I do Not own Naruto. That right belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.
Chapter 1: A beautiful friendship
It was a beautiful day in the Village Hidden in the Leaves, Konoha. The sun was shining and fluffy white clouds drifted in the sky. The temperature was just right and people civilians or shinobi wise were happily bustling down the streets, going on about their business. Yes, everything was peaceful.
"Hah ha! You can`t catch me!" Well it was until a certain blonde boy who was wearing a very bright orange jumpsuit shouted out.
That boy was Naruto Uzumaki, the number one unpredictable knuckle headed Academy student. He was just running away from the 'it' in his daily game of tag he played with the Chunin and ANBU. Well at least by him. If you asked any of the shinobi that were chasing him what he had done they would pull out a scroll that contained his pranks and it would be a mile long. And that is just the first one.
Now back to our mischievous Academy student. He had managed to escape his pursuers by cutting around a corner, as he watched them run off without noticing that he was not there he started laughing.
"Man. That was too easy! Those guys will never catch me! And now is a perfect time for Ichiraku Ramen!"
He was about to head off towards hi favorite food stand where they served the food of the gods, ramen, but he was stopped by a voice quietly whispering.
"You should be more careful….." that's when he let out a manly as much as a 10 year old can be manly shriek. As he turned around to see who or what had exactly surprised him, not scared, surprised him.
"Gyaaah! Hey you almost scared me! What are you doing here sneaking up on people?!" he started to shout as he turned to see who had managed to surprise him.
He saw a kid about the same age as him if he had to guess. He was slightly taller than the kid which was saying something since he was a little short for his age. The kid was shorter than him, and had a messy mop of silver colored hair. It was short ended just at the beginning of his spine at the back and had two bangs that framed his face before the rest of the bangs who were shorter fell on his forehead and there was a slightly longer strand that was between his eyes which were a deep golden color. The kids' features were pretty sharp but still had a hint of baby fat to them. As for clothes wise he was not wearing much. A black hoodie and dark green khaki pants with the standard open toed ninja sandals.
"Sheesh with his looks even Sasuke might lose some fan girls." Naruto though and then the kid decided to speak
"I didn't sneak up on you. I was here when your got into this alley." He simply said making the blonde boy gape at him, before smacking himself on the forehead for not checking around him. It was because of that little flaw that Iruka usually caught him when he snuck out.
"Well have a nice day." The kid said and started walking away from the blonde boy.
"Yeah you too!" Naruto shouted to him, only getting the boy to lazily wave his hand but he didn't turn so his back was to Naruto.
After shaking off that odd encounter Naruto perked up for his meal that was coming.
"Well off to Ichiraku`s now." He was just about to start prancing there, since that`s how good the food was, when a hand landed on his shoulder making him pause and a familiar voice spoke freezing him in his place.
"And just where do you think you`re going Naruto?"
Turning around he saw his teacher from the Academy Umino Iruka who was looking at him with a barely calm face and had a vein pulsing on his forehead.
Naruto could do nothing but smile a very sheepish smile, hoping it would get him out of trouble. And miraculously Iruka smiled back, and just as he thought he had gotten away his teacher grabbed him by the scruff of the jacket and started hopping over roofs towards the Academy.
He really should start looking around himself.
…
A now thoroughly scolded Naruto sulked in his seat as the class was waiting for Iruka to come back to the classroom after he had been called to the teacher's office. Well no one was waiting, every kid did what they thought was interesting at the moment. That is until they heard the door opened and they stopped making any kind of noise not wanting to be subjected to Irukas' Giant Head Jutsu.
Iruka came in and cleared his throat before speaking:
"Class. Today we have a new student joining us." Turning to the door he spoke to the person that was there.
"Come in." and a very familiar kid with silver hair and golden eyes walked in.
"My name is Kira Kuroyuki. Nice to meet you." He said before nodding slightly in greeting managing to make a few girls flush.
Still gaping Naruto had a thought running, practically zooming through his head.
'So this guy is in my class?! He seems so laid back, not Shikamaru laid back but way more relaxed than anyone I've ever seen.'
In another desk a certain Kiba Inuzuka thought it would be nice to mess with the new kid so jokingly he asked.
"Hey what kind of name is Kira? It sounds girly." The new kid just looked at him and instead of getting angry or embraced like they thought he`d get, instead he simply spoke.
"As it should be since I`m a girl." He... she spoke.
A full three seconds of silence reigned before the entire class, even Iruka shouted in shock.
"WHAAAT?!"
Looking nonplused the new bo..girl spoke once again.
