Righto, chapter five ready to go. Thanks for all the support guys, it's much appreciated.

We're going to see yet another example of Konoha, and Sarutobi's breathtakingly poor attempts at raising children in this one, so hope you're all ready for that.

Naruto stood quietly beside the old man as he wrote something down on the clipboard that the woman had given him.

Her teeth gnawed at her bottom lip as she waited, and her fingers wound themselves anxiously around the hem of her shirt, creasing it horribly. It was much nicer than anything she had been given at the orphanage; the fabric tight and the seams stiff in a way that told her it was new. Like her pants and underwear were.

The lack of any other distinctive scent clinging to her clothes—like the salt of sweat or the taint of blood and grime, pressed so deep into the fibres no amount of soap could ever erase them—was strange, but not uncomfortable. Naruto rather liked knowing that she was the only one to have worn her clothes before. It made them hers.

She listened with half an ear as the woman behind the desk took back the clipboard and spoke some more to the old man. There seemed to be an never-ending line of people that wanted to talk to him, and Naruto just wanted to go back to her room, curl under her blanket and try and forget the lingering frigid touch of the river and the words that had driven her there.

But the conversation between the two adults carried on, both ignoring her with deliberate ease despite the fact that they were talking about her.

It was fine, though. It was not like she could understand half of what they were saying anyway.

Instead, she stood in place, her gaze listlessly drifting over the large room they were in, studying the long benches and tables scattered about; as well as the people in cream-coloured uniforms that moved around them. The tight knot of tension in her chest was still there, still pulsating, but it began to soften the longer she went unnoticed.

The adults were too busy to pay her any mind, their attention fixed on the paper they were carrying, or engaged in serious conversations as they briskly walked in and out of the area.

And that was fine too. Naruto was used to having eyes look right through her, like she wasn't even there, like she didn't exist—because everyone always seemed desperate to forget that she existed.

The old man shuffled back a step and Naruto's focus rolled and condensed around him before he had even finished the movement. She couldn't stop herself from shifting to the side, balancing on the balls of her feet. When she glanced up, he was already staring back at her. "All taken care of," he told her pleasantly, as if she had any idea what he had even done, "you were given a clean bill of health from the medic. A good night's rest, and you should be perfectly fine."

Naruto, who could still taste the cold rush of water in her mouth and felt her skin prickle at the memory, nodded mutely. She knew she would be fine. She always was.

"Now, perhaps we might go for a walk."

"Why?" Naruto asked, frowning severely. The woman behind the desk made a protesting noise in her throat, leaning over the counter as if to reprimand her. Naruto recognised the look on her face as the same one the matron would wear whenever she talked about disrespect.

Those talks were usually followed by bruises and blood. Naruto's lips curled at the thought.

But the old man merely laughed heartily, his eyes crinkling, and head thrown back. Naruto startled at the sound, because it was warm and amused and kind—and no one who laughed at Naruto had ever done it with such fondness before.

She looked away, uncomfortable.

"Because I wish to talk to you, Naruto. To get to know you." His smile stretched wider, and while a part of Naruto wanted to point out that he hadn't really answered her question, a larger part of her flushed at the clear affection on his face whenever he looked at her. No adult had ever smiled at her like this before.

"Come," the man said, hovering his hand near her shoulder, but not quite bridging the space to actually touch her. His other hand was extended towards the large glass doors.

Gingerly, keeping a wary eye on the hand closest to her, Naruto inched around him and moved for the doors; and she had to resist the urge to bolt the moment they stepped out into the sun. It fell over her face, soft as a caress, beckoning, and some of the lingering coldness in her chest evaporated. She didn't close her eyes, not fully, but she tilted her head up into the warm embrace and breathed.

Beside her, the man slowly stepped down the stone stairs.

Naruto stared at him through slitted, curious eyes. She didn't exactly know what the Hokage was, but she had heard the matron mention the word a few times, and so she knew that it—he—was very important. Which meant that she couldn't afford to be too rude, because if she was and word got back to any of the carers, Naruto knew she would be punished. She would have her meals cut again, or have her blanket taken.

