Naruko

'She Kicks Ass'

She was humming happily as she exited the Examination Room, the Hitai-ate securely wrapped around her forehead. She was finally Genin! YEAH! After 4 horrible, horrible years of slavering in the academy, she was finally, finally Genin! And to make things better, Iruka-sensei was treating her to ramen again! Wheeeeepeeeeeeee!

Her hands were positioned behind her head as she locked them against each other. She was walking casually towards the exit, the huge grin never leaving her face, when she caught sight of Uchiha Sasuke.

He was walking normally (this meant he was walking in his usual arrogant, bastard-like way), and Naruko could make out the tied knot from the back of his head. ‘Heh, figures’ she thought, ‘Bastard has to graduate before I do.’

Her mood soured a little, but she decided to ignore it for a moment, opting to bask in her euphoria. She hummed softly...

… While Uchiha Sasuke stiffened, and Naruko remained blissfully unaware.

He ignored her, and quickened his pace.

Stop it with the humming already! He mentally screamed. It really annoyed him: having to hear something that was related to his pain... He mentally scoffed as he pushed the double doors of the academy open, If only they could hear me now... squirming at hearing a freaking tune...

The first things to greet his ears when he exited the building were laughter and gushing. Sasuke watched silently (and while he will never admit it, hurtfully) at the gathered crowd before him. They consisted of people of different ages, but one thing was clear to him: they were all groups of family. He gritted his teeth and walked away, all the while ignoring the yells and shrieks of the girls who noticed him.

Where was he?

Naruko tapped the counter with a bored look on her face.

She huffed and inclined her head to look at the clock.

Didn’t he tell her to meet her there at 6? Well, the bowl of ramen hanging on the wall says that it’s already 6:23, and ramen never, ever lies.

“Why don’t you order something while you wait, Naruko?” the old man (and simultaneously the owner of the stand) asked patiently. He had noticed how happy she had been when she entered the little stand, and he was also quite elated to know that Naruko had made such a huge accomplishment. He smiled warmly at her when she looked up at him, and the hitai-ate she wore around her forehead glinted slightly, “Haha! I could have gone blind from your shiny thingamajig there, Naruko-chan…” He saw the look on her face, and he laughed, “Sorry, sorry… Naruko.”

“Heh! It’s a good thing you did that, Oji-san! No one ever calls Naruko with a stupid suffix! No one! You hear? Ha! And this-!” she gestured haughtily at her Forehead Protector, “Is not just any thingamajig! It’s the thingamajig! It’s the one, the only! HITAI-ATE NINJA WEAR! Hehe!”

Ichiraku Teuchi laughed as he leaned over to ruffle her hair, “I get it. Anyway-” he was interrupted when a panic-stricken voice called Naruko's attention.

“Naruko!”

Umino Iruka burst in the restaurant, looking out of breath and absolutely haggard, “I’m sorry, Naruko, but Hokage-sama calls! I’ll make up for it later, okay?”

And with that, he vanished as he jumped high into the air.

There was complete silence as Naruko gaped at the spot where her sensei had just been standing. Her brain was ever-slowly comprehending what he just said… aaaaaaaand…

“NO WAY! COME BACK HERE, IRUKA-SENSEI!”

No one, and I mean no one, crosses Uzumaki Naruko when she just graduated! It’s like… like… skipping out on 4 years of her life! I mean, why the heck did she enroll in that stupid academy, anyway? It was 4 years! 4 YEARS! 4 freaking years of bearing the Geisha classes, the STOOOOPID Kunai Throwing exercises (with paper! PAPER!), Taijutsu Form Memorization, Hand-Seal Practice, and all of the studying!

“AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH I’LL GET YOU FOR THIS, IRUKA-SENSEI!”

And she promptly jumped back after him, her Chakra-powered legs tripling her speed.

Teuchi Ichiraku could only sigh and shake his head. He scoffed lightly as he said, “Women and their stupid ‘never-miss-out-on-an-important-event’ rule, bah!”

His daughter Ayame had then proceeded to make the strainer she was holding (full of noodles and all) into a nice, steaming-hot cap.

Umino Iruka was leaping from tree to tree as he mulled over what the Hokage had ordered a dozen Chuunin ranked shinobi to do. Even a full 2 hours later, he was still in shock… and slightly numb.

He couldn’t believe it. It was just… so incomprehensible.

Mizuki had been his friend ever since they were little: they were classmates in the academy, they became Genin together… became Chuunin together… they were just plain always together! And to think that he would… he would…

Iruka shook the thoughts out of his head as he stared intently at the branches before him.

