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Naruto lay sleeping in a small clearing among the trees. His orange jumper unzipped, revealing a plain black tee shirt underneath. His loose shirt was slightly bunched up, showing a strip of tanned, flat stomach to the cool morning air.
He’d been training the night before, working tirelessly to better his chakra control by running up the trees. Pushing himself to get higher and stick to the tree’s surface longer than the last time. Going at it time and time again until he passed out. Still clutching onto the kunai he used to mark his progress.
This is the sight that Haku came across in the early morning hours. Standing over the blonde haired ninja, contemplating.
Haku could learn a lot in these few moments of observation. His clothes looked rough, many small tears with sloppy stitching mending the holes. Which means he probably doesn’t have money for new clothes…is he the one fixing them? The other thing that became noticeable was the blonde’s size. Being the smallest of his team, you could assume he’s younger, possibly a late bloomer. But with his jacket undone, Haku couldn’t help but notice, the blonde is skinny…too skinny. What is his home life like?
Haku kneeled down beside the sleeping figure, right hand reaching out towards his slim, unprotected neck. The shadow created by the early dawn encompassed the entirety of the blonde’s tanned neck. One decision, a brief moment in time and…
Haku’s right hand clasped an orange covered shoulder and shook, “Wake up, you’ll catch a cold sleeping out here like this…”
His eyes squeezed shut before fluttering open. Blue. I’ve never seen eyes as blue as his. They look like the ocean on a bright summer’s day. The blonde sat up, rubbing his eyes as he tried to wake himself up. He spoke around a small yawn and squinted eyes, “Who ‘re you? I - I mean, hi.” Haku looked him over, with his eyes squinted like that and those whisker-like scars on his cheeks, not to mention the orange trainer, he looks like a fox kit… “What’re ya doin’ here?”
Finally those blue eyes were open and gazing at me. I had to hold down a smirk at the light flush rising above those whiskered cheeks.
“I’ve come to gather herbs. There are many growing in his clearing that are good for relieving sickness and healing wounds.”
He glanced up at the sky before turning back to me, pulling his legs in to sit more comfortably as he leaned in, “Ano, it’s really early though.”
I smiled and his flush went a few shades darker, “I know. I don’t mind the early hour. Although, I didn’t expect to run into anyone.”
At this the blonde turned from curious to excited, smiling, he beamed with pride, “I’m training! I’m a super awesome ninja, ya know!”
Haku feigned ignorance, “A ninja? Is that why you wear that headband?”
“It sure is, it lets everyone know I’m a strong ninja of Konoha, believe it!” If possible his smile grew bigger before he settled back down. “But I need to get stronger…” His blue eyes looked down, settling on the kunai he still clutched in his hand.
I tilted my head, curious, “Stronger, why is that?”
Here, the blonde’s hand tightened around his weapon, “Because if I don’t, nothing will ever change.”
Haku stood up, contemplating this young blonde ninja and again wondering what his home life could be like. “Strength for yourself will never amount to strength for others. Tell me, do you have someone precious?”
The blonde looked and saw Haku standing, and stood up as well. He tilted his head, blonde hair falling over his headband. If his headband wasn’t there, I’d bet his hair would sweep over his eyes…the brightest sun shining on the blue-est of skies.
“Precious…?”
“Yes, someone precious to you. Someone you hold close to your heart, that you’d fight for and protect with everything you have to keep safe.” Haku paused thinking to Zabuza, a man that gave him a reason to live when he thought there was none. Unknowingly the blonde too was thinking of a teacher that gave him a similar feeling. Haku continued, “That’s where true strength comes from.”
Haku saw the small smile curving across the blonde's face, he understood Haku’s message. Good, you truly will become a strong ninja. With that Haku turned to leave.
But they barely made it a few steps before the blonde was calling out, “Wait! Miss, what’s your name?”
“Haku, my name is Haku.” Turning to see the blonde again, body angled sideways, they locked eyes, “...and I’m a boy.”
There was a pause in the blonde before visible shock took a hold of his features, “Wha - What!? But you’re - you’re so pretty! An-And your clothes - …?” It was clear the blonde was finding it hard to believe.
Haku kept his hair long, letting it reach down to the small of his back. He also dressed more freely. Choosing light or flowery kimonos and a choker over his Adam's apple to seem more feminine. It left many to underestimate him and truthfully, he didn’t mind the clothes. It was comfortable and good camouflage to get by as a ninja hiding in plain sight.
