Hand Signs [A Deaf Naruto Fanfiction]

Chapter Three: Bonds

It quickly became obvious, specifically with the changes Iruka-sensei had been making to his method of teaching, that something was wrong with Naruto. Another few days of observing had made that something clear. He didn’t respond to quiet sound, had trouble understanding things people said when they spoke at normal levels or weren’t facing him, and really only seemed to learn anything when he experienced it for himself or the teacher was being louder than what should’ve been necessary. Deafness was the obvious conclusion and time watching made it even more painstakingly clear to Shikamaru just what Naruto’s problem was. 

It was also clear that Iruka-sensei had, at least, an inkling about it. He’d seemed just as surprised as everyone else when Naruto had gotten that first question right but when he saw that whatever experiment he performed was successful he kept at it. His classmates seemed confused about the whole thing; writing more on the board, speaking louder, facing the class more, even the way Iruka-sensei was speaking was different--clearer.

Shikamaru was disappointed to say that it took figuring out Naruto had a disability to make him finally take an initiative toward a real friendship with the blond. Especially when he knew about the hardships Naruto suffered on a daily basis.

Shikamaru knew before even doing anything, that no matter what, Naruto would be suspicious of his sudden change in attitude around him. Not that he’d ever bullied him or meant to be mean, but he remembered instances when they were young where he hadn’t exactly been nice . No matter how naive the blond seemed, no matter how idiotic he acted, it recently became more than clear that he was anything but .

Before their academy teacher changed the way he taught regarding Naruto, Shikamaru would have never believed it. Now, though, it seemed that the way Naruto had been treated by everyone growing up may have affected more than just his emotional health. He was street smart and clearly read more than he liked to say--his ability to answer questions correctly truly was quite telling--especially when they were about things they didn’t talk about much in class. Because while Naruto certainly did skip school and sleep during class occasionally, he had always done it in a way that suggested resignation more than it did stupidity or carelessness. It seemed like he expected to always be wrong no matter how simple the concept or question. When you took into account his trouble focussed on hearing the questions, it made a lot more sense. At least, it did when you paid attention.

He kept the hypothesis about Naruto’s potential deafness to himself for weeks before it became too troublesome. His brain was taken over by thoughts regarding the blond’s entire situation, interfering with his normal minimal-functioning days. He knew telling Ino was a terrible idea, the rumor would spread like wildfire and Naruto would once again be the laughing stock of the class. Actually, telling almost anyone would’ve been a terrible idea. They all disliked the kid way too much for them to ever understand. Choji was a possibility but he might tell Ino and Shikamaru wasn’t close enough to anyone else. He ended up settling on confiding in Iruka-sensei. At least then, if he didn’t already know, he’d be able to help Naruto more than he’d be able to.

When he finally spoke to Iruka about his suspicions on Naruto’s hearing impairment, it turned out he had missed something important. Iruka-sensei clearly had shared his suspicions but, in his ramblings, had let something slip. 

Shikamaru had always assumed that since he was a minor and was never adopted, Naruto had lived at the orphanage for most of his life or with someone at the very least--even if he had thought that whomever was taking care of him neglected him. Finding out that Naruto had been living alone since he was a toddler hurt because Naruto really never had anything at all. 

It was enough to make Shikamaru grateful for his troublesome parents, especially his mother, and his clan. More than anything it explained a lot about Naruto he’d overlooked. His height and weight, both too low for his age, likely came from his improper diet and lack of money. Naruto’s love of ramen made sense too. Ramen, whether it came from a stand or a cup, was cheap and filling--not to mention the fact that he’d never had anyone teach him what a proper diet consisted of.

He mumbled to himself about it, how Naruto was too skinny. He wasn’t sure if the academy teacher caught it, but decided that the man was likely to agree with him anyway.

The whole interaction only made Shikamaru want to help Naruto more. It was an odd feeling, to not want to just sit around while someone else did all the heavy lifting, but actually be the one to do it. It was unlikely anyone else would and if they did, it wasn’t likely they’d be able to appreciate everything the blond had gone through. For reasons not even Shikamaru understood, he wanted to ease the blond’s burden, even just a little. 

Images flashed through his head of times he’d seen Naruto truly sad or hurt and the few times he’d been truly happy. He almost never showed his real emotions, the Nara heir realized. Everything was a mask. Like when he’d play off his failures as a joke and laugh but when he thought no one was looking he’d look so sad . Or when he was looked at with what the blond referred to as “those eyes,” and when parents would pick their children up and he was left alone. The only times he can remember Naruto’s smiles ever being genuine was when he and Choji played with him that one day and when he had ramen with Iruka-sensei (who’s favoritism toward Naruto came seemingly out of nowhere). The grins he wore during class or when he played pranks were so fake they were almost painful to look at.

