Thank you for the support you've shown in backing this story's concept. As a result, this story is finally a reality. This wouldn't have been possible without your support.
Shout out to MiniTennyson for creating the cover art for this story. An amazing cover artist and writer as well, to which I encourage you to read his ongoing story: "Edens Ten'".
Thanks to SilverWolf1130 and Maximum Rhapsody for agreeing to be my co-writers. You guys helped to make this story come to life.
First and Only Disclaimer: I do not own Ben 10 or Naruto in any way. They were both created by Man of Action and Masashi Kishimoto respectively and are owned by Cartoon Network and Shonen Jump respectively.
I have a favor to ask of you. If it's possible for you,I want to ask that throughout the story, whenever reading every word except dialogue, please imagine reading them with the voice of the narrator from Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 or 4.
Whichever one you prefer to be exact. As I feel like that can enhance your enjoyment of the story. If you can't do it,or simply choose not to, that's fine nonetheless.
This chapter is also dedicated to the mother of a friend who passed away on October 8th.May she rest in peace.
Enjoy!
Chapter 1: And Then There Was Ben Part 1 (Reimagined!)
"There are so many different ways to tell a story, but that's what makes them so interesting; you could never predict how they are going to turn out." Were the immortal words of Professor Paradox. And none could better capture the nature of the events that were about to unfold.
Events centered around a certain shape-shifting hero of the Omniverse.
His name...Ben Tennyson.
Benjamin Kirby Tennyson,to be exact,is an adolescent boy who exists in several alternate realities,all with their distinct traits and features. However,they all for the most part,bar one, had one thing in common except their name. Their fates were tied to a device that would change their lives as they knew it forever; The Omnitrix.
A device of alien origin that allows it's wearer to transform into several sentient alien life forms.
The possibilities that came with such power were limitless, and as such, some versions would gravitate towards using said power to serve their own selfish interests. Some however would pursue far more noble goals, and put others before themselves.
None embodied this better than Ben Prime, the true Hero of Heroes.
And just like his counterpart, another would take to arms the power of the Omnitrix and use it to fight the injustices of the world and fight for those who couldn't fight for themselves.
Only in a world far different than any of the one's inhabitated by the alternate Ben's.
A world where the society as they had come to know it was far deeper into the realm of fantasy than even their own.
A world of Ninjas.
And though this Ben would reach great heights of heroism befitting of his prime counterpart in this world. And would come to form bonds that would shape him into the very best version of himself.
Bonds that no matter the circumstances,or the obstacles they would face, would last for even lifetimes.
Just like his prime counterpart, would he also have humble beginnings.
Also named Benjamin Kirby Tennyson, this Ben was born and raised in the Hidden Leaf Village. Born more than two months after a great catastrophe had rocked the very core of the Hidden Leaf. And with it, many lives were lost in the process.
The catastrophe was none other than the attack...of the Nine Tailed Fox.
An event that led to not just mass casualties and destruction, but also scarred physically and emotionally those who lived to see the next day.
But despite the turmoil, and despite the anguish caused the beast, the survivors of it's rampage would ultimately be able to begin piecing their lives back together.
More importantly...they would be able to hope again.
And to his parents, young Ben was their beacon of hope.
Carl and Sandra Tennyson, the father and mother of Ben respectively. A married couple who have been together for up to a year.
Carl was a slightly aged man with a slim stature, fair skin,brown eyes and brown hair. He wore a thick, light green sleeved shirt along with dark blue sweatpants and blue sandals.
Sandra looked significantly younger than him, and a slimmer stature as well. However,just like her husband,her complexion was fair, but unlike him,her hair was blonde in color.
She wore a long sleeved, light blouse that went slight past her knees,and wore black sandals.
The couple were in the sitting room, which had cream colored walls and light pieces of furniture around it. The furniture consisted of ; a red couch in which they both sat,a recliner at the far left, a normal chair at the far right,a round table in front of the couch,a framed picture nailed on the wall behind them from above, with Sandra and Carl holding each other in their arms with a smile.
