People Lie, redux, rewritten

[Nugar]

People Lie redux, rewritten




Everyone in the class turned to look as the door slid open. Even Shikamaru, who had gotten pretty good at impromptu naps over the past several years, hadn't had time to fade out for his morning 'me time'.

Naruto Uzumaki walked in, almost an hour late.

"Naruto! You're…" Iruka trailed off. "Late," he finished lamely.

Naruto paused on the way to his desk, visibly struggling for a moment before offering up a weak smile and an insincere 'sorry'.

He looked like hell. Leaves in his hair, dark circles under his eyes, dirt on his clothes, and dried blood here and there. He sat in his seat with none of his usual energy and propped his head up in his hands.

It was far from the first time he'd ever been late to class. There had been days where he'd never shown up at all. But it was the first time he'd shown up to class looking like someone had systematically beaten the crap out of him. Usually he was, if not stylish, at least clean and well groomed. No one could ever really be considered stylish wearing outlandish orange pants and a white t-shirt, often with an orange jacket thrown over it.

"Ah, I assume you have a good reason for being late?" Iruka hazarded. Naruto was great at making up unusual excuses, usually just to get a laugh from the class and a thrown bit of chalk from Iruka or Mizuki. Today, whatever Naruto said had happened, Iruka was prepared to believe him.

Naruto seemed slightly taken aback by the question, like it hadn't occurred to him. "Huh?" he said cleverly.

Iruka walked closer, real concern creeping into his voice. "Naruto? Are you alright? I asked if you had a good reason for being late."

Naruto considered it quietly, his eyes wandering away from Iruka's like he felt guilty about something. Finally, he sighed.

"No. No, I don't have a good reason."

Iruka wasn't sure, but it sounded like that depressed him.

Several of his classmates looked at him in concern, just as shocked by that as Iruka.

"Well, uh, okay. We were discussing the techniques for coded messages, Naruto. If you don't understand, be sure and ask me after class, okay?"

Naruto nodded tiredly, then, over the course of the next thirty minutes, quietly faded into a haze.


o/~


Days passed, as they usually do. Today was a Tuesday, which meant a lecture day. Two hours of lectures in the morning, two hours of ninja equipment, lunch, then another three hours of lecture, followed by an hour of stealth.

Hinata didn't like Tuesdays.

Tuesdays were kind of sad, because Naruto didn't seem to do very good on Tuesdays, or really, any lecture day. All that energy, all that drive that he showed in everything else he did, just disappeared. Sometimes there'd be little flashes, funny comments Naruto would make.

But they were rare. Getting rarer. Since the day he'd shown up late, looking tired and injured, Naruto hadn't been himself. He didn't joke like he used to, didn't play pranks like he used to, and after school, every time Hinata had followed him, he'd gone out to a training ground and beaten himself senseless against the target poles. Naruto trained pretty often, but never like that.

Today, he hadn't even laughed with the rest of the class when Komiko got her wires tangled and her kunai toss pulled a snarl of wire and kunai halfway across the hall. Though, he had at least looked pretty alert when it came to his turn, and Hinata secretly cheered when he'd managed to wrap the wire attached to the handle of his kunai around the wooden beam and thunked it securely into the target on just the third try. He hadn't eaten lunch, apparently because he didn't have any, and Hinata was tempted to offer him some of hers, but he'd sat off by himself like he didn't want to talk to anyone and she'd been afraid to approach him. And now, now he was asleep. And Iruka, who'd been pretty considerate about Naruto for the most part, had lost patience in the middle of his lecture on the uses of chakra absorbing ink.

So he threw an eraser at him, bouncing it with the accuracy of long practice off the boy's head.

Naruto, who had been well and truly asleep, jerked awake with a snort, much to the laughter of the class. "Huh? Wazzat?"

"So glad you could join us, Naruto," Iruka said irritatedly. "I asked you a question."

Naruto blinked sleepily and rubbed his eyes, looking around. "Sorry, I didn't hear it. Could you, uh, repeat the question?"

More snickers came from here and there.

"I asked you what the character on the board was, Naruto."

Naruto squinted at the board and scratched himself. "Ah, looks like a tora."

Iruka nodded, surprised. Maybe Naruto had paid a little attention. But he still shouldn't be sleeping in class, no matter how tired he was, so Iruka decided to ask something a little more difficult.

"So, what's it used for?"

"Adding a fire element to a seal," he replied, yawning behind a hand. Abruptly he sat bolt upright and looked around, surprise on his face.

Iruka looked at him like he'd grown a second head. For that matter, so did Sakura, the only other person there who'd known that, and that was because she'd read ahead in their textbook. Hinata just stared.

"Uh, yeah," Naruto added lamely.

Giving him a look, Iruka nodded. "Yes, that's right, Naruto. It is a fire element character, something you might add to an explosive note if you want flame in addition to concussion." Iruka paused. "See me after school, Naruto."

"Aww, man," Naruto complained, much to the amusement of the class.


o/~


"Yo, Iruka-sensei!" Naruto yelled as the class dispersed, stealth training with Mizuki and Iruka over for the day. "I'm kinda busy, so could you just yell at me here so I can get going? I got plans."

"Just what kind of plans?"

"I got a bucket of permanent dye and a shop keeper who really has it com-err, nothing?" Naruto said with an embarrassed chuckle.

Iruka raised one eyebrow. "Well, it'll have to wait. I want to show you something."

"Aww, man, school is OVER, Iruka-sensei. I haven't done anything to deserve detention." He paused. "Today."

"Just come with me, Naruto."

They went back into the school, to the small office Iruka shared with Mizuki and another chunin instructor. Unlocking a drawer with a small key, Iruka pulled out a thick notebook, his grade notebook, then gave Naruto a warning look when he saw the boy's eyes widen. "This isn't where I usually keep it, and even if you do manage to find it, if you touch it, I will personally break both of your arms."

"I'm shocked! Simply shocked that you don't trust me, Iruka-sensei! I would never dream of cheating!" Naruto proclaimed, all wounded dignity.

"I'm serious, Naruto, I will break your arms in three places and cover you in itching powder."

"I'll be good," he replied meekly. "I really only thought that Kiba needed to be held back a year, anyway."

Iruka's stern expression relaxed. "Now, before I open this, who is the worst student in class?"

"I'm sorry, alright? It's just your lessons are BORING. How can you expect me to pay attention when you just drone on and on..." Seeing the look on his teacher's face, Naruto trailed off.

Iruka looked at him for a moment, then opened the book with a ribbon bookmark. Finding Naruto's name, he held it up so the kid could see and tapped it with his finger. "Do you see these scores, Naruto?"

"I was...," Naruto paused, thought for a moment, then shrugged. "What about it?"

Iruka blinked. "Naruto, your grades are all over the place. Yeah, there are some bad scores, but some of them are really good."

