The inside of Tazuna's house was small, but warm, the air thick with the scent of wood, salt, and something vaguely herbal. The old bridge builder led them inside without much ceremony, muttering something about "bratty shinobi" before pointing toward a room for Kakashi.
Sasuke and Naruto half-dragged, half-dumped their unconscious sensei onto the futon, adjusting his limbs so he at least looked comfortable. Sakura fussed over him, checking his pulse, murmuring about chakra exhaustion, but Kakashi just lay there, utterly still.
Naruto nudged his foot. Nothing.
"Think he's dead?"
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "He's breathing, idiot."
Naruto hummed. "Happens sometimes."
Sakura glared at him. "What do you mean happens sometimes?"
Naruto just shrugged.
With Kakashi taken care of, they finally left the room, stepping back into the dimly lit hallway. The wooden floors creaked beneath their feet as they followed Tazuna into the main area of the house, where a woman—Tsunami, Tazuna's daughter—was already preparing food.
"Inari!" she called. "Come meet the ninja protecting Grandpa!"
A small boy with tanned skin and a scowl waddled into the room, giving Team 7 a slow once-over. He lingered on Sasuke and Naruto the longest before his scowl deepened.
"You're all gonna die," he announced.
Sakura gaped. "Excuse me?"
Inari folded his arms. "Gatō is too strong. You should just leave. You're wasting your time."
Sakura sputtered. "What kind of greeting—"
Sasuke just clicked his tongue and turned away, obviously uninterested in arguing with a child. Naruto, however, tilted his head at the boy, blinking slowly, before saying, "Okay."
Inari blinked. "What?"
Naruto yawned. "Okay."
"…Okay what?"
Naruto wandered over to the couch, flopping onto it. "Okay. We'll die."
Sakura threw her hands up. "Don't say that!"
Naruto ignored her, curling up slightly, tucking his arms in. His glowing blue eyes flickered once before slipping shut, his breathing already evening out.
There was a long, long silence.
Then—
"…Uh, Sasuke-kun," Sakura whispered. "Why is Naruto… sleeping on the couch like a cat?"
Sasuke didn't even look. "Don't ask."
Inari just stared at the boy, utterly perplexed.
Tsunami, however, smiled. "He must be tired. Let him rest."
Sakura pursed her lips but didn't argue.
Sasuke sat against the wall, arms crossed, settling in for a long night of brooding.
Naruto, meanwhile, simply dozed, utterly at ease, curled into himself like he was made for it. His chest rose and fell in a slow, steady rhythm, face peaceful, hair spilling messily over the cushions. He didn't snore. Didn't move. Just breathed, quiet and deep, as if he'd already tuned out the world.
Tsunami covered him with a light blanket before returning to the kitchen.
The night stretched on.
Sakura tried to keep her thoughts away from the battle earlier, from the eerie masked shinobi, from the way Kakashi had collapsed without a second thought.
Sasuke kept his eyes on the window, sharp and watchful, always waiting, always on guard.
Naruto just… slept.
And for once, the house was quiet.
—ToT—
The night air was crisp, cool against his skin as Naruto padded through the quiet yard, the faint rustling of leaves the only sound accompanying him. The sky above was an endless stretch of black, the moon a pale crescent, silver light draping over the house and surrounding trees like a thin veil. It was peaceful, the kind of silence he liked—where nothing was expected of him, where he wasn't bound to human conversation or strange social customs. Just the night and the whisper of the wind.
And the sudden, overwhelming urge to pee.
Naruto frowned, shifting uncomfortably where he stood. He didn't remember Tsunami mentioning where the bathroom was, and he wasn't about to wake someone up just to ask. He figured the bushes outside would do just fine. He'd been an animal for most of his lives—humans were the only ones who made a big deal about where to relieve themselves.
Padding toward a more secluded area, he unfastened his pants and—
A prickling sensation crept up his spine.
Naruto paused.
His senses flared.
A presence.
Subtle. Hidden. But not enough.
Someone was watching him.
Slowly, Naruto straightened, adjusting his clothing before turning his head, scanning the trees with eerily calm, glowing eyes. He stood still for a long moment, letting the silence settle, waiting to see if the person would move. They didn't. But they were there, just beyond the tree line, barely visible in the shadows.
A shinobi.
Naruto breathed in.
"Owl," he whispered.
Immediately, his vision sharpened, pupils expanding, eyes glowing faintly in the dark as his world became clearer, more detailed. The figure in the trees came into focus.
Small. Slender. A girl, maybe, although she smelt like a boy. The one who had "killed" Zabuza.
She was crouched on a thick branch, watching him. Studying him.
Naruto tilted his head slightly to the side, mirroring an owl's motion, blinking slow and deliberate.
The figure hesitated for a moment longer before vanishing into the darkness, gone as quickly as she'd appeared.
Naruto stayed where he was, staring at the empty space she'd occupied.
Then, with a soft huff, he turned back toward the house.
That was weird.
The next morning, Kakashi decided it was time for some actual training.
