At eight in the morning, I went for my training as usual. Ariza was no longer in bed; she always went to sleep later, around eleven, and woke up at five or six in the morning. How she gets enough sleep, I have no idea.
My path to the cliffs led through the outskirts where Naruto practiced. I had seen him training at this time for several days now. He either gets up just as early or doesn't sleep at all. I think it's the latter. He made a bet that he could learn such a complex technique in just one week. Which, of course, I don't believe. What was he thinking when he agreed to that?
Running past Naruto's training ground, I stopped in surprise when I didn't see Uzumaki there. I went down to look around and saw the top of my friend's head, and next to him, Ariza. I was next to them in no time and noticed that they were sleeping, practically hugging each other. Their eyes were a little red, and their faces were dirty. Why would that be?
So, Ari didn't stay in the room tonight?
I touched Ariza's shoulder, and she woke up unexpectedly. Taking a deep breath, she looked at me with sleepy red eyes, then shifted her gaze to Naruto. She silently began to extricate herself from Uzumaki's grasp, and then he suddenly woke up too. At first, he looked at us with confusion, but it seemed like he remembered something, silently pulled away, and lowered his gaze.
I watched them and couldn't analyze or understand what had happened last night that made them behave so strangely now.
Suddenly, Ariza gently hugged Naruto and patted his back. He, in turn, nodded a few times and hugged her back.
At this point, I couldn't hold back any longer and asked aloud:
"What happened?" My words echoed in the silence, but neither of them answered.
Ariza silently began to treat her friend's wounds, then wrapped his arm with a bandage. After that, she hugged him again, seemingly expressing support, and stood up. All this happened in absolute silence. Therefore, it raised many questions in me that I couldn't find answers to. What were they doing here? What happened yesterday? Why are they both silent? What's wrong with Naruto? Why did they fall asleep almost hugging each other by the tree?
A drop of jealousy appeared in my thoughts, but I immediately dismissed them, as I couldn't even imagine them together. Meanwhile, Ariza lightly touched my shoulder, beckoning me to follow, and started to walk away. Without thinking, I followed her, hearing Naruto getting up behind me.
"Why is Naruto acting so strange? Did something happen to him?" I asked again, when we had already moved a considerable distance away.
She stopped abruptly in front of me and, for the first time in her life, looked at me seriously over her shoulder with a reproachful look. It was even somewhat disdainful. It stung, but at the same time, it intrigued me.
"You didn't hear?" she asked coolly. It seemed she was in a terrible mood, and it was better not to bother her right now. "Naruto's father died."
"I know, but as far as I know, they didn't get along. And Naruto didn't even cry at the funeral. At least, that's how I remember it," I replied indifferently.
"Are you kidding me?!" she snapped, narrowing her eyes.
"I don't understand."
"I can see that," she said, still looking at me seriously.
"Sorry," when I realized I had said something stupid, I lowered my head.
"He loved his dad," she said, now calmly and quietly. "And now he's left without a family." I raised my head and saw her looking sadly at the sky. "You can consider him a weakling or a loser all you want, but until you know the bitterness of loss, he will be stronger than you." With that, she disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
"Tsk, what an idiot I am," I said into the emptiness. Naruto's father was the only person close to him... He must be having a very hard time right now. I don't even know what I would do in his place... I would probably want to avenge my father. Although these are just assumptions, I have a family and a brother. I have everything. But Naruto and Ariza have no one.
POV Ariza
I had a terrible mood from the morning. Sasuke only added fuel to the fire, which made the situation even worse. To prevent him from accidentally getting caught in the crossfire, I decided to leave quickly, leaving him alone with himself. I didn't behave very well, of course, but I won't apologize to him. He should have thought before saying anything. It's good that Naruto didn't hear it.
My soul couldn't find peace. It was even uncomfortable to walk down the street. I decided to relieve my anxiety with food or a drink and entered the first shop I came across. I'll eat something, maybe I'll feel calmer.
To my surprise, Grandma Tsunade was sitting at a table and, judging by the smell, was drinking alcohol.
"Good afternoon," I greeted her and sat down next to Tsunade. She gave me a tipsy glance and, downing a sake in one gulp, said:
"Ah... it's you," she smirked and asked the vendor for a few more cups.
"Yes, may I ask how I should address you?" I inquired.
"Look at you, so polite," she said after another drink, "just call me 'Tsunade.' And yes, you can use 'you'."
"Um," I was stunned. This was the second adult who had suggested using "you."
First Minato, then Tsunade. What will happen next... And, most importantly, why... Why do they allow me to use "you"?
"May I ask something? Did you know me before we met?" I decided to start looking for answers to my questions. The situation that happened the day we found her raised four questions in me that I absolutely wanted to find an answer to.
"Did I know you?" she repeated and looked at me seriously again. "Mmm," she waited two or three seconds and blurted out, "Well, yes, I knew about you."
