Chapter Three: Supernatural Aid

Naruto was having a bad day.

But then, he'd had nothing but those since he quit it with the pranks. Rushing forward, he swung his fist, only for Sasuke to easily dodge the attack. Naruto barely flinched away from a blow to his stomach and caught another one across the cheek. Flinching back, he felt a bruise forming.

"Hiya!" said Sasuke. "What's the matter, loser? Can't keep up with me?"

"Shut up, Sasuke," said Naruto. "I've been training hard for this! I'll show you-"

A moment later, a fist plowed into his gut. Naruto fell forward, gasping as he fell to one knee. Sasuke stood over him, smirking. Behind him, the other kids were watching.

"Aw, what's the matter?" asked Sasuke. "What happened to all that attitude you had a moment ago?"

"Go to hell, you bastard!" said Naruto, before throwing dirt in his eyes.

There had been a period, a very brief period, where Naruto had wanted to be friends with Sasuke. During that time, he'd imagined a sort of friendly rivalry. But that reality was not the one they were currently living in. The Sasuke Uchiha knew something of being alone and secretly wanted to be friends.

This Sasuke Uchiha, however, had a living family that was getting more powerful by the day. So, over the past three years, he'd gotten just a little bit worse every day. Naruto very much enjoyed hitting him in that smug face of his.

Sasuke caught him by the hand and shoved him off. They rolled over in the dirt as Naruto put his finger in Sasuke's eye. Flinching back, Sasuke fell back, and Naruto kicked him in the chest. Hard. That got a yell, and Naruto was on him in a moment.

However, before he could beat the bastard senseless, Iruka-sensei was there. He grabbed both by their collars and yanked them back. "Whoa, whoa. Hold up, you two!

"Match over! Neither of you wins! The rest of you, back off. There is nothing to see here."

Sasuke glared up at Naruto, and Naruto glared right back. His clothes were wrecked, and he had blood on his face, so that was good. It was better than the bastard deserved anyway.

But, of course, Sakura and Ino came to him. Ino, at least, had the decency to look a bit disturbed and stay back. But Sakura had eyes only for Sasuke's shadow. "Sasuke, are you alright?"

Sasuke said nothing to her as he glared at Naruto. "Better luck next time, loser. You'll never graduate at this rate."

"Yeah!" said Naruto, as he stood up. "Well, the first thing I'm going to do when I graduate is smash your skull against the street, you jerk!"

Iruka looked on. "Naruto, can I see you in my office?"

"Yeah, what is it?" asked Naruto.

Inside the office, Iruka-sensei seemed ashamed and disturbed. Naruto felt bad that Iruka was ashamed, but didn't regret his actions. "It's about this uh... rivalry you have going with Sasuke."

"What about it?" asked Naruto.

"It's gone too far," said Iruka-sensei. "You used to just play pranks, and he'd make mocking commentary. And sometimes you'd spar with him, but that engagement out there.

"That was more violent than anything I've ever seen. It was like you were trying to hurt him."

"I was trying to hurt him," said Naruto. "And he was trying to hurt me. The only reason he's not in this office is that he'd go cry to daddy. He thinks the whole universe revolves around him."

"Why are you so insistent on making him your enemy?" asked Iruka-sensei.

"What was I supposed to do? Just let him sneer at me without a payback?" asked Naruto ."He made me his enemy! I hate his guts because he treats me like dirt!

"He thinks he's tortured, even though really he has no problems! He's always acting like he's better than me!"

"You're speaking in anger, Naruto," said Iruka-sensei. "I don't think you really know what hatred is."

"I hate Sasuke, Iruka-sensei," said Naruto. "He's always mocking and insulting me and going on about how great his clan is. Uchiha are so great this, Uchiha are so great that.

"And all the girls are always fangirling over the bastard. 'Oh, Sasuke's so cool and deep,' 'Sasuke is the best.'

"What do Ino and Sakura even like him for? They've even had a real conversation with him! He's the shallowest jerk I've ever known! And I see the worst side of everyone!"

"Sasuke has issues of his own, Naruto," said Iruka-sensei. "He's brothers with Itachi Uchiha, one of the greatest geniuses in clan history. Because of that, he's always been in his shadow.

"Believe it or not, if you saw Sasuke at home, you might find him favor a different person."

"I don't care!" said Naruto. "I don't care if Sasuke has some tragic backstory or whatever! I've got my own problems, but I don't treat anyone the way he treats me!"

