a random civilian still believed it might happen.
Just a year into the future.
Finally, Fugaku lifted his eyes from the binder. "I want to talk to him face-to-face.
"
Hiruzen barely suppressed his relief and carefully did not look down at the 'Recommendations. ' That was not a refusal.
"Then it's a good thing I took the liberty of summoning him for an appointment today. In fact, I believe he has been waiting for over ten minutes already.
" Hiruzen pulled the crystal ball out of his drawer and activated it, focusing his intent on the public half of his office.
The image and sound cleared just in time to show Masanari Hanzo not even trying to hide his disgruntlement as Naruto talked his ear off while crawling up and down the Hokage's office looking for magic scrolls. "-gotta be some around here, there's no way there aren't, the Old Man never leaves me in here on my own, that's gotta mean he left something for me, believe it!"
"On my own, he says, what am I, a ghost?" Hanzo deadpanned, slumping in his chair. "What did I do to deserve this? I get the waiting, it's a standard power play, but why did he have to drop you on me too?"
"Hey! What's your problem!?"
"You're my problem, weren't you listening?"
"But I didn't do anything!"
The man lifted his head from his hand to stare at Naruto incredulously.
"Oh come on, that was last week and I said I was sorry!"
"Kid, you apologise and hope that maybe the other guy will forgive a harmless mistake. Destroying my only cart, desecrating my family's remains and breaking into my own home to almost kill me isn't an honest mistake, it's at least four cardinal sins piled on top of each other.
"
Naruto opened his mouth, closed it, crossed his arms, turned his back on the man and sullenly dropped on his behind on top of Hiruzen's desk.
Far from being moved, Hanzo quietly sighed and leaned back to enjoy his moment of peace.
Hiruzen frowned, unable to suppress his disappointment. He'd hoped that putting them in a room together would… Ah, but he was starting to understand that Masanari Hanzo had a fundamentally different perspective than the rest of them.
"I wasn't trying to kill you," Naruto muttered, notably not disputing the rest.
"I know kid," – Naruto perked up – "but that only makes you even more of a menace, you do realize that right?" And now Naruto was deflating like a balloon. "Oh, don't give me that look, my kids were ten times cuter than you and it never worked for them either.
"
Naruto balked in outrage. "I'm not cute!"
"Exactly. "
"Gah!" Naruto shrieked, shaking his fist. "You suck!"
"Do you even know what that means?"
"It means you're a poopy head!"
"Okay, so you don't know, thank goodness. "
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean!"
Hanzo winced and rubbed his temple. "Kid, I can already see you there.
You don't need to keep yelling at me. "
Somehow, that struck Naruto mute.
The man huffed, crossed his arms and dropped his head, clearly hoping against hope to doze off.
Hiruzen was struck by the sight. We've been abusing your goodwill, haven't we? They'd been doing that all that time, come to think of it.
They made him hold his presentation the same day he was let out of the hospital with instructions to take it easy. I've been holding a civilian to the same standard of fitness as my ninja.
But the man made it so easy…
"Nobody else does," Naruto muttered just as Hiruzen was about to end the view.
Hanzo grunted like an honorary Uchiha. What a disturbing thought.
It only emboldened Naruto. "Nobody else sees me.
I don't know what they see when they look at me, but it's not me! They've been glaring at me since forever! Well, now they've got a good reason! I'm sorry you got caught up in it but I'm not sorry I did it, so there!" Naruto was more perceptive than he let on, if only- "I wish I at least knew why they hate me so much. "
"It's nothing you did, kid. "
The mounting levity around Hiruzen abruptly vanished.
"What that supposed to mean-wait, you know what it is? Tell me, tell me!"
Hanzo recoiled from the face of Naruto that was suddenly there. "Safe distance, safe distance you menace!"
"That's so mean!" But Naruto backed off. Just enough to swing back and forth on his heels and- "Tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me-"
Hanzo glared and Hiruzen was just about to signal the Anbu when- "It's your hair, alright?"
… Eh?
"At least that's part of it. For some people.
Relatively speaking. "
"Stop using big words like I'm an idiot!"
"Kid, you're blond. "
"What's wrong with that?"
"Look, kid, I'm only telling you what other people told me alright? Other people will have other reasons and-"
"Tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me-"
"Not until you stop nagging. "
Naruto, with visible effort, stopped talking. He still swung back and f-
"That means stop with the swinging too, you brat!"
-orth no longer. Hiruzen was honestly impressed.
Now if only he could trust a hope that the man wasn't going to stretch the terms of his amnesty, he might-
"Anyway, Uzumaki are redheads-"
"Like you?"
"Naruto!"
"Sorry, sorry!"
Hanzo opened his mouth-
"So like you?"
"Yes, like me, but I'm not-! Gods kid, you complain people ignore you and then don't even listen to me when I don't?"
"Well so-rry!" Naruto huffed then withered under Hanzo's glare. "I mean I'm sorry.
I'll listen now. "
Hanzo glared for so long that even Hiruzen thought he'd just drop the talk in disgust. "Look kid, I'm going to use simple words so even a dumbass like you can understand.
"
Naruto puffed out his cheeks but did his best to keep quiet. He almost succeeded.
Hanzo scoffed, then looked at Naruto and spoke. Very slowly.
"Uzumaki are redheads. You're not.