There was something else too. He couldn’t remember why or who or even what was happening but he could clearly see himself, Choji and Ino and Sakura glaring at him. The pinkette accused him of something, it was something stupid but he couldn’t remember what it was . He could recall the sadness and anger in Naruto’s eyes and voice when he responded though. Something about defending an outsider (which, what did that even mean?) but still looking at him with those eyes . More than anything, he remembered truly believing whatever Sakura had accused Naruto of. He remembered feeling some kind of gratification from seeing Naruto sad about it, like somehow he’d done something to warrant that kind of treatment that the blond was just too stupid to understand that it was all his fault . He was young, and of course that could be his excuse but it didn’t feel like a stable one. It didn’t justify treating someone so small and alone in such a way.

The memory didn’t make any sense to Shikamaru. He’d asked Ino and Choji about it before and neither of them remembered anything similar so it was possible it was just a dream--the Nara didn’t believe it though. For a long time those shards of memory were one of the main reasons he stayed away from Naruto. On the off chance the blond remembered and hated him for it--though the way he behaves around Sakura suggests the contrary, Shikamaru suspected that was fake or mostly fake as well--he’d thought it would make everything troublesome.

After hours of attempting to think of ways to befriend Naruto and drawing blanks, he went to his father. The Jonin Commander had decades more experience dealing with people than Shikamaru, and a much higher IQ--though he was steadily catching up--and the Clan Heir had no doubt that the man would have something helpful.

It ended up being just as vague as ever and this time Shikamaru couldn’t tell if it was because his father wanted him to learn on his own, because he really didn’t know how to approach it, or because of something else entirely. The conversation had started well enough, the Nara Clan Head told him to tread carefully and not to act too familiar too quickly, which was useful. Then he got vague, mostly about Naruto’s situation in regards to the village.

“The burden he carries is more than you or I could ever understand,” His father had told him. What burden? The hatred of the village or the reason for it? Shikamaru wasn’t sure. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know either.

In the end he decided to pretend that anything he did, no matter how out of character it seemed, he’d just pretend it wasn’t. Shikamaru knew that Naruto tended to respond to situations based on emotions. If he acted awkward about talking to the blond then Naruto would be awkward back and he’d never get anywhere with him.

Iruka gave him the opportunity two days later when he announced to the class that they’d be starting a unit on Shinobi Sign Language. It also served as a confirmation of his theory since there was no doubt he needed Hokage approval to change the curriculum. Naruto, compared to everyone else’s gloom about hearing the news, was practically glowing with happiness. It presented the perfect opportunity.

During the short break they’d been given to talk, he stood up and plopped himself into the empty chair beside the blond. Naruto jumped, startled by the sudden action but Shikamaru kept his face neutral. There was nothing abnormal about any of it, no reason to be awkward.

“Yo,” He drawled out a lazy greeting, laying his head on the desk--he made sure Naruto could see his mouth and hoped the angle wouldn’t be too much of a problem.

“Hi?” It was worded as a question and it was clear that Naruto was confused by the whole thing. “Why are you sitting here? Don’t you normally talk with Choji during break?”

The blunt questions reminded him of Iruka-sensei’s comment from two days before about Naruto not entirely understanding social cues. Most people would ask such things in a much less straightforward manner but it was okay. Shikamaru didn’t let the atmosphere become awkward and continued as if everything was normal.

“I wanted to sit here. The breeze is nice,” There was actually virtually no breeze since the windows were on the other side of the classroom but Naruto didn’t need to know that. He lifted his head and looked at the blond. “What do you think about us having to learn Shinobi Sign? You looked pretty excited during the announcement.”

It was a simple enough way to start a conversation and the tension faded slightly as the blond adjusted to the situation.

“It’s so cool . It’s like hand signs for Jutsu! Only they mean words ! You can have full conversations without saying a single thing! It’s amazing, ya know?” He noticed Naruto didn’t mention anything about his hearing and knew their teacher hadn’t told the blond he knew. “What about you? What do you think?”

“It’s troublesome to learn a new language,” He knew the blond was expecting it, but shocked the blond by continuing. “But I also think it’s useful. The fact that even you think it’s interesting says a lot, though, so it might be worth learning.”

He didn’t mention that he was probably going to learn anyway, either to help Naruto or because, as Shinobi, they would eventually need to learn some of it anyway.

Naruto blinked as he processed what Shikamaru’s words implied before pretending it didn’t happen.

“Knowing you, you’ll probably learn it super fast and pretend you don’t know it at all, ya know?” It was obvious Naruto hadn’t meant to blurt it out the way he had but Shikamaru was more surprised that he actually noticed . 

Few others did and the only reason Iruka-sensei knew was because of a talk he’d had with his parents.

