Prologues Open Books, Epilogues Close Them

Welcome to POBECT, where Naruto is the least adjusted person out of everyone in the cast. Let's begin.

Chapter 4: Knowledge can doom a man

But ignorance will doom a country

I stopped at the training fields though I wasn't sure which one. I wasn't paying attention to where I was running off to. I only wanted somewhere quiet to think and it seemed that no one used the training fields at this time. The genin exams were yesterday and the chunin needed to rest after giving the exam and the jonin needed to prepare to be their teachers.

"It's training ground eight, in case you were wondering. It's the main training ground for desert terrain," I turned to face Shikamaru sitting right next to me before frowning and turning away, "So I'm guessing you know then."

I got up to leave but stopped halfway. Me leaving would not change the problem. I was not the problem. Leaving would only move me away from the problem and the problem would follow me if I did. I sat back down and glared at him. "Go away."

He leaned back, holding a hand to his forehead, and sighed. "Is that any way to talk to your most trusted advisor?'

I glare at him harder. "Really? You?"

He nodded and looked away. His eyes looked old and wise as he replied, even more than the old man. The old man had that look on his face long, long ago one night and told him to go home even when he didn't do anything. "Yep. Called me the smartest man in Konoha. Ask anyone. Just never felt the need to act on it until now, really."

I groan and scream at the sky. "Am I the only person who doesn't know?"

"Apparently." He gave a look of deep thought before shaking his head. I noticed a brief look of worry cross his face and I didn't doubt he noticed me noticing. "You holding up okay?"

I grumbled as I looked at the ground. "Are you saying that to me or the future me you serve?"

He kicked some sand into the air and the dust forced me to look up. "The point is moot because you are never going to be that person."

I turn to him and ball my fist. My hands made to punch him but I found myself unable to move no matter how much I wanted to punch him. He gave me a smile with more emotion than I had ever seen on his face. I remember what the Nara family were famous for: shadow jutsu.

He flicks me on the head as he lifts his foot. I could move again and I realize the jutsu involved him stepping on my shadow to stop me. I move away from him. "You are Naruto Uzumaki, genin of the Leaf. I served Naruto Uzumaki, the seventh Hokage. He is not you and you are not him. He did not live your life and you have no obligation to live his."

I turned to him so fast it feels like my head would fly off. I was angry and hurt by what he said though I knew a part of me agreed with him. My answer sounds "He became friends with Kurama. He saved the world. He did some crazy stuff I don't understand. Something involving the father of shinobi and the moon. If I don't-"

He laid a hand on my shoulder and I can't help but relax at the touch and the trusting smile on his face. "But I see the resemblance. You'll find a way. You always do."

I huffed and looked at the ground again. I didn't remove his hand.

He changes position until his elbow was leaning on my shoulder. "You have fan girls, you know?"

I look up and give him a look that said I didn't believe him. "Like the bastard? Since when?"

He gives me a flat look. "Yesterday."

The only thing that happened yesterday was the genin exam. I didn't see any signs of fan girls then. "Yesterday?"

He rolls his eyes and sighs. "You marry Hinata."

I stared at him before looking up without moving my head. I turned away to cup my chin as I hummed. I then rest my head on my fist. At the end, I feel like hitting myself in the head. "So all those girls?"

He laughs a bit. "Yes."

"Sakura?" I ask a little too quickly.

He frowns a bit but shakes it off. "She marries Sasuke but I recall she confessed to you at some point."

I nod back and lean back. I do not continue for a minute. "Ino?"

He frowns deeply and I frown as well. "Marries Sai. We haven't found him yet and you don't meet him until later. Hopefully he's okay."

He lies down and starts pointing out the clouds as they pass by. I had seen him and Choji on the roof before. They looked happy doing that. I lie down and watch the clouds with him. I didn't understand the appeal but it might help clear my mind.

