As the blond boy was entering his house, he appeared to be lost in his thoughts for a moment. He just came back to Konohagakure after the 3 years long training with his sensei, Jiraiya. He sighed. The only thing he wanted to do right now was to take a good well-deserved nap. He was tired from the traveling. No. He was exhausted. He himself couldn't believe it. But he knew he needed to rest. When he entered his apartment after finally snapping out of his thoughts, he was surprised. There was a lot of dust aáll over his apartment. It almost seemed abandoned at this point. Naruto then went to his bedroom and looked at the framed photo on his nightstand. The picture frame was facing down. Naruto then remembered, that he left apartment 3 years ago and turned the frame facing it down. He lifted up the frame and put it on the nightstand, now the photo in the frame facing him and smiled. On the photo was team 7. He cleaned the dust off of it and went to sleep.
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BANG!!!
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Naruto almost got an heart attack. Not fully awake yet, he looked around him. He realized, that he was in a cave he didn't recognize at all. He was looking everywhere restlessly. Then he decided to yell for someone to help him. Even though a part of him knew noone was there to help him obviously. Yet, determined, he was about to yell with all his voice when a hand was placed over his mouth making him stop. Naruto was curious. Who was the person? Do they want to hurt him? Where is he? Countless thoughts were running around his mind. When finally the person, probably a male broke the silence.
,,Shhh~" the guy said with amusing and playful voice. It seemed like the guy wasn't there to hurt him. But once again, Naruto told himself to be rather cautious. Then he realized how the man's voice sounded, it was quite funny to listen to him speaking, Naruto thought.
Naruto started laughting at that voice. The guy started laughting too at Naruto's laughter. After what felt like forever, the man stopped laughing and jumped right in front of Naruto, taking the hand away from Naruto's mouth in the process. The first thing Naruto noticed about the man was him, wearing an orange mask with what looked like swirl and on one side was a hole for an eye. He also wore some sort of black cloak that had red clouds on it with white outline.
,,I knew you must have looked funny" Naruto told more to himself than the guy before he started laughting again.
,,You knew? You know me? OH MY GOD~! Deidara-senpaiii~ someone knows me~" the masked man said in strangely cheerful voice.
,,Who is 'Deidara-senpai'?" Naruto asked, a little bit confused.
,,You don't know Deidara-senpai~? Deidara-senpai is the BEST senpai in the world~!" he said with amazement and admiration in his voice and once again in his funny tone of voice.
,,But I really don't know who is your senpai...and who the hell are you!?" Naruto snapped at him, confusion and slight annoyance hidden in his voice.
,,Oh~" the man cries out behind the mask, he seemed to be honored.
,,You want to know me~ I am honored to meet you~" after the man finished his speech he held out his hand in attempt to shake hands with Naruto. Naruto was just staring at his hand until the man grabbed both of Naruto's hands into his and started shaking them with happy face.
Naruto only stared at his hands with wide eyes. Totally frozen because of this man's sudden touch. Back then, nobody dared to shake hands with him. His expression changed to sadness.
Masked man noticed it and hugged Naruto. Naruto was even more frozen than before. His eyes still wide open from sudden affection he received just moments ago.
,,Oi~you're not so happy...why are you sad~?" The masked man asked with comforting voice, maybe with little worry.
,,It's just...nobody in my life wanted to hug me or shake hands with me, or speak to me like you did...." Naruto said with sad look on his face. Very close to start crying if he continues speaking, yet, he pushed himself. He was happy that he could share his feelings with someone. He continued with his speech after few seconds that were filled with Naruto looking at Tobi and avoiding his gaze.
,, And I don't even know you...those who know me just see me in different way than you...ya' know..."
There was a silence. It was quite comfortable. The silence was needed for both of them to process the information. Then the masked man broke the silence once again.
,,Yo kid~ Don't worry! With my friends, you will be seen as a human. Not like your friends, who see you as something you definitey aren't even close to!'' the masked man's voice became sad for a second while saying this part, but then he quickly swiched to his determined and cheerful tone of voice and continued speaking. ''Believe me! It will be fun~" he said with cheerful voice. Naruto was just sitting on the cold ground processing what the masked man told him just now. Well, the man was surely friendly and easy to get along with. Probably. Naruto didn't know for sure yet. But it also seems like the only option he has is to join them. Well, if it means that Naruto will have true friends, he couldn't disagree on this. But he was still unsure. So he began speaking to the masked man.
