Through the Wall

He had been walking through the woods for several hours, not paying attention to his surroundings. He awoke that morning knowing only two things: he didn't know where he was and he didn't know who he was. The land was lush, and pleasing to the eye; he would've seen more of it, but one hand was constantly shading his face from the sun. Without warning, he slammed into a gigantic gate. He didn't know what the symbol was, only that it instantly made him think of leaves. A small door beside the gates opened, and a man, presumably a guard, came out brandishing a short, triangular blade.
"You there! Who are you and how did you find this place?!"
"..."
"Don't ignore me, give me an answer!"
"I cannot."
"You had better give me a straight answer, or this could become a problem."
"I cannot answer questions I don't understand myself. Please forgive me, but...do you know who I am?"
The guard stopped and lowered his weapon a bit, his eyes questioning those of the young man before him. Before he could say anything else on the subject, a younger woman in a white hat came through the small door, to stand next to the guard.
"L-Lord Hokage! What are you doing out here? It may not be safe for you to be in this young man's presence!"
"Calm yourself Shoten. He has been lost for some time, and has no weapons." Lord Hokage turned to the young man before her, and began to ascertain a feel for him. He wasn't much older than many of the new Chuunin, but the scars of combat decorated his face and arms. The ones on his face were strange, though, and seemed almost ritualistic. They were paired, either scar in the set 2 cm apart, and started at his orbital bones on either side. They curved diagonally with his face, and ended at the curves of his jawbone. He was built on a moderately powerful scale, as though he was a dedicated student of Tai-jutsu, but he appeared quite flexible, according to his structure. The thing that caught Lord Hokage, though, was his chakra; it was an almost palpable force surrounding his body, like a natural shield.
"Young man, I am the leader of this village. They call me the Lord Hokage. The village is Konohagakure. Come with me, let us talk. Shoten, bring him inside, and find him some sandals, if you please."
"Yes, Lord Hokage!"
Following the woman, he saw that the gates could be opened, but it would take a great number of men to do it. As they walked to their destination, they were stopped by a tall man with almost white hair, a mask covering most of his lower face, and a head band bearing the symbol from the doors over one eye. He stooped to whisper to the woman, and then glanced back to the young man behind her.
"It is nothing to worry over Kakashi. He is lost in many ways, and he may be more...special...than we yet know. Keep rumors from spreading, because he may be with us for awhile."
"Of course, Lord Hokage."
With a small puff of smoke, the man disappeared.
"Now, then, not much further. I apologize for being a less than gracious host, but talking things over now could be a problem, being as you're an outsider, and all."
The young man shrugged, and kept following her to their destination.
Elsewhere, a short, blonde ninja and his teammates were discussing the 'visitor' the rest of the village was buzzing over.
"Come on, Sasuke! He might be an assassin from another village! Sakura, you agree, don't you?"
"Get over it, Naruto, Sasuke's right. If he was an assassin, he would've killed Lord Hokage the minute she stepped outside the doors. He might be a messenger in disguise, so as not to alert others to his presence."
"Come now, you three aren't as caught up in this nonsense like the rest of the village are you?" Kakashi had come in as Sakura finished her thoughts. "Sakura may be on the right track, but if he was a problem, he is too weak to take on Lord Hokage, the power he did have was beginning to wane as they walked to Lord Hokage's office. Don't go pursuing this. I'll see to it that the one who does gets busted clear back to Genin, got it?"
"Got it." chorused Sakura and Sasuke.
"Naruto?"
"Yeah, yeah. I got it."
At Lord Hokage's office, she and her visitor were just sitting down to tea, so they could discuss what was what, as it were.
"So, you have no idea how you got here or who you are, hmm?"
The young man shook his head.
"Are you a spy?"
The young man shrugged, as if to say he didn't know.
"The next question is simple. Can you talk?"
"Yes, I can, I just choose not to because I don't want to say the wrong thing, especially in the situation I appear to be in."
"And what situation might that be?"
"An unwelcome party in a place set for constant battles, where any stranger could be a spy or worse come to destroy their way of life."
"Hmm, you mean, the guard at the gate?" The young man nodded. "That is just Shoten; he's a bit...overzealous. Please don't take him as the pattern for the rest of us. He just gets over excited and vindictive at the drop of a pin."
