"I don't know, it's like I been struggling under a weight all my life and then suddenly I got a break," said Naruto. "It gave me a heckuva headache though."
"You just suddenly understood lessons I've been trying to teach you for the past few years? You didn't cheat?" asked Iruka.
"Hey, I don't know what happened, it was like I could suddenly see the answers," grumped Naruto as a bunch of giggling fellow students went by.
Honestly! That idiot! Why doesn't he just give up on being a ninja? He's hopeless!
"Sakura! That's not true!" snapped Naruto before he realized Sakura Haruno was at sufficient distance that he couldn't possibly have heard her whisper in his ear.
"Maybe you should just go home for now," said Iruka-sensei, radiating concern for his student.
Naruto had tried to deal with the hatred directed at him over the years. He ignored some of it. He eventually became a sort of 'class clown' and doing things that were outrageous for the sake of it.
Then, last year, he'd abruptly stopped. It hadn't been anything special, just a prank involving a paper-bomb folded into an origami bird.
Most assumed he'd been scared straight by his miraculous escape from harm. After all, that fireball had toasted everything nearby.
Now, on the roof of his apartment building, he considered what he was hearing.
He'd been feeling people's reactions since that event. He hadn't been sure what to do about it though. Hadn't been sure how to interpret things.
NOW he could interpret things a little better, and parts of the world that hadn't made any sense were beginning to make sense.
He still felt the fear and hatred and pride of others pushing at him. Twice though, he'd gotten feelings of something altogether different. Iruka-sensei was one. Iruka sympathized with him, believed he could do better, felt that Naruto was being treated unfairly. Naruto had been astonished to learn that. Once he HAD learned that, he'd found that he really didn't want to disappoint his teacher.
Now there was one other he'd gotten non-hostile feelings from. Not Sasuke Uchiha. Uchiha had some feelings that weren't completely hostile, but mainly he had pride and hatred and anguish. No, the feelings were from someone else and he'd just figured out who.
There she was. That weird girl. Now if he could just get this mind-reading jutsu to activate...
Naruto-san is sick? If I can bring him some soup? But if I do... Maybe I can just leave it outside his apartment like I do the mocchi?
Naruto leaned forward, concentrating. Another mystery solved. So SHE was the mystery person who left those year-end gifts. Why was she so hesitant and stuff though? He didn't understand that at all.
I'd better hurry. Father will be very unhappy with me if he learns I am gone. Much less that I'm bringing food to Naruto-san.
Naruto nearly fell off his perch. Accompanying her thought of him had been images of him from a different point of view, plus a feeling of admiration/affection?! What the heck was that about?
I'll just use the Byakugan to see if he's in there. No peeping. I mustn't peep. That would be wrong. No, I just need to see how he's doing.
"Aw come on, we're barely eleven," said Naruto aloud.
Byakugan! What?! He's not there?!
"Hmmm," hmmmed Naruto. He was already getting a pounding headache. It was difficult to use these jutsu for some reason.
Hinata left the basket propped up against the door, turning to leave. Hopefully Naruto would get it when he got back. It had some healing herbs in there so it should speed his recovery nicely.
"Hey, Hinata! How ya doing?"
Hinata jumped, turning red and beginning to sweat. Also wondering how the heck she'd missed spotting him.
"Hey, Hinata," said Naruto. "Tell ya what. We're in the same class. Tomorrow maybe we can do some kunai practice, I really need to work on my throwing."
"I- I- I- I guess," stammered a now profusely sweating and thoroughly reddened Hinata. If he'd asked her for a date she felt she might have died on the spot, but he was just doing weapons practice. That was safe, that was all right, right? Nobody could object to THAT, right?
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(Posted Fri, 06 Mar 2009 16:15)
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