"You threw dirt in his eyes, kicked him in the crotch, and were looking like you wanted to do worse," said Iruka-sensei.

"Yeah, because he deserves it," said Naruto. "What have I done to deserve to be treated like I am."

"Nothing," said Iruka-sensei. "But this kind of behavior isn't acceptable."

"My behavior has been better!" said Naruto. "I stopped doing pranks, Iruka-sensei! I stopped doing them years ago! When was the last time I pulled a prank? I focused everything on getting better at grades and beating Sasuke.

"And everyone still treats me like a total outcast.

"I... whenever someone hurts me now or treats me like dirt, I don't do anything to them. I just keep on walking. I pretend like I don't feel it, but it still hurts. But everyone still treats me like they wish I didn't exist."

Iruka-sensei paused. "I know.

"Listen, Naruto, you've been dealt a pretty bad hand. But getting angry and aggressive with other people won't help it. If you want to improve what other people think of you, you should focus on making yourself better.

"You've already done that; your grades are way higher.

"But now you've got to keep at it. And if people don't respect you once you get there, they aren't worth working to appease. You won't be able to become Hokage acting like this, though."

Naruto nodded and remembered why he was doing this. "Right, thanks, Iruka-sensei."

Naruto accepted Iruka's words and knew they were true. Moving out of the schoolyard, he put his hands in his pockets and leaned against a wall. There was a convenient swingset that nobody ever sat on because it was alone. Sometimes kids would wait for their parents to pick them up there, but that was it. Naruto decided not to sit in it.

When school was over, he stood there often for hours. In the old days, he'd done all kinds of painting and such, so Iruka-sensei would track him down. Naruto didn't have anyone waiting at home for him, and none of the kids spent much time with him. So when he wasn't training, which was rare, he'd lean against the wall and think.

No one was missing him anyway.

Even so, Naruto was missing Tenten, Neji, and Lee. They'd been the only people to really acknowledge him, but he'd hardly had any contact with them. When they met, they spoke to him like people, but they were like people he didn't really know.

Maybe he didn't know them.

Naruto had come to realize that while Tenten had been an important person to him, he wasn't important to her. But she'd been nice to him and hadn't laughed or disparaged him because she was from out of town. Even so, she'd helped him realize he'd been hurting Iruka-sensei by not paying attention.

He'd pulled stupid pranks for attention. Having people laughing at him was better than being alone. But by doing that, he'd been hurting one of the people who actually cared about him. Assuming Iruka-sensei actually cared about him and wasn't another Mizuki.

Mizuki-sensei had always seemed so nice.

Then Tenten had convinced him to ask for help whenever he was unsure of what was going on. And Naruto began to realize that he'd been taught the wrong moves over and over again. Mizuki had to correct his own errors in front of the students, and he'd been embarrassed.

So he'd started teaching Naruto properly to avoid a repeat. Naruto did the same for other teachers as well. And he began to learn, really learn. There had been a time when Naruto wanted to be Sasuke because of how everyone gave him attention. Except now Naruto was nearly as good as him.

And Naruto got exactly the same treatment.

The only difference was that he wasn't giving out free laughs. So nobody disguised their mistrust of him. It had always been that way. But Naruto kept all his anger, his feelings bottled up inside. Because Iruka-sensei wanted him to do well at school. And since Iruka-sensei was the only person who cared about him, Naruto was going to be what he wanted.

At this point, Shikamaru and Choji showed up. Shikamaru had always been a slacker. However, Naruto had been surprised when Shikamaru started to get better as Naruto did. Then, as they jumped over the person who was above Sakura, they stopped. Even so, that person had started working to not be dead last.

So Shikamaru had ended up being forced to repeatedly train harder. Naruto could only assume his plan to be a mediocrity was being severely tested.

"Hey, Naruto," said Shikamaru.

"Oh, hey Shikamaru, Choji," said Naruto. He'd... gotten on okay with these two. They were pretty friendly with everyone, so they avoided him out of habit. In the old days, he'd almost thought of them as friends.

But they were like Tenten, in the end. They treated him, okay, and because Naruto was treated so badly, they felt like friends.

"Hey, Naruto, Choji, and I were thinking of skipping school for a bit?" asked Shikamaru. "Want to come."

"Yeah, I mean, after that beating you gave Sasuke, I figure the teachers may have it out for you," said Choji.

Were they actually offering to let him come with them? Naruto thought that maybe...

No.

"I don't want to disrespect my teachers," said Naruto.

"You know, it's not like all of them respect you. What's the harm?" asked Choji.