It wasn't much, but for the Tennyson household,it was more than enough.
"Look at him,Carl, he's so peaceful now." Said Sandra with a warm smile as she held Ben in her arms. He had fair skin, short brown hair, wore a sleeping blanket, and was fast asleep.
"That he is,Sandra." Replied Carl with a smile of his own.
"And to think he was so restless minutes ago." Said Sandra as Carl would gently stroke Ben's chin with his left hand, causing Ben to stir slightly and narrowly open his emerald green eyes. They wouldn't stay open for long though,as Ben would succumb to his slumber once more.
"Maybe. He is our son after all, and it's up to us to raise him right." Said Carl with pride.
"Our precious baby boy." Said Sandra in agreement as she looked at Ben with a warm smile.
"He's given us hope at a time when it's all but lost." Said Sandra somberly.
"We owe it to him to make sure that he gets nothing but the best out of life." A pained smile would form on Carl's face,as if struggling to come to terms with a hard truth.
"Unfortunately, life isn't so kind. There' will always be hardships along the way." Said Carl as he looked at Sandra with sadness.
"Especially in this Shinobi world that has taken the lives of so many of our friends." The bitterness in Carl's voice was poignant, indicating that the tragedy he spoke of was a significant one. Nothing made it more apparent than when Sandra's smile fell.
"You're right." Said Sandra in agreement.
"The road of a Shinobi is filled with nothing but pain and sadness. I wouldn't want that to be the path he chooses." Said Sandra as she held Ben close to her chest,as if afraid of letting him go.
"I wouldn't either. But that's not our choice to make." Began Carl with sympathy.
"When the time comes,if our son decides to walk the path of a Shinobi,we have to support him however we can, despite our fears." Sandra's expression softened slightly,as she understood the inner turmoil Carl was going through.
"But regardless of whatever he wants to be in life, we'll see to that he'll always strive to do the right thing." Said Carl with conviction, slightly suprising Sandra in the process.
"He's a Tennyson after all." Said Carl with pride as he looked at Ben with a smile.
"Right." Said Sandra in agreement with a smile of her own.
"Ben Tennyson." Said Sandra with a tone of fondness as she looked at their child,who has a small smile on his face while still asleep in the comfort of his mother's arms.
"Our little hero."
7 Years Later...
The Season of Spring had come to the Hidden Leaf Village.
It symbolized a time for new beginnings for the villagers.
And a time where the children could engage more often in recreational activities such as sports and games.
One of which they would be doing so now.
On a playground filled with attractions such as a swing, a merry go round, and a slide.
None of these attractions would be occupied however,as all attention was drawn towards the field which had small, makeshift goal posts on both sides.
The children had chosen to engage in a five a-side game of football. There were also other children, both boys and girls,who were watching the game unfold.
On the ball was a boy taller than the other children. His skin also had a darker tone and his hair and eyebrows were all black. He had a football ball-shaped head with large ears, and his eyes were brown with a thin outline. He wore a grey shirt with blue accents and the 'Hidden Leaf' logo on it,along with blue shorts and white sandals.
This is Cash Murray.
With a smirk,Cash would begin to run forward with the ball towards the opposing team. Cash would push the ball to the left with the inside of his right leg to avoid a standing tackle from one player, and then push it to his right with the outside to avoid a sliding tackle from another. He would stumble however in the process due to going a bit too late.
Cash would then come to a stop upon seeing another opposition player standing in front of him.
"Pass it to me! Pass it to me!" Shouted a voice from behind the opposing defender, causing both he and Cash to look back.
Standing beside one of the opposing players was a boy who had unkempt, brown hair and brown eyebrows. He had light blue, round shaped glasses that had a silver frame. He wore a yellow T-shirt with light olive pants and brown sandals.
This is J.T.
Cash would look at J.T with doubt as three of the opposing players began to surround him.
"Come on, I'm open!" Shouted J.T with annoyance.
With a frown,Cash would begrudgingly give a lifted pass to J.T, with the latter stepping in front of his marker before controlling the ball with his chest. J.T would then perform a 'Sombrero Flick' with his right leg, beating his marker.