“You noticed that?”

Naruto’s face did a weird thing and he seemed to tense again before nodding shyly.

Shikamaru cursed himself. The blond no doubt assumed he thought he was an idiot, now.

“Troublesome…” 

The Nara changed the subject, easily distracting the blond by complimenting his improvement in class. Naruto had to ask Shikamaru to repeat some things a few times but other than that the conversation flowed smoothly until the break ended.

During lunch he went over to the blond again, this time with Choji. He knew the two of them would get along, even if Naruto tended to act a bit too over the top for the Akimichi most of the time. Especially since most of it was bluster, anyway. 

When they sat down, Shikamaru was surprised to see Naruto with a real lunch for once but knew immediately Iruka-sensei had something to do with it. The Chunin totally mom-ed the kid and if he were anyone else he’d say it was adorable instead of troublesome. Naruto deserved to have someone parenting him, though (especially since he’d been living on his own for so long, seriously what the hell ?).

It was also lucky that his childhood friend tended not to talk too much because Naruto had a very hard time understanding what he was saying--especially while Choji had food in his mouth. They talked about Sign Language and food and clouds and grades and it was almost normal . Like they always hung out together and Shikamaru was proud that nothing was awkward. Naruto even looked happy . Truly happy. It was a good look on him. Sasuke should take lessons.

Choji shared his potato chips with the blond and, even though he was shy and reluctant, Naruto had taken some. Neither Clan Heir was happy with how convinced their youngest male classmate was that he was burdening them when Shikamaru and Choji had chosen to sit with him. It was sad and while Shikamaru had guessed it would be the case, Choji clearly hadn’t expected it. The heavyset boy contained his anger well but it was clear that he’d expected Naruto to be as cocky as he made himself out to be.

It was Choji who asked if Naruto would mind them sitting with him again. The blond was still hesitant, still didn’t trust them, but agreed. The pair of childhood friends hoped that he’d grow to be less hesitant in the future. 

Over the next few days they started sitting together during lunch and watched clouds while they waited for their turn to spar. It was nice and, not for the first time, Shikamaru wondered how anyone could hate someone as genuinely nice as Naruto. 

Overall, Shikamaru thought it had been a good start to becoming friends.

Before Monday rolled around Shikamaru had purchased a number of Shinobi Sign Language books and began studying. Eventually he’d have to learn it anyway so really he was only saving himself the time by getting it out of the way. If it happened to be something that also helped Naruto, it was purely a coincidence. 

If, by the time they started lessons, he already knew nearly the entire beginner book and was almost ready to start the advanced one that was no one’s business but Shikamaru’s.

Since their interaction a few days before, Hiruzen had been keeping an eye on Naruto. His disability made his life dangerous and if anyone found out before he could defend himself it could be a disaster. That was part of it, anyway. The larger part was the Sandaime’s concern regarding how his hearing affected his social life. He knew, before finding out about the boy’s deafness, that Naruto had trouble understanding and reacting appropriately to social cues. He was blunt, not always a bad thing but didn’t help him much, and didn’t have much of a filter. He said things as they came to mind and most people regarded him as an idiot because of it and when he did think things through it was considered a fluke.

The boy Iruka had mentioned, Shikaku’s son, seemed to see through it all. Shikamaru saw through the barriers Naruto put up, through the mask he wore to protect himself and saw him . It was rare these days, Hiruzen thought, for children so young to be so insightful. The fact that he was willing to even talk to Naruto like an equal was quite the feat. It was sad how the village had become so mindless in their hatred that a child as pure as Naruto had been hurt. Sadder still how the generations following the attack followed their lead instead of drawing their own conclusions. It made Shikamaru’s case special. No one told him to spend time with Naruto or to respect him but he did , he saw what so many others chose to ignore and the Sarutobi was grateful for it. Naruto deserved a friend who would appreciate him and not use him. He even caught the clan heir buying books on Shinobi Sign.

He knew Shikamaru would be an excellent friend for Naruto, just as he’d been to the Akimichi heir who was also bullied.

His own Sign Language was rusty. It had been years since he’d used anything other than basic Anbu gestures and refreshing his knowledge had been a nice change of pace. Paperwork was well past boring and Naruto would need him to actually understand when he came to show the Hokage what he learned over the last few days. He hadn’t expected much, some simple phrases and interesting (probably ramen-related) vocabulary perhaps, but Naruto surprised him.

When the blond came bouncing into his office the academy had just let out and he was beaming.

“Jiji! I have so much to tell you!” It was nice to see Naruto so genuinely happy when he was always so sad.

“Naruto,” The boy bounded to the extra chair and sat down, still twitching with excitement. “How have you been adjusting?” 