"I dunno, maybe my grade point average could fall. I'm barely holding together," said Naruto. "I'm going to be Hokage someday. And if I'm going to be Hokage, I have to do really well."

"Is that why you picked a fight with Sasuke?" asked Shikamaru.

"I wanted to see if I could take him down and if my taijutsu was any good," said Naruto. "I don't have anyone to train with at home. I'm afraid I'll have a lower grade." He paused. "Would you be interested in training with me?"

"What are you kidding," said Shikamaru. "You've knocked us black and blue. We're way below you on the scale."

Right, of course.

Shikamaru and Choji were happy to spend the day with him. What they weren't willing to do was go out on a limb for him. They were 'friends' in the sense that they'd enjoy the same things, but only because they got something out of it.

"Bummer you can't come with us," said Choji.

"Yeah, um, sorry," said Shikamaru.

That wasn't the only thing he was lagging behind on.

Naruto had tried doing his own reading as Tenten suggested. It had been mind-numbing to read all those things, and it had bored him to tears. Even so, he managed to get far enough that his academic rankings got a bit better. Math was even worse, and he'd not been able to wrap his mind around it.

Once or twice, Tenten had given him a few pointers on things he was stuck on. It was mostly to get him out of her hair, but it was nice. Probably the best he could expect. But now, she was going to graduate, and that meant he needed a new person to help him.

With a sigh, Naruto made his way into the school building to find Sakura.

She used to give him help with this kind of thing, but every time she'd done it, people had looked at her strangely. She'd been embarassed and eventually started telling him to go away angrily. And Naruto had gone away since Sasuke seemed to be the only thing she cared about.

Even so, she really was his best bet. So maybe she'd sort of thought of him as a friend and had some regrets or something.

Naruto found Sakura at the nurse's office. She was glaring daggers at Ino from the opposite side of the door. Ino herself looked somewhat disturbed. Naruto decided to try and put on a mask of cheerfulness. "Hey, um, Sakura, can I get your help with something?"

"What is it, Naruto?!" said Ino. "You know we could get in trouble because of how rough that fight got! What has been up with you and Sasuke lately?"

"Why are you acting like this was Sasuke's fault, Ino?" asked Sakura. "Naruto is the one who threw dirt in his eyes."

"Sakura, have you been paying attention?" asked Ino. "Sasuke has been acting like a complete jerk to everyone. Not just Naruto. And he gave as good as he got in that scuffle."

"Are you siding against Sasuke?" asked Sakura.

"I'm not siding with anyone, Sakura!" said Ino. "God, this isn't about Sasuke!

"How did things get to this point? I mean, a couple years ago, Sasuke never acted like this.

"It's... nevermind."

Naruto blinked and realized Ino might have actually been on his side here. Even so, he really needed Sakura's help. "Um, Sakura..."

"What is it?!" said Sakura. "Can't you see I'm busy?"

"I... well see, I've been planning on retaking some of my old tests," said Sakura. "I want to prove I really know the material, so I get better stats on graduation. I was wondering if you could give me a hand with my history-"

"No way, Naruto," said Sakura. "I've got my own homework to study for. If you wanted to do well in class, you should have studied in the first place."

And then Sasuke showed up through the door with that usual disdainful expression. Not the Sakura paid any attention to him. "Sasuke, that fight you had was amazing."

"Thanks, I think Naruto has been training a lot," said Sasuke. "But he's nowhere near me."

"Ino, how is the flower shop going?" asked Naruto, deciding to cut this fangirling short.

"Oh, it's going well; we've really been selling a lot," said Ino. "I guess romance is in the air. Um... Naruto, why are you asking me that?"

"Just curious about how you are doing," said Naruto. "We don't really talk much."

Ino looked to Sakura, then Naruto and shifted. "Well... um... thanks?"

"Maybe you should go out with him since you like him so much, Ino-pig!" said Sakura.

Here they went.

"Hey, I'm not the one who spent all her time helping him with homework!" said Ino.

"Actually, she stopped doing that a while ago," said Naruto.

"Wait, seriously?" Ino blinked. "I figured she had to be helping you, what with your improved grades."

"I've sort of been studying on my own," said Naruto. "I did just ask her for help five minutes ago."

"Right," said Ino. "I uh... didn't notice."

"Hey, Naruto, will you buzz off! We're talking here?!" said Sasuke. Wait, was he seriously going to act like Naruto ought to care?

"I didn't notice," said Naruto flatly. "Ino, Sakura, do you want me to go away?"

