Chapter 1 - The First Adventure

“I think you need to see this, Lord Hokage…it’s not something I’ve really dealt with before…” Iruka said, smiling a little. He had the Third’s attention, at least.

“A student, Iruka? Playing pranks, or spying on bathing women?” Those were common problems.

“No sir…it’s better if you see for yourself.”

--

“Hey, Ryouko, c’mon, we’re going to play soccer!” shouted a group of kids. Ryouko looked up, his eyes and face flat. He tried offer a small smile.

“Thanks, but I’m still working. Have fun,” came the seven year old’s voice.

“Okay! But, boy, all you ever do is study!” a young girl pointed out. Ryouko looked up and gave her a small smile.

“If I study hard, someday I’ll be strong enough to defend the Leaf Village. That’s what I really want.”

Ryouko went back to his studying, sitting in the classroom long after the others had run off for recess and lunch. His mind was in another time, reading about the First and Second Hokages. Ryouko’s right had was taking notes on a scroll of his own. He stopped to gaze out the window, and uttered a tiny sigh. It was a nice day. But that didn’t mean much to Ryouko. He didn’t look up again until, twenty minutes later, he heard two sets of footsteps coming toward him.

“Ryouko?” came the gentle voice of Iruka. Ryouko looked up at Iruka.

“Oh, hi sensei,” Ryouko replied, a smile on his face.

“What are you studying?” Iruka bent down to look at Ryouko’s work. The Third Hokage was watching silently from the window to see what the problem was with this boy. So far, the Third hadn’t seen anything, aside from a model student.

“I’m reading history today, sensei. I want to do well on our test tomorrow.” Ryouko held up the books and scrolls to Iruka as proof of his study habits.

Iruka looked at the history Ryouko was reading. It was beyond the quiz level, and more in-depth that some jonin had bothered to read. Even Iruka, a teacher, had trouble wading through some of this stuff without dozing off.

“This isn’t on our test, Ryouko. Wouldn’t you rather be outside, playing with the others?” Iruka asked calmly, hoping this didn’t sound like yet another attempt to get Ryouko to be ‘normal’.

“Not really, sensei. I just don’t fit in. Besides, I want to be strong. I want to be someone everyone can rely on. I want to be a great jonin, and maybe…maybe even on Lord Hokage’s council someday!”

Iruka noted the change- Ryouko had hopes and ambitions, something he never displayed in class. Not that he didn’t work hard, because he certainly did- there just wasn’t this definitive kind of ambition before.

“How about Hokage? Wouldn’t you want to be Hokage yourself someday?” Iruka asked, a little puzzled by Ryouko’s answer.

Ryouko shook his head, his dark hair hardly moving. It seemed to be like a brown hat at times. “No, that’s Naruto-kun’s dream, I don’t want to take it from him.”

The innocence in that answer made Iruka smile widely. He sat down on the bench next to Ryouko.

“That’s very nice of you. Are you friends with Naruto?” Iruka questioned, looking at another scroll, turning it over in his hands.

“Not really, sensei. But I don’t hate him. I heard…a lot of things about him…but I’m not s’posed to talk about it, right?” at Iruka’s nod, Ryouko continued. “But I don’t hate him, I feel bad for him. He’s not anything like what’s inside him.”

Iruka was taken aback that Ryouko knew so much about something that was supposed to be unspeakable. Some people believe ghosts and spirits come to children, because that can think differently than adults, or they’re willing to believe. Children can always sense things, they just can’t describe them. Is that the case with Ryouko as well? What has he sensed?

“What do you think is inside him?” Iruka asked, partially fearing the answer. The truth was as scary as any fiction.

“A monster. A nine-tailed fox. But it’s not Naruto’s fault, and he doesn’t bully me, so I feel bad for him. It’s like people not liking me because of my past.” Ryouko had his eyes closed, really thinking about his answer, then nodding to himself, as if he was telling himself he was right.

Iruka put a hand on Ryouko’s head. “You’re a smart boy, Ryouko. And a top student. Would you like to meet Lord Hokage?”

Ryouko looked at the ground. “I don’t want to bother him, Iruka-sensei…I’m not important enough for him to waste time on. I wouldn’t even know what to say…”

“How about “Hello”?” came the rich voice of the Third Hokage. Iruka stepped back and smiled, noting the awe on Ryouko’s young face.

“Ryouko, this is the Third Hokage. He’d like to talk to you. Do you have time for him?” That question always seemed to make children feel important.