He shrugged again. "I study when things interest me."

Iruka paused, thinking. "Yes, that may well be true. I know you like taijutsu better than history. But, your grades really are all over the place. I'd expect your taijutsu to be always better than your knowledge of seals. Instead, six months ago, you scored near the top of the class on seals."

Naruto looked like he'd bitten into something sour. "How was I supposed to know that everyone in the class was going to suck on that test?"

"And then your grades dropped to the very bottom of the class. Way below what I know you're capable of."

"How do you know what I'm capable of?"

Iruka nodded. "That's it, I don't. But I have a feeling that you do. And I think you're lying to me."

Abruptly, Naruto's face blossomed into a grin. "Iruka-sensei, why would I lie to you?"

"I don't know. At first I didn't know what to think. Maybe you're a plant from another village?"

"Sensei, you must be confused," he said, patting his teacher on the shoulder. "I'm people, not a plant."

Iruka closed his eyes in irritation. "Yeah, I know you're not a plant." He paused. "Or from another village. But I wish you'd be honest with me. You're not the worst student in class. You could even be one of the best. But you're deliberately not trying, and," Iruka's voice rose, "you're only hurting yourself!" Iruka grabbed his shirt in both hands. "Can't you see? You're eleven years old! Academy students have to graduate by thirteen, and you've only got two more years to learn the things you HAVE to know! Maybe you have a reason to not try, I don't know, but you say you want to be a shinobi! You can't do that without graduating the academy! And at the rate you're going, you're going to fail!"

Naruto's stomach growled and he gave an embarrassed chuckle, scratching the back of his head. "Sorry, Iruka-sensei."

But he didn't say what he was sorry for.

Iruka stared at him, then sighed. "Come on, Naruto. I'll buy you dinner."

Naruto brightened. "Really? Thanks!"

"Under one condition. You have to try."

Then, for one moment, Iruka swore he saw the real Naruto, looking cold and serious.

"I am trying, Iruka-sensei. I get it wrong sometimes, but I am trying."


o/~


Once, when Naruto was younger, he made a mistake. He trusted someone.

That someone was talking to a pretty little pink haired girl that Naruto wanted to be friends with. So Naruto had talked to them both for a while. Then the girl's mother had shown up and taken her home. Disappointed, the man had talked to Naruto for a while. Then he'd taken Naruto home.

It was that night before an ANBU realized he was missing. He searched for the boy for a while. Then he alerted other ANBU, and they searched for the boy. Then the Hokage was informed, and lots of people searched for the boy.

This went on over about a week.

Then the boy staggered out of the forest in front of a traveling couple, crying, covered in blood, and was turned over to ANBU and the doctors.

Though he was crying, when asked what had happened, his voice didn't waver. He gave clear, concise details. Then the doctors gave him something that put him into a nightmare filled sleep that lasted two days. He woke up screaming.

There was a time of jumbled images and voices, with people talking to him, at him, and around him. It was all very confusing.

Then they had carried him to a big building and asked him to look at a man in a cell. It was someone he'd trusted. He told them so.

They all looked really mad and mean, and he'd started to get upset, but the Hokage had hugged him, told him he was very brave, and turned to a big man dressed all in black wearing a funny cloth over his head.

Naruto could still remember exactly what the old man had said.

"Ibiki, make sure he regrets it."

Naruto had asked some questions, as they were leading him away, and at some length, as they were exiting the building, he'd understood. They were going to hurt the man he'd trusted.

Naruto wanted to watch.

Everyone, who'd been all smiles and jokes at that point, though Naruto could tell they didn't really mean it, got real quiet and mad.

Naruto had apologized for making them mad, and they'd assured him that they weren't mad at him.

So, if they weren't mad at him, Naruto wanted to know if he could stay and watch. The Hokage had tried to talk him out of it. Someone else liked the idea. They argued. Naruto argued. Naruto insisted.

And, at some length, he'd been introduced to the scary looking man with the black rag on his head.

Ibiki.

Ibiki was big and scary looking with marks on his face.

Ibiki had tried to convince him he really didn't want to see what was going to happen. It was going to be scary and gross.

Naruto didn't mind that. He'd done scary and gross things before. Recently. And it wouldn't be happening to him.

Ibiki had said it would be loud.

Naruto had insisted he wouldn't mind, of course. He really did want to see.

And Ibiki had agreed. And smiled.

A lot of people left looking mad at Ibiki. Some left looking sick.

Ibiki gave Naruto a stool in the corner. He didn't look mad, or sick. He looked pleased.

Naruto decided he liked Ibiki, even though he looked scary.

The man in the cell didn't like Ibiki at all.


o/~


Naruto decided he liked Iruka. The ramen he'd bought him for dinner was just about the best thing ever.

"So, Naruto, you've never talked about it, but what is your goal? Why do you want to be a shinobi?"

Naruto shrugged. "I dunno. Just seems like a good idea."

"Liar," Iruka said without hesitation, then realized Naruto was pulling his chain.

Naruto grinned. "There's something I want to do. But I won't tell just anyone."

"Come on, Naruto. What is it with you? I've finally decided that you just don't trust anyone, and that's why you're always lying."

He slurped more ramen and waved to the owner. Ichiraku ramen. This stuff was pretty damned good. Not very close to his apartment, but worth the walk.

"Why don't you trust anyone?" Iruka pressed.

Naruto stopped for a second, looked at him, looked away. "People lie," he said after a moment.

After a little while, he looked back. Iruka was staring at him with a sad look on his face. It made Naruto uncomfortable. He looked away again.

"Yes, people do lie," Iruka said finally. "You can't trust everyone."

Naruto snorted.

"No!" Iruka said, grabbing Naruto's arm. "You can't trust everyone. But you have to trust someone."

Naruto looked at the hand on his arm, but Iruka didn't remove it.

"I'm serious, Naruto. Don't you trust your friends?"

"I don't have any friends."

Iruka blinked, and finally released his arm. "But, what about your classmates?"

Naruto snorted in contempt. And then he noticed Iruka was giving him that look again.

That sad look, like he was seeing something Naruto didn't. Naruto had only ever seen one person look like that before.

"Stop."

"Stop what?"

"Stop looking at me like that. The Hokage looks like that sometimes, and I can't stand it."

Iruka nodded slowly. "I suppose he would look at you like that, because he knows."

Naruto looked angry for a moment. "Knows what? He never says what he means, just stands there and gives me that damned look. What?! What does he know that you know that I don't know?"

"How important friends are."

Naruto looked like he'd been slapped.

"Ibiki said that," he whispered. Then he got up, politely thanked Iruka and the old man behind the counter for the meal, and got the hell out of there.


o/~


When Naruto first met Ibiki, they spent the whole day together. Naruto asked questions, Ibiki provided answers, and the man in the cell got very nervous. Then Ibiki did a few things, and the man screamed for a while. Ibiki watched Naruto more than he paid attention to the man.