The young man looked at Lord Hokage and smiled. "I seem to remember someone like him...I wish I knew who, though." Instead of darkening at this further loss of memory, he smiled even more. "You, yourself, Lord Hokage, remind me of someone...family, I think. I hope I'm not a problem, being in your village."
"Not in the least. We need to give you a name though...how about Watarimono? It means 'wanderer'. For you, it fits."
"Watarimono? I like the feel of it in my mouth...yes. Until I find out who I am, I take that name with gratitude." Watarimono smiled again, and the fear that remained about his eyes vanished in its light.
"Good. Let us prepare to introduce you to the rest of the village. Kakashi, Iruka!"
Two men appeared in one of the large windows; the tall man from before, and another, shorter stockier man, with a pony tail, and a scar that ran under both eyes and met across the bridge of his nose.
"Yes, Lord Hokage?"
"I want you both to pass on the word that the village is to gather in the square for a short introduction ceremony at sunset. Watarimono will be welcomed to the village then."
"Yes, Lord Hokage. At once."
Iruka vanished, leaving Kakashi behind.
"Well, then. 'Watarimono', huh? It fits. On behalf of the village, I would like to be the first to welcome you. I am Hatake Kakashi." he then extended his hand to Watarimono.
Taking the offered hand, Watarimono said, "I thank you, Kakashi-sama, for the welcome. I hope the rest of the villagers are as kind as yourself and Lord Hokage." Dropping his hand, Kakashi nodded to Lord Hokage again, and vanished as well.
"So, then. Until the time comes to introduce you to the village, would you care to join me in a game of Shogi?”
After the first game had been played, Watarimono equated the game to one his memory called ‘chess’. After that, he proceeded to beat Lord Hokage game after game, until she said it was time to go to the square. Before they left, though, Lord Hokage asked Watarimono if he had any formal martial arts training.
“Uhh, I’m not really sure. I suppose I may have, knowing what my memory is like right now. Why?”
“For now, it’s nothing, but tomorrow at 6 am, I want you to see Master Iruka. Tell him I said you are to be drilled. He’ll understand.”
As they headed to leave, Kakashi opened the door holding a pair of sandals that resembled his own. “I saw Shoten wandering around the market with a pair in hand, but they were too big. I took the liberty of bringing you these, Watarimono.”
“Thank you, Master Kakashi.”
Immediately, Watarimono put on the shoes, and found them to be a perfect fit. He stood up to see how they felt, and was ushered out the door.
“You can get a feel for them on the way. You don’t want to be late.”
“Of course, Lord Hokage! It would be a bad impression to show up late.”
Both Kakashi and Lord Hokage nodded their approval, and the three set off for the village square.
[2]
“I’m tellin’ you guys, he has got to be a spy or something! Why else would he say he had amnesia?”
Without taking his eyes from the platform that had been erected, Sasuke said, “Naruto would you just shut up?”
“Kiss my ass, Sasuke.”
Naruto would’ve continued to rant, but applause broke out as Lord Hokage, Kakashi, and the newcomer mounted the stage. Looking about, Naruto quickly saw that the newcomer was pale, and obviously agitated at the multitude of people before him. “Heh...big wuss has stage fright.” Raising her hands, Lord Hokage silenced the crowd so she could begin.
“As I’m sure you all have either heard, or now seen, there is a newcomer among us. I have spent the day with him, and wish to allay all fears that he may be a spy or worse. Truth be told, I don’t think he could lie if he had to.”
Hearing snickers, she glanced back to see Watarimono blushing fiercely. She turned back and continued on with her speech.
“He is a good lad, but has no memory of his origins or his name. I want you all to welcome him, though, because from now, until he decides different, he is a citizen of our village.” She turned to Watarimono. “Now, then. Come introduce yourself.”
With a gulp, Watarimono walked to the head of the stage.
“Um...”
“Come now, don’t be shy!” Yelled a female voice.
“Yeah, we don’t bite...much.” hollered another.
Using their comments as a platform for his courage, Watarimono began again.
“Greetings to all, villagers of Konohagakure! I came to your gates this day, with nothing behind me, and no name. In time I hope to find out who I am, and from where I hail, but until then, your-our- Lord Hokage has given me a name that I have taken as my own. I greet you now, as Watarimono!” he bowed to signaling he was through, and the crowd erupted in cheering, and laughter. Behind him, a fireworks display started, to give his welcome a bang.
