Chapter 26: A Feeling
The Konoha group was nearing the end of their long week journey. As of the moment, they were resting in a cabin that Yamato built out of wood. Nia was outside the cabin leaning against a tree and writing in her diary. As she finished her last sentence, she closed her book and looked ahead of her; only to see Naruto in front of her, looking intently at her in the eyes.
An awkward silence fell upon the two.
Naruto didn't think anything was weird but Nia did. She looked away from his gaze.
"Why are you looking at me so closely?" She asked uncomfortably, "And how long have you squatted there?"
Naruto's eyes were crystal blue and large. They were almost beautiful to look at. So full of color and liveliness that Nia refused to stare into them.
Blue eyes were never my preference but... His eyes are starting to look real nice to me...
"I have to keep an eye out for you. If I don't, Iruka-sensei will kill me if you escape or if something bad happens to you." Naruto answered.
"But Naruto..." Nia made eye contact with the boy again, "You're like..."
Her face grew warm.
Too close to me...
Naruto was unaware that his proximity to the kunoichi was making her somewhat shy. His innocent nature made him blind to his actions. Nia, on the other hand, wasn't so innocent and thought of affectionate things.
'If he leans any closer, our lips will touch...' She blushed harder at the thought of being that close to her sibling student, 'I don't wanna be kissed this soon... I don't even like him that much. Only a little.'
"Naruto, you don't need to be that close to Nia, okay?" Iruka walked up to the two after taking a walk around the area they were in, "I can watch over her from now on. You can take a break."
Naruto looked at Iruka then back at Nia, who was now visibly red.
"Actually Sensei, I was just gonna ask Nia if she could help me out with something."
"Hm? With what?"
Naruto smiled, "Something important."
Iruka stared at Naruto for a few seconds before nodding.
"Alright fine. You have permission but if anything happens, alert the rest of us, got it?"
"Promise." Naruto agreed.
He then stood and stretched his palm out to the girl sitting down.
"Come on. Believe me, this'll be worth your time, y'know?"
The kunoichi only stared at Naruto's palm. Did he want her to hold it? She looked back up at his face to see a genuine friendly smile. It was enough to make her reach out to his hand and grab it.
Naruto helped her up and still wore a grin. Nia smiled and let go of his hand. In all her life, this was the first time she's really ever touched a man's hand.
'They felt so strong and warm...' The girl thought as she closed and reopened her hand repeatedly while looking at them.
Her smile didn't fade.
That felt... good. I feel... happy right now.
"Well, we'll catch you later, Iruka-sensei!" Naruto waved as he and Nia walked north.
"Be careful!" Iruka shouted with Naruto replying that he and Nia would.
After getting out of sight, the two genin talked.
"Naruto, I never told you this but you're headband looks really cool." Nia complimented her friend.
"Sure does." Naruto touched his headband and adjusted it,
It makes me relieved to know that I have one. I'm always reminded that my goal of becoming a ninja was accomplished."
"I bet."
"That reminds me, where's your headband?"
"I have it somewhere in my bag but... I don't wanna wear it." Nia answered honestly.
Naruto pondered about Nia's huge dislike for her village. In some ways, it aggravated him that she didn't care for it but in other ways, he understood why she didn't.
The two were in a grassy field. Naruto had his hands in his pockets while Nia just awkwardly rubbed her hands as if she was washing them. The younger genin noticed this and asked if she was alright.
"Oh, I'm alright." Nia said as she continued her strange action.
In all honesty, she was a bit nervous around Naruto. He was nice and that made the girl feel strange and awkward.
It's still so weird that he's nice to me... I can't stop feeling like there's a catch to him being that way towards me. I wonder what it is?
"Naruto, do you like... um...being around me... or something?"
"Huh?" Naruto gave his friend a look.
The Umino girl nervously shifted her eyes to her feet, "I mean, do you think that I'm okay to be by?"
"Hmm..." Naruto rubbed his head, "That's a hard one..."
"What?! It is?! " Nia looked back at the jinchuuriki, "You don't... like me?"
"Kidding! I'm just messing with you." Naruto chuckled after seeing Nia's disappointed expression, "Of course I like being around you, Curly Brow. You're Iruka-sensei's cousin, y'know?"
"So you mean, if I wasn't, you wouldn't still think that?"
"No. It's just that knowing that you're Iruka-sensei's cousin makes me like you a lot more, y'know?"
"Oh... Okay then." The kunoichi smiled slightly.
He thinks I'm fun to be around then...?
"You said you needed to show me something important, 'member?"
Naruto scratched his cheek and apologized, "Sorry, I only said that to gain some distance from Sensei. I actually wanted to tell you something that I should've told you a while back."
Nia's heart thudded, "What is it...?"