Naruto's attention was on everything.

When Naruto's stomach growled, Ibiki took him out to a nearby restaurant and bought him dinner. They both ate well, and the waitress praised Naruto's appetite, told him he was cute but 'too serious' and asked some questions. Naruto answered at first, but then Ibiki told him he shouldn't tell people some things, that he liked this restaurant, and the waitress would be scared by what had been done to the man.

Naruto paused, thought about it for a bit, then asked what she would think about what had been done to him.

Ibiki told him that if she knew that, she'd cry and probably not sleep well.

Naruto agreed that he didn't want to make her cry, since she was so nice, and he wouldn't tell her.

Ibiki told him that was the right thing to do, that it was usually best not to tell people anything more than they needed to know, and asked if he was tired of watching.

Naruto shook his head.

So they went back to the building with the cell with the man in it. Around midnight, Ibiki draped his coat around Naruto and carried him to a couch in his office.

The man in the cell didn't get any sleep that night.

Naruto had the best night's sleep ever.


o/~

For nearly a month, Naruto didn't sleep much. At first he'd tried, laying down, prepared to sleep, then tossing and turning for a few hours before giving up and reading scrolls and books for most of the night. He took to training, hard physical training all throughout the Konoha training grounds as a way of exhausting himself, but that just meant he was extra tired while he lay in bed awake.

The thing was, he had the answer, now. Ibiki-san hadn't given it to him. The Hokage had mentioned it. And Iruka had come right out and told him.

But it still didn't make any damned sense.

Yeah, okay, having skilled team members supporting you meant you could take on more powerful enemies and win. He could see that. But what would it matter if they were friends or not? Shinobi were tools. If Naruto was told to work with someone to complete a job, he would damned well give it everything he had.

But friends? No one wanted to be friends with Naruto. They hadn't ever. Ibiki was the first person to ever look at him with approval. There were a couple other adults who seemed to like him and treated him like an adult. Naruto understood that sort of behavior. None of them were friends, but they made some great role models, something the Hokage had explained once.

But friends? Among people his own age? They were immature. They were irrational, for crying out loud. They did things that made no damned sense whatsoever. Most of the girls in class fawned over that Uchiha, when he clearly did not like them, and made complete fools of themselves. Most of the boys either spent their time in pointless pissing contests, or absorbed in weird little obsessions of their own.

Only the Uchiha, Sasuke, made any sort of sense at all to Naruto, but he was such a showoff it kind of irritated him. What kind of idiot demonstrates his skills to their fullest and draws attention to himself?

Naruto might, just might, could handle being friends with some of the students, except for one thing.

They made lousy friends. He'd overheard girls spreading lies and rumors about their supposed 'friends' behind their backs. The boys would follow some obscure schedule of their own, best friends one day, bitter enemies the next.

Who in the hell would want people like that at his back?

Yet, people he respected told him it was important. So it probably was. He just didn't understand it. None of the books he'd read on it had yielded anything useful. Apparently, this was yet another thing he couldn't learn by himself by reading about it.

What a pain in the ass.

After some thought, and being sorely tempted to go ask Ibiki, though afraid of what the man might say after the disastrous confrontation last time, he concluded that he didn't understand people yet. He knew how to tell when they lied, he knew how to read the signals they gave off when in distress, and how to predict their actions, but, going over his lessons in his head, he concluded that nothing applied, because now he was trying to deal with people in their everyday lives.

So, if he had the answer and it didn't make any sense, he clearly needed to learn more about the problem.

He needed to gather intel.


o/~


Iruka pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to fend off the onrushing headache as he stared at the embarrassed looking boy giving him a pleading look.

The irate looking chunin kunoichi holding a kunai gave him an expectant one. "So you're the one who gave him the homework assignment of watching me bathe?" she asked, clearly skeptical, but also clearly willing to gut the party responsible, as soon as she figured out who it was.

Pinching his nose wasn't working. Iruka sighed. Naruto hadn't been the same since their little chat over ramen, though his grades had improved, marginally, and he'd started clowning around in class again, but Iruka, who watched him a lot more closely now, could tell his heart wasn't in it.

And now this. At least the kid was showing some initiative, albeit of the perverted kind. Iruka had to admit, he had good taste. The kunoichi was stacked.

"Come on, all you have to admit is that you never gave him any such assignment and I can get on with carving him into cutlets."

Ah, well, time to save the kid's hide.

"No, it wasn't my idea for Naruto to watch you bathe."

The kunoichi smirked and turned towards Naruto, who, Iruka was somewhat alarmed to note, had murder in his eyes for an instant. But no matter.

"The assignment was to practice following a ninja throughout their daily routine," Iruka continued smoothly, not giving either a chance to interrupt. "He was supposed to pick a fresh genin, someone with a non-combat specialty, someone that a student like him would have a good chance of observing without being seen. Not a chunin."

For a moment, the chunin looked crestfallen, then turned back to Iruka in anger. Iruka held up his hands placatingly, noticing as he did so the look of relief, and something else on Naruto's face.

"I suppose I should have been more specific about who he followed and allowing private time. I'll make a male to male rule next time. I'm training shinobi, not peepers, I swear!"

She glared at him. "Well you can't prove it by me. The little bastard is lucky I didn't just kill him first and ask questions later."

"Naruto…" Iruka began.

"I wasn't trying to see her naked, I just wanted to catch any conversations she had in the bathhouse! People talk to each other all the time, and I didn't want to miss anything."

"But why did you pick a chunin of all people?" This, Iruka was genuinely curious about.

"Cause I thought I could."

Ah. Apparently, he did have some pride in his skills, for all that he carefully avoided seeming competent in class.

Iruka gave an embarrassed chuckle of his own to the woman. "I'm really sorry, Naruto is one of my best students and I've encouraged him to challenge himself, but I had no idea he would do something like this."

The chunin shook her head for a moment, then shrugged. "Well, okay, brat, you're off the hook for now. But if you perv on me again, I'm gonna cut your balls off, okay?" Seeing Naruto's frantic nod, she laughed quietly, then leaned in close to Iruka. "The really embarrassing thing is, I almost didn't catch him. You're going to need to keep an eye on this one."

Dumbfounded, Iruka managed to murmur something appropriate, and the young woman left, putting a distinct sway to her walk. He and Naruto watched in surprise.

Finally, Naruto turned to him.

Iruka raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, that one, I didn't see coming," he admitted.

Iruka stared for a few more moments. Finally, he said, "A chunin?"

"She barely paid any attention to her surroundings, and people treat her different. I was curious." He frowned. "Apparently, girls' situational awareness increase when they're in the bath. Strange."

Iruka laughed. "No, Naruto, not strange, once you understand why."