Just before the ball would touch the ground,J.T would take a 'Volley Shot ' with the same leg to the right. Just as it seemed like the ball was about to enter the back of the net,a pair of hands would catch it out of the air with firmness.
Standing in the goalpost with the ball in his hands was a boy with unkept brown hair, green eyes and fair skin, wearing a light green shirt with white shorts and black sandals.
This is Ben Tennyson,now seven years old.
A wave of silence would briefly fall on the field before a sudden uproar of cheers would follow suit from the spectating children. Cheers that would stand in stark contrast to groans from Cash's team over their defeat. And though he wouldn't have a verbal reaction,Cash would clench his hands into fists as a frown would form on his face.
Meanwhile, the other children would surround Ben and begin to congratulate him.
"Nice save,Ben!"
"Way to go,Ben."
"Awesome dive, how'd you do that?"
"What I can say? I'm just that good." Said Ben with a grin as he held the ball by his waist.
"You got lucky this time, Tennyson." Said Cash with bitterness as he and J.T stepped forward, causing all eyes to fall on them.
"Don't believe in luck." Said Ben smugly as he threw the ball to Cash,who would catch it with both hands.
"Face it, Cash, you guys lost five to nothing, fair and square." Said Ben with a toothy grin.
"Hardly counts as fair if your goalkeeper sucks." Said J.T dismissively. Both he and Cash would turn back to look at the aforementioned goalkeeper.
Standing beside their goalpost was a boy with a sad expression on his face. He had yellow-blond, spiky hair and blue eyes, along three whisker markings on both sides of his face. He wore a dark green,long sleeved shirt under a faded white shirt that had a red circle on the center that also sported the 'Hidden Leaf' logo. He also wore bright blue shorts and sandals.
This is Naruto Uzumaki.
"Hey,I tried my best!" Shouted Naruto with annoyance.
"And look how that turned out for us." Said Cash sarcastically, leaving Naruto speechless as he became downcast.
"Blonde loser." Said Cash under his breath, but audibly enough for everyone to hear.
"Come on,Cash, taking your anger out on him isn't going to help you win." Said Ben, causing both Cash and J.T to look at him with curiosity.
"If you really want to settle the score,then just pick another game we can play. Anyone at all." Offered Ben.
"Anytime, anyplace, I'll kick your butt either way." Said Ben cockily. Cash would look at Ben with an intense gaze, slightly unnerving J.T. Ben however wouldn't be the least bit intimidated as he met Cash's gaze with his own, only with a smirk as he placed his hands on his waist.
"Hotshot,huh, Tennyson." Said Cash with a scoff before smirking as well.
"Too bad for you that I'm quite good at this next game." Said Cash boldy.
"And that would be?" Asked Ben, seemingly unfazed.
"Target practice." Said Cash with a grin. One that would briefly fall as Ben would snort defiantly.
"Guess what? So am I." Said Ben proudly. The other children would watch the conversation unfold with a mixture of awe and anticipation over what was about to unfold.
"So... where's this going down?" Cash's grin would appear once more upon hearing Ben's question,as he knew just the place for their game.
The Third Training Ground.
A portion of land located deep inside the Hidden Leaf. A view of mountains in the landscape along with a large and deep river with forests in the both of its sides added to it's serenity. There was a glade and in its centre there were three stumps lined side by side. They were up to ten children,not including Ben,Cash,J.T and Naruto,who had come to spectate the target practice game. One of those ten children was helping J.T to set up shooting targets on the bodies of the three stumps.
He was a chubby kid with black hair which is slightly unkempt wearing a light beige T-shirt. He also wore blue, round shaped glasses, along with blue shorts and grey sandals.
This is Jamie.
"All set,Cash." Said J T as both boys successfully set up the three shooting targets.
"Perfect." Said Cash in approval with a smirk.
"So,how do you want to do this?" Asked Ben.
"First to five. Hitting a bullseye or anywhere within the yellow or red ring counts."
