The Curse Of Hatred ~Book 2~

Chapter 18: Deface

Three days later, in the Village of Konoha when Yuzuki emerged from her apartment that morning something was wrong. There was something very wrong with the Hokage mountainside monuments. The last Yuzuki remembers they most certainly did not have paint splashed on the four Hokage faces. Each face had it own unique design of a sloppy graffiti job.

There was only one person in history that they knew who achieved such a prank before. Obito was suspended from the Academy for a week. He copped a flogging so hard Yuzuki still remembers the sound of the sharp slap coming from his grandmothers frail old hand and his shrill shrieks of pain and clutching his red raw behind.

Kakashi and Yuzuki stood on the main road into Konoha bewildered as to who would dare deface the Hokage monuments. Most importantly who would dare disrespect the Fourth Hokage, her Sensei, who she felt a great pride for and need to defend. "Uh," Yuzuki pointed lazily. "I'm pretty sure they don't usually look like that."

"They don't." Kakashi replied scratching his head. Was there not one person he could possibly think off that would do such a terrible thing. "I mean, now the First Hokage is smiling." he pointed to the big red smile dripping over the First Hokage's lips.

"Katsuko wouldn't..." Yuzuki trailed off thinking of the terrible consequences she would face had it been her. "Would she?" then again, it is something Katsuko would do on a stupid impulse. The only reason she hasn't done it was because Yuzuki is her impulse control. Back when Obito pulled his big prank of the century there was speculation that Katsuko was his partner in crime and there isn't a cell in Yuzuki's body that doesn't believe that. She still denies it to this day.

"She wouldn't jeopardise her position as Anbu, she can't be that dumb."

Kakashi gave her a look of amusement. On a stupid impulse and boredom and perhaps by whoever angered the Hibiki girl, yes, she most certainly would jeopardise her position as personal guard to the Hokage. 'They don't have proof it was me.' she would say. 'How can they know?' and then turn away on her heel and swagger back home full of achievement.

Iruka had come running from an alley street huffing and puffing. His cheeks red and his chest heaving like he just ran a marathon around Konoha twice. He spotted Kakashi and Yuzuki standing in bewilderment in the middle of the road staring at the monuments. What could it hurt. He jogged up behind them.

"Hey...!" he heaved. The two ninja turned curiously. "Have you seen Naruto around?"

"Naruto?" Yuzuki questioned looking at Kakashi. "No, why?" Iruka simply pointed to the defaced Hokage faces and there was nothing else needed to be said. She blinked. "He did that?" she said in disbelief. It was a relief knowing this wasn't the work of Katsuko Hibiki.

"Believe it or not."

Kakashi shook his head. "Sorry, Iruka, we haven't seen him."

Yuzuki was still on shock. "Naruto Uzumaki did that!" she emphasised his name cruelly. To Kakashi he wasn't fazed. Not one part of him was shocked. "Why would he do that?"

Iruka shrugged just as lost. "I suspect he's going through a rebellious faze or he's looking for the wrong attention."

"Oh." Yuzuki's shoulder's sagged. She understood why, Naruto is lonely, he's picked on at school, she's seen it first hand. So by pulling a prank this big and no parents to scold him or friends to cheer him on, he was receiving the attention he craved so much.

Kakashi took her hand in his to bring her reassurance. He knows how she feels about Naruto. He felt her mood dim greatly. "Sorry, Iruka. If we see him we'll bring him to the Academy."