Naruto: Thrown Into the Leaf

"Fear is not evil. It tells you what your weakness is. Once you know your weakness, you can become stronger."

— Gildarts Clive, Fairy Tail

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"We train with him. We eat with him. And he skips a whole rank like he's picking out sandals, and he doesn't even tell us?"

Sayuri's voice cut through the trees like a kunai. Her arms swung with every frustrated step as she walk beside Hinata through the snow.

Hinata tilted her head, walking with her hands held tightly in front of her.

"…Maybe he forgot," Hinata said softly, though even she didn't believe it.

Sayuri scoffed, eyes sharp. "Forgot? He went up against a chūnin. Won. And just casually walks around like it's Tuesday."

As they stepped past the last row of trees. The forest opened up into a familiar clearing — the little riverside patch Otis called home.

"You don't understand, Hinata!"

They stepped out from the woods—

And stopped.

The hut was gone.

No, smashed.

Logs and planks scattered like a bomb had gone off

A kettle half-buried in snow, frozen water spilling from the spout. Tatters of cloth were caught on low branches, flapping slightly in the breeze

Hinata gasped. "W-What happened here…?".

But that wasn't the main thing.

No.

Because in the center of the clearing, just beside the smashed hut…was a giant white bear.

It had to be ten feet long — thick fur and a belly like a boulder.

Sleeping.

Like it owned the place.

And leaning against it — like it was nothing more than a pillow — was Otis.

One arm behind his head.

The other draped casually across the bear's massive belly.

His mouth was slightly open.

A soft snore escaped.

Hinata froze mid-step.

Her eyes widened.

And — without even realizing it — she stepped behind Sayuri for cover.

Sayuri blinked.

"…That's a bear."

Hinata nodded slowly. "Y-Yes."

"A full-sized, ten-foot, monster bear."

Otis shifted in his sleep.

The bear grumbled in its sleep, rolled slightly, and exhaled a puff of steam from its nose.

Hinata whispered:

"Is he… cuddling it?"

Sayuri squinted.

"No… I think it's cuddling him."

Hinata's mouth opened in a silent gasp.

"O-Otis?!"

Otis stirred. One eye blinked open lazily. He glanced at Sayuri first, then his gaze softened a bit when it landed on Hinata.

"Oh. Sup."

He yawned.

"Morning, Hinata."

Sayuri crossed her arms. "It's afternoon."

Otis blinked, then closed his eyes again. "Figures."

Hinata stepped forward slightly, voice still uncertain. "U-Um… Otis? Why do you have a bear?"

Otis mumbled, still half-asleep:

"Stole my fish. Ruined my hut. Lost a fight. Now it works here."

Sayuri stared at him like he'd grown a second head.

"You fought a bear?"

Otis tilted his head slightly. "It started it."

Sayuri pointed. "So… you're keeping it?"

Otis shrugged. "It's not a pet. It's our servant now."

With that, he stood up and gave the still-sleeping bear a light kick on its massive butt, still a little bitter about his ruined home.

The bear stirred, licked Otis once across the face, and flopped back over with a groan —

A loud snore followed as it turned over, deciding to ignore him completely and go back to sleep.

Otis wiped his face with a sleeve,

A tick mark appeared on his forehead.

Sayuri turned to Hinata, who was still staring — now weirdly, deeply envious of the bear.

Oi oi… what's with your expression, Hinata? Sayuri thought.

Then Sayuri stormed forward.

"You bastard!"

Otis sat up halfway, rubbing sleep from his eyes. The bear beside him let out a long groan, annoyed by the yelling.

"Hm?"

"You became chūnin?"

Otis yawned. "Yeah."

"You became chūnin. And didn't even tell us?"

He tilted his head slightly. "You didn't ask."

Sayuri flailed her arms. "Because normal people mention it when they level up! What's next? A secret wedding? Hidden wife?!"

Hinata crept forward cautiously, gaze still fixed on the snow-snoozing beast. "I-Is it safe?"

Otis glanced at the bear. "Mostly."

Sayuri's jaw dropped. "Mostly?!"

The bear let out a small snort.

Hinata looked between them nervously. Then whispered, "D-Did you really throw a rock… from the sky?"

Otis scratched his head. "Not that high. Just… high enough."

Sayuri jabbed a finger at Otis.

" Meanwhile, we're still doing push-ups in the cold like idiots.You went up against a chūnin, won, and said nothing."

Otis stretched, his bones cracking "I still do push-ups."

The bear suddenly rolled over, exhaling a breath of warm air that blew Sayuri's scarf half-off her shoulders

Sayuri just threw her hands up.

"You know what? I'm not even mad anymore.I'm tired. This is too weird.."