It doesn't but the thoughts do become less painful. If everyone was telling him the truth. "Must be nice to know the future."

"Agreed. It would be nice." I give him a confused look but he ignores it. "Do you know what happened to Mizuki?"

I shrug. I don't think he sees it but it was hard to read him. "I think he was reassigned. Why?"

He keeps looking up but his face looks annoyed. "He was a traitor."

I give a shudder and look back up. "Really? He seemed so nice."

His voice grows cold and he looks angry for the first time since I'd met him and I feel something weigh down on me. "He planned to trick you into stealing a forbidden scroll and frame you for the theft. When Ibuki caught him, he tried to kill him and you."

My eyes widen but I relaxed quickly. "That didn't happen though."

He relaxed as well and returned to his lazy self. "Yes. The ANBU caught him during the night."

I watch the change and nod in agreement. "That's good."

He turns to me with a serious look on his face, "You weren't supposed to pass."

It takes a second to process his words. My body goes limp and the world seems to float. "I wasn't, huh?"

He scrunches his lips and takes a deep breath. He noticed. "No. He convinced you to steal the scroll by saying you could graduate if you succeeded."

I answer but my voice sounds breathless. "Bastard."

He replies but sounds disappointed as he looked to the side. "Indeed."

We lie in silence before I reply. "So I passed only because of my future self."

He gives an unimpressed look before hitting me in the head. The strike was loud but didn't cause any pain at all. "You passed because the jutsu exam wasn't the bunshin. Also, I don't think Iruka is the type to rig your exams for you."

I continued to look at the sky and watch him only through the corner of my eyes. "He would do it for the Child of Prophecy."

He waits a moment before answering. "He didn't do it the first time."

I answer instantly. "That was different."

He gave me an annoyed glance and pouted. "You're really going to make me work for this, aren't you? How troublesome."

I sat up, raised my arms, and screamed my frustration at him. "No one's telling me anything."

He scrunched his eyes and looked away. "I see. Of course they would." He sat up with a face like when the old man yelled at me, but his looked like it was directed at someone else. "Would you like to know then?"

I stood up and went to leave. "Whatever."

"So different." Footsteps ran out from the trees and plants at the sides of the field. His classmates from the Academy and a few others he had not seen before appeared before him with a breeze and a bunch of leaves. "Well, it's a long story and I'm way too tired to tell it myself."

Hinata began their introductions but the rest follow suit after. "Hello, Naruto."

Sasuke did not speak and grunted at me but did it with a smile while Sakura gave a light wave. Kiba greeted me with a cocky grin and a confident voice and Shino nodded when he said my name as a greeting. Choji greeted me like an old friend and offered me a snack while Ino snuck in a flirty comment in her greeting. The ones he did not recognize were an older student who looked similar to Hinata, a bushy eyed boy in a green jumpsuit and a girl with hair buns holding a giant scroll. "Hey Naruto!"

I stopped and turned to Shikamaru. "Who are these three?"

The three answer for Shikamaru. "Neji Hyuuga. Hinata's cousin." Neji bowed as he introduced himself with a smile like he was speaking to his superior.

"Rock Lee! The Green Beast of Konoha!" Rock pumped his fist into the air.

"Tenten, weapon master." Tenten bowed, less than Neji, while releasing a spear from the scroll she was carrying to show her title.

Shikamaru walked to join the others in their group. "The Konoha 11. And Sasuke."

I took another look at the group. "That makes twelve. There are only eleven of you."

"I didn't know he could count that high." Sasuke smirks in a way that told me he was joking. "Think carefully about those numbers, Naruto."

I frowned. I had my suspicions but leave it to the bastard to rub it in. "Tch, bastard. So, I'm number twelve then."

Kiba shrugged. "There was never a ranking for it but the fact remains. There is no one anywhere that knows you more than us."

Hinata walked towards me and stopped a few steps away. She held out her arm like she was inviting me. "So, what do you want to know?"