. He looked, happy. His mother wasn't frightened or burdened. She looked at the man beside her with so much affection that it almost seemed unreal, and both of them without question were waiting for their child, waiting for him.

A single tear landed against the glass, then another and before long, they came faster than he could wipe them away. "I..." Naruto laughed weakly through his tears. "They..." His shoulders trembled. "...they wanted me."

The realization struck him harder than any revelation from the previous day. All his life, he had wondered why he existed, whether anyone had ever cared and whether he had simply been... left behind. Now, he knew. Before he had taken his very first breath, someone had already loved him. Someone had waited excitedly for the day they would finally meet him. Naruto pressed the photograph carefully against his chest as he cried openly.

The old Hokage looked toward the photograph himself, memories surfacing unbidden. "Your parents loved you more deeply than words can describe. They spoke about you constantly. Minato wondered whether you'd inherit Kushina's personality." A faint chuckle escaped him. "Kushina often insisted you would have your father's kindness but her stubbornness."

Naruto smiled through his tears as he held the photograph a little tighter, treating it as though it were the most precious treasure he had ever received. In that quiet hospital room, amidst tears that flowed freely down his cheeks, he made no grand promises, he simply whispered the words his parents had never lived long enough to hear. "Thank you for loving me, mom, dad."

Naruto carefully wiped the remaining tears from his cheeks before setting the photograph upon the bedside table. He couldn't stop looking at it. Every few seconds, his eyes drifted back toward the smiling couple frozen within the frame, as though he feared they might disappear if he looked away for too long.

Hiruzen allowed him the moment, and only after the boy had finally calmed did the old Hokage reach into the wooden box once more. This time, he withdrew a scroll. Unlike ordinary mission scrolls, this one was wrapped in deep crimson cloth. Intricate sealing formulas had been woven around its edges, preserving its contents from age and unauthorized hands.

The calligraphy upon its surface was elegant. Namikaze – Uzumaki. Naruto's eyes widened. "Is that..."

Hiruzen nodded. "It belonged to your parents." The old man gently placed it into Naruto's hands.

The scroll felt surprisingly heavy, not because of its weight, but because of what it represented. "It contains records of the Uzumaki Clan," Hiruzen explained. "Your mother's notes, your father's journals, foundational chakra exercises, sealing theory, family history, and techniques they intended to pass down to you." Naruto stared at it in silent awe as his fingers instinctively tightened around the cloth.

"It is your inheritance." The words settled heavily within the room. Hiruzen's expression became serious. "But I need you to promise me something." Naruto looked up. "You are not to begin studying this until you graduate from the Academy and officially become a genin."

The smile slowly disappeared from Naruto's face as he blinked once. "What?"

"I know that isn't what you wished to hear, but-"

Naruto frowned, and interrupted, not letting the old man speak. "No." He shook his head. "That wasn't the deal. You said you'd let me learn, then why am I waiting again?" There wasn't anger in Naruto's voice this time, only disappointment. "I don't want to wait until I'm a genin."

Hiruzen smiled faintly. "I expected you to say exactly that." The old man chuckled softly. "I admit..." He rubbed his beard. "...our agreement has changed slightly." The old man leaned back in his chair. "The contents of that scroll are your birthright and they deserve proper preparation. Some techniques within it are far beyond what your body can safely perform today."

Naruto looked unconvinced, but before he could refute the old man, Hiruzen raised a finger. "However, I never said you would have to wait before beginning your training." The blond tilted his head, in confusion, not knowing what the man was getting at. "I've arranged for someone to instruct you starting today."

Naruto blinked, surprised that the man had done that, even more surprised that "Really?"

"Yes, my boy. She was also the one who found you in the alley and brought you to the hospital."

Almost on cue... A familiar voice drifted through the doorway, a voice he had thought he heard in his head. "You know, Old Man, dramatic entrances only work if you don't make me wait outside." The door slid open, and Mitarashi Anko walked into the room with both hands stuffed into the pockets of her trench coat. Her expression suggested she'd rather be almost anywhere else. "So..." She sighed dramatically. "...Hello, brat."

Naruto stared for a moment as recognition quickly spread across his face. "...You're..."

"The woman who carried your unconscious butt halfway across the village," Anko replied.

But before she could say anything else, Naruto's face broke into a bright grin. "Thank you!"

The sudden enthusiasm caught her completely off guard. "Huh?"

"Thank you for saving me." His smile softened. "Pretty nee-chan."

Anko stared while Hiruzen quietly hid an amused smile behind one hand. The Special Jōnin pointed at herself. "Pretty? Thank you, but that's not something you call someone like me."

Naruto tilted his head slightly, in confusion, a sight Anko, surprisingly found cute. "You have nice hair, and you look like your cool, so yeah."

Anko blinked, then a laugh of genuine amusement escaped her. "Well..." She scratched the back of her head. "You're either brave or you've got terrible taste in women." Throughout her life, Anko wasn't liked by anyone, not a single person in the village, mainly due to the atrocities she had caused under the blind loyalty and care of the traitorous Orochimaru. The sannin was like a parent to her, as she too once was an orphan with no one to look after her, just like Naruto.

Naruto laughed quietly for the first time in what felt like forever, and the sound eased some of the heaviness lingering in the room.

Anko walked over to the bedside before folding her arms. "The Old Man dumped an A-rank mission on me." She shot Hiruzen a mock glare. "So, congratulations brat." She pointed a thumb toward herself. "I'm your instructor. Name's Mitarashi Anko."

Naruto's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Unfortunately." She rolled her eyes theatrically. "Apparently, keeping one loud blond brat alive is now considered a mission worthy of Special Jōnin."

Hiruzen coughed into his fist, but Anko ignored him as her amber eyes settled upon Naruto. The teasing smile gradually faded. When she spoke again, her voice carried an edge of sincerity. "I've seen your medical report, and I've seen what they did to you." Naruto instinctively lowered his gaze, but the Special Jōnin continued. "I can't promise they'll stop." Her words were blunt. "But..." She reached out and lightly flicked his forehead. "I can make sure that next time those idiots won't stand a chance of treating you like that again."

Naruto rubbed his forehead where she'd flicked him, then, slowly he smiled. It wasn't the loud, carefree grin he used to show the entire village, but this one was smaller and quieter. More genuine. "Then..." He looked directly at her. "Please teach me, Anko-ne- no sorry, Anko Sensei."

Anko smirked. "Nah, call me neechan. Being called Sensei makes me feel old and wise." She took a sexy pose, unsealing a big banner, and slammed it on the floor. "After all, I'm the sexiest Kunoichi in Konoha!" She smirked, while Naruto's eyes were wide open, his eyes screaming on how cool she was.

Hiruzen watched the exchange in silence, a sweat drop forming on his face, thinking if it really was a good idea to let Konoha's resident prankster with one of the troublesome Special Jonin Konoha had, wow he already sound like a Nara clan member, how troublesome, maybe Shikaku's influence.

But at the same time, for the first time since Naruto had awakened, the room no longer felt weighed down solely by grief. And Hiruzen felt like it was the beginning what a broken child needed most.

Anko turned to the old Kage and smirked, saying, "You're paying for that hole, Old man." She then vanished, making the Hokage deadpan at the hole the woman made by smashing her ridiculous banner on the floor, facepalming himself, he released a long sigh. The blonde laughed, then stopped as if reminding himself that he was still angry with Jiji, despite actually not being angry. The act was so bad that even Hiruzen was able to see through him, but he patted and ruffled on the boy's head.