Ryouko leapt out of his seat as though it were on fire. “It’s an honor, Lord Hokage!” he said, bowing heavily, facing the ground.

“Ha ha ha, settle down, Ryouko. It’s nice to meet you, too!” The Third Hokage sat down next to Ryouko, giving Iruka a nod.

The Third Hokage had the ability to get you to like and trust him the second you met him. Ryouko was in awe of this man, though he was past his prime as a Shinobi.

“Iruka tells me you study an awful lot. Don’t you want to play with the others sometimes? You’re still young, you’ll have plenty of time to study later, take it from me! I lived enough years to know!”

Ryouko shook his head. “No, sir. I just don’t fit in with them. Besides, the more I study now, the better I’ll be when I’m older! I want to be strong, and…” Ryouko’s ears burned. He looked over to Iruka, who gave him an encouraging smile and nod.

“…And someday I’d like to be an advisor to you, Lord Hokage. I want to be someone the village can depend on! That’s why I’ve got to study hard and train just as hard!”

The Third Hokage smiled at Ryouko. “Well, I can see you’re serious. Keep working hard, and someday you’ll be a strong Shinobi. Tell me, Ryouko- do you like it here, in the Leaf Village?”

“Yes, I really do! I know a lot of people didn’t want me here, ‘cause of all my samurai training…”

The Third Hokage now let the wisdom his age had given him show. “Ryouko, your past is just that- your past. Your life is a river, dotted by trees that drop leaves. The river is filled with rocks. Rocks that may be difficult to get around, but rocks that shape you, as a person, and make you stronger. Your river is at it’s very beginning, and it will take many twists and turns. But know this- the trials you suffer now will only make you a stronger Shinobi, and a stronger person.”

With that, the Third Hokage excused himself, saying he had to get back to work.
--

“What did you think, Lord Hokage?” Iruka asked earnestly.

“I think he’ll be a strong ninja, and a reliable person. As for his social skills, or lack thereof, with his peers…do nothing. Trying to force him to change will do more harm than good. His slate is, as of yet, blank. He’ll have time to mark it later.”

Iruka bowed. “Yes, Lord Hokage, I understand. It’s sad, though…watching him sit by himself. Some of the others try to include him, but he never says yes. He said it was so the people that asked him wouldn’t get bullied. It’s not a pain he wants to share with others.”

Lord Hokage gave a sigh. “That is a boy who thinks beyond his years. An admirable quality, but his childhood may be sacrificed. But, as I said, we can do nothing. At least not yet. Any move we make Ryouko may interpret as hostile, and there’s no need to put someone so young on his guard against the people he needs to grow to trust. Many people hold him in contempt, it’s true, but hard work like that may give him the key to being accepted.”

--

Today, the kunoichi-in-training were learning the age-old art of flower arranging. That meant a day in the sunshine, with lots of fun, and a chance to impress the boys who would be getting the flowers they picked. One pink-haired girl, her hair tied back with a red ribbon, was busy picking away when she heard the sounds of her blonde friend behind her.

“Oh, hi Ino!” the little girl said brightly, while her hands kept working.

“Hey Sakura! Wow, that’s a lot of flowers!” Ino declared. “Who are they for?”

Sakura blushed a little. “Well, these are for Sasuke. (a batch of red flowers) This batch is for Lord Hokage. (Pink flowers) And these…well, they’re for the new boy. (Yellow flowers)”

“Huh? The new boy? Who do you mean?” Ino asked, screwing up her face, trying to remember who Sakura meant. They didn’t have any new boys in class…

“The one in the classroom, over there. I think he’s a year ahead of us.” Sakura pointed. Ino followed Sakura’s finger to a small boy who seemed to be hard at work. The boy looked out the window, a wistful look on his face as he gave a visible sigh.

“Him? Why him? You gotta crush on him or something?” Ino teased, poking at Sakura. Sakura shrank away from Ino’s playful roughhousing.

“No…it’s ‘cause he’s always alone. He never plays, he only studies, and other people make fun of him. They did that to me once, so I know how he feels. And maybe flowers will cheer him up!” Sakura wanted to hear what Ino would say on this subject. Ino seemed so worldly and charming; it made Sakura feel that she could learn a lot from her.

“Sakura, boys don’t like flowers! They won’t help him! Besides, he’s kinda weird, isn’t he? Showing up in those weird clothes, with that sword…he’s a weirdo.”

