บท 15: Friends
All three of us looked to the side and saw Naruto's bright sky-blue eyes staring right back at us. I assumed around this time of his life, the kids around the village were still willing to play with him occasionally. I wasn't too sure about his situation though, as the only way to really know is to ask him or witness it for myself.
My perspective on Naruto's situation was a bit conflicted. I didn't want to place greater attention on myself right now, especially since I knew there were Danzo and the 3rd Hokage breathing down Naruto's neck. I feared that I had already gotten onto Danzo's radar, a new orphan he can brainwash, but I'm sure I'm not that special yet. I'm still only just a person who happened to unlock their chakra, rare but not something worth glancing over twice.
As for the 3rd Hokage, I had displayed some of my maturity and goals, hoping to receive a bit of his favor and protection from Danzo. I knew such attempts were far-fetched, and I probably never even enter the Hokage's thoughts, but a single favorable impression that I get from him could potentially end up life-saving.
Back to the matter at hand though, by becoming friends with Naruto, I would be placing massive attention on myself, more than was necessary. But this was also Naruto, a person I really wanted to befriend. His whole childhood was one giant isolated hell, and though I wanted to turn a blind eye, I also wanted to be his friend. This was the person I essentially grew up with, I watched his life unfold, and I was proud to see where he was headed despite all that was holding him back. I also knew that I had the chance to take some of his pain away, but was that truly the right thing to do? It was what drove him so hard after all, why he was drawn to Sasuke so much. Changing a single thing here could be disastrous for the future.
Seeing that no one was saying anything, Naruto started getting fidgety. His previous confidence was quickly waning, and, noticing this, I was the first to speak.
"Food of the gods huh? That really is the only way to describe it! My name is Aizen Sosuke, this is Shikamaru, and this is Choji, what's your name?"
Thrilled that he got a response back, he regained his previous confidence in an instant and shouted,
"My name is Naruto Uzumaki, dattebayo! And yeah! Pops has the best ramen in the whole wide world, believe it!"
He had a couple of ticks when he talked, and he said "believe it" just like in the show. It was weird, hearing him act the same as I remember, but also knowing how he'll act in the fat future.
Shikamaru joined in, asking
"The whole world? I really doubt that. It is pretty good, but it's not the best thing in the world"
Naruto seemed like he was personally offended,
"Oh yeah? And how do you know that?"
"It's just logical! How do you know that it's the best in the world?"
"Cause I've tasted it that's how!"
The argument continued, and Choji and I were chuckling at the side. Eventually, both Naruto and Shikamaru got tired and ordered another bowl to eat. After we were all done, we started walking around town. Naruto integrated pretty well into our group, giving us a boost of energy and excitement that wasn't there previously. We talked about a lot of stuff, and I started asking Naruto about his academic life.
"So, Naruto, you're at the Academy right? Why don't I see you at all? What class are you in?"
"Heh, that's because I skip school! School's too boring to stay in, and the people of this town need pranking from the number one prankster in the Leaf Village, believe it!"
Skipping huh? Now it all made sense as to why I never saw him at school, he didn't attend very frequently. I was also pretty sure that until he got into Iruka's class with Shikamaru and Choji, he would not be willing to attend school since his teachers and classmates would all discriminate against him. At least, until he became friends with Shikamaru and Choji, he didn't have any friends that were not influenced by their parents and abandoned Naruto.
Along the way, Shikamaru and I started noticing something. It began with the occasional glances our way, but eventually, I could feel the eyes of everyone staring at us when we walked. To Shikamaru, it was much more subtle, but with my instincts, I could feel when someone was looking at me, especially with malicious intent in great amount. Of course, if a ninja were to hide his intent from me I would not be able to feel it, but these civilians were all looking at Naruto in particular with malivelant intent.
No matter how I thought about it, I couldn't understand how the people were so willing to abuse a child. Almost all the civilians bore hatred against Naruto, even if they didn't have any sort of proof or evidence against his connection to the Kyuubi. All of them were sheep, guided by Danzo's wicked hands into despising an innocent child.
Disgust inevitably arose from the bottom of my heart. I wasn't particularly the most morally bright, and my philosophies were not inclined towards that path either, but abusing an innocent kid because you needed an outlet for your anger was simply repulsive. I could understand Orochimaru's point of view at least, taking the path of science and experiments, but these people were simply looking for someone to blame and a person to lash out on.
Shikamaru seemed to notice the disgust I harbored, but couldn't understand why. As far as he was concerned, they were only glaring, but I knew the depths they want to, making sure Naruto was isolated and neglected. I don't think they ever physically abused him, but they also wanted no part in ensuring his survival either, denying him everything from clothes to food.
