♥︎|𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖘𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖆𝖋𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖞𝖔𝖚|♥︎𝐈𝐭𝐚𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐮|𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐝

第4章

chapter 4:  You don't know how lovely you are

She was nervous. Whilst not a new sensation to her, the last time nerves had tampered with Naruto's usually limitless energy was when she'd taken her genin test for the third time. Now, standing in front a building she hadn't stepped foot in for thirteen years, Naruto was nervous.

From the outside, Konoha's orphanage looked just like one might expect. The building was functional, built for efficiency and with little decoration. A plaque above the door announced it's purpose and the paint was a military grey in colour, marred by dirt and years of exposure to the elements. Like any ninja village, Konoha took the safety and protection of it's orphans seriously and the orphanage was one of the most heavily protected during times of war or in case of an evasion. As such there had been no need to rebuild and that the building showed the passage of time was a testament to how seriously Konoha ninja's took their duty.

Every ninja village had more than its fair share of orphans, it was the price they paid for essentially being militant nations. Konoha was no exception and, for the most part, the people that ran the orphanage were some of the kindest and most nurturing souls in the village. Except, of course, if the child in question had too much energy, was loud, prone to breaking the rules and housed the nine-tailed fox. Naruto had not made life easy for her carers when she'd lived at the orphanage but she doubted they would have kicked any other four year old out onto the streets, no matter how naughty or troublesome the child was.

For the most part, Naruto didn't blame the people of Konoha for their misconceptions or their attitude towards her before she'd proven herself. Grief did terrible things to people and everyone needed somewhere to vent their anger. Yes, doing so on a defenseless child was wrong but only one villager could ever have been accused of physically hurting Naruto. Most of the villagers had contented themselves with name-calling and verbal slurs but Masahashi Tatsumi, matron of Konoha's orphanage for the past twenty years, had been different. She'd lost her husband and three children when Kurama had attacked Konoha and having to care for the girl that housed the demon fox had been one mental burden too many.

Armed with intelligence and hatred, and in a position of power over the person Tatsumi blamed for her losses, Naruto's time at the orphanage had been hell on earth. Tatsumi had been quick to notice how neither illness nor injury took hold of Naruto for very long and had taken full advantage of that fact. If ever she'd left a mark on Naruto's skin, the jinchūriki had immediately been locked away for a few hours or assigned some solitary manual labour and, by the time Naruto had finished her chores, there was never anyone to witness the signs of abuse. Naruto, as a child, had not known any better and had taken her treatment as her due and it was only after she'd witnessed the Sandaime's anger when Tatsumi had kicked her out of the orphanage that she'd realised that, yes, sometimes adults were wrong.

If Naruto had ever witnessed Tatsumi treating another child like she had Naruto, maybe the blonde would have spoken up. As it was, she was just glad to be out from the matrons tender loving care, even if taking care of yourself was a difficult job for a four year old. Still, Naruto was nothing if not determined and, with the Sandaime's help, she was soon up and running and settled into a new routine. The memories of the orphanage had never really left her though and so Naruto found herself standing in front of the building that held so many bad memories and hesitating.

Part of the Hokage's duties were to oversee Konoha's various charities and it was a duty that Naruto was more than willing to perform. She'd already been to visit the Ninja Support headquarters, a support group for the families of ninja who had been killed in action or those who were injured too badly to work anymore. Naruto had also spent a long, enjoyable afternoon with the Ninja Women's Association. The NWA was run by civilians and kunoichi alike and hanging around with them was the most fun Naruto had had in ages. They were a practical and competent group of women with who spent little time on ceremony and Naruto had taken to them instantly.