Sakura gleefully tied the flowers neatly with a red ribbon. “I don’t care, I’m going to try! Maybe he’ll like them!”

--

Ryouko folded himself into seiza, a position between sitting and kneeling in which you sat on your left leg, with your other tucked Indian-style in front of you. His tiny left hand reached out for a cup of tea, while his eyes never left the scroll. The steam from the fine cup tickled his nose, which caused Ryouko to drink quickly. Absently, Ryouko put the cup down and set about eating some rice. He wasn’t a big fan of rice, but he had to keep in shape, and rice was healthy in a number of ways. And it tasted better than a lot of healthy stuff he could be eating.

-

“Go on, if you’re going to! What are you afraid of, you don’t have a crush on him anyway!” Ino prodded Sakura.

“I don’t know, Ino…I mean, look at him. He looks busy…”

Ino gave Sakura a playful hit on the arm. “Aw, you’re just nervous ‘cause he’s a boy and you’re a girl! Tell ya what- if you get him to smile, I’ll give you that pink dress of mine you always liked!”

Sakura couldn’t resist a bet like that. “You’re on!” Sakura marched into the classroom.

-

Ryouko heard the footsteps, but figured it was Iruka-sensei again. So he kept reading until he heard a nervous cough.

“hmm?” Ryouko looked up, surprised to find a girl near his age standing near his desk. She looked familiar, but he couldn’t quite remember the name of the little kunoichi with the pink hair.

“H-hi, Ryouko-kun…” Sakura stammered nervously.

Ryouko remembered her voice now. She was the smartest girl in the class just a year behind his, that’s why she seemed familiar.

“Hi, Sakura-chan,” Ryouko answered, putting his tea cup down and looking up from his scroll, trying to seem less distant than he usually did.

“I, um, wanted to give you these. We picked flowers today, and I thought you’d like some.” Sakura held the flowers out to Ryouko. She winced inwardly when Ryouko didn’t take them right away. What if Ino was right?

Ryouko blushed- he had never had a girl give him flowers before. He reached out and took them, turning redder when his hand touched Sakura’s. He stood up.

“Th-thank you!” Ryouko bowed to Sakura, who seemed to get more nervous after the gesture. But when Ryouko stood back up, he had a smile on his face for the first time since Sakura had seen him.

“You’re welcome! I’ve gotta go, bye!” Sakura ran out of the classroom, waving over her shoulder.

--

“Wow, Sakura! You got him to smile! I guess I owe you that dress…” Ino was surprised that Sakura had won their bet. She got that stone-faced kid to smile? Wow, that’s really impressive!

“No, you can keep it, Ino. Making someone like him smile is enough for me,” Sakura told Ino, recalling the cute smile Ryouko had managed. “C’mon, let’s go finish eating!”

--

Ryouko looked at the flowers in front of him all day, until it was dismissal time. He got up, and, for once, ran out with the others. He had to get home to tell his Mom about today!

“Bye Iruka-sensei!” Ryouko called to him. “I’ll see you tomorrow, I’ll be early!”

-

Ryouko ran home, still smiling as he slid open the door.

“Mom?! I’m home! I’ve got to talk to you!” Ryouko yelled happily, finding his mother in the kitchen.

“Ryouko, you’re home early today! Is anything wrong?” Shinobu, Ryouko’s mother, asked, kneeling down to take her son’s coat.

“Kind of…but it’s a good thing! Sakura Haruno, she’s a girl near my age, she gave me flowers! See?!” Ryouko pointed to the flowers he had laid on the table.

“They’re beautiful! Did you remember to thank her?” Shinobu asked with a mother’s concern as Ryouko put them in a vase.

“I did! But I didn’t know what to do after that. I’ve never had a girl give me flowers before. Does this mean she likes me or something?”

Shinobu had to laugh at her son’s cute confusion. So a girl took notice of my little Ryouko? I’ll have to see if I can get a picture or something.

“Maybe, but you ARE by yourself a lot, maybe this girl just wants to be your friend.” Shinobu had talked to Iruka several times about Ryouko’s somewhat anti-social behavior. But when Lord Hokage had stopped by…

“I don’t know, Mom. Maybe she WAS just being nice. It was really nice of her to think of me. Oh, and I met Lord Hokage today! He says he’s impressed by how hard I study, and that he thinks I could be a great Ninja someday!”

