Kalopsia

“We’re gonna be late,” I said without lifting my eyes from my book.

These last years, I took a liking to rewriting books that I once knew, books from another lifetime. Harry Potter, Star Wars, The Beauty and the Beast, name it. I had to pass the time in some way, After all, chatting with Naruto, as much as I love him, was… difficult. How was I supposed to relate to a child while I had the maturity of a 30-year-old? 

Naruto jumped around the apartment as he tried to put his pants on while he brushed his teeth. I put away the small book in my back pocket and picked up Naruto’s school bag before throwing it at him. Naruto mumbled a ‘thanks’ as he hurried past me. I made sure to lock the door before taking off with my brother. Of course, not without voicing quiet complaints about our, once again, late arrival.

***

“We are now about to begin the graduation test. When your name is called, proceed to the next classroom. The test is on the Clone Jutsu.” Iruka explained in front of the class and Naruto visibly tensed at the mention of the jutsu.

I elbowed my brother in the ribs and flashed him a reassuring smile, earning an uncertain look back.  

After an endless wait, my name was finally called up. 

I never had any difficulties with chakra control or ninjutsu. Taijutsu was my forte, of course, but I never had as much trouble as Naruto had. Which was, in a way, really strange. Maybe his seal was less strict in letting the chakra pass…

I walked back into the class with my hitai-ate hung around my neck. I made a mental note to change the navy fabric to a red or black one. It looks horrible. I sat back at my place and, a few moments later, Naruto jumped to his feet beside me when his turn came. 

I gave him a thumbs-up and a toothy grin before he walked to the room where the graduation exam took place. I leaned back in my seat and eavesdropped on the conversations from the students.

The Akimichi boy was talking to the lazy Nara about going to the restaurant later to celebrate and the Inuzuka mutt was bragging about how easily he passed the test to a civilian-born girl, who looked pretty bored and annoyed. However, it was the conversation that a few boys at the back of the class had that made my blood boil. 

“I bet you 300 ryō that the loser won’t pass!” The brown-haired boy snickered. 

Deep breaths, Akira. They don't know any better. Let them be and…

“Hokage, that’s what he said? What a joke.” 

I jumped in front of the boys and before they could do anything, they found themself knocked out on the floor with either a black eye or a giant bump. The classroom fell quiet, a few surprised gasps were the only things hearable.

I walked back to my seat with a slight smile attached to my lips and everyone’s eyes on me. The door of the exam room swung open and Naruto burst through, but instead of going back to his place, he ran out of the classroom.

Laughter and mean comments surged from everyone's mouths, but I was more preoccupied with what could’ve happened to Naruto than taking the time to knock some sense into them.

 I followed Naruto out of the Academy and I found him on a swing, eyes filled with tears. My eyes scanned Naruto's appearance in search of the leaf’s headband, but the absence of it made my stomach drop. 

“I failed.” He declared, even though I had figured it out.

“There’s always next year,” I pointed out. “I can help you with your ninjutsu until then. Your taijustsu is good enough, I assure you. The only think you lack is chakra control. We can work on it together.” 

A smile made an appearance on the boy’s face, only for it to disappear as fast as it came. “I wanted to be on the same team as you…”

I was never really good with words so I resorted to spreading my arms open, a silent invitation for a hug. Words… Words were uncomfortable. They stick in one’s head and they weight more than what you mean sometime. It was simpler that way. Usually, I disliked hugs, - well physical touch, in general, was never something that I particularly loved, - but at the moment,  I knew that my brother needed it. Muffled sobs from Naruto reached my ears as I hugged him tightly. 

The bell signaling the end of our classes rang which meant it was 17:30. “I have an idea,” I started and Naruto looked up to lock eyes before I continued. “Go home and I will go get some Ichiraku. Deal?” 

My brother’s face lit up in excitement as he nodded furiously. And just like that, he ran away in the direction of the place we called home. I buried my hands in my pockets and walked back into the Academy.

***

I grimaced at the creak when I opened the door. I stumbled a little in the doorway, one arm holding their dinner while the other was carrying both of their backpacks.

“Naruto, I’m back!” I said just loud enough for him to hear wherever he was in the apartment. However, no answer or sounds came forth. “Naruto?” I repeated louder this time. The hair on the back of my neck stood up as worry began to rise.