Jumping from the platform, Watarimono immersed himself in the crowd to get to know some of the villagers. Shopkeepers greeted him with free wares, clothes, food, books and bags to carry it all. Others greeted him to tell him about what shops were best, and to argue about the same. The only ones that didn’t come to introduce themselves, were a number of the village Ninja; most of them held him in suspicion. Out of their leagues, only the younger Jounin, Chuunin, and some of the Genin went to introduce themselves.
Upon meeting Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, though, he changed drastically. He seemed to know them, even commenting on Sasuke’s Sharingan Eye, and Naruto’s Rasengan. Sakura noticed his extreme knowledge, and excused herself to leave the boys to talk. She went immediately to Lord Hokage, who smiled at her. “Don’t worry about it. He may be prone to knowing quite a bit about us. I don’t think he is from this world, let alone this continent. Don’t let on, and be sure to tell the rest of your team the same. He was sent here for a reason, and we must let him find it for himself.”
Sakura bowed, and left to digest the information she had been given. She just hoped Naruto could keep his big mouth shut and not screw everything up, and Sasuke could keep from alienating him from the whole village. She knew she would have a lot of responsibilities, but she was not unused to unusual duties. “I’m teamed up with Naruto, after all.”
When she got back, most of the crowd had already left, but Naruto, Sasuke, and Watarimono were still talking amongst themselves.
“So, you remember bits and pieces of your life, and your lands, but nothing really solid.”
“Yeah, and I really hate it, Naruto. I can glimpse things for a moment, but it makes my head hurt if I try to concentrate on any one thing, like my name.”
“It could be a poison.” muttered Sasuke.
“Lord Hokage mentioned that while we were playing Shogi. But, why would someone want to do that?”
“It could be you were sent out on a vital mission, but when you failed, that was your punishment.”
Watarimono looked up to see Sakura had returned, and looked down, blushing. “You could be right, Sakura. I just hope my mission wasn’t something against anyone here.”
His mood fell, and they all dropped the subject for something a bit more...close to home.
“So..” began Naruto. “What do you know about Ninpou? You know, the way of the ninja?”
“Nothing, really. All I know about ninja, is they are usually a covert ops group under license from outside sources to complete anything from guard work to assassinations. Why?”
The three just looked at Watarimono, because, without knowing it, he had just described the first guide of the ninja way. Shaking it off, Sakura took lead of the explanation.
“Beyond what you just said, Ninpou is also how we live our lives outside of being ninja.”
For the next hour, Sakura told Watarimono about Ninpou, and the village. When they all began yawning, Sakura suggested they all go home and get some rest.
“Um, I can’t.”
Naruto looked at Watarimono first. “Whadda ya mean, ‘can’t’?”
“I mean just that. Lord Hokage didn’t tell me where I was staying.”
Without missing a beat, Sakura chimed in, “I’ve got room at my place, if you’re interested.”
Blushing, Watarimono said, “I appreciate the offer, Sakura, but I don’t think it would be proper.”
Also blushing, Sakura nodded, and looked at Naruto. “What about your place?”
“Sure! I have more than enough room; Hinata won’t be moving in for another few weeks.”
Watarimono bowed, and thanked Naruto. Grabbing his things, he bid farewell to Sasuke, who had begun to walk off. As Naruto headed off, Watarimono turned back to Sakura. “Good night, mai mitsukai.”
At Naruto’s house, he showed great hospitality to Watarimono; to the latter, it seemed as though his host had little company. After they were settled, Naruto asked about Watarimono’s comment to Sakura.
“I’ve heard the phrase before, so I’m not gonna beat around the bush. Why, after knowing her for less than a day, would you use it?” Naruto’s face had darkened, and he seemed angry. Knowing this, Watarimono decided to be totally honest.
“It’s kinda hard to explain, mostly because it has something to do with those memories I do have access to. She unimpededly invited me into her home, knowing what it could mean to others; what I remember about my life, is when someone makes an offer like that, and you cannot accept, that makes them an angel of mercy. I just referred to her as ‘my angel’ because she is the first female here to show me any kindness. If I offended you, or stepped into territory that wasn’t meant to be trod upon, you have my sincerest apologies. I truly meant no harm.”