Maybe she'd even be put back in the room.

Her entire being quivered at the thought of those damp walls, of the way they loomed over her, always on the verge of consuming her. Never again, she silently vowed, hands clutching at her shirt.

She would never let them put her back in there.

After a long pause, the old man started to walk. Naruto followed him down the stairs and towards the tall wire fence. He kept his steps short, and it was nice not having to run to keep up with someone for once.

Naruto stopped just outside of the gate, nervous. She didn't know the way back to the orphanage from here, having never strayed to this part of the village before. Everywhere she looked were unfamiliar buildings.

She reached out, hesitated for a second, then lightly tugged on the sleeve of his robe. Naruto dropped her hand immediately after and was relieved when the Hokage only looked down at her inquiringly; no anger or annoyance to be seen at her grabbing him. That, more than anything, made the tension in her lessen.

"Are you taking me back to the orphanage?" She asked quietly, dreading but needing the answer.

The man blinked, and that strange gleam in his eyes returned—the same one he'd had back in her hospital room. "No, Naruto." He told her, gentle yet firm, "I wanted to take you to my office to discuss some things. You see that building there, the red one?" He asked suddenly.

Naruto looked down the street that they had yet to fully enter, craning her neck to see over the heads of the people further up the road, until she could make out the top of the building he was pointing at. And instinctively, following the invisible line, Naruto's gaze grazed across the mountain towering above them all.

She had only ever seen it from a distance before, whenever she climbed the trees high enough to break through the canopy; but it was only now that she could see that the bulges protruding out of it weren't bulges at all but faces carved into the rock.

Naruto nodded distractedly in answer to his question, her eyes fastened to those four faces, wondering.

"That is the Hokage Tower," he explained, "that is where my office is. I oversee the whole village from there. Would you like to see? It's quite a sight."

Naruto paused, nails picking at a loose thread, still staring. "Who're they?" She asked, jutting her chin up.

"Ah, those are the Hokage. The carvings are a monument to them, a reminder." He said, voice thoughtful as he too gazed upwards. "Do you know what the Hokage is, Naruto? What they do?"

She shook her head slightly, studying each face in turn, taking in the differences between them with fascination. The third one looked sort of like the man beside her, if she squinted, which made sense if he was the Hokage. But the one next to him—the last in the line—captured her focus.

Naruto tilted her head, an odd sensation growing in her chest the longer she stared, sharp and painful and powerful. It flashed hot and cold, leaving her breathless, and the feeling was so overwhelming that it took her precious seconds to even recognise it.

Anger. Poisonous, dense, unholy anger rolling under her skin, wrapping tight around her bones and ravaging her.

"The Hokage is the leader of our village. It is their duty to serve and protect all those that reside within Konoha's walls, to uphold our ideals, and to pass their knowledge onto the next generation." The man spoke softly, his voice enticing, but Naruto could hardly concentrate enough to hear him through the pounding in her ears. "They must do everything they can to keep the village strong, to keep our family safe. Because we are all one family here, Naruto."

A spark of something violent crackled through her at his words. Family. She knew what it meant, though she had never experienced it. Knew that family meant warmth, meant love and belonging. But Naruto had never known love, and she certainly didn't know belonging. She tried to think of the matron, of the carers and the other children—of Kinoe, of Ami—as family. But it wasn't right. Didn't fit.

Naruto stared up at the stone face gazing down at her. There was something about that face in particular, something about the shape of that jaw, the slope of that nose, that clawed at her, as if trying to bring forth a memory she didn't have. Her lips parted, the smallest glimpse of her teeth showing, and a thought slammed forward, all acidic amusement and brittle, burnt delight so thick she could taste it on her tongue.

It doesn't even look like him.

Then, all at once, the rage left her. Noise flooded back in and her vision swam, before righting itself with all the abruptness of a smack to the face. Naruto blinked, shaking her head slowly to clear the heaviness.

"Are you alright, Naruto?"

She looked up at the Hokage, dazed. He had an odd expression on his face, concern and something else lurking just behind his eyes.

