I was finally released from the hospital a week later. Naruto found an apartment for me near his. It was a secluded area but that was how I liked it. A lot of the village people gave me looks of pity but I returned those looks with scowls and glares. They felt sorry for me because I was being helped by the demon of the village. They couldn't tell the difference between a human and a demon. It was disgraceful. The tall boy just ignored their hateful stares as he showed me the sights of the Leaf Village. He was just happy to be jabbering away about his favorite spots, like the ramen shop. He decided to treat me-which was strange to everyone in the shop, since he usually left the tab on someone else-and it was good. I have to admit that I was disgusted at first when I witnessed him inhaling his food, but I was left giggling by the time he finished all nine bowls of ramen. It was just so funny to watch. Just seeing Naruto's face, though, brought me some joy. His blue eyes were wide with shock before he started to laugh with me. It was a very pleasant sound to hear.
We spent most of the day getting to know each other. I already knew most of his likes and dislikes, just based on the earlier episodes of "Naruto." Come to think of it, I wasn't sure what timeline I had woken up. I subtly studied Naruto's jumpsuit, which was black and orange, and that indicated that I was in Shippuden. If I had been in the first timeline, he would have been wearing a straight orange jumpsuit and he would have been a whole lot smaller than he was now.
And twice as goofy. I thought.
I had to wonder where exactly where I was in Shippuden. It seemed to be towards the beginning of the new series. There was no sign of Sai anywhere and there was definitely no sign of Sauske. If what Lady Hokage had told me that this was reality and not a dream, then there was a good chance that my presence here could easily alter events of the Narutoverse. Case in point, Naruto had actually paid for the ramen that he had devoured, along with my bowls which is something he never did before. It seems like a minor detail at the moment, but even the smallest of details could affect something big, like the future and the world for that matter.
"Hey, Mina!" Naruto yelled. "Snap out of it!"
"Don't be rude, brat!" A male voice demanded.
"Whatever, pervy sensei." Naruto snarked.
That was followed by a loud thud, which sounded very much like a punch to the back of someone's head. I came out of my thoughts and came face to face with none other than the pervy sage himself, Jiraya. I instinctively hugged my moderate sized bust. A sweatdrop appeared over Jiraya's head, along with a look of rejection, and I heard an obnoxious chortle from Naruto. Of course, that chortle earned him another whack to the head and a cry of pain escaped the blonde. A huge lump appeared on his head.
" I never seen her before. Is she your secret girlfriend?" He asked in a conspiring tone. "You dog!"
Naruto gave the legendary sanin a dirty look before replying in the negative. He explained the entire situation, sparing me the unnecessary attention. Thankfully, he left out some of my personal history, though I knew that Jiraya was already suspicious about the fading bruises. When I had left the hospital earlier, I checked to see if my bruises were completely gone. To my disappointment, they weren't completely gone. They were healing, though, but they still told a powerful story and seeing that I wasn't a ninja of this village, he could only guess as to what my history was. The serious look on his face told me that he had guessed exactly what my circumstances were.
"You were beaten, weren't you?" Jiraya asked in a soft voice.
"Yeah." I said dejectedly.
Jiraya seemed to understand my pain. He would because he was also aware of Naruto's past as well (who wasn't?) and he knew exactly how the boy was treated. Naruto placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. I tried not to shrug it off, per my habit when I lived at home. It was something new. Being touched by someone in a comforting way was something I needed to get used to. If I had shrugged one of my parents off, it would have resulted in a severe punishment. Most of the time, that punishment was a whipping and a beating. Apparently, my fist had curled into a fist because the sanin then said:
"You resent those who hit you. That much is clear. I'll tell you what. I'm more than willing to put you through some training. How's that?"
It was something I hadn't considered. Of course, my thoughts reverted back to the alteration of the Narutoverse. If I did become a ninja, just how much of the Shippuden Era will I change? I've seen the entire season and the results of the episodes of Shippuden. My presence here could easily change the entire story line in my world. This was something serious that I had to take into consideration. Should I do this for me? I mean, I wanted to start a new life away from my parents and here was an opportunity to do so. However, to do so would mean the alteration of an entire world (if it was even real) and I didn't want to be responsible for whatever consequences that I would face. This was quite a dilemma.
"Give it a few days." Jiraya said. "You don't have to make a decision right away."
"Right. Thanks." I said.
He nodded before departing towards the Hokage's office. Naruto commenced chattering into my ear, promising that he would introduce me to all of his friends. I sighed contently, even though being treated kindly and with respect was going to take some getting used to.