Naruto had been learning Sign for only about four days and his class would only begin teaching it after the weekend so he hadn’t expected the blond to try to sign as he spoke.

“Shi-ka-ma-ru and Cho-ji,” he dragged out the syllables as he spelled them out and spoke slowly as he tried to remember the signs. “Have been sitting with me at lunch since Wednesday. They’ve been nice to me and don’t treat me like the others do.”

His sentences were short and choppy and his hand movements were the opposite of smooth but he got all the signs right. It was more than clear that the boy had been studying hard with Iruka and had picked up Sign quickly.

“Iruka-sensei and I made sign-names for some of my classmates and each other and I made one for you.”

His wasn’t exactly a “name sign” but Naruto signing grandfather warmed his heart a little. It was nice to know that despite the many arguments they’d had, most of them heavy with emotion, Naruto looked at him like family.

“What name sign did you give to Iruka? What’d he give to you?” He signed the question back slowly as he said it. They would worry about Naruto’s speed when he had more practice.

He grinned even wider as he signed. “This is Iruka-sensei’s,” It was scar across his nose with the “I” hand sign. “And Iruka gave me this:” He signed whiskers across his whisker marks and pouted slightly.

Hiruzen couldn’t help but laugh.

“You’re progressing well, Naruto. Keep up the good work,” Naruto lit up at the praise, at the confirmation that he was good and not a failure . “So tell me more about Shikamaru and Choji, then. Are you friends now, then?”

“I… think so? I’m not sure. They’re nice to me but I don’t really know much about them yet. Shikamaru is really smart and really lazy and Choji is motivated by food and they’ve been friends for a long time.” The blond squinted his eyes in thought. “Choji offered to share his potato chips with me and I’m kinda worried he’s only doing it so I don’t feel left out when he shares with Shikamaru, ya know?”

“Did you tell them that?” Knowing Naruto, he did and, if there was any hope for the two boys, they reacted in a way the blond didn’t understand because of the way he’d been treated by others for so long.

Naruto nodded.

“I think they were… angry? But it wasn’t at me. I don’t get it.”

Hiruzen was proud to be right. He was also proud that the boys saw the behavior for what it was; a giant red flag about Naruto’s self esteem. He knew that Naruto over-played the cockiness he displayed in front of others to protect himself. If others knew his self confidence was as low as it was, they’d use it as a target and Naruto was nothing if not good at hiding his weak points. At least emotionally, though he was doing better in class.

“Oh, Naruto, I spoke to Maito Gai about tutoring you in Taijutsu. He said he’d be willing to do so any days you wish for a few hours per day. That is, if you still want to after meeting him.”

Naruto was still worried about being targeted, about getting that look and it was disappointing that the village brought him to such a point. A place, mentally, when he barely trusted that he wasn’t going to be used , or glared at, or hurt .

He gave the blond a small smile. “He’s a good man, Naruto. He’s not one to discriminate, either. Did you know one of his students, Rock Lee, a genin from last year’s graduating class, can’t use chakra?”

Naruto’s eyes were wide but he didn’t laugh like so many others did. Though bad at the cloning technique, the blond was quite adept at transformations and Kawarimi and it was good to see that he wasn’t one to make fun of Lee’s inability to do so. He looked to be in awe , actually.

“He makes up for it by being exceptional at Taijutsu. Both train vigorously, so don’t worry about keeping up with them and if you do train with them make sure you eat more than just ramen,” Hiruzen chuckled. “Gai will work you to the bone and you don’t need to be losing any weight. You’re already too small.”

Naruto grumbled to himself, pouting. “You sound like Iruka-sensei. He’s been making me lunches for class… He also makes me dinner when we practice Shinobi Sign Language. He said I need to put more meat on my bones and lectured me on how important it was to maintain a healthy weight as a ninja and how eating more vegetables would make me taller.” Naruto didn’t sound like he enjoyed eating vegetables but if it was helping him eat more balanced meals he’d allow Iruka to do what he needed. 

“It’s good that you’re eating better, Naruto. You’re the smallest member of your class. Considerably so. It could make shinobi training particularly stressful on your body if you don’t eat right.” Mentioning how it could affect his ninja career had been the best way to motivate the blond for years and it worked like a charm.

“Ano… Before recently I’d never had a home cooked meal like that… It’s nice, ya know? Not being alone for once.” Naruto’s cheeks were pink and he didn’t even sound bitter about it, the boy truly was too good for all of them. Hiruzen had no doubt that hearing Naruto’s sincere gratitude would brighten the Chunin’s whole year if he told him.

The Sandaime was about to tell him that when his office door opened and saw a familiar face burst through it. 

“Jiji! Get ready to fight! I’m going to be Godaime Hokage--” The tiny brunette charged him, but barely made it a step before he tripped on his long blue scarf and landed flat on his face.

