five
Naruto watched the genin teams file out of the village from his vantage point on a nearby rooftop. The chunin exams were being held in Kusagakure this year and he had been asking Gai all week to take him. His sensei had refused; he had only been a genin for six months and he was nowhere near ready for something like the chunin exams. He also had to complete at least one C-rank mission and Gai had given no indication that he would be taking Naruto on one any time soon.
The only reason Naruto had let it go was because nobody else from his graduating class was allowed to go either. There was also something about only being allowed to compete in teams but Naruto was ignoring that bit for now; he would cross that bridge when he came to it.
As the last team left through the village gates, Naruto stood and stretched out his limbs. He turned and began to bounce across the rooftops, making his way towards his usual training ground. The village was only just starting to wake up and the streets were deserted but Naruto didn’t want to take any chances. Since he had mastered the tree-walking technique two months ago he hadn’t stepped a foot into the village proper. The closest he got was these rooftops; he sent a water clone to get his groceries while he waited close by. He had learnt the hard way that the water clones couldn’t stray too far away from his real body; it had been a long and hungry week.
He leapt down and broke the fall with a roll, walking away from the buildings and into the trees. Gai liked to start training at five in the morning. It had taken some getting used to but Naruto loved training. He would get stronger even faster this way.
They had settled into a consistent training schedule: physical conditioning first thing, moving onto chakra control and weapon-handling before lunchtime; after lunch, it was D-ranks, usually one or two; dinner and taijutsu training followed and while Gai let him go at six, Naruto always stayed much longer, stumbling into bed around ten. Kakashi sometimes joined them, running him through drills designed to improve his ability to wield the Emperor’s Eye.
It was hard. If it wasn’t for the advanced healing he got from the Kyūbi, he was sure he wouldn’t be coping as well as he was.
As it atood, there was always some part of him that hurt. Gai went all in for every aspect of his training. It was what Naruto wanted but sometimes he wished that his face wasn’t being shoved into the ground daily. Even with the small progress he’d made with his bloodline limit, he couldn’t put a scratch on the jounin. The man was now talking about adding weights and Naruto’s limbs already felt heavy at the thought.
He broke through the tree line to see Gai already in the middle of push-ups.
“Naruto-kun!” His sensei jumped to his feet. “We are going to do something different today! Follow me!”
Naruto picked up the pace as the jounin ran out of the training ground. The last time Gai had said that, Naruto had ended up walking around the edge of the village on his hands. His arms felt like jelly even into the next day. He had no doubt he would be grateful for the training but in the moment, Naruto just wanted death to take him there and then. He was driven, not insane.
He hurried after Gai, following the bright green back until they reached the base of the Hokage Mountain. He took a moment to stare up at the Yondaime; he didn’t really feel anything particularly positive about his father. He’d figured out that he got his bloodline limit from the man but he had also stuck him with the Kyūbi. He had no doubt that it had been the only choice at the time, but Naruto was the one who had to live with the consequences. His father wasn’t the one condemned and scorned by the village; he was dead and free of any repercussions from his decisions.
Gai turned to him, placing his hands on his hips proudly.
“Today we are going to climb the Hokage Mountain!”
Naruto stared at him before switching his gaze to the vertical cliff face. He looked back down at Gai incredulously and the jounin continued.
“Since it is your first time you may use all four of your limbs!” He announced like that it was some kind of great help to him. “I will only be using one hand! We will do this once a month until you are about to climb this with only one of your limbs! Do not use your chakra to grip the surface!”
He couldn’t be serious. He would struggle with all of his limbs; he couldn’t imagine only using one. Without chakra, it was going to be even harder.
When Naruto graduated from the academy, he was expecting to go much harder on his training than his sensei. He was hoping for some direction and a relatively neutral attitude; he knew he couldn’t ask for more than that. He was fully prepared to push himself and train on his own terms. He had gotten the exact opposite. Gai pushed him further than Naruto had ever imagined for himself and the jounin led by example. He was happy with the way it turned out; it was tough being Gai’s apprentice and he wouldn’t have it any other way.