"So, the outer rings don't count then?" Asked Ben with a grin.
"Yeah." Answered Cash before looking at Jamie who was walking towards them with Ninja Tools.
"We're starting off easy,so let's go with shurikens." Said Cash as Jamie handed him a set of ten shurikens, before handing Ben as a set of shurikens as well. Both of them would put them inside a tool bag around their waists.
"Sounds easy enough." Said Ben smugly.
"Don't be so sure, Tennyson. We're just getting started." Said Cash cockily. Both boys would draw a pair of shurikens from their bags, and hold them in both hands.
"I wanna play,too!" Shouted Naruto from Ben and Cash's right side, causing both of them to look at him with confusion.
"Stay out of this. This is between me and Tennyson." Snapped Cash.
" We don't need any losers getting in our way." Naruto's would grit his teeth in frustration over Cash's insult.
"I can do target practice too, believe it!" Shouted Naruto.
"Yeah right, you're not good at anything." Taunted Cash.
"Nah, scratch that. You're not good for anything." Said Cash with a sinister, shocking his peers and Naruto in the process.
"What's up with you,Cash? Getting so worked up over nothing." Asked Ben as he placed his hand on Cash's shoulder, causing Cash to look back at him.
"If he wants to play,let him play. Like you said, this is between you and me." Said Ben boldly as he placed his thumb on his chest. Cash would briefly go silent,as if to contemplate Ben's words.
"Whatever." Said Cash with a scoff.
"Now.." Began Ben as he held up a shuriken with his right hand.
"Let's see if your first shot..." Ben would then throw the shuriken backhanded,to which it would fly towards the target, and implant itself at the center.
"...Can beat this." Said Ben with a grin amidst the shocked expression of his peers.
"No way." Said J.T with disbelief.
"He got a bullseye first try!" Shouted Jamie with his mouth agape.
"Oh, it's on." Said Cash as he regained his composure. Cash would then hold up his shuriken with his left hand, before using a pitcher's throw to launch it towards the target, causing it to land slightly outside the center.
"Woah!" Shouted J.T with awe
"Cash came pretty close there." Said Jamie with similar awe.
"Not bad." Said Ben as he maintained his gaze on Cash while removing another shuriken from his bag. Ben would then throw the shuriken while still looking at Cash, causing it to also land slightly outside the center.
"But not good enough." Said Ben smugly, causing the others to be speechless.
With a mixture of hesitation and eagerness, Cash would draw his shuriken, and throw it horizontally. The shuriken however would land on the blue ring, much to the dismay of Cash.
"Oof. Looks like you flunked that one." Taunted Ben.
"Shut it!" Snapped Cash with annoyance.
"Quite a temper you've got there." Said Ben mockingly as he drew his shuriken with his left hand, before throwing it diagonally, causing it to land inside the red ring.
"Too bad it's not gonna do you any favors." Said Ben with a smirk.
"3-1" Said J.T as he struggled to believe what he was seeing.
Letting out a deep breath to regain his composure,Cash would draw two shurikens from his bag, and hold them with both hands before crossing his hands in the process. He would then throw them by uncrossing his arms, causing both shurikens to go at the opposite sides of one another before eventually planting themselves inside the yellow ring.
Jamie's jaw would drop in shock. Even Ben would briefly blink twice in surprise.
"Awesome! He just made it 3-3" Said J.T with excitement.
"Try to pull that off, Tennyson." Said Cash as his smirk returned.
"Actually,I will." Said Ben as he maintained his confidence, much to Cash's surprise. He would then draw and hold two shurikens the same way Cash did.
"Only even better." Said Ben before throwing the shurikens in a manner slightly similar to Cash, the difference being that both of them would bounce off the other upon being thrown, before flying towards the target, and implanting themselves at the center.
'What... What was that trick-shot just now?!' Thought J.T as he struggled to comprehend what he had just seen.
"5-3! What a comeback!" Cheered Jamie with starry eyes.
"It was nothing really." Said Ben modestly.
