Drawing class was supposed to be the best part of the day.
For once, Naruto actually liked what they were doing. He enjoyed the feel of the brush in his fingers, the smooth glide of paint against the canvas. It felt natural—like breathing.
Iruka handed out the supplies, a kind smile on his face as he told them to "draw whatever inspires you."
The kids got to work immediately. The girls giggled and chatted, their strokes careful and precise. Hinata's drawing was particularly detailed—soft colors and delicate flowers. Ino and Sakura, despite their rivalry, both had impressive compositions, full of charm and warmth.
Sasuke was the exception among the boys. His portrait was shockingly well-done.
It was of his older brother—Weasel.
Naruto's eyes lingered on the drawing for a moment longer.
Oh.
That explained it. The resemblance. The way Sasuke carried himself. The same face, same sharp gaze—though, unlike Itachi, Sasuke's expression always carried an air of superiority.
Naruto didn't comment on it. Instead, he turned back to his own canvas.
He was excited for this.
For once, he had something to look forward to.
He dipped his brush in deep, rich browns, layering on hues of ochre and crimson. He painted long, segmented limbs—each one armored and jointed, coiling and twisting across the canvas. His brush glided with precision, bringing to life thick, writhing antennae and gleaming fangs.
The centipede took shape—a vast, ancient creature, its many legs curled in repose, its massive form shadowed in golden dust. A being of the past, of a time before humans walked the land.
Naruto knew it well.
Because he had been it.
Not that he could say that.
When he finished, he sat back, satisfied. His painting had depth. It had texture, life. The centipede's many black eyes seemed to gleam, filled with something unspoken, something old and knowing.
"Naruto?"
He turned the canvas toward the class.
And the reaction was immediate.
A collective gasp.
Screeches.
Several of the girls shrieked, clutching their seats, some even throwing their erasers at him.
Even Iruka flinched, his face twisting with something Naruto had seen before—disgust.
"Ew!" Sakura recoiled, face scrunched up. "What is that?!"
"That's so creepy!" Ino gagged, looking away.
"Dude, what the hell?!" Kiba barked, his nose scrunching. Even his puppy, Akamaru, let out a nervous whimper.
Choji, normally one of the kinder kids, looked uncomfortable. "Uh… maybe put it down, Naruto."
Naruto blinked.
Huh?
What was the problem?
Wasn't it good? He was pretty sure it was the best one in the class. It had depth, unlike the scribbles of flowers and trees around him. His strokes were precise, the details on the centipede's body intricate and real.
Why were they acting like this?
"Naruto…" Iruka cleared his throat, hesitant. "What… what did you draw?"
Naruto glanced at the painting, then back at him.
"An ancient centipede." He said simply.
Iruka's lips pressed into a thin line.
"It's… very detailed."
Naruto tilted his head. That didn't sound like a compliment.
The room still buzzed with unease. Some of the kids had even moved their chairs farther away from him, whispering under their breaths.
Iruka hesitated for a long moment before sighing.
"I think we should put this one away for now."
He carefully took the painting from Naruto's hands, rolling it up, as if trying to remove something grotesque from sight.
Naruto watched, expression blank.
Then he sat back down.
His fingers flexed slightly.
Perhaps next time, I'll paint a T-Rex.
Maybe that would be acceptable.
—ToT—
When Iruka stepped into the Hokage's office, he had no idea what to expect. He had seen many strange things in his time as a teacher, but today had been particularly unsettling.
He placed the rolled-up canvas on the Hokage's desk with a slow, measured movement.
Hiruzen Sarutobi barely reacted. The old man simply regarded the painting with mild curiosity, his pipe resting between his fingers as he exhaled a stream of smoke.
Iruka hesitated.
"Hokage-sama…" he started, glancing at the scroll. "This was drawn by Naruto."
Hiruzen nodded, as if he already knew. "I see."
Iruka frowned. "You don't seem surprised."
Hiruzen exhaled again, setting his pipe down. Then, without a word, he opened one of the drawers of his desk and pulled out a thick bundle of scrolls.