"I'm sorry to leave you alone again, my boy. But I have a lot of paperwork..." Taking a long sigh, thinking about his worst enemy, he continued, "But I promise you to never keep things about you from you, Naruto." The blonde nodded, and lunged for a hug, but stopped due to the pain in his ribs. Hiruzen seeing this, enveloped the boy in a warm embrace which lasted for a few seconds, then released and vanished in Body Flicker. 

Now, Naruto was alone once again. The room, which had briefly felt lively, returned to its familiar silence after Hiruzen and Anko had left. The only sounds were the faint ticking of the clock mounted above the door and the occasional footsteps echoing through the hospital corridor.

Naruto let out a small sigh. Carefully lying back against the pillow, he stared at the white ceiling. His fingers absentmindedly reached toward the framed photograph resting on the bedside table before stopping midway. Even now, he found himself glancing at it every few minutes, almost afraid it had only been a dream.

'Mom and Dad.' A small smile appeared on his face before fading just as quickly. He knew no one else would come to visit him and has to spend time in the hospital, alone. Well, maybe except Iruka-sensei. The Chūnin instructor always seemed to find time for him, even if it was only to share a bowl of ramen or scold him for another failed prank. Thinking about his teacher made Naruto smile again.

Hours drifted by as the sunlight outside gradually softened into the warm orange hues of late afternoon. According to the clock hanging on the wall, it was already a little past four. Naruto groaned. "I'm soooo bored..." Reading hurt his head and sleeping wasn't working anymore. Even staring out the window had become boring. Just as he was beginning to contemplate counting the ceiling tiles...

Knock. Knock.

His eyes immediately lit up. "The Academy's already over..." A grin spread across his face. "It has to be Iruka-sensei!"

Without thinking, Naruto quickly straightened himself as much as his aching body allowed. He slapped both cheeks lightly. "Okay..." He forced on the same bright, energetic smile he always wore. No worrying people and looking weak. "Come in!"

The door slid open and it made Naruto's smile freeze. "Oh." Standing in the doorway wasn't Iruka, instead, it was the young nurse who had changed his bandages earlier that morning. She carried a tray holding medicine, fresh bandages, and several small bottles. 

The disappointment on Naruto's face was immediate, and it was so obvious that the nurse couldn't help smiling. "So that's the welcome I get?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "S-Sorry... I thought... I know."

She chuckled as she walked inside, set the tray beside the bed before smiling reassuringly. "You look so disappointed. Expecting someone?" She asked with a smile.

Naruto nodded sheepishly.

"Yeah." A small smile found its way onto his face. "Iruka-sensei usually visits me whenever he can. The Academy's over by now, so... he'll probably come."

The young nurse smiled warmly as she placed the tray upon the bedside table. "He sounds like a very caring teacher."

"He is." Naruto answered without hesitation. "He gets mad at me a lot..." A quiet laugh escaped him. "...but he still buys me ramen sometimes."

The nurse chuckled softly. "I suppose that's one way of showing he cares."

She pulled the rolling stool beside the bed before carefully beginning to unwrap the bandages around Naruto's torso. Unlike the previous day, the blond no longer stiffened the moment she came near him. He still winced whenever the cloth tugged against a healing cut, but the fear that had been present yesterday had all but disappeared.

She hadn't glared at him, hadn't whispered insults beneath her breath and never looked at him as though he were something filthy that had wandered into the hospital by mistake. She simply treated him like another patient.

The nurse gently peeled away the final layer of bandages before examining the bruising spread across his chest and abdomen. Though the ugly shades of purple and black still remained, the swelling had begun to lessen ever so slightly.

"You're healing nicely, and in a very impressive rate as well." she said, reaching for a bottle of antiseptic. "It's still going to hurt for a while, though."

Naruto gave a resigned nod. "I figured."

She soaked a piece of clean gauze before lightly pressing it against one of the deeper cuts. The sting came immediately. Naruto hissed through clenched teeth, his fingers gripping the bedsheet beneath him, but he remained still. "Sorry," the nurse apologized quietly. "I know it stings."

"It's okay..." She continued cleaning each wound with practiced care before reaching for a fresh roll of bandages. As she worked, she glanced toward him. "So..." she began conversationally, "is your teacher the only visitor you're expecting?"

Naruto blinked. "Huh?"

"Anyone else coming?"

The question seemed simple enough, yet Naruto's expression slowly dimmed. He looked toward the window where the afternoon sunlight painted long golden streaks across the floor. "No. I don't think so." Naruto offered a small, self-conscious laugh. "I don't really have any friends."

The room grew noticeably quieter as her hands paused for only the briefest moment before continuing their work. She had expected that answer, but even so, hearing a ten-year-old child say it so matter-of-factly made something ache inside her chest  with sadness.

She finished securing the final bandage before gently smoothing the fabric flat against his shoulder. "You know," she said softly, "friendships have a funny way of appearing when you least expect them."

Naruto looked up. "They do?"

She nodded with an encouraging smile. "They're not something you can force." She began gathering the used bandages from the bedside. "But someday..." she continued, "...you'll meet someone who chooses to spend time with you simply because they enjoy being around you. There are a lot of good people in this village." She offered him another reassuring smile. "I'm sure at least one of them will become your friend."

Naruto didn't answer immediately, since he wanted to believe her. But after everything that had happened throughout his life... It was difficult. Still, the quiet certainty in her voice planted a tiny seed of hope somewhere deep inside him. "Maybe."

The nurse smiled, deciding not to press the matter further. "There." She placed the remaining supplies back onto the tray before standing. "Your bandages are finished." She picked up the tray and walked toward the doorway before looking back over her shoulder. "Try not to move around too much, alright? Your ribs still need time to heal."

Naruto gave a small salute despite the discomfort it caused. "I'll try."

She laughed quietly. "I'll be back tomorrow morning to change your bandages again." With one final smile, she slid the hospital door open and stepped into the corridor as the soft click of the closing door left the room silent once more.

Naruto leaned back against the pillow, letting out a slow breath, his eyes drifted toward the framed photograph resting on the bedside table. "Friends, huh..." The word lingered quietly in his mind long after the nurse had left.

He truly wanted to believe her, but ten years of lonely birthdays, empty playgrounds, whispered insults, and fearful stares had taught him otherwise. Hope had become a dangerous thing to hold onto for too long. Every time he'd reached for it, reality had been waiting to knock it back down again.

His eyes drifted toward the bedside table, at the framed photograph rested exactly where he had placed it earlier that morning. Minato's warm smile seemed almost effortless, while Kushina's brilliant violet eyes sparkled with a happiness Naruto found difficult to comprehend. They looked so... peaceful. So completely certain that the future before them would be a happy one.

A small smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "Mom... Dad..." Even saying the words still felt unreal as for the first time in his life, he had faces to attach to those titles.

After a couple minutes of staring at the photograph, Naruto let out a quiet sigh and reached toward the small stack of books resting on the bedside cabinet. "If I just lie here..." he muttered to himself. "...I'm gonna die of boredom."

He picked up the first book he found. It was one of the Academy's introductory texts covering chakra theory, basic history, and shinobi fundamentals. Normally, Naruto would've shoved something like this aside without a second thought. Reading had never been his strongest subject. The words always seemed to blur together after a few pages, and no matter how hard he tried to pay attention, his mind inevitably wandered elsewhere.

Still, there wasn't much else to do. He settled back against the raised pillow and opened the book. The first few pages weren't too bad, as he actually managed to follow along, occasionally glancing toward the photograph as though reassuring himself it was still there.