Silence.

Naruto guessed he ought to be flattered that they were hesitant to say as much. Both of them looked very uncomfortable. Ino spoke first. "I... well, I mean, it's not like it's anything personal, but um..."

"Sasuke doesn't want me around?" asked Naruto.

"...yes," said Sakura looking away.

"And you aren't willing to talk to someone Sasuke doesn't want you to talk it," guessed Naruto.

"Just who the hell do you think you are anyway?!" said Sasuke. "After what you pulled during that fight, you don't have any right to talk to them?"

"I wasn't aware Ino and Sakura belonged to you," said Naruto.

"Hang on a minute," said Ino. "Sasuke, don't you think... both of you went a little too far in the training grounds? I mean-"

"Don't defend in, Ino-pig!" said Sakura. "Naruto is the one who started all this!"

"How was I the one who started this?" asked Naruto. "He's the one that mocks and insults everyone he meets and acts like they aren't worth dirt."

"Well... you're annoying," said Sakura. "You were always annoying! You keep bothering people even when they want nothing to do with you! And just because you stopped pulling stupid pranks doesn't mean you aren't still a hassle!"

"What do you people want from me?!" shouted Naruto.

It was the question he'd had at the back of his mind his entire life. And the response from Sakura was instant.

"Leave me alone!" snapped Sakura.

Well, there was the root problem, wasn't it? Sakura hated him. And that wasn't really a problem I knew how to solve. So he put his hands in his pockets and walked away. "...Fine, alright, Sakura. I'll leave you alone.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to bother you anymore."

And he moved off.

Why had he even considered going after Sakura anyway? It wasn't like she'd ever been a real friend to him. Sure, she was pretty, and she'd helped him now and then with schoolwork. But that had been years ago. Tenten actively hated him, and she'd treated him way better than Sakura.

Naruto wished he could have spent more time with her.

Naruto would rather work with someone who hated him but treated him okay. It was better than working with someone who liked him but treated him like trash. But it wasn't like he had any options. So, Naruto decided that he'd do as Iruka-sensei wanted. He'd focus on becoming powerful and not care what anyone else thought.

And once he became Hokage, he'd have everybody he disliked assassinated.

Well, maybe not all of them. Just the really, really bad ones.

And he'd have a harem too or something. After all, it wasn't like anyone was going to treat him okay for who he was. So he could probably force a lot of people to pretend they liked him. That would still be better than being treated like dirt.

Would he add Sakura to the harem? Well, she was really pretty. And Ino was definitely going to be part of it since she was sort of nice to him. Hmm, maybe he could force Sakura to be Ino's slave or something?

"Ahem," said a voice.

Naruto looked up and saw Neji Hyuga standing some ways away in the park. His arms were crossed, and he was looking at Naruto with a critical gaze. Had Naruto done something to piss him off? Naruto had worked with him when Tenten needed help with paint, but Neji had said very little to him.

"Uh, Neji, what are you doing here?" asked Naruto.

"For reasons that I will not disclose, I am going to help you not fail out of the academy," said Naruto.

Wait, he thought Naruto was going to fail out of the academy? Since when? "Um, why?"

"For reasons, I will not disclose," said Neji.

"Look, I don't know what kind of bet you lost, but I'm actually pretty strong," said Naruto. "I totally wrecked Sasuke in a match after school and-" Naruto blinked and looked around. "Why am I on the ground?"

"Your stance was sloppy, and you were unprepared for the unexpected," said Neji. "You let your guard down, and it cost you. Now follow me. I want to see what you can do."

And he turned to walk away without waiting to see if Naruto was following him. With nothing else to do, Naruto followed after him. "So uh... Neji right? Are you a Hyuga? You're related to Hinata?"

"Do you know of any other Hyuga Clans in the Leaf?" asked Neji.

"No," said Naruto.

"Then why are you asking that question?" asked Neji, coming to an open space. "Now, try to hit me."

"What, seriously?" asked Naruto. "I mean, isn't that usually not allowed."

"I want to assess how you fight. Hit me," said Neji.

"I don't uh..." Naruto shifted.

"Just do it," said Neji. "I assure you, I can defend."

"Fine, let me show you-" Naruto struck with a fist, only to have it turned. Thrown forward, he scrambled to stay on his feet. Looking back, he saw Neji. "Whoa!

"What was that?"

"Your attack was obvious, inefficient, and easily diverted," said Neji.

"You don't have to rub it in," said Naruto.

