"It's the things we carry silently within ourselves which are the heaviest burdens." – John Mark Green
Ramen wasn't enough to make Naruto feel any better, even if he ate 3 bowls already. The customers in Ichiraku Ramen sounded like bees in his ears, one buzzing word after another that he didn't pay attention to. Ayame soon came around to refill his cup with water. She frowned. "Naruto-kun, are you okay? You're not eating like you usually do."
Naruto shook his head. "I'm okay. Just…stuff."
Ayame giggled. "What kind of stuff? Come on, you can tell me anything!"
Naruto flushed a bit. "Oh, um, it's okay. I think I'll pass."
"Ayame, that table's been waiting for a while," Teuchi said, filling up two bowls with ramen. "Take these over there."
His daughter quickly took the bowls and scurried off, smiling sheepishly at the customers. Naruto stared down at his own ramen. There was some soup left but he didn't really feel like drinking it. He drank water that instead. Still, he didn't feel better. Sasuke's words were on a constant loop in his head.
"Otou-san said his team died because of him. He killed them."
Shaking his head, Naruto tried to make them stop, but Sasuke's annoying voice just kept coming back. It annoyed him! Everything annoyed him! Was Tsuna really a killer? His team—Did he really kill them? But…
"You seem to have a lot on your mind, Naruto."
The boy looked up, meeting Teuchi's kind gaze. He swung his feet a little from his stool; his toes didn't even touch the ground. "I don't know," he said. "Just…there's a lot of stuff."
Teuchi chuckled. "Seems like a lot for a young boy." He continued chopping some scallions on his cutting board. "I haven't seen you in a while, too. Are you taking care of yourself?"
Naruto huffed. "Of course I am! I'm still here, ya know."
"I'm asking because you seemed troubled. Care to tell this old man what got you all bottled up?"
Naruto's hands gripped his cup tightly. He felt like sinking into the ground and living with the worms. Talking it out, or as Jiji said, "letting out your feelings", was never Naruto's thing. He wasn't good at knowing how or what he felt in the first place, so how was he supposed to explain anything? Plus, he wasn't a girl who got all sad or anything. He was just…confused.
"I don't know," he said. "I mean, it's something I don't get. It's weird."
Teuchi smiled kindly. "Take your time, Naruto. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. Want another bowl? It's on the house."
Naruto's lips curled into a smile despite himself. "Yeah, thanks, old man."
After Teuchi took his bowl away, Naruto was left to ponder over his messy words. They weren't even his—they were Sasuke's. On repeat. Every. Single. Second. Groaning, he tugged his hair. How did he get into this mess anyways? All he wanted was to tell Tsuna "hey, thanks for helping me back there", and then something interesting slapped him in the face. Okay, what Sasuke said was scary but Naruto didn't know what to think anymore.
"Hey, old man," he said. Teuchi hummed in response as he slid another bowl of miso ramen in front of Naruto. "Uh, let's say you got into a pinch or something and someone helps you out, like a stranger. You don't know him and he doesn't know you." Naruto picked up some noodles with his chopsticks. "And before you can actually tell the guy thank you, you hear that he…" Faltering, Naruto slurped his ramen to distract himself. This was way too hard.
"Yeah?" Teuchi said, prepping another bowl.
After Naruto swallowed his ramen, he looked down at his bowl. "You hear…weird stuff."
"What kind of weird stuff?"
Naruto furrowed his brows. He wasn't sure if Teuchi would react like Sasuke did if he mentioned Tsuna's name, even if he was nice. Also, Naruto just couldn't say his name.
"Don't say his name! It's bad luck."
"Like, you hear that he…killed people."
Teuchi didn't seem fazed as he handed Ayame another batch of orders. He wiped his hands on his apron and looked at Naruto with no hate in his eyes. "Anything else?"
"Oh, um…" Naruto averted his gaze down to his swinging feet. His voice came out as a whisper. "They said he killed his own team." He looked up quickly, his eyes wide. "That's not true, right? Right? It can't be!"
But would Sasuke lie? Would his father lie?
Teuchi seemed to sag a bit. Sighing softly, he grabbed some more carrots and scallions. "I see."
Naruto blinked. "See? See what?"
"Rumors are rumors, Naruto. How can everyone know everything that happened, you get what I'm sayin'?" Teuchi minced some carrots on his board. "People who spread rumors aren't nice folks. They're meant to hurt and to lie. But who knows for sure? The truth lies at the source."
Naruto frowned. It just seemed more confusing. "What source? What's that?"