A chapter later, his eyelids began feeling unusually heavy. "Huh..." He rubbed one eye as the words started swimming together. 'The First Shinobi Villages were established following years of... chakra circulation requires careful-' Blink. His head dipped forward, then jerked upright again. "Damn it." Naruto groaned quietly. "Why..." he mumbled through a yawn. "...does studying always make me sleepy..."

Perhaps that explained why his Academy scores often hovered near the bottom of the class. Well... almost the bottom. At least he had Shikamaru to keep him company there, though everyone knew the Nara genius could earn perfect marks if he actually bothered to try. Shikamaru wasn't bad at studying, he was simply lazy.

Naruto, on the other hand was the opposite. Books possessed some mysterious jutsu capable of putting him to sleep faster than almost anything else despite however he tried to study, so he finally stopped studying altogether.

The book slowly slipped lower across his lap and his breathing steadied. Within minutes, he was asleep.

The comforting warmth of the hospital room disappeared and the soft mattress beneath him dissolved into cold stone. Darkness stretched endlessly in every direction as a familiar dripping echoed through the silence. Naruto's eyes slowly opened, his cheerful expression vanished instantly. "No." He recognized this place filled with endless tunnels and ankle-deep water. The suffocating darkness, and finally, the enormous iron gates that imprisoned the cause of his suffering.

A low and deep, ancient growl rolled through the corridor like distant thunder, making the boy's stomach tighten. The water beneath Naruto's feet rippled violently and from the darkness beyond the massive bars, two enormous crimson eyes slowly opened. Each iris burned with malice just like the last time the child met the beast.

Its nine tails shifted lazily behind the cage, but the sheer movement stirred enough air to send Naruto's blond hair fluttering. The fox remained lying comfortably within the darkness of his prison, one massive paw resting beneath his chin.

Its gaze settled upon Naruto with unmistakable contempt, as though the boy standing before him was nothing more than a tiny insect that had wandered too close.

Water dripped rhythmically from unseen pipes high above, each echo swallowed by the endless darkness surrounding the enormous chamber. Naruto refused to avert his eyes. Every instinct screamed at him to look away, to run, to cower before the monster whose mere presence pressed against his mind like a mountain, but the child didn't.

The Kyubi observed the boy for several long seconds before a deep, rumbling chuckle echoed throughout the chamber. The sound reverberated against the walls, causing the massive bars of the seal to hum faintly beneath the vibration. "So..." the Nine-Tails drawled, his voice carrying enough contempt to chill the very air. "My little jailer returns."

One enormous crimson eye narrowed. "Tell me, pesky little insect..." His lips slowly curled upward, exposing rows of fangs longer than Naruto's entire arm. "Have you finally come to thank me?"

Naruto frowned. "Thank you? For what?"

Kurama's tails lazily swept across the flooded floor behind him, each movement sending waves crashing against the iron bars. "You still draw breath because of my chakra." His growl rolled like distant thunder. "Had I not lent your insignificant body even the smallest fragment of my power..." His eyes gleamed with cruel satisfaction. "...you would have bled to death in that filthy alley."

Naruto's fists tightened as the memory of that night flashed through his mind. The blood, pain and the darkness. He slowly raised his head, gritting his teeth in anger. "I'm not thanking you. If anything..." his voice gaining confidence with every word, "...consider it rent."

The fox blinked once, anger slightly boiling inside it. "Rent?"

"You heard me." Naruto folded his arms across his chest despite the lingering nervousness twisting inside him. "You've been living inside my body for ten years." His blue eyes hardened. "The least you can do is help pay for it."

For one heartbeat, the world became perfectly still and then came the outburst. "LIVING?!"

The Nine-Tails's roar exploded through the chamber as even the ground trembled violently beneath Naruto's feet as killing intent poured from the cage like a tidal wave. The water surged high into the air before crashing back down around the boy.

"LIVING?!" the fox bellowed again. His massive claws slammed against the iron bars with enough force to shake the entire seal. "I AM NOT LIVING HERE!" The chains binding the giant beast rattled furiously. "I AM IMPRISONED! I WAS RIPPED FROM MY FREEDOM! SEALED AND LOCKED AWAY!" Each word dripped with centuries of hatred as another deafening impact shook the chamber.

The tailde beast's crimson eyes burned brighter than ever before. "DO NOT DARE CALL THIS EXISTENCE 'LIVING,' YOU INSOLENT LITTLE WHELP!"

Naruto instinctively took half a step backward, not because he intended to flee, but because the sheer force behind Kurama's fury was unlike anything he had ever experienced. For a moment, neither of them spoke as the fox's heavy breathing echoed through the cavern while Naruto quietly studied him.

Then, a question surfaced in his mind. 'Why is he not hurting me and only speaking to me? If he hated me that much, then why not let me die?' He thought, which he also asked verbally. "If that's true, then why did you save me?"

The Nine-Tails fell silent as Naruto continued. "You hate humans, and you obviously hate me, so why?"

The beast slowly settled back onto the stone floor, his enormous tails curling lazily behind him once again, but when he finally answered, his voice had returned to its usual cold calm. "You misunderstand my intentions, little insect." His lips curled into another cruel grin. "I did not save you because your miserable life holds value. I merely wished to prolong your suffering." The fox's crimson eyes gleamed with ancient malice. "I wanted you to awaken and learn the truth. To discover exactly what your precious village thinks of you."

The fox lowered his massive head until one enormous eye filled nearly Naruto's entire field of vision. "You are nothing to the people in this damned village." His voice grew colder. "When they look at you, they only see me, the Nine-Tails. The monster they fear." A low chuckle escaped him. "If not for my existence, you would be even less than you are now. You would simply be another forgotten orphan." The fox's smile widened. "Your insignificant life has meaning only because I reside within your pathetic body."

Naruto remained perfectly, but the corners of his mouth lifted ever so slightly as he smiled. 'So that's it. It's not that you won't but can't.' He thought, keeping his mocking smirk.

The beast's grin faltered. "What are you smiling about?"

Naruto looked directly into those enormous crimson eyes. "If I die..." He let the sentence hang deliberately. "...you die too, won't you?"

The words echoed throughout the chamber as the fox's expression froze and his tails stopped moving. Naruto watched carefully, seeing that the fox hadn't denied it, and a spark of realization flickered across Naruto's face. "So, I was right." Naruto murmured. "You need me alive just as much as I need you."

The beast's crimson eyes narrowed dangerously as the silence that followed spoke louder than any answer the Nine-Tails could have given.

Naruto continued holding the fox's gaze as the oppressive silence lingered between them, broken only by the slow dripping of water somewhere deep within the endless tunnels. "Tch." The blond clicked his tongue in annoyance, not wanting to ask the next question, but folding his arms, he did. "What's your name?"

The Nine-Tails stared at him as though the child had suddenly started speaking an entirely different language. "What did you ask me?"

"I asked your name."

The Nine-Tails blinked once before a deep laugh rumbled from within his chest. The sound gradually grew louder until it echoed throughout the entire chamber, carrying equal parts amusement and ridicule. "You truly are a foolish little insect. What absurd thought led you to believe that a being such as myself possesses something as... human... as a name?"

Naruto shrugged. "I don't know. I just felt like you would."

The fox narrowed his eyes. The simplicity of the answer seemed to irritate Kurama more than any insult could have. "You expect me to believe your childish intuition?"

"I don't care if you believe me." Naruto's voice remained surprisingly calm. "I just don't think someone as old as you would go your whole life without having a name."

The fox snorted. "You know nothing of my life."