"Still, you obviously are not quite so inept as the last time I observed you," said Neji.

Naruto blinked. "You've been watching me."

Was this a Hyuga thing? Hinata was always watching Naruto too.

"I use my Byakugan to observe other classes throughout the school as a means of practice," said Neji. "By observing the school during practice, I was able to train in visual prowess and taijutsu."

"Huh, wow, that's pretty nice," said Naruto. "So where can I get one of those eye things anyway?"

"You can't," said Neji. "You are either born with them, or you take them from someone who was. And doing the latter would make you an enemy of the Hyuga."

Naruto had already known that, of course, but it felt good to talk with someone about something. When he expressed ignorance, people usually took the time to explain. Sometimes they even seemed to care a bit. "Geeze, bummer.

"So uh... any advice?"

"Follow my instructions. I am going to attack you, and you will defend," said Neji.

"What, but I'm not good at defending?" asked Naruto.

"All the more reason to practice," said Neji.

Naruto took a stance. "Fine, bring it on."

And thus, there was a blur of motion as Neji hit him repeatedly with small strikes. Naruto moved a hand to ward him off, and then Neji was out of his reach. "I hit all of your chakra points. If we were in a real battle, you would be dead."

"Okay... what does that mean?" asked Naruto.

"Haven't you been studying?" asked Neji.

"Well, I have been trying, I guess, but... history is so boring, okay," said Naruto. "So is all that technical stuff. And I've got other skills I have to work on, and it's hard enough training with no one at home."

"You should learn from history," said Neji. "Understanding the past is the only means to understand the future. As for your defense, you require a stronger stance, less ridged, and better able to react.

"Now, show me some of your jutsus."

"Fine, fine, but that's really one of my worst skills," said Naruto.

"That is why I need to see them," said Neji.

Neji observed Naruto as he went through each jutsu he had been taught. His expression did not change, and he said nothing. Naruto had the feeling he was being judged for each one. Eventually, however, Naruto had gone through every single jutsu he knew.

Eventually, Naruto got to the clone jutsu, his worst skill. And once again, he only managed to create two. And both were pitiful.

"So, how is that?" asked Naruto.

"...You have too much chakra," said Neji.

"What?" asked Naruto. "How can you have too much chakra?"

"You have immense levels of chakra, Naruto," said Neji. "So much that control is difficult. Using a jutsu require fine control, and pouring too much chakra in can ruin it."

"So what does that mean?" asked Naruto.

"It means you need to focus on controlling your chakra better," said Neji. "Once you have fine-tuned control, you will find using jutsu far easier."

"Great, so how do I do that?" asked Naruto.

"I am not entirely sure," admitted Neji. "However, meditation may be helpful."

"Meditation, but that's boring?" asked Naruto.

"That attitude may be part of the problem," said Neji. "If you have a clear and calm mind, your chakra will naturally be calmer and easier to contain. If you control your emotions, they will not cloud your mind, and you can use them for your own ends."

"So how do you use your emotions?" asked Naruto. Come to think of it, Neji hadn't looked at all happy to be cleaning streets.

"I take the rage within me and focus it into my training," said Neji. "By harnessing it, I gain the energy to pour all that I am into my training. And I ensure that it is used for a productive purpose.

"So tell me, what is it that angers you?"

Naruto thought about that, really thought about it. "...I hate how people refuse to acknowledge me, I guess. And I hate how they treat me like I'm a monster, even after I stopped doing pranks."

"Too impersonal," said Neji. "One cannot hate an idea; one must have a focus to project their rage onto."

"Project um?" asked Naruto. "How do you want me to do that?"

"Think of someone whose actions enrage you," said Neji. "Think of a time that they hurt you, physically or in the heart. When you feel the anger bubbling up within you at the thought of the injustice you suffered, take it. Focus on that anger and then think about how you can avoid ever being hurt like that again." Naruto thought about...

Everything.

Everyone who had shunned him. Everyone who had treated him badly even when he'd done nothing wrong. He thought about his apartment, falling to pieces around him, and hated it too. He hated the people who had refused to let him buy groceries, forcing him to go to the same restaurant for all his food.

He liked Ichiraku Ramen, of course, but...

"Contemplate that moment again and again. Consider what you could have done to avoid that moment and what would have been required to avoid it. Take the utter hatred you have for that person and use it to make yourself stronger."

Naruto felt it now, the sheer hatred within his breast welling up. It was coming out of him now, and opening his eyes saw red light surrounding him.