Naruto frowned deeper, with a look of such concentration on his face Iruka wondered if this really was the same troublemaking student he'd dealt with for the past two years.

"Then what is the reason?"

Iruka opened his mouth… then shut it again, a twinkle in his eye. This was a student he wouldn't mind teaching. "Well," he drawled, "there are a lot of reasons, but they all boil down to one main principle." He paused for a bit, working out what he was going to say in his head.

"Well?" Naruto asked intently.

"Ah, well, the basic idea is that some men like to spy on women whenever they're naked. So women have learned to be more watchful during those times."

Naruto nodded slowly. "That explains it," he said slowly.

"Ah, but does it?" Iruka replied.

"…No, not completely." He nodded again, more firmly. "I see your point."

"There's also the privacy issue, no one likes to be spied on in their private moments," he added.

"But this is a ninja village," Naruto protested suddenly. "We're watched all the time."

Iruka smiled gently, started to pat the kid on the shoulder, then thought better of it. "Naruto, that just makes us value the privacy we have all the more."

"So privacy is that important."

"Yes, it is. Like the way you play the fool in class, so that the other students won't notice the real you." He paused, considering. "You're probably the most private person I know."

Naruto took a moment to digest that, but Iruka pressed on.

"So have you thought any more about friends?"

His expression hardened. "Yes. But I still don't understand it. A friend is more than an ally, right? Someone who you can trust and rely on, who you have a close relationship with. But I'm not blind or deaf. I see these people around me who claim to be friends, then turn around and fight with each other, or spread lies about each other in secret. What the hell?"

Poor kid, Iruka thought. What happened that broke him inside? This time he did put his hand on Naruto's shoulder, ignoring the almost imperceptible flinch it brought. "Well, not everyone who claims to be a friend is. You probably know that better than most. But some are, and just because two people argue or hurt each other doesn't mean they don't care about each other. And when you find someone who does become a true friend, you'll understand what I mean."

Naruto shrugged. "So, in order to understand it, I have to experience it." He sighed. "And apparently, people say one thing, and honestly believe it," he said ironically, "but they do something else. Is a little consistency too damned much to ask?"

Iruka winced, then chuckled. "Yes, Naruto. When you're dealing with people, it really is."


o/~


Another two weeks passed. Naruto's class performance remained the same, getting quite a bit of frustration out of Iruka. He spoke with him several times after school, and Naruto had dropped all pretense of not being smart as hell around Iruka, but when he was in class, it was snores, goofy comments, and pranking that seemed mischievous to everyone but Iruka, who was really beginning to understand just how afraid of people Naruto was.

He brought it up to Mizuki, his fellow teacher for the group. At first Mizuki didn't want to believe him, but a quiet word with Naruto about some one on one advanced techniques had tempted the boy into a secret late night class with he and Mizuki. After seeing Naruto unleash some of his best on Iruka, Mizuki had to admit that his reputation was a complete fake, though he scoffed at the notion that Naruto was still holding back. And he still didn't offer any useful advice on how to get Naruto to try in class.

So, one day, he decided to take it up the chain.

All the way to the top.

Naruto had mentioned talking to the Hokage before, which didn't really surprise Iruka. He'd never lived in any other village, but he'd heard stories, and he understood just how incredible it was that the Sandaime seemed to take a deep and personal interest in every person in the village. Keeping a closer eye on Naruto, given the boy's secrets and hidden abilities, was something he would do.

So he made an appointment. It only took two days before he found himself in the Hokage's office exchanging brief pleasantries.

"So I understand that you have some concerns about Naruto Uzumaki," the Hokage said after the preamble. "I know he has quite the reputation as the trickster, is he making trouble again?"

Iruka shook his head. "I'm not here to complain about Naruto, Hokage-sama. I'm actually quite concerned about him. He's very bright, and, despite his grades, seems to be well ahead of most of the rest of the class. I actually don't know how smart he is, because he refuses to show it, though he doesn't fake being stupid with me anymore. I know he could be one of the best students in the class, if he'd just try, but no matter what I say, he won't." Iruka took a moment to calm himself down, his voice was rising, and he did not want to shout at the Hokage, no matter how frustrated he was.

Sarutobi nodded, tapping his fingers thoughtfully. "I see. It's encouraging to meet a teacher who sees past the façade that Naruto has created, and who doesn't blame him for it. As I'm sure you know, there are plenty in the village who bear animosity towards the boy due to what he contains. Why do you think he puts up such a front?"

"From things he's said and my own observations, I think he's holding back so that his classmates will underestimate him, and he's put an incredible amount of work into it. And it's working. I've asked a few of his classmates what they think of him, and the general opinion is that he's funny sometimes, but not very bright, and he'll never amount to much. Just from one real conversation with him, I can tell that he's serious to a fault and smarter than most, if not all, of his classmates. Just maintaining his attitude of a clown would take a focus very few people could ever keep up for that length of time." Iruka shrugged helplessly. "It would be a very valuable skill if he used it against an enemy village, but these are his peers! These are the people who should be his friends, yet he treats them like an enemy he's preparing to fight."

The Hokage nodded. "Yes, that's it, exactly. Though, from what I have seen of Naruto myself, I would say 'fight' is too soft a word. Naruto is preparing himself to destroy all his enemies."

Iruka paled. "But, does that mean that the Kyubi…"

Sarutobi shook his head swiftly. "No, you can rest assured on that. The seal holds fine, and the beast sleeps within him. No, what we're dealing with here is a demon of our own making." His eyes looked sad.

"But, I don't understand, Hokage-sama," Iruka protested. "I can see that someone must have hurt him in the past, you don't get like that with a healthy childhood, but to call him a demon-"

He waved a hand placatingly. "True, Iruka, the boy is not a demon. Naruto is actually very moral, and cares about other people more than he realizes, I think. But, due to a mistake on our part when he was young, he was hurt, and hurt badly. And," he continued, his voice heavy with regret, "due to my own guilt I may have compounded the issue by allowing something against my better judgment."

"Hokage-sama," Iruka replied, then trailed off.

The Hokage shook his head. "No, this is not my story to tell. In a way, I gave up that right. But there is a reason Naruto only trusts a few people."

Surprise and relief flitted across Iruka's face. "So he does trust someone? That's a huge relief, because the main reason I came here was because he doesn't seem to have any friends. Actually, it'd be more true to say that he doesn't understand what it means to have a friend. He's asked several questions about that, and once mentioned something you had told him."

"Yes, Naruto doesn't have much of a knack for making friends. He doesn't let himself trust easily, but, fortunately, he does have his supporters in the village. Not many people know this, but there are a number of ANBU who are quite fond of the boy."

Iruka's eyebrows raised. "ANBU? But why?"

He was rewarded by a piercing look from the old man. "Yes, I'd intended to tell you, since you do have Naruto's best interests at heart. You're a good man, Iruka. One of Konoha's finest."