Teuchi set his knife down. "You won't know unless you ask the person, but sometimes, it's not that easy. Things can be complicated. You remember when you came here the first time?" He pointed at a tree some feet away while Naruto nodded. "You stood right there, right where I could see you. I asked you if you wanted to stay but you got spooked."
Naruto scowled. "I wasn't scared!" He swirled his ramen around with his chopsticks. "I was just…not sure."
Teuchi chuckled softly. "I bet you ran all the way home after that."
"No, I didn't!" Naruto remembered that day pretty well. It was just a few months ago before Teuchi and Ayame welcomed him with open arms. He ran away because…he wasn't sure if their kindness was real or not. No one liked him in the village so he thought they didn't either. Also, he didn't go home after that. "I went to Jiji!"
Teuchi sighed. "If you keep addressing Hokage-sama like that, it's rude, Naruto."
Naruto pouted. "Jiji doesn't mind."
"Anyways, you understand what I mean, right? You and I were both here on that day but we remember it differently. I didn't know where you went after you ran off and just guessed you went back home, but you didn't. Since we're talking about it now and I asked you, I now know that you didn't."
Naruto scratched his head. Huh, he kind of got it. Maybe. "So, I should ask him what happened and get his story, right?"
Teuchi's smile strained a bit. "You could do that."
"Huh? Did I get it wrong then?"
"Oh, no, Naruto. You got it right, but just asking the person what happened is too sudden, right?"
"But you asked me about that day, just like that!"
Teuchi nodded, resuming on making his two bowls. "Yes, but consider how different our situations are. I know you and you know me. You said that he was a stranger. How would you feel if someone you didn't know just asked you if went home crying that day or not?"
Naruto huffed. "Not good."
Teuchi chuckled. "Of course not. It's very insensitive. Since we know each other, it's not that awkward, is it?"
"No." Naruto frowned. "Then what do I do?"
"Timing is important. Get to know him and find the best time to ask."
Naruto tilted his head. "How do I do that?"
He squeaked when Teuchi suddenly ruffled his hair. "You'll know. Don't worry. Hurry and eat, Naruto. The ramen will get cold."
Feeling a bit better, Naruto grinned. "Right! Can I get another bowl, too?"
"Of course! It's on the house!"
It wasn't too late out when Naruto left the ramen stand. Waving his goodbye, he took off towards his apartment. Some villagers wandered around at night, mostly at the bars where he saw a handful of shinobi. His head hurt from thinking too much earlier so he decided to just go home and sleep rather than hearing their stories. He also thought that he wouldn't be able to stomach them anyway.
Naruto snuck into an alleyway without any trouble. He knew most of Konoha's streets like the back of his hand after spending some time running away from the victims of his pranks. He gazed up at the Hokage Monument underneath the starry sky. His lips curled into a big grin at the thought of having his face up there one day. No, he was going to have his face up there!
Something fluttered at the corner of his eye. Naruto gaped when he saw Tsuna—the man was Tsuna, without a doubt—dash past him and leap onto the roof. It happened so quickly that Naruto didn't even have the chance to blink. He quickly snapped out of his daze. "W—Wait!"
Scrambling towards the exit, Naruto ran as fast as he could to follow the man. He ended up running in mindless zigzags before realizing that he had lost him again. He cried out in frustration and kicked a rock on the floor. Every time. Why was he so slow? Shaking his head, he started running again, bumping into some villagers and yelling apologies along the way. There was no one on the roofs and no one who looked like Tsuna at all around him.
His legs gave out some time later before he collapsed underneath a tree. Panting, he looked around to find himself in one of those training fields that some Genin trained in. Naruto sighed loudly and leaned back against the tree bark. "Hah, where did he go? Seriously, he's like a ghost."
He tensed when he heard something rustle above him. When he noticed that it was only the wind, he relaxed a bit until he heard voices. There was someone there. Naruto stood up and jogged over to where the noises were coming from. As he drew closer, he heard two, no, three voices. A group of men were huddled in a circle ; they looked like Chuunin, except for one man who was a Jounin, and they looked angry.
Naruto's breath hitched when one of the Chuunin shoved someone's shoulders. It was Tsuna!
"You got some nerve showing your face in the village," the Chuunin said. "My sister saw you in the hospital last week. What, feeling guilty about what you did? It's too late, you piece of shit!"
Naruto covered his mouth to stop himself from making any noise, flinching when the man punched Tsuna across the face. His scary-looking friend hauled Tsuna up by the collar of his shirt. Still, Tsuna didn't make any move to fight back, to counter what the man said. Naruto's heart was practically in his throat. He didn't breathe.
