Chapter 5: Meetings
“Naruto, go meet my dad.” Tatsuki commanded, not leaving any room for negotiation. They were at the treehouse and she asked during their mid-afternoon session. He was doing pushups while reading the year one textbook The Art of War with Tatsuki on his back counting his pushups for him.
His arms wilted and they plummeted into the ground. He rolled Tatsuki off of him and screamed, “What!?”
She laid where she was, staring at the sky. After a few moments, she said, “My dad knows, I’m hanging out with someone who isn't Dina. She is pretty much my only friend and he wanted to know who was I hanging out with now. I tried to avoid telling him that my new friend is a male but mom could tell. Now he is demanding for me to bring you to him or I won't be able to go and visit you anymore. I didn’t know what to do so I said yes.”
He stared at his swordbearing friend then replied, “Okay. Let me get ready for the trip.”
She instantly sat up and exclaimed, “Really!? You would?”
He nodded his head. “Just give me an hour and tell me where you live.”
She hugged him then told him the exact address. After she reconfirmed that he was coming the third time did she leave the forest and ran back home to tell her parents, She never noticed the fear that overcame Naruto’s face the moment she turned her back or him rubbing an old scar on his shoulders.
Some scars arent on the skin. For Naruto, the fear of the days before he was adopted by Ki and Dr. Ina was facing him.
This shown when he was standing in front of the Arisawa residence an hour later. He was scratching at old aching scars that use to trace his chest and he was drenched in sweat. He whispered sweet blessings to his parents for teaching him how to make water and weather resistant dye from natural plants. Elsewise, he would be covered in the brown dye. He went extra steps by dyeing his eyelashes and grooming his hair into a respectable style. Then searched through his stolen loot and is wearing the most common outfit a young boy can be seen wearing in the village.
He observed the tall wooden door with hesitation. His right hand shaking as he reached to knock on the door. He barely let his knuckles touch the door and created a weak knock. It sounded so loud to him that he jumped then retracted his hand.
Shortly afterward a young woman swung open the door and greeted him with full smiles. “Hello. I am guessing you are Mito Ina. Welcome, we have been waiting for you. I am Risa Misaki”
He gave her a blank stare then frantically bowed to her. “H-Hello. Misaki-Oba-san. I am Mito Ina and I appreciate your kindness.”
Risa blinked at his awkwardness but wrote it off as a stage of his youth. She led him through the weapon shop then up the stairs into the common area. It was simple with a round table, a few family games, and books on the walls. The kitchen was nearby but he could not see it. He was focused on the hulking man sitting on the largest chair around the table.
T man was handsome with a rough look. His hair was unkempt and Naruto could not see half his face due to a thick brown beard. His arms were almost the same size as Naruto’s torso and his shoulders were wide enough to carry four average men with room to spare. The disguised blond didn't want to fathom how tall he is as he was almost twice as tall as Tatsuki; that's when he is sitting down.
The man noticed them walk in and his eyes were trained on him. He stood up, confirming Naruto’s fear that the man was extremely tall. His head almost touched the ceiling and when he greeted Naruto he had to kneel to even look down at him without hurting his neck.
The man smiled genuinely. “Hello, Ina-san. I am Toro Misaki.” He reached out to the child.
Naruto resolve wavered but he slides his much smaller hand into the more worn one. “H-Hello Misaki-Oji-san. I am Mito Ina, a friend of Tatsuki.” He added, hoping it would convince the man to be nicer to him.
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Toro chuckled, scaring the skin off of Naruto. “I already know. I would not let anyone in our house if we didn't consider them a friend.” He released Naruto’s hand and stood up. “Taka, Tenshi come down. Mito is here.”
Shortly afterward, two girls ran around the corner and one immediately jumped and hugged afterwardNaruto. He froze for a moment then wrapped his arms around the similar scent of iron and oil.
Tatsuki pulled back and exclaimed, “You actually came! I know you don't like being around new people.”
He gave her a weak smile. “You are my friend. I will do anything to make sure we stay friends forever.”