Approaching the flustered blonde, who scrambled back until he’s stopped by a tree, Haku got close. Leaning down, he asked, “And what is your name?”
Still very much flustered, the blonde struggled to calm down. Feeling the need to tease, Haku placed one hand behind that head of golden hair, on the tree the blonde was now leaning on while his other hand came up to grip his chin. His curiosity finally got the best of him as he swiped his thumb across those whisker marked cheeks. They didn’t feel raised like scar tissue or engraved like a carving. Could they be birthmarks?
Startled blue eyes were now locked with his deep brown eyes, “Your name?” He asked again, not backing away or removing his hand.
“Na - Naru - to…” It seemed this blue eyed beauty was able to get his name out around this breath of air he was unknowingly holding onto.
“Hmm…Naruto? May I call you Naru-chan?” The air suddenly escaped his throat and the smaller of the two frowned.
“Wha - No way! I’m not -” Haku smiled and leaned in closer, he went from using his hand to lean on the tree to leaning against his forearm. The hand on his chin slid down to take hold of that slender neck. The space between their faces decreased a few inches. Naruto’s cheekbones were blazing red now, “I mean, if you - I don’t care!”
Somehow he was able to bring his arms up and cross them over his chest, even though Haku left very little space between them. The blonde squinted his eyes into his signature fox look and looked down, unintentionally dislodging the hand on his throat. The blonde was just as cute pouting as he was sleeping or beaming with pride. How interesting…
It was at this moment Haku sensed a chakra presence approaching their position in the clearing. A shame really.
Haku leaned in, getting up close to the blonde’s ear, “Well then, Naru-chan,” he was so close to the blonde, he could feel the shiver that went through his smaller body, “until next time.” He took note of the goosebumps rising around his ear and the flush that now encompassed his whole face before he fully pulled back. His brown eyes lingered on the beautiful blonde for half a second before he made a swift retreat into the surrounding forest. Leaving the blonde to his black haired teammate.
Sasuke wasn’t sure why he was out here looking for his idiot blonde teammate, especially when he wasn’t asked too, but he was. Surprisingly, he would have followed him last night but Kakashi had held him back.
It’s stupid, he didn’t care what was going on with that dobe and he didn’t care about his well being. But sometimes…it felt like his body would move to follow before his mind even comprehended he was doing so.
“Tch. Dobe.” He quickly pushed his thoughts regarding his relationship with the blonde to the back of his mind to focus on simply finding said teammate.
That’s when he noticed two people up ahead. One was a girl, with long, dark brown hair wearing a pink kimono with swirl patterns, a white obi and geta sandals. It looked as if she had someone backed up against a tree. Someone smaller, he couldn’t see much of the second person, just some of their clothing which is a bright orange col - Orange!?
Just when it clicked in his mind who the second person had to be, the girl backed away and walked off into the trees. Revealing his teammate looking quite…flustered.
“Dobe! Who was that?” Naruto jumped the faintest amount. His blue eyes swept over to the last Uchiha before turning away. His blush was fading but not completely gone from his cheek bones.
“Sasuke, what’re you doin’ out here?” He kept his gaze down, voice coming out soft, softer than Sasuke thought the blonde would ever be capable of.
“You dobe! You’ve been gone all night.” Sasuke looked off into the direction the stranger had left, “Who was that person? What were you two doing?” For some reason, Sasuke didn’t like what he saw. He looked back at Naruto, more specifically his flustered appearance. Jacket open, shirt bunched and twisted up, showing some of the skin of his stomach, face still red. Sasuke was feeling a multitude of things right now, but decided to consciously deal with the one he knew best, anger. “Well, usuratonkachi, what were you -”
“T-Teme! Don’t call me that an - and we weren’t doing anything! We were just t - talking, ya know.” Naruto’s hand came up to rub against his neck where Haku had held him, his skin felt tingly there.
Sasuke’s glare intensified, his heated gaze locked on Naruto, something must have happened for him to be this flustered, Sasuke thought to himself.
“Naruto…” Sasuke growled out.
Said blonde looked over at his pissed off bastard teammate and saw something he was not ready to deal with, angry determination.
For once, Naruto made the smart decision and made a hasty retreat. Turning his back on Sasuke, yelling ‘No’ he quickly took off, running back to Tazuna’s house.
The last Uchiha stood shocked, in all the time the raven haired avenger has known Naruto, the blonde has never run away. He once again glanced in the direction the stranger had gone, What the hell happened here…
He waited a half second more before chasing after the blonde, this situation was far from over.