,,R-really? I just don't know what to do. I love my village, and also my friends, even if they see me as a monster...only one didn't see me as a monster, ''Naruto paused to take a soft, sad sigh before he continued. '' But he decided to get a revenge rather than be with his best friend..." Naruto finished speaking with lowered voice. Sad voice.
,,C'mon~ I'm going to introduce you to my friends and my dear senpai~" The masked man said cheerfully and placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder in attempt for him to relax a bit. It helped and Naruto casually replied.
,,O-okay...stranger..." Naruto said with amusing face. Obviously teasing the masked man.
,,I-I'm not stranger~! I'm Tobi!" He stuttered, acting as if being offended slightly. Then he asked very strange question.
''Is Tobi a good boy?" The masked man asked with a cute voice, leaning a bit closer to Naruto.
Naruto looked at him with puzzled expression. But after a moment, he understood.
,,Yes, Tobi IS a good boy." Naruto smiled and pet Tobi's hair. Tobi purred like a cat for some unknown reason.
,,You're weird, ya' know?" Naruto said with slightly curious voice but then he started laughting at Tobi purring like a cat.
,,Do you have a candy~?" Tobi asked with funny voice that made Naruto smile. But as soon as Naruto realized he didn't have any candy, his expression went to apologetic and a bit sad.
,,I'm sorry Tobi, but I don't have any candy here, because I got kidnapped and I don't even know who it was.'' Naruto was a bit confused by the realization but he quickly snapped out of it and had an idea. He started speaking, now is expression brightened up a little.
"Maybe if you come to my apartment with me, I'm sure we would find some..."
,,Okay~ but we must go now. We mustn't be late. Because my senpai~ would be angry at me." Toby said it as if his life depended on it. Which Naruto was quite doubtful with, but he let it go. Once again, he doesn't have an option but to listen to him for now.
,,I think I don't even have any other option, so I guess I'll go!'' Naruto smiled in defeat.
Tobi motioned for Naruto to stand up and follow him. They were going upstairs. If there weren't torches on the sides, it would be pitch balck. Naruto got goosebumps at the thought. Naruto finally snapped out of is thoughts when Tobi put his hand on Naruto's shoudler. There was a door in front of them. Tobi didn't bother to knock on the door so he casually opened it and introduced you to a guy who looked like a plant.One side of his face was black and other one was white. He was giving off very uneasy vibes, almost creepy. Naruto shrugged it off and decided to listen to what Tobi was going to say
,,This is Zetsu~" Tobi said cheerfully and waved at the guy named 'Zetsu'.
,,Can I eat him?" the guy called Zetsu asked Tobi as if it was a casual question for him. Naruto's face went pale. He wasn't sure what to think about this guy but his question creeped Naruto out. Then Tobi casually replied to Zetsu guy.
,,No Zetsu. He is not a food. He will be your friend from today onwards." Tobi replied surprisingly with normal voice. His voice was more like he was giving instructions to this guy specifically. Well, Naruto didn't really blame Tobi. The Zetsu guy is hella shady, Naruto smiled at this thought a little. It sounded funny to him. But then Naruto remembered what the guy said and it sent shivers down his spine, literally.
,,W-why would he ask that?" Naruto asked Tobi with a small fear that could be heard in his voice.
,,Oh that? Don't mind it~
I'll tell you later! Now you must meet the others" Tobi said with calm voice, with a hint of excitement.
Naruto nodded. Naruto and Tobi then came to the door next to Zetsu's. Tobi opened it, without knocking first of course. Naruto peeked from the door frame inside the room. There was a tall guy who's face reminded Naruto of sharks. He was strange looking one, like Zetsu.
,,Hey~ Kisame how ya' doin'~?" Tobi greeted the guy named 'Kisame' casually. With cheerful voice of course.
,,What do you want Tobi?" Kisame asked the masked man with annoyance very visble in his voice.
,,I want to show you your new friend~" Tobi visibly ignoring the annoyed man in front of him he cheerfully replies and he points at Naruto.
