I'm the Fool

I left my dreams with broken strings
It's time I learnt to talk
Stop falling over things
Teach myself to walk
I'm not a superman
Or Mr. Wonderful
Because I'm the fool I never
Fool I never thought I was

I'm the know it all
Trying to mend his broken heart
But I don't know how to call

And I don't know where to start

Mark Knopfler

This kid is really something else.

They had been traveling all day, and were only now coming in sight of the town where they would stop for the night. Naruto had been walking beside her all day, chatting. On her other side, Kakashi-san had been as quiet as Naruto was loud.

"Did Granny Tsunade really warn you about Ero-sennin?"

Still, he's amusing. She reached over and flicked his forehead. "Yes, she did. Right before we left this morning. Although she was a bit more respectful towards him than you are."

"Huh."

"Well, seeing as he can beat you up really bad, you might try it sometime."

He crossed his arms. How old is he? Too old to be acting like that, I'm sure. "Ero-sennin isn't interested in anything but girls and sake."

"But Tsunade-sama isn't, and you aren't too polite to her, either."

"Why would I want to be?"

"Well, sometimes it makes life easier. And you can stop glaring at my back, Uchiha boy, it's not doing anything but annoying me."

You're teaching people about manners?

Be quiet, you stupid lizard.

"Kasumi-san." It was the girl, Sakura. "Why are you coming with us?"

"I don't have anything else to do."

"Then why did you come to Konoha?"

"On a whim." She grinned over her shoulder at Sakura. "You'll have to learn, Sakura-chan, that there are two types of people in this world. There are people with dreams, who will do anything to achieve them. And there are those of us who are happy just to drift."

"But don't you have a dream?"

This time, Kasumi's smile was dry. "There aren't a lot of opportunities for someone with a great stupid lizard in their head."

Weren't we just discussing manners? Ryuu demanded.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Naruto's face crumble a little before he mastered himself. Oops. Forgot about the Kyubi. "Naruto," she said quietly. "The Kyubi is different from Ryuu. You can draw on its power, but it doesn't live in your head all the time."

"You mean, you can talk to the dragon?"

"All the time. He almost never shuts up." A bit like you.

I heard that, you know.

For some reason, this seemed to impress the boy. "What does he say about me? Huh?"

He's talkative, for something not big enough to be a snack.

"He says you talk a lot for something not even big enough to be a snack," she told Naruto, trying to keep her face empty. Ryuu was serious, but she found the comment funny.

She thought she heard a snort from behind her. "You don't even want to know what he thinks of you, little Uchiha boy."

"See if I care."