Naruto gave a serious look and placed his hand down from his cheek and to his side. Nia got anxious and questioned herself multiple times what Naruto could possibly say. She waited for him to speak as the wind softly brushed past the two.
"According to Captain Yamato, we're very close to the Hidden Cloud." Naruto stated.
Nia rubbed her arm, "Already?"
"Yeah."
"..."
"I wasn't going to tell you, but... there might be a way for you to leave your village in a peaceful way."
The kunoichi gasped, "What?! Seriously?! Stop lying! Really?!"
"I'm serious." Naruto nodded, "But the thing is, it'll be up to you to let that happen."
Nia blinked, "What will I have to do?"
"..."
*****
Another day passed and the Leaf ninja arrived at the gates of Kumogakure. Nia tensed at the entrance and struggled to keep calm. Her heart thudded wildly as the gates opened.
The village guards' eyes widened at the sight of the lost child. They welcomed the group inside but seperated Nia from them.
"We brought the rogue kunoichi your Raikage asked for." Kakashi talked first.
One guard whispered to the other to notify the Raikage about the return of Nia. Once the guard left, the remaining one then demanded the others to leave at once.
"We have a message from the Hokage. She would like for us to have a discussion with the Raikage." Yamato said.
The guard examined the symbols on the ninjas' headbands and identified them as actually being from the Leaf.
"All right... but only three of you can speak to Lord Raikage."
"Only three?" Kakashi repeated to which the guard nodded.
"That'll be all the people we'll need." Yamato declared, "Kakashi, I'll be the one to stay with the young ones. You, Naruto, and Iruka go and do your business with the Raikage."
"Sounds good to me." Naruto pumped his fist near his chest.
He looked to Nia whose head was low and had her bangs covered over her eyes. To top that off, her hands trembled.
'She's so nervous...' Naruto studied her movements, 'She's gotta believe in herself or the plan won't work.'
Nia's hands were tied in front of her and since the guard couldn't risk taking his eye off of the visitors, he had a trusted aide of the Raikage take Nia and the other three men to the Kage's office.
This man was a sensor and had felt Nia's chakra from a distance while he was running errands. He made a quick stop to the gates and just as he thought, there was the kunoichi.
"So you Konoha Dogs really did had her..." The blonde male grunted.
The name of this male was Cee. He was a bodyguard of the Raikage and a very skilled ninja as well. His dark eyes gave a frightening glare towards the female ninja. It was enough to run a shiver down her spine.
"Who do you think you're calling dogs, buddy?!" Naruto threw a fit.
"Not now, Naruto." Iruka scolded the teen, "We got more important things to focus on."
"But-"
"Naruto." Nia mumbled, "Don't."
"...Alright..." The genin pouted.
Dogs he says...
"I'm surprised it took so long to find you, Nia." Cee spoked, "The Raikage was going nuts over your disappearance."
"Sure..." Nia responded coldly.
He can go crazy all he wants... I'll never like this dumb village!
The small group traveled through Kumogakure. As they did, people recognized Nia and made sly and insulting comments. This caused the girl to keep her head low.
"Why'd they bring her back? I don't wanna see her face everyday again." A woman whispered to her husband while carrying a small child in one arm.
"Believe me, I know what you mean." The man replied.
Naruto could overhear the comments some of the villages would make. As the five shinobi strolled passed these people, their eyes stared in disgust at what was in front of them: Nia.
The genin again looked at the kunoichi. Still, her head was lowered and she still trembled a bit. Her shoulders were very tense. It was obvious she felt threatened.
'This is what she was talking about...' Naruto thought as he stared into the eyes of many. He recognized these expressions and felt a pain in his chest, 'Those eyes are so cold... so full of hate and disgust... They remind me so much of the glares people gave me as a child...'
"What're you people looking at?! Don't you have other things to do, y'know?!" He suddenly yelled to the villagers, "You're attempt at being quiet while insulting someone isn't working! Maybe you need to be taught a lesson!"
Nia, who heard the genin male, lifted her eyes and glanced at Naruto with wide eyes. She then saw the villagers whispering a bit more before walking away from the small group. Naruto's tough words seemed to have succeeded in getting the villagers to leave his friend alone.
"Watch what you say, kid. You don't wanna cause trouble between our two villages, do you?" Cee warned the sixteen-year-old.
Before Naruto could say something, Iruka asked him why he even yelled at the villagers in the first place. He was deep in his thoughts so he wasn't aware of the comments being made here and there about his relative.
"Let's just say, words were being used in an insensitive matter." Kakashi answered for Naruto.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Iruka asked.
"We'll tell you later. It looks like this aide has lead us to our destination." Kakashi said as he stared at the building which the leader of the village was in.
