Tale of A Golden Girl

It's Not Genius

Now, as a small girl, she could still comprehend techniques, but she'd die executing powerful ones without proper training.

That's why she trained so much, because she needed the strength to execute what she was capable of understanding.

She didn't want to be labeled as a genius, because she was no such thing. The first time around, Naruto had gained everything through hard work, bullheadedness, and the desire to protect what was important. With the lingering affects of her past life, her present self could be perceived as a genius. That was honestly displeasing to her.

Naruto would always know the truth even as everyone praised her. She would know how much of a lie it was. And Naruto didn't think she could handle adding another lie on top of the ones she found herself constantly spinning. It was becoming so natural for her. And she hated that. She used to pride herself on always speaking her mind and telling the truth, being truthful to herself, her nindo, and the people important to her. Now she was nothing but a liar. An anomaly among the time frame that had no business existing just yet.

If Naruto was honest with herself, she wasn't stalling her progress with her fūinjutsu training just for laughs. She was stalling because she knew Jiraiya would notice that she had an aptitude for it. The ability to suck up anything he decided he might want to teach her, and then she would be forced to lie to him even more. That thought repulsed her. She didn't want to lie to anyone, much less the person who had torn a huge hole out of her being when he died, but at the same time, she was equally repulsed by the thought of causing him grief. The grief he would no doubt feel if she showed him the future. The fall of his students in Ame, the treachery of his teammate, and the death of his sensei.

Naruto did not want to be responsible for that. It terrified her. She disliked being so indecisive. It was either tell him the truth or lie to him, but both options would make her feel horrible.

'When did I become so selfish?'

The ink brush resting against Naruto's fingers slipped through them, clattering across the open scroll parchment before rolling away slightly.

Her blue eyes were wide.

'It would hurt him if I told him? No... It's more... it would hurt me if I told him, because I would be the cause of his pain.'

Naruto's fists clenched at her sides.

'I can't handle the thought of causing him pain. I don't want to deal with the consequences of my own actions. When... when did I become such a coward?' She thought, top lip curling in a slight snarl. 'There's... there's no way I actually believe Ero Sennin can't handle the truth. I know he can. If I can deal with being in the past, he sure as hell can deal with knowing I'm here. I... I just... what am I actually running from?'

"NARUTO!"

The blonde flinched, looking up, blinking at the miffed expression on the Toad Sennin's young face. She'd been so distracted she hadn't even sensed him approach her.

"I've been calling you for the past two minutes." The man huffed, hands on his hips as he eyed the blonde with a shrewdness many people thought him incapable of utilizing. "What are you thinking about over here so deeply?"

Naruto shook her head, slowly rising to her feet. She shifted away from that probing gaze, eyeing the man from the corner of her eye.

"I'll stop joking around so much," She began quietly. "Tomorrow I'll do better. But for today, I'm gonna head home, okay?"

The blonde turned away fully, and began departing, freezing when she felt a large warm hand atop her head. The hand ruffled her bangs.

"Cheer up Naruto." Jiraiya muttered. "I don't know what's bugging you, but don't let it keep you down too long alright? Gloomy doesn't suit you."