The Boy in the Park

Chapter Seven

Naruko was nine, and he was sixteen and in high school. Time sure did fly, if he remembered how the young five years old girl was when they first met. He flipped through the pages of a book on history, when the girl came running down past him while laughing.

"Catch me if you can!" she yelled to a chuunin —Iruka Umino— who was apparently trying to get her to come to class. The academy's courses lasted all the way in the afternoon after all —and Naruko really didn't like to remain past lunch time.

One tiny part of him actually thought she was doing it for his sake, coming over to the park in the afternoon to read. The truth was probably that she disliked the classes held by Mizuki-sensei. There was a small giggle behind him, as he just sighed and dropped the book on his lap. Naruko jumped from behind the bench directly in his lap, before bringing his book back up, to hide her face.

The chuunin passed by them again while going in the opposite direction, all the while screaming.

"Narukoooo!"

As the chuunin left, Naruko sighed in relief.

"That was close, thanks Aniki!" she said brightly.

"You shouldn't be skipping school," he deadpanned to her. "What did you miss?" he sighed as he slowly shook his head.

"Stupid theory! I mean, the leaf is stupid because it doesn't stick, and all they do is tell me to use more chakra and…"

"Ah," he remarked. "Can't help you on that," he exhaled.

"Yeah, and Iruka-sensei wanted me to remain there to practice more today! But I didn't want to, really! Why is he always nagging at me? He wasn't like that before…"

Naruko mumbled as she slowly settled in his lap, her eyes moving to the book. "Aniki? Is there something you want?"

"Uh? Why do you ask?" he queried back. She seemed to fidget some more on his lap, her ponytails in her hands as she seemed to be moving the ends of them one against the other.

"B-Because yeah! You helped me out!"

"There's nothing I need," he replied with a light shrug. "So, how's your homework going?"

"Ah, yes…" she fidgeted a bit more before nervously chuckling. "It's all right, really," she looked around. "I can do it really well."

"Oh, really?" he remarked. "I heard something different from the Hokage," the fact the Hokage had summoned him —once more bringing him near a heart attack— to actually ask him to investigate on it…he shuddered. Why were people suspecting that he was the most direct link to Naruko? Couldn't they ask Ayame? They were practically sisters!

Naruko's mood soured. "It's not my fault anything I write is wrong! When I write something right, they say I'm cheating! And when I have questions they never answer me or say it's too stupid! I mean…didn't Hashirama ever have to go to the bathroom?"

He sweatdropped before exhaling in relief.

"I see," he nodded. That stopped the incoming rant from Naruko.

"Really?" she whispered.

"Really," he said back. "So…what questions do you have?"

"Things like…chakra, I mean…It's in us, right? So why can some mould it and others can't?" her voice lowered itself considerably as she spoke, her eyes downcast. "And more but I can't recall them…"

"Ah…" he ruffled the girl's hair, earning a startled yelp of surprise form the kid. "Worrywart."

"Aniki!" she whined pitifully. "That's not true!"

"Well, how about you write down your questions? I'll try and find the answers for them then, but I expect a good mark on your next test." Naruko's eyes widened like saucers.

"Really, Aniki?"

"Yes," he rolled his eyes. "Really. Just write your questions down, and I'll go through them." His mother had retired from the shinobi business, so technically he could ask her… Not that he'd actually do it. They barely even talked now, but her old books? Oh, he was sure they were somewhere around the house.

"You're the best!" she hugged him tightly after that, as he simply kept his hand on her head to pat her —she really sounded like a cat when he did that.

"NARUKO!" he nearly jumped off the bench when he heard the scream of the Chuunin in question. He looked into the face of Iruka Umino for the first time, and widened his eyes as he saw the scarred man close to him.

"Ah! Aniki help me!" Naruko grabbed on to his neck just as Iruka tried to pry her off.

"Naruko! Let go! I'm sorry sir," the man said to him as he was actually holding his arms against the bench to avoid being flung around like a ragdoll. "Come on Naruko! Let go of the mister! You can't act spoiled!"

"Anikiiiii!" Naruko had waterfall tears down her face as the Chuunin in question carried her away. He chuckled nervously and waved goodbye to Naruko, before returning to his reading. He knew that in two or three hours the girl would be back —maybe four or five depending on her punishment.

He smiled to himself as he turned another page. He closed his book and stood up from the bench, before heading over to Ichiraku —he'd have a snack, just to pass some time.

As he entered the stall, Ayame greeted him with a 'Sempai!'

"Heya," he said with a nod. "Naruko was caught again."

"That girl," Ayame shook her head stifling a giggle. "Miso ramen?"

"Yep," he remarked.

"Neh, Sempai? I have a question for you," Ayame said as she slowly began to stir the broth —she worked in her father's stall in the afternoon after all. "What do you plan on doing after school?"

"Ah," he nervously looked away. "I still don't know," he shrugged. "My mother wanted me to become a shinobi, when it turned out I couldn't become one she just nagged me to go work for my uncle in accounting. I'll probably decide when I'm older," he sighed. "You?"

"Eh…isn't it obvious?" Ayame said with a light grin. "I'll be a cook just like my dad."

He smiled at her. "Good for you," he replied.

As he began to eat, he actually did think about it.

What, exactly, was he going to do of his future?