The sound of running water permeated the restroom. Steam began to form on the mirror as the temperature raised. A boy covered in soot, blood, and dirt stood beneath the shower head; his body trembling. As the blood being carried away by the water streaming down his body stained the bath red, he cried.
Inari cried, as the image of the little girl and mother being crushed to death became all he could think of.
He began scratching at his skin. First slowly, then frantically.
"Dirty...I'm dirty...so...so dirty..." He mumbled to himself, his mind devolving into a mild panic as he began to relive...
The dead bodies.
The screams.
Those fucking screams.
He couldn't get them out of his head.
And worst of all...
He was one of the people responsible.
"Mom...Dad...I-I can't do this..."
He fell to his knees, unable to stop trembling as he continued scratching at his hair.
Dirt that had been clinging to his body for who knows how many weeks, began to wash off him, reminding him that both his body and soul...
Were now stained.
*Knock. Knock.*
"Hey kid, how long are ya gonna be in there? We gotta get going." The voice of Hidan sounded out from outside the restroom door.
Inari's body stilled, a surge of fear overtaking his body.
"J-Just a minute!" Inari hastily called out, turning the shower off.
"Just hurry up! We have a new assignment!" Hidan called out, annoyed.
Inari stopped, his hand mere inches from the curtain.
"...W-We do?" Inari asked, fearful of what that meant.
Of the carnage he may have to bear witness to again.
"Yeah. Apparently another Jinchuriki has been spotted. It'll take us weeks to get there. So hurry up! Lord Jashin demands more sacrifices!"
Inari waited a minute, making sure he heard the man walk away, before collapsing to the restroom floor.
"...G-Get up..." He said to himself, tears pooling beneath his eyes.
"...T-The leaf killed them...Stop being a baby...I-Its your responsibility to avenge them...Y-You n-n-n..."
...
...
Twenty minutes later, the door to the restroom opened, steam pouring out.
The glass mirror was shattered and bloody.
Inari stepped out, his knuckles torn and bruised. Being mentally exhausted, he was unable to see Kisame waiting for him outside the hallway, and bumped into him.
Inari looked up, fear awakening him from his melancholic stupor.
Kisame just frowned, looking down at the boy with an unreadable expression. Seeing the harm Inari had done to himself, he proceeded to bandage the boys knuckles. Then without warning, he bent down on one knee, and pulled Inari close to him...
And whispered into his ear.
'Do not let the others see you like this. Or else.'
Inari froze, his face now as pale as a ghost, as Kisame rose up from his kneeling position, leaving Inari alone in the hallway.
Several seconds passed as Inari stood dumbfounded.
"...Ah." Inari's face lit up in realization.
"I didn't wash my hair."
〰️✴️〰️
Yuma continued to stare at the man, now confused. He felt as if the man looked familiar, but couldn't put his finger on why.
"Hey...Do I know you?" Yuma asked, the man flinching in response.
"N-No!" The man yelled, startling Yuma.
"I-I mean...I don't...think we have..."
'He's grown...So big...But...even so...'
The man known as Gakuta eyed Yuma's headband, a brief flash of disdain flashing through his eyes.
'...To think...Even my own son has become a Shinobi dog.'
"You alright?" Yuma asked, an confused look on his face as the man kept eyeing him.
The question snapped Gakuta out from his thoughts, a cheesy grin taking over his features.
"Ah, sorry about that. You just reminded me of someone. I apologize. What are you doing out so early young man?" Gakuta asked, putting on a facade.
"Getting breakfast, what's it to ya?" Yuma said, now annoyed at the man in front of him.
"Whoa now, no need to be hostile. What's your name kid?" Gakuta asked.
"...Yuma. You?" Yuma answered, beginning to stare daggers.
"I see, what a fine name. I'm Kirataka, pleasure to meet you!" Gakuta said, putting on cheery airs.
"Wish I could say the same." Yuma deadpanned, causing Gakuta to get a little annoyed at his unaware sons attitude.
"Jeez, what an attitude. Did your mother never teach you any manners?" Gakuta said aloud.
...
The air seemed to chill. Yuma was now scowling at the man.
"...Screw you." Yuma said, turning on his heels.
"W-Wait, where are ya going kid!?" Gakuta said, panicking, realizing he may have ruined his only chance to talk with his unknowing son.
"I lost my appetite." Yuma muttered, before Gakuta attempted to grab Yuma by the arm.
Only for his hand to faze through it and get tangled in Yuma's red bandages.
"W-What the!?" Gakuta exclaimed as Yuma threw the man over his shoulders, and slammed him onto the gravel ground.
"DON'T TOUCH ME!"