"I –" she stopped, her hands stinging. Naruto unfurled her fingers and saw the thin, bloodied cuts on her palm from her nails.

He hummed deeply, staring at her hands with a frown. "Nothing too serious," he said after a moment, "no need to bother the medics. Come, we can get you cleaned up at my office." He waved for her to follow once more, and Naruto, for lack of any other option, hurried after him.

There were a lot of people out, more than she had seen in one place before. They were bustling from store to store, the multitude of voices all wrapped into one continuous buzz. Naruto squirmed at being so exposed. Normally, she stuck to the shadows, darting between the lesser travelled streets and alleyways to get around. She had never walked down a main road before, and her gut clenched with unease.

She didn't have too many good memories of her adventures into the village, hated the way the people stared at her whenever they saw her. The whispers and sneers she could never outrun. But this time she couldn't help but notice how different everyone was acting.

The crowd was parting around them, and everyone that they passed stopped and bowed to the old man, their eyes lowered and polite greetings on their lips. Naruto stared at them as they walked, baffled.

No one was glaring at her, even when their eyes slid onto her tiny figure. She could still see their disdain, could smell the way their scents soured when they spotted her, but they all turned away.

No one scowled. No one called her names. No one knocked into her or tripped her.

Utterly amazed, she looked back to the Hokage. It had to be him, after all. He was doing something to stop everyone from being mean to her, and Naruto wanted to know. "How're you doing that?" She asked, demanded, speeding up to walk alongside him.

He smiled down at her, the gentle curl of his lips seeming to never leave his face. "I am the Hokage, Naruto. I am responsible for many things in the running of the village. The people merely like to show me their respect."

She looked down at her sandals. "They're nice to you because you're Hokage?" She asked carefully, thinking.

He laughed quietly, but like before, it didn't sound like it was aimed at her. "That's one way to put it, I suppose. It is a hard role, but the reward of seeing my home flourish makes it more than worth it. Many shinobi aspire to be Hokage, they spend their whole careers striving for the position, but few are ever given the honour."

Naruto pursed her lips, her frown deepening as she went over what he had said. The old man seemed happy to let her be, humming under his breath, his hands tucked behind his back comfortably.

After another minute, they cleared the heavy crowd and came out near the base of the tall red building that he had shown her earlier.

Naruto looked up at it, to the carved faces beyond it, down to the man beside her, then over her shoulder at the throng of people behind them. She thought about the matron, of the other children at the orphanage and the way they hated her. She thought about Kinoe, who was kind but who still left. She thought of Ami, of you're dangerous, I'm sorry. She thought of the nice boy in the hospital room, his words of comfort and clarity.

Naruto thought of the old man, and how everyone looked at him with respect. How they bowed for him and said Lord Hokage with such awe.

She looked down at her hands, at the marks that were no longer there, and made a soft noise in the back of her throat. "Hokage." She whispered to herself, letting her lips form the word slowly, testing it and the way it sat in her mouth.

She completely missed the satisfaction that bled into the old eyes watching her.

"Shall we head up?" He asked, "We have a lot to discuss, after all."

Naruto grimaced, hunching her shoulders uncertainly. "About what? The matron…" she started to say but trailed off, unsure of how to word her question.

He answered her anyway, "She is no longer a concern of yours, Naruto." He said it gently, but now there was a trace of anger in his voice that had her leaning away. "You will not be returning to the orphanage. Please," he gestured towards the gates, "I will explain it all when we get to my office."

Not going back? Naruto started walking again, her eyes wide and her mind trying to wrap itself around the concept. I'm not going back there?

The orphanage was all she had ever known, and while she had longed to leave it for years, she'd never really thought that she would. It wasn't a nice place, but it was where she slept, where she played. It had the forest, and the animals, and her little box of treasures. If she wasn't going back, then where would she live?

Thoughts swirling, she trailed after the Hokage as they entered the tower and began climbing the staircase. She ignored the people working around her.