He watched Gai turn to face the mountainside. He gripped a crevice and hauled himself up, crossing his legs and locking them in to place while he placed one hand behind his back. Naruto stared with wide eyes as Gai continued his way up, only using one hand. The jounin appeared to be hopping between handholds, swinging to reach them and still grinning madly.
Naruto placed his own hand on the mountain’s surface, finding a firm handhold. He looked up and spotted the next one, jumping to grip it tightly. He hauled himself up and shoved his feet into the first crevices he could find. He let out a sigh; there was a long way to go. He took a deep breath in and looked up once again, careful beginning to make his way up. Determination fuelled every step as he lost track of the world around him, his entire being focused on the next crevice, the next handhold.
He could do this. If he wanted to get to the Sannin level someday, if he ever wanted to leave this village he just had to complete every challenge set before him. He may get tired and fed up at times but his burning desire to reach his goal kept him going a lot longer after he should have stopped.
He cursed as the moss on his current handhold gave way and he dug his other hand more firmly into the rock face. He tried again and found a more secure lip. He moved his leg, yanking it out the crack in the rock to shove it into another one further up. His arms were starting to shake from the effort and he was pretty sure he had damaged one of his toes from thrusting it into the rock face too quickly. The sweat dripped down his back as he hauled himself up, his muscles burning and his breathing speeding up.
He finally reached up for the next hold and felt a flat grassy surface. His head snapped up and he grinned victoriously as he pulled himself up. His upper body flopped onto the grass as his legs hung over the cliff edge. He rolled over so he was sitting up, panting harshly as he looked back down to see how far he had come. The trees they had come from looked like a speck in the distance.
“Well done, Naruto-kun!” Gai stood next to him, looking unaffected by his own climb. “You were much faster than I was on my first excursion up the mountain!”
“Thanks, Gai-sensei,” Naruto smiled tiredly up at him.
“It is not only an excellent training exercise for discipline and physical conditioning, but I have always been fond of the view.”
Naruto joined him in looking out at the village below; it was picturesque, with the quiet village surrounded by trees rustling gently in the breeze. Birds flew overhead and the sunrise cast a warm glow over the colourful buildings.
“This view always reminds me of what I am fighting for,” Gai said quietly, his grin much softer.
Naruto frowned as he looked out at the village; he didn’t think he was seeing the same thing Gai was. Up here, he could imagine that he was separate from those down below. That he was observing the sleeping village as an outsider. He decided that he liked it up here too; it did remind him of what he was fighting for.
It wasn’t Konoha.
Genma rolled his senbon between his teeth as he leaned against the soft sofa behind him. It was a slow day and most of the jounin and chunin were busy with missions or village duties. Raidō had left yesterday, Iruka was busy at the academy at this time of day and Izumo and Kotetsu were bickering at the front gate the last he saw them. He wasn’t required to be anywhere for the next three hours so he was passing the time at the Jounin Standby Station; it was better than being bored at home.
Someone entered and Genma sat up with a grin.
“Ebisu!” His former genin teammate looked over at him, changing direction. “You’re not normally around at this time.”
“I have just come from the Hokage’s office,” Ebisu said proudly, sitting across from Genma. “He wants me to train his grandson!”
“That’s great,” Genma started before a thought occurred to him. “Isn’t the kid only, like, four? He won’t be in the academy for years yet, never mind graduating.”
Ebisu scoffed.
“It is never too early to start training, Genma!” He proclaimed. “The Honourable Grandson represents not only the Hokage himself but Konoha. He must be trained in the correct etiquette and techniques worthy of a member of the Hokage’s family.”
“If you say so,” Genma shrugged.
