Chapter 10: The Weight of a Watchful Eye
Naruto fled the Hokage Building, the phantom sensation of social shame burning on his skin. The adrenaline of the prank had faded, leaving behind a cringe so profound he felt it in his bones. Transforming into a seductive woman to make the Hokage and his ANBU guards nosebleed... what had he been thinking? It was a stain on his record, a memory he would desperately try to bury in the years to come.
'I really need to stick to a more dignified path to power,' he lamented internally, scrubbing a hand over his face as if he could wipe away the embarrassment.
"Uzumaki Naruto!"
The roar, coming from three different throats yet unified in its fury, shattered his self-pitying reverie. He looked up to see the three Jōnin he had duped with his Shadow Clones, now standing before him, their chests heaving with rage and exertion. They had apparently run a lap around the entire village chasing phantoms.
"Heh, you guys are something else," Naruto said, forcing a casual tone and shifting the blame with practiced ease. "Chasing my clones all over Konoha? Can't you just let it go?"
Veins throbbed visibly on the Jōnins' temples. The air crackled with the intent to do serious, educational harm to a certain orange-clad genin-in-training.
"You little—"
Just as one of them lunged, an ANBU agent materialized in a swirl of leaves between them. The masked agent shot a look of pure, unadulterated malice at Naruto before addressing the Jōnin. "The Third Hokage summons you. Now."
The three Jōnin immediately snapped to attention. "Yes, sir!"
They shot Naruto one last, venomous glare before marching stiffly toward the Hokage Tower, their pride deeply wounded.
From his office window, the Third Hokage watched the scene below, a thoughtful cloud of smoke curling from his pipe. 'The Shadow Clone Technique... a jutsu of that level. Who could have taught him?' The old worry about outside influences manipulating the Jinchuriki resurfaced. For a moment, he considered assigning a permanent, hidden ANBU detail. But then he remembered the boy was mere months from graduation. A weary sigh escaped him. 'No... Minato's son... I'll let his future sensei handle this. The young are best guided by the young.'
The next day, Naruto slipped back into his facade of lazy indifference. He shuffled into the academy classroom, his gaze automatically drifting to his seat. He stopped short. Hinata was no longer across the room. At some point, she had traded seats and was now sitting directly next to his.
He recovered quickly, a genuine, soft smile touching his lips as he walked over and sat down. "Morning, Hinata."
"Naruto-kun... about yesterday, I..." she began, her voice thick with apology, her fingers twisting together in her lap.
"You don't have to explain," he interrupted gently. "I understand the position you're in. I can't help you train anymore, but that doesn't mean you should slack off." He met her worried gaze, his own eyes holding a steady, unwavering confidence. "I'll be waiting for you ahead. Don't keep me waiting too long."
The weight of his expectation, far from crushing her, seemed to fortify her spirit. Hinata sat up straighter, her shyness momentarily eclipsed by fierce determination. She nodded, her voice firm. "Yes! I will, Naruto-kun!"
The new seating arrangement did not go unnoticed.
Inuzuka Kiba leaned over to Akamaru. "Weird. Since when does Hinata sit next to Naruto?"
"Woof!" Akamaru agreed, equally perplexed.
Aburame Shino adjusted his glasses, the silence from his hive of insects somehow more eloquent than any comment.
Meanwhile, the Ino-Shika-Chō trio observed from their corner.
Ino whispered, "That's strange. Hinata actually moved to sit next to that dead-last."
Nara Shikamaru sighed, the very picture of exasperation. "Yeah, it's a real drag trying to figure out why. Women are so troublesome."
Akimichi Chōji simply crunched on a potato chip, wholly uninterested in the social dynamics of the Hyūga heiress.
When Iruka-sensei entered, he did a subtle double-take at the new seating chart but, after a moment's consideration, decided not to make an issue of it and began his lesson.
After class, Naruto intended to walk with Hinata, but Iruka's voice stopped him. "Naruto, a word."
Once the classroom emptied, Iruka fixed him with a stern look. "Naruto, I heard you caused quite a scene at the Hokage Building. Again."
"Yeah," Naruto replied flatly, the memory making him want to curl into a ball and vanish.
"You were so quiet for a month, I thought you were finally maturing!" Iruka said, his voice a mix of disappointment and concern. "I see now I was wrong. Lord Third has informed me of your... antics. As punishment, you will be performing community service every weekend."
"Community service? No thanks," Naruto refused instantly. He'd rather endure the glares of the entire village than spend his weekends on some thankless, tedious chore.
"Your refusal is noted and irrelevant," Iruka stated firmly. "I've already arranged for a supervisor to ensure you complete your duties."
"A supervisor?" Naruto's eyebrow rose. "Who?"
"Me."
Naruto's head snapped toward the doorway. Leaning against the frame, nose buried in a bright orange book, was a man with shockingly silver hair. "Kakashi?!" The name escaped Naruto's lips before he could stop it.
The Jōnin looked up, his single visible eye curving into a faint smile. "Oh? You know me?"
Recovering his composure, Naruto scowled and looked away. "I don't know you."
Kakashi simply shrugged. "Well, that's fine. I don't bother with snot-nosed brats anyway," he said, returning to his book.
The old Naruto would have erupted at the insult, but the new one simply filed the comment away. His mind was racing. 'Why is Kakashi here? It's not time for team assignments.' Iruka's claim that he had "arranged" for a Jōnin of Kakashi's caliber was laughable. This had the Third Hokage's fingerprints all over it. But what was the old man's game?
"Anyway, it's settled," Iruka concluded. "Kakashi will be escorting you for your community service for the foreseeable future."
Knowing argument was futile, Naruto simply grunted, "Whatever," and brushed past Kakashi without another word.
Iruka watched him go, sighing in frustration. "Kakashi, he's all yours."
Kakashi lowered his book, his gaze turning serious for a fleeting moment. "Just to be clear, I'm not here to be his teacher."
"Then why did Lord Third assign you to Naruto?" Iruka asked, confused.
"Who knows?" Kakashi replied airily, scratching his head. "He just told me to take the kid on a few D-ranks. Don't ask me why."
But Kakashi did know. The Third Hokage's orders were clear: monitor and protect. Hiruzen feared Naruto's sudden change in behavior was a sign he'd been contacted by Danzo's Root operatives. By placing the famous Copy Ninja, a veteran of the ANBU Black Ops, by Naruto's side, the Hokage was sending a clear, unspoken warning to the shadows: 'Stay away from the Jinchuriki.'
The irony, of course, was that Naruto's transformation had nothing to do with Danzo's machinations. The old warhawk was about to receive a very stern, and entirely undeserved, talking-to.
(End of Chapter)