"It was just too easy." A sly grin would then form on Ben's face, revealing his modesty to be false.
A loud thud could be heard, causing the four boys to look towards Naruto. The source of the sound was his shuriken implanting itself on the yellow ring.
"I don't believe it..." Said J.T as he trailed himself off due to shock. The source of his shock being that seven of Naruto's ten shurikens were scattered on the floor.
"He used all his shurikens..." Said Jamie with similar disbelief as he saw that two of Naruto's shurikens were on the white ring.
"...Yet he only hit the target once." Naruto would then clench his fists by his sides due to frustration.
"Why're you guys so surprised? I told you he was no good." Said Cash dismissively.
"Let's go to the next one!" Shouted Naruto demandingly.
"For once,I actually with the loser." Said Cash,suprising the boys.
"So yeah, let's." J.T and Jamie would then walk towards the shooting targets, and replace them with new ones. Then,Jamie would walk towards Cash,Ben and Naruto, handing them a set of fifteen kunais respectively.
"Alright,then." Said Ben while placing his kunais in his bag.
"Here's a little heads up, Tennyson." Began Cash as he removed one kunai from his bag.
"I'm quite good at this one." Cash would then hold up the kunai with his left hand in-between his fingers.
"Didn't you say that befo..." The sound of the kunai hitting the center of the target would cut Ben off, causing the jaws of the other boys to drop.
"Oh, looks like you might actually mean it this time." Said Ben with a tone of realization before drawing a kunai as well.
"Now we're talking!" Said Ben with a grin before throwing the kunai, with it landing in the center of the target as well.
"They're both neck and neck!" Shouted Jamie with excitement.
Determined to outperform the other,Ben and Cash would quickly draw and throw their kunais, with each hitting the yellow ring just meters away from the center.
"5-5,huh? Guess we're level." Observed Ben as they both had in fact thrown five kunai successfully.
"But this shot's going to change that." Said Ben before throwing a kunai diagonally. But to his surprise, and that of the others, the kunai would land on the blue ring.
"You're right, Tennyson." Said Cash smugly before throwing his own kunai, with it landing inside the yellow ring, causing Ben's jaw to drop.
"It is." Ben would grit his teeth in frustration as he threw another kunai,to his dismay,he would miss once more.
"What's the matter? Lost your edge?" Taunted Cash.
"Just give me a moment. I'll get my groove back." Said Ben with mild annoyance as he threw another kunai, with his missing the target as well, causing Ben to grunt die to his growing frustration.
"Hmph. Too bad for you." Said Cash with a snicker as his drawn kunai would hit the yellow ring as well.
"You don't have much time left." Said Cash in an attempt to add fuel to the fire that he thought was Ben's rage. He would instead add fuel to his determination,as almost immediately,Ben would draw then throw his kunai,of which it would hit the yellow ring.
"Don't be so sure." Cautioned Ben to a shocked Cash.
"This shot to settle it?" Challenged Ben.
"You're on." Accepted Cash with confidence. However, upon looking at Ben,his eyes would widen in shock as he saw Ben hold two kunais with both hands crossed, making it four in total.
In a display of pure skill, Ben's throw would cause the four kunais to land on the center of the target.
"Oh yeah! Who's bad?! Uh-huh!" Cheered Ben as he performed a short victory dance.
"I just beat you at your own game,Cash Pretty sad, huh?" Taunted Ben.
"Don't feel too bad though. Second rate quite suits you." Cash was far too stunned by Ben's comeback to respond. Almost as if processing how Ben had performed that comeback.
A sentiment that was shared by J.T
'I don't believe it...' Began an awestruck J.T through his thoughts.
'I thought he had this in the bag, but in the end...Cash lost.' J.T would look on with a mixture of disbelief and bitterness as the other children and Jamie would begin to surround Ben, cheering him on in the process.
'Cash...lost' J.T's eyes would widen upon coming to that realization.
"Oh boy." Said J.T in a tone of trepidation as he noticed Cash begin to clench his fists tightly, and his body begin to tremble in a manner similar to a bomb about to go off. Despite his anxiety,J.T would approach his friend.
