Naruto had never seen the sea before. And now that he stood at its very bosom, he couldn't help but feel a rushing sense of insignificance. Here stood this mass of liquid that at its darkest point was almost as deep as the sky. It was a world he'd only seen illustrations of in picture books as a kid, had only imagined in his craziest dreams. And yet here he was, silently letting the cold, foamy surf wash over his bare feet.
He marveled for a time, let his mind linger on the beautiful and deadly thing that lay before him. He was happy to let the warm sun timidly kissed his skin as he stood there well into dusk, simply watching the tide rise and fall. The heart beat of a different world right at his feet.
Naruto would have to agree with anyone who said that picture books did it no justice.
The tide rises, the tide falls,
The twilight darkens, the curlew calls;
Along the sea-sands damp and brown
The traveler hastens toward the town,
And the tide rises, the tide falls.
Darkness settles on roofs and walls,
But the sea, the sea in darkness calls;
The little waves, with their soft, white hands
Efface the footprints in the sands,
And the tide rises, the tide falls.
The morning breaks; the steeds in their stalls
Stamp and neigh, as the hostler calls;
The day returns, but nevermore
Returns the traveler to the shore.
And the tide rises, the tide falls.
The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls by Henry Longfellow