ch 6

(A couple months later)

That first visit to the Hyuuga Clan compound wouldn't be Naruto's last. In fact, after his little peeping session and eventual run-in with the Chunin, the orphan began visiting the estate every day at the exact same time, so that he could watch and observe the taijutsu classes being held in that central courtyard.

After the first two weeks, the orphan was quickly able to get a solid grasp of all the times that each of the classes were held.

There were two classes held on the weekends in the morning and afternoon, and one held every day during the week in the evenings. During these brisk two-hour periods, the youngest members of the clan's main and branch family members would gather together and form into rows, which were divided by age and experience. From there, under the keen eye of their Jonin instructor, the children would then practice their basic techniques- including stances, footwork, and handwork- before being paired up to practice through sparring. Thanks to his frequent attendance to these proceedings, Naruto was given plenty of opportunities to observe and record how all of them practiced.

The blonde's part wasn't just limited to being a spectator either. Over the course of the next two months, Naruto was also able to join in on some of the classes from a distance, allowing him to work on the techniques and skills being taught at the same time as the children. He was also able to correct himself by also copying the movements of the children and making all the corrections the teacher pointed out to the students.

Barring any interruptions he may have with any Hyuuga Clan guards that happened to be on duty, Naruto was able to get a full and worthwhile morning or afternoon taijutsu session with his training schedule.

And so another addition was added to Naruto's time table, and the aspiring villain-in-training continued on with his day-to-day life without issue.

But his days of peace and isolation weren't to last forever. As it turns out, the caretakers at the orphanage started to grow a little bit concerned with the blonde's absences in the early mornings and late afternoons, with the head of the facility taking this issue up directly with the Hokage. At the behest of the supervisor, Hiruzen Sarutobi then approached Naruto and asked if the child wanted to be moved into an apartment that would be more beneficial for his needs.

Seeing no problems with moving into an apartment on his own, as it would grant him a lot more freedom than what he had with his current arrangement, Naruto accepted the elder's proposal and happily went with the village leader on a tour of the available apartments. Throughout the venture the blond wore a big smile, which helped in concealing his true motivations as to why he wanted a place to himself.

It certainly fooled the Hokage.

This endeavour took up most of an entire day, where the pair walked from one apartment to another in search of one that would be best suited for the youngster. Eventually the pair happened upon a quiet, six-tatami mat flat on the east side of the village- complete with a hot spring in the back and a laundromat just down the block next to a convenience store. Quickly developing a liking to the small but practical apartment, which sat close by to all the places he needed, Naruto quickly informed the Hokage that he would take it, and was promptly given both a key and a contract.

Hiruzen was really pleased to see the blond so excited to be moving into his own home. After hearing for himself that the youngster would be able to take care of himself, the elder then gave the boy a quick rundown of the establishment's rules and time schedules. Once he'd done that, the elder than gave Naruto his first allowance for the fortnight and headed on his way, leaving the blond to his own devices.

And so, after buying all the necessary equipment and supplies he needed for his new place of residence, Naruto's life as an independent minor began in earnest.

The blond learned quickly how living in a flat was different from being in a dorm. For one he wasn't sharing the room with anybody else, other than himself, and didn't have any other children in the bunks opposite him snoring away. He also didn't have to keep an eye out for the caretaker, who would normally be giving any of the orphans an earful if they were ever caught breaking a rule of the house or doing something inappropriate. Here, Naruto didn't have to worry about any of those, except for the opening and closing periods of the washing up area.

Along with the adjustments to his new living conditions, Naruto's training also progressed at a steady and ideal pace.

Towards the end of his school year, his gymnastic training advanced to a higher tier, his strength-building training began including heavier weights that wouldn't stunt his growth, his cardio sessions were increased, his focus on taijutsu included a further studying and inclusion of more styles, and his attendance at the library was also increased.

Eventually the end of his preschool year came around and Naruto was set to move on to his junior primary years. Winter had pulled around in and, as the days grew short and the nights grew long, snow started to fall over the Land of Fire, blanketing the entire countryside in a layer of white. This marked the first winter season Naruto would spend in his new home.

It would also be his first winter season spent alone and, with the new changes in conditions, meant a potentially new area of learning for him.

On one particular day, as he was wandering through the snow filling the roads of his village, the young Naruto had decided to go for yet another wander through the village, familiarizing himself with the odd terrain. Wearing a thick, hooded orange jacket and a pair of khaki pants, the young blond had stopped by a convenience store and bought himself a couple of instant ramen cups and a hot water flask.

Having prepared a cup a little while earlier, Naruto was currently digging into it as he strolled down the side road at a steady pace. During which time the six-year-old scarcely noticed the buildings around him becoming more and more dilapidated the further in he went. Passing by a few closed stores and bars, the blond then gave a quick glance towards one of the alleys he passed, and stopped when he noticed a couple of people sitting against the wall and staring at him.

There, hiding in the shadow of a couple of crates and covered by a thick blanket, were a couple of children- a boy and a girl- and their mother, all of whom dressed in old, tattered clothing, and covered in gunk. Obviously homeless, the trio were all huddled together for warmth, with the brother and sister having spotted Naruto walking by and were now looking at him with interest and worry.

Staring at the group of vagrants for a moment, Naruto swallowed the food in his mouth and considered the family for a moment.

Seeing people living on the streets in Konohagakure wasn't an entirely new or rare thing. It was common knowledge to a lot of people that many conflicts and wars had taken place in recent years, which had left a lot of civilians and foreigners without homes or places to return to. As a result, the Hidden Leaf village had generously taken in a number of refugees and families who'd lost everything. Though the council had managed to help out a few of these displaced groups, there were a number of stragglers who were still out of sorts, and had to resort to finding places to stay with whatever belongings they had left.

Some of those who were too broke or didn't have anything at all had unfortunately ended up in places like this- in the poor and rundown areas of the village where there were few authority figures and people to chase them off.

Expression reflecting a sense of sadness at the single mother's and her children's misfortune, the orphan then looked down at the bag he was carrying and the clothes he was wearing. After thinking on it for a moment and looking to see the family was shivering in the cold, the youngster smiled and approached them.

He then stopped in front of the group and held the bag he was holding out. "Here. Do you guys want some?" Receiving no answer, except seeing the children look at their mother in surprise, Naruto simply smiled and, moving over, sat down next to them. He then set his bag down and began pulling out the cups of ramen and a couple sets of chopsticks, all the while being watched by the family. "I'm more than happy to share these with you. I've got some pork and spicy ramen in here, and a couple others. They taste really good."

The child then proceeded to open the cupped ramen and pour the hot water from his flask into them. From there they then waited, with both the blond and the children watched the noodles simmer for about two minutes. Stirring to make sure the noodles broke apart and separated, the blond then handed noodles to each of the kids, watching with satisfaction as expressions of joy filled their faces.

"Th-Thank you," the little girl with dark hair chirped when Naruto handed a cup over to her, at the same time licking her lips eagerly.

Naruto beamed at the words of gratitude and then handed another cup over to the mother, who smiled warmly at the generous youngster and accepted it greatly with a quiet 'thank you' of her own. After which the family sat together and ate a warm meal, with the blond watching quietly right alongside them.

Exhaling a light cloud of heat, the boy then turned his gaze towards the street around him and, as time ticked by, became lost in his thoughts.