"Trust is hard to come by these days, Naruto."
I looked to my teacher. He was lying on the ground, eyes closed, hands up behind his head. I sat up without saying anything.
"Yes, there's such thing as real trust. Honest trust. Trust that can be kept. But there is also such thing as trust that can be squandered, that can be compromised. You need to be careful as to who you choose to trust.
"It's not that you're naïve. Naivety has nothing to do with trust. Wisdom doesn't come with age, Naruto, it comes with pain. Remember that. Pain is all that keeps us from trusting. Sometimes you have no choice but to trust. You either die, or trust in someone. And then there are times when you have a choice. It hurts to get let down, there's no denying that. But it hurts to do it alone, too. Don't do it alone, Naruto. It's not worth it."
It was silent. I paused, then said, "How do you know who to trust?"
He didn't move for a moment. Finally, he said, "You don't. Even when you're one hundred years old, and have gone through pain unimaginable, you still don't know who to trust. But you have to try. Everyone has to try. At least once, and even if afterwards it seems it was a big mistake and everything fell just because you trusted that person once…you have to try. And if you can trust them once, you can probably trust them again. But don't give them too much. Always keep something to yourself. People say never to keep anything inside or let it build up, but that's bull. If you don't have a secret, you're not human."
He paused, opening one eye. "Do you have a secret, Naruto?"
I didn't say anything. Maybe I did have a secret.
"I don't know," I said carefully. "There's something…something I know is true, but I'm not sure if it's a secret or not." I flashed a grin. "I don't actually keep much to myself."
But even as I said it, I knew it wasn't true. Of course I had my secret. And I will never tell anyone.
I might have told someone. No, really, I was planning on it.
So, I guess, in a way, it's good Sasuke left.
Short, I know. One of those spur-of-the-moment, 'omg i need 2 rite this' sort of things.
As usual, review, tell me whether or not I should just give up writing and go live on the streets as a hobo in shame.
----DragonWriter444