Image is Everything
Part Eight: The Goofy Sidekick
Naruto looked at the unlikely scene before him. It was Sasuke, picking flowers. What the hell was he doing?
"What the hell are you doing?"
Sasuke scowled at his teammate. "I heard that Itachi was after Kurenai-sensei. So I'm making her a bouquet."
Inside, Sasuke grinned. He would beat Itachi... he would steal away Kurenai before he got a chance with her.
"Oh, I see." Even though he didn't see at all.
"What are you doing here, Naruto?" Sakura asked, annoyed that the other boy was there. She was helping Sasuke pick flowers. She didn't mind that Sasuke was after Kurenai now... she had found a new love interest. Oh, Itachi...
"I was just walking by." After a moment a huge smile broke out on Naruto's face. "That's great! With you out of the way, there's one less hero to compete with me."
"Don't make me laugh," said Sasuke, despite the fact that he was, in fact, laughing a little. "You're not a hero. Face it, Naruto, you're not the type to be the main character in a story."
"Yeah," Sakura agreed, "you're more like the goofy sidekick. You know, the comic relief."
"I'll show you guys!" Naruto said. "I'll be a better hero than any of you could ever be!"
Naruto walked off, leaving the other two to pick more flowers. Stupid Sasuke and Sakura. Coincidentally, as he was walking, he walked past a dejected Itachi. Itachi looked at the little boy.
"You," he said.
Naruto turned. Oh, it was Sasuke's evil brother. "Yeah?"
"You're short."
Naruto scowled. "So are you!"
"I know. We both... share the same pain."
Naruto and Itachi felt a deep connection at that moment.
"No one takes me seriously as a ninja," Naruto confessed to his new confident and best friend, eyes watery. "They all say I can never be a hero."
"How can I be a romantic hero when I'm so short?"
"Oh... is that what you want to be? I can help you with that."
"You can?" Itachi looked dubiously at the little kid in front of him. He didn't seem like the type to know a lot about romance.
"Sure! Girls love me."
Somehow, Itachi really doubted that. "Really?"
"Yeah... watch." Naruto looked around for a girl. By some stroke of luck, the only girl around was also the only girl that actually liked Naruto. "Hey, Hinata!"
Hinata turned at Naruto's voice and blushed. "Yes, Naruto?"
"Do you want to go get some ramen with me tonight?"
"Sure!"
"Great!" Naruto grinned and ran back to Itachi. "See? I told you so."
Itachi still had his doubts, but the kid had managed to get a date. He had never been able to get a date with a girl... of course, up until a few days ago he was an evil villain who wasn't interested in getting a date with a girl anyway.
"All right," he said, "I'll let you teach me."
"Yeah! Let's do this!"
Itachi and Naruto spent all of the rest of the day 'training'. They trained so much that Naruto forgot all about the date he had made earlier. Hinata, poor girl, was waiting in front of the ramen stand for hours in her prettiest dress waiting for him.
Part Eight: The Goofy Sidekick
Naruto looked at the unlikely scene before him. It was Sasuke, picking flowers. What the hell was he doing?
"What the hell are you doing?"
Sasuke scowled at his teammate. "I heard that Itachi was after Kurenai-sensei. So I'm making her a bouquet."
Inside, Sasuke grinned. He would beat Itachi... he would steal away Kurenai before he got a chance with her.
"Oh, I see." Even though he didn't see at all.
"What are you doing here, Naruto?" Sakura asked, annoyed that the other boy was there. She was helping Sasuke pick flowers. She didn't mind that Sasuke was after Kurenai now... she had found a new love interest. Oh, Itachi...
"I was just walking by." After a moment a huge smile broke out on Naruto's face. "That's great! With you out of the way, there's one less hero to compete with me."
"Don't make me laugh," said Sasuke, despite the fact that he was, in fact, laughing a little. "You're not a hero. Face it, Naruto, you're not the type to be the main character in a story."
"Yeah," Sakura agreed, "you're more like the goofy sidekick. You know, the comic relief."
"I'll show you guys!" Naruto said. "I'll be a better hero than any of you could ever be!"
Naruto walked off, leaving the other two to pick more flowers. Stupid Sasuke and Sakura. Coincidentally, as he was walking, he walked past a dejected Itachi. Itachi looked at the little boy.
"You," he said.
Naruto turned. Oh, it was Sasuke's evil brother. "Yeah?"
"You're short."
Naruto scowled. "So are you!"
"I know. We both... share the same pain."
Naruto and Itachi felt a deep connection at that moment.
"No one takes me seriously as a ninja," Naruto confessed to his new confident and best friend, eyes watery. "They all say I can never be a hero."
"How can I be a romantic hero when I'm so short?"
"Oh... is that what you want to be? I can help you with that."
"You can?" Itachi looked dubiously at the little kid in front of him. He didn't seem like the type to know a lot about romance.
"Sure! Girls love me."
Somehow, Itachi really doubted that. "Really?"
"Yeah... watch." Naruto looked around for a girl. By some stroke of luck, the only girl around was also the only girl that actually liked Naruto. "Hey, Hinata!"
Hinata turned at Naruto's voice and blushed. "Yes, Naruto?"
"Do you want to go get some ramen with me tonight?"
"Sure!"
"Great!" Naruto grinned and ran back to Itachi. "See? I told you so."
Itachi still had his doubts, but the kid had managed to get a date. He had never been able to get a date with a girl... of course, up until a few days ago he was an evil villain who wasn't interested in getting a date with a girl anyway.
"All right," he said, "I'll let you teach me."
"Yeah! Let's do this!"
Itachi and Naruto spent all of the rest of the day 'training'. They trained so much that Naruto forgot all about the date he had made earlier. Hinata, poor girl, was waiting in front of the ramen stand for hours in her prettiest dress waiting for him.