"If we're going to fight Zabuza again," he said, still looking half-asleep, "you're going to need better control over your chakra."
"Uh, sensei?" Sakura perked up. "Does this mean we're skipping D-ranks?"
Kakashi gave a lazy eye smile. "For now."
Sakura actually sighed in relief. Sasuke huffed. Naruto blinked.
"Alright," Kakashi continued, "today, we're working on chakra control. Specifically, tree climbing."
Naruto frowned. "I can already do that."
Kakashi gave him a look. "Not like this."
Then, with all the grace of a veteran shinobi, Kakashi walked up the side of a tree.
Naruto's frown deepened.
"Huh."
Sakura was watching with fascination, Sasuke looked interested, but Naruto remained expressionless, eyes tracking every step Kakashi took.
"This technique," Kakashi explained, coming to a stop upside-down on a branch, "is a fundamental exercise for controlling chakra. By focusing chakra into the soles of your feet, you can stick to surfaces and walk up vertical structures without using your hands. It requires precise control—too little, and you'll fall; too much, and you'll repel yourself."
He flipped off the branch and landed effortlessly before them, still radiating an aura of casual boredom.
"To practice, you'll need to run up the tree and mark the highest point you reach with a kunai before you fall. The goal is to reach the top without slipping."
Sakura nodded eagerly. Sasuke smirked. Naruto was still frowning slightly, as if mentally dissecting the technique.
"Alright," Kakashi said. "Go ahead and try."
Sakura took a steady breath, focused her chakra, and sprinted toward the tree. She ran up with perfect precision, marking her spot near the top before flipping off and landing gracefully.
Naruto blinked. "Huh."
Sasuke narrowed his eyes, determined, and launched himself at a tree. He made it about halfway before the bark cracked beneath his feet and he was forced to jump off, landing in a crouch. His jaw clenched.
Naruto observed.
Then, after a pause, he stepped up to his own tree.
Lifted a foot.
And walked straight up to the top.
Effortlessly.
Silence.
Sakura gawked. Sasuke stiffened. Kakashi sighed.
Naruto, still standing upside-down on the highest branch, looked down at them blankly. "…Was that not it?"
"…No, Naruto," Kakashi said dryly. "You were supposed to practice."
Naruto tilted his head. "This is practice."
Kakashi pinched the bridge of his nose.
Sasuke scowled, clearly irritated. "How did you do that so fast?"
Naruto blinked at him. "I dunno. Just did."
Sakura muttered something under her breath, rubbing her temple.
Kakashi exhaled slowly. "Alright, Naruto. Since you're ahead of the lesson plan, you get to work on the next step."
Naruto perked up. "Next step?"
"While your teammates train, you're going to practice keeping your balance in different positions. Walking, running, jumping—anything to make it more difficult."
Naruto considered that. Then, without hesitation, he flipped upside-down, hanging off the branch by his feet.
Sakura sighed.
Sasuke stabbed a kunai into the tree and muttered something about "damn freaks."
Training continued.
Sasuke kept struggling but progressed.
Sakura had already mastered it and was now watching Sasuke critically, sometimes giving unsolicited advice, which only made him more irritated.
Naruto, meanwhile, had stopped walking normally altogether and was now crawling up trees like a spider, occasionally jumping from branch to branch in odd, animalistic movements.
Kakashi, watching all this, just sighed again.
What an interesting team.
—ToT—
Naruto walked beside Tazuna, eyes scanning the streets with quiet observation.
Wave Country was… poor.
It wasn't like Konoha. No bright shops, no bustling crowds, no lively chatter of people moving about their day. Instead, there were hollow-eyed men slumped against buildings, dirty children in ragged clothes sitting in the shadows, thin hands clutching their knees. The streets smelled of salt and rot, the air heavy with the kind of silence that only came from a people who had lost too much. The shops they passed were nearly empty, shelves dusty, stocked with only the bare minimum. A single potato sat on display at one vendor's stand. 30 ryō.
Naruto blinked. That was robbery.
Tazuna sighed. "Now you see it, huh?" His voice was gruff, but there was something tired in it, something old and resigned. "This is what Gatō has done to us."
Naruto said nothing, listening.
Tazuna took a swig from his bottle, wiping his mouth on the back of his sleeve. "He came in a few years back, smiling like a businessman, promising 'development' and 'prosperity' and all that nonsense. Then he bought out all the shipping businesses, took control of trade, and jacked up the prices of everything. The rich got richer, the poor got poorer, and anyone who tried to stand against him—" He made a slicing motion across his throat.
Naruto glanced at the people around them, their downcast eyes, their slumped shoulders. The weight of oppression was visible in the way they moved, the way they barely acknowledged each other. A community that had given up.
Humans were so greedy. Always taking, always dirty. But shinobi? Shinobi were worse.
And then it happened.
A scream. A yelp. A little girl, no older than seven or eight, yanked off her feet by a burly man with a greasy ponytail and yellowed teeth.
