A Couple Steps Back

Chapter 24

Third person pov

Yoshino was pretty sure she was being lied to, but she couldn't say anything, because Shikamaru's legs were scarred, and his eyes showed a much deeper pain that even she had trouble comprehending.

"He... saved you?" Yoshino didn't step into the room, eyeing Hidan nervously. The man hurriedly swallowed his food in response to her staring, his eyes darting back and forth in a panicked sort of way. Yoshino didn't want whoever this man was anywhere near her son. He looked extremely familiar, and not from around the village either. He was someone different. Someone from outside the safety of Konoha. That made him a danger, especially to a clan heir like Shikamaru.

The Nara clan was one of Konoha's biggest and oldest clans. While they weren't as powerful as the Uchiha and Hyuga were, they still had the advantage of intelligence. The clan was a treasure trove of pure genius, and Shikamaru was no different. He was learning fast, even if he was a bit lazy. Yoshino was on edge because of that. She didn't know if they had any enemies, but she sure as hell hoped not.

"I did?" Hidan looked to Shikamaru, who glared. He turned back to Yoshino with a smile. "Oh, yeah, of course. Saved his life... hah."

Shikamaru, resisting the urge to facepalm, stepped forward. "Kaa-san, do you think you could take me to Naruto? I really, really wanna check on him. Like really bad." He urged. Hidan's face twisted. "That blonde brat? What, is somethin' wrong with 'im? Don't tell me he went and threw himself in the face of danger or some fuck shit like that. Damn idiot. You know, I almost chopped off his head once? It was fucking awesome." He rambled.

The color seemed to drain from Yoshino's face the more Hidan talked, and the more he cursed. Hidan paused, his lips pressing together. He looked at Shikamaru with wide eyes. The young Nara stared back with a similar look. Yoshino sucked in a deep breath, opened her mouth, and screamed.

"SHIKAKU!"

This time, Shikamaru really did facepalm.

~

"Ibiki, why do you have a kid with you?" Genma questioned as the man walked into the T&I building, a cheery looking orange-clad boy at his side. Naruto inspected him. He'd never really met Genma, but he remembered him from his first chunin exams. With a senbon caught between his teeth and a bandana-type headband, he didn't look all that much different than he did in the future. His hair was a tad shorter, Naruto supposed.

"I adopted him." Ibiki replied gruffly, brushing past him and trudging towards his office. Naruto followed as speedily as he could, making sure to but some childish bounce in his step. Genma's mouth fell open momentarily, clamping shut moments later just in time to stop his senbon from falling out. He scurried after his boss, and his new companion.

"What do you mean you adopted a kid?! Don't you already have Idate to worry about?" Genma knew he was being annoying, and nosy, but this was Ibiki! And this kid, the holder of the nine-tailed fox based on his whiskers and bright hair, wasn't really the ideal house guest. At least, not in Genma's opinion. He didn't really have anything against the little guy, but that didn't change the fact that Naruto was a troublemaker, one who carried a big burden.

"Idate can take care of himself." Ibiki said dismissively, opening the door to his office. Naruto darted past him. "Don't touch anything, brat!" He called into the office, turning back to Genma who was still looking wide-eyed and confused. Ibiki rolled his eyes. "He didn't have a home, and he needed one. He's missing a toe, Genma. And he's got a nasty scar right across his neck, and his arms and legs are covered too. He needs a place to stay until he's old enough to fend for himself."

"I can fend for myself just fine, thank you." Naruto scoffed, examining a few kunai Ibiki had stuffed away. The man scowled. "What did I say about touching things? Put it down, brat. Go sit in the corner or something." He waved Naruto away from his desk, setting down the folder with all the adoption information inside. Genma trailed in after him, in shock. Ibiki had really adopted the village's Jinchuuriki. And he didn't even seem that... upset about it.

"You chose to adopt him?! Why?!" Genma, again, didn't have anything against Naruto, but this was Ibiki! He had a large enough workload as it was, and he always seemed to be grumbling about Idate, and how irresponsible he was. Naruto was probably more trouble than Idate ever could be in an entire lifetime. He'd seen the blonde outrun and hide from ANBU, which was a hard thing to do when your chakra mass was as large as Naruto's happened to be.

"I just told you; the brat needed a home, and I provided it. Now get out." Ibiki demanded. Genma's mouth fell open again. Ibiki was actually getting upset about his clear astonishment. I mean, how could he not be shocked?! What was the man expecting?

"This corner is boring." Naruto piped up from the corner. Ibiki snorted slightly: "Shut up, brat."

Genma didn't notice the look the pair shared.