Ebisu had always been a bit uptight. During their genin days, he couldn’t count the number of times he and Gai got scolded by the other shinobi for ‘improper conduct’. Genma would always bring up Ebisu’s ‘conduct’ around the bathhouses. That quickly shut him up.
“Do you not have somewhere to be?” Ebisu pushed his sunglasses a bit further up his nose.
“Mission but that’s not for three hours,” Genma sighed dramatically. “Everyone is either busy or on a mission. There wasn’t even anyone at the bar last night; usually I can count on Anko but she’s been busy with Ibiki in the T&I department.”
“Genma, you are a jounin of Konoha,” Ebisu said disapprovingly. “You should really stop going to the bar every night. There are too many stories going around about your antics and it’s not fitting for a shinobi of Konoha.”
Genma waved a hand dismissively.
“If it’s the one involving a cat and a melon, I spread that story myself. I refuse to let a feat like that go unnoticed.”
He could see Ebisu gearing up for one of his lectures when his other teammate entered the building. He tried to hide his sigh of relief at the distraction.
“Gai, over here!”
The elite jounin turned and smiled widely at the sight of them.
“My most Youthful teammates! How are you on this most wonderful day?”
“All the better for seeing you, Gai,” Genma grinned, moving over to let his other teammate sit down. “Where have you been? I haven’t seen you at the Mission Assignment Desk or challenging Kakashi around the village.”
“My genin is keeping me busy,” Gai laughed boisterously, patting Genma on the back. Genma just managed to save his senbon as he was jolted forward from the force. “His Youth and passion are unparalleled and he encourages me to reach greater heights with my own training!”
“You have a genin team?” Ebisu spoke up, leaning forward intently.
“I have one genin,” Gai answered. “He is my apprentice!”
“How’d you manage to only get one?” Genma asked. “Usually an apprenticeship happens after they make chunin or one genin in the team is apprenticed while the others still train with them. It’s unusual for one genin to be apprenticed right off the bat.”
“The last one was Kakashi,” Ebisu nodded. “When he was apprenticed to the Yondaime, before he got Obito and Rin.”
“This is indeed a special case!” Gai said at full volume. “He will be specialising in taijutsu and Hokage-sama decided that I was the best to teach him. I have no doubts he will one day surpass me if his Youth continues to bloom so brightly!”
“Who is it?”
“Gai-sensei.”
Genma watched the tiny Kyūbi container trek into the station, mud trailing behind him and a deep scowl on his face. A black sleeveless shirt was tucked into slim black trousers, ending in white bandages that went into the top of his black shinobi sandals. His black fingerless gloves blended into black bracers that went all the way up to his elbow. A sleeveless hoodie that was more brown than orange at this point hung loosely over his narrow shoulders. His blond, spiky hair hung slightly into his eyes and the whisker marks were as obvious as ever. He couldn’t spot his hitai-ate.
He had nothing against the kid; he knew the Yondaime’s sealing work better than that. It saddened him to see how the village treated the kid and he always tried to make sure Uzumaki would at least be safe. Any drunkards at the bar who even suggested physical violence against the Uzumaki got a fist in their face. He couldn’t really do more than that. He hadn’t actually seen the kid in a while; talk of the Uzumaki had really died down over the past couple of months.
He watched Ebisu’s feathers ruffle and braced himself for the tirade.
“You should not be in here!” He huffed, standing and folding his arms. “Genin and chunin are barred entry from this building; only jounin may enter the Jounin Standby Station. You must remove yourself at once!”
Before Gai could speak up, Uzumaki retaliated first.
“I’m just here to see Gai-sensei,” he glared. “What was I supposed to do? Just yell outside for him? You would have told me off for doing that too.”
Genma had to agree; Ebisu would have gone out to reprimand him if he had done that. Ebisu blustered, shoving his sunglasses harshly up his nose in annoyance.
“That is no way to speak to your superior!”
