Hand Signs [A Deaf Naruto Fanfiction]

Iruka wasn’t a mother hen and he definitely wasn’t a proud mother, okay? He wasn’t.

Probably.

Naruto was practically living with him. He cooked him dinner most nights and when he didn’t he treated him to ramen. Iruka taught him Shinobi Sign language (something the kid picked up astonishingly fast), and helped him with his homework. If he sounded like a proud parent when he spoke about Naruto’s progress it was purely pride in his ability to teach. That was all. And if he worried more than strictly necessary when Naruto showed up at his apartment for his tutoring looking like he spent the last week fighting for his life in the forest of death after training with Lee and Gai it was only natural. Especially given his disability.

Maybe he was a bit of a mother hen, but it was only because of how similar Naruto was to himself. It had nothing to do with the fact that the kid looked at him like he’d just given him a million Ryo and the Hokage’s hat. It had nothing to do with the fact that the ever-present loneliness that was always in the boys shockingly blue eyes was outweighed by how happy he seemed to be in Iruka’s presence. It wasn’t something he understood because Gai was a Jounin and, despite his eccentricity, a very skilled shinobi and the blond had known the Hokage since he was a toddler. Iruka was nothing compared to either, in skill or anything else. Naruto didn’t seem to agree if the look in his eyes had anything to say about it whenever he even mentioned it. Part of the tan Chunin knew he didn’t deserve the look of adoration Naruto graced him with. The rest, a much larger part, didn’t want it to fade because he felt the same. He was his brother in all but blood, practically his own child--even despite the size gap being too small to really pass as a parent to a preteen.

Naruto, even at the tender age of twelve, was one of the strongest people Iruka had ever met. He somehow managed to live in a village that despised him, where he was alone, still able to smile. Iruka had never faced the level of scorn Naruto had and it had almost made him walk a path of self destruction. His talk with the Hokage saved him. At the very least, Iruka wanted Naruto to know that he had people who cared about him. That loved him.

Because Iruka did.

It was a startling realization, at first, because he remembered looking at the blond once and hating him. He also remembered meeting him, really meeting him and wondering how anyone, including himself ever could because he’d never met anyone more selfless and lonely in his life. But looking at a child, someone he’d really only known for a couple years, and thinking of them as his was new.

But was it really? It was only after he really thought about it that he realized it wasn’t that new. He worried over Naruto’s eating habits and made sure he got enough sleep. Iruka helped him study and cooked him dinners. He prepared his lunches and cared for him. Weren’t those things something a parent did?

If Iruka could afford a larger apartment he’d ask the kid to live with him so even after he was no longer his student the scarred man could watch out for him.

Even without living together, though, Iruka knew Naruto wouldn’t simply cast him aside. He valued his loved ones too much for that. It was obvious by how careful the blond was with his schedule, always making sure he spent time with everyone. Even if everyone was only Iruka, the Hokage, Shikamaru, Gai and Lee, and sometimes Shino and Choji (They were becoming close quickly, even if they weren’t quite there yet) for now.

It was only when Iruka thought back to how Naruto and Gai’s first meeting had gone that he realized just how much of a parent he’d truly become.

Naruto had been uncharacteristically nervous, or perhaps, had finally trusted him enough to express his anxiety freely, to meet Gai. Iruka kept his large hand on the small boy’s back to keep him moving forward. He didn’t believe Naruto would make a run for it, but it would be better for everyone if they quelled the twelve year old’s fears as quickly as possible. It hurt to know just how much the village's treatment of him actually affected the blond. When they approached the two spandex-clad shinobi Naruto retreated behind the Chunin, burying his face in his lower back. It would’ve been cute if his student were about six years younger, as it stood it was still pretty cute (and Naruto was so small he hardly looked like he’d be turning thirteen later that year) but it was still sad that something like this was even happening.

If someone were to tell him Naruto would ever be so frightened before their bond grew he’d never have believed them. Iruka probably would’ve even laughed in the person’s face for even suggesting such a thing but if he’d learned anything over the last few months, it was that Naruto was an expert at hiding how he really felt. He masked his pain behind a grin and masked his fear with false-cockiness. Iruka was similar when he was young but he’d never been nearly as persecuted as Naruto was.