Shinobu gave her son a smile. It wasn’t so much what Lord Hokage had said, it was the fact he had gone out of his way to say something to her son. She hadn’t seen him so excited since they had come to the Hidden Leaf. It was a relief to know he was still capable of being the happy child he once was.

“That’s great, honey!”

Little Ryouko smiled, jumping up and flipping to express himself. “Thanks Mom! I’m gonna go train! I’m be late!”

With that, Ryouko ran outside, with a sword, shuriken, kunai, and an armful of scrolls. He had all the ambition in the world, and was on a natural high right now. Lord Hokage, Iruka-sensei, Sakura-chan- maybe people DO like me here!

--

Ryouko walked carefully through the village, looking at the ground. People always looked at him funny. He knew it was because of his old training. Still, to a seven year old who loved his new home, it was devastating, almost to the point of tears. No one wanted anything to do with him. The other kids weren’t so bad, but a few mean ones had ruined him.

“Hey, Ryouko!”

Ryouko looked up slowly, worried at what he did. But it was another kid’s voice calling him. Naruto’s voice, for that matter. The orange-clad Shinobi wanna-be came running up to Ryouko, knocking a few people off balance as he darted through and around their legs. He skidded short of Ryouko.

“Hi Naruto-kun,” Ryouko replied, wondering what Naruto wanted. Aside from pulling a prank or two, Naruto wasn’t the type to hang out with Ryouko. Not that anyone was, but the two seemed to be polar opposites.

“Come on, you gotta see this! I swear, I didn’t do it this time! I was kinda busy, marking up the Academy blackboards (‘I can’t wait to see the look on Iruka-sensei’s face tomorrow!’)” Naruto yelled, towing Ryouko toward whatever mayhem he had caused. Somehow, Ryouko believed Naruto, but all the same had his doubts. What could be so important? Naruto confesses to stuff all the time, but only after he’s been caught.

It was pretty big indeed. There was Sakura and Ino, surrounded by other kids, mostly boys, throwing water balloons and fruit at the two girls, neither of which were happy. Sakura was already crying, while Ino was shouting something.

-

“Why are they doing this, Ino?!” Sakura wailed, crying as an apple bonked her on the head.

“I don’t know! Ugh, STOP IT YOU IDIOTS! WE DIDN’T DO ANYTHING!” Ino shouted. An old tomato found it’s way to her, ruining her new white blouse. That got her near tears, too.

Ryouko had seen enough. Prying himself loose from Naruto’s grasp, he darted in front of the kunoichi in training, taking several tomatoes, apples, and even melons. He had his arms out in an attitude of protection.

“Stop it!” Ryouko yelled to the crowd. “Why are you doing this?!”

“They’re little thieves! They took a ton of manga, and broke people’s toys!”

“This is none of your business, Ryouko! Get out of the way!”

But Ryouko didn’t move. He couldn’t understand it- why weren’t any adults helping? If no one else was going to, then Ryouko was going to help. He had to think really hard at first, but it came back to him. His chakra, and how it could help. He couldn’t do jutsus yet, but he could control his chakra. He did now, bringing a supply to his feet.

“Hold on to me, okay?!” Ryouko yelled over the crowd, reaching for Ino and Sakura’s hands.

Focus…focus!

Ryouko jumped- and suddenly found himself on the roof, still holding the two girl’s hands. The crowd of kids, seeing that they couldn’t reach the girls anymore, dispersed, mostly running off to tell adults. Ryouko let go of their hands, and turned around.

“A-Are you okay?” Ryouko stammered, suddenly nervous.

“Y-yeah, I-I think so…” Sakura managed to say.

“W-why’d you help us?” Ino wanted to know. “It’s not like it was your problem…”

Ryouko shrugged. “I don’t like seeing people getting bullied. I know neither of you did that stuff…”

Little Ino and Sakura were kind of surprised at that. They hardly knew the new boy in class. Now, splattered with vegetables, and a small cut on his face from a rock, they couldn’t understand why he would help them. They were thankful nonetheless.

“Oh no, I’m going to be late for dinner, my Mom is gonna kill me!” Sakura suddenly remembered. It was past six o’clock.

“You mean US! I’m supposed to be staying at your house tonight!” Ino suddenly remembered.

“How are we going to get home? We’ll just get hit with more stuff!” Sakura already knew that there would be problems with her mother when she saw the state of the brand new clothes Sakura was wearing.