Naruto had an immediate feeling of having insulted Watarimono, and his anger quickly subsided, leaving him feeling stupid. He looked at the young man before him, really looked, and saw something in his eyes that Naruto connected with: solitude. His actions showed he was gracious, if not impressed, by Naruto, and Naruto himself had missed it until now.
“No, no. No harm done, it just surprised me, is all. I understand your attraction to her, though.”
Watarimono’s cheeks lit with light roses as he looked at Naruto. “W-what do you mean?”
Naruto smiled outright. “Come on! Anyone with eyes could see you like Sakura! Hell, so did I for a long time. She only has eyes for Sasuke, though.” Naruto uttered the last with contempt. Watarimono caught it, but said nothing. He could see Naruto didn’t think Sasuke was good enough for Sakura.
They talked for another few hours, and then took in for the night. The last thing that went through Watarimono’s mind as he fell asleep, was Sakura’s smile.
[3]
“WAKE UP!”
The voice sheared through Watarimono’s head violently. Without even waking totally, he swung, connecting hard with someone’s jaw. He felt a satisfying crack as the bone broke, and he rolled off the mat he was on to wake the rest of the way up and reach for his sword. Standing, the world swam into focus, and he saw who he hit.
“Aww, shit...Master Iruka! Are you okay?”
Then, as he was walking to the man to see if he was okay, another thought flashed through his mind. “What sword?”
Blood was seeping through the hand Master Iruka had against his mouth and jaw. He looked at Watarimono with laughter in his eyes, and nodded that he was okay. He vanished as he had the other day, leaving a note stuck into the window frame with a short handled version of the knife Shoten had been weilding yesterday. The note read: “Watarimono. You are to report to the front gates in one hour, tell Naruto you need a trainee pack, and he will get you what you need.
Master Iruka.”
With a sigh, he dressed, and went to find Naruto. It was a simple task in the end, because he was still sleeping. With a snicker at the hat Naruto was wearing, he gently woke him.
“Naruto. Hey man, wake up.”
“Grrn...grbba...snt...”
With a quick thought at what would get his attention, he hoped Naruto would forgive him.
“I got ramen.”
“RAMEN!” Naruto sat up with a jolt, and looked around his room. When he realized what was up he just looked at Watarimono, grinning. “That was cruel. What ya need?”
“Master Iruka stopped. Gave me instructions for what myself and Lord Hokage spoke about yesterday afternoon. He said I’m to have you get me a trainee pack.”
“A–so they want to test you. Got it, hold on.”
Naruto got up and went to one of the closets, and began to rummage. He crawled out of the disaster with a small backpack, a holster, a vest, and an assortment of short and long handled knives, throwing stars, and various scrolls. He stuffed it all into the backpack, which he then handed to Watarimono.
“Master Iruka will get you started. The only thing I can tell you is not to trust what you see, trust your guts. Have fun!” With that, Naruto ushered Watarimono out the door. As he closed it, he said again, “Your guts, not your eyes.”
Watarimono was completely and utterly confused, but he began to go to one of the shops for some breakfast. The first one he came to served only Ramen, which he marked for later. The second served exactly what he wanted.
“Sir? Could I get a cup of coffee, two sugars, one cream, and four flapjacks?”
“Sure, guy. Anything else with that? My wife makes some mean blueberry muffins.”
Watarimono thought about it for a moment, and rewarded the man with a bright smile. “I’d kill for a blueberry muffin, please.”
With a smile, the man got his order out promptly. Watarimono noticed the muffin wasn’t with everything, but figured he’d ask after he finished what was in front of him. Going to grab his coffee, he mentioned the muffin.
“Sarah,” the man intoned. “Our guest wants his muffin.”
A pretty woman that Watarimono placed at her mid thirties brought it out on a small plate. “I hope you enjoy this. I would hate for you to miss out and injure another patron for one.” Her blue eyes were dancing as she said this, and it caused Watarimono to blush slightly.
“Thank you, madam. But I would forego those lengths and would just make a general nuisance of myself to you and yours.” was his laughing reply. She, too laughed at his response, and said something to her husband as she went back to the kitchen portion of the shop.