Mizuki had played him the fool for years. He found it so hard to believe and yet… If it wasn’t true, then he wouldn’t be looking for that traitorous Mizuki in the first place. He’d be with Naruko, volunteering his wallet for homicide.

He had to find that bastard… TRAITOR! The safety of the village weighed on it…

With renewed vigour, Iruka increased his pace… oblivious to the white and orange wearing, newly promoted Genin trailing after him with murderous intent.

His main target would probably try to make the beeline for it in the outskirts of Konoha. Well, as a proud and loyal (don’t forget loyal!) Chuunin of Konohagakure, it would be an honor to be able to apprehend such a potent threat to his beloved home. Even if Mizuki had been his friend, comrade, team mate for years… what he just did was unacceptable!

There was a brief sound of what seemed to be a huge pile of paper, clothes and…

THERE!

A large fuuma shuriken had whizzed past him, and Iruka barely dodged the projectile as he swerved to the right. He slammed into the side of a huge tree as Mizuki appeared behind another tree a few feet away.

Naruko’s breath hitched as she saw the (very) large shuriken nearly hit her beloved teacher. Her eyes widened at the sight… What the heck was happening?

Maniacal laughter filled the clearing, “Iruka! Why if it isn’t my bestest friend!”

“Mizuki! What are you doing?”

Mizuki sneered as he stared disdainfully at the bruised Iruka, “You’re just like the rest of those fools, Iruka! In fact, you were a fool from the start! Can’t you see I’ve been using you? You’re weak! Weak! But I’m not like you…”

Iruka had already started to get up when Mizuki threw several kunai at him, pinning him to the tree, “I’m not an idiot like you are! This village is useless, always have been! And I’m going to leave it with this prized possession!”

"You've gone senile! What good would it do if-"

But Mizuki had already started rambling, "I was supposed to kill that Demon brat, too. Hehehe," he had this strange gleam in his eye when he looked at Iruka, Naruko noticed: the traitor had truly cracked. "She was supposed to die tonight! And I'd have left this village as a HERO! HAHAHA! But, no. She had to graduate! Konoha has truly fallen! ALLOWING A DEMON OF ALL THINGS, TO GRADUATE! LET ALONE EVEN GIVING HER PERMISSION TO STEP FOOT IN THE ACADEMY!"

"SHUT UP, MIZUKI! NARUKO ISN'T THE DEMON!"

There was a sudden, harsh-sounding gasp as Naruko staggered out of her hiding place, her eyes brimming with tears. She leaned against a tree for support as Iruka sharply turned his head towards her.

Mizuki didn't even bother hiding his glee, "Well, if it isn't the demon! Hello there, KYUUBI!"

Silence greeted him. Naruko was looking at her sensei... the one who had lied to her, deceived her all along, "Iruka-sensei... what's going on..?"

"Na-Naruko? What are you doing here? RUN!"

Naruko hadn't heard him, the sound of Iruka's strained voice, yelling out those 7 words were still ringing in her ears: "SHUT UP, MIZUKI! NARUKO ISN'T THE DEMON!"

"What is he... talking about?"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. You haven't been a good student at all, Naruko!"

She looked at him with fear in her eyes, and Iruka could only rebel weakly from his position, "SHUT UP, MIZUKI!"

"12 years ago, the Sandaime issued a decree, a law that everyone knows about... except you, Naruko." His lips were slowly inching upwards, the grin threatening to split his face in half. Naruko stared in confusion, "What law? And why... why can't I know about it?"

"DON'T LISTEN TO HIM, NARUKO!"

"Because the law was about you, Naruko... Do you want to know about this law, hm?" "SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!" Iruka yelled as he squirmed desperately against the kunai.

"The law is about Uzumaki Naruko..."

What is he...? Why me? What's going on?!

"NO! NO! MIZUKI!"

"...and how she is truly the NINE TAILED DEMON FOX!"

It all clicked.

"NARUKO!"

Shocked blue eyes stared indignantly at Mizuki, "No... It- it can't be..." her knees felt week, and she finally buckled when he started to laugh. "HAHAHAHA! Don't you get it!? Haven't you ever wondered, Naruko, h everyone glared at you... hated you... abused you?" He laughed, "It makes sense, doesn't it?! NO ONE WOULD EVER ACCEPT A DEMON! EVEN IRUKA HATES YOU!"

She turned her head slowly to look at her trapped teacher. She wasn't able to register the tears in his eyes, wasn't able to register his desperate attempts to protect her because all she could feel and hear were her pain, and Mizuki's cruel laughter.

"Is it true... Iruka-sensei..?"

Mizuki stared maliciously at the blonde as he stealthily unclasped his Fuuma Shuriken. 'I will be known as a HERO!' "DIE! DEMON!"