“Good thing you aren’t my superior then,” Uzumaki rolled his eyes before he turned to look at Gai. “I can’t make it to training tomorrow morning. My landlady is trying to kick me out again and being homeless doesn’t agree with me. I need to go to the office first thing to sort it all out. I’ll meet you at the Desk at the usual time for the D-ranks.”
Genma couldn’t hold in his chuckle at Ebisu’s face. He had never really bothered with formalities like Ebisu did. Though it was concerning that Uzumaki was having issues with his accommodation; he was, what, nine? Was he living alone?
Gai threw the genin two thumbs up and a loud confirmation but Genma knew him better than that. He was worried too. Uzumaki threw a sarcastic salute at Ebisu and sauntered back out the station, still trailing mud behind him. Ebisu was almost purple in the face by this point and he whirled around to face Gai.
“You need to control him!” Ebisu demanded. “That boy is insubordinate and a liability! He should never have graduated!”
“Wow, hey, there’s no need for that,” Genma interjected. “Sure, he’s a bit rebellious but I’m sure he’s a good shinobi.”
“He’s a worthless nuisance!” Ebisu exploded. “At the academy, all he did was sleep or play pranks or skip entirely! He had openly stated disdain for the people of Konoha and his dislike of teamwork is well-known. He isn’t worthy of that hitai-ate!”
“That is not for you to decide.”
Genma and Ebisu looked over and Gai and Genma gulped at the look on his face. There weren’t many times that Genma had seen Gai angry; he could probably count them on one hand. The jounin was happy and boisterous and always looked on the bright side. He had been the same as a genin and chunin. That made the times where Gai was truly furious even worse.
“I will not sit here and listen to you slander my student,” Gai snapped as he rose from his seat. “Naruto-kun is the most hardworking and earnest genin I have ever had the pleasure of teaching. He has good reason for being the way he is and attitudes like that are what is hindering him from reaching the prime of his Youth. The next time I see you will be for an apology to Naruto-kun.”
Gai stomped out of the Jounin Standby Station, the young jounin just entering scrambling out of his way. Silence hung over the room for a long moment.
“Who the fuck pissed off Gai?”
Genma looked pointedly at Ebisu as the man stared after their genin teammate, the shock and indignation still clear across his face. He himself also stood and followed in the direction of Gai; he needed to get out of there. Genma had a feeling that this wouldn’t be the last time Gai and Ebisu would clash over Uzumaki.
Naruto stomped away from the office, unable to feel any satisfaction from his victory. He wasn’t being kicked out and he’d even managed to get his hot water finally fixed but dealing with her always left a bad taste in his mouth. She couldn’t raise the rent on him as it was the Orphan Fund paying for it until recently. She knew that he would report her in a heartbeat to the Hokage if she tried anything but it didn’t stop her from trying to make him miserable.
He had lost the hot water five months ago and she wouldn’t replace the fridge that had broken due to its sheer age. He'd felt bad but he had stolen one from the old Uchiha compound; they were all dead and wouldn’t need it anymore. He felt slightly ill at the thought of stealing from a dead clan but that was outweighed by his desire to keep his milk and vegetables from expiring early. He couldn’t afford more than one shop a week and he needed everything he bought to keep as long as possible. He couldn’t afford to buy even a second hand one.
He shot a burning glare at some woman who was staring at him and she actually flinched, her head snapping round to look back at the vegetables on the nearby stand. He sighed heavily and cast his eyes up, trying to find the best route to escape to the rooftops. His gaze was brought back down by the sounds of murmuring. It wasn’t even about him this time.
He watched Uchiha Sasuke walk up the street, his shoulders hunched and hands shoved deep into his pockets. The villagers around them whispered to one another and Naruto was pretty sure he could spot at least three girls their age following him. He was the only other kid that was talked about as much as Naruto was, although it was in a very different tone of voice. Naruto was spoken about with disgust, hatred or indifference; Sasuke with reverence, excitement or pity.
