An accidental meeting turns the life of Naruto Uzumaki around. Now that he has a friend, living on his own isn't so bad anymore. But what happens when that new friendship stirs up unwanted memories of his past? Naruto POV
Hey guys! Thanks for reading my story! This idea has been in my mind for the better part of six months, and it's only now that I'm finding the time to write it all out. I am looking for a beta reader to help me with my stories, so if you are interested, please let me know. Please also feel free to give me suggestions, because as I have the general plotline of the story, it is those cracks that need to be filled in still that I will be needing some help with.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
Chapter 1 – A New Friend
Naruto was walking through the village when he stopped, noticing a wallet on the ground. Wondering who the wallet belonged to, he picked it up and opened it, looking for some sort of ID. "Sakura Haruno, age 12. Future konoichi of Konoha" he mumbled to himself while reading off the card in the wallet, starting to walk towards the Academy.
When he got there, he went over to the swing and sat down, waiting for people to start exiting the building. The first people to leave were the younger children, who didn't even give him a second glance. It wasn't until a tired looking boy with hair that looked like a pineapple came out that anybody approached Naruto. He looked confuse, because he had never seen the blond before.
"I know it's troublesome to ask, but who are you? Why haven't I ever seen you here at the Academy before?"
Naruto chuckled, "The name is Naruto. The reason you've never seen me here before is because I've never actually been here myself. I'm looking for a girl named Sakura. You know her?"
"Sakura? Ya I know her, troublesome girl. I'll help you find here. There aren't any clouds today anyways."
With that he set off in the direction of Konoha's library. Naruto fell in step beside him. "So what's your name?" asked Naruto, starting a conversation to keep things from getting awkward.
"My name is Shikamaru Nara. Okay, so you're going to be looking for a girl with pink hair." With that he walked away, leaving Naruto to wonder about what he had said. Pink hair?
Naruto walked through the aisles for a while, and finally found a girl with pink hair sitting down at a table, leaning over a book. "Are you Sakura Haruno?" he asked, standing behind her. She turned around quickly, shocked that someone was talking to her.
"Ya, that's me. Who are you?" she questioned.
"My name is Naruto. I found your wallet on the ground when I was walking through the market. I wanted to return it to you."
Sakura looked shocked as Naruto reached into his pocket and pulled out her wallet. She grabbed it, looking through it to see if everything was still there. Her eyes widened. "You didn't take anything? I'm surprised. Well I'm sure that most people wouldn't have even bothered to return it."
Naruto shuffled his feet, "Ya well I suppose I've been taught to be like that."
"Say…are you doing anything today? I want to treat you to something to eat. You like ramen?" Naruto nodded, surprised that someone actually wanted to hang out with him.
Sakura stood up, motioning for Naruto to follow her. She stopped to check out her books, putting them in her bag. They exited the library together, headed towards Ichiraku's, the Ramen Stand.
"Why hello there Naruto! The usual today?" Teuchi, the chef leaned on the counter, wondering what he was going to be making today.
Naruto laughed, "Not today, Teuchi. This is Sakura. She's treating me today, so I'm only going to get one bowl today."
"Ooh! So what did you do to meet such a lovely lady and get her to buy you food?" At this Sakura began to blush.
"Naruto returned my wallet to me, so I'm treating him today. I'll have a bowl of Beef Ramen." With that Teuchi returned to the kitchen to prepare their ramen.
"Let's play twenty questions…just to get to know each other. I'll start. What is your favourite colour?" Naruto leaned on his hands, waiting for Sakura to answer his question.
"Obviously pink haha. How about you? What's your favourite colour?"
"Orange. Definitely orange. So what is your favourite part of the Academy?"
"I like the history lessons. Especially about the Hokage. I want to be a strong konoichi someday. How about you? Do you go to the Academy? I've never seen you there before."
"The Academy? No. I work at the bookstore in the market. So which Hokage is your favourite?"
"Really? You don't go to school?" Sakura looked shocked, wondering why he didn't have to go to school.
By this time Teuchi had brought out their ramen, and Sakura took a bite before answering. "The Third. He is so smart, and he knows so many jutsu. Who is your favourite?"
Naruto slurped up the last of his ramen. "I really like the Fourth. He was a brave man, sacrificing his life for the village like he did. He's my hero actually."
Sakura finished her ramen and pulled out enough coins to cover the two bowls, placing them on the counter. "We should hang out again sometime. You seem like a nice person, and I'd like to be friends with you. Friends?"
"Ya, friends!" They both stood up and began walking.
"I should really head home. My parents are probably worrying about me. Bye Naruto! I'll see you later!" Sakura turned around and walked away, doing what seems like it would be impossible and melted into the crowd.
Naruto was left by himself. He slowly walked down the street towards his apartment, ignoring the looks he got from the villagers. He thought about what Sakura had said. Friends. She was the first friend he had ever made, and for that he was glad.