Iruka blinked as the Hokage unrolled them.
His stomach dropped.
The first painting was—horrifying.
A massive wasp—larger than a human—perched atop a pile of twitching, half-eaten insects. Its exoskeleton was sharp and jagged, painted in disturbingly realistic detail, its compound eyes reflecting the last moments of its struggling prey.
Iruka swallowed thickly.
The next one was even worse.
It depicted an entire war, not between humans—but between creatures. Ancient, terrifying beings. Giant, armored trilobites swarming over the body of a fallen sea scorpion, its legs curling inward in its final moments. Strange, snake-like fish with nightmarish teeth locked in battle beneath murky waters. Creatures that should not exist.
Iruka's hands trembled slightly as he flipped to another painting.
A dragonfly.
But not the kind he knew.
This one had a wingspan of nearly a meter, its transparent wings stretched wide, its body thick and segmented like a predator ready to strike. It was perched on a branch, its mandibles open—waiting, calculating. The eyes… they were painted with intent.
Not just an animal.
A thinking being.
Iruka looked up at Hiruzen, pale. "What… what is this?"
Hiruzen sighed, rubbing his temples. "These are all gifts from Naruto."
Iruka stared. "Gifts?"
The Hokage nodded. "Every so often, he gives me a painting. He doesn't say why. He simply hands them to me and walks away."
Iruka glanced down again, flipping through more paintings. A praying mantis lunging at a helpless beetle, its spiked limbs already closing in. A colossal millipede, curling around itself in the darkness of a primeval forest, its countless legs merging into the shadows.
Each painting was… stunning.
But wrong.
This level of detail. This understanding of anatomy, of movement, of predation—
Naruto wasn't supposed to know these things.
He was a child.
"Hokage-sama," Iruka whispered, throat dry, "this is not normal."
Hiruzen sighed. "I know."
Iruka struggled to find the right words. He shook his head, running a hand through his hair. "I thought… maybe the Kyuubi was influencing him, but this isn't—this doesn't feel like that."
"No," Hiruzen agreed, "this has nothing to do with the Kyuubi."
Iruka hesitated, flipping through another scroll. His breath caught.
A bird.
But not just any bird.
It had long, feathered arms instead of wings. A clawed beak, razor-sharp, its eyes burning with primal hunger. Feathers that weren't just for flight, but for hunting. A predator, perched upon the bones of its latest kill.
Iruka inhaled sharply.
"This…" he whispered, stunned. "This is an Archaeopteryx."
Hiruzen looked mildly curious. "Is it?"
Iruka turned to him, eyes wide. "Yes! Hokage-sama, this is a prehistoric creature! It existed millions of years ago! There is no possible way Naruto should even know about this, let alone paint it with such accuracy."
Hiruzen sighed, looking down at the paintings with a contemplative gaze. "I've given up trying to explain it."
Iruka clenched his fists. "This level of knowledge… this is beyond strange. This is something an experienced scientist or researcher would struggle to recreate. It's like he's seen them."
The words hung heavy in the air.
Iruka shivered.
That thought—that possibility—sent a deep chill through his spine.
Hiruzen nodded slowly. "I've wondered the same."
The two of them sat in silence for a moment, staring at the unsettling collection before them.
Iruka rubbed his temples. "Naruto… doesn't see things the way we do, does he?"
Hiruzen shook his head. "No."
There was a long pause before he continued. "He doesn't understand why humans love butterflies but hate flies. Why people think some creatures are 'beautiful' and others are 'disgusting.' To him, there is no distinction."
Iruka swallowed. "That's… unnerving."
The Hokage chuckled, though there was no humor in it. "It is merely his nature."
Iruka set the last scroll down, exhaling deeply. His mind reeled.
He had always thought of Naruto as a troublemaker, a lonely boy with too much energy and not enough guidance.
But this?
This was something else entirely.
Naruto wasn't just a boy with strange habits.
He was something… other.
Something no one quite understood.
TBC