Storm (discont)

Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Plz don't sue me.

Warnings: Foreboding, child ninjas, violence, death, etc.

A/N: I will be updating this story very slowly. I'm also working on multiple fanfictions at once, depending on inspiration and mood, so it takes longer to come around to updating each individual story regularly.

Chapter 4-

Word Count- 2600

Brewing hurricane

It was Naruto's turn to report in. After their fifth C-Rank in less than a fortnight, Naruto was in the Hokage's office, handing in a brief report. It was sort of embarrassing to pass the report over to the chunin. His writing was barely legible, and he got many quiet comments on it. He only rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly in response. For once avoiding insult, Naruto sprinted away down the corridors.

Fresh air greeted him. He emerged into the bustling street and scanned the people. He caught sight of a familiar mop of black hair. He approached from behind, creeping up slowly. But Sasuke twisted around, one eyebrow raised. Naruto stepped back, chuckling nervously, and plastered on an innocent smile. Sasuke was clearly not fooled. The Uchiha turned back and led the way through the village.

Naruto looked up. Sasuke was already going around a corner. He pouted and ran after him.

"Oi, wait you bastard!" he called out. Civilians shot nasty glares at his words. Naruto frowned and dismissed them. He came up beside Sasuke.

The village passed into darkness as clouds crossed over the low sun. The Uzumaki became impatient and sped up, Sasuke now the one to shout in annoyance.

Another crossing later, and the two boys nodded their goodbyes.

Naruto pushed open the wide door of the apartment complex. The inside was damp and musty, but certainly better than that of his old building. In the dark of the hallway, he didn't use his eye to see, and let muscle memory take him up the winding staircases; past rows of shut doors; past the broken voices of families having dinner.

Three floors up and he came to his door. No noise came from within, and Naruto remembered that Kakashi was on a long-term mission for the next month. He and Sasuke could only take D-Ranks and train for that time, confined inside the walls of Konohagakure.

He made his way inside and switched on the light. The apartment was as clean as usual. He crossed into the kitchen and flicked through the numerous cupboards. As he cooked a small serving of soup, a burning pain started up in his chest and behind the breastbone. He clutched at it, trying to take the pot off of the stove simultaneously. His breathing became painful, in short bursts.

As quickly as it came, the sensation subsided. He glowered, completely confused. Could it be... but it had been months since they went back in time. So why now?

He shoved the problem aside, and set his bowl on the bench. He packed and cleaned the utensils, and the soup cooled.

He stayed up far into the night, when the world was fully blanketed by the darkness of midnight. Naruto lit up an oil lamp and read many scrolls beside it. He made notes from stacks of books, filling a notebook with his chicken scratch.

Appalling to others, but he could read it and that's all he really cared about.

By the dim light, Naruto summarised close to four thick books. His poor writing was alongside diagrams of neatly drawn runes and lines. Thousands of pages were shortened to a tenth of that.

When his task was done, Naruto leaned back in his seat. He admired his work, and the art of seals. He felt like he was fulfilling the legacy of his bloodlines; the Uzumaki, the greatest practitioners of Fuuinjutsu in shinobi history; and that of his father, also a great seal master.