His ears tinged pink at the compliment.

"After the trauma that happened to him when he was six, Naruto ended up spending some time at ANBU headquarters by his own insistence. I didn't have the heart to tell him no, though I should have. While he was there… Well, I'll let Morino Ibiki tell the rest. He's the closest thing to a father Naruto has."

Iruka's flush of pleasure turned white.

Morino Ibiki. Hardly the most well-known ninja in Konoha. But, among the shinobi, he was known, more so than almost any other ANBU. He was feared, and justly so, for being the most brutally effective interrogator and torturer in the country of Fire.

And Naruto saw him as a father?

"Morino Ibiki?" Iruka squeaked. "How in the f-"

"Not just Ibiki, but several current and former ANBU are as close to being friends with Naruto as it is possible for them. In a way, you could think of them as fond older cousins he doesn't see very often."

Iruka's mind reeled in shock. "But Ibiki? How? WHY?"

Sarutobi grimaced. "Call it a weakness on an old man's part, to not deny a very brave young man the only thing he insisted he wanted, despite it being harmful to him. Ibiki is very fond of him, and takes his duties as role model very seriously. Though, I happen to know that neither has spoken to the other for nearly two months for much the same reason you are here, Iruka. Naruto doesn't understand friends, not just because he's never had one, but because he's never been one. And though Ibiki has little patience for people who do not value their friends, he's not a very good source of advice on friendship for a young boy."

Iruka's eyes widened in surprise. Of course. That was the answer.

Sarutobi smiled at the obvious revelation Iruka had just came to. "I can see you're well on your way to helping Naruto overcome his difficulties. Ibiki-san might be Naruto's father, but you are the brother he needs."

"T-thank you, Hokage-sama. I will think about what you have said, and I will try my best to help Naruto."

He nodded, but as Iruka turned to leave, apparently feeling dismissed, he added, "Ibiki is usually at the ANBU headquarters, though he can sometimes be found at the Mao Che restaurant nearby. If anyone asks, I sent you."

Iruka bowed. "Thank you, Hokage-sama."


o/~


After some research, this time on the far less aware civilian girls of the village, Naruto had come to some important conclusions.

First, people treat beautiful girls differently than normal people.

At first he didn't pick up on it. He tended to follow the more exaggerated girls, the ones everyone said were beautiful. Curvy, pretty girls with very characteristic outfits. His reasoning was, they seemed to get the most extreme reactions from the people they interacted with, be it good, or bad. It was easier to spot trends with more pronounced reactions.

Men and boys, almost without exception, treated them better than anyone else. They got discounts in stores. Men bought them things. Doors were held open for them. People smiled at them.

Women were a little harder to figure. At first, he was ready to conclude that women were just like men, but there was something… off about the way they were nice to the pretty girls. It took him a little bit to figure it out, but gradually he noticed that, some of the time, when they were being nice to the pretty girls, they were actually being mean. And the pretty girls knew it, too, and they were nice, but mean, right back. Sometimes it seemed to get pretty vicious, but almost never physical, like males. Which brought him to another realization.

Girls lied more about their intentions than he did.

It was sort of humbling.

Men and boys, well, that was practically a no brainer in comparison. Yes, some of the prettier males seemed to get the same kind of attention from women that they got from men, just look at the last Uchiha. But that sort of thing was rare. Usually, the only advantage the prettier men had was that women seemed more receptive to their sexual advances. And, much like with the women but more so, other men were pretty vicious to their prettier counterparts.

That was worth a night's pondering.

Gradually, a plan formed. And, with it, a new application of an old jutsu. But it needed a little polish. And there was only one person he knew that could offer advice on that sort of thing.

He hadn't seen her in a long time. He'd better bring an offering. So, before he stopped by her apartment one night, he bought two boxes of dango.


o/~


The first time Naruto met Anko was the second day after he met Ibiki-san. They were returning from a nearby restaurant with bento, and Ibiki was explaining to Naruto the importance of good nutrition. How he should try to eat healthy meals at home as often as possible, but it was okay every now and then, when he was really busy, to buy meals from vendors for a while if he had the money. Ibiki had bought him lunch, of course.

"Hey, Ibiki, where you taking the shrimp?" a voice called.

Naruto looked up to see a huge, tall woman with a really fat chest coming towards them, waving. She had dark hair and wore dark clothes, but unlike many of the other people in the building, didn't wear a funny mask.

"Hi, Anko," Ibiki replied, just as Naruto interrupted.

"We're going to the torture cells," he replied very seriously. "And I am not a shrimp."

Ibiki smiled thinly. "Anko, this is Naruto Uzumaki. Naruto, this is Anko Mitarashi."

"Hello, Mitarashi-san," Naruto said politely.

Anko raised one perfectly shaped eyebrow. "A little young to be a spy, ain't he?" She paused as the name hit her. "Or is it about, you know."

Ibiki smiled, and though Naruto wouldn't know it, she was actually a little unnerved by that smile. "Naruto isn't the subject of today's lesson, he's the student. He makes a pretty good assistant."

"…Really." She squatted to be at eye level with him. "Well, hello, Naruto-kun. You can call me Anko."

Naruto looked at the big man beside him. "Ibiki-san? Is Anko-san one of the people who can know about what we're doing?"

Ibiki smiled at him, and even gave him a kind of awkward pat on the head. "Yes, Naruto-kun. Anko would understand. Do you want to tell her?"

Naruto nodded and turned back to the woman. "We're hurting the man who hurt me. Hokage-sama said to make him really regret it. I think he regrets it, but I don't think he really regrets it yet, so we have some more work to do." He sounded oddly pleased.

Anko looked a little nonplussed. "And the sacks?"

"Ibiki-san bought me a bento!" Naruto proclaimed.

"Naruto is a growing boy, he needs his nutrition," Ibiki answered to Anko's silent question. "And we decided to make it a working lunch."

At first, Anko looked at the boy with pity. For the man to have been turned over to Ibiki's tender mercies, his crimes must have been horrible indeed. But Naruto looked back at her with a cool, serious look terribly out of place on his young face, and Anko realized she was fighting a smile. So she didn't fight it, and gave the kid one of her best feral grins. He didn't look intimidated. He smiled back the way kids will. She looked up at Ibiki.

"I think I like this kid."

Ibiki inclined his head, wordlessly agreeing.

"Do you think I could…?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Naruto? Would you mind if Anko came along?"

Naruto looked at her inscrutably. "You really want to come along? Ibiki-san warned that it gets kind of gross."

"It's okay," she assured him. "I like gross."

"Well, okay. I guess I could share my bento."