If either Gai or Lee were offended by Naruto’s fear neither showed it. The jounin only grinned down at Naruto’s exposed sky blue eye while Lee looked unsure of what to say.

“Yosh! I’m Konoha’s Sublime Green Beast of Prey, Maito Gai! This is my most youthful student Rock Lee! It’s a pleasure meeting you Naruto-kun!” Gai’s voice was loud as usual but for once Iruka didn’t think it would be a bad thing.

Lee straightened his back before bowing politely. “N-nice to meet you!”

It was hard to tell from the angle but Iruka would swear he saw Naruto’s eyes widen as he clearly heard what the man said. He smiled warmly at the blond when he turned his blue eyes on the Chunin.

Slowly, Naruto stepped out from behind Iruka and gave the pair a small smile.

“Nice to meet you,” He looked at Iruka once again, the question clear in his eyes but it wasn’t up to the Chunin. Naruto had to decide if he wanted them to know on his own. “A-ano… I was wondering if you could help me learn a style of Taijutsu that would fit better than the academy one… I, um, I have trouble hearing so anything that relies on my ears doesn’t do me any good.”

Naruto looked terrified to have admitted such a thing to two complete strangers but neither of the two wavered.

“I-I would appreciate it if you kept that to your selves.” His anxiety was almost tangible but both nin swore

“How youthful! I too have a disability, Naruto-kun!” Lee was practically beaming. “I can’t gather chakra so I became a shinobi by becoming exceptional at Taijutsu! Through hard work your youthfulness will burn brightly!”

Naruto didn’t seem to understand the last bit, though few did, but he seemed to relax more knowing that Lee wasn’t another Sasuke.

When Gai saw the blond becoming more comfortable he asked Lee to do his usual warm up and asked him to coach the blond while he spoke to Iruka.

As a man who worked himself to the bone on a regular basis and burned more calories than any normal shinobi even consumed it was obvious he’d be careful about maintaining his health. He immediately had concerns over Naruto’s and it was nice to see an adult besides the Hokage care about the blond’s wellbeing.

“I know you said he was small, but I wasn’t expecting him to be that small,” Gai’s voice was about as quiet as it would get but neither boy was paying attention so it didn’t matter.

“I know. Believe it or not, this is actually better than it was before. I’ve been able to get him eating more than ramen and he’s finally starting to fill out a bit more… He’s still the shortest in class but at least his weight is more regular. I’m pretty sure it was lower than most of the girls before… As it stands he’s barely 40 kilograms.”

“I see…” Gai paused for a moment as he figured out how to handle it. “We’ll start slow but you’ll need to make sure you up his calories, otherwise he’ll start losing weight or worse pass out during training.”

It turned out to be a good thing for Naruto because it meant he could eat ramen more often, even if Iruka insisted he get more vegetables in his bowl.

When they left that first day, Naruto was drained. His muscles were sore and he was covered in sweat but he didn’t seem too down about it. He and Lee had bonded quite well and the green-clad pair both figured out fairly quickly where and when to push the blond and when to give him a rest. His stamina was impressive, especially for his size, but he was new to such intensive training and it would take a while before he was anywhere close to even Lee’s level.

It was nice to see Naruto creating a bond with someone who had more skill than him that wasn’t a one-sided rivalry. Lee made it quite obvious that he looked forward to when he and Naruto would be able to properly spar. Despite the obvious separation of skill they saw each other as equals and it was rare for a graduated genin to look at academy students in such a way.

Iruka attended the first few training sessions for Naruto’s comfort but not long after that the blond was finally okay with going on his own. Though he often came back looking worse for wear (and bad for Iruka’s heart), Iruka could see the progress he was making clearly and the improvements were clear as day in his spars.

The blond had also taken to calling the pair “Bushy Brows” and “Bushier Brows-sensei” and gave them sign names Iruka felt were highly appropriate. Gai’s was easy enough, simply the sign for Green signed over his eyebrow and easier still was Lee’s. Naruto had given him the sign name Eyebrow and upon telling them that information, Lee seemed eager to learn about sign and deaf culture.

