Chapter 4
January 1, 2001, 7:29 a.m.
A U-Haul truck pulls up next door. A man, a woman, and a girl Naruto's age climb out and sink into the snow-covered driveway. Naruto watches them from his bedroom window.
The girls is dirty-blonde and pretty.
Naruto wonders if she'll be snooty, like all the other girls who call Naruto white trash at school. Maybe, since this new girl lives next to Naruto on the wrong side of town, they'll call her white trash too.
But she's really pretty.
Pretty enough to make a difference.
Naruto dresses hurriedly, puts on his boots and coat, and marches next door to have the first chance to get to the girl before the North Siders get to her. Naruto's desperate for a friend.
"You guys want some help?" Naruto asks in a voice more confident that he feels.
The girl stops in her tracks. A smile deepens the dimples in her cheeks, and she tilts her head to the side. "Hi," she says. "I'm Ino Yamanaka."
Ino's eyes sparkle.
Naruto's heart leaps.