She pointed at the smashed hut. "So. Your hut is in pieces. You ranked up. And now you've got a bear sidekick?"

Otis shrugged. brushing snow off his pants. "Not a sidekick but a slave. As for the hut, I'll rebuild it. Honestly, if the wind had picked up, it would've collapsed anyway."

Sayuri pointed at him dramatically.

"This is NOT normal"

Otis met her stare, deadpan.

"Neither are you."

Sayuri opened her mouth—

Paused—

Then shut it.

Hinata giggled and stepped forward finally and opened the bag she'd been carrying.

She looked down at the bag in her hands.

"W-We brought food…" she said softly.

The bear perked up, ears twitching.

Otis raised a brow. "That's smart."

He pointed at Hinata. 

"You cook."

Then at Sayuri. 

"You yell. It keeps the bear focused."

Sayuri blinked. "Focused on what?"

As if on cue, the bear let out a long, theatrical yawn and rolled over with a grunt, exposing its belly like a lazy house cat.

Otis nodded at it with absolute confidence.

"See? Teamwork."

A while later…

"Let's eat first," Otis said, pulling the lid off the pot simmering near the firepit. Steam rolled out, rich with the smell of miso and rice, "Then spar."

Sayuri flopped down beside the fire like she'd just climbed a mountain. "Finally. I was about to chew on my kunai."

"You always say that," Hinata said gently, taking her seat more carefully beside Otis.

Sayuri scooped a bowl for herself. "Yeah, but today I meant it."

Otis then sat down across from them,a bowl in hand.

The river beside them. Birds called in the distance. For a moment, everything felt simple—peaceful.

Once the bowls were cleaned and rinsed in the river, Otis stood up and dusted off his hands. "Ready?"

Hinata nodded, her expression calm.

Sayuri cracked her neck. "Been ready."

Otis rolled his shoulder and stepped into the center of the clearing. "Both of you against me. Tag in and out however you want. The first one to land a clean hit wins."

Sayuri grinned.

Hinata adjusted her gloves, serious now.

"Go."

Hinata moved first.

Otis didn't move at all.

She approached calmly, eyes locked, her body low. A gentle step to the left, then a sharp pivot into a palm thrust.

Otis caught it with his forearm and stepped aside, moving around her like water avoiding a rock. She spun—quick and fluid—but his hand tapped the back of her neck.

"Dead."

Hinata exhaled and stepped back.

Sayuri tagged in without a word.

She lunged in instantly, aggressive and fast. Otis blocked her first punch, but her second clipped his shoulder, but it was not a clean hit. She didn't stop—and followed it up with a spinning heel kick that forced him to duck low.

A blur of motion—

She was in the air, flipping over him, coming down with both feet.

Otis rolled to the side and grinned.

Sayuri landed like a cat and turned.

"Better," he said simply.

She scoffed. "What"

"Just impressed you didn't fall on your face this time."

"Oh, now you die."

She launched again.

Their clash echoed through the clearing—blow for blow, no wasted movement, no holding back.

Otis ducked under a punch, slipped past a kick—then touched her shoulder lightly.

"Dead."

"Bullshit—!"

He tapped the center of her forehead. "Double dead."

Sayuri growled, backing off. "Hinata. Go."

Hinata stepped forward, expression unreadable. She didn't rush this time.

She circled him.

Otis narrowed his eyes. "…You're stalling."

"I'm reading," she said quietly.

"Then read faster."

She darted forward—this time with a feint strike

Otis blocked easily, But just for a second, his eyes flicked toward her footwork.

Hinata's foot came up low, 

Otis turned with it, stepped to adjust—

And Sayuri tagged back in, mid-strike.

She launched forward — both feet leaving the ground, driving her entire weight behind the kick.

Otis caught the hit with his forearm, sliding back a few inches, dust rising under his feet.

He grinned.

"That was good."

"Shut up and die."

They all moved now.

Hinata darted in and out — smooth, precise, and always aiming where Otis was about to be.

Sayuri pounced on the gaps — sudden, aggressive, never giving him time to reset.

Then—

Hinata struck low.

Sayuri feinted high.

Otis moved right.

Sayuri smirked. "Gotcha."

She kicked off a tree mid-run and came back around behind him—

And Hinata's palm landed flat on his chest.

A clean hit.

Silence.

Sayuri stared

Hinata's hand was still there.

Then she gasped and pulled back quickly. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't—"

Otis raised a hand. "Don't apologize."

Sayuri broke the silence. "We won?"

Otis looked at her. "You got lucky."

"You got cocky."

He smirked, getting into position "Again?"

Sayuri cracked her knuckles. "Oh, absolutely."

Hinata smiled, stepped back, getting ready.

And just like that—the second round began.

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