Naruko heard those words. And, as if in slow motion, she closed her eyes, slowly accepting the fact that she was about to die. It didn't matter. No one cared. Everything she's ever worked so hard for will never be realized... she will be alone, like she always has.

After all, she was a demon...

'This is it. The world will go on without ever knowing I ever existed.'

"NARUKO!"

She was roughly pushed aside, and the sound of pierced flesh greeted her ears.

Time resumed, and Naruko found herself staring at a tearful Iruka. "You..." he started as blood dripped from his mouth, "You were... always alone, right?" Iruka was already crying, and Naruko didn't know what to think... she was just so confused! "You were lonely... I understand, Naruko. You were lonely..."

"I know what it feels like to have... no one there to cheer you on. And when my parents died I... I realized that no one else really cared about me. So I... I made pranks just so people will acknowledge me... and my existence," his tears fell on her whiskered cheeks, and she remembered: "EVEN IRUKA HATES YOU!"

Was it a trick? Is Iruka-sensei really that good of a ninja to be able to act so flawlessly like that? Or did he truly... She looked at him with fear and confusion before she inched away from him... and ran.

"Naruko! Wait! Please..."

"Hahahahaha! You see, IRUKA?! She leaves you here like the demon she is!" Mizuki jumped down from the tree and roughly kicked the brown haired Chuunin to the side, "Now, to make my farewell truly memorable," he turned his back on him and faced the area where Naruko had disappeared to, "I'll go hunt myself a demon!"

"Mizuki! No!"

She couldn't see anything in front of her, couldn't even feel the tingling sensation of chakra coursing through her veins. There was only pain and tears as she blindly ran. She didn't care where she was going, all that was in her mind was turmoil... and the revelation of what she truly was.

She was a demon.

Demon

Demon.

Demon.

Demon.

It explained it all: the glares, the hatred, the loneliness...

She was a monster, a murderer. She was the shame of Konoha, and she brought despair and pain to all the people of Konoha... of the people in her village.

How could she?

How could she do that? What was she thinking when she attacked, anyway? And what..? why..? who..? how...?

She stopped suddenly and dropped to her knees. She leaned her back against the trunk of a tree and cried silent sobs that raked her body. She shook and despaired, and asked and pleaded, why? why? why? WHY!?

Then, through the haze of hurt she was in, she heard voices: "FOOL! HOW DARE YOU COME IN BETWEEN ME AND MY PRIZE!"

"The only prize you will ever get, Mizuki, is death!"

"And to think I would be doing the village a favor by eliminating the demon!"

"YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT HER, MIZUKI!"

"Oh?" he asked. His tone was sly and knowing, and Naruko could have sworn he heard the arrogance in his voice, "Then how do you explain what she did, Iruka? How do you explain her running away!? IT IS JUST LIKE THE DEMON TO DO THAT!" he laughed and Naruko cringed. There was just something so wrong with the way he cackled.

There was silence for a moment, and then, "You're right."

Shock. Anger. Despair. Hurt. Betrayal. Sadness. Denial. And the, "I can't believe he said that!" hit her. Did Iruka-sensei really believe that? Was he just like the rest who hated her? was he...?

"The demon would have done that. But Naruko would never! She may not have acted like a true kunoichi, and she may have goofed off a lot, but she is a loyal citizen of Konoha! GENIN UZUMAKI NARUKO!!"

Shock. Happiness. Joy. Wonder. Acceptance. Love. "I-iruka-sensei... believes in me..."

A scowl. A glare. HATRED, "YOU WILL DIE WITH THOSE THOUGHTS, IRUKA! PREPARE TO MEET YOUR MAKER!"

A clank of metal was heard, and Naruko was in front of Iruka in a flash, "Don't. You. Dare. Touch HIM!"

"Naruko..."

"HAHAHAHAHA! So the demon shows herself! This way, I CAN KILL TWO BIRDS WITH ONE STONE!"

"GIVE IT YOUR BEST SHOT, BASTARD!"

He glared at her heatedly, "I'll kill you in one shot, genin!"

"Naruko! You don;t know what your getting yourself into! He's a chuunin! Just... just run!"

She didn't even face her beloved teacher, but merely raised her right thumb, "Believe in me, Iruka-sensei! BELIEVE IN ME!"

He didn't want her to die. He didn't want her to get hurt... "I... I believe in you, Naruko! I ALWAYS HAVE!"

A shit-eating grin made its way to her face as her determined blue eyes fixed itself on the traitor, "THEN LET'S KICK SOME ASS!"

Wah. That took a long time to write. Anyway, next chapter, I'll be introducing Haruno Sakumo!

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