3 Naruto : Uchiha : Chapter 3
Next Morning
The streets of Konoha bustled with happy villagers going about their lives. A small boy, with his shiniest golden locks walked around them, snaking past legs to make sure Che didn't bump into anyone.
The admission form, now all filled out was still clutched to his chest like a lifeline. For, he had to make sure he didn't accidentally lose it.
No, that won't do at all.
He had never been to this part of the village. It was the main shopping district, acting as the nerve center for the entire village.
He had never needed to.
He always stayed in his clan compounds. They had everything he ever needed anyways. They were really nice and cozy, they made him feel safe.
Safer than he felt now from all the cold glares and snide remarks being sent his way from all those he caught eyes from.
He still got those occasional stares or remarks in his clan too, but they were a lot lesser in his own clan grounds. They were used to his presence there on a day to day basis. The rest of the village wasn't.
Plus, he wasn't oblivious as to the reason for said treatment towards him exclusively. His mother had told him everything before she had passed away a few months back.
His father and grandfather had done bad things to the village and hurt a lot of people in the village before the past two Hokages had put a stop to their actions.
That thought made him smile, thinking about his dream. His eyes raised their level upwards, to see the mountain shadowing the back of the village with two sacredly carved faces watching over them all at all times.
That was his dream.
He would have his face up there too one day.
He would become Hokage.
...
Hokage Tower…
His soft footsteps made their way in front of the large tower that stood tall smack bang in the middle of the village.
His baby blue eyes widened in awe, looking at the tower in nothing but pure admiration in his eyes. He had never seen such a large tower and now he was a little sad that he hadn't come here before now.
It was so pretty and huge.
He broke off his thoughts when a jounin gave him a slight nudge and went about without so much as an apology. His eyes gazed on the back of the man before turning back to the tower with a small smile, the form now clutched ever so tightly by his chest.
He walked through the large hallways of the tower, stopping every now and then to see and read the small things written underneath some portraits of important figures stacked on the walls.
He admired the teak wood walls of the tower and shining wooden floor that made him feel almost self conscious about stepping on.
He walked on like a lost man in an unknown world. Several Genins, Chunins, Jounins and even some doctors and normal civilians had walked past him now.
No wonder this tower was in the middle of the village. It not only had the Hokage but everyone came here so it made complete sense to his innocent mind.
He tried to stop some people to ask them for directions to where he was supposed to go in such a large building but no one was stopping for him. Either everyone was too busy or no one wanted to help him.
He thought it was the first one… a little uncertainly.
Finally after going on confused through the first two floors he reached a point where he saw a middle aged lady sitting on a table, right besides a door that had only one Kanji over it.
Hokage.
He had no doubt that this was the place he was supposed to go to. He walked up to the desk, first looking around to see if he had to get a number in a line like yesterday.
He stood there innocently for a few minutes, when he finally saw a man just walk to her before she did something in her book and let him go in.
He smiled, finally seeing there was no line or need for any waiting and walked up the desk. Just like yesterday he stood up on his toes, his face peering over the edge up to his nose.
"Miss…" his soft voice spoke up startling her in surprise. She looked up and blinked to see two cute eyes blinking back at her. She was about to smile when realization dawned on her as to who he was and her face was masked in a neutral expression.
"What can I do for you?" she asked curtly, without so much as a hint of emotion in her voice.
The blonde though smile seeing she wasn't sending him away or talking to him rudely like some people had done before and put his form on the table with one hand and clutched the edge of the table with both of them for a little added support.
"Can I meet the Hokage please?" he asked politely in his soft voice making her crease her eyebrows together in a knit.
She had half a mind to tell him off rudely, but she was still on duty and as her duty stated she had to treat everyone who came to her equally.
Even him….
"Not right now. No." she answered in her curt voice and turned her eyes down to the register. The blonde bit his lip softly and nodded nervously.
"Alright miss, how long do I have to wait?" he asked making her look up, this time with a hint of annoyance laced in her eyes.