"No, I don't." Naruto admitted it immediately as he slowly lifted his head, meeting those enormous crimson eyes once again. "But since you're stuck inside me..." His words caused one of the fox's ears to twitch in irritation. "...and we're probably going to end up talking again, I'd rather call you by your name than keep saying 'fox' or 'Nine-Tails' every single time. That sounds annoying."

The Nine-Tails stared at him in confusion. The child wasn't asking out of fear, nor was he trying to flatter him. He wasn't attempting to forge some ridiculous friendship. He simply wanted a proper way to address him. "You presume far too much, boy." the fox finally said, his voice quieter than before, "Humans have called me monster, a demon, a beast." A faint growl escaped him. "Nine-Tails." His lip curled with obvious disdain. "They invent countless titles born from fear." He lowered his massive head slightly. 'Yet not one of them ever cared enough to ask whether I possessed a name.' The fox thought.

The tailed beast's gaze lingered on him for another long moment before the fox slowly closed his eyes. "Leave. I have no desire to continue this conversation. You've wasted enough of my time." His voice had returned to its usual cold indifference.

Naruto frowned. "So, you're not going to tell me?"

"No."

"Stubborn fox."

One crimson eye opened. "What did you call me?!"

Naruto couldn't stop the tiny smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "I said you're stubborn." A dangerous growl rolled through the chamber. "And until you tell me your name..." The blond shrugged with exaggerated innocence. "...I guess 'stubborn fox' works just as well."

For a brief moment, the mighty Nine-Tailed Fox simply stared at him. 'The audacity of this insignificant human child...' The brat somehow gone from trembling in terror before him to casually calling him, a mighty beast of despair and fear, a stubborn fox. If any of the Sage's other creations had witnessed this exchange, they would have laughed themselves senseless.

The fox's tails lashed once against the flooded stone floor. "You truly are an irritating little insect."

Naruto's smirk widened ever so slightly. "I'll take that as a compliment."

Naruto's eyes slowly fluttered open.

For a brief moment, all he saw was the familiar white ceiling above him. Then the memory of rusted pipes, stagnant water, and a gigantic fox with an ego somehow larger than its own body came rushing back. "Stupid stubborn fox." The words escaped his lips in a sleepy mumble as he rubbed at one eye with the back of his hand. "Seriously... who gets that angry over rent..." He let out a long sigh, sinking further into the pillow. "...And now I have to live with him..."

Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock.

The rhythmic sound against the hospital door pulled him completely back to reality. Naruto blinked. 'Huh?' Another four knocks followed almost immediately. "Come in!" he called.

The door slid open, and the moment Naruto recognized the first person entering, the lingering irritation from his dream disappeared almost instantly. "Iruka-sensei!" A genuine smile spread across his face, and without thinking, he pushed himself upright, and soon, pain exploded through his ribs. "Agh!" His breath caught sharply as his injured arm instinctively clutched at his side. Every cracked rib protested the sudden movement, forcing him to collapse back against the raised pillow with a pained grimace.

Iruka hurried over immediately. "Naruto!" His brows knitted together with concern. "Easy! The doctors told you not to move around so much, didn't they?"

Naruto laughed awkwardly through clenched teeth, trying to wave the concern away. "Hehe, I just got a bit excited, Iruka-sensei!"

Iruka let out an exasperated sigh that sounded remarkably familiar to every Academy lecture Naruto had ever received. "You never listen."

"...Sorry." The apology was accompanied by an embarrassed grin, but only then did Naruto notice that Iruka wasn't alone. Standing quietly just behind his teacher was another child.

She remained almost hidden behind Iruka's waist, as though hoping the taller man could somehow make her invisible. Her short, dark-blue hair framed a delicate face that had already begun turning crimson. The pale lavender eyes unique to the Hyūga Clan peeked toward Naruto for only a heartbeat before immediately darting toward the floor again. In both hands she carefully held a neatly wrapped package covered in light cream-colored paper and tied with a small lavender ribbon.

Naruto blinked. "Hinata?"

The girl visibly flinched after hearing her name. "H-Hello..." she whispered as her fingers tightened around the little package. "N-Naruto-kun..."

Naruto stared for several seconds. Of everyone in the Academy... Hinata Hyūga was probably the last person he had expected to walk through that door. Whenever they crossed paths at school, she always seemed to shrink into herself. She rarely spoke and rarely looked anyone in the eye. Whenever Naruto tried talking to her, she usually became so flustered that she could barely string two words together before hurriedly excusing herself.

Seeing her standing inside his hospital room, and that she had actually come to visit, it genuinely caught him off guard. Iruka noticed Naruto's bewildered expression and couldn't help smiling. "I about what had happened to you. When I told the class you were in the hospital..." Iruka continued, glancing fondly toward the shy Hyūga heiress, "...she became very worried."

Hinata's face somehow turned even redder. "I-I..." She fidgeted nervously with the ribbon wrapped around the package. "I... wanted... t-to..." Her words tangled together before finally escaping in a tiny whisper. "...visit you..."

Iruka chuckled softly. "So, she asked if she could come with me to visit you."

Naruto looked between the two of them, his blue eyes settled on Hinata once more. For several moments he simply stared, unable to quite process what he was hearing. 'Someone, actually wanted to visit me?' He thought to himself as the realization left him strangely speechless.

Very slowly, a small smile appeared on his face. It wasn't the loud grin everyone at the Academy knew. It was quieter and warmer. he looked at the Hyuga heiress as he muttered. "Thank you, Hinata." Hinata slowly lifted her head, and Naruto met her pale eyes with an expression she had never seen on him before. His smile widened just a little. "Thank you for coming to see me."

For a heartbeat, Hinata completely forgot how to breathe. His smile, at least to her, looked different today. it was smaller and gentler. It somehow made her heart race even faster than usual as her cheeks burned crimson. "I-I..." She lowered her gaze again before managing a tiny nod. "...Y-You're welcome..."

Iruka quietly watched the exchange as something inside his chest eased. He remembered to the one-time Naruto had told him he didn't think he had any friends, but today, one of his students had walked all the way to the hospital carrying a gift simply because she was worried about him. Perhaps, just perhaps, things could begin changing.

Iruka clapped his hands together. "Actually..." he said with an easy smile, "...why don't the two of you talk for a little while?"

Naruto looked up. "Hm? Why Where are you going?"

"I completely forgot something. I promised myself I'd treat all three of us to ramen." That wasn't entirely true. He had been planning to buy food anyway, but perhaps for the kids little privacy wouldn't hurt.

Naruto's eyes lit up instantly. "Seriously?!"

Iruka laughed. "When have I ever lied about ramen?"

The blonde grinned brightly. "Thanks, Iruka-sensei!"

The Chūnin smiled before turning toward Hinata. "And what about you, Hinata? You like ramen too, don't you?"

Hinata nearly jumped. "M-Me?" She nodded quickly. "Y-Yes..."

"Good." Iruka gave them both another smile. "I'll be back in a jiffy."

Before either child could protest, he slid the door open, and as he stepped into the hallway, he cast one final glance over his shoulder. Naruto was already looking curiously toward Hinata while the heiress looked moments away from collapsing from embarrassment. Iruka hid an amused smile. 'Good luck to both of you.' The door slid shut behind him with a soft click.

Silence immediately settled over the hospital room as Naruto scratched the back of his head awkwardly while Hinata stood frozen near the doorway with the neatly wrapped gift remained clutched tightly against her chest. 'I-Iruka-sensei left...' Her thoughts spiraled into complete panic. 'I-I'm... alone with Naruto... H-How am I supposed to talk to him? W-What if I say something weird and embarrass myself? W-What if I faint?' The terrifying possibility alone nearly made her knees buckle.