Was she not going to live somewhere? The matron had always told her that she should be grateful for having a place to sleep—had told her stories of people that didn't have homes to go to, and that that was what would happen to Naruto if she was bad. She would be discarded, thrown out into the streets.

And Naruto knew that she had been very bad recently. She had run away, had missed curfew. She'd drawn so much attention, made enough of a mess that the Hokage had been called. It was no wonder she wouldn't be taken back to the orphanage.

Fear settled heavy in her gut.

The old man had said that the Hokage protected the village, that they were all a family—but did that include Naruto? Everyone had always said she wasn't wanted, that she didn't belong. Was he going to tell her that she wasn't allowed to sleep anywhere now?

Maybe I could live in the forest, she thought, biting her lip.

Naruto had tried that a few times, and with all the tricks that Kinoe had taught her, she was sure she'd be fine. The animals all liked her, and she wouldn't be bothering anyone anymore. It was a solid idea, she decided. She'd have to tell him when they got to his office.

There was no way he'd tell her no, not when it would solve all their problems.

She nodded, resolute, and looked up in time to see them come into a curved hallway. As they walked, Naruto's head swivelled, taking in everything she could curiously. On one side, the wall was decorated with long pieces of cloth with black lines covering them; and with framed pictures of different places on the other. The air was warm too, warmer than the orphanage ever was at this time of year.

They finally reached a lone door, with two people standing on either side. Naruto blinked, tilting her head to stare up at them. They wore the same uniforms that her shadows did, though their masks were far prettier. One looked like a bird, with the jut of a small beak showing, and thick red paint around the eye holes the looped down to run along the edges of the mouth.

That one's head slanted down to watch her as she passed. Naruto awkwardly gave the man a smile, because while her shadows had never been nice, they had never been cruel. Not like others were.

The guard gave her a small nod before his focus shifted back to the opposite wall.

Happy at the brief acknowledgement, Naruto trotted into the Hokage's office, glancing back as the door was pulled shut behind her. The Hokage waved her towards one of the seats in front of the desk, while he circled to sit on the other side, his back to the large windows.

Naruto clambered up, her short legs hanging limply as the old man moved some things around before resting his elbows on the desk, steepling his fingers, and looking at her. "Now, Naruto, we need to talk about where you will be staying from this point on."

She readied herself, opening her mouth to speak, but he continued before she could.

"It has been decided that you will be moved out of the orphanage and given your own home—an apartment in the eastern district. It's modest, but I'm sure that it will be well suited to you." He paused, and Naruto barely had enough time to begin to understand what he had just told her, when he reached down and pulled up a simple bag. "I took the liberty of having one of my men collect your things from your…room." Here, his eyes lost their kind spark, and he suddenly looked very tired.

Naruto, feeling like she was in trouble but not knowing why, shrunk back. She was still trying to process what he'd said—about her getting a home, a place that was only hers. She didn't know what to say, or how to react. She'd never thought she would have a place to call home, never considered it beyond vague dreams and a deep longing in her heart.

The Hokage sighed, breaking her out of her stupor. "I am…sorry, Naruto. I fear that I may have indirectly caused you a great deal of hardship over the years."

She frowned, confused. She had never even seen the Hokage before in her life, so she didn't know how he could have done anything to hurt her.

"I had thought that the orphanage would be a safe place for you growing up, but I can see now that I was mistaken. I wanted to give you some semblance of a normal childhood, surrounded by others your own age. I had never thought that things would deteriorate as they did." He shook his head sadly, and Naruto couldn't look away, no matter how uncomfortable the rawness on his face made her feel. "You never should have endured what you had, but I hope that I can make it up to you now."

This was the second time someone had said that to her today. First, the boy, with his soft eyes and mouth and words. And now the Hokage, the leader of the village, had said the same.

Naruto didn't know what to do with that.

The Hokage pushed the bag over to her side of the desk, but she made no move to grab it yet, even though her fingers itched to check over her things. "Once we move you into your new home, you will be given a monthly allowance to use how you see fit. You won't need to worry about furniture or paying for the utilities, but it is expected that you won't damage the apartment and that you follow the rules. The landlady in charge of the unit will check on you weekly, but if you have any issues, you are free to go to her and ask for help."