Ryouko spoke up again. “I could…walk you both home. Your parents might believe you if you have me with you. I’ll tell them what really happened. I mean, if you want.” There was that nervousness again. Ryouko was never good with people. And since even girls bullied him, he wasn’t sure what to think.

“T-Thanks Ryouko!”

--

“…and that’s what happened, Mrs. Haruno. I know they didn’t do it, and I didn’t want them to get in trouble for something they didn’t do. I’m really sorry to have bothered you…”

Mrs. Haruno looked at Ryouko, a small smile growing in her heart. This is the horrible samurai boy? This little boy has that held against him? People can be so cruel, judging without actually knowing what someone is like.

The smile in her heart reached her lips. She knelt down to Ryouko, who instinctively flinched a little bit. But Mrs. Haruno just patted him on the head.

“You’re a good boy, Ryouko. Thank you for bringing the girls home safely, and-”

There was a knock at the door. Mrs. Haruno excused herself and opened the door to find a hassled chunin on the other side, followed by a group of parents and their children, some clutching broken toys.

“I’m sorry to bother you, Mrs. Haruno, but I’m afraid I need to take your daughter, as well as Mrs. Yamanaka’s daughter, to see Lord Hokage. Stealing and destroying is serious, even at their age. They need to be disciplined.”

Mrs. Haruno glared at the crowd, the thoughts she just had running through her head. “And just who are you to make accusations of my daughter and her friend? How do you know they did this?! What proof do you have?!”

“We caught them in the act, Ma’am. They took the manga from someone, then stepped on the toys. They were seen.”

Mrs. Haruno didn’t say anything. What COULD she say? Apparently, though, while she had run out of words, someone else had found some more. Ryouko had climbed up the steps to stand next to Mrs. Haruno.

“What if they were PUSHED onto the toys? You said they took the manga from someone, what if that person pushed them? Kids are always pushing each other!” Ryouko almost yelled, but managed to keep his voice quiet.

“Stay out of this!” the chunin snarled at Ryouko. “Don’t get yourself involved, or you’re just as bad as they are!”

“They’re innocent! And what about all the people that threw things at them? What kind of trouble are THEY in?!” Ryouko shot back angrily. Is this how things were? Didn’t anyone look at facts? Wasn’t anyone going to defend those girls?

“That doesn’t concern you!” the chunin shouted. “Saying they DIDN’T do it is the same as saying YOU did it! Did you give them the manga, then push them?!”

“No! But they didn’t do it!” Ryouko finally yelled. “They didn’t even know what was going on! And besides, they were with me after they got stuff thrown at them! Where did the manga go then? How could it have just ‘vanished’?! Toys get broken by accident all the time, but manga doesn’t just disappear!”

One angry parent in the crowd fired a new accusation. “Maybe HE took them! Ryouko’s always reading, maybe he needed something new!”

The crowd rallied behind that parent. Ryouko’s eyes got wider, and even teared a little.

No! I won’t cry! I won’t! Sakura and Ino didn’t do it, and neither did I! I won’t cry! But I don’t understand why everyone is so cruel. Even if I AM different, why do they have to blame things like this on me? Well, I’m not backing down!

A firm hand grabbed Ryouko’s wrist. “Come on, then. You’ve all but confessed to doing it. We’ll just take YOU to Lord Hokage instead!”

With Ino, Sakura, and Mrs. Haruno watching, Ryouko was dragged away by the chunin.

“Mom, he didn’t do it! Someone DID push us, but he came running up after! It’s true, really!” Sakura yelped, tugging on her mother’s sleeve desperately.

“I know, Sakura. But sometimes, doing the right thing isn’t easy, you know. I’ll do what I can to help Ryouko, okay? You and Ino go ahead and eat, I’ll be back shortly.” Mrs. Haruno hustled away, following the crowd. Ino and Sakura exchanged glances, then helped themselves to the food Mrs. Haruno had made.

“Hey, Sakura, what do you think of Ryouko?” Ino asked as she picked at her fish with her chopsticks.

“I think he’s a nice boy, I guess. I don’t really know. It was nice of him to help us, though. Do you think he knew he’d get in trouble like this?” Sakura answered/asked.

“I doubt it. Why would he have helped if he knew he would get blamed in the end?”

Sakura shrugged. “I don’t know. I just have this feeling that Ryouko knew something like this might happen. He’s different, but it’s not a ‘scary’ different.”

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