Cee lead the crew inside and just before they entered the Raikage's office, Nia stopped and caused Naruto to bump into her.
"What's wrong, Curly Brow?"
"..."
The girl didn't reply. Naruto raised an eyebrow.
Cee knocked on the door and was told to come in. The aide had to pull Nia by the arm to get her moving forward. Once inside, the door was closed and the Raikage made eye contact with the lady standing in front of him.
"So you really were at the Hidden Leaf!" He risen out of his seat.
"No, she was dropped off at the Leaf so that she'd get captured and be brought back here. We actually found her outside the village gates." Kakashi corrected the kage.
A observed the jonin's appearance, You're the copycat ninja, Kakashi Hatake. What's your business here in my village?"
"Lady Hokage sent us here to discuss an important request." The sharingan user answered.
"And just what is that?"
Kakashi nudged Naruto on the arm; signaling the young male that it was his turn to speak.
"We heard that you'd send Curly-, I mean, Nia back to the academy if she couldn't get her ninjutsu skills at a decent ranking. Or at least to your liking."
A sat back in his chair, "Yes, that is correct. Now, what does this have to do with The Hokage's request?"
"Everything actually." Naruto answered, "Her request is that if Nia shows you how much she improved in ninjutsu, will she be able to transfer to the Leaf?"
"Absolutely not!" A slammed his balled fist against his desk. The books and paper on it, bounced in response, "That will not be allowed. Tell your Hokage that their request is denied. You expect me to let this girl head to your village after she turned her back on ours?!"
"I understand how you feel, but-"
"Be quiet!" A yelled at Naruto, "Leaving this village would mean leaving her team, family, and superiors!"
"Our request comes from Tsunade herself. The woman who assisted you and that ninja with the spider in his body." Kakashi intervened.
This caught the Raikage's interest, "I've heard Tsunade was the Leaf's Hokage, but I never believed it to be true. She's not the kind of person to easily accept a Kage responsibility."
"If it may help change your mind, I myself would like you to give Nia the chance to prove herself to you, Lord Raikage." Iruka stepped forward and bowed.
"Ah, Iruka. I didn't see you back there. Nia's family been talking to me about being able to head to your village and spending a bit of time with you."
"I received a letter from them about that not too long ago, Lord Raikage."
The Raikage leaned back on his couch and placed the tip of his fingers on his desk, "Even if I allow this, Nia's family may think otherwise. Especially her father."
"I'll make sure to watch over her at the Hidden Leaf." Iruka reassured A.
"Please accept our request." Naruto spoked, "Please, Gramps Raikage."
"Lord Raikage." Darui, who was in the room, corrected the blonde.
"Lord Raikage." Naruto fixed his mistake and bowed.
As he did, Naruto made a face to Kakashi and once understanding what Naruto was trying to tell him, he bowed also. Everyone but Nia looked at the three men with neutral expressions. She, on the other hand, tried hard not to show that their determination to get her into the Leaf had made her somewhat emotional.
The Raikage watched the three stay like that for several seconds before finally telling them that their request had been accepted.
"Clearly, I was going to have to test Nia's skills anyway. However, if her ninjutsu isn't impressive, she'll stay here and may be sent to the academy."
"So, you're actually giving her a chance?!" Naruto stood out of his bow excitedly.
"I'm only doing this to repay the deed that Tsunade had done for me." A nodded as he stood off his sofa.
"No disrespect, Lord Raikage, but don't you think this is a bad idea?" The Raikage's female assistant, Mabui, asked in concern.
"No. I'm curious to see if Nia actually has been developing as a shinobi. Leaf ninjas! Since Nia's sensei is out on a mission, I'll have Darui test the girl on the basics of ninjutsu first then afterward she's gonna spar with someone of my choosing."
"Awesome!" Naruto cheered before he looked at Nia, "You get to show what you learned from Pervy Sage."
The kunoichi smiled, nodded, then bowed, "Thank you very much, Sir."
"Enough! The test will begin within half an hour. Till then, don't leave the village or else. Understand?" A demanded.
The Leaf ninja and Nia nodded then was escorted out the building by Cee.
"Come back within thirty minutes." He instructed as he untied Nia's hands free.
"Yes, of course." Kakashi answered for everyone.
As Cee headed back to the building, another group of people ran towards Naruto and his group.
"HEYYY!" A young girl yelled, "NIIAAA!"
"Hm?" Nia responded to her name being called.
Hey little sister, Misumi, could be spotted with the rest of her family closely behind her. Nia's face quickly lighted up and her sister hugged her.
"Dude, where were you?! We haven't seen you in more than a month!"
A guilty expression played on Nia's face as her older siblings and parents approached her. They all looked so relieved to see their family member safely back at the village. They each took turns hugging Nia before her father and mother began to scold their child.