He smiled at her once more, "I have also had someone pick out some new clothes for you—they should all be waiting for you in your apartment." His eyes darted behind her, "Hawk!"

Naruto twitched at the sudden call, then again when a figure just appeared next to the desk without a sound. As he straightened from his bow, she saw that he was the same guard that had nodded at her when she had entered.

"I'd like you to take Naruto to her new apartment. Get her settled in for me," the old man glanced at her encouragingly, "I would go with you myself, but unfortunately, I have several meetings coming up, and I can't get away. But Hawk here will ensure that you are well looked after."

"I –" Naruto opened her mouth, thrown and bewildered, struggling to keep up with the quick turn of their conversation. She glanced between the two men rapidly, trying to order her thoughts. But before she spoke, she studied the Hokage. She saw the deep lines cut into his face, and the distracted air around him, as if his thoughts were already drifting to another matter.

He's busy, she realised. It made sense. If he was in charge of everything, he wouldn't have much time to talk. So, instead of letting all her questions bubble forth, she simply whispered, "Thank you."

Manners had been one of the first lessons the matron taught her.

The Hokage nodded at her, eyes brightening a little. "You are very welcome. I will stop by to see you soon, Naruto. Now, go with Hawk, he will look after you."

Naruto slid off her seat.

The masked man—Hawk—bowed politely. "Lord Hokage," he said in farewell, reaching out to pluck her bag from the desk. He turned to face Naruto and gestured at the door, and Naruto scrambled to follow him. She looked back just as the door closed, but the Hokage was already focussed on the papers before him.

It was only as the lock clicked in place that she realised he had never shown her the view. Naruto stared at the wooden door for a long moment, disappointed but not surprised, before looking up to the masked man. He felt a lot like Kinoe had, peaceful and bright.

"Come on, kid," Hawk said, holding out a hand to her, "I can get us across the village a bit faster. Saves us walking."

Naruto squinted at his gloved hand suspiciously. She didn't normally like touching people—touching adults—because they always seemed to want to hurt her. But the masked people were different. They might have picked her up and carted her back to the orphanage whenever she'd run, but they had never harmed her.

And, she noted, this one was offering, rather than just grabbing her.

Naruto took his hand, caution twining along every line of her body. His hand completely enclosed hers, yet the grip remained loose. "Hold on, this might feel weird." He warned.

It was like the ground disappeared beneath her feet, and Naruto swore she felt an arm wrap around her, pulling her against something big and warm. Before she could panic, there was a big gust of wind, and then she was standing somewhere else.

Naruto stumbled, only staying upright thanks to the hand still clutching hers. She groaned, eyes watering. "You're okay," Hawk said, kneeling next to her, "it'll pass in a few seconds. First flicker always makes you want to hurl," he chuckled, the noise soft like a secret.

Her feet settled and after a moment the rolling in her stomach calmed. "What was that?" She asked, spinning around to peer into the holes of his mask. This close, she could see the brown eyes beneath crinkle with what had to be a smile.

"Ninjutsu," he told her easily, "you'll learn about it when you get to the academy." Hawk stood up, tapping his knuckles on the door before them. "This here is your apartment, you're on the top floor. I'll take you for a tour around the building in a bit, so you know the area, but we'll get you inside and set up first."

He slid a key into the lock and held the door open for her. Naruto leaned to the side, gazing into the hallway beyond, eyes wide. With a quick glance at Hawk, who nodded, she inched inside.

Her apartment.

Naruto came into an open area with a table, some chairs, and a small kitchen—and had to hold back her desperate need to run her fingers over everything just to prove it was real. She stepped around the table and moved to the opening on the other side, guiltily letting her hand trace along the blank wall as she went.

She found some storage spaces, and a bathroom, and finally, the bedroom. Naruto saw the bundles of folded clothes on the bed—a proper bed, with heavy blankets and a thick mattress—and had to lean against the doorway when her legs suddenly felt weak.

Naruto stood on the threshold of the room for a long time, a lump growing in her throat.

