Familiar faces

Cole closed the door behind himself and flipped on the light. He breathed in the must, that seems to hang around every hotel he ever lodged in, and ground himself in this all-too-familiar experience. Unsurprising, his room was a bare-bones affair. A 2-by-3 furnished with a dun-grey sofa, a simple raised futon bed and a plain desk. Respectably modern - it would work just fine for the night.

A window let in plenty of the moon's- and the city's night-light. He was sure the ramshackle frame would make airing his room a pain in the ass, either squeaking and rattling throughout or wholly unable to open at all, as was par for the course with hotels.

Without any gear or bags no arrangements had to be done and Cole was free to let himself cozy up in his first, dyed-in-the-wool Konoha bed. He just let himself fall and sink into the cushions, spread-eagled.

It was... no different than any other bed he slept in, possibly a tad rougher?

Cole stared at the ceiling; eyes unfocused, muscles unclenching. His mind was a mess, going circles on whether this was a vivid dream or reality. But there was no faking his clarity of thought, the vivacity of his emotions or his senses, drawn back and forth by dozen different feelings. In the end it didn't matter. Not really. If it was a dream, which it may or may not be, he might as well enjoy it.

And there was so much enjoyment to be had. Anime and manga always had a soft spot in his heart, even moreso the shounen classics. He never really grew out of it, sidling up to his younger siblings and binging whenever he had the chance. Memories of family were quashed, he wouldn't survive the idea that they were missing him.

As a young adult the fascination petered out. Work, realationships, health, he was wound this way and that and left with no time for either. Indulging in his 'extraneous' hobbies made way for 'adult issues'. Now he was given a chance, endless possiblities reluming a lost passion. He never felt worthless on earth, only bogged by responsibilities and flagging spirits, but this here, this was a childhood dream come true and a fresh start. So many people he would love to meet, so many things he wanted to see. However, therein lay the problem.

The world of Naruto wasn't quite... peaceful. Since the establishment of the first villages, some 70 years ago, three world wars ocurred. Cole paused and grew pale. 'A fourth in the next few years.' He swallowed the lump in his throat.

Choices had to be made; easy to decide ones, but difficult to pull through with.

Cole shut his eyes and went deep into himself.

He could leave - flee - and go beyond either the Land of Wind or the Land of Earth, it was unexplored by media, but it couldn't just end in nothingness, right? There he could explore ways to return back to earth, look back on this chance as a loose end meant to be cut. Sharing the information he knows would also be next to impossible without being implicated in future conflicts. As far as Cole was concerned everyone but the named cast from the series, all the faceless - turned real - people, were a complete unknown, their loyalties much the same. Every person could be an informant of sinister purpose. These outliers would catch wind of him being a treasure trove of answers to questions they never had and then they would wring it right out of him, forcefully if necessary.

He would still need a measure of power to call his own, inasmuch as travelling wasn't completely hassle-free either. Bandits existed, for one, as well as rabid beasts and supernatural phenomena that could kill him without even meaning to. Preparation would be key and funds a problem.

Another issue with the coward's route: World-ending scenarios.

In the anime and manga the people of this world rallied together and managed to avert destruction every single time. But how did his mere presence influence things? How serious were the ripples his interrogation cast? Who would be affected by him staying here? Who would die and who would live, just because he existed? It wouldn't have never been a problem if only everyone around him wasn't... real, blood and flesh people with a family and friends to call their own.

Cole was empathetic. He never considered himself a saint, but people he cared for he took under his wing. Knowing his existence could possibly doom millions, perhaps the entire world, didn't sit right with him. The fourth world war was led by children, children that paid the ultimate price. Could he watch a barely adult Neji sacrifice himself for his family, for his country? No, he couldn't.

There was only one other option, in his eyes, left.

He had to help, in any way he could. That meant disseminating his knowledge among people he could trust and obtaining personal strength primarily. Distributing parcels of information to big players like Hiruzen, Tsunade, Jiraiya and Kakashi was the easy part, becoming powerful not so much.

Sadly, transfering worlds came without a guidebook and he had no idea how to go about becoming a force to be reckoned with. But hidden strength always followed the same principle and through his circumstances he didn't believe once he didn't have it in him.

Cole stilled and listened to his breath, to his heartbeat, ebbing away with his calm. He knew two things: Every living creature within Naruto is imbued with Chakra. Being devoid of Chakra meant certain death. Logically, it could be infered that he carried Chakra within himself, now that he was part of this world. He only had to feel it.

He was no stranger to meditation - dabbling once or twice in far eastern martial arts for the heck of it -, so he reached deep within himself. He was a tendril of consciousness digging deeper, digging farther. He felt through the tips of his fingers and his toes; groped along his forearms and shins with spiritual apendages; he traced biceps and thighs; his shoulders and his hips; back and chest. Every tingle he shelved in his mind, every itch was encompassed, no detail was spared. It was uncomfortable, his body a twitch away from spurring into movement. He wasn't a placid lake, his will wasn't firm. But this was the least he could do.

Finally he reached within his guts, the lynchpin of cultivation. He probed, prodded and embraced the furnace that was his blood and flesh. He found... nothing.