The more friends he gained, the happier Naruto became and Iruka was proud to be able to watch him finally receive the acknowledgement he wanted so badly.

Iruka was definitely a mom.

Aburame Shino wasn’t a people person. People tended to be freaked out by his clan, by the fact that they allow insects to colonize beneath their skin. It was as much a fact for the Aburame as it was for the bullying the Akimichi usually received before growing into themselves and their power and something few people could look past. Shino never expected Uzumaki Naruto to be one of those few.

The blond was different from anyone he’d ever met before, a wealth of contradictions, an enigma. Nothing he did made any sense. Shino wasn’t an idiot by any means but trying to put together the puzzle that was Naruto definitely made him feel like one. There was something about him he was missing--something Shikamaru had definitely figured out because as good as he was at keeping secrets he wasn’t nearly as talented at hiding the fact that he knew at all.

Years spent in the same class told him a lot about the blond. He was a spaz and hyperactive and loud. He was cocky, and barely mediocre at everything and an idiot. He never paid attention, he was physically weak, and he was always alone.

Shino had always sympathised with the last part but his volume and his brand of idiocy was never something he could back. In order to keep his Kikaichu in check he needed to be in control of his emotions and Naruto was the exact opposite of that.

He never bothered to look closer until he answered something correctly in class. Something particularly obscure that even he hadn’t considered, and he was one of the top students in the class (not that anyone noticed, what with the last Uchiha in the number one spot). Even the blond himself had been surprised he’d gotten it right.

Iruka-sensei had behaved differently leading up to the correct answer and Shino was sure their Chunin teacher was privy to the secret as well. He kept acting differently in the days, and later weeks, following the incident. Naruto continued to get the majority of answers right and suddenly they were all learning sign language, Shikamaru was sitting with Naruto at lunch and chatting with him between breaks, and Iruka-sensei seemed to be paying even closer attention to Naruto than he had in the past. He looked proud and worried all at once and it reminded him of his mother and the parents of other students (since his father couldn’t let himself become emotional with his Kikaichu). Naruto started having real lunches that looked suspiciously similar to Iruka-sensei’s, and he was getting better grades in the Shinobi Sign Language unit than anyone else in class, including Uchiha Sasuke.

It was an interesting unit, one he hadn’t expected to enjoy but did anyway (he suspected it was because he didn’t care much for talking) and one Naruto enjoyed before receiving his first graded assignment which was especially rare.

It was the main reason he started talking to his blond classmate, if he was honest. Naruto, over the several weeks leading up to their first proper conversation, had managed to lower his volume (though only marginally). Most shocking though, was that when one of his beetles crawled over Naruto’s hand while the blond had been repositioning his hand for Sign Language practice he didn’t react negatively. He didn’t swat at her or shake her away or make a disgusted noise. He smiled at her gently before holding his hand out to Shino so the Aburame could take the insect back.

He’d apologized for losing his near-perfect control, of course, but the Uzumaki had only looked confused, even defending his Kikaichu. When he thanked him for sparing the beetle’s life, he’d looked baffled by that too.

Overall, Naruto had proven to be almost the opposite of what he’d assumed and Shino quickly learned the reason for most of his behaviors.

The village, civilians and even some shinobi, looked at Naruto like he was some kind of pest that needed to be exterminated. Like the way his clan was looked at but on steroids. He wasn’t sure what the blond did, if anything, for the villagers to treat him in such a way. He only expressed the true sadness and loneliness he felt when he thought no one was watching. His pranks were obviously a cry for attention and since this whole chain of events began, such pranks were few and far between. He even seemed happier and less lonely.

Conversations between himself and Naruto became more frequent. They were still brief because Naruto was a lot and being in the presence of someone with as much chakra as it turned out the blond had was draining to his insects. Before he even knew it the blond was inviting Shino to sit with him and Shikamaru and Choji.

Having friends, not being alone, Shino decided, was nice. Being friends with someone like Naruto was probably the nicest though.

It was nice not being forgotten.

Naruto had never had to worry about making time for so many people before. It was hard, for sure, but it was also awesome. People, real, living people wanted to spend time with him. It was new and exciting and utterly terrifying.

