Chapter | VII |

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Hearing the knocks reverberant inside the living room, I gazed at the wooden door to my apartment. I glanced at the clock with a frown. This late? Confused, I walked toward the door and opened it.

I was suddenly caught off guard by the silhouette of a human figure with loose clothes. I switched on the lights to see the person. As the light illuminated the doorstep, my heart skipped a beat. It was the old man... The Hokage.

"Hello, Naruto"

He said with a warm smile. Returning the gesture back, I welcomed him inside. I sat on my chair, he also took a seat opposite to me.

"Uhh... Why are you visiting me so late, Gramps?"

The old man stayed motionless, then sighed a breath of clear relief. I was puzzled. What's up with him? I stared at him, hoping for some sort of explanation, however, he rubbed his temples and smiled... This time however, the smile felt... More genuine?

Then, I noticed it. He was not mentioning anything about the absence of my whiskers or the change in my pupils. Did he already know? I felt more and more puzzled. How did this old man know it so soon? It's only been like a hour... Oh yeah, I forgot he was the Hokage. He must have some means of some sort for observing me, or maybe scouts to watch over me to deliver him of any information of any abnormal activities.

But... If there were scouts so experienced that I did not even know they were trailing me, could they not have prevented the harassment toward me by the villagers?... or were they the same and observed my suffering like every damn other guy in this cursed village.

I calmed myself down, it would be really bad if I just burst out in rage. Especially since the old man looked like he had avoided something drastic. I continued to put up my facade of a puzzled kid in front of him.

"Hey! Gramps! What are you dozing off for?"

I waved my hands in front of him, somehow holding the urge to just clench my fist and punch his face. As if a lightning bolt struck him, he snapped out of his stupor and stared at me for a solid minute or two.

Then, my instincts flared. I could sense an aura of wariness excluded from him. He slightly furred his brow at me, seemingly relaxed but at the same time distressed.

"Naruto, If you don't mind me asking... Did... Did you feel any sort of change when you woke up today?"

Talking will probably reveal my secret. I thought. If I stutter or something ridiculous happens while I answer, things could go really wrong.

I shook my head, displaying a look of complete confusion. Hiruzen relaxed as he studied me for a minute, then leaned back on the chair.

"Hah... Oh! I just remembered! Sorry Naruto but I have to go!"

Rushing through the door like a youngster, he disappeared. I stared at the open door before closing it. He was gone... But, I felt like there were dozens of eyes behind my back as I walked back. The scouts Shinobis. I thought with an internal frown.

I wanted to break something, I was feeling so angry. He just left! Without even a proper explanation!... He just came and got his answers and left, not even giving me the finances he owed me last week. And I was left a fool. This old man... What If something had turned for the worst in me... What if I acted up when he arrived?

A shiver ran through my spine... Would... Did he really come to check if anything happened?... What would he have done If I did something violent or extreme? I gulped, I felt like a blade was hanging on my neck.

At first I thought he came out of concern... But... Thinking it twice, I theorised there was something much deeper, much darker kept away from me. I could feel the tension rising up in the air. If the changes were something he was well aware of... Was it good, or was it bad? I didn't know, but then... I remembered the screeching growl from the left entrance.

Is something... Inside me? The sound definitely felt Sentinel, as if from a creature. But... What? That was the question. If there was something so vile and dangerous, how could it exist inside my body? It did not make sense. Wouldn't It have made more sense if I was killed the moment they knew about the existence of something like that within me? Why was I kept alive then?

Or is the creature inside me not vile or dangerous, but rather a sacred being that cannot be toyed with? I was truly confused, there were so many possibilities that I could not reach a clear conclusion.

Before I knew it, I was already in my bed. Feeling exhausted, I closed my eyes. My sight was slowly enovopled by pure, pitch-black darkness before I drifted off to slumber.