Behind the closed doors of his apartment, Haru pored over the scrolls, starting with the one on tree climbing. Apparently it was a chakra control training exercise, which was exactly what he needed. His chakra control was nothing if not atrocious.
Thanks to that damn fox… Haru cursed once more. The demon fox's more potent energies wreaked such havoc with his budding chakra pathways that it was difficult learning any kind of control. Since making that discovery one fateful night, he had often wondered why he had been thus cursed. The sarcastic responses courtesy of one particular demon did not help.
Stop your whining, you miserable mortal.
Haru cursed the bastard leech once again. There was no love lost between them and it was a miracle that they had reached any agreement. Then again, they had no choice. The two could not be separated without risking the deaths of both host and parasite.
Upon that discovery, the Kyuubi had raged for hours before disappearing from Haru's mindscape for weeks. When the creature finally returned, it was far more docile—not subservient, but at least not trying to mentally break him for its own twisted amusement. Clearly, the demon had no interest in a brain dead vessel.
Still, Haru did not understand why the fox was adamant about keeping all this secrecy.
Are you that stupid? What do you think the beloved citizens of this village would do to you, to us, if you revealed me to them?
I am not you, you fucking bastard. Haru could feel the fox demon's demented laughter.
Have you learnt nothing? It doesn't matter what you are or are not. It matters what they think you are. And you know what they think you are already.
Haru frowned. It had been hard at first. His young mind refused to believe anything the foul beast said. In a perhaps brilliant gamble, the Kyuubi did not push the issue but instead allowed him to think it through. How he hated his tormentor's words:
When you have thought everything through, you will understand why things are the way they are. Why no one wants to be with you. Why you are alone. Why the Hokage alone bestows some semblance of kindness upon you.
He hated how true its assessment ended up being.
Is Itachi supposed to be another weapon? An older model? He mused. Haru did not believe that a weapon was all he was supposed to be, though he had come to believe that it would be a component of what he would have to be. Surely, he could not lead a peaceful civilian life. Haru was also rather pleased with how well he played the wide-eyed youth card.
Dark laughter greeted him.
A weapon of the Uchiha clan? Maybe. That's a disaster waiting to happen. Remember my warning: Loyalties are always conditional. Your esteemed Hokage's kindness extends only so far as the safety of the village is ensured. If he thinks that I have taken you over even briefly…
Then my life is forfeit. Haru could sense the demon nodding its gigantic head.
I don't understand why you even bother with this village. If it was me, I would have–
burned it down with everyone in it. Yes, I know. You've told me a million times. As for why… I don't know… maybe because, despite everything, it's still my home. Haru answered with surprising maturity. It was clear that he had thought about it for some time, though he didn't know why he was saying it to the Kyuubi. In the past, he'd always just shrugged the question off. Maybe it was because, for whatever reasons, he felt he owed it to the bastard trapped within him for the rest of his and its life.
People like those friends of yours?
Damn that bastard! That hurt. That really hurt. The Kyuubi seemed to realize as well as it suddenly became unusually silent. For a moment, Haru wondered if it was actually thinking of apologizing. But nope—it was a demon after all.
Do whatever you want. Just don't get yourself killed while I'm resting. The demon hissed before disappearing back into its domain, most likely not to be seen in a long while. Whenever the Kyuubi came out, it took weeks if not months for it to recover, which made Haru wonder why it bothered. Was it lonely being cooped up in there by itself?
Haru snorted. Whatever sympathy he might have had for the trapped demon was destroyed by its malicious assault. His mind unconsciously drifted to thoughts of losing his latest friends, which quickly killed what was left of his good mood. This was not the first time and it certainly would not be the last. He had even come to expect it after learning about the Kyuubi, but that did not make it any easier.
A ninja passage floated to the top of his mind. Of all the interactions shinobi may make, friendships prove to be the most volatile and the most dangerous. Only a friend can stab a true shinobi in the back, and not even the greatest of our kind is able to defend against such an attack.
The problem ultimately wasn't his friends or even their parents. Haru had seen several adults that had been pleased to watch their children play with "the nice boy." No, the problem was the other children. While Haru was able to disregard the constant stares, whispers and sniping from the shadows, his young friends couldn't. In retrospect, the end result shouldn't have been very surprising. He had long observed and recognized the power of peer pressure. Still, he wished those relationships could have ended on better terms.
"Nothing to do about that. Now to see what I should do for this tree climbing exercise."
The blond boy really did not like to read, preferring instead the hands-on approach. At the same time, he was reasonable and fairly intelligent. Having tried the latter method and found it lacking, it seemed logical for him to try the former. He just hoped he wouldn't fall asleep again.