Second Chance Of Redemption

Chapter 5

It was four months before Naruto's sixth birthday that the blond boy finally snapped. He didn't go on a rampage, he didn't attack any of the adults that looked at him with those eyes. He didn't crawl into a ball and cry like he had been doing since that night he'd awoken in pain.

No . . . he snuck into the ANBU headquarters, looking for someone very specific.

He'd tried the usual places he thought the ninja to be but hadn't seen him so that had lead him to look within the ANBU ranks. He'd watched the shadows that weren't, looking for the one person that he needed, but had had no such luck.

So he'd waited and watched directly outside the ANBU headquarters, waiting for the one person he was looking for. He was surprised to note a lot of people he had known entering the building wearing the masks of anonymity but he approached none of them.

Not until he spotted the tired gait of a familiar ANBU returning from a mission.

He left his spot of hiding, making his way into the building of Konoha's best, not at all surprised when none of them spotted him. They were arrogant on their home turf and far too tired to be vigilant within a building that held the best that Konoha had.

"Inu-san." Naruto greeted softly, spotting the ANBU he wanted limping slightly out of the report office.

He didn't sneak right up to the teen, knowing that was foolishly like asking to die. Instead he stood at a slight distance, no longer trying to mask his presence. He stayed where he was when the masked face turned to him, entire body tensing.

"Uzumaki." Came the stiff, weary reply.

"You should not be here."

"I noticed you hadn't been on my shift for a while." Naruto continued and he had noticed, surprised by the presence of the ANBU in the first place. He'd never even dreamed that the Sandaime would set the ANBU to babysitting him as he grew. He wondered why none of them had ever stopped him from doing half the pranks he had. But then perhaps they had been ordered not to let him know they were there in the first place.

"You know about the ANBU?" Naruto nearly scoffed at the disbelief in the teen's voice.

"Hai. And you haven't been there for a while. I wanted to see if you were alright." Naruto replied despite the desire to roll his eyes.

"I do not control the missions I get, Uzumaki."

Inu had started walking, apparently deeming Naruto harmless, or perhaps really needing to get somewhere else. Did he start his tardiness now, while in ANBU?

"I know. Doesn't stop me from coming to see you now does it?" Naruto replied with a grin. "I was . . ." He didn't say lonely because that would be like admitting he was losing himself to this desolate existence he'd been thrust into once again and that was not the way he was.

He'd survived this once, he'd do so again.

"Even if you shouldn't be here in the first place." A statement but not a rebuke. "What is it that you want anyway?"

"Sign my permission form to enter the Academy?" Naruto answered immediately, grinning at the ANBU's perceptiveness.

"Hn." Inu had stopped now, as though contemplating something.