Naruto: You've Opened My Eyes

Chapter 7: One Long Day

Anko led Naruto through the dango shop towards a table near the back. They both sat down across from each other. Naruto took this time to gaze around the little shop. It wasn't anything fancy, but it had its charms. When Naruto looked down at the table, he was surprised to see Anko's initials carved into it. He couldn't help the slight chuckle that escaped his lips, when he saw this.

"You really do spend a lot of time here don't you?" Naruto asked as his eyes landed on Anko.

"Well hell yeah, this place has the best dango in the entire village!" She said excitedly just as their waitress walked up.

The woman spotted Anko and smiled, then asked what they wanted.

"We'll have the usual." Anko replied causing the waitress to nod and walk off.

Anko turned and saw Naruto looking at her with a confused look.

"Just trust me you'll love it," she said causing him to smile.

When the waitress came back with their order, Naruto watched as Anko quickly started to eat her dango with a smile on her face. Naruto took a few test bites and he was surprised at how good it was. Eventually he was eating almost as fast as Anko was.

After they finished eating, Anko ordered them some tea. Then they spent the next hour talking and telling stories. Naruto was at first embarrassed by Anko's brash and flirtatious behavior, but he quickly got used to it. He even started teasing her back. But as the date went on, Naruto had one question he needed to Anko. After a round of hearty laughter Naruto decided to finally ask her.

"Anko this has been great, I haven't laughed this hard in a long time," Naruto said causing Anko to smile at him.

"That's good to hear gaki, I'm really trying here." Anko said as her smile turned to a grin. She was about to continue, but then she noticed his expression change.

"But one things has been kinda bothering me. I just want to know, what made you choose me?" Naruto asked making Anko go wide eyed for a moment.

She was genuinely surprised by the question, but it was one she was expecting. With a sigh she stood up and offered him her hand.

"Take my hand, and follow me."

Naruto took her hand and she started leading him through the village. Along the way Naruto noticed that several people shot them strange looks. Looks he hadn't seen, since he was younger and still shunned by the village.

Eventually Anko led him to the outskirts of the Forest of Death. Naruto shuddered slightly when unpleasant memories of the place flashed in his mind. Anko led him to an abandoned guard post. They both jumped onto the post's roof and sat down. The area was very secluded and offered them some privacy, a very rare thing in a shinobi village.

With deep intake of breath Anko started speaking.

"Naruto, you and me aren't so different." She said as she gazed into the sky.

Naruto was surprised she hadn't called him gaki, so he knew that this was serious. Deciding that silence was the best option, he kept his mouth shut.

"I...I was shunned and looked down upon by this village too. All because of this," Anko said as she pulled down the collar of her trench coat, revealing her curse mark.

Naruto knew that Anko had received a curse mark, but he didn't know that the villagers shunned her.

"It wasn't nearly as bad they treated you. But people would call me a snake whore, and give me these looks, the same looks they would give you," Anko said pulling her collar back up and returning her gaze to the sky. "The shinobi were still kind to me, even though a couple gave me trouble. But I could barely go out in public without immediately being hassled by the villagers. That dango shop we were just at was one of the few shops that wouldn't kick me out. It was for me, like Ichiraku is for you. It was a place where I could go and not be judged, a place to go and be accepted."