Naruto, meanwhile, looked just as uncertain. He wasn't exactly used to having visitors, especially not someone his own age and certainly not someone who looked as nervous as Hinata did. Neither child had the faintest idea how to begin.

Naruto was the first to surrender to the silence as he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly before offering the shy Hyūga girl a small smile. "Thanks for coming to see me." He said once again as he scratched his cheek sheepishly. "I really wasn't expecting anyone besides Iruka-sensei." His smile softened just a little. "So... thanks."

The words, simple as they were, struck Hinata harder than she expected. "N-Not at all..." She lowered her gaze to the floor, desperately trying to hide the warmth spreading across her face. "I... wanted to..." Her voice grew quieter with every word. "...make sure you were alright."

Naruto's smile lingered for another moment before curiosity slowly replaced it. "Hey..." Hinata looked up again. "What happened at the Academy after Iruka-sensei told everyone I was in the hospital?"

The question immediately made her shoulders stiffen and her fingers tightened around the wrapped package she still held. "I..." She hesitated. The truth wasn't pleasant, since most of the class hadn't been worried. Some had looked uncomfortable, and a few had whispered among themselves. Several had simply continued talking as though nothing important had happened. She even remembered hearing someone mutter that maybe the "demon brat" had finally gotten what he deserved.

The memory made her stomach twist. She didn't want Naruto to hear those things, but she also didn't want to lie, especially not to him. Hinata lowered her eyes. "Most of the class..." she began softly, choosing each word with care, "...was surprised." Naruto listened quietly. "Some... hoped you would recover." Her voice became even quieter. "...Some... didn't really react." A long pause followed before she forced herself to continue. "And a few..." Her fingers clenched tighter around the wrapping paper. "...said... cruel things."

Silence settled over the room as Hinata nervously waited for Naruto's reaction, but instead of a sad or happy reaction, a quiet chuckle escaped him. "Hehe..." She looked up in surprise and saw the blonde simply smiling faintly. "That's... about what I imagined." There wasn't bitterness in his voice nor any anger, but only quiet acceptance. "I kind of figured it'd be something like that."

Hinata's heart tightened painfully at the way he said it. It was as though disappointment had long ago become something ordinary. She slowly walked over to the chair beside his hospital bed before carefully sitting down as she looked toward the bandages wrapped around his chest. "How are you feeling?"

Naruto instinctively glanced down at himself. "Hmm..." He rotated his cast-covered arm slightly before immediately regretting it. "My ribs still hurts." A nervous laugh escaped him. "But the doctors keep saying I'm healing really fast." He looked genuinely puzzled. "They said it's almost... weird. But I guess that's good."

Hinata nodded. "I'm happy... y-you're healing w-well... Naruto."

Then another question quietly escaped her before she could stop herself. "H-How..." he hesitated. "...did this happen?"

The smile on Naruto's face froze, and for a brief moment, his eyes drifted toward the hospital window. He remembered rain, blood, the alley and the mob ending with the fox. His fingers unconsciously tightened around the blanket covering his legs. "Ah..." A bead of nervous sweat appeared near his temple. "Hehe..." He laughed awkwardly. "I... don't really want to talk about it."

His voice remained gentle, not angry or defensive, but simply tired.

Hinata immediately shook her head. "O-Of course." She lowered her eyes. "I'm sorry if I bothered you with that question."

"It's okay." Naruto smiled reassuringly. "Maybe some another day..." He looked toward the window again. "... but just not today."

Hinata nodded. "I understand."

Silence returned once more, but this time, it felt much lighter. Hinata found herself quietly watching Naruto as he absentmindedly looked outside. Something about him seemed, different. The smile he wore now, it wasn't the same loud grin he always flashed around the Academy while declaring he would become Hokage. That smile had always been bright, too bright, as though he were trying to convince everyone, including himself, that everything was fine.

This one was calmer and more natural. It reached his eyes in a way the other rarely had. 'It's... beautiful...' The thought appeared before Hinata could stop it and heat immediately rushed into her face while her heart pounded wildly inside her chest. Ever since she'd first noticed him, she had quietly believed that Naruto smiled more than anyone because he was hiding something.

There had always been moments, tiny moments when his laughter sounded just a little too loud and his jokes just a little too forced as though he feared what would happen if he ever stopped smiling. She had often wanted to ask him why. Why he always acted so cheerful when everyone around him treated him so cruelly, why he never seemed to hate anyone and why he kept getting back up after being knocked down, but every single time, her courage failed her.

"Hinata?"

"E-Eh?!" She nearly jumped out of the chair when she heard her crus call out her name.

Naruto blinked. "You, okay?"

"Y-Yes!" She answered much too quickly.

Naruto tilted his head in confusion before his gaze slowly drifted downward, to the wrap she had with her. "What's that?"

Hinata followed his eyes. "Huh?" The neatly wrapped package was still resting securely in her hands as her pale eyes widened. She had completely forgotten why she'd come. 'I-I'm so stupid...!' She mentally smacked herself. 'It's a gift! I came here to give Naruto a gift for his birthday, and I completely forgot!' Her face somehow became even redder than before.

"I-I..." She hurriedly held the small wrapped package toward him with both trembling hands. "T-This..." Her voice was barely louder than a whisper. "...is... for you..."

Naruto blinked in surprise. "For me?"

Hinata nodded repeatedly, unable to trust herself with more words. "I-It isn't... anything expensive..." She nervously looked away. "...B-But..." "I wanted... to give you something..." Her fingers trembled slightly as she continued offering the little gift. "...for your birthday."

Naruto accepted the small package with both hands, treating it with the same care he had shown the photograph of his parents earlier that morning. He looked down at the neatly wrapped parcel resting in his lap. The cream-colored paper had been folded with remarkable care, each corner perfectly aligned. Even the lavender ribbon had been tied into a small, elegant bow. Someone had spent a long time preparing this.

His fingers carefully untied the ribbon before slowly peeling back the wrapping paper, and Hinata unconsciously held her breath. The paper fell away and a flash of vibrant crimson greeted his eyes. Naruto blinked as he carefully lifted the folded cloth from the box. It unfolded naturally beneath its own weight, revealing a beautifully knitted scarf.

The fabric looked brand new, not a single loose thread could be found anywhere along its surface. Every stitch had been woven together with extraordinary patience, the soft wool almost seemed to glow beneath the afternoon sunlight filtering through the hospital window.

"It's..." Naruto's smile slowly widened. "...beautiful."

Hinata's heart skipped a beat when she heard that, then, Naruto's smile faltered as his eyes widened ever so slightly. "Wait..." His fingers slowly moved toward one corner of the scarf carefully, almost afraid of what he might find. He turned the edge over and neatly embroidered into the fabric using dark thread were two familiar words. Naruto Uzumaki.

"No." His voice barely existed as his fingers trembled. "This..." The scarf slowly slipped through his hands as memories he hadn't thought about in years surged back into his mind.

Five years earlier.

It was a cold afternoon. He had been walking home carrying a small paper bag containing discounted groceries he'd proudly managed to buy with the few coins he possessed. As he walked around a corner, he heard crying. Naruto went up to look at what was happening, only to see three older Academy graduates, genin, surrounding a little girl. She couldn't have been much younger than himself, gark blue hair, pale lavender eyes. She had fallen onto the dirt road while the boys laughed.

"Look it's a Hyūga, with their disgusting eyes!"

"What are you crying for, spoiled little princess?"

