N. Turning Over a New One
The Land of Fire was nothing like Naruto Uzumaki expected. When the Chief told him about this place, he had expected to find volcanos, deserts, or at least an arid landscape like Mount Oinari's. He didn't expect to find an entire forest blanketing the country! Not that he was complaining; it certainly made the journey less blinding and hot.
The forest cleared, and before he knew it, there he was: the gates of Konohagakure, the Village Hidden in the Leaves. His motorbike turned off, Naruto dismounted and shifted his goggles, taking a moment to appreciate the artistry of the massive gate before him, of its forest green wood painted with the hiragana an for "hermitage" in red and crowned with a silvery panel carved with a swirl between etchings of the kanji for "shinobi".
Artistry appreciated, Naruto smirked at the poetic justice of everything, despite the circumstances that brought him here; he was turning over a new leaf…in the village of the Leaf.
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Within the village gates, the artistic appreciation continued: dirt paths like back home, buildings made from the same wood as the gate, and the cliff with the Mount Rushmore-esque carvings of the Hokage, the leaders of the Hidden Leaf past and present. And in the midst of such landscape material was a sight for the kitsune's sore eyes: Ichiraku Ramen. Making a mental note to invite Kuroda here in the near future, Naruto separated his chopsticks and made move to partake in the tasty, tasty noodles that was his ambrosia. Itadakimas!
But before the noodles could reach his mouth, a shove almost sent the young tod headfirst into his beloved soup. Naruto rounded to give the attacker what for—how dare they interfere with his ramen!—only to meet a smirking dark-haired youth the same age as he.
Naruto let out a reluctant laugh. "Hello to you, too, Sasuke."
Sasuke Uchiha was part of the reason Naruto was in Konoha in the first place, for his godparents—the Fourth Hokage and his wife—would be hosting the kitsune during his stay. Naruto liked them. The Hokage, Minato Namikaze, reminded him somewhat of Takashi, kind and caring, though the fact that he led a shinobi village spoke of strength belying that gentleness. Minato's wife, Kushina Akashio*, reminded him of himself: brash, loud, and fun-loving. Perhaps in an alternate universe, they would've been his parents.
As for the Uchiha himself, well…Naruto's mileage varied. Most of the time, Sasuke was a sullen, broody little thing who Naruto swore was one slit wrist away from being emo. When he wasn't sulking, the Uchiha boy was a little know-it-all, especially about the ninja arts. Not that that was without reason; during their spar in the mountains, Sasuke had kept the kitsune on his toes and even his tail tips with his fire and shuriken jutsu. And those freaky eyes…!
Of course, the Uchiha wasn't all barbs. There was a warm side to him that he showed mainly to Kushina, warmth that expressed itself through the smiles and laughter untainted by the tragedy that had come to define him—
A clink of change broke Naruto out of his musings. Looking up, the young kitsune saw that Sasuke had paid for both their orders, all the while giving the blonde a look saying that such a gesture was a once-in-a-lifetime thing, so he'd better appreciate it.
"C'mon, Blondie. Race you home." With that, the Uchiha boy took off, passing over rooftops in a blur.
Not one to be eating dust, Naruto raced for his motorbike. "Hey, no fair, asshat! I just got here!" with a foxy grin, the tod revved his trusty ride.
Respect or not, it was on now.
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*Akashio: This will be Kushina's surname in this story, since she and Naruto aren't mother and son here. Written as赤潮, Akashio means "Red Tide", a reference to the phytoplankton within the Seto Inland Sea and at the same time, a nice and neat reference to Kushina and her clan's red hair.