The few people that had been walking around them stopped and gawked at the commotion. Murmuring began to surround them as Gakuta froze, looking up at Yuma who was now looking down at the man with a fiery gaze.
Gakuta's eyes widened, as he saw why he couldn't grab onto the boys', his boys', arms.
"Your arms...They're..."
Yuma grimaced, snatching his arms back, and wrapping the red wrappings back around them. He tried to walk away once more, before Gakuta swiftly blocked his way.
"You-!?"
Before Yuma could yell at the man, he was cut off.
"Look kid, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset ya." Gakuta said, looking Yuma in the eyes with sincerity.
"!" Yuma stared at the man, conflicted, before huffing aloud and glaring at the ground.
"...Its fine. Just forget it." Yuma said.
"...Let me treat you to some ramen. On me." The man said, as Yuma gave him a sideways glance, not wanting to look him in the eye.
Gakuta smiled.
"Its the least I could do, right?"
And to that, Yuma smirked.
"Fine. But I'm not cheap. I hope your wallet can handle me."
"Ha! Ya can't be that hard to pay for!" Gakuta mused, eyeing Yuma's skinny form.
...
...
'Damn, He's a monster!' Gakuta thought to himself in shock, as Yuma began his third bowl of ramen in under five minutes.
They had been at the stall for at least four minutes, and that's all it took for Yuma to begin eating like a wild animal.
'I knew I probably pissed him off, but seriously, is he that hellbent on draining my wallet!" Gakuta mused to himself, eyeing his son scarf down his now fifth bowl.
"So...You're a ninja huh! What made ya decide to become one?" Gakuta asked, trying to have a conversation with his boy.
"None of your business." Yuma said, going for another bite, only to have the bowl pulled away from him.
"Hey!" Yuma said, looking at the man in surprise.
"If you don't answer my questions, I won't keep feeding you." Gakuta said, smirking.
Yuma grumbled, contemplating whether he should leave, before relenting.
"Fine. I'll talk. Although I don't see why you would care." Yuma grumbled as the man chuckled, passing the bowl back to him.
"Just curious. Wondering why a kid like you would want to become a Shinobi is all." Gakuta said.
Yuma slurped a noodle up, before looking as if he were thinking of what to say.
"...To be honest, its because there was nothing else I could do. It was either that, or live the rest of my life in a shitty apartment, barely scrapping by.
Gakuta became silent.
"...I see. What about your parents? What do they think about your decision?" Gakuta asked.
"...Don't know. Never met them." Yuma said, a hard to read expression settling on his face as he stared at his bowl.
Gakuta froze.
'What?'
"W-What do you mean kid? Don't you have any family." Gakuta asked, trying to keep his composure.
"Yeah...But my da-...my step dad died." Yuma answered.
The chopsticks in Gakuta's hands suddenly snapped apart, as he turned to Yuma, a look of terror now taking over his features.
"What!? W-what about your mom!?" He asked, scaring Yuma with the urgent look in his eye.
'Rena! What happened to Rena!?'
"W-Why do you care!? You're freaking me out!" Yuma said, now startled as the man grabbed him by the shoulders.
The look in the mans eyes...
For the first time since the forest...
Yuma felt fear.
"Tell me what happened." Gakuta commanded, his eyes wide but unreadable, as if he were staring through Yuma.
Yuma looked into the mans eyes, and relented.
"...She's gone. As far as I know she's still alive...But she left...and abandoned me..."
Gakuta's eyes began to water as the hands still grasping Yuma's shoulders began to tighten.
"...N...No. That can't be true."
Yuma found himself unable to speak, terrified by the look of malice dancing in the mans eyes.
"She would never...Never...Because...She was..."
A memory coursed through Gakuta's head as he remembered her.
The woman he loved with all his heart.
And the woman he had left behind.
"Hey! What are you doing!"
A voice rung out from behind the counter, startling the young man who had been touching the flowers
"I-I-!?"
"Nuh-uh! No excuses out of you mister!"
The young man froze, his heart skipping a beat at the sight of her.
The freckled woman with a brown ponytail pouted, shoving a finger in the man's face.
"No touching if you're not gonna buy! Besides, these flowers are delicate."
The man, still unable to say a single world, felt heat rise to his face as the woman smiled, picking the plant up.
"They need to be handled with care."
At that moment...
The young man had...
"W-What's your deal!" Yuma exclaimed, pulling his shoulders away, snapping Gakuta out of his thoughts.
"I...I'm sorry...Its just..." Gakuta tried to utter the words out, the situation now awkward.
'Damn, lost my composure.'
"It just breaks my heart...for a boy to have no parents to turn to when things get hard is all."