It was pretty obvious that Sasuke didn’t like it and Naruto couldn’t blame him. He was only a topic of discussion because his whole family had been killed by his brother. Naruto didn’t know what that was like but he imagined it sucked; especially being reminded of it everyday. He didn’t know what it was like to have a family, people he could fall back on and depend on for support, but to be left completely alone in this world wasn’t a nice feeling. He knew that at least.
He looked between the rooftop and the Uchiha, hesitating. He didn’t owe the other kid anything and he would probably just get yelled at for getting involved; but as he watched the Uchiha sink into himself further with each word from the villagers, his decision was made.
He walked forward, holding his head height and meeting each person’s gaze with a defiant glare. Sasuke looked up at his approach, his delicate features set in a deep scowl. The kid was pale with dark eyes and Naruto thought his hair kind of looked like the tail of a duck. He felt a hint of annoyance as he had to look up slightly to meet the boy's eyes.
“If you want to get away from these assholes, come with me.”
Sasuke’s scowl remained in place although Naruto could see the confusion in his eyes.
“Who are you?”
“I’m the only other person in Konoha talked about as much as you are,” Naruto shrugged, feeling the glares around him intensify. “I hate listening to them too so I take a route through the village they can’t reach. I can show you but it’s a one-time offer.”
Sasuke looked around, noticing that many of his admirers had switched their attention to Naruto and not in a good way. He took a long moment to stare silently at Naruto. Naruto sighed, giving up and turning to leave.
“Wait.”
He peered back over his shoulder.
“Show me.”
Naruto waved him forward and walked to one of the side alleys. He stopped, a bit surprised to see Sasuke right behind him.
“You’ll need to get on my back.”
Sasuke crossed his arms, affronted.
“Why would I do that?”
Naruto rolled his eyes, placing a foot on the wall and taking a couple of steps. He looked back down at Sasuke, satisfied to see the Uchiha’s scowl absent. He stared up at him with a slightly opened mouth and Naruto grinned at him.
“Unless the academy is different from what I remember, you don’t know how to walk up walls yet.”
Sasuke seemed to catch himself and his frown returned. Naruto held out a hand and Sasuke reached out reluctantly. He pulled the other boy up and onto his back, shocked at how easy it was. Maybe all those early morning physical conditioning sessions were actually paying off. He walked steadily up the wall and climbed over the lip of the building, dumping Sasuke down the moment they hit the flat surface.
“I’m late for something so I’ll leave you to make your own way. Just don’t fall; they would have my ass if they knew I brought an academy student up here.”
“Aren’t you an academy student?” asked Sasuke. “You can’t be older than me.”
“I’m probably younger,” Naruto shrugged. “I have a late birthday.”
“That doesn’t answer my question.”
“I guess it doesn’t, huh.”
Naruto prepared to jump to the next roof but Sasuke spoke up again.
“Why did you do this?”
Naruto paused.
“I know what it’s like. Not the losing your family part, I’ve never had one to lose, but the rumours and whispering behind your back. It sucks and now you’ve got no one to have your back.” He backtracked quickly as he realised what he said. “Not that I have your back! This is a one-time thing, understand? You’ve got to figure things out on your own.”
“I don’t need anyone’s help,” Sasuke scoffed, rolling his own eyes.
“Good,” Naruto nodded. “Because no one is going to give it; not without wanting something in return. You’re on your own in Konoha.”
“So what do you want?”
Naruto opened his mouth but then closed it. He didn’t want anything but that completely contradicted what he had just said. Shit, he had to think of something.
“I want you to never mention this again,” he blurted out.
He leapt to the next rooftop, not daring to look back as he made his way to the Mission Assignment Desk to meet up with Gai. He didn’t want to help Sasuke; it’s just he understood what it was like. He wanted nothing more than to escape when he was in Sasuke’s position. He didn’t want to be forced to listen to people talk about him, no matter what was being said. He also still felt guilty about the fridge. That’s all it was.