Breakfast is a three minute wait and a thirty second job well done when the ramen cup is empty and Naruto is already on his way out the door. He zips up his jacket and stops at the top of the stairs leading down from his apartment.
"Good morning, Konoha!" he shouts, arms stretched out. But it's only 5:00 a.m. and the neighbors can't find it within themselves to appreciate the teens exuberance. Naruto winces a bit when someone shouts for him to be quiet and he hears a window slam shut. But he doesn't let it bother him. He knows there was no vehemence behind the words.
Not like before.
Not when people looked at him like he was nothing more than a waste of space and his smile was nothing more than a mask. No. Now a few people look at him and smile. They know his name. They don't pull their children away in fear. Not all of them. There are still some who just don't understand. That's what he's decided. It's ignorance. They just don't understand that he isn't the monster they fear.
He's Uzumaki Naruto and he will prove to them that he's a shinobi who has inherited the will of fire from those who have come to recognize him for who he is and not what he carries inside of him.
Iruka-sensei.
Kakashi-sensei.
That perverted hermit, Jiraiya.
Naruto smiles softly, his thoughts carried away by the early morning breeze. The sun hasn't even peeked above the horizon, but he can feel it's summer warmth already. The sky is a beautiful blueish hue and there are still a few stars, the brightest, shining, defiantly refusing to be masked by the coming days light. There's a faint scent of blooming flowers and budding tree's. New life has come to Konoha's surrounding forests.
The birds are the only ones saying good morning back as Naruto takes to the rooftops, eager to get to the training grounds. Kakashi-sensei and Yamato-taichou have promised to help him train so he can improve his Rasengan and nothing excites him more than training and mastering new techniques.
Except ramen.
And the belief that he will one day bring Sasuke home.
It is the fuel for his will of fire. To save his friend from himself. To bring him home. To make him see that he isn't alone. To be the fuel for Sasuke's will of fire. Not revenge. Revenge is the poison that destroys Sasuke's true heart and Naruto will do everything he can to stop that from happening. Even if it kills him.
Because nothing is more important than his precious people and the village he was born into.
So today he will train hard and become stronger. He will become worthy of facing Sasuke again. He knows in his heart that it will be a battle greater than the battle between them at the Valley of the End when Sasuke put a hole in his chest. But he also knows he's the only one who can face Sasuke. In his heart he knows there are only two outcomes - he will bring Sasuke home or they will both die because there is no other option.
Naruto lands in the soft grass, disturbing the perfect layer of dew, not at all surprised to find Yamato-taichou waiting for him. The man is always on time. When he says 5:30, he means 5:30. But he is surprised to see Kakashi-sensei lounging against a tree. That could only mean he's taking this training very seriously.
Just what Naruto needed today.
He smiles brightly and pushes his sleeves up a bit, determination and excitement shining in his bright blue eyes, "Hell yes! Let's get started!"