Going to pay, Watarimono had his hand guided back to his body. Looking at the man, he saw a smile lighting his face.
“No. This one is on the house. My wife and I both are glad to know you; you remind us of our son. He was lost on a mission some years back, and his body was never recovered. You brought a smile to both of us, and, for today, that is payment enough.”
Watarimono returned the man’s smile, and covertly left him ¥5000. He thought to himself that even if he did remind them of their son, even he wouldn’t leave without giving them something.
He arrived at the gate with twenty minutes to spare, and decided to take the time to figure out how to explain himself to Master Iruka. He knew it was an ingrained response that made him react as he did, and it made him more curious yet as to his origins.
Not long later, he found he had dosed off a bit, but still heard Master Iruka beside him. He brought himself up, and stretched; he wanted to apologize as soon as he could. He bowed, and began, “Master Iruka, I--”
“No problem. I should’ve been more wary, and I paid the price. It really makes me wonder what kind of training that you have had, martial arts or otherwise. We’ll begin with simple hand to hand, to assess what you know. After that, we’ll test you on weapons, then chakra control. After that, we’ll go see Lord Hokage and she’ll test you for a kekki genkai.”
“A what?”
“Heh...a bloodline trait. A technique that is specific to people of your family only. It’s actually a simple test done with a few herbs, and a drop or two of blood. It was created by Hyuga Hinata about a month ago, she discovered its theory reading through some old family scrolls. It’s a handy test, since there are so many techniques borne in the blood that sometimes never surface for generations. I digress, it isn’t important to know, but if you can be trained to use it if it exists...What’s wrong?”
Watarimono had turned ashen, and looked like he was going to faint. Then, without warning, he began to sway, like a tree in the wind, muttering something. After doing this for only a few seconds, he fell over and began to convulse.
“MEDIC! WE NEED A MEDIC AT THE GATES NOW!” Iruka yelled. As he watched, Watarimono’s skin rippled, like something inside it was trying to crawl out. His body began to slow, and relax, when Iruka noticed a few differences in Watarimono: the most disturbing was his eyes, green before, they had turned a yellowish color that reminded him of a rising summer moon; his jaw was half slung, and Iruka could also see that his upper and lower canine teeth had lengthened a minor bit, and sharpened. All taken together made him think of Naruto when Kyuubi began to leak through.
Watarimono looked at Iruka and said, “Logan...” before passing out. Iruka closed Watarimono’s mouth just as the Medic arrived and took control of the situation. Iruka leaned down and told him any unusual findings were to be kept between himself, Lord Hokage and Watarimono. If anyone found out before the boy did, “I’ll be sure you are made Naruto’s personal servant for the next ten years.”
The day passed, and Watarimono had several visitors, including the couple who had treated him to breakfast that morning. He didn’t awaken until later in the night, when Lord Hokage was there. He greeted her with a smile, and she asked what happened.
“I really only remember beginning to apologize to Master Iruka. After that...nothing.”
Lord Hokage looked at the boy and returned his smile. “It seems something he said triggered a response from your inner mind. I can only imagine it has something to do with your kekki genkai. There are powerful people within your family, be proud of that.
“Now then. As for the duration of your training; you will be overseen by Masters Iruka, Kakashi and Myself. We will train you in the Ninja arts, and train you to control your kekki genkai. Any objections?”
Watarimono was stunned. Something great had been found, and he had no memory of it! He knew the training would likely be hard, but he would endure. As he was about to accept the responsibility, something came to him.
“My Lord, have you heard of, or know a...a dark man, known as Logan?”
Lord Hokage looked at Watarimono, confused. “No. The name means nothing to me. Why do you ask?” She knew it was the name that Watarimono had uttered as he lost consciousness, and was curious to know what it meant to him.
“Well, I think it is part of why I am here. A new memory to surface brings me to believe I have been chasing him for some time. He is...my foil; my opposite...my Demon.” He said the last with a shudder, knowing what it could mean.
“You said that a kekki genkai was found in me. What is it, do you know for sure?”
Lord Hokage shook her head. “I do know, but now is not the time. Get some rest; you will have a long day come morning.” Just then, Naruto and Sakura burst into the room.
