“Naruto, please tell me what happened.” Tatsuki begged as she leaned over a curled human form. A blanket was hiding it was the usually excitable blond but the only thing showing it was his was a pair of dirty blue boots next to him. She has been standing by his side for three hours, trying to convince the child to talk to her.
After the meeting, she watched as he stumbled away from her household. She tried to talk to him but her parents kept her back and told her that he was overwhelmed by the sudden visit. The next day her father suddenly needed extra hands on a project and continuously told her how seals work. When she was about to sneak away, her mother caught her and need her help in polishing all the weapons in the shop.
It took her a week to successfully escaped from her home. She immediately ran to Akimichi clan compound and used one of Dina’s many snack bunkers to sneak into an eastern forest. She ran through the foliage and snuck pass a few genin teams. After running for an hour she drove into a river and swam for two more hours. She wished she was a ninja and could jump through the trees during her eight-hour-long trek to the hideout.
When she finally reached the treehouse, she had to slice rotten wooden boards off the entrance and move three bags of random goods to find the blond curled up with a cover over him.
She was trying to figure out what happened after her father lead her and Tenten out when the bundle turned and sadden baby blue eyes stared back at her.
“Naruto!” She exclaimed while clutching her blond companion.
He reached out and hugged her, the smell of ramen and sunflowers enveloping her senses. She returned the hug and nuzzled her head into his wild hair.
He pulled back, muttering, “I messed up.”
Tatsuki tapped her sword handle. “What do you mean?”
Naruto reached pass her and rummaged through a worn bag nearby. After a few minutes, he pulled out a headband with the Alchemist symbol etched on it. He handed it to her, observing how careful she was with handling his prised possession.
She traced the circuits with a confused expression. “You are from another village?”
He chuckled, making her even more confused. “No. I’m from a clan that has a rough alliance with Konohagakure. I can’t disclose my identity or my clan to others not directly involved with the alliance but your parents figure out who I was when I met them.” He covered the head with the cover. “They aren't supposed to know.”
“Naruto-kun, you have me and others to help you.” An amused voice rang next to his ears. When he turned around, he saw a familiar gazelle mask with warm brown eyes staring at him.
“Gazeru!” He exclaimed while jumping into the woman’s arms. The purple-haired Anbu agent ruffled his hair in response to his greeting.
Tatsuki turned back to check the door hole to find any sign of her entry but she didn't find anything. She turned to the ninja playing with the smaller blond. “Excuse me Gazeru-san. How did you come in without us knowing? Actually, how did you find this place?”
“I’m a member of the Anbu. The Anbu is a collection of the best ninjas in the village, working directly under the hokage to protect everyone from threats that Jonin would have problems with. You and Naruto have not learned basic sensory skills or gained the ability to sense presences. I and others can easily sneak into this shack.” She explained, capturing the curiosity of the black-haired girl.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
She continued, “As for me finding where Naruto lives wasn’t hard. I tracked you, Naruto and the Akimichi heir here a few weeks ago. I am late because covering your tracks here was tedious. Your parents lost you at the first river and I made sure they could not find additional clues.”
Tatsuki flinched then looked away from the official ninja. From the corner of her eye, she could see Naruto reaching into his bag and pulled out a mysterious cube. Both of the females in the room watched as he poked at the cube, sending reiatsu into one of his fingers to make sure he doesn't overload the device. After all the ruins in the cube were glowing blue and orange, he pressed a deep groove in the side. The cube crumbled, transforming into a strange gauntlet on his forearm and above his hand was a small glowing orb.
The blond notice their reactions and explained, “This is a creation of my mother Dr. Ina. It’s a storage device that turns off when there isn't enough chakra powering it. The glowing orb is about 30 seals made from my chakra with a separate seal array that makes it bright to allies and blinding to enemies. This was to prevent people from copying the storage seals. We tried to make it invisible or something that would not draw attention but pulling out a cube was too flashy already.”
He twisted his arm, allowing them to see the extra seals and decorations on the gauntlet. “Mom decided to turn the flashy nature of the cube into a perk. I can’t use it in active combat but it can absorb chakra foreign, deflect most weapons, have full mobility, and cannot break in a traditional sense. However, it prevents me from performing two-handed jutsus and it very distracting. It’s the first time I used it but I made this with her so I know it’s in and outs.”
He tossed the floating orb towards a pile of disregarded items. The pile disappeared the moment the orb connected with it; the orb momentum did not stop and it continued to store more of the clutter. The Alchemist flicked his finger, sending a thin string of physical energy to wrap around the orb and store it in the gauntlet.
He looked at the invention then turned it back into its cube form. “This also has a dormant form where it works like a regular storage scroll but I don't have the ability to send the orb where I want. If I can edit the seals just right, I could dull the light or change it to a dark color then I could steal important items from a distance. You have seen it in a dormant state, Taka-chan.”
Gazeru scratched her cheek under the mask, muttered, “Now I understand why Hokage-sama wants to make sure you and your family stay hidden.”
He laughed, “That’s just one thing. I can make my own and I brought like five other things from home.” He paused for a moment then deflated, “Too bad I don't have a place to make some more.”
She ruffled his hair and handed him a small bag. “This is half of my savings. Count it then choose a building you like to buy and put it under my name. I expect some discounts when I come to buy from you.”
He opened the bag and gawked at the glimmering gold coins shining back on him. “E-each coin is 500,000 Ryo! Are you sure you want me to use this?”
She nodded her head. “Of course. Make sure you choose a nice place. Hokage-sama is giving me two days off to spend time with you.” She crossed her arms and looked up at the roof in thought. “She said it was to protect you from enemies but I think it is her way of telling me to train you.”
He jumped off the bed and yelled, “Awesome! I’m going to choose the best building ever!”
She patted his head one more time. “I’ll deal with the Misaki family.” Then she disappeared in a whirl of leaves.
He turned to Tatsuki who was staring at him with a thoughtful expression. His excitement turned into dread as he looked at his best friend. He sucked in a cold breath then said, “I guess this the moment where we aren’t friends.”
The black-haired girl blinked then laughed, “No way Naru! I’m just thinking about what an awesome sword you are going to make me.”
He froze then blurted, “What?”
She grabbed his shoulders and shook him. “This means you can buy the best building ever! We can have a lot of rooms, a secret entrance, an actual kitchen, and other stuff!” She slapped her forehead. “Training you will be even easier if we buy a house with a huge room.” She tugged on his arm, dragging him out of the treehouse.
He stuttered, “Y-you aren’t going to l-leave me?”
She tilted her head and declared, “It’s going to take a lot to get you away from me.” She patted her sword. “A swordswoman always protects their charge.”
He froze and was easily dragged house shopping.