Hiruzen grumbled to himself as Konohamaru slowly got to his feet.

“Is this a trap?” He asked himself as he rubbed his aching nose and yet another familiar face appeared in Hiruzen’s office doorway; Ebisu, a special Jounin and his grandson’s tutor.

“Are you okay, Honourable Grandson? May I just inform you that there aren’t any traps here…” He adjusted his sunglasses as he trailed off waiting for some kind of response from Hiruzen’s grandson.

Naruto twitched as he watched the brunette boy and eventually both he and Ebisu noticed the blond. Naruto, thankfully, didn’t notice the look the tokubetsu Jounin was giving him.

His grandson on the other hand, rather than taking Ebisu’s subtle approach, walked right up to the blond and stuck a pale finger in his face.

“You must have done this to me!”

Naruto lashed out, less angry than he was affronted. He grabbed the Hokage’s grandson by his bright blue scarf.

“You tripped all by yourself, stupid!” His fist shook as he prepared to literally knock some sense into the younger boy.

“Hey! Let go of him! He’s Hokage-sama’s Honourable Grandson!” Ebisu yelled at Naruto and the blond raised an eyebrow.

Looking at the pair, Hiruzen could easily see how alike they were. They’d likely get along well, much to Ebisu’s horror. It could be good for both of them or it could turn into his own worst nightmare. Time would tell.

The young Sarutobi scoffed and taunted the blond. “What’s the matter? Weren’t you gonna hit me?! Can’t do it ‘cause I’m the Hokage’s grandson, huh?!”

If it hadn’t been obvious the two had never met before , it certainly was now. Challenging Naruto would never end well for you, especially when it came to a fight--no matter how low his self esteem he’d never turn down a fight. After the eight year old’s display he was likely feeling pretty confident in his odds too.

“As if I care, moron!” He clocked Konohamaru in the head, sending him back to the floor.

Ebisu watched in horror and the Hokage sighed. He’d hoped he would’ve gotten more time to catch up with Naruto but there was no way the boy would be as open after this. He’d have to find him later.

Naruto signed a quick but sincere apology as he left and with the blond gone Ebisu scolded his grandson, warning him away from him.

The youngest Sarutobi didn’t stick around to listen and went to find Naruto instead, apparently impressed.

Konohamaru followed behind the blond, being what he considered sneaky. The older boy wasn’t fooled and called him out before he could get far.

“Did you need something?!” His voice held annoyance but it didn’t perturb the future Godaime .

“So, you found me, huh?” He laughed, not noticing the blond’s twitching eyebrow. “Your reputation is well-earned. I will allow you to make me your apprentice.”

“...Huh?” He barely registered the blond’s confusion.

“But first you must teach me the jutsu you were about to do before I came in! You were using unfamiliar hand signs! Both of you were!” He squealed with excitement and didn’t notice his new teacher ’s struggle with understanding everything he was saying.

“Well… actually those aren’t.” Konohamaru didn’t care to listen.

“I beg you to say yes, boss!” That made the blond pause. He’d never been given that level of respect.

His face pinkened. “Boss?”

“Boss! Boss! Boss! Boss!” He chanted it, hoping the older boy would agree.

He rubbed the back of his hair sheepishly. “I guess I have no choice then.”

His new boss led him out of the village center and to a less populated area near a training field and sat across from him.

“Look it’s not whatever you think it is…” He considered something for a moment, squinting his eyes until he came to a decision. “What I’m going to tell you is top secret , okay? You can’t tell anyone without my permission. The only people you’re allowed to talk to about it are your grandfather and Iruka-sensei!” He didn’t know who Iruka-sensei was but since Naruto was older he assumed it was a teacher for one of the higher grades. 

The idea of being let in on an actual secret was exciting and the blond was serious so instead of expressing that excitement, like he so desperately wanted to, he gave a firm nod. He would take this secret to his grave!

“First of all, the gestures you saw were something called Shinobi Sign Language. Basically, it’s a way to talk without words, understand?” 

The brunette tilted his head. “But you were talking. Loudly. ”

Naruto laughed sheepishly. “I only started learning a few days ago so I don’t know a whole lot yet. Saying it out loud helps me remember the signs. I was being loud because… this is the part you can’t tell anyone, Okay?” He waited for the nod to keep going. “I was speaking loudly because I can’t hear well. I’m deaf and the only way I can hear myself is if I’m loud. But you can’t tell anyone because it could be dangerous .”

Konohamaru didn’t understand how but he’d trust his boss. It was top secret and he gave his word to keep it secret. He wouldn’t let Naruto down.

“Will you still teach me?” If he could learn then they could communicate better. Then when he tried to drag real techniques out of him he could teach him properly.