Mine, she thought, it's all mine. My home.

It took some minutes before she could pull herself away and back to the dining area, her feet dragging lightly. Naruto looked at Hawk, the man was only just inside the front door, waiting patiently with the bag that the Hokage had said was holding her things.

He held it out to her, and Naruto gripped it tight to her chest, eyes fixed on the zipper intensely.

"You alright with it all?" Hawk asked, "Find everything okay? Do you have any questions before we get started?"

Naruto frowned, fingers fiddling with one of the bag's straps. She thought back over everything that the Hokage had told her, everything that she had seen in her new home, then glanced up at Hawk beseechingly.

"What're 'utilities'?"

OoO

Genma sighed, slumped on one of the benches in the change rooms.

He ran one of his hands over his face and dug into his eyes, as if the pressure could somehow erase the image of Naruto Uzumaki from his memories.

He'd had a few ideas of what Minato and Kushina's kid would be like—had watched with unconcealed amusement whenever his Hokage and the man's temperamental wife had bickered over who the child would take after more—but the reality was nothing he could have prepared himself for.

The way she'd looked at him, with confusion and mistrust and fear in her blue eyes—his Hokage's eyes—was like a stab to the gut.

She'd been so small.

"Fuck." He whispered into his palm, unable to forget how she'd frozen in his arms when he'd transported them. "Fuck."

And her room at the orphanage—if it could even be called that. It'd been barely more than a cleared-out closet with a cot shoved in. Genma had had to restrain himself from walking right back down those stairs and murdering every single person in that building when he'd seen where she'd been kept.

He had known that Naruto wouldn't have an easy life. Even Kushina, whose status as jinchuuriki was a closely guarded secret, had had her fair share of trouble; but they might as well have had Naruto sleeping in a goddamn cage.

What the hell had the Hokage been thinking, leaving Naruto with a bunch of civilians? Civilians that lacked any spark of decency, let alone the inherent understanding of what a jinchuuriki was. She should have been raised by shinobi, by people that could tell the difference between the Kyuubi and the little girl housing it.

His hands didn't shake, but he could feel the familiar itch under his skin.

Genma remembered Hisa, remembered how damn smug the woman had been after being charged with Naruto's wellbeing. How she'd lauded it over the rest of the guards whenever the opportunity arose. He remembered the numb feeling of shock at hearing about her death, and the anger when each of their offers to take Naruto in were rejected, one after the other.

They said she'd be safe, he thought, and felt like a fool for ever believing them. Naruto hadn't been safe since the moment her parents died, and Genma's mouth tasted like ash.

It was worse though, because now they were putting Naruto in an apartment, all alone, with the barest amount of supervision and absolutely no support. And sure, Genma could name dozens of people off the top of his head that had been living alone from when they were her age—all of them excellent shinobi, all of them incredibly powerful, but all of them also undeniably fucked up individuals.

Minato's daughter deserved more, hell, anyone deserved more than this. Things were supposed to be different now. Konoha was supposed to be different. Better.

He wanted to help her so badly it hurt, but there was only so much he could do.

There were orders, so many orders surrounding Naruto—don't interact, don't interfere, don't engage, don't, don't, don't—each one a shackle holding them back. And despite how strong the urge was to just disregard it, to do it anyway, to tell her the truth, Genma knew the punishment.
Incarceration for civilians. Execution for shinobi.

He couldn't help her if he was dead. But Genma couldn't leave her alone like that, he had to keep an eye on her, on Minato's girl, even if only from a distance. To be ready to defend her if the need arose. He needed to talk to the general, maybe see if they could add another loop to their eastern patrol, something that ran by Naruto's apartment.
It wouldn't be enough, but at least it'd be something.

"You good, Shiranui?"

Genma looked up as Riku walked in, the man tugging his mask off and placing it on the hook in his locker.

"Fine," he answered, "just a rough day."

"Weren't you on door duty?" Riku asked, preoccupied with undoing his vest. He was covered in dust, probably just back from border patrol if Genma was remembering the roster right. He had thought it was too quiet lately. "Not exactly the hardest job on rotation."