I painfully recalled that the last time Naruto disappeared without leaving a note behind, he came back in the middle of the night covered in bruises. We never really spoke about what happened, but I am not dumb. I picked up on the flinches or the times that his breath quickened when we passed in front of a certain group of adults - they were the reason, they beat him up.

I put - throw would be more adequate - the Ichiraku’s bags on the counter and put on the first pair of shoes my hands landed on before taking off in a hurry. 

I sprinted down the streets - not without running into a few citizens - the fastest I could to the only person I hoped to get help from, the Hokage.

I ignored the protest of the receptionist and barged into the Hokage’s office. I knew that the Anbu would let me through, they always did. They prefer to keep their presence hidden rather than try to stop me in my quest. After all, how could they know that I had always know they were following me? Always hidden in the shadows, always luring close to us.

Hiruzen didn’t look surprised by my sudden arrival, nonetheless, he tilted his head curiously. The words spilled out of my mouth.

“Sorry to bother old man, but Naruto isn’t home and I don’t know where he could be and I don’t want him to get hurt and I know I’m probably worried for nothing, but I-” 

The Third Hokage raised his hand and I stopped talking, my heavy breath echoed in the room.

“Calm down, kid. You’re speaking too fast.” 

I took a few breaths before starting to speak again. “Naruto was upset because he didn’t pass the test, so earlier, I suggested he go home while I picked up some Ichiraku. When I came back, Naruto was gone and there was no note or anything and you know what happened last time that he disappeared like that. And before you ask, no he isn’t somewhere doing one of his stupid pranks and I’m sure of it.”

Hiruzen’s eyebrows furrowed and as he was about to talk, the door I previously walked through swung open, revealing a shinobi in panic.

“Uzumaki Naruto stole the Scroll of Sealing!”

“For Kami’s sake, can’t you keep yourself out of trouble for more than two minutes…” I lamented at the lack of intelligence from my brother. 

“Put the village under lockdown. Every jōnin and chūnin presented in the village has the mission to find Naruto and bring back the Scroll.” The authority from the voice of the old man made me straighten up my posture unconsciously even if he wasn’t speaking to me. The shinobi nodded and ran off.

“I’ll find him.” I tried to sound confident, but the slight quiver in my voice gave me away. The Third Hokage's grumpy voice rang, but I wasn’t paying attention. My concentration was set on etching the window open. Without looking back I slipped through the opening.

My sensory abilities had always been quite good, if I concentrate enough, I can sense the chakra signature of others about half a mile around me and, on a good day, almost a mile. Despite all of that, I had trouble identifying whose chakra signature it was if I hadn’t been in direct contact with their chakra in the past.

As I stood on top of the Hokage Towe, I concentrated on the moving chakra signatures. I tried, tried so hard, but I couldn’t pick Naruto’s chakra up. Instead, I could feel the chakra signature of my homeroom teacher not too far away.

With a heart filled with hope, I headed toward the signal. Maybe, just maybe, he knew where Naruto was, he may be able to help me.

I finally was able to catch up on my sensei, yet he didn’t seem to notice me. Which was quite weird in itself. My stealth was fine, well, fine for a genin. Surely, a Chunin, would have felt me? Well, it best to underestimated yourself insteand of being over-confident. Although I didn’t try to get closer to him, I rather chose to fall back and follow him from a distance. Might as well take advantage of his slip-up. 

Soon enough, we fell into a small clearing with only a small building standing in the middle of it.

When my eyes fell on the boy dressed in orange, the corner of my lips curved upward in a relieved smile. I was about to jump down from the tree to make my presence known but I felt the presence of someone else. The happy expression I wore on my face disappeared quickly, only to be replaced with a confused and angry one.

Mizuki Touji.

Iruka and Naruto were way too far away for me to be able to hear their conversation, but Naruto seemed easy-going and happy for someone who was supposed to get yelled at.

"Iruka, I...jutsu..." "Naruto, are you...." I could barely read on their lips even if I squinted really hard. A little voice in my head told me that something was wrong.

A barricade of kunais rained on Iruka, kunais thrown by Mizuki. I stayed, crouched in the tree, immobile, quiet, and without letting an ounce of chakra get out of me. Iruka and Mizuki seemed to be in an argument and I was able to understand a little bit better since they were facing towards me. I gritted my teeth together to control the fury that rose. 

I straightened up, just barely, from my crouched position, and approached quietly. I jumped down a few branches until their conversation became hearable. 

“A rule was created after the incident that occurred 12 years ago” Mizuki started with a mischievous smirk attached to his lips - one that I wanted to rip off. 