"I am a girl. Female." In such a monotone voice the whole class fell over on their faces while Iruka simply had a sweat drop on the side of his head..
'He is a girl !? But she really looks like a boy!' Was all Naruto thought.
Iruka who by then got out of his shock spoke up.
"Well Kira you can sit next to Naruto, since it`s the only seat available. Naruto raise your hand." As Kira walked over to where the blond boy was with his hand still in the air. After taking one look at him she greeted him with:
"Hello Ramen Boy." She simply said making the other kids snicker most of them knowing the blonds passion about his favorite food. Feeling insulted Naruto jumped on top his desk and declared.
"Hey! I don't care if you`re a guy or girl, calling me names is one think but insulting me using my favorite food is another thing entirely!" He yelled looking down at her since she was still standing in front of the desk. As neutrally as she introduced herself Kira spoke again.
"I meant it as a compliment." Before taking the empty sit next to his vacated one due to him jumping on the desk, leaving him to stand like an idiot on a desk in the middle of class.
An embarrassed blush crawled up Naruto`s cheeks as he curtly shut his moth that was gaping and quietly sat down in his seat and didn`t move for the rest of class until lunch break.
As the bell for lunch time chimed all the students practically ran outside Naruto still sat hunched over in his seat, listening to his stomach rumbling.
'Dammit, I forgot lunch too. What is with me today?' he asked as his stomach gave a particularly loud noise.
The stomach was demanding it`s daily nutrients, which he did not have currently. Naruto grumbled something under his nose as he slammed his head down on the bench again only for it to come in contact with hard plastic instead of hard wood.
Rubbing his head in pain he opened his eyes to see that it was a lunch box. Connected to a hand which belonged to the new girl Kira. Remembering what happened in class he spoke.
"I`m not hungry." Which was quickly proven to be a lie since his stomach produced a sound that sounded like a very hungry predator's growl. Naruto quickly placed a hand over his stomach to make the sound quieter. When she nudged the box towards him again he looked at her and asked.
"Why don't you eat it? Don't tell me you`re on a diet or something?" he asked remembering how some girls spoke to in the so they`d lose extra weight they did not have.
Kira shook her head and showed another lunch box she had in her other hand which was covered by the end of the desk.
"I have an extra one." She said as Narutos` eyes bulged.
'And here I thought she would be on a diet like all the other girls who are trying to get Sasuke to look at them. Now that you mention it she didn't go all starry eyed and looking at Sasuke like he is some god before swooning at him. So maybe she is immune to his looks and charm the other girls think he has? Now that's more like it a girl who is not obsessed with Sasuke besides Hinata !'
Naruto grinned at that though and took the lunch box with a smile.
"Thank you Kira-chan!" and instead of her pummeling him like Sakura did, she simply snapped her chopsticks open and spoke.
"Call me Kira." Making Naruto grin and dig in his lunch with gusto. The taste was amazing, whoever did that was a good cook. The remembering he was near a girl and usually when Sakura saw him eat she said he should slow down because he ate like a pig. Remembering that he eased up and removed his face which was nearly nose to the food, still he had a few rice grains stuck to his cheeks.
Looking a Kira in caution to see is she was disgusted of his eating habits he saw her with an empty lunch box and rice covered chin like his own.
"Thank you Kira" he said handing her the emptied lunch box once they were done.
"I`ll start making an extra one from now on. "She simply said not noticing the stunned expression on Narutos` face.
For the rest of lunch period they spent it in the class room. Naruto asked questions at which Kira gave short answers.
The bell rang signifying the end of lunch period and the beginning of taijutsu practice. All of the students filed outside and grouped together before Iruka waiting for the day's lesson.
"All right class, today we are going to note if you have improved at weaponry then we are passing to Taijutsu sparing. So everybody, gather your kunai and line up to hit the targets." The teacher said pointing at two targets who were a few feet away from them, two different students will aim at the same time.
The boys lined up on the left and the girls followed on the right. A few minutes into the exercise Naruto heard sound of cheering and amazement. When he and Kira turned to see, they saw that tall that commotion was about how Sasuke had two kunai dead center with one a few centimeters askew. The black haired boy had an indifferent look on his face but his eyes clearly showed the smugness he felt for his success.
Naruto scoffed while Kira remained impassive at the Uchiha`s success.
When they were finally up to aim, Naruto was having troubles. His first kunai barely hit the edge of the target.
Predictable the kids except a few laughed. Kira who was yet to throw hers whispered just loud enough for him to hear her.
"Naruto watch."