,,H-hello" Naruto said with a small fear as the guy named 'Kisame' grinned at him, making his sharp teeth visible. Naruto took a step back and shivered at the sight in front of him. That guy would be able to bite off his whole arm, Naruto thought. Snapping back to reality, he heard Tobi scolding the shark guy.
,,Hey! Kisame! Stop scaring him! You idiot!"Tobi said with deeper voice. The voice seemed to surprise Kisame and he just muttered something. Naruto couldn't hear it. But Kisame seemed very annoyed. Tobi closed the door angrily and turned to face Naruto.
,,Alright~ let's get out of here. Naruto, sorry for this, he is an idiot." Tobi said with his normal voice, slightly embarrased at how Kisame scared Naruto. But he seemed to let it go as soon as they approached the next door. It was a door next to KIsame's. The doors looked all the same, so it was kind of difficult to remember but Naruto assured himself he will get it after some time. Tobi opened the door and there was a guy. He was resting on his bed. His gaze turned to Naruto and Toby and he slowly got up. His dark purple eyes were scanning Naruto. Naruto really liked his silver hair. It was really unique. Also, he might be the most normal-looking person Naruto have met yet. And as always, Tobi greeted the guy in a casual way.
,,Hey~ Hidan, whatcha doin' " Tobi asked and the guy named 'Hidan' suddenly stood up and looked straight into Naruto's blue eyes. Naruto was smiling. Because he somehow found Hidan normal. Surprisingly, Hidan broke the silence by a question for Tobi.
,,Tobi, who is he?'' Hidan pointed his gaze to Naruto with curious look in his eyes. Then started saying something again. ''He looks a little bit like Deidara to be honest.'' Hidan said while eyeing Naruto up and down with his dark purple eyes that had a spark of curiosity in them.
''I think I like him. At least more than Kakuzu of course." Hidan said with a small chuckle which lightened up his dark purple eyes.
,,Umm...if I may ask, what is this? " Naruto pointed at Hidan's chest. There was a necklace with symbol. Naruto was really curious about it.
,,This?'' Hidan paused and pointed at the necklace that was visible on his chest once again just to make sure and prepare to tell Naruto about it. Then he continued. ''This is a symbol of god Jashin. He is helping me on my missions. I think that's all you need to know." Hidan said with pride and confidence in his voice. Naruto smiled at the sight. He admired it for sure. Hidan's faith and trust in his god. Then Naruto started speaking.
,,Thank you for the explanation Hidan-san" Naruto said with a smile and slammed the door in front of Hidan who just stood there, frozen on the spot from what Naruto said to him.
(*flashback*)
....Hidan-SAN."
(*end of flashback*)
,,That was funny, Naruto~" Tobi praised Naruto with cheerful voice.
,,I like Hidan-san. Heh. He is an interesting guy for sure." Naruto confessed to Tobi and let out small laugh.
Naruto and Toby then continued walking through the what it seemed endless halls. They turned right and then, they were in front of a door. Tobi opened it and yelled happily for the person that was inside the room. Naruto peeked from the door frame once again, while Tobi just stormed into the room the second he opened the door. Naruto smiled at his silliness.
,,Heeyy~ Itachiii-saaannn~" Tobi yelled happily and jumped on his bed.
,,Tobi! What was that for?! You idiot!" Itachi yelled at Tobi, visibly annoyed. Tobi's expression suddenly changed to sadness.
,,You're a bad boy Tobi!"Itachi said with calm voice now. Itachi was clearly scolding him and even though his voice was calm, it was also cold as ice. It was quite visible that there was still some annoyance hidden in Itachi's voice.
,,No! He is not a bad boy! He just wanted to help me! He is just happy. that's all, ya' know!" Naruto yelled at Itachi, not realizing that he actually raised his voice so much. But Naruto was angry, he couldn't help it. Itachi calmly looked at him, observing him. Then he walked closer to Naruto and his expression went from chill to serious one.
,,May I have your name kid?" Itachi asked in serious, yet polite tone.
,,Name is Naruto Uzumaki and yours?" Naruto said with confidence. He always say his name with confidence. Naruto also noticed a glimpse of surprise in Itachi's eyes when he told him his name. But it almost felt like Naruto was only imagining it because as soon as the expression came, it left as quickly. Itachi was his serious self again.