Terrifying because he couldn’t screw this up. Not after finally having a taste of what friends were like.

He’d gotten used to spending his lunch waves with others, specifically with Shikamaru and Choji, and not always being alone outside of school. Iruka had become something like a parent and while they didn’t live together, Naruto had spent plenty of time in the man’s apartment. They often ate dinner together and he’d fallen asleep on his shoulder more than once. He came with him when he met Gai-sensei, he congratulated him when he did well on tests and ruffled his hair like he saw other parents do. It was practically his dream come true and to screw up because of favoritism just wouldn’t happen.

He spent lunches and breaks in class with Shikamaru, with Choji and/or Shino joining them most of the time. He spent time directly after classes every other day with Lee and Gai-sensei practicing Taijutsu and then almost every evening was spent with Iruka-sensei. They practiced Shinobi Sign, ate dinner, worked on homework and went over class notes together. Afternoons on days he wasn’t with Gai-sensei and Lee were spent with Konohamaru, teaching him sign and helping him escape his tutor for a little while. Hokage-jiji was really the only one he didn’t regularly spend time with. He was a busy man and didn’t often have time but Naruto tried to visit once per week regardless. When plans changed for whatever reason he made sure to let everyone involved know and always rescheduled and he was happy.

It was only after reflecting on it that he realized he hadn’t picked a fight with Sasuke in months. The pale boy’s glares had gotten harsher and his words more cutting but he’d stopped rising to the bait. Naruto wondered if Sasuke was bitter that he was no longer concerned with being his rival. Of course, that didn’t mean he backed down--though it would be nice if Iruka-sensei would pair him up with the bastard for a spar just so he could wipe his smug smirk off his face. He wouldn’t waste the time he could be spending with his friends fighting with a jerk though. It was too troublesome, as Shikamaru would no doubt say.

The other kids in class, or most of them anyway, had even stopped making fun of him, at least openly. In fact, the only ones who ever had anything negative to say to his face was Sasuke and his fan club. Even Kiba, who’d been particularly bitter early on, had stopped making fun of him and while they still weren’t friends they, at least, were no longer constantly at odds. That didn’t change the fact that he liked Akamaru better.

Everything in his life was almost perfect, it had become so close to what he’d always dreamed, and to lose it now would probably destroy him.

The only hurdle left seemed to be graduating.

He was finally getting good grades on written tests, actually winning his Taijutsu spars (thank you Gai-sensei and Lee), and he had the best grades in the Sign Language unit (did it matter if he had extra practice? Naruto didn’t think it counted if he needed it). His transformations were finally good enough to actually fool people (and with that his new technique was finally complete) and his Kawarimi had gotten faster and smoother too.

But even after everything, no matter what anyone did, he still couldn’t do the bunshin. No one could figure out why either which made it all the more frustrating. Shikamaru often told him not to worry too much since after they graduate he could learn a different type of clone but he wanted to be able to do it now. Kurama couldn’t help much either. He made a weird metaphor that Naruto hadn’t quite understood about a needle and yarn and made him practice chakra control instead of teaching him anything interesting.

It helped, but barely. Instead of looking like pale blobs they just looked like blobs. Naruto was just glad there was any improvement at all

Two days before the exam would be his last officially scheduled training day with Gai-sensei and Lee. The older boy was overly emotional about it but Naruto assured him that of course they could still train together sometimes, he would just have less time when he got his own genin team. Lee squeezed him in a nearly suffocating hug and got tears all over him while Naruto awkwardly patted his back (Kurama thought it was funny, though).

Even though he’d only trained with them for a few months he’d grown a lot, not taller, as Kurama loved to throw in his face, but stronger. He was less skinny and more toned and while he still wasn’t nearly as strong as either Taijutsu specialist (he only did the training for a few months while Lee had over a year and Gai-sensei had his whole life before Naruto was even born) the change was noticeable. He’d heard Iruka-sensei and Gai-sensei talking about it once before and Hokage-jiji had even commented on it over the months.

Naruto was happy, knowing his hard work was finally paying off.