"Thought your fancy eyes made you special. You, Hyuga are just a bunch of freaks!"

Naruto had enough hearing this as he rushed forward and stood in between the girl and the older kids. "Leave her alone!" He shouted at him, glaring at all three genins.

"The demon brat? You're gonna protect her?" One of the genin asked, almost mocking the boy. Naruto had charged, but he hadn't stood the slightest chance. The beating that followed had been brutal, facing several punches, kicks and even thrown into the dirt over and over again. His clothes had torn, his knees bled and his face swelled, even the bright red scarf Hiruzen had given him, the very first present anyone had ever given him had been ripped nearly in half during the struggle.

The boys eventually grew bored, and after calling him an idiot one final time, they left.

Naruto layed in the dirt, battered and bruised and the little girl had still been there. She had looked at him with enormous, frightened eyes, so he'd tried smiling at her. "You, okay?"

Before she could answer, an adult had rushed over. She was swept into protective arms. The last thing Naruto had seen, was the little girl reaching toward him, before disappearing around the corner. He never even learned her name.

He'd searched for the torn scarf afterward but had been gone. Hiruzen had felt awful as the old Hokage had apologized, promising to buy him another someday.

Naruto had smiled and told him it was okay, but it had never really been okay, because it wasn't just a scarf. It had been the very first gift anyone had ever given him.

"Hinata... Were you..." His voice shook ever so slightly, as he slowly looked toward the shy Hyūga girl sitting beside his bed. "...that girl?"

Hinata froze, then very slowly, she nodded. "Y-Yes..." Her fingers immediately began fidgeting with one another. "I-I wanted... to... uhm. Thank you..." Her cheeks turned scarlet, as she took a shaky breath. "I-I was too scared..."

She lowered her head, her voice trembled in shame. "I wanted to help you... B-But my attendant took me away before I could..." Tears slowly gathered in her pale eyes as guilt from the past reentered her pure heart. "I..." She sniffled softly. "...I saw your scarf... I picked it up and kept it..." Hinata looked at the scarf resting in his lap. "I-It was torn... really badly."

She laughed quietly at herself. "I couldn't fix it... so, I asked one of our family's seamstresses to teach me..." Naruto looked up at the blue-haired girl, who wiped quickly at one eye. "I practiced... for years. I ruined... several scarves, before I finally learned how." She looked back toward Naruto. "I wanted... to return yours the way it used to be."

Her trembling hands clutched the edge of her skirt. "I-I wanted to give it back yesterday... for your birthday..." Her voice cracked. "But... You didn't come to the Academy. So..." She looked around nervously. "...I didn't want to wait until you recovered."

Another tear escaped despite her best efforts.

"I'm...s-sorry..." Naruto blinked at her apology, not even knowing why the girl was apologising for. Hinata lowered her head until her bangs hid most of her face. "I'm sorry, f-for leaving w-without helping you. I..." She bit her lip. "I wanted to stay. But..." Another tear landed on her folded hands. "I've... a-always felt guilty."

Hinata gathered every ounce of courage she possessed and slowly, she raised her head. Her pale eyes, shimmering with unshed tears, met Naruto's azure. "I-I know I'm... not very good at talking..." A tiny, nervous laugh escaped her. "...and... I'm always too shy... But..." She held his gaze despite her racing heartbeat. "...I hoped... that maybe... we could..." Her face became completely crimson. "...be friends."

The words barely escaped her lips before she instinctively looked down again, terrified of what his answer might be.

Naruto didn't answer immediately, instead he looked down at the scarf resting across his lap. Five years. For five whole years, someone had carefully preserved the first gift he had ever received. Someone had learned to sew simply so they could return it to him. His vision slowly blurred. A single tear slipped quietly down his cheek before landing against the crimson fabric.

"Hinata..." His voice came out as little more than a whisper.

Hinata's breath caught as she saw a tear, a single tear slowly rolling down Naruto's cheek before disappearing into the bright crimson scarf resting in his lap. She froze. Throughout the years she had quietly watched him from afar, she had seen him endure more than any child ever should. She had watched adults glare at him with undisguised hatred and had seen children mock him behind his back. She had watched him receive punishment after one prank too many. She had even seen him return to the Academy covered in fresh bruises he always dismissed with a laugh.

But... not once had she ever seen him cry. Even when he was hurting, and when everyone else had abandoned him. He always smiled, always laughed, always acted as though nothing could ever break him.

Yet now...

Holding an old scarf she had returned after five long years...

He was crying.

"...N-Naruto-kun..."

Her voice barely existed.

Naruto immediately lifted a hand and hurriedly wiped his eyes. "Hehe..." He laughed awkwardly, trying to recover. "S-Sorry... I didn't mean to..." He rubbed at his face again as his cheeks flushed faintly with embarrassment. "...cry in front of my..." He paused. The next words felt strangely unfamiliar. "...my first friend." Hinata's heart skipped a beat when she heard that.

Naruto looked back at her. His eyes were still slightly puffy from the tears, but a gentle smile slowly spread across his face. "I'd... I'd really love to be your friend." He glanced down at the scarf once before meeting her eyes again.

The corners of the Hyuga heiress's lips slowly lifted. It wasn't the tiny, timid smile she usually wore. This one was brighter, warmer, and more genuine. "T-Thank you..." The words escaped alongside a tiny sniffle, and despite smiling, tears still welled in her pale eyes.

Naruto blinked. "Eh?" He looked at her in slight panic. "H-Hey..." He didn't know what to do. He'd never been very good at comforting people. Usually, he was the one trying not to cry. Ignoring the dull ache radiating through his ribs, Naruto slowly shifted across the mattress. "Ow..." He winced quietly but continued anyway.

Hinata looked up just as he reached her, and very gently, almost hesitantly, he placed a hand upon her shoulder. "There..." He smiled awkwardly. "...Don't cry."

For a brief instant, Hinata's entire body became perfectly still. Naruto had touched her. Normally her brain would have stopped functioning, and she would have turned bright red while stuttering incoherently. Maybe even fainted.

Instead, something unexpected happened. The warmth of his hand, combined with the gentle sincerity in his voice had calmed her. Her breathing slowly steadied and the guilt she had carried for five years seemed just a little lighter.

She sniffed quietly before wiping at her eyes. "T-Thank you..."

Only after she'd calmed down did the realization finally reach her that Naruto was still holding her shoulder. Her face instantly exploded into crimson and steam practically seemed ready to rise from her head.

Naruto quickly withdrew his hand. "S-Sorry!"

"N-No!" Hinata replied much too quickly. "I-I mean..." She lowered her head again. "...it's okay..."

Naruto scratched the back of his neck sheepishly as an awkward silence settled between them once more. "So... Now what?"

Hinata looked at him, blinking her eyes, confused. "...Eh?"

Naruto smiled sheepishly. "We're friends now." He spread his hands dramatically. "So, what do friends do?"

Hinata opened her mouth, then closed it again. "...I..." She thought as hard as she could. She had never actually had a friend before either. "I... don't know..."

Naruto stared. "You don't know?"

She shook her head, looking just as lost as he did. "No..."

Another few seconds passed as the two children simply looked at one another, then, Naruto couldn't hold it anymore. "Pfft..." A laugh escaped him. "Hehehe..." Within moments, it grew into genuine laughter. "I can't believe that neither of us knows how friendship works." He wiped one eye.

A tiny giggle escaped the girl's lips. "Hehe..." She quickly covered her mouth, but it was too late as another giggle followed. The quiet hospital room echoed with two children laughing over something neither of them completely understood.