,,Itachi Uchiha" he said. Naruto gasped. He couldn't believe it.
,,Isn't your brother Sasuke Uchiha?"Naruto asked curiously. He had to make sure it's really him.
,,Yes, why?" Itachi asked, now paying his full attention on Naruto.
,,Umm...it's just, ''Naruto started speaking, unsure if he should tell what he knows to Itachi. After some thinking, Naruto decided to tell Itachi, ''that he wants to kill you. He just walked to Orochimaru for power, ya' know, that snake pedophile. Sasuke said that he is an avenger...''Naruto paused for a moment again before sighing sadly. Getting flashbacks of how it used to be when Sasuke was still in the village with Naruto and Sakura and others. He looked outside the window Itachi had in his room. The weather was unusually calming. After another small sigh Naruto continued with the story,'' but I don't think he has something to get revenge on. You didn't do anything, am I right? You said you killed your clan because you want to try your new sharingan, but I don't think that's the real reason, ya' know." Naruto finished, averting his gaze from the window, now looking at Itachi.
,,Hmm...you're right, but I killed them by my own hands." Itachi said with a small sigh.
,,I think that you loved your village. But someone must have had on mind that Uchiha clan is bad for the village and you didn't have any other option at that time. You wanted to protect your brother, am I right? But Sasuke is really stupid with these things. I don't think you did bad thing, you just love your little brother." Naruto shared his thoughts and yet again looked out of the window. It was starting to rain. The raindrops were sliding down the glass, making their way all the way down until they disapppeared. The raindrops also blended in together if they were too close to each other. It was really calming in this situation. Naruto didn't avert his gaze off of the window and continued to listen to what Itachi's reply.
,,Yeah, he is, and he will always be my little stupid brother, you know?" Itachi said with little smile. It showed happiness, but also sadness. Or maybe something in between. Naruto wasn't sure. Then he realized it's time to go.
,,Thank you Itachi. And please forgive Tobi's behavior, he's only doing this for me ya' know. And then I feel bad for him when someone yell at him because of me. It was nice meeting you!"Naruto thanked and apologized to Itachi politely before he left and closed the door behind him.
Naruto and Tobi then walked for a bit before they stopped in front of another door. Yet again, Tobi didn't bother to knock or just give te other person any sign of him coming into their room. Tobi walked in casually and Naruto was few feet behind him. Naruto peeked at the guy who was sitting behind a desk and was counting what it seemed to be money. Then Naruto noticed his eyes. They were strange-looking. He had green irides, no pupils and red sclerae. It wasn't necessarily scary, just straight up strange.
,,Hey Kakuzu! I can see~ You have more money than yesterday~ How is this even possible, you banker~" Tobi joked happily. But Kakuzu ignored him. Naruto giggled at Tobi's joke. He found it hilarious actually.
,,Okay, Kakuzu. I have a new friend and I want you to be friend with him~" Tobi pointed at Naruto with excitement in his voice
,,And?" Kakuzu asked bluntly. He didn't care much.
,,Don't you dare sell him or something like that!~ I'm watching you from distance~~" Tobi pointed at his mask where was his one 'visible' eye. It was glowing red now. Wait? Tobi has a sharingan? That's strange, Naruto thought.
,,Hey Kakuzu...you can call me Naruto." Naruto said sadly, but smiled. Naruto knew this guy wasn't someone who would desperately search for friends, but he still felt sad for some reason. Then he brushed it off after some more thoughts crossed his mind.
Naruto then turned around and walked out of the door aiming to go to the hall. Naruto had no idea where he is going. Not even why is he walking away like this. Suddenly a wave of nausea and dizziness hit Naruto. At first he tried to fight it, but then he couldn't fight it anymore and his vision turned black as he was falling to the ground, unconcious.
Hello, my dear readers and followers! I finally came back and edited this part haha. It is really strange to see how I used to write 2 years ago. I hope it makes more sense now. I am really glad you like this story btw! TwT I had no idea so many people found this story entertaining really. Thank you all!
I fixed as many typos as I possibly could. And added some stuff, but nothing new I think.
Word count before (14th August 2019): 1573 words
Word count now (6th November 2021): 3352 words