Naruto looked surprised. “You still want to learn?”

“Teach me, Boss!”

“Then we’ll start with the alphabet!” The blond declared, pulling out a sheet of folded paper with hands drawn on it. “You’re going to learn how to spell with your hands!”

They practiced for what felt like hours and when they finally took a break, Konohamaru could spell his and Naruto’s given names--other’s too but those were the ones he was best at--and his fingers were sore. The blond had forced him to work on it until he could spell faster and with both hands. The brunette’s fingers disagreed with his decision.

When they stopped, his new boss bought them drinks from a machine and they sat down on a log facing each other to enjoy the rest of the day.

“You know, I’ve been wondering… Why are you so obsessed with beating your grandfather?” The question served as a reminder that he hadn’t yet told the blond his name.

“My name is Konohamaru and Grandpa is the one who gave me that name. He named me after the village and it should be easy for everyone to remember,” He tried to speak clearly and loud enough for the blond to hear. “But no one ever calls me by my name. When they look at me, all they see is the grandson of the Hokage. No one sees me for who I really am and I can’t stand it. That’s why I want the title of Hokage now.”

The look in the blond’s eyes was something like understanding and Konohamaru didn’t know how he possibly could. Part of him hoped the older boy did understand, the rest wondered how he ever could.

“Idiot… Who do you think will accept you, huh?” It wasn’t cruel and it sounded unfinished. “You won’t win the title that easily, you know.”

“What?!” Konohamaru stood, fists raised, his offence clear to even someone who was deaf.

The blond didn’t take the bait. 

“It’s not that simple. If you’re really serious about gaining the title of Hokage...”

“What?”

The older boy smirked, flashing sharp canines and burning blue eyes. “You’ll have to beat me first.”

The tenseness in the atmosphere faded and they returned to their drinks, nearly choking when a voice called from behind them.

“I found you!” 

Ebisu-sensei was sitting on a tree branch, glowering down at his new friend and the something Konohamaru didn’t understand changed in his blue eyes. The fire that was burning behind them dimmed and he looked torn between anger and sadness. 

“Honourable Grandson, we have to go now.” His voice was oddly calm but there was an edge to it that Konohamaru couldn’t explain.

He shook his head.

“No way! I want to beat Jiji right now so I can win the title of Hokage! Don’t get in my way!”

His tutor smirked at him. “A Hokage must first know about virtue, honor, etiquette, wisdom, loyalty, faith, judgement and obedience. He must be skilled at more than a thousand techniques. Stick with me, the distinct special jounin Ebisu, and you will gain a short towards becoming Godaime Hokage!”

Konohamaru and his teacher played something akin to tug of war as the man tried to drag him away from the blond.

“Come on, let’s go!”

Konohamaru fought hard.

“No way!”

“Henge!”

The pair stopped in their tracks as Naruto was engulfed in a puff of smoke. When it cleared the blond boy was gone and in his place stood a blond woman with long hair pulled into pigtails. Thin clouds of white smoke barely covered her bare, tan skin and Konohamaru could see his teacher turning red. She put her hands on his shoulder, resting her face on them, and pressed her chest against his arm. 

“Ebisu-sama,” She breathed his name in his ear in something caught between a moan and a whisper and the man was done for.

He shot back, blood pouring from his nose. The special jounin twitched as he attempted to recover from the blow.

With a puff of smoke the woman was once again Naruto and he wore a grin a mile wide. 

“I call it my Oiroke no Jutsu !” He laughed at the effect it had on the distinct special jounin .

Konohamaru begged the blond to teach him the technique but Naruto claimed he wasn’t finished with it yet.

“But it beat my four-eyed teacher!” He argued for the fifth time. “I want the title of Hokage so badly! I want to be recognized by everybody!”

Finally the blond gave in.

“I’ll tell you what, in a few months I have my genin exam. When I’m an official ninja, I’ll teach you. For now let’s stick to Sign… It’s kinda hard to understand you when you talk.”

Konohamaru looked affronted but agreed but Naruto wasn’t finished.

“Do you think it’s that easy to be accepted? To become Hokage? It’s given only to the greatest ninja in the village. Everybody must learn to believe in you. I’ve been through a lot already. It’s been one struggle after another. But after all that I found people who accept me. I had to go through a lot… just for two people. You’d better push yourself.”

“For what?”

“The path to getting the title of Hokage is a brutal one,” The sun was setting and the wind blew loudly. Naruto grinned at him. “There’s no such thing as a shortcut.”

Konohamaru remembered what the blond said earlier about beating him and pouted.

“Who do you think you are lecturing me like that? I’ve decided… from now on you’re my rival.”

Naruto laughed brightly and Konohamaru scowled. “What?!”