Disappointed in himself and the world, he stirred. 'The guile of optimism.' he thought.

Rolling out of the bed was a chore, the set-back laying heavy on his mood, though his stink demanded a radical wash and it found his excuses lacking. Cole pinched his cheeks, he hadn't even spent half a day in this new, albeit familiar world - his expectations and precognition set an insurmountable bar and he had to change that.

Night was well underway and Cole could already see lighter blue streaking the Horizon. With all the inner hubbub he went through he had little hope to get some actual shut-eye. Luckily, the communal showers were open 24/7. He took his keys.

Cole closed the door behind himself and locked. He pulled thrice - satisfied - and made his way over to the reception for shower essentials. He passed by a dozen rooms, some of which were permanent residences, and wondered how well the security held up against super-humans. Badly, he imagined.

With a basket full of toiletries Cole set out to scrub off the grime of a day gone for too long.

The narrow shower booth stymied any self-conscious thoughts; unfounded ones because he was neither pouchy nor emaciated, he just had let himself... go a bit after university.

The water was a cleansing drizzle, comfortably warm and enjoyable enough to set his mind wandering. Cole was simply astounded by the amenities being provided and eased into the pearly downpour. It was a long and much needed break.

With a content sigh he turned the knobs and dried himself off. Trim and ready for the next day. He felt like a new man already.

Cole thanked the proprietress, an amiable older woman with a toothless smile that simply waved him off, and handed her his basket to be on his way, past the foyer and back to his room.

"-uto, take care now. I'll see you tomorrow. And don't cause any more trouble!", Cole stopped dead in his tracks. Ears perked he whirled around. His heart hammered in his chest and he peeked back around the corner.

"Of course, sensei. And... I'm sorry and... thank you.", he couldn't believe his eyes. Pieces of the current timeline clicked into place.

It was a heartwarming sight. Of a boy that finally realised: 'He wasn't universally hated after all.' and a mentor that did and would always support him. Vilified no more, by everyone and himself. This was the first step of many on Naruto's path to recognition, respect and adoration.

Naruto was as Cole imagined. A brash and brazen kid that would rise above his peers, purely through grit, blood, sweat and a golden heart that drew people towards him. And all it took was Iruka extending his hand and showing, really showing, how loved Naruto truly was.

The blonde was bashfully rubbing at his nose, not a thought spared for the cuts and dirt, giggling and smiling from ear to ear, and Iruka pinned him with a stern glare but then broke out into an affectionate smile himself. Now they were brothers, hurt by circumstances outside their control and yet they banded together.

The first inches of sun had crested the horizon and framed the two battered heroes in the warm light they rightly deserved. All was well.

This wholesome kinship is what he lost to surface relations, and what he longed for ever since. Cole felt heat in his eyes and thought he might just shed a tear then and there.

Instead, in a flurry of intent and preternatural cognition, quantified and measured by unknown means, he saw, displayed in his mind's eye as a blank sheet, the entirety of what were Naruto and Iruka.

---

Name: Naruto Uzumaki

Title: Son of the Fourth Hokage, Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails, Genin

Sex: Male

Age: 12

Level: 26

Health: 443/480 (+)

Chakra Reserve: 331/1900

Vitality: 48

Chakra: 190

Strength: 22

Agility: 20

Perception: 11

Intelligence: 18

Ailments: Negligible Bruises (Recovering), Negligible Lacerations (Recovering)

Emotions: Exhausted, Elated, Hungry

Lore: Naruto Uzumaki, borne to the Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze and Kuchina Uzumaki, is an orphan who, due to being the incarnation of the Nine-Tailed Beast, is shunned and feared by his fellow villagers and peers. Through his rough upbringing he has become a blunt and love-starved child that has difficulty making friends. Kind-hearted within he remains a prankster without, to garner as much attention as he can get. His ultimate goal is becoming Hokage.

---

Name: Iruka Umino

Title: Kind-Hearted Mentor, Redeemed, Chunin

Sex: Male

Age: 22

Level: 91

Health: 412/600 (+)

Chakra Reserve: 155/350

Vitality: 60

Chakra: 35

Strength: 53

Agility: 49

Perception: 70

Intelligence: 61

Ailments: Minor Bruises (Recovering), Mild Lacerations (Recovering)

Emotions: Exhausted, Elated, Determined

Lore: Iruka Umino, borne to Ikkaku Umino and Kohari Umino, became an orphan through the attack of the Nine-Tailed Beast. Alone as a youth he became a known prankster among Konoha, granted cheer by the Third Hokage and his former friend Mizuki. Assigned as the teacher of the Jinchuriki, Naruto Uzumaki, Iruka struggled with his occupational duty and his hatred for the Nine-Tailed Beast, and by extension Naruto. His kind heart overcame his prejudice and Iruka swore to become a greater teacher than he ever was.

---

Cole watched the two bandy words of encouragement and bid a final farewell, all the while his mind was swimming and eyes were aching.

(Third chapter guys and gals.

Ok, from now on the power-progression will begin. I do hope the pace wasn't too slow, but three chapters should be fine, no? The system leans heavily on The Gamer, btw.)