"And from whom exactly?" I asked again, digging deeper.
"You know what, girl, no matter how you feel about Konoha, it's too early for you to know this," she said some incomprehensible nonsense and ate a dango.
'What does my attitude towards Konoha have to do with it, and why is it too early for me to know?' This one answer created several new questions.
"So, Jiraiya also found out about me from someone," I stated assertively to Tsunade, expecting some reaction from her.
"Hah," she chuckled. "You still have a lot to learn."
"I don't doubt it, Tsunade. None of us are perfect," I said, taking money out of my pouch. "May I have some dango, a medium portion, please?" I addressed the vendor, handing over the money.
"What are you doing here?" she asked me.
"It's not every day you get a chance to chat with one of the legendary trio," I said with a slight smile.
"That's some answer."
"I also wanted to ask about the amulet. How can I check its affiliation with the First Hokage? How can it manifest itself?"
"It was lost a very long time ago. So it's not certain that your amulet is indeed that one. Although it's clear it's made of a very expensive crystal stone. In general, until it manifests itself, you won't know."
"Eh, well, okay," I said. "And may I inquire about your technique: do you constantly replenish the Yin Seal on your forehead, or did you gather chakra once and seal it?"
"Why should I answer you, girl?" she squinted.
"No, you are by no means obligated to answer my question. It's just that I'm creating a new technique right now, and your answer would be very helpful. I have no one else to ask; surely there are no other shinobi in the world with abilities like yours."
"Actually, there is," she said, "there is one person who can create such a seal, and not just one."
"Really?" I was surprised. "Who is he?"
"I won't tell you; you'll find out yourself someday."
'Again with this "you'll find out yourself," I'm so tired of it!' I thought.
"Well, okay," I let that go and returned to my question. "What about the answer to my question?" I reminded her and took my dango from the vendor.
I really wanted to know the answer to this question, as a new idea about my chakra pool had recently emerged. What if there wasn't just one or even two such pools?
"Alright, fine, I'll give you a hint," she took an empty notebook or notepad from her pocket and, pushing aside unnecessary dishes, began to write. She filled a whole page and, tearing it out, handed it to me. "Here are the explanations of how my technique works."
"Thank you very much," I took the sheet and, glancing at it briefly, put it in my pocket. "You would be an excellent Hokage."
"Hah, girl, what makes you think I'll be Hokage? I haven't agreed yet!" she said irritably, waving her hand.
"Well-ll, it would be nice, you're the best candidate for the position."
"I have nothing better to do!" she smirked and drank a cup of sake.
"I think it's your destiny, and what is meant to be will be," I replied, simultaneously devouring the sweets.
"Jiraiya gave me a week to decide. So everything can still change," she said, handing the dishes back to the vendor, stood up, and headed for the exit. "And yes, we create our own destiny."
Near the exit, I called out to her, and she paused slightly, not turning around.
"We need you," I stated firmly and loudly. She just grunted at that and left.
For the remaining time, I calmly ate dango in silence and contemplation. Much was unclear to me, but one thing I understood for sure – this world is very different from the canon. And not only Minato is present here. There are many "extra" people, including myself.
And no matter how much the world tries to return everything to normal, like a pendulum, there will definitely be differences. Many important events have happened to me in the last month: the attack on Konoha, Minato's death, meeting an unknown Uchiha girl named Kaori, who is clearly not for Orochimaru; a journey to the Dragon World, and so on.
This has undoubtedly made me stronger, but how many questions are still left for me to unravel!
Alright! To hell with all the questions! I'll take a shower instead.
Finishing my meal quickly, I left the establishment and headed for the hotel where we were staying. But I hadn't gone more than a few meters when I saw Itachi's team: Makoto, Jiro, Sakura, and Itachi himself.
"Oh, hi, guys, hello Itachi-san," I greeted them and walked closer.
"What are you doing here?" Sakura asked point-blank.
"Hi, Ari," Jiro extended his fist, and I bumped it.
"On a mission here?" the team's mentor asked.
"Well, you could say that, Itachi-san, and what are you guys doing here?"
"We're returning from a mission."
"Cool, and how long will you be here?"
"A couple of days for sure."
"Great," I said happily, "Jiro, how about the idea of training tomorrow morning?"
"Training, you say," he pondered. "In principle, yes, and where exactly?"
"There's a small clearing near the entrance to the city. The terrain is excellent there," I pointed south with my finger. "You probably saw it when you entered the village."
"Yes, I remember it."
"Shall I invite Sasuke and Naruto too? Would you mind?"
"No, not at all," he shrugged.
"Is tomorrow at ten in the morning convenient?"
"Of course," he said with a slight smile.
"Deal," I extended my fist for a farewell. They headed in their direction. I decided to study the sheet Tsunade gave me after my shower.
***
Read the story months ahead of the public release — early chapters are available on my Patreon: Granulan