Naruto also noticed the glares he was receiving, I'm sure, since he shrunk into himself a bit and wasn't as talkative as before. He tried not to let it show, but he was also looking at us for our reactions too. Choji was completely oblivious to the people around us, absorbed in snacks and the atmosphere the four of us created together.
At one point, I suggested that we visit my home and chill there for a while. Needless to say, the suggestion was quickly accepted by everyone.
I started walking up front, leading the others since this was the first time they will be seeing my house. I was particularly excited to see Naruto's expressions, knowing that I live in the same apartment housing as him.
The closer we got, the more hyper Naruto seemed to get, seeing as he was also getting closer to his home. After all, that meant he'd have a friend living quite close by.
We eventually made it to the housing, and Naruto exclaimed from behind me
"Wait a minute dattebayo!! You live here??"
His eyes practically shined as he asked this.
"Yeah, I was arranged to live here by the 3rd Hokage."
A big uncontrollable grin made its way onto his face, and Naruto exclaimed
"I live here too! Believe it! Old gramps made me start living here a while ago! Dattebayo, I can't believe you live here too! I finally have a friend living close by!"
At this point, Naruto seemed to lose his excitement and looked at me for my reaction. I figured it was because he called me his friend. I gave him a grin and said,
"Yeah! I finally have a friend living close by as well"
He seemed to get even happier, and the smile on his face was practically stretching from ear to ear. We made our way inside, and Shikamaru and Choji were surprised by the lack of items in the house. In their house, decorations and items were plentiful, but at mine, there were only the essentials and some plants around the house.
They quickly got over it though, and we all began talking again. At one point, I brought out a deck of cards and taught them some games from my world. They had the traditional Japanese games here, but more entertaining games weren't developed yet. I started with a simple game, Blackjack. I was the dealer since I was the only one familiar with the rules, but Shikamaru quickly caught on. He was the most precise of the three, calculating the chances of hitting or busting. Choji was much timider, choosing to play it safe most of the time. Naruto, on the other hand, was the complete opposite, almost always betting on his chances and having confidence in himself. By the end, Naruto had lost the most, and Shikamaru had won the most.
By the time it started getting late, Shikamaru and Choji bid us farewell and started walking home.
"Bye Aizen! Bye bye Naruto!"
"See you guys later"
"Yeah bye, Choji! Bye Shikamaru! See you guys tomorrow!"
"I'll see you guys tomorrow"
After that, Naruto stayed over for a bit, and he kept telling me how excited he was having a friend close by, usually, all his friends lived far away from him.
"Dattebayo! This is awesome! We could hang out all the time now!"
At this point of the show, there were still people willing to play with Naruto since they were just kids, but eventually, he would have non except a couple of Clan kids. Even then, he was only a normal friend at most, and he had to watch as they all left with their families every day while he walked home alone. Now though, I would be his friend, and we could walk home together. It was no wonder why he was so excited.
By the time it was getting dark, Naruto still seemed to be a bundle of energy. I told him that it was time to go home, and he reluctantly agreed and went on his way.
"Goodnight Naruto. I'll see you tomorrow"
"Yeah! See you tomorrow Aizen!"
I lied on my bed, exhausted from the day. My injuries weren't fully healed yet, so I could only be thankful I didn't do any strenuous activity today. I also put off training for today, since I decided I needed to let my mind and body rest for a while.
I did some meditation to let my mind calm down and let my recovery rate speed up. I learned that meditation helps with that as well, since you're going into a state of total focus and calmness, your chakra is optimized better and your chakra recovery rate as well as your body's recovery rate increase. Of course, sleeping provided the same benefits, but meditation was also a form of training, so I preferred to do that before bed too.
I went to bed at around 10 pm eventually, since I needed to get up at around 8 am for school. Sleep was very important to my growth and recovery after all, so I had to make sure I got an ample amount every night. I eventually slid into a peaceful sleep, looking forward to meeting with my friends again tomorrow and beginning my training again.
...
In a nearby place,
Naruto was also getting ready for bed. He quickly put on his PJs, slid into the covers, and closed his eyes. There was a grin on his face, though, and he quickly opened his eyes again.
'Today was a lot of fun! I made friends with Shikamaru, Aizen, and Choji all in one day! They seem like good friends, at least they don't glare at me like everyone else. I hope this lasts, I don't want to lose them too...'
And with thoughts like those, Naruto also drifted into a deep sleep, and soon nothing but snoring could be heard coming from his room.
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