"Come on,Cash. Let's go home." Said J.T with an uneasy smile as he stood behind Cash and placed his hand on his shoulder.
"Come on!" Shouted a voice with growing frustration, drawing the attention of both boys, Ben, and the other children towards it.
"Come on!" Shouted the voice once more, sounding even more distressed.
The voice belonged to none other than Naruto.
"Why can't I hit the target?!" Shouted a despairing Naruto.
"Even now..." Began J.T with shock.
"...He only hit the target once?" Added Jamie with disbelief. A single kunai could be seen implanted on the red ring of the shooting target. Seven of them were on the white ring, two on the blue ring, and five on the floor.
"Cash?" Said a confused J.T as Cash walked past him.
"Where're you going?" Asked J.T nervously as Cash was walking towards Naruto.
"Ughh!" Grunted Naruto in pain as Cash shoved him to the ground.
"Cash!" Shouted J.T, with both he and the other children alarmed by his act.
"Hey! What the heck is your problem?" Asked Naruto with annoyance.
"My problem?! My problem is you!" Shouted Cash with anger as he pointed to Naruto accusingly.
"You just can't take a hint,can you?" Asked Cash, confusing Naruto and the others.
"Everytime you try to hang out with us,no one wants to hang with you. Yet you follow us around anyway!" Began Cash.
"Everytime you ask to play with us,we say no because we all know you suck. Yet you keep asking to allow you join us!"
"Even now, you can't hit the target more than once,yet you're still trying to! And it makes me so mad!" Shouted Cash as his anger had reached it's peak.
"Why?! Why do you keep trying so hard when nobody in the village likes you?!" Cash's words had dropped like a bombshell, with none of the children knowing how to respond to it appropriately, not even Naruto,as he would only be able to look at Cash with fear in his eyes.
"Answer me!" Demanded Cash irritably, taking a step forward due to his growing hostility. To the surprise of everyone however,Ben would stand in-between the two, with his hands outstretched.
"Back off, Tennyson." Said Cash in a low growl.
"No, you back off,Cash." Countered Ben.
"What's your problem with him, anyway? This was supposed to be between the both of us." Ben would then look back at Naruto,who was still far too startled to react,as his mouth was agape.
"Yet you're picking on someone who didn't even do anything wrong." Ben's rage had began to grow as he felt that Cash's actions were unjust.
"Didn't do anything wrong?!" Asked Cash with disbelief.
"You don't even know his name, Tennyson,or what he's done,yet your defending him?!" Asked Cash as he pointed at Naruto accusingly
"I know enough." Said Ben sternly
"I know he doesn't deserve this." Ben's expression would briefly soften as a result due to sympathy.
"Who are you to say that?!" Snapped Cash as he shoved Ben, causing him to step back slightly.
"If he did to you what he did to me, you wouldn't be so chummy with him,now would you?!" Cash's eyes would briefly widen in shock upon realizing what he had just said.
"Cash?" Asked an equally shocked J.T
"What did he do to you?" Asked Ben with a low tone.
"Nothing... Nevermind." Said Cash dismissively.
"If this is what you're going to do, siding with this... freak" Said Cash as he uttered the word 'freak' with hatred.
"...Then we're no longer friends." Cash would then turn his back on Ben and Naruto, and begin to walk away.
"Cash?" Asked J.T, flabbergasted by what had just unfolded. Cash would ignore him as he continued walking away.
"Cash! Cash, wait up!" Pleaded J.T as he began to run in order to catch up with him.
With the mood now soured, the other children would all begin to leave begrudgingly, leaving only Ben and Naruto behind.
Jamie would look back at the both of them with sadness before walking away as well.
A deafening silence would fall on the terrain, with both boys feeling dejected, Naruto even more so.
"Umm.. You ok?" Asked Ben hesitantly. Naruto wouldn't respond as his hair would cover his eyes.