That last training session was more rigorous than anything they’d done before and while he still couldn’t beat Lee with Taijutsu alone he was better. He lasted longer before the older boy took him down and he knew it was because he was getting better because Lee would never, not in a million years, throw a fight.

In all his life, Naruto had never before felt so confident in himself and his abilities. He decided it was a nice feeling and, like Lee, vowed to continue working hard to maintain that confidence and also back it up.

That didn’t mean he wanted to be on the receiving end of one of Lee’s Konoha Senpuu. He was currently enjoying his life and would like to continue living it, thanks.

Naruto went home that day more sore than he’d ever been before, even the first week wasn’t like this but the ache only pushed him harder.

Yes, he would definitely continue training with them.

Inuzuka Kiba had never been what he would consider friends with Uzumaki Naruto. His pranks were fun and surprisingly involved and he’d been a great skipping buddy, but they weren’t friends. When the blond failed the graduation exam twice, any positive relationship they had faded because, really, who was so bad that they failed twice? He was the heir to a prominent clan in Konoha and couldn’t be seen hanging around someone so incompetent.

His parents had asked about it once, since his skipping becoming less frequent was certainly a feat. His father had been particularly happy to learn of his choice to distance himself from Naruto--something he hadn’t quite understood since the blond had never wronged his family. His mother hadn’t been nearly as happy with his decision and lectured him for hours about loyalty. She wasn’t Naruto’s biggest fan either so Kiba didn’t get why it mattered so much to her.

Adults were weird.

Then Naruto got smart. Maybe he’d always been smart? But then why did he act like an idiot?

The change threw the entire class off balance. Instead of talking bad behind his back, students had created a number of possible explanations for the change. A body double, a secret genius, a clone. There were more but Kiba didn’t care to remember them. The reason for the change didn’t matter because it wasn’t the only problem, and Kiba knew they were wrong anyway. His scent hadn’t changed at all beyond getting healthier--and since Kiba could often smell the lunches he started bringing in he could clearly see why. He wondered where he was getting the food from since Naruto would never choose a real meal over ramen.

Shikamaru, the laziest, most unmotivated person anyone knew, started actively spending time with him. In the weeks leading up to that change there’d been an odd look in his eyes, like the pineapple head was trying to solve a puzzle, whenever he looked at the blond. Where Shikamaru went, Choji was sure to follow and honestly Kiba wasn’t sure why the Akimichi even wanted to be a ninja when it was obvious he cared more about food. He guessed food was the reason he and Naruto got along so well.

Even Shino, someone who was so quiet Kiba actually tended to forget was even there, started talking to Naruto. The blond wasn’t even freaked out by the bugs living under his skin. Kiba was pretty sure the shortest kid in class was actually an alien the entire time. Kiba could understand dogs and had heightened senses and Naruto thought the bug boy was awesome. How the hell did that work?

He was almost tempted to start talking to the kid himself, to figure out what was going on, but he didn’t. Instead, in something he hoped would reach the socially stunted blond, he made an unspoken acknowledgement. He’d acknowledge that Naruto wasn’t the incompetent moron he thought he was.

If anyone seemed unhappy about the massive change in the blond, it was Sasuke. For all that Naruto clearly drove the Uchiha crazy, he seemed even more angry with being overlooked by the prankster. Naruto no longer actively picked fights or really even looked at the raven haired teen anymore. His fangirls seemed happy, especially Sakura because Naruto hadn’t even glanced her way since he started changing--even if she seemed slightly offended. Kiba didn’t get it at all. Everytime they fought, Sasuke ridiculed the blond for his incompetence and often rejected his challenges. So why was he angry that Naruto was finally doing what he asked? Kiba would be ecstatic if the number one annoyance in his life (fleas) would listen when he told them to go away.

All the dog user wanted was for everyone to stop acting so weird.

He just wanted to graduate so he could get away from this madness.

Just one more day to go.