"I told you not right now, didn't I? The Hokage is a very busy man and only entertains people who have made a prior appointment with him." she answered his query as professionally as possible and returned to her work. Her nodded hesitantly yet again, inwardly glad she was answering his questions so nicely.
"What's this appointment miss? How can I get one?" he asked innocently making her let out a tired sigh. He would leave her alone to her piling work until she had cleared off all his doubts.
She looked at those innocent wide curious eyes that were looking to absorb each word she said.
Nope not at all was he leaving her alone simply by himself. Now her full attention was on him to get him away as quickly as possible.
"An appointment is a fixed time you have to get before you can meet him. He has many people who want to see him and he can't meet with everyone right? So you get an appointment beforehand to get a meeting with him.
Do you understand now?" she asked tiredly and got a happy nod from the bubbly boy. She sighed in relief that he was at least smart and she wouldn't have to waste any more time playing this rapid fire round with him.
"Can I get an appointment too?" he asked happily. A sigh slipped past her lips and she nodded tiredly. No matter how much she wanted to refuse him, he had all the right to meet the man and get an appointment. Her finger trailed down the register to get a free slot and stopped at the first one.
Her eyes turned up to the blonde staring at her intently and she nodded to him making him beam happily.
"There's a slot free for you. Come back and meet him in two weeks. Come back after lunch, I'll fix you an appointment then." she said simply and looked down the register to book it. The azure eyes widened in shock at her words.
"But the Academy starts in two days and tomorrow is the last day to be admitted. Can't it be before then?" he asked hurriedly. His voice carrying the worry that was now etched in his heart when he saw her shake her head in negative straight away.
"No, all the slots until then are filled. You can't meet him before then." she said curtly and wanted to resume her work when his voice cut through her thoughts again.
"Please miss, I won't take long. Just five minutes, I just have to get him to stamp this see…" he said pulling up his arm to show his form with the blank place for his stamp. Her frowned deepened into a scowl as her patience were now getting thinned by the second.
She shook her head with a clenched jaw and his eyes now turned pleadingly wide. "…I'll be really quick please…" he said softly but was cut off as the irate receptionist slammed her hands on her desk softly, startling him out of his wits.
"Don't you understand boy? He doesn't have time to meet and entertain children like you all day. Now go and come back for your appointment.
If you wanted to enter so bad why didn't you come earlier?" she said in a neutral voice barely hanging on to her patience and his features visibly saddened at that.
"I didn't know until yesterday and got my form from a boy who had an extra with him. The Academy lady had given out all forms already, please just a few minutes…" he said softly and the secretary had finally had enough now.
"Stop your whining kid!" she said rudely making his eyes widen in surprise. "If you wanted to enter so much, then you should have come earlier and get it done like everyone else did.
Didn't your parents teach anything about the Academy before now? Now go and whine to them and stop disturbing me, I have work to attend to." she said in a tone of finality and returned back to her work, happy that she didn't get any more whining from that annoying boy.
The sound of a soft sniffle reached her ears when she heard his hands slip down from her table and he she looked up to see him retreat a couple of steps back.
He was holding his form in both his hands now and his silky golden hair now shadowed his eyes. His pained eyes looked at the form while barely holding back a sob.
"I don't have any parents miss…" he said in such a small voice that she would have missed it had the hallway not been so silent. Her eyes widened in shock when she saw small drops slipping down his cheeks and down on the paper clutched in his tiny hands.
Her heart clenched at the sight when he spoke up with a polite boy, shocking her to the core at his form of respect even after the way she had treated him.
"I'm sorry miss, it's my fault. I shouldn't have forced you like that and disturbed you from your work. Thank you for answering all my questions so nicely and giving me your time.
I'll take my leave now…" he said softly with a slight sniffle, rising up from his bow to wipe his nose sloppily with his sleeve. Her astonished eyes watched him walk past her table silently and throw the form in the dustbin kept to the side.