"I'm guessing that's a no then." Said Ben with a tone of dissapointment. With a heavy sigh,Ben would kneel on his left knee in front of Naruto, placing his right elbow on it as he lowered his head to look at Naruto's face.
"I'm sorry he said those things to you." Said Ben with sincerity. Naruto wouldn't respond,opting instead to cross his arms and legs together before covering his face completely by lowering his head.
"Why?" Asked Naruto with a whimper.
"Huh?" Asked Ben, confused. His eyes would be filled with horror as Naruto would raise his head, revealing that his eyes were watery.
"Why?! Why does everyone hate me so much?!" Shouted Naruto as his voice began to break.
"No one wants to be my friend, or even want to talk to me! Even then they do,I know they don't actually want to be around me." A somber expression would form on Ben's face as he watched tears fall down Naruto's cheeks.
"What did I do to make everyone in the village not want anything to do with me?!" Said Naruto,now crying audibly as the dam of his sorrow had finally broken.
"Hey now." Began Ben with mild hesitation in an attempt to comfort Naruto.
"I don't know what you did either but not everyone hates you." Naruto would look at Ben with curiosity despite his eyes still being watery.
"Sure they're alot of people who don't like you..." Naruto's expression would fall once more, almost as if he was about to cry again.
'That came out wrong! Gotta fix it quick!' Thought Ben as he began to panic.
"But I'm not one of them!" Shouted Ben frantically with a sheepish smile. To Ben's relief, Naruto's expression had changed to one of curiosity once more.
"I've never hated you,dude." Said Ben with a small smile.
"If anything I just found you weird." Naruto would raise an eyebrow due to Ben's words.
"I've noticed it too that everyone avoids you. I never knew why,so I always thought you caught the plague or something." Said Ben with a shrug.
"But... but you never came to talk to me." Said Naruto with sadness.
"I'm talking you now, aren't I?" Said Ben with a grin that would fade as soon as he noticed that Naruto's expression hadn't changed.
"Alright, alright." Said Ben with mild annoyance before sighing.
"I've tried to talk to you before, but Cash stopped me each time. Said you were trouble." Admitted Ben with a tone of regret.
"Oh." Said Naruto, even more downcast than before.
"I never fully believed him though but... I'm sorry I never really tried talking to you for so long." Apologized Ben with sincerity.
"And I meant what I said earlier. You don't deserve what's happening to you." Though the sincerity in Ben's words and the confidence in which he said them reasonated with Naruto, his sadness hadn't fully left. Something that Ben noticed.
"Tell you what? I'm going to make this up to you." Said Ben.
"W-what?" Asked Naruto, slightly stuttering.
"We're going to get back at Cash and J.T. But mostly Cash." Said Ben slyly as he stood up.
"How? Asked Naruto with a mixture of confusion and worry.
"A good ol' prank should do the trick. Nothing too crazy, but it's something they're not going to forget anytime soon." Said Ben cockily.
"So... you in?" Asked Ben as he offered his left hand to Naruto. Naruto would look at the outstretched hand cautiously, uncertain whether to trust Ben or not. But upon contemplating the actions Ben had done to show his words rang through, Naruto would use the back of his left hand to clean his dried up tears, sniffing lightly as well.
With a smile, Naruto would accept Ben's handshake with his right hand, standing up as well.
He had made his decision.
"Good. Because now it's payback time!" Said Ben with a smirk.
TO BE CONTINUED
That marks the end of Chapter 1.
It was meant to be longer than you just read, but due to the passing of my friend's mom that happened on Saturday,of which I found out on Sunday, affecting me deeply,I had to shorten the chapter in order to meet the October 10th deadline.
Hope you understand, and that the first chapter was enjoyable. Depending on the support it receives,I may be able to upload the second chapter before this week ends, with it serving as the second half of chapter 1.
Thank you all for reading this far, it is greatly appreciated. Until we meet again, please have yourselves a good one, and more importantly, always try to live your life to the fullest, because you live it once.
In Memory of a Mother,An Aunt, A caretaker,and a friend to so many people.
1982-2022.