Anko patted him on the head. "Thank you, Naruto-kun, but I'll go get my own lunch. Tell me, do you like dango?"


o/~


"Anko-neechan!" Naruto called as he approached the dango shop. He'd already been to the ANBU building and her apartment, and had bought dango at one of her favorite shops, but, sure enough, when he finally found her she was at yet another dango vendor.

Anko looked up, chewing on a bare stick. "Hey, Naruto-kun! I was beginning to think you were avoiding me!"

"Not big sister Anko!" Naruto replied, using his outgoing public persona. "I even brought you a present!" he added, holding up the two paper boxes with their sticks of dango inside.

Anko brightened. "Hey, Kobayashi's! I've been meaning to go by there."

"Sorry, no severed heads or blood of the innocent today," Naruto said.

"Aww, you always know just what to get me. Thanks, Naruto-kun. Now what do you want?"

"Talk? Private?"

Anko gave him a measuring look and he gave her the boxes of dango. Anko definitely felt she got the better end of the deal.

"Alright. Roof of my place, or inside?"

His eyes narrowed, and for a moment his serious self peeked through. "Inside," he said.

Anko's apartment was just like Naruto's own, except it had feminine clothing strewn here and there and looked like she hadn't picked up after herself in a week. He ignored it. He'd acquired a trait of keeping an almost obsessively neat home from Ibiki, but Anko was special in a lot of ways.

"Alright, whatcha got?" she asked without preamble, sliding one of the sweet treats off the stick with her tongue. After a moment's hesitation, she offered Naruto one of the sticks, but he shook his head.

"I've been studying personal interactions and how people relate to each other," he began.

Anko wrinkled her brow. "Which means?"

"I've been following people, mostly women, around for the past two weeks learning how they act."

A mad grin spread across her face, one that had nothing to do with the tasty tasty dango rolling around on her tongue. She swallowed. "Aww, has little Naruto-kun finally discovered girls?" she said in a cutesy voice. She faked shock. "Don't tell me… you want to have," she gasped theatrically, "sex!? And you need me to tell you how to do it?! Aww, Naruto-kun, I'm honored. Of course big sister Anko will tell you ALL you need to know."

Naruto looked at her seriously. "I already know about sex."

She dropped the act with a moue of disappointment. "Yeah, you would, but only one aspect, so remember that." She paused. "And damn you are hard to tease."

Naruto ignored her complaint. "For a long time now, I've had a problem with people. Everyone seems to know who I am, and they whisper and point and are usually pretty unfriendly. It's hard to fade into the background when everyone seems pissed at me for some reason," and here he let real irritation in his voice, "and no one will tell me why."

Anko nodded. She knew it probably had to do with the nine tails, but the Hokage's injunction stood. And it was a pretty serious one, one she'd obey despite firmly believing that not only did Naruto have a right to know, he would probably handle it well.

"Since I couldn't blend in, the only option was misdirection, so I made myself really, really visible, but easily dismissed. I learned the henge some time ago, and I can see applications for it, but until recently I haven't put time into learning to use it effectively. I've come up with this." He formed a seal. "Henge!"

Naruto was transformed in an instant, from the short, blond boy in orange, to a slightly taller, rather mousy looking girl with brown hair in a combination of the armored mesh fishnet and deep blue pants and vest.

Anko gave him a puzzled look.

"From what I've seen, plain looking girls are the most inconspicuous type of person. Guys rarely compete with girls in strength, and the more attractive women don't consider them a threat, either," Naruto explained.

Anko leaned forward and poked Naruto's new form sharply in the shoulder with her now bare stick. The henge disappeared with a poof.

"Naruto, it sucks," Anko said bluntly.

"Okay," he replied calmly. "Why, and how should I fix it?"

She wandered away into her apartment, only to return a few moments later with a cup of water, which she drained in a thoughtful sort of manner.

Naruto watched patiently.

"Well," she began. "I could tell it sucked when I first saw it. Your henge is okay, but it's easy to see through. It won't stand up to touch. But really, it's your look that's the problem. You're too plain. No one is that… medium."

Naruto frowned. One girl was. It was why he'd picked her as his base look.

Anko patted him on the head. "Look, you're going about this all wrong. You're just not a guy meant to blend in. Becoming a girl isn't a bad idea I suppose, if you get the mannerisms right, since most people do henge into the same sex, that'll help obscure your real identity even if someone does see through it. But you're just a stand out sort of person. Misdirection. Visible, yet dismissed for all the wrong reasons, right?"

He nodded slowly.

Anko grinned, a light springing in her eyes. "Now, who's the most visible woman you know?" She cupped her breasts for effect.

"You." Easy answer. Anko delighted in her effect on others. "But scaring the hell out of people will attract the wrong kind of attention."

"Ah, but what did your little peeping sessions tell you about how pretty girls get treated?"

"Men are invariably nicer, hoping to seduce the woman, women tend to either be neutral or subtly hostile."

Anko nodded. "Subtly hostile, is that a problem in most situations?"

Naruto shook his head. "No, it seems pointless."

"Ah ah, you underestimate the importance of securing your place," she said, wagging a finger. "But never mind, that only applies if you're going to keep that place. Unless," she added, raising an eyebrow, "you're planning on becoming a girl permanently?"

Naruto shook his head. "No, I'm looking for an easy way to move through the village without drawing notice."

"That's just it!" she exclaimed. "Draw attention. Be sexy. Make the girls jealous and the guys drool. Any decent ninja will be suspicious if you suddenly start coming onto them, but so long as they think it's their idea, they're a lot easier to manipulate. And the girls? Feh. Most will be more jealous than suspicious, and their snide little insults don't mean anything."

Naruto's eyes unfocused as he though seriously, then he formed seals. "Henge!"

This time, Naruto looked a lot like the busty chunin who'd caught him peeping and threatened to cut his balls off. He looked at Anko expectantly.

She considered him for a moment. "Eh, not bad I suppose, for a general look. But you look familiar, I think I've seen someone…" She trailed off as he nodded. She shook her head. "Don't look like anyone else unless you're impersonating them specifically. Causes too many potential problems. Make it a bit shorter, add some hip. Change the hair color." She considered. "Leave the tits alone, those are some first class hooters."

Naruto dispelled the henge, then tried again. This time, there was something… off.

Anko winced. "Okay, you need to practice that. I see why you picked someone you'd seen before." She tapped her lip thoughtfully. "In fact, I think I have something better." She headed for her bedroom, and Naruto could hear rustling around in there. "I've been forbidden on pain of boring ass missions from teaching you my jutsu, but this one ain't mine."

Naruto watched with anticipation as she emerged, holding a dusty scroll case.

She handed it to him. "This is a scroll for hensou no jutsu, an ANBU infiltration technique. Henge is just a minor genjutsu, but hensou is a ninjutsu, harder to see through, since instead of using chakra to change how someone sees you, you change yourself to look a different way. You'll burn more chakra that way, but if you focus hard enough and use enough chakra, you can keep it from being dispelled."