"Don't give that person the dignity of possessing your thoughts," said Neji. "Use the hatred inspired in you to become greater than they could ever hope to be. Contemplate what you would want to do to people who behaved in that fashion. Think of your desire to hurt them. Imagine all the visions of blood and destruction you have ever wanted in your darkest dreams."

Naruto saw it all. The village burning, and all his enemies were fleeing from him. As long as he was there, he imagined all the girls he liked fawning at his feet.

"Now, let go of it," said Neji.

Naruto stopped in confusion. "What...

"Let go of it?"

"Yes," said Neji. "Your hatred is impractical. You cannot kill the person you hate, no matter how much they deserve it. The pranks you pulled as a means of revenge only hurt you and caused them only minor inconvenience. And by hurting yourself, you made them look down at you all the more.

"The hatred you feel, the hatred flowing through you now, is useless. Even if you could act out what you fantasize, it would only hurt you further. So, release it. Let it flow out of you, let it radiate away from you. Face your anger. See it for the beast it is, and then kill it.

"And as it dies, take its power for your own."

Naruto was beginning to get a little worried. "...Uh, this kind of seems like bad guy stuff. I mean, I'm not really sure I should..."

"You want to control your chakra, don't you?" asked Neji.

"Um, yes," said Naruto.

"Then follow my instructions," said Neji. "Look inward and see the source of your misery."

Naruto closed his eyes and tried to do just that.

Looking deep within himself, he found his mind turning inward. Feeling the sheer hate flowing through him, Naruto followed it to the source.

Quite abruptly, Naruto had a vision of a padlocked cell door. And beyond, it was a horrific monstrosity beyond description. Flinching back, he fell and must have screamed because Neji moved quickly to his side.

"Are you alright?" asked Neji.

"Um... nothing, I just... saw some jaws," said Naruto. "I um... I don't think I can kill my hatred that easily."

"But you feel it now, don't you?" asked Neji. "More than you ever have before? You embody the hatred you have always felt but kept in check for fear of judgment."

"Yeah, I..." Naruto thought about everything that had happened and felt even worse. "I feel awful."

"Try the clone jutsu again," said Neji.

Naruto obeyed and did it. "Clone jutsu!"

And, to Naruto's surprise, he managed to create five clones outright. All of them were perfect. He looked at it and felt a very real sense of relief. "I... I did it.

"Clone jutsu!

"Clone jutsu!

"Clone jutsu!"

Naruto created more and more of them as he went and found himself laughing. He felt like he'd been unshackled, somehow. He still felt all the rage he'd felt before, and he wanted to do something about it. But it wasn't weighing him down anymore.

"I don't get it; why did that work so well?" asked Naruto.

"You understand yourself now," said Neji. "You have seen your true nature, and so are more in tune with your own power. Because of this, your control has been enhanced. You have overcome the mental hurdles getting in your way.

"Chakra control can be interfered with by mental hangups as much as physical ones."

"Gee, that actually worked!" said Naruto laughing. Then he paused. "But um... Neji, what did you see? When you looked inside itself."

"A caged bird," said Neji. "Passing between owners."

Naruto paused. "But um... couldn't you let it go free?"

"Even if I did, would it be able to fly?" asked Neji.

"You okay?" asked Naruto, getting the feeling Neji had been hurt.

"Yes," said Neji. "I will check back on your progress later, tomorrow. We'll go into detail on some of the holes in your style. However, soon I will be fully graduating, barring being sent back to the academy. As such, I may be called off on a mission."

"Right, thanks," said Naruto. "Uh... Neji, who sent you?"

"Does it really matter?" asked Neji.

"It does to me," said Naruto.

Neji sighed. "My teammates, Tenten and Lee. I imagine they regarded sending me over here as a victory of sorts. Tenten is your friend, after all, even if she would never admit it."

"Wait, Tenten sent you?" asked Naruto, feeling a real sense of hope.

"Yes, what of it?" asked Neji.

"Well, I mean... it's just that Tenten is almost sort of like a big sister to me," said Naruto. "I'm just glad to hear from her."

"You do have low standards, don't you?" asked Neji.

"What is that supposed to mean?" asked Naruto.

"Nothing," said Neji. "My team will be expecting me. Keep training, and you may graduate. And do not waste my time."

"Um, alright," said Naruto. "Goodbye."

Were you supposed to be smiling when you said goodbye to a friend?

No, Naruto wasn't smiling because he was saying goodbye.

He was smiling because he was no longer alone.