As they did, Naruto watched with happy yet longing eyes.
They were so worried about Curly Brow this whole time... All six of them....
For a moment, Naruto lowered his eyes while wearing a small smile.
That's a big family, y'know?
Suddenly, when Nia's father, Jin, saw the familiar kid he used to see while living in the Leaf, he quickly pulled Nia away from the genin.
"Stay away from my daughter, you beast! I won't let you hurt her!" He lashed out at Naruto.
The jinchuuriki looked at Jin's angered face as his group and Misumi stared in shock. The mother and the elder siblings gave a glare Naruto seen numerous times before.
"STOP IT!" Nia suddenly pushed her father's hand off her arm and stood next to the blonde, "He's not a beast, Dad! Don't call him that!"
"What are you doing?! I said get away from him!" Jin snapped.
"No!" Nia rebelled and interlocked her arm with Naruto's, "I'm not gonna stay away from someone who's protected and been nicer to me than most people!"
"What...?"
"He's Naruto Uzumaki, Dad! He's a person with a gentle heart! If he hadn't been around while I was gone, I'd be most likely dead! You should give him more respect!"
"Don't talk back to your father like that!" Jin grunted, "I can't believe you went away just to- just to make out and be with this guy! How long have you two been dating before you left the Cloud?! I want answers now!"
"WHAAAA?!" Naruto gasped as Nia let his arm go and madly blushed in embarrassment.
Because of that embarrassment, Nia moved a few steps to the left of Naruto.
"I'm taking your awkwardness as a sign that you did leave the village to spend time with that jinchuuriki!" Jin once more accused.
Naruto raised his fist and yelled,
"She didn't leave the village to make out and be with me, y'know?! What made you think that, Gramps?!"
Iruka placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder, turned to his uncle and said, "Don't mind him, Uncle Jin. Naruto is no threat to anyone. He's the complete opposite of a threat in fact."
Jin eyes slightly widened, "Iruka... look how much you've grown."
The academy teacher smiled and rubbed his head, "I don't think I changed all that much."
Sanami, Nia's mother, quickly spoked, "You have grown so wonderfully. Last time we've seen you, you were only a teenager."
"Ah, my growth is nothing compared to these five." Iruka referred to Nia and her siblings, "Three of them are already adults and the other two are getting close to being one. Time sure does pass by quickly."
"Definitely." Sanami agreed.
For a few minutes the subject of Naruto being the host of the nine-tails was put on hold. Eventually, Iruka decided it was of great importance to speak with Nia's family alone about what was going on currently. He told the others to excuse him then left. Jin didn't want Nia to be by Naruto but his nephew's constant reassurance got him to trust in the jinchuuriki not to harm his dear daughter.
Kakashi, Naruto, and Nia were now heading back to the leaf ninja they left behind at the village gates.
"That's some big family you got there." Kakashi spoked to Nia.
"Yeah. I have a lot of family members." The girl agreed.
Naruto watched as children in the village held their parents' hands while walking down the street. Hearing Nia and Kakashi talking about how enjoyable it was for the kunoichi to have her family talk to her when no one else did made Naruto somewhat envious.
He didn't have parents. He didn't have siblings. No mother, no father, no sister, no brother. No one... He couldn't feel the joy of playing with siblings or having parents store pictures of him as a baby in a scrapbook. None of that was possible.
Eventually, these feelings ate away at him and he told Nia and Kakashi that he was going to go for a walk. When he told them, he appeared to be very happy. Inside however, this was the opposite.
"I'm gonna go with him." Nia told Kakashi.
"Fine but you better be back within the hour." The jonin warned the kunoichi, "I don't need the Raikage blaming me for you being late."
She nodded then jogged to the right side of Naruto.
'This is so fun.' She thought as she stared at the profile of Naruto's face while the two strolled through the streets, 'Walking by him like this makes me giddy.'
"I hope you don't mind if I join you." The girl smiled.
"..." Naruto didn't reply.
"Naruto?"
"Er sorry! I got lost in thought." The ninja apologized, "I don't mind you hanging around..."
Nia continued looking at Naruto's small smile. Something didn't feel right about it. It was like it was a dishonest one. One that he forced himself to wear.
That look in his eyes... it's not matching with his smile...
----
A/N- Hey guys! After the next chapter is released, updates may slow down. I'm getting very busy with work and another school year is just around the corner (kinda) I have to prepare for it and figure out what I'll be needing.
For right now, I've been trying to keep the updates 7-10 days but I gotta find time to write more and keep ahead so I can update! Anyway, that Naruto picture was completely edited lol I actually tried :P. Please leave a vote and comment and have a great day!