"It wasn't that," he said, leaning back and staring at the ceiling, gathering his composure. He hadn't been this rattled in a long time.

"Then what is it?"

Genma liked Riku. He was competent considering how recent he was promoted, but he was also one of the nosiest bastards in their division. Genma knew he shouldn't talk about it, not with someone so fresh, someone who hadn't served under Minato and that might not know the connection between their previous Hokage and their new jinchuuriki, but the events of the day were weighing on him.

"It's just—" A flash of silver caught his eye, and Genma's mouth snapped shut.

He and Riku stopped what they were doing, both watching from the corners of their eyes as Kakashi slipped into the room, the man splattered with blood and mud and looking an inch from death.

Any mention of Naruto died on Genma's tongue.

They didn't—they didn't talk about her around Kakashi. They didn't talk about Minato, or Kushina, or that night either.

They all knew how close to the edge Kakashi was these days, and none of them wanted to be the one that pushed him over.

Self-destruction was, Genma knew, a brutal thing to watch. It was one of the cruellest parts of their lives, not being able to help a friend who desperately needed it. To know that any offer of assistance would be met with contempt at best, and a dead-eyed, empty stare at worst.

It felt like they were all just waiting at this point. Waiting for the day Kakashi finally succeeded in killing himself and getting the punishment he seemed to think he deserved.

More than once they had petitioned the Hokage to take Kakashi off active duty, to force him to just stop for once; but after the man had almost killed himself playing around with experimental jutsu, they had backed off. Horrible as it was, at least being in anbu was a productive suicidal endeavour.

Genma carefully kept his gaze pinned on the wall as Kakashi silently stripped and headed for the showers without acknowledging either of them. His movements were mechanical down to the smallest twitch of his muscles.

The second he was gone it was as if all the oxygen returned to the room. Across from him, Riku's shoulders were curved under an invisible weight.

Genma hunched forward, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Fuck."

OoO

Living alone was an exercise in intuition and determination.

And so much harder than she had expected.

Naruto had grown used to the sheer amount of noise that constantly swelled inside the orphanage; where even in the dead of night she could make out the shuffling of blankets and the soft whisper of breaths.

There were no stomping footsteps in her new home, no old pipes that shook the walls whenever a tap was used. And instead of the comforting hum of the forest, all she could hear when she opened her windows was the bustle of people as they moved along the street below.

It was quiet in her apartment, still, and there was no one around to tell her what to do or when to go to bed or what to eat, and Naruto floundered at the realisation that she was now in charge of her life. It was jarring, because even though the carers had let her go into the forest most days, there had always been chores she had to do, always orders she had to follow.

Now there was nothing. No strict rules to adhere to, no chores list to complete, and the sudden concept of freedom terrified and intrigued her in ways she couldn't describe.

But more than anything, it was the loneliness that bothered her. It seemed even here, in the middle of the village, Naruto was still alone.

There was the landlady, of course. An older woman, blind in one eye but sharp as a knife as she explained to Naruto what was expected of her on that first day, just after Hawk left. She'd listened as attentively as she could while the woman tossed around words like lease and inspections and didn't seem to realise that Naruto hardly understood what she was saying.

That was okay, though, because the lady also showed Naruto how to use the stove, pushing a stool over for her so that she could watch. The lady showed her where everything in the kitchen was located, and the ingredients, and how to make a few basic meals.

And she introduced her to the kettle.

The orphanage hadn't had one of those, not that Naruto had ever seen, and she'd watched with fascination as the water inside it had bubbled cheerily. Tea, she also found, wasn't as good as adults always made it seem; but Naruto could admit that she liked the smell of the leaves brewing. It covered the scent of fresh paint and made the air taste sweeter.

She had also been given another set of keys to her apartment, tied onto the end of a leather cord, and was told to always keep her door locked, even when she was home. She was only supposed to open the door if it was someone she knew.

Naruto, only four but already fiercely protective of anything she deemed hers, took the advice seriously. This apartment was given to her. These walls, this furniture, the clothes—it was all hers now, and no one would step foot inside her home without her permission.