As the blonde`s attention was to her, she slowly reached for the kunai before launching it deathly quick. Even with the speed of the throw Naruto noticed the differences between his and hers throw.
'I get it, so I have to curve my arm more.' He thought.
Taking the same stance as Kira he let the kunai fly in almost the same speed and stare incredulously as it embedded itself far closer to the center than before, effectively shutting up all of the kids who were still snickering, Iruka and Mizuki. Scratching the back of his head he said.
"I practiced?" It was more of a question than an answer since he sounded so unsure of himself.
"Well I guess you get 2nd place in kunai throwing today." Iruka said with a massive sweat drop on his forehead.
"So since it`s sparring time, pick your partner and start exercising." Iruka instructed, and just as he turned his back a stampeded of fan girls charged at Sasuke, each of them hoping to get to be his partner.
"Sasuke-kun, be my partner."
"No, be my partner Sasuke-kun."
"Shut up he is my partner, not any of yours."
"No he`s my partner."
And so on and so on.
Which resulted in an all out war between the girls and not one of the noticed that the said Uchiha went to pair up with someone else?
The only two girls who were not in the so called war were Hinata who was already quietly sparring with Shino and Kira who sat aside and watched the war of her gender with passive eyes.
Approaching his newly made friend Naruto asked.
"Hey Kira…wanna spar?" he asked and saw a miniscule smile appear on her face before she nodded and they got into stance.
Naruto used the simple academy style Stance sine he did not know any other. He being himself attacked the moment after they got in position, attempting to hit her in the torso. But Kira surprised him by deflecting the attack by stepping aside and jabbing him and making him lose the air in his lungs and double over.
"Your defense is weak." She advised.
"Instead of charging blindly, think first and assess the enemy before rushing in to fight." She said to him as he stood up.
For the rest of the class he failed to even and a hit on her and when she pinned him down for the last time with a hand raised for a final blow he closed his eyes and waited for the strike only for her hand to show up in front of him as a gesture to grab it and help him get up.
"Cass ended." She said to him and actually smiled, and despite the beating he had took from her, not willing on her part, he smiled a bright grin from ear to ear.
That grin didn't fade until school ended.
…..
Naruto was walking down the street ignoring the looks of hatred and loathing people sent him. He was thinking about what he would do for dinner. Then a thought hit him.
'Damn I need to go to the market….' But before he could delve further into the subject he saw a familiar shade of silver hair that belonged to his classmate.
"Kira!" he shouted as he approached her, gaining her attention.
"What are you doing here?" he asked when he was within talking distance.
"Shopping."She simply said, as Naruto looked at the hands which didn`t have a single bag in them.
"Really, but you haven't bought anything yet." Kira looked at him for a second before saying.
"I haven't reached the shop yet." And motioned for him to follow her as she weaved through a few streets. Naruto nearly lost her a few times, but she slowed down if she had started walking too fast for him.
"Here we are." She finally spoke and Naruto saw a kind of a market in front of him. It didn't have any differences, there were fruits and veggies, meat, an all kinds of shops. The only difference here was that the people running the shops were not glaring at him. Some gave several glance at his direction but not one of the was hostile.
Following Kira to a veggies stand he saw her buy a few different kinds of vegetable before the shop owner turned a friendly smile at his direction asking him if he wanted anything.
Deciding better to make sure he asked for a kilogram of tomatoes, since they were the easiest to recognize if they were rotten, but he was shocked when he got a bag full of some of the largest and juiciest vegetables he`d ever seen.
Handing the money the shop owner where he usually bought asked for, he saw the man frown and for a moment Naruto thought he had given to little and the man was going to ask for the food back but he was yet again stupedified when the man handed him more than half the money back.
"You gave me too much kid. Sure my produce is a bit more expensive but you gave me twice the money needed."
Naruto stared at the bank notes in his hands before thanking the owner with a sunny smile.
"No problem kid, if you like them come again. We`re always in this location. All of us share a though of mind that if you want quality food you need to look for it before enjoying it." He winked at Naruto at that making the kids burst out in snickers.
When he finally calmed down he looked at Kira who was quietly looking at the exchange. As they continued to browse through the stalls Naruto asked her.
"Hey Kira why aren`t you into Sasuke as the other girls are?"
"I think he is too quiet for me. I prefer to be friends with someone who will make me laugh."
As she said that Naruto stopped walking and she did too once she noticed he had.
"Kira …I think this…." He looked at the bags of food he got at the market.
"Is the beginning of a beautiful friend ship?" He grinned at her.