“A rule?” Naruto echoed, curious about where the conversation was going.

“It’s a rule that only you and your sister cannot find out about.” I knew all too well what he was talking about. Of course, I wasn’t supposed to. I, however, couldn’t believe Mizuki was going to tell Naruto. What would he even gain for telling him?

“Only us? What’s the rule?” 

“Stop it, Mizuki!” Iruka pleaded, but Mizuki would tell him anyway. I knew that, Iruka too. 

“It’s the rule not to say that Naruto and his twin are the Monster Fox.” Naruto's eyes widened. 

I couldn't say truthfully that I regretted not telling him. Our childhood was not normal, in any shape or form, but he didn't need to know just how unique we truly were. We lived through horrible things. A boy orphan, hated by a whole village, would have gotten beaten to death if it weren't for his status. Well, he still got beaten unconscious sure, but Anbu was always close by. For a girl orphan, hated by a whole village, the violence was different. It wasn't kinder or harsher. It was different. It was a type of violence that etched one's soul, one that corrupted a body. The Anbu, luckily or unluckily as one may see fit, seemed to let me be sometimes. I was more mature and less brash. Our Anbu, the same one since I felt his chakra, seemed to be more inclined to follow my brother if he had to choose. The civilians seised their chances, indeed.  

Naruto had the right to grow up without bearing that knowledge, to be a child, to have dreams. He didn't deserve this kind of burden to weigh down on him at such a young age. He didn't need to know what was put inside of us. I was biased, of course. I can admit the part. If it was only for me, I would never have told him, I would never have told anyone. I would have let him grow up, I would have let him be a normal genin. And then, after a few years, maybe, I would've told him. 

“In other words, you and your sister are the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox who killed Iruka’s parents and destroyed our village.” I couldn’t help but feel the sting in my heart from Mizuki’s words. I wasn't dumb enough to believe it was truly our fault. We were, what, an hour old? How could infants be the cause of such a tragedy? Naruto was not stupid either, but, my baby brother is sensible and empathic. My heart cracked a little when my eyes fell on his face, his sorrowful expression. 

“Stop!” Iruka pleaded again, but it was useless, the worst part was already said.

“You’ve been deceived by the village people all this time. Didn’t you think it was weird for everyone to hate you both so much?” Naruto snapped at that.

“Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!” Naruto repeated, eyes glistening lightly.

“No one’s ever going to recognize you! Even Iruka hates you!” Mizuki added.

“Die, Naruto!” Mizuki shouted as he threw a fūma shuriken at Naruto.

My hands itched toward my kunai. I wanted to scream, I wanted Naruto to run, but words got caught in my throat - instincts kept telling me to lay low.

“Naruto, duck!” My homeroom teacher screamed and in a blur, he was crouched in front of my baby brother with the fūma shuriken implanted in his back.

The clearing fell silent. Iruka was talking to Naruto, but I couldn’t understand what he was saying. His back was towards me and, even with chakra-enhanced hearing, his whispers were lost in the wind. 

“Don’t make me laugh! Iruka has hated ‘your family’ since both of you killed his parents! He just wants to get that scroll back” Mizuki taunted.

Naruto’s eyebrows furrowed and, in a flash, he stood up and ran away. I kept my steps quiet as I climbed higher in the tree and followed Naruto. I caught up easily to him and tackled him to the ground.

“What the-” I smacked my hands on Naruto’s mouth to shut him up. Someone was coming. I had a sole kunai and wasn't prideful enough to truly believe I could take on a Chunin. I could, maybe, injure him if I fought perfectly, but, there is no way I could take him down. Not that I wouldn't try if it came to it if it was for Naruto. 

The incoming shinobi jumped down the tree and my muscles tensed up, my knees bent, and my body arranged itself in a battle stance. However, the person wasn’t who I expected. 

“Akira?! What are you-”

“No time to explain. Sensei, I have a plan. I suggest that you use the Transformation Technique and transform into Ruto while he and I stay hidden. Mizuki might be tricked for a little while. Your odds are better than if I were to go against him.” I interrupted him, but Iruka didn’t complain. He didn't even bother answering, probably agreeing internally that we had no other plan. He transformed and gave us a reassuring smile before taking off. 

I gripped Naruto’s wrist and pulled him up to his feet before sprinting in the same direction that Iruka went. I would have gone the other way if I had been sure that backup was on its way. I couldn't, with my stupid conscience, send my teacher to his death. 