"C'mon now, brat," the man sneered, dragging her forward despite her struggles. "Boss says we need some fresh faces. You'll make good entertainment."
No one moved.
No one interfered.
The market continued as if nothing was happening. Vendors averted their gazes. Bystanders shuffled away. The little girl thrashed, but she was too small, too weak.
Naruto stared, something deep and quiet settling in his stomach.
Should I help?
What if he attacks me?
The thought crossed his mind, an old instinct from lifetimes past. Fear. Prey animals never interfered in a predator's hunt, because that meant drawing attention to yourself. That meant getting killed next.
But he wasn't prey anymore.
He walked forward.
The man barely glanced at him. "Piss off, brat."
Naruto tilted his head. "Why do you want her for entertainment?" His voice was calm, almost curious. "I thought humans had TV. Or books. Or music."
The man blinked, then scowled. "What the hell is wrong with you? Get lost before I—"
Then he paused, finally getting a good look at Naruto. At his blank expression. At his glowing sapphire eyes.
"…The hell's up with your eyes?"
Naruto blinked. The little girl looked at him, desperate, pleading.
The man turned, dragging her again.
Naruto grabbed his wrist.
"Hey!" The man jerked, but Naruto's grip didn't budge. "I said fuck off, you little—"
Crack.
A scream tore through the market as the man collapsed, clutching his arm, bones jutting out at a grotesque angle. He convulsed on the ground, mouth open in a silent wail, body twitching uncontrollably.
The street froze.
Some gasped in horror. Others… smirked. Satisfied.
Naruto simply let go, watching as the man spasmed, his eyes rolling back. Then, after a moment, he stopped moving.
Naruto turned back to Tazuna, expression unreadable. "Tsunami said she needed garlic. Let's go."
Tazuna stared at him.
Then, slowly, he took another swig of his liquor.
"…Yeah," he muttered, exhaling. "Let's go."
And just like that, they walked away.
—ToT—
Dinner at Tazuna's house was quiet at first. The only sounds were the clinking of chopsticks against bowls and the occasional slurp of soup. The food wasn't much, but it was warm, filling, and better than anything Naruto had eaten in a long time.
Tsunami had been generous, cooking as much as she could manage for the team, and even though it was just rice, fish, and miso soup, Naruto ate without complaint. He never complained about food. He never wasted food.
Across the table, Inari sat with his arms crossed, scowling. The boy had been glaring at them ever since they arrived, and it was getting a little old.
"You guys are idiots," Inari finally muttered, breaking the silence.
Sakura blinked. "What?"
"You think you can beat Gatō?" Inari scoffed, voice thick with bitterness. "You're just a bunch of dumb ninja from some big village who don't know how things work here. Gatō will kill you. He'll kill all of you, just like he killed my dad. No one can stand up to him."
Sasuke ignored him. Sakura frowned. Kakashi, still recovering from chakra exhaustion, barely looked up from his food.
Naruto didn't listen.
Or rather, he heard, but it wasn't important.
Instead, he focused on eating, scooping another bite of rice into his mouth.
Then Inari moved.
A sharp push.
Naruto's bowl tipped over, spilling rice onto the floor.
The room went silent.
Sakura gasped. Tsunami looked horrified. Tazuna groaned, rubbing his forehead like he had a headache. Even Sasuke paused, watching with mild interest.
Inari huffed, arms crossed again. "Just go home before you die."
Naruto stared at the fallen rice.
It wasn't that there wasn't more food. Tsunami would gladly serve seconds.
But Naruto had been an orphan since birth. He had lived alone, scrounging for meals, sometimes going days without eating. And before that, in the countless lives he could remember, he had been an animal. A creature that knew hunger, that knew what it was like to starve, to fight for every scrap of food.
Food was never wasted.
So, without a word, Naruto got off his chair, sat cross-legged on the dirty wooden floor, and picked up his chopsticks.
Then, shocking everyone, he started eating the rice off the ground.
Tsunami gasped. "Naruto, you don't have to—"
"You should eat your food too," Naruto said simply, chewing. "It's getting cold."
No one knew what to say.
Sakura's mouth opened and closed, her face twisted in a mix of secondhand embarrassment and something else, something she didn't quite understand.
Sasuke stared, chopsticks frozen mid-air.
Kakashi, ever unreadable, only raised an eyebrow.
Inari gawked.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" the boy muttered.
Naruto blinked, chewing slowly. He swallowed, looking at Inari with his usual blank expression. "I'm eating."
"Off the floor."
"Yeah."
"...Why?"
Naruto glanced at the rice in his chopsticks. "Because it's food."
Silence.
Tsunami looked near tears. "You don't have to do that, dear. I can get you more—"
Naruto shook his head. "This is fine."
More silence.
Inari's scowl deepened. His jaw clenched, and for a second, it almost looked like he wanted to cry. Then, with a frustrated growl, he shoved away from the table and stormed out.
The room stayed quiet long after he was gone.
Sakura finally broke the silence. "You're so different, Naruto."
Naruto just kept eating.
TBC