November 23rd, Year 1.
Ippan hadn't realized it before, but Naruto was actually a well known child. She'd heard his name multiple times around the village when she was out with her mother. Though, it seemed that he wasn't very well liked. Perhaps it was because of the pranks he pulled, but she couldn't tell for sure. Ippan didn't know the boy or his behavior. He was a stranger, well, perhaps a bit more than that. She did at least know his name...maybe an acquaintance?
Though she couldn't tell if it really mattered all that much. She'd only talked to him because he looked sad and she was worried that he might not have a home. Mother always said dirty people that sat on the street were most likely homeless. But her father also always said mother was very judgmental. Perhaps she had thought wrong about the blond boy.
Ippan munched down on a piece of sweet bread, humming happily. She always made a point to purposely walk past the bakery. The old man that worked there was kind and loved to feed her, but he often made comments that she looked like a member of the Akimichi clan. Ippan wasn't quite sure if that was a compliment or not but she kept it to herself. She didn't want the man to stop giving her free food.
As the little girl walked down the street happily, she noticed a familiar boy sitting on a swing. It's Naruto, she thought to herself. Ippan contemplated whether she should say hello or not. He looked fine today so perhaps she shouldn't. She walked back and forth in a circle until his eyes caught hers. Now it was too late to leave, he had seen her. For a moment he looked down at his feet. No, maybe he doesn't recognize her. Ippan turned to leave when he called out:
"H-Hey, you!" Maybe he wasn't talking to her. "Purple haired girl!"
No, he's talking to me, she thought. Ippan slowly turned around and walked over to the boy. He swayed his small legs on the swing, looking a bit nervous. "Hello again."
"Hi!" He loudly blurted, making her wince. "You, you're from before."
She decided that it was alright to talk to the boy. He didn't seem that bad, despite the village speaking badly of him. "Yeah, I'm Ippan and you're Naruto."
He blinked at her, seeming a bit lost. "You know me?"
"Not really. I heard that man yell it sometime ago."
"Oh, Iruka sensei." The boy began to grin. "That was a funny prank, right?"
She thought for a moment. "Yeah, but maybe you shouldn't do it so much. 'Cause you'll look like a trouble maker and that's not good."
Naruto furrowed his brow before shrugging. "I don't care about that."
Ippan stared at him for a moment. Her father always said that she should stay away from trouble makers. Maybe this wasn't a good idea after all. "I should go now."
"Ah, um, wait don't leave yet!" Naruto quickly pulled at the sleeve of her shirt. "I have something for you."
"Me?" He didn't even know her, let alone that she was going to pass by. "What is it?"
She watched as he went for his pocket and pulled out wrappers and what looked like candy. He picked out the extra paper and dropped the candy into her hand.
Ippan raised her brow. "What's this for?"
"That time you gave me food, I just want to pay you back, dattebayo..." He seemed shy about the whole exchange, which made the little girl smile.
"Thank you." She smiled. "Just don't sit in the rain anymore, okay."
The boy seemed genuinely happy now and nodded. "I won't."
Ippan waved to the boy and turned on her way. Now he knew her name and she knew nothing about him. He was no longer a stranger, but couldn't really call him a friend. Yeah, acquaintance fits best.