Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. The series belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

I still remember those fateful days

when Team Seven had just begun

Naruto had been a foolish brat

so very little and so young

He loved his pranks way too much

And for that, he got no respect

Shouting out his ambitious dreams

I thought he lacked intellect

Because the leaders of Konoha are

the smart, the best, the strongest

Definitely not some loud ass boy

not a prankster, nor the blondest

I proceeded to put up with him

along with Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke

After some boring D-class missions

He got us a better mission, you could say

We set out of the village thinking that

it would be a total piece of cake

Never knowing how much trouble

a certain demon in the mist could make

And really, in the land of waves

I should've gotten my first hint

should've seen the whiskers darken

blue eyes turned feral with a red glint

But although I did not witness yet

that particular darkness from inside

I was able to see another talent:

bringing people light and to his side

Flash forward to the chuunin exams

where the prodigies were not few

Naruto persevered until the end

making it to the finals; who'd knew?

The event had not finished though

before things had erupted into chaos

that blonde idiot chased after Gaara

intent on showing him who's boss

Ashamedly, my performance then

had been decidedly less than sublime

So I was surprised to hear Sasuke tell me later

who had rescued me that time

Soon afterwards, their relationship

began to die, decay, to suffer

throwing myself between the two

I had hoped to become a buffer

But Sasuke quickly left the village

an action described as a great crime

That's when Naruto gave me the 'Nice Guy Pose'

and the promise of a lifetime

As I listened to his earnest words

tears continued streaking down my face

I wondered who was this brave and steady person

that had taken the old Naruto's place.

But the retrieval mission was a failure

and some members returned injured and inert

I decided I didn't need protection anymore

I wouldn't let anyone (least of all Naruto) get hurt

A couple of years have passed since then

He returns from training a boy no longer

He has grown more creative and tall

slightly more perverted too but stronger

Later on, I am shocked to hear

about Naruto's very early fate

the bijuu sealed into his stomach

making him a target of such hate

How is he even able to look at me

with such happiness and good cheer

When all I did when I was young

was jump on the bandwagon and leer?

It is when the Fourth Shinobi War begins

that I realize my teammate's true worth

He is important to all Konoha citizens

much like the sky, the sun, the earth

With him standing at the frontlines

Uchiha Madara will, no doubt, fall

For he is the future Hokage, my greatest friend

and a hero, loved by all

Enveloped by bright yellow flames

and with Hinata's hand in his

I can finally, finally, see quite clearly now

the man that Uzumaki Naruto is.

I woke up at 4 am this morning with this idea suddenly in my mind, and I knew it would not rest until I wrote it out. Luckily, poems are fun to write so all is well and good.

I hope that you guys will enjoy reading this poem, because it rhymes! Haha!

And I would love it if you tell me what you think :)