Naruto looked at her. Hinata's eyes were closed as she giggled softly into her hands. The afternoon sunlight streaming through the window illuminated her dark-blue hair with a gentle sheen, while the faint blush lingering across her cheeks somehow made her look even more adorable than usual.

Naruto found himself staring for a moment longer than intended. 'Huh...' He had always known Hinata was pretty. Honestly, she was every bit as pretty as Sakura and Ino, maybe even prettier. A faint warmth spread across his face. He quickly looked away. 'What am I thinking...?' He had liked Sakura for years. Even if the pinkette rarely wanted anything to do with him beyond yelling at him whenever he annoyed her.

Naruto smiled to himself. He didn't need to figure out complicated feelings today. After all, today, he had gained something he'd wanted his entire life, a friend.

Knock. Knock.

Neither of them noticed the sound as the laughter had drowned it out. The hospital door slid open. "Well, well." Iruka stepped inside balancing three steaming bowls of ramen with practiced care. "I leave for fifteen minutes..." He looked between the two children, both of whom immediately straightened in embarrassment. "...and somehow I come back to find the two of you laughing together."

Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Hehe..."

Hinata lowered her face so quickly that her bangs almost completely hid her expression.

Iruka couldn't stop smiling. 'Mission accomplished.' He thought as he carefully placed the bowls on the bedside table. "I figured hospital food wasn't exactly worth celebrating."

Naruto's blue eyes sparkled. "Ramen!" He looked ready to leap out of bed before remembering his ribs. "...Ow."

Iruka laughed. "Easy." He handed one bowl to Hinata. "One for you." Then another to Naruto. "And one for our patient." Finally, he picked up the last bowl himself before pulling over a chair. The rich aroma of miso broth filled the room, and for the first time in what felt like years, Naruto wasn't eating alone.

The following days passed more peacefully than Naruto could ever remember experiencing, and for the first time in his life, he actually looked forward to waking up. Every morning, sunlight would filter through the hospital window, and instead of dreading another lonely day, Naruto found himself wondering who would visit first.

Sometimes, it was Hiruzen. The old Hokage kept his promise as with each visit, he brought another story about Minato or Kushina. Stories that had nothing to do with legendary battles or impossible feats, instead, Naruto learned that Minato loved reading ridiculous romance novels simply because Kushina teased him about it. He learned that Kushina had once terrified an entire squad of experienced shinobi for calling her "tomato-haired woman" He laughed until his ribs hurt after hearing how the Fourth Hokage had nearly burned dinner trying to surprise his pregnant wife.

Iruka visited almost every single afternoon, sometimes carrying ramen, Academy notes, and sometimes bringing absolutely nothing except himself. They talked about classes and his ridiculous pranks.

Then, there was Anko. Every visit somehow became louder than the last as she rarely knocked. Usually, she simply kicked the door open before dramatically announcing her arrival like some famous actress entering a stage. One day she smuggled dango into the hospital despite strict rules against outside food. The next day she loudly declared hospital gowns a crime against fashion before threatening to steal Naruto a trench coat the moment he recovered.

She constantly complained about the A-rank mission Hiruzen had saddled her with.

"Loud brat."

"Bottomless stomach."

"Academy failure."

She never stopped teasing him, yet she also never forgot to ask how his ribs were healing or whether the nurses had changed his bandages properly or whether he'd managed to finish the breathing exercises she'd assigned him. She hid her concern beneath sarcasm and Naruto slowly began recognizing that.

What saddened him a bit was that Hinata never returned and it was not because she wanted to stay away. Naruto knew that. Iruka eventually explained it one afternoon while peeling apart disposable chopsticks on how the Hyūga Clan keeps their children busy and Hinata being the clan Heiress, had to be at the clan after Academy.

Naruto accepted the explanation outwardly, but inside, he couldn't help but think about the reality. She's the Hyūga heiress and he is the jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails. It was obvious they didn't want her around someone like him. But he knew that it wasn't a choice she could make, after all, she is only ten, just like him.

Two weeks passed almost before Naruto realized it and by the end, the doctors could hardly believe the difference. The bruises had faded and his cuts had become thin pink lines. His broken arm had healed far ahead of schedule. Even the cracked ribs no longer caused anything more than a dull ache whenever he twisted too quickly.

After one final examination, the head physician reluctantly sighed. "You're officially discharged."

"YES!" Naruto threw both fists into the air before immediately remembering his ribs. "...Ow."

The physician pinched the bridge of his nose. "...Perhaps don't celebrate quite so enthusiastically."

Naruto only laughed. Waking up to see the hospital walls, getting endless medicine, all of it was finally over. He was finally leaving.

The morning air felt wonderfully fresh against his face as he stepped outside the hospital carrying the few belongings he possessed. His repaired crimson scarf rested comfortably around his neck despite the warmth of the season. He smiled every time his fingers brushed against it.

Waiting outside the entrance with both hands stuffed into the pockets of her long trench coat, stood Anko. She lazily looked him up and down. "Hm. You don't look half dead anymore."

Naruto grinned. "I'll take that as a compliment."

Anko snorted. "Don't get used to it." She turned around without another word. "C'mon."

Naruto hurried after her. "Where are we going?"

"Training Ground Four." She looked over one shoulder. "What? You expected me to wait?"

Naruto scratched his cheek. "...Maybe?"

Anko rolled her eyes dramatically. "I've already lost two weeks waiting for your sorry butt to heal." She pointed a finger directly at him. "The mission starts now."

Naruto's smile slowly widened. "Yes, Nee-chan."

Anko stopped walking as the Special Jōnin stared at him for several long seconds. "Brat." She couldn't quite hide the tiny smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

Training Ground Four sat far away from the bustling streets of Konohagakure and unlike the Academy's crowded practice fields, this place felt almost untouched. Towering trees surrounded a broad clearing carpeted in soft grass. A narrow stream wound lazily through one side of the field, its gentle murmur blending with birdsong echoing through the forest canopy.

Naruto slowly turned in a circle, taking in his surroundings. "This place..." He smiled. "It's awesome."

Anko leaned casually against the trunk of a nearby tree. "I know." She folded her arms. "That's exactly why I picked it."

Her playful expression slowly disappeared as the teasing, jokes, and her lazy attitude all melted away. When Anko looked at Naruto again, only a shinobi remained. Sharp amber eyes studied him with surprising intensity.

"So..." She pushed herself away from the tree. "...before I decide how I'm going to train you..." She stopped several meters in front of him. "I need to know exactly what I'm working with." A slow grin spread across her face.

"Show me. How you move, how you think and what you can do." A dangerous glint appeared in her eyes as a faint smirk tugged at her lips. "Don't worry, I'm not expecting much."

Naruto's eyebrow twitched. "Hey."

She laughed. "What? You are a ten-year-old kid from the Academy's bottom seat." She shrugged innocently. "I'm just setting realistic expectations."

Naruto puffed out his cheeks. "I'll show you!"

"I certainly hope so." Anko's grin widened. "Because after today..." She cracked her knuckles. "...your easy life is officially over." Anko folded her arms as Naruto took his stance across the clearing. "...Come at me."

Naruto dramatically charged forward. To anyone watching from a distance, the result would've looked exactly as expected. A fresh Academy student rushing a Special Jōnin? It should have lasted seconds, but it lasted less.

Naruto threw a straight punch, but Anko leaned her head an inch to the side, letting the fist cut through empty air. Before Naruto could react, a finger flicked against his forehead as he stumbled backward, clutching his head.

"Too slow."