Naruto's eyes lit up. Finally, something beyond academy level techniques. This would take some study to master, and he was excited by the prospect. "What are its limitations?"

Anko laughed at his excitement. "While it may feel pretty easy to maintain at first, you burn chakra pretty fast when you use it, so don't get stuck in a situation where you have to use it for a long time and then have to fight. Enemies love it when you try to fight with no chakra."

"What about maintaining it while unconscious or asleep?"

She gave him an appraising look. "Why, planning on sleeping with someone?"

He didn't rise to the bait. "No, but I can't predict every situation I'll end up in. One day I may have to sleep with a target to kill him at his most vulnerable time. And if getting knocked out while transformed dispels the jutsu, it'll be harder to maintain cover in a fight."

Anko shrugged, reminding herself that he was very, very hard to tease, and for a moment wondering why she put up with him. But then, most kids his age were inexperienced and insecure in all sorts of ways. Naruto was almost exactly like that damn Ibiki. Cold. Very cold. The first time Anko had killed, she'd been hot. Pumped on battle. Naruto had not only made his first kill three years younger than she had, he'd done it almost clinically, with only a faint hint of satisfaction to show that he did feel something.

"Well, that's a part of its weakness, really," she clarified. "If you keep putting chakra into it, it'll stay activated. And part of training is learning to keep putting chakra into it while you sleep. But while you sleep, or go unconscious, you'll just keep draining your chakra. And chakra exhaustion can kill you. So while it's great for infiltration, it's a really really good idea to drop it before you get into a fight."

Naruto nodded.

"Go for it. And let me have a look at you when you get it figured out."

Bowing low, Naruto thanked her and headed for home. Something new to learn, on a nice, easy to understand scroll. No more 'experience', this was actual instructions written down.

Oh, thank you Anko-san.


o/~


Ibiki wasn't the most fatherly of people, Iruka learned, but that didn't stop him from taking a certain amount of pride in the accomplishments of his accidental student. In fact, the story Ibiki told him brought a certain smile to the scarred man's lips, and a look of horror to Iruka.

He heard how a violent, failed genin had played on Naruto's naivety and spent three days using Naruto as his personal, breakable toy, before nearly killing him and burying him in the woods in a shallow grave.

But Naruto had been exceptional for a small child, and had not only managed to survive, he'd dug his way to freedom despite terrible wounds and found help. He spent several days in the hospital before the doctor allowed him to be interviewed. Despite his traumatic experience, he'd been calm and helpful, easily identifying the man.

And when the Hokage had passed the worst judgment down possible, Naruto had wanted to be there. Insisted. And somehow talked the Hokage into allowing him to be present for the man's death by torture.

Ibiki's eyes softened as he recalled the young boy falling asleep that first night from exhaustion, despite the screams, and how he'd covered him with his thick black coat and let him sleep on a couch in ANBU headquarters.

Iruka nearly gagged, and not because it was sweet or precious.

Ibiki recounted how Naruto had been extremely inquisitive, with literally hundreds of questions, but when each one was answered, he really listened. Had Iruka ever had a student who seemed to hang on every word he said, really seeming to absorb the material? Yes? It was a wonderful feeling, and Ibiki found himself sharing more of his trade than he'd ever done before. Before he knew it, Naruto was known throughout ANBU for his bravery, resistance to trauma, and fortitude in facing down the man who'd hurt him. Not everyone, even in a hard bitten organization like ANBU, approved, but some did, and all respected him for it.

What was more, besides just watching as Ibiki carried out the sentence, he'd even wanted to help. Offering suggestions, like some of the things that had been done to him. And even having his hand on the knife. It had actually been Naruto who had carefully cut the man's throat at the end. He'd had an audience, and some of them had clapped.

Iruka wanted to throw up. A six year old boy should never have had to see anything like that.

Ibiki put a hand on his shoulder in a comforting sort of way, though it was anything but.

The thing is, he'd said, when a child goes through an event like what had been forced on Naruto, the childhood is over. Most break, often so completely they can never recover. Even the ones who don't go irretrievably mad are changed by it. Naruto had identified with his attacker, the man with power. That was outside anyone's control, even Naruto's. What Ibiki had done was give him someone else to identify with, someone with even more power, the one thing the helpless Naruto had wanted above all things.

Iruka didn't want to listen to the madness, but Ibiki pressed on.

Naruto had two choices. He could either become a vicious, cold blooded killer, a menace to everyone around him, or he could become a vicious, cold blooded Konoha ninja, a useful member of Konoha's elite and completely loyal to his comrades.

Ibiki had helped him make his choice.

But that was just it! Naruto was not completely loyal to his comrades, because he had none. The boy had created and enforced a loneliness Iruka wasn't sure he could ever break. He had no friends, because he didn't understand what it meant to be a friend. All he understood was how to be a ninja, however well that might be. He ranted at some length. Underneath the goofy exterior, underneath the serious, cold eyed young man, there was a little boy so scared of being hurt he wouldn't trust anyone to break his loneliness.

And, when he'd finally ran down and stopped, breathing heavily and giving Ibiki the maddest, most accusing glare he'd ever given…

Ibiki had agreed. And hung his head.


o/~


Noodles. Broth. Pork. Vegetables. Ramen was a simple meal, and the girl went about preparing it with a gentle smile, carefully slicing the vegetables and adding them six minutes after the pork had come to a rolling boil, so they wouldn't get overdone before he added the noodles. Food was easy. Find a recipe, follow it. If only everything in life was so simple.

Naruto wasn't lazy, but he had a strong belief that everyone made things more complicated than they had to be.

Food. He liked food. Ramen had turned out to be pretty good. Iruka had treated him again, one day after school, and given him a new, very special homework assignment.

Be a friend to someone. Not to worry about having a friend in return, but be a friend to someone. If nothing else, fake it really well.

He hadn't been enthusiastic at first, but Iruka had added something to that.

"I talked it over with Ibiki-san. He feels that this is a good way for you to understand this lesson we've been trying to teach you."

Well hell, that wasn't fair. Naruto had allowed himself one brief internal gripe, then nodded. And ate his ramen. Ichiraku was pretty damned good. He'd even treated himself to a ramen tour of Konoha, kind of like Anko's dango tours, and he had to admit, Ichiraku was the best. He'd told the old man, too, and he seemed to appreciate it. Statement of fact, compliment, acceptance, genial relations.

Why couldn't he just be a friend to an adult? They were so much easier to deal with. It generally took less than thirty minutes as a pretty girl for someone to actually initiate conversation with him. And most of them weren't even hitting on him.

But noooooo… Iruka insisted that it had to be a classmate. Gah.