Yuma's expression turned from shock to a scowl, turning his gaze back to his bowl.
"I don't need any pity. Least of all from a stranger."
Gakuta winced at that word.
'Stranger huh...That's right...To this boy I'm just...'
"Yuma?"
A voice rang out from behind the pair, the figure entering the ramen stand.
"Why are you here?" Yuma said, turning on his chair to face the person with a grumpy look.
Gakuta looked back...
and his blood ran cold.
"I knew it was you! I remembered coming here with ya and Sasuke the other day! So I thought coming here for breakfast would be a good idea!" Naruko said giving Yuma a cheeky grin.
Seeing the man beside him, she became puzzled.
"Oh, you're already eating with someone?" Naruko asked.
Gakuta adapted to the situation he was now in as quickly as he could, giving her a big smile.
"Hey, I'm..."
He paused trying to remember the name he had told Yuma.
"A piece of shit who's paying for my breakfast." Yuma finished for him.
"Ha ha, yeah that." Gakuta said, going with the flow of the conversation.
"Yuma! That's no way to talk to someone treating ya!" Naruko admonished Yuma, causing the boy to snicker.
"What are you, my mom?" He joked
She gave him a pout, before opting to ignore him, and shine her bright smile toward Gakuta.
"Hey, I'm this jerks friend by the way. Name's Naruko, nice to meet ya!"
He mustered up another smile.
"Nice to meet you as well, and yeah, I already know your name. You are the Hokage's daughter after all."
'As well as our first and primary target.'
"Ah geez, you're gonna make me blush!" She humble bragged.
"Wow. What humility." Yuma snarked.
"Well, its been fun. But I gotta get going." Gakuta said, standing to his feet, surprising Naruko and getting a scowl from Yuma.
"Really, but I thought you and Yuma were talking? Did I interrupt?"
"No, its fine really. I was just having a chat while we ate." Gakuta said, trying to escape the situation.
"Hey." Yuma cut in, causing Gakuta to flinch.
"Yes?" Gakuta responded.
Yuma looked him in the eyes, the tone immediately shifting.
...
"Don't try to leave before you've paid our bill."
Only for the tension to disipate.
"Ah, that. Here." Gakuta held back a sigh of relief, handing Yuma a roll of yen.
Yuma's eyes bugged at the stack of cash in his hand as the man smiled.
"Use the rest however you wish. Sorry for bothering you kid." Gakuta said with a smile, before leaving the stand.
'This is...Why..."
'Why did my son have to become friends with the worst person imaginable.'
And with that grim thought...Gakuta of the Akatsuki vanished into the morning crowd.
Yuma, still staring at the large amount of cash in his hand, smiled to himself.
"Hey, I'll treat ya to breakfast with the extra cash Naruko." Yuma decided.
"R-Really!? That's a surprise! I thought you would keep it seeing as your selfish!" Naruko said, still pouting at him over what he had said a minute ago.
"You want a free meal or not?"
"Yes please!"
And with that, Yuma's morning came to an end, as the two teammates ate a meal with one another.
〰️✴️〰️
"...Be strong. Be alpha."
"Be strong. Be alpha."
"Be strong...Be...Alpha..."
Over and over...
These anger and fear fueled ravings rang out from within Kiba Inuzuka's bedroom, as they did most mornings.
Akamaru whined, crawling up onto his owners bed, comforting the boy with his presence. Kiba's ravings and shaking stopped, as he hug onto his dog like a safety blanket.
"...I have to win. All I have to do is win. Or else mom will never..."
He stopped there, beginning to cry.
*Knock.*
"Hey Kiba! Get up already!" A harsh and raspy voice rang out from behind the door.
"Y-Yes mom!" Kiba said, wiping the tears away.
Akamaru licked him on the face, trying to cheer his master up.
Kiba chuckled, and patted the dog.
"You're right Akamaru...Thank you..."
He got out of bed, and walked to his door. Pausing before he grabbed onto the door handle.
"Be strong..."
He took a deep and harsh breath, a look of pure fear overtaking his features as he prepared himself for breakfast with her.
"Be alpha."
And with that, a normal every day morning in the Inuzuka clan heads home began.
〰️❄️〰️
TheKingofShame: I told ya'll that character's who don't have much of a backstory in the original series will be slightly changed or given completely new ones to fit the tone I'm going for in this story.
And Kiba will be a big example of that.
Most bullies aren't born.
They're made.
〰️✴️〰️
BlueKitten: Author had this post since last week and I was too lazy to post it so now I'm posting, I'm always on discord so here my
discord server
https://discord.gg/3jEjZAz9xw