Naruto gritted his teeth. "Again!" He lunged a second time. This time with a low kick, which Anko casually stepped over it and gave the boy another flick. The third attempt ended with Naruto somehow tripping over his own momentum before Anko even touched him.

She sighed. "I was generous calling you the dead last."

Naruto puffed out his cheeks, but continued his relentless assaults.

An hour later, Naruto collapsed onto the grass, breathing heavily. "I..." He panted. "...hate..." Another breath. "...training..."

Anko looked down at him. "You've been saying that for the last forty minutes." She tossed him a canteen. "Drink."

Naruto caught it with surprising speed which Anko noticed, just like she had noticed countless other things during the past two weeks. During her visits to the hospital, the brat had talked a lot. Sometimes about ramen, sometimes about Academy classes, sometimes about the strange dreams he claimed to have after the attack.

But every now and then, he asked questions about her. At first, she'd brushed them aside, but eventually, she answered. Naruto learned that she had once been Orochimaru's student, not simply his student but his favorite until she wasn't. She told him about the experiments, showing the cursed seal branded into her neck and about the day Orochimaru discarded her without even looking back.

She knew it wasn't ethical to tell all these to a child, but at the same time, she thought Naruto should actually know what the Shinobi world was actually like. So, she told him everything. 

To the villagers, even after Orochimaru was captured, and even after his eventual escape, she would always remain Orochimaru's former apprentice, a reminder of Konoha's greatest failure. Even years later, that trust remained difficult to earn. She had broken lives of young genin, crushed their shinobi careers, not because she enjoyed it, but because she had believed she was following the right person.

That guilt never truly disappeared. There were still shinobi who openly distrusted her and some merely tolerated her presence, while others hated her outright. Kurenai and Raidō are namely some of them along with several others.

Their opinions no longer angered her since hatred required caring. She simply didn't care anymore. There were exceptions like Kakashi, Guy, Genma, Hayate and Yugao. People who had looked beyond the mistakes she'd made, people who had accepted the woman she was trying to become instead of the frightened girl she'd once been.

Then there was Izumi Uchiha, one of the last surviving members of her clan. Anko couldn't quite tell where she stood. Friendly? Neutral? Perhaps somewhere in between. It didn't matter much since neutral was already better than hatred.

The people Anko remained truly loyal to, could almost be counted on one hand. Hiruzen Sarutobi, the old man who had reached out after Orochimaru abandoned her. The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, who had treated her like another shinobi instead of another mistake.

And Minato's wife Kushina Uzumaki. The loud, fiery woman who had somehow decided that the awkward former experiment needed to eat dinner with them once every few weeks. Kushina had laughed with her, scolded her and most importantly had introduced her to people. Including one very grumpy silver-haired ANBU who had spent weeks pretending he didn't appreciate being dragged into conversations.

Eventually, even Kakashi had started talking back. It was strange looking back now. She had gained friends because one red-haired woman had refused to let her remain alone.

Perhaps, that was why she accepted Hiruzen's mission so quickly. Not because Naruto reminded her of herself and he didn't. Despite having similar hardships, they were different in countless ways. Naruto's life was way worse than she ever experienced. At least she had Orochimaru despite being betrayed by him, and after that, she had people, but this kind child had no one.

She recognized loneliness and the hollow smile. The desperate need to make people notice you because being ignored somehow hurt even more. She had walked that road once and she refused to let the brat keep walking it alone.

If she had anything to say about it, Naruto Uzumaki would never become another discarded child clinging desperately to the first person who showed him kindness. He would have people beside him, real people. Friends, comrades, and maybe one day, a family of his own choosing. Maybe one day, he really would become Hokage.

She looked down at Naruto, who was currently trying to drink from the canteen while lying flat on his back. "You're thinking too hard."

Naruto looked up. "Huh?"

Anko crouched in front of him. "Do you know what you've got?"

"A beautiful face?"

She smacked the back of his head.

"Ow!"

"No." She pointed two fingers at his forehead. "You've got instincts." She looked at the boy, who just nodded, smiling, happy that she noticed his instincts which helped him survive till now. "You notice everything in that session, my movements, my speed, my reactions. But I guess years of running from angry mobs will do that."

The words hung heavily between them as Naruto's smile disappeared.

Anko immediately regretted saying it out loud. "Sorry."

Naruto shook his head. "No, i-it's true."

She continued anyway, wanting to change the brat's mood. "Your reflexes are good and your awareness is excellent. Your senses are sharper than most Academy graduates." She folded her arms.

"Your biggest problem isn't talent. It's the Academy." Somehow, Naruto wasn't offended by that, since books were his weak point. She walked slowly around him. "You're terrible with books, and you only memorize by doing. You only understand after making mistakes." She stopped in front of him again. "That's why your grades suck."

Naruto's eyebrow twitched. "You didn't have to say it like that."

"But your body..." Her smile became more genuine. "...learns frighteningly fast." She thought back to the last hour, at every technique she'd demonstrated. Naruto had copied noticeably better by the third or fourth attempt. Not perfectly, and far from it. He wasn't some once-in-a-generation genius. He lacked natural precision of Uchiha, or any Hyuga's but he improved rapidly.

Once his body understood something, he never forgot it. Sure, the books and lectures bored him, but practical training was another story entirely.

Anko looked directly into his blue eyes. "You aren't a genius, Naruto. So, stop trying to be one." The boy looked back up at the woman. "You don't need to be a genius like your father." She smiled. "You've got your mother's work ethic and stubbornness. And if I have anything to say about it..." A dangerous grin slowly spread across her face. "...I'll make sure you earn every bit of the name Namikaze-Uzumaki."

Naruto's blue eyes widened, then a grin spread across his own face. "Bring it on, Nee-chan."

Anko cracked her knuckles. "Oh..." Her amber eyes gleamed with amusement. "I fully intend to."

And from that day onward, training Ground Four echoed daily with exhausted groans, loud complaints, and the occasional triumphant laugh. Anko trained him relentlessly, to build a shinobi who could survive and stand back up no matter how many times life knocked him down.

One who, unlike the frightened children they had once been would never have to walk alone again.

A/N

So... Manu_10710 here.

I know a surprising number of you skip Author's Notes. Yes. I'm talking about you. Don't look behind you. I know you're there.

Anyway... I figured I'd explain something before a dozen people ask the exact same question in the comments. No, I'm NOT going to write every single arc from Naruto's childhood in full detail. If I did that, we'd still be in the Academy arc by Chapter 60.

Most canon arcs before Naruto goes rogue will be condensed. I'll mention the important events, show how they affect Naruto, and move the story forward. I don't want to spend twenty chapters retelling canon with only tiny changes sprinkled in.

That said... Whenever an arc has major changes, it'll get the attention it deserves.

Those include:

• The climax of the Land of Waves Arc.
• Orochimaru's encounter with Team 7 during the Chūnin Exams.
• Naruto vs Neji.
• Naruto vs Gaara.
• The climax of the Sasuke Retrieval Arc.

Those are the moments where this AU really starts diverging from canon, so expect them to be written in full. Everything else? Think of it as a montage rather than a frame-by-frame relay. Also, before someone comments: "But you're skipping character development!"

No. The character development is still happening. You're just not watching Naruto buy milk, walk home, train for six hours, eat ramen, sleep, and repeat for thirty chapters. Trust me. You'll survive. And for the people who don't like this style, that's perfectly fine.

You don't have to force yourself to read it. Stories are meant to be enjoyed, not endured. For everyone else... Tighten your seatbelts.

Because our boy Uzumaki Naruto... is about to become Konoha's greatest headache. See you in the next chapter.

— Manu_10710