“We can be rivals when we’re both real ninja, okay?”

Konohamaru could accept that. Afterall, you couldn’t be Hokage until then anyway. He smiled at the blond.

“Okay, Naruto-niichan.”

Within his seal, Kurama watched how his host handled the Honourable Flesh Puppet and could help but feel proud. He wondered how he would’ve handled it if things had been different but pushed the thoughts from his mind. It didn’t matter how they’d be different because it wouldn’t change the fact that he was stuck in a child… Even if the kid wasn’t nearly as bad as he’d thought.

Naruto’s progress in Shinobi Sign Language was surprising. He’d thought the kid, even ignoring his issues hearing, was an idiot and, yes, in some ways he was. But in other ways he was wise beyond his years and more observant than most others his age. It was sad that such potential could be squandered because of human foolishness .

To make up for it, they spent a few nights a week going over anything Kurama could think of to make up for a punishment that wasn’t even intended for the boy but for him . All the hardships Naruto faced were because he’d been sealed within him and the blond wasn’t even mad . It was  one of the few things Kurama could respect him for besides his mental strength. As low as his self esteem may be, many others would’ve broken under the hatred of so many and despite that he was still able to smile and live . The brat made it particularly hard to hate him after making an impression like that. He was fearless in the face of true danger but terrified of people and it was disgusting. Because no matter how much he may or may not like his current host (it was completely irrelevant) he still hated humans . How they hurt and killed each other so needlessly, how they hated each other for the smallest differences. 

It was another one of Naruto’s impossible goals. To end that hatred. Perhaps his reasons were selfish but it was a selfless goal if Kurama had ever heard one and it reminded him, painfully so, of his father. Of both of their fathers, really. Naruto didn’t need to know that yet, though.

The brat still had a long way to go, not only with becoming a respectable shinobi, but with earning even the respect of his peers. 

The Nara brat seemed to know more than he was letting on and his Jinchuuriki already suspected that if he didn’t know already, he’d piece it together. Kurama didn’t doubt it, if the Nara clan was known for anything besides their laziness it was their brains--though none seemed to compare to the Clan Head’s and his son’s. If anyone was going to help Naruto realize his goals it would be him, the Nara was already miles ahead of their peers.

If he had access to his physical form--and the village wasn’t likely to try to destroy him, even if they’d fail--Kurama would threaten him. Naruto dealt with too much pain in his short life--more than some seasoned Shinobi--for a brat barely older to ruin the little happiness he’d found.

He’d never admit it, though, not even to the brat he was sealed within.

Time passed quickly for Naruto, but not quick enough.

Training with Gai-sensei had been interesting, it was likely he’d have to stop when he graduated in a few months but he enjoyed it. Meeting the Green Beast of Konoha had been… Odd, to say the least, but he never needed to ask either him nor his protege, Rock Lee, to repeat themselves. Ever.

When Iruka-sensei introduced them he hid behind the Chunin’s legs. It wasn’t something he’d ever tell anyone nor was he proud but it had happened. Some people didn’t immediately recognize his name but everyone knew his face--the distinct whisker marks were a dead giveaway--and most people didn’t react well when they realized who he was. He’d been worried the always-grinning man would stop grinning as soon as his dark eyes fell on him. He didn’t. If anything his grin widened and it was a completely new experience because people, even the ones that liked him, hadn’t looked that happy to see him when they first met. 

Lee was like a younger clone of the jonin. With the exception of his eye shape and long lashes they looked exactly the same, complete with huge eyebrows and shiny, black bowl haircut. He’d thought they were related but apparently Lee had just wanted to emulate the man completely (Kurama threatened to eat him if he even considered wearing the spandex suit they’d offered, he didn’t believe him but he agreed anyway).

Lee was also one of the nicest, most accepting people he’d ever met in his life . Because he couldn’t use Ninjutsu, the fact that Naruto struggled so much with clones and Taijutsu barely fazed him and offered to practice with him when Gai-sensei was on missions. The man was a slave driver and Lee wasn’t much better but his stamina increased and even though he couldn’t beat Lee yet in hand-to-hand he was still well beyond what was expected of academy students.

Iruka-sensei had been proud (and secretly grateful the blond hadn’t been infected ). 

Gai-sensei’s other students hadn’t been happy that another ball of energy (in an even more obnoxious color) was training with their team but Tenten was nice, even if Neji was an arrogant bastard the likes of which rivaled Sasuke . With them he was able to learn a style of Taijutsu that relied less on his ability to hear or even see his opponent, and with the weight training he’d been tricked into he was fast . Tenten had even helped with his Bukijutsu a little while Neji grumbled about academy students fated to fail.