"You don't know how long I've waited for this, Sawada," the man said, spitting on the ground. "This is for my sister, you bastard!"
Naruto gasped when the man took out a kunai from his back pouch and aimed it over Tsuna's eyes. Immediately, the men all froze and looked his way. Body frozen, Naruto couldn't bring himself to move. He silently prayed that they wouldn't find him but his prayers weren't answered. He yelped when someone grabbed him by his shirt and yanked him out of his hiding spot. Dirt went in his mouth as he tumbled on the ground.
Shaking his head, he tried to get away but the scary Jounin placed his foot over his chest. Naruto grunted from the sudden weight and struggled underneath him. "L—Let me go!"
The Chuunin that punched Tsuna before lightly kicked Naruto's head. "Found a little rat, eh?"
"Don't touch him," Tsuna said, wiping the blood away from his lips.
Naruto widened his eyes. His chest filled up with that small feeling from before when he talked to Sasuke. The Jounin tilted his head. "Hm? Is this brat yours?"
The Chuunin with glasses smirked. "Figures. You look good together, you know. It fits since you're both mur—"
"Shut up," Tsuna said, looking up. His arm was draped over his bent knee. Naruto gulped. He had a bad feeling about this. Damn it, why didn't he just stay quiet? "Leave him alone. He's just a kid."
"I—I'm not a kid!" Naruto said. He tensed when he realized what he just said.
"Hey." The glasses Chuunin patted the Jounin's shoulder. "Let him up."
Tsuna pursed his lips as the Jounin removed his foot. Air filled Naruto's lungs a little easier now. He glared at them suspiciously. Something was up. They wouldn't just let him go. He yelped when the other Chuunin grabbed his hair, hauling him up. Something sharp suddenly pressed against his neck, making him freeze.
"This is convenient," the Chuunin said. "Killing two birds with one stone right, Tanaka?"
The Jounin, Tanaka, looked down at Naruto in disgust. "You're right, Mori. We'll be doing the village a favor for taking out the trash."
"W—What are you doing?" Naruto said, his hands balling into fists. "Let me go! I'm not—"
He squeaked when the kunai dug harder into his neck. Something wet dripped from the spot. Blood—he was bleeding.
"Shut up, you little br—!"
Naruto widened his eyes when Mori let go of him, the kunai falling to the ground. He turned around just to see Tsuna slam the man headfirst into the ground. Everything became a blur after that, literally. The glasses Chuunin was the next to fall before Tsuna appeared again in front of a gaping Tanaka. The Jounin gritted his teeth and tried to kick Tsuna in the stomach but the other man was faster. He ducked, then grabbed Tanaka's leg, hurling a man twice his size to the ground. Tanaka cried out in pain before he didn't move again.
Mind hazy, Naruto could barely register what happened. He stared at the men on the ground. They weren't moving. The sound of footsteps snapped him out of his daze. He looked up to see Tsuna gazing down at him. The man's eyes were a light brown, reminding Naruto of the caramel sweets he'd see in the candy shops.
"Are they dead?" Naruto whispered, unable to look away.
"No," Tsuna said. His voice was soft but firm, as if he wasn't being beaten up a while ago. "They're just unconscious."
Naruto's shoulders sagged before he smiled brightly. "That's good! You know, I thought you actually killed them." He laughed awkwardly just as he realized his mistake.
Crap, why did I say that? he thought. I'm such an idiot!
Tsuna slightly tensed but didn't move away. Instead, he reached out hand to tilt Naruto's chin up, making the boy blink. He swiped his thumb over the small trickle of blood. "You're fine now. Go home."
Before Tsuna could disappear, Naruto quickly grabbed his hand. "Wait! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to say that! My mouth works faster than my brain sometimes and I don't know what I'm saying half the time, too!"
Tsuna raised a brow, making Naruto blush. "It's fine."
Naruto didn't let go of Tsuna's hand. It felt oddly warm and he just didn't want him to go, not yet, not when he finally had him here. "I—I wanted to find you. That's why I was with Haru-nee-chan. I don't know if you remember but you helped me last week! With that old man! Remember?" Tsuna didn't say anything. Naruto's heart hammered against his chest, almost painful. Unconsciously, he tightened hands around Tsuna's slim fingers. "You remember, right? And—And you helped me again, too! Just now! By the way, that was really cool! Are you a shinobi? What rank? Are you really strong, like Jiji? No one would've done that for me!"
Tsuna looked at him blankly. "Is that all?"
