A Thousand Years

The Beast

A week had passed since Kushina's funeral had taken place and a few elders and council members had gathered to discuss what would be done about Naruto.

"We need some way to keep him close to the Hokage Tower so we can keep an eye on him. Perhaps one of us could begin training him as well; he's of no use to us as a civilian."

"We can move him out of his home and into an apartment, one in the complex right next to the First Conference Hall. He'll be in close range that way."

"Alright. Now who will we assign to train the boy? We must avoid anyone associated with the academy, ideally it should be one of the Council's connections."

"I know someone. His ties with the village are already loose and he's worked for us before. It shouldn't be a problem."

"Then it's settled. We will move the boy into an apartment tomorrow and his training will begin soon after."

With a nod of agreement, the six members stood from their seats and the meeting concluded.

Naruto lay on his bed, the house was silent as it had been for the past two weeks. He was slightly more active and seemed to be getting better. Of course, he still rarely left the house and only really got up to eat. His friends had stopped by earlier that week to check up on him, and while he was grateful for the gesture, he preferred to be alone.

He let out a breath and rolled onto his side, now facing the door to his room. Glancing over at his nightstand, he lifted an arm and slid open the top drawer. A shiny black kunai lay there peacefully. He hadn't gone to training since his mother had died, in fact, training was just about the last thing on his mind. Still, feeling a little guilty, he decided that he should go see if Nina was still at the field.

He stood up and stepped out of his room, went down the hall, and descended the stairs.

The house was too quiet.

Opening the front door, he warily stepped outside and started down the street.

The sun was high in the sky as Naruto approached the familiar field and, to his surprise, a white haired woman sat at the center.

"...sensei?" He asked, his voice uncertain.

Nina opened her eyes and blinked at the boy.

"Naruto, how are you?" She greeted.

He had to think for a moment before responding.

"Good... why are you still here?" He questioned slowly. It was nearly four hours after the time he would have begun training... did she wait for him the whole time?

"I thought you may try to find me, perhaps needing to talk. It seems I was right." She observed, patting the ground next to her.

He hesitantly walked over and sat down, unsure of what to say.

A long silence hung in the air.

"Sorry I haven't been coming." He spoke up, his spoke quietly, almost like a whisper.

"It's quite alright. Even shinobi need days off." She stared understandingly.

He seemed to shift slightly.

"Um... my... my mom-"

"I know." She interrupted, causing him to look up.

"Y-You do?"

She nodded.

His gaze fell to the ground, his hands clenched and he became silent.

"Would you like to hear a story?" She asked abruptly.