So far, it hadn't worked out to well. He apparently hadn't thought out all the ramifications of his cunning plan to disguise himself as an idiot for his classmates. None of them seemed to take him seriously now, and his, admittedly awkward, attempts to improve relations hadn't worked out so well. The Uchiha fangirl Sakura thought he was hitting on her, Chouji had just given him a puzzled look and not said anything, and Kiba had said something about not wanting the scent of loser rubbing off on him.

Note to self: the weakness of long term plans is that situations change.

Of course, he could always fail this little extracurricular assignment. Certainly the Uchiha boy didn't seem to suffer from his lack of friends.

But that would be too much like giving up. Naruto hadn't found anything he couldn't do, and this wasn't going to be the first.

At least the hensou no jutsu training was working out pretty well. His food budget suddenly stretched twice as far when he went shopping as a girl. And sometimes people just outright bought him meals.


o/~


"Even a sunny day looks like clouds when a pretty girl is frowning," the man told her out of nowhere.

Naruto, currently disguised as a teenage hime cut brown-haired girl in plain civilian clothes, looked askance at the muscular young man below her.

He'd been sitting on top of a low retaining wall, silently watching the people move about a town square. The man had made no effort to disguise his approach, so he'd been watching his approach, but his words weren't even in the ten top things he'd guessed he might say.

"What?"

"I said, 'You look down.' Would an apple help?" He was black haired and brown eyed, late teens, with substantial arm muscles but a loose stance. His hands were scarred and calloused, but looked more like a working man's hands than the type ninjas usually developed. His clothes were clean, but there was a faint smell of smoke and oil about him, which even a recent wash hadn't removed, though it had added a scent of orange oil over the top. As Naruto watched, he went through a short bit of elaborate hand motions before pulling out a red-green apple and offering it to her with a bow.

Naruto had watched him pull it out of a pouch. Either he was severely downplaying his skills to disguise his true capacities, or he was genuinely barely above a civilian.

"What's an apple supposed to do?" he asked, genuinely confused.

"Uh." He glanced at the apple, then at her, straightening up. "Well, it was supposed to make you smile." He seemed rather uncomfortable and unsure of himself, now that everything was off script.

"Was I frowning?" Naruto asked, himself as much as anyone else, then visibly screwed his face into a beaming smile. "Oh, sorry about that," he said, smiling back at the man. "It's just, uh-"

"Long day?" the man asked. "You don't have to smile if you don't feel like it, I was just trying to cheer you up." He slipped the apple back into a pocket.

"It's… yeah." The boy turned girl sighed and slumped, letting the smile fade. "Long day. Tricky problems." He paused, just too long for it to be comfortable, then gave the man a wan, rueful half smile that seemed much more genuine. "You?"

"Hard work, but straightforward, just how I like it," he replied, thumping his chest. "Endo Shigetomo. All my friends call me Getochi."

"Otsuka Nabiki," Naruto replied, hesitating as he debated calling the older man 'Endo-san'. "It's nice to meet you, Shigeto…chi?"

Instead of being insulted, Shigetomo laughed. "Shigetochi. I like that. I'll have to tell Arai."

"Ah, is Shigetochi a ninja?"

"Nah. Failed the academy. Book stuff ain't my strong point. My strong point is, well-" He flexed his arms. "I work at the Noguchi Forge, and got off a bit early today, so I thought it'd be nice to get a dinner I didn't have to make myself. And I saw you, and thought, well, maybe I can get a dinner I don't have to eat by myself, too, hey?" He offered his hand, the same one that had formerly held an apple.

With a little mental shrug to himself, Naruto slid down the short wall, taking the hand as he fell.

He needed to learn how to make friends, after all. And 'Shigetochi' had an easy going attitude and casual acceptance that genin Otsuka couldn't tell him much about herself, and much preferred to listen to him speak.

'This is surprisingly nice,' Naruto thought to himself as the older teen, already a working man and living on his own, took him out for a nice dinner and paid a lot of attention to him. Even if Naruto refused to elaborate much on what it was 'she' did, Shigetochi-kun genuinely seemed pleased to listen to her when she did, hesitantly, offer up words on a topic. The man also seemed to know a large number of people, many of which were delighted to meet her.

At the end of the night, he once again offered her the apple, which Naruto accepted with a real smile.

And even though, ultimately, they'd never see each other again, Naruto found himself genuinely happy at how the day had gone.

'Huh. So that's what it's like when people are nice to you,' Naruto thought. 'I certainly hope this doesn't awaken something in me.'

'Nah. I'm sure it'll be fine.'


Big Edit: I forgot to post the link to my patreon. I am dumb.

Nugar is creating Original Fantasy and/or Scifi, and occasional fan projects. | Patreon



AN: No one really read my original fiction, so I let it drop. I had some other projects anyway.

One, this one. Back in the day, People Lie had a decent following, but it was getting harder and harder for me to write. With popularity comes criticism, and criticism sometimes has entirely valid arguments. The story I was writing required tight plotting, foreshadowing, and character interactions that hint without giving it away. And there were a number of places that needed some work. So back then, I finally gave up, said I was going to do a rewrite, got started on it, got a new job in a new field, and by the time I had time to work on it again, Naruto was concluding in directions that I both liked and hated. So I moved on.

Well, I still loved these characters and this setting. I always wanted to come back. And so now I am. Here it is, the expanded, polished, (hopefully) better paced People Lie.

This is chapter one. The next two chapters are available on my patreon. I'm not committing to a posting schedule, but I will do my best to produce a chapter as often as possible.

About my patreon. I'm sick. Got some health issues post covid. (Yes I was fully vaxxed, but I was never the healthiest person.) Lost my job. (fuck) Seemingly plenty of time to write (yay), but sick enough I can't always do it. (fuckx2) Unemployment is taking forever to kick in. Discount medicare is taking forever to kick in. I am broke as fuck. And I am out of the expensive fancy insulin that works best on me. I am in a bind. Any support is appreciated, even if it's just a single month before you cancel. Hopefully the state bureaucracy will get its shit together within another month.

I have a new discord, tied into my patreon. Patreon supporters can tell me what to focus my efforts on, or even buy writing directly. So far, everyone wants People Lie, which is what I'm focusing on.

Other projects I have going are a Heavy Object inspired battletech AU, where a pair of ships missed The Exodus and end up mirroring the Clans/Wolfs Dragoon situation in miniature. Not yet ready to show anyone that one. Not an SI.

And an original inspired by the Magical Girl CYOA. First chapter is coming along nicely. Should be ready to send to patrons soon. PseudoSI, not really me, more like generic OC isekai except it's the same world. The story is actually about wealth disparity and the need for basic income for young women who regularly risk their lives to save humanity from the forces of evil. Also kind of a heist movie kind of story. It's fun.

No Promises, the old Game of Thrones SI thing, hasn't had any requests for it, but it's still available.

And if anyone cares, The Broken Lands is something I would still like to work on.