He was nowhere close to being as dedicated or skilled as either Taijutsu master but he was good . Good enough that other kids accused him of cheating--which didn’t make sense because it wasn’t a game it was a fight , how do you cheat? Though for some reasons Iruka-sensei wouldn’t pair him up with Sasuke… It sucked too because Naruto could totally beat him now.

After two months he’d gotten the highest grade in Shinobi Sign in his class and outside of it he’d finally gotten to the advanced book. He was able to sign faster and smoother than when he’d first started and he was better than even Sasuke . It didn’t matter that Naruto had ten times the amount of practice or was learning out of necessity, he was better than the so called Genius Uchiha . The raven haired boy hated him even more for it but that was okay. He didn’t know and if Naruto had his way he never would.

He and Konohamaru were practicing still and the boy was getting better. His signs were sloppy and his grammar was off but he was steadily improving. Nearly a month into their friendship the brunette introduced him to his two friends and loyal followers Udon and Moegi. They were nice kids and even though he wasn’t quite ready to tell anyone else about his hearing, he allowed them to join Konohamaru in his mini-lessons with the blond. The bond between them was slowly shifting from friends to brothers and it was nice. Naruto had never been a big brother before, never had anyone rely on him in any capacity and he liked it. Hokage-jiji liked that the two of them got along so well too (and that he wasn’t getting his grandson into too much trouble).

The blond had no doubt that Shikamaru, on the other hand, was better than even he was but the pineapple head didn’t show it off in class or on tests. When they spoke during breaks, not during lunch because Naruto tended to be clumsy and knock things over (they learned the hard way), they used sign and the older boy knew words that he didn’t. It was also Shikamaru who sparked his idea for Choji’s name sign. 

It had taken him over a month to figure out what to use for his name. He was only using names with Hokage-jiji and Iruka-sensei but he still didn’t want to leave out his friend when he’d given one to Sasuke (even if it was an insult). Choji had been sad because he was being bullied again by some older kids who told him he was too fat to be a ninja. Naruto disagreed, he’d seen the Akimichi and while he wasn’t the most familiar with their clan techniques he was fairly certain their body-expanding techniques wouldn’t be nearly as effective if he were Naruto or Shikamaru’s size instead. Choji had appreciated it and they ended up talking about clan techniques. Shikamaru had mentioned one that Choji had been trying to avoid. The oldest of the three had been embarrassed but Naruto hadn’t seen why because it was awesome . The Akimichi could, with the help of a special pill, turn their chakra into butterfly wings .

Naruto had been adamant that Choji just be himself and to embrace the techniques passed down to him from his family and the heir had been inspired by it. Naruto’s lack of parents was common knowledge, mostly, (Naruto knew Shikamaru had warned his friend in case he accidently hurt his feelings) and he knew how important it was to him that he not reject his family.

His sign name became Butterfly because it was something important to him. He didn’t tell him about it though. Not yet.

Coming up with names for his other friend and his classmates had taken much less time.

Shikamaru’s was Genius signed into an “S.” Kiba’s was Dog signed into a “K.” Sakura-chan’s was Cherry Blossom . Sasuke-teme’s was Bastard signed from an “S.” Shino’s was Bug signed into an “S.” Hinata’s was Shy signed with an “H.” Lastly, Ino’s was Blonde signed with an “I.”

The names he’d decided on were basic, based on what he saw based on their appearance. He actually didn’t know any of his classmates that well since most of them went through such great lengths to avoid him--except for Shikamaru, Choji and Shino--but they came up a lot in conversation and name-signs were faster than finger spelling. 

He was still thinking of names for Konohamaru and his little gang--he knew how much the boy’s name meant to him and he wanted him to approve of his choice--but Lee and Gai-sensei had practically given themselves their names (Lee was Eyebrow , Naruto wasn’t sorry, and Gai-sensei’s was Green because of his “nickname”)

Shino didn’t speak often but at some point he’d decided that Naruto was worth talking to on occasion. He learned that the older boy liked learning Shinobi Sign and appreciated that Naruto didn’t hurt his bugs. The blond didn’t understand why he would hurt the bugs when they weren’t hurting him but quickly remembered that some people were just like that. He wondered if the scorn they both faced had been what led the clan heir to talk to him. Either way his bugs were cool and Shino, despite his emotionless appearance, was actually really nice.

Shikamaru and Choji had started inviting him to hang out outside of academy classes, Shino even joined them sometimes and Naruto was happy. His evenings were primarily spent with Iruka-sensei and he even got to see Hokage-jiji more often and it was almost like family . Now there was only two and a half months until the graduation exam and Naruto was ready for almost anything. He still had a ways to go with the Bunshin no Jutsu but he’d get there. He would. Graduating… Becoming a ninja was the only thing that would truly make everything perfect . 

At least until he became Hokage.