She looped the cord around her neck, shifting it so that the small key hung low on her chest, and pressed her hand over it until it was warm and the indent of it marked her skin.

After that, the landlady had left, promising to return next week with some groceries for her.

And Naruto was, once more, left alone.

OoO

Naruto spent the first night curled up tight in her new bed, nose buried in her old blanket because it was the one familiar thing in her new, unknown world. She only fell asleep in the hours before the sun began to peek over the horizon.

Her dreams that night were more confusing than usual. Not-quite nightmares danced beneath her lids, with shadows that splayed up from under her bed, painting themselves on the walls and writhing as if they were alive. Sometimes, they looked like people, other times like animals with teeth and claws—but regardless of their shape they were always large and angry and loud.

She dreamed of Ami, of her words that cut deep. Whispers of you're dangerous joining the parade of similar things she had been called over the years; names and taunts collected like bruises, only they never faded. Demon. Monster. Animal.

But there was another voice too, a new one that broke through the pain like a streak of sunlight.

I don't think there's anything wrong with being different, the memory of the boy told her, his words encompassing her, drowning out anything else.

It's wrong, she heard, and the ache in her chest eased just slightly. It's wrong. They shouldn't.

Naruto slipped into a deeper sleep, falling beyond where the nightmares could reach with those words cradled close to her chest and you have to make them see burning across her heart.

OoO

When Naruto woke, it was with a light chest and a heavy head. She stayed curled in her bed, watching with bleary eyes as the room slowly brightened, the bland walls turning a sweet shade of pale yellow.

It was only at the prompting of her stomach that she rolled out of bed, stumbling her way to the kitchen.

She spent half an hour blundering between pots and dragging her stool behind her, trying to remember how to cook some breakfast, like the landlady had shown her yesterday.

Naruto ended up with a bowl of soggy rice, and an already healing burn on her hand from where she had accidentally brushed the stovetop.

She ate every single grain, and for the first time in her memory, she didn't feel hungry afterwards.

Naruto then spent three hours going through her new clothes, marvelling at how clean everything was. She slipped each piece on so she could stare at herself in the mirror, twisting this way and that, nearly vibrating with excitement.

Naruto traced her fingers over the bright red spiral that adorned the back of every one of her shirts, curious. It was oddly familiar to her, and something about the symbol made a chord in her chest thrum. She followed the black thread marking the outline of its curve, and tried to chase the sensation of loss that seeing it invoked.

But it kept slipping away, always just out of reach.

OoO

Naruto lasted three days before the need to leave overwhelmed her.

The apartment was larger than her old room by far, but it was still contained, still stifling after all the time Naruto had spent exploring the sprawling forest. She had already mapped out every room, had already reorganised the furniture and spread her meagre possessions throughout her bedroom.

She was grateful for her new home, grateful to be taken away from the orphanage and the matron; but Naruto longed for the trees and the grass and the animals.

So, dressed in her new clothes, she left her apartment, locked the door, and set off to find the forest.

Anyone picking up on my absolute contempt for Sarutobi yet? It's like the man sees a traumatised, abused child and goes "you know what's a great idea? Let's give them an apartment and zero emotional support or supervision. I'm so good at this, ten points to me."

But along that note, Konoha as a military village has such a dark undertone to it, when you stop to think. This is a village and society that breeds children to be weapons and trains them to kill. They've only just come off a war, and the Kyuubi attack, and without Minato to provide them with a smooth transition into a softer kind of existence, one of peace, instead Sarutobi has driven it right back to their previous military mindset because he thinks that's what will help them recover. They don't care for their mental or emotional well being, because their lifespans are so short, and who honestly cares how traumatised your ninja are, so long as they preform well on missions? I really feel for Naruto's generation, because the fissure is so freaking huge between them and the older shinobi.

But anyway, enough rambling. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, next we'll be moving into the pre-academy and academy days, which will be fun! Let me know your thoughts and as always, my tumblr is 'Child_OTKW'. Thanks guys!