“Holy crap! You okay, man? We heard you had a seizure or something this afternoon! You’re okay?”
“Yeah, Naruto, I’m fine. Thanks.”
“Um...is there anything I can do?” Asked Sakura, the color rising in her cheeks.
Watarimono took stock of her appearance; something he had neglected before. What caught his eyes at first were her boots; most Ninja preferred open toed sandals, like he had been wearing before. Sakura, however was wearing weighted boots that reminded him of calf length work boots. They made him wonder momentarily if they were a subconscious testament to a hard will.
Her over all dress was a sleeveless navy colored shirt with matching shorts; over those shorts she wore a short, maroon skirt that was more for disguising a set of holsters for kunai and shuriken. She also wore plain cloth bands that covered from her lower biceps, to just the first few inches of her forearms. Her hite-ate was tied in such a manner as to hold her hair out of her face.
All in all, Sakura made for one very luscious picture.
Snapping back to the present, Watarimono said, “Now? No. But if you would be so kind as to wake me in the morning, I would appreciate it.”
Sakura looked up and saw that he was smiling, and returned it, her natural color returning. “That’s not a problem. 7 again, right?” Watarimono looked to Lord Hokage, who smiled and nodded. Turning back to Sakura he said, “Yep, 7 if you please.”
“Sure am glad you’re okay. But your eyes...are they different?” Naruto got a sharp glance from Lord Hokage, but ignored it. He figured if he was to hear of it from anyone, it should be a friend.
Taking a mirror, Watarimono looked at his eyes. He saw the change in their color, but was unworried. “Lord Hokage, does it have to do with my...trait?”
“Yes. You seem to have a connection of sorts with the divine.” She had wanted to take a day to let the boy rest before telling him what he had found out through the day, but since Naruto had began to lay things on the table, she knew she should just tell him and give Watarimono time to think it all over.
“How, I don’t truly understand, but it has given you your kekki genkai. Of which, seems to be a shape shifting ability...among other things. Into what, only time will tell, just be sure to avoid any undue stress outside of your training from now on. There are also other traits that are linked to your kekki genkai, but they will make themselves known over time and training.
“Let’s go, everyone. We need to let Watarimono sleep. His body must be tired, and he has a long day ahead.”
As everyone left, Watarimono called Sakura back in. “Only for a moment, please.” Lord Hokage let her pass, but herded Naruto out of the room, and closed the door behind them. Sakura took a seat where Lord Hokage had been, and waited for Watarimono to begin.
“Gonna sit half a world away?”
She looked up and saw that he was amused at her choice of seats, and he motioned for her to sit on the edge of his bed. Standing, she walked over and sat facing him, with her hip against his. She saw his eyes darken a bit, as he thought of what he was going to say to her. “He’s not bad looking, but if I was to...No. It’d put him into too much of a spot. I’m just gonna have to let it go.” She looked at his face again, it’s deep tan made darker by the white linen. “It is a shame, though.”
“Sakura...how do you feel about Sasuke?”
She started a bit at his voice, as it jarred her from her thoughts. “Well, I’ve had a thing for him since my days in the academy, but he’s so focused on his training. He really only lives to get his vengeance on Itachi Why?”
She hadn’t been looking at him as she spoke, but something made her look at him now. Her gaze met his, and saw that he was red, and not from being too warm. He just continued to look at her, no discernable emotion in his eyes or face, and she felt herself turn red to match him.
“Well, would it be too forward of me to ask you on a date tomorrow evening? If you have no other plans, of course.” He turned redder as he spoke, and dropped his eyes, fearing what she would say.
“I’d love to.”
His head snapped up, as if startled, and met Sakura’s eyes, only inches from his. “Sakura...”
She silenced him with a kiss. Her arms trailed around his neck, pulling him closer. He responded by putting his hands on her lower back, and deepened the kiss. After a breathless eternity, they broke from each other, in need of air.
She looked at him, blushing deeply. “Watarimono...”
“Tomorrow morning. We can talk then, mai mitsukai.”
Sakura left with a wave, a blush still coloring her cheeks. Watarimono waved back and smiled as she closed the door. He knew that what just happened could make things rough with Naruto, especially if it became more involved. He’d take it in stride, though, as he had the past couple days. He turned over, still thinking of the kiss, and went to sleep.