Naruto is 10.
He has been studying with his sensei for a good two years now.
He wasn't anywhere near ready to showcase his skills, but he always enjoyed just hanging out by himself, and singing. Sing about anything nearby, to hone his skills at applying known songs to new situations. Improvisation is a key skill for any entertainer, and Naruto was planning on being the best damn entertainer in the world...so good that he would be able to defeat foes with mere song and dance.
But he was a long way away from that.
Now, though, he was sitting up in a tree. It was a decently tall tree, and with the lush foliage, nobody would see him unless they were stalking him with the Byakugan.
'And really, what Hyuuga would bother spying on ME?'
Ironic, really.
But that's not what we're here about.
For indeed, Naruto was watching a common occurrence from his tree.
He was watching Uchiha Sasuke brood. And turn away fangirls left and right.
'Good god, doesn't he see how good he has it? I wish they came after me so easily...'
But this reminded Naruto of a song he had just learned, and he began to sing, a capella.
"She's a good girl, loves her mama
Loves Jesus, and America too
She's a good girl, crazy 'bout Elvis
Loves horses, and her boyfriend too"
Naruto didn't know what most of those things were...he knew Elvis was a rival king to the King of Pop, and he knew America was a place...but Jesus? Lots of songs mentioned him, but never really explained who he was.
Haruno Sakura approached Sasuke, nervously. This inspired Naruto, and he sang that last verse, over.
"She's a good girl, loves her mama
Loves Jesus, and Konoha too
She's a good girl, crazy bout Elvis
Loves flowers, and Sasuke too"
And, as always, he saw Sasuke turn her down. He saw Sakura turn away, dejected.
"And it's a long day livin' in the forest
There's a freeway runnin' through the yard
And he's a bad boy, 'cause he don't even miss her
He's a bad boy for breakin' her heart"
Naruto leaned back...he always liked the chorus to this song. It felt so relaxed, so much like those clouds that Shikamaru always grumbled about.
"And I'm free, free fallin'
Yeah, I'm free, free fallin'"
Sakura had walked away, around a corner from where Sasuke was hanging out. Slumped down, rejected, just looking so sad. Naruto was still in his Sakura phase, though it was toned down, and this just struck a chord with him.
'He aint worth it, girl! Why??? Why do this?'
And so Naruto sang.
"All the emos walkin' through the Forest
Move west down by Ichiraku's
And all the bad boys are standing in the shadows
And the good girls are home with broken hearts"
And then Sakura got up. She got that determined look upon her face, and muttered something to herself. Probably something to the effect of 'I'm not losing to that Ino-pig'. Sighing, realizing he'd probably have to do a LOT to get Sakura to even look at him...Naruto sang.
"And I'm free, free fallin'
Yeah, I'm free, free fallin
Free fallin', I'm a-free fallin', I'm a
Free fallin', I'm a-free fallin', I'm a"
Sakura marched off, not towards Sasuke, but probably off to study or something. It was her way of trying to show her worth, by making herself valuable in ways that Sasuke did not. Probably in an effort to make herself useful to him...not realizing that, no matter what she did, it would never be enough.
At least her determination was impressive.
"I wanna glide down over the Monument
I wanna write her name in the sky
I'm gonna free fall out into nothin'
Gonna leave this world for a while"
Sasuke, too, got up. He headed off; probably back to his house, or to the training grounds. Frankly, Naruto was surprised that he had hung out in public for this long...probably needed some positive reinforcement, or something.
"And I'm free
Free fallin', I'm a-free fallin', I'm a
Free fallin'
Free fallin', I'm a-free fallin', I'm a
Yeah, I'm free
Free fallin', I'm a-free fallin', I'm a
Free fallin'
Free fallin', I'm a-free fallin', I'm a"
Naruto faded himself out...one day, he swore to himself, 'people will look at me the same way they look at Sasuke. And not just because of my heritage, or some bloodline...they'll see me for my own talent, and acknowledge my worth.'
'But until then', Naruto thought, 'I'll be free, free fallin'...
Author's Notes: This Song- "Free Falling" by Tom Petty.
An introspective piece, quite a bit different then most of the other songs he sings.
Any and all reviews are welcome : D.