Naruto flinched. "Oh—I, um…" He bit his lip. "C—Can you walk me home? I don't know…how to go back."
A bout of silence fell in the small clearing. Naruto didn't back down for a second. He didn't look away from Tsuna, who stared at him for a good moment or two. He looked…sad. Naruto wondered what was going on his head and wished he could read minds or something. That would make things so much easier. Finally, Tsuna said, "Lying isn't a good habit."
"Huh?" was Naruto's smart response.
Tsuna gently shook Naruto's hands off of his. "Go ahead."
"W—Wait!"
"I'll follow you."
Naruto widened his eyes. "Really?"
"It won't help you if the others see me with you. I won't be far."
"Promise?" Tsuna nodded. Naruto couldn't help but grin. "Okay!"
With a small skip in his step, Naruto had never felt so happy about going to his apartment. Every second, he'd look over his shoulder and try to see if Tsuna was actually there. He had to give it to him though. Tsuna was really good at hiding. Naruto rubbed his throat where Tsuna had cleaned his blood. The cut wasn't there anymore. Maybe Tsuna was like Haru and could heal things, too! Naruto frowned. He didn't see any green stuff though. Also, why didn't Tsuna just hide from those men? He was really strong and fast, too! They couldn't even do anything!
Naruto shook his head. His head hurt from too much thinking. When he climbed up to the second floor of his building, he quickly found his room and entered. After turning on the lights and slipping his shoes off, he dashed over to the windows, flinging them open to see if Tsuna was anywhere around. He wilted when he found no sign of the man, just empty rooftops and the moon in the night sky.
"He promised me," he muttered.
Suddenly, a blur appeared in front of him, making him yelp and fall onto his butt. Tsuna crouched on his window ledge, frowning. "I'm sorry," he said, reaching out a hand.
Naruto just stared at him in awe. "You came."
Tsuna quirked a brow. "A promise is a promise."
Naruto almost swooned. "You're so cool! I wish I can be an awesome shinobi like you!"
Tsuna pursed his lips. "Keep your voice down. People are sleeping."
A crash came from the room next door. Probably another plate. Laughing awkwardly, Naruto scratched his cheek. "Well, they're not." He grabbed Tsuna's hand and hauled himself up to his feet with the other man's help. "Do you need anything? Oh right, you're still hurt! You can sit on my bed." He laughed sheepishly. "It's kind of messy but it's really comfy."
"I have to go."
The smile dropped from Naruto's face. "Oh…"
Before Tsuna could go, Naruto gripped his hand. "Wait here, please! I'm going to get you something real quick! Don't move! I'll have my eyes on you!"
He dashed towards his small dresser and pulled the top drawer. After Naruto found what he was looking for, he returned to the window where Tsuna was. Smiling, he handed the man a small brown container. "Here. Take it. I got it from a girl in my class." He laughed a bit. "I forgot her name but she's pretty nice. Kind of creepy. She has these purple eyes that have no, um, I'm not sure what it's called but they're a little scary. Anyways, she gave this to me on field day when Kiba tripped me and it's really good! My cuts disappeared really fast! It can help you!"
Tsuna shook his head. "I can't take that."
Naruto froze. "But…But it helps."
"I'll be fine."
Naruto looked down at his feet. "I just wanted to do something for you because you helped me…twice."
A bout of silence passed. Finally, a hand reached out for the ointment. Naruto's breath hitched when he looked up and saw Tsuna raise it a bit.
"I'll take it," he said, "so don't cry."
Naruto scowled. "I—I wasn't crying!"
Tsuna's lips slightly twitched. When Naruto blinked, the smile was gone. Did he just imagine it? "I'll be going now."
"Wait!" Naruto jabbed a thumb against his chest. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto and I'm going to become Hokage one day, dattebayo!"
Internally, he cringed. How lame! he thought.
Tsuna stood up then, shaking his legs. He pocketed the ointment in his black pants. "Thank you. Good night, Naruto."
With that, he vanished in a blur. Naruto blinked a couple of times. That felt…like a dream, and yet, he couldn't help but feel happy. He leaned out the window, not caring if he woke up the neighbors. "I hope we can meet again!"
There was no response as expected, but Naruto smiled anyways. The next morning, he found the ointment on top of his dresser with a small note: Thank you. Sawada Tsunayoshi.
He stared at the piece of paper for hours and ended up missing his lessons that day.
A/N And they finally meet! :^D
Thank you for reading! I hope to see you again in the next chapter.
Have a lovely day~
Little Miss Bunny