I stopped and pulled Naruto behind a bush when I saw Mizuki and Iruka facing each other about a few meters. I was careful enough to put up a slight genjutsu to mask our presence. I was used to hiding my chakra signature, I had become good at it, but Naruto still struggled greatly. 

“What good is there in protecting the one who killed your parents?” Mitsuki asked Iruka as he stood before him. Well, my plan didn't work as well as I thought it would. Iruka didn't bother with prestence and he stopped the Transformation Jutsu. 

“I’m not going to let an idiot like you get that scroll.” The brown-haired man snarled back at the other shinobi.

“You’re the idiot. Naruto is the same as me.” Mizuki’s grin widened whilst Iruka’s eyebrows furrowed and his jaw clenched ever-so-slightly. 

“Same as you?” Our teacher parroted.

“Anything is possible with that scroll. There’s no way that Naruto, the Monster Fox, won’t use its powers.” 

“Yeah, you’re right.” 

I felt Naruto tensed slightly at Iruka’s answer. “I knew it. Iruka doesn’t recognize me inside” Naruto mumbled angrily under his breath. I was about to retort, but I was interrupted before I had the chance. 

“ If he was the Monster Fox. But Naruto is different. He’s...He’s an excellent student that I recognize. He's hardworking, earnest, clumsy, and no one recognizes him. He knows the pain of others. He’s not a Monster Fox. He’s Uzumaki Naruto of Konoha.” I looked back at Naruto only to see tears rolling down his cheeks profusely. My attention was brought back to the two older men when I heard Mizuki speak up.

“What an idiot. Iruka, I said I would kill you later, but I take that back. Die now!” Mizuki sprinted towards Iruka with a fūma shuriken in his right hand.

Sadly for Mizuki, we weren’t going to sit back forever. Naruto rushed in and kicked Mizuki back while I went directly to Iruka’s sides. Naruto can handle himself pretty well in a spar, having practiced together for hours on end. My baby brother knew, if he needed help, I would be at his side. 

“Damn all of you!” Mizuki cursed at us.

“Don’t lay a finger on my sensei. I’ll kill you if you do!” Naruto growled back.

“Talk while you can. I’ll finish a kid like you in a flash.”

“Try, jerk.” Naruto insulted Mizuki back. “I’ll do a thousand times more damage back at you.”

I didn’t pay too much attention to what the two were talking about, I preferred to concentrate on stopping the bleeding from Iruka’s multiple wounds.  

“Why don’t you try if you can, you Monster Fox!” Mizuki challenged.

My attention was snapped back to the real fight when I felt an enormous amount of chakra, a familiar type at that, pour out of Naruto. Almost instantly, a thousand of Naruto’s clones appeared around Mizuki and after a war cry, all of them jumped on Mizuki and beat the shit out of him.

A chuckle bloomed in my chest and a proud smile rose on my face. 

***

I finished treating almost every wound Iruka had around the same time that the sun showed the tip of its nose.

One by one, Naruto’s clones disappeared - leaving a bloody Mizuki on the ground.

“Are you alright sensei?” Naruto demanded, worried about the state that our teacher was previously in.

“Hey! Don’t you dare underestimate my first aid skills!” I teased, earning full-out laughter from my brother. Some muscles in my neck relaxed, ones I didn't even know were still tensed up. 

“I’m fine,” Iruka admitted. “Come here for a second, I want to give you something.” Naruto walked closer to us, his curiosity taking over. 

“Close your eyes.” Nauto did as asked.

Iruka began to untie his hitai-ate and I couldn’t help but smile at the scene. Iruka tied his headband around Naruto’s head.

“You can open your eyes, Naruto. Congratulations. You pass.” Naruto's eyes filled with happy tears and he jumped into Iruka’s arms.

After a few seconds, Iruka put down Naruto. I took my chance and smacked Naruto behind his head. 

“Don’t you dare do something like this again? You know better than that. If you needed help on something, you could have asked me or Iruka. Your rash behavior will get you hurt one day.” I scolded before embracing him. “You scared me to death. Be more careful, you are a shinobi now.” I kissed him on the forehead. "Oh and by the way, tomorrow you're teaching me this jutsu of yours."

“I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted! So, I’m going home, well after delivering Mizuki to the Hokage.” Iruka broke the silence.

“Yeah, I think we're going to do the same. We still have school tomorrow.” A grunt came from Naruto at the mention of school.