She jovially punched his shoulder then dragged him to the table and sat him down. Then she pointed the other young girl in the room. She had twin buns and was looking at Naruto with an interested gaze. Tatsuki said, “She is Tenten Misaki. She is adopted like me and we both live with Okaa-san and Tou-san. They teach us how to use weapons like kunai and swords and how to blacksmith.”
Naruto smiled at his excited friend. “That reminds me of my family.”
Kisa jumped at the opportunity and said, “Oh? Tell us more about them.”
He flinched at the probing reply, something they both noticed. “Um. I am adopted by two women. One is a researcher who studies chakra and invents things that can improve how ninjas fight while the other is an explorer. She is awesome at understanding nature and taught me everything I know about tracking and fighting.”
Toro stroked his beard while trying to think of which people is he talking about. Kisa noticed his slight glances and continued with her probing. “Who are they? I can't think of many people like that in the village.”
Naruto, gaining some confidence, nodded. “Un. Hokage-Sama made their identities classified information. I have to ask Hokage-Sama if it is alright to tell you because they are wanted by a few villages. I don't know if they are in the bingo book though.” He noticed the strange looks they gave him so he explained, “I know about the bingo books through my family.”
Tatsuki leaned in and asked, “What is the bingo book?”
Before her parents could reply, Naruto answered, “It’s a book listing really famous ninja. A lot of the time other villages don't like these ninjas for their skills and list them in the book. They will pay people to either kill the ninja or bring them back to their village. That’s why it’s so amazing and bad to be listed in the bingo book.”
He could see a bit of fear in Tatsuki eyes so he added, “Most of the Kages, including the Fourth Hokage, the Seven Swordsmen, and thousands of others are in the book. Some people do search them out but most ninjas don’t They use the book to gauge their opponents' strength. It’s like knowing how strong your tools are but knowing someone can use them better. This way they have some idea on how to fight them.”
The fear in her eyes dissipated and she regained some of her courage. “Oh, I understand. Thank you Kogane.”
He smiled at her. “No problem Taka-chan.”
Her father frowned at their interaction but did not intrude. His wife, however, cut into their little bonding moment. “How did you meet little Taka?”
Tatsuki answered while frowning, “We met in a park. He was playing lone and Dina greeted him first. We got along then started running around in the forests. He is really cool with jumping from trees.”
He puffed his chest and bellowed, “You were even cooler than me. You used your sword to cut through some bushes. I’m sure that you are going to slice through trees soon!”
She slammed her hand on his shoulder. “I’m planning to treat metal and weapons like paper.”
Toro patted his daughters' shoulder, earning their attention and led both of them away from earshot. Before Naruto could react, Kisa slid into his view and leaned forward where their noses almost touched. She stayed there for a moment then wiped off a sliver of makeup off his cheeks, revealing two thin lines.
She held his cheek and smiled at him. “Hello, Naruto.” She almost whispered. “It’s good to see you again. When you laugh your cheeks cracked and I knew it was you.”
He shook, fear filling his veins even when her kind eyes rest on him. She continued, “I won’t ask what happened, just know this your home too.” She kissed his head then left to join her children.
He sat there in total fear of the situation, confused and frightened. His identity is exposed to a family he doesn't know.
Kisa head appeared and she said, “Come. Taka-chan is calling for you.”
He hesitant stood up and looked out into the full moon. When he gazed at the moon, he felt some comfort in the silver sphere.
On the other side of the village, a young woman turned away from the moon and stared at another woman. They stared at each other for a moment, their eyes full of a mixture of emotions before hugging each other for the first time.
“Hello K.I..” Dr. Ina held back a sob while gripping her best friend and soulmate. K.I. didn't say anything but her grip on the doctor tightened.
They stayed together and continued to sit together in silence. Despite being fused together for years, leaving each other for a moment seemed like a lifetime. Their differences yet similarities reflected and blended into a new, stronger relationship. However, it made Kia future action much harder.
When the sun began to rise, she handing K.I. a box with a visible aura of residue around it. They shared a forlorn hug and goodbye. Then K.I. slipped into the forest, disappearing into the thick forest line.
Kia watched as her lover faded into the backdrop then picked up a picture of her and Naruto. She thought, ‘The more we can do, the stronger you can be.’
“But why do I feel so alone.”