Shikamaru was worried for Naruto, not that he’d ever tell him that. The likelihood of the cloning technique not being a part of the exam was slim and the blond was still struggling with it. He suspected it had something to do with the extreme amount of chakra he had. It was nearly as much as Choza did after eating a large meal. He’d seen his father practicing (because sparring was a bit too strong of a word to use for what his father was doing) with Inoichi and Choza before and the Akimichi’s ability to turn calories into chakra was crazy. Especially considering Naruto just seemed to have that much. It was rare for shinobi to have so much chakra on their own let alone a civilian boy--it would be so much more helpful if he knew who his parents were.

If Naruto’s complaints about the Hokage’s refusal to talk about the matter meant anything then they were probably high ranking shinobi before they died but Shikamaru had never heard the name Uzumaki before. There was nothing about any Uzumaki anywhere in the history books he currently had access to and when he’d asked his father, he too had been pretty hush hush. It was extremely troublesome.

He wouldn’t have access to anything better until after he made genin and no one wanted to tell him or Naruto anything. If Shikamaru didn’t know any better he’d think Naruto was the son of the late Yondaime Hokage.

He wasn’t quite sure why he was so invested in finding information on something so incredibly troublesome but it was probably because Naruto had become his friend. A good friend too. Shikamaru had been unsure of how genuine he’d be able to be when he first decided to befriend the blond but quickly found himself drawn in. Naruto was magnetic. If you got close enough you were drawn in and there was very little that could be done about it.

He was loud and naive and bright and determined, despite everything the world (or rather, the village) has thrown at him he kept fighting for the acknowledgement he wanted. He even seemed happier when Shikamaru was around, which was odd because normally people were angry when he just wanted to laze around and cloud watch, but Naruto only smiled and laughed and offered to cloud watch with him. He had trouble keeping still and they couldn’t talk since he couldn’t hear anything Shikamaru said but they both found themselves enjoying it.

He never once made fun of Choji’s weight--something that only Shikamaru had ever done before--and encouraged his eating habits. After learning about the Akimichi clan techniques he’d practically blown up, going full mom-friend mode, telling Choji that if he wanted to be a ninja he had to keep his body weight high so his techniques didn’t make him sick. Apparently the help he’d been getting in Taijutsu and his own new diet, courtesy of Iruka-sensei, had actually been educational. It was probably because even with actual muscle under his skin he was still tiny and if he didn’t eat a lot of calories it made him sick or pass out.

Either way it was something neither Shikamaru nor Choji himself had ever heard anyone outside the Akimichi clan say before. He and Choji became even better friends after that and the three of them started to hang out often, though Naruto was reluctant to eat out with them anywhere but the ramen place. He assumed that it was probably because they treated him like family but seeing so many people, strangers glaring at the blond for no reason had angered both himself and Choji. When Naruto tried to pacify them, saying he was used to it had the opposite effect.

So instead they decided to stay at the Nara Clan compound.

It had actually been his father’s suggestion and while Naruto had been even more reluctant he’d eventually given in. The blond looked surprised when the glares he usually received on the streets of Konoha were completely non-existent within the walls of the compound. Even the Nara clan deer even liked him--something that surprised everyone because loud noises tended to spook them more often than not and Naruto was certainly loud. After an incident that ended with the blond surrounded by deer while they napped, watching clouds, his father kept giving him a funny look whenever he brought up Naruto’s name.

He didn’t get it, but he had a feeling knowing would be more troublesome than staying ignorant. What a drag.

For the exam they had an assistant teacher, a white haired guy named Mizuki who apparently taught the other class and Naruto disliked him immediately. Kurama called it gut instinct but Naruto called it survival because if looks could kill, the glare the man gave him when Iruka-sensei wasn’t looking would’ve left little more than ashes.

He explained the written test and passed them out.

It was easy enough, Iruka-sensei and Shikamaru had prepared him for everything and he knew he passed the written portion.

After they turned their tests in, Iruka-sensei went to the classroom next door to set it up while Mizuki-sensei explained the second part of the exam.

“When your name is called you will head to the classroom next door and perform the bunshin no jutsu. Your performance will be graded and if you pass, you will be awarded an official Konoha Hitai-ate and become a genin shinobi of the village.”

Naruto’s heart sank and he slammed his head on his desk hard.

Shikamaru gave him a worried look and the blond barely managed to hold back his tears.

Why did things always have to go wrong after going so well?