Hidden in the Shadows

Chapter 2 - Naruto's Dream

As Yurei walked home she wondered why she had never been put into the academy like most people her age. Even her brother, Kyou had gone to the academy, become a genin, a chunin, a jounin and left to go and live in the Hidden Sand.

She left the alley she had been walking down and looked both ways down the street, luckily seeing no one looking her way, she ran across down the side of her mother's restaurant into a smaller alley. She pulled herself through the kitchen window, slightly surprising her mother's chef, Isamu.

"Nice walk, Yurei?" He asked as he added noodles into a pan. He was a large man, stocky and well built and slightly larger around the middle than most.

She nodded and jumped down from the window ledge.

"You're mother was looking for you earlier, better go find her quickly." He tilted his head in the direction of the door leading to her and her mother's apartment.

She nodded again and left the kitchen, walking up the old, worn out staircase and into the apartment. The main room was cosy, half of it being a small kitchenette with a large stove that warmed the whole room, the other half being a little living room. The furniture was all old items, second hand, but it had a homey atmosphere.

"Yurei?" A small, large woman wandered into the room, holding a bag of clothing pegs.

Yurei smiled at her mother, and walked straight to the kitchen, pouring water into the metal kettle and placing it onto the stove to make tea.

"How was your walk darling?"

"Interesting." Yurei replied quietly.

"Find any new people?"

"I saw a boy vandalizing the Hokage mountain."

"Vandalizing the Hokage mountain?! What kind of person would do that?!" Her mother exclaimed.

"A boy called Naruto. I think he goes to the Academy, he has a teacher called Iruka who scolded him." Yurei watched as steam started to rise from the kettle.

"Well I hope he doesn't do any more damage! I wanted you to help me collect the washing and fold it away, could you help, dear?"

Yurei nodded, "I'll do that, you can make the tea." She left the room and walked into the small hallway that lead from the main room to three bedrooms. At the end of the hall was a window that clothing could be seen from, swaying in the wind.

Yurei picked up a basket by the window and started to collect the clothes, folding them as she put them in the basket. When she was done she closed the window and put all the clothes away.

"Yurei! Tea!" Her mother called.

As she sipped her tea her mother started talking again, "You know, your brother is thinking about visiting sometime soon. He says that he has met a lady in the Hidden Sand. He describes her very well. Yurei, I'm so happy! I'm finally starting to think that there is a possibility I'll get grand children! Isn't it a delight! I'll be a grandmother! And you'll be an aunty!" Her mother's eyes gleamed and clouded slightly, imagining what it would be like once again looking after a baby.

"Mother, why didn't I go to the academy like Kyou?"

Her mother snapped out of her dream-like world and stared at her daughter, "Because you're my little girl." She smiled warmly, "I love you and I don't want you to get hurt, dear."

"What about Kyou?"

"I couldn't stop him, he snuck out of the apartment on the first day of school and enrolled himself. He was so young then as well! To think he would do that at his age all by himself! I could see he was surely determined to become a ninja, I knew I wouldn't be able to stop him. Luckily though, he rarely ever got badly hurt while on missions, and now there's a possibility he'll be settling down, he'll be even safer and I'll be even happier!"

Yurei stayed silent after that, sipping and thinking. She wondered what it would be like to be a ninja. Would it be exciting? Or scary? A challenge?

"What do they do as ninja's?" Yurei asked, interrupting her mother's rambling about grandchildren.

Her mother frowned slightly, "Now Yurei, you best not be thinking about trying to become a ninja like your big brother, I'll be having none of that, dear."

"I'm curious." She replied, as if that was all the answer needed.

Her mother sighed, "Well, they protect the village. They go on missions to do things to either protect the village or earn money for it. They get hired by people to do things like protect them while they travel or to find something lost. Really dear, if you're that curious, ask your brother when he visits. He'd love to tell you all about his missions! But if you start talking nonsense about becoming one, I'll hire a ninja myself to keep you here. You got that?" She wagged a stubby finger in Yurei's face.

Yurei nodded and finished her tea, washing the cup in the sink. Despite what her mother had said, she wondered why it had never before occurred to her why she hadn't gone to the academy while her brother had.

That evening, Yurei's mother gave her some money to go and pick up some take away ramen from Ichiraku's noodle shop. A change from their normal food from Isamu that they had almost every night.

As she walked through the dark streets, she felt at ease. With it being dark, nobody could really see her if she stayed to the sides of the streets, she didn't have to completely hide but she'd still be hidden with an even better view of the people around her.

"Naruto, why would you do that to the Hokage faces?"

Yurei stopped, listening.

"I mean, you know who the Hokage are don't you?" It sounded like... Iruka?

"Course I do!" Naruto's voice replied.

Yurei stepped round to the side of Ichiraku's and waited.

"Everybody knows, they were the greatest Shinobi of their time right? The best of the best, undefeated ninja champs, and the fourth Hokage's the one who saved the village from the nine tailed fox, he was the most amazing."

"Then why did you..." Iruka asked.

"Because I'm going to be greater than any of them! Me Naruto! The next Hokage! A ninja legend!" Naruto exclaimed.

Yurei's eyes widened, Naruto wanted to be a Hokage?

"Then everyone will have to stop disrespecting me and look up to me! Believe it! Uh, by the way, I kinda wanna ask a little favor, Sensei."

"You want another bowl?" Iruka asked.

"I... wanna try on your headband! Come one! Please!" Naruto pleaded.

"Uh, oh this? No way! You can only wear the leaf headband when you finally graduate from the academy and become a ninja, you've gotta pass the test tomorrow." Iruka answered, laughter in his voice.

"That is so uncool!" Naruto exclaimed angrilly.

"Hey! Is that why you took off your goggles?"

"Uh, I want another bowl!"

They didn't talk for a while, and Yurei was starting to get conscious of the time. She went to the back door of Ichiraku's and knocked. His daughter opened it and looked at her with a slight smile.

"Can I help you?" She asked her.

"Three miso ramen, please." Yurei held out the money, "To take away."

"Of course, you can wait at the front, those two are harmless. They're two busy talking about the Ramen." With that, she closed the door, leaving Yurei with no choice but to go to the front of the store.

She walked around hesitantly and stood at the corner of the entrance, just past the material. Naruto glanced at her but soon lost interest when he couldn't even see her face behind her hair, he went back to talking to Iruka.

"You're ramen miss," The ramen stall owner said.

Yurei stepped forward and took the ramen from him then said thank you and left. Today had been productive for Yurei, she had found a new curiosity and learnt quite a bit about him.

芸術