"Hey. Let's play a game of hide and seek!"
Kiba was met with the unimpressed expressions of his classmates.
"Kiba. We're not little kids anymore," Ino said.
Kiba ignored Ino. "Iruka-sensei's out of class right now 'cause Naruto's off pulling one of his dumb pranks again! Waiting around for them to come back is gonna take forever!" he whined.
"We could use this time to study, Kiba," Shino said.
Kiba made a noise of disgust. "No way! Boooring! And besides, we play Hide-and-Seek for class exercises sometimes! That counts as studying!" He grinned. "Hey! How about we all try to catch Haru for once?"
At that, Haru shut her book. "I'm sorry, what?"
Kiba continued. "Obviously, we can't go anywhere beyond the Academy grounds. And someone's gotta stay to keep a lookout for Iruka-sensei. Don't want to get punished alongside Naruto for causing a disturbance in the village."
To Haru's horror, murmurs of agreement started among many of her classmates.
Then Kiba smirked at Sasuke, who was completely uninterested in his classmates' shenanigans. "What are you doing just sitting there, Sasuke? I thought you'd be up for something like this. Too upset about never being able to find Haru? You're such a hotshot but that's the one thing you haven't been able to do."
Sasuke straightened up.
"Don't encourage him, Kiba!" Haru hissed.
Kiba sent Haru a toothy grin. "What's the matter, Haru? Scared?"
Everyone's eyes lit up like wolves on the hunt. Their heads turned mechanically to focus on Haru.
Haru laughed nervously. Then she was engulfed in smoke, making everyone cough.
"Damn it! She used a smoke bomb!"
"Quick! Scatter!"
As most of the students rushed out of the classroom, Haru stayed hidden in a bush and carefully kept an eye out.
She was outrunning Kiba and Akamaru's noses, Shino's bugs, and Sasuke's competitiveness. All at the same time!
Some kids panted nearby.
"She's just one person! How is she so damn hard to find and catch?!"
"Tch! Just keep looking! We'll get her!"
Haru listened as the kids' footsteps faded away into the distance.
She couldn't stay here for long. Shino's bugs, along with Kiba and Akamaru's sense of smell, would detect her and pinpoint her location eventually.
As Haru inched her way out of the bush, she paused and squinted. - Wait…
Something glinted in the sunlight.
There, hovering above the grass, was a thin wire.
Sneaky, sneaky Sasuke. Trying to trip her with a concealed wire string.
Haru avoided the string and she rushed away, diving into a different bush.
All this running around's got me running out of breath! Come on, Iruka! Find Naruto already!
Jumping into bushes wasn't going to work forever.
Through the bush's leaves, Haru saw Lee walking out of the Academy building.
A new plan popped into Haru's head.
Transformation Jutsu!
The newly transformed Haru casually walked up to Lee. "Hi! Rock Lee!"
Lee took note of the transformed Haru's bowl haircut. "Ah! Hello there! Did you come from the Lee clan compound?"
Haru leaned in and whispered, "No, Lee! It's me! Haru!"
Lee's eyes brightened. "Oh! Ha-mmph!
Haru covered Lee's mouth. "Don't! I'm hiding right now!"
Lee's eyes widened. Then he quietly nodded in understanding.
Haru took her hand off Lee's mouth.
"Is someone out to hurt you, Haru?" Lee whispered. He looked concerned and ready for a fight.
"No. No. Nothing like that. I'm just playing a game of Hide-and-Seek."
Seeing the lack of panic and distress in Haru's eyes, Lee relaxed. "Oh. That's a relief." Then he tilted his head. "But why use the Transformation Jutsu?"
"I'm playing Hide-and-Seek with other ninjas-in-training. I have to be creative in my hiding techniques…Aaaaand I just really want to keep my winning streak, Lee."
Flames appeared in Lee's eyes as he passionately clenched his fist. "Aaaaah! Such a vibrant competitive spirit!"
"Hey! You two over there!"
Some of Haru's classmates rushed over to her and Lee. "Have you seen a girl with spiky black hair and red eyes? This short? Wears a lot of black?"
Haru resisted the urge to roll her eyes. You weren't supposed to ask for the hider's whereabouts in Hide-and-Seek.
But Haru supposed that with a bunch of kid ninjas-in-training, information gathering was practically ingrained into them. Or they were just really tired of losing to her.
"Nope! Not at all!" Lee answered. He slung an arm over Haru's shoulder. "I'm Rock Lee! And this is my cousin Pebble Lee!"
At the sight of the two weird-looking Lee clan kids, Haru's classmates simply regarded them awkwardly. "Uuuh…Ok…"
Then one of the kids pointed and shouted, "Look! Over there!"
Someone was darting away in the distance.
The kids took off running in hot pursuit. "You're not getting away this time, Haru!"
Lee looked at Haru with confusion. Wasn't she standing right here next to him though?
"Ha! Gotcha, Haru!"
Then came a pop and a puff of smoke in the distance.
"What? A clone?!"
Haru sighed in relief. The Clone Jutsu was excellent for diversion. Kiba never said she couldn't use the Transformation and Clone Jutsus. So she wasn't breaking any rules.
"Whoa…" Lee regarded Haru with admiration. "That was genius, Haru!"
"Thanks." Haru smiled at Lee. "Iruka-sensei isn't back yet. So I could just spend the rest of Hide-and-Seek with you, Lee."
Lee cheered. "Splendid! Let's get some snacks!"
Meanwhile, the students remaining in the classroom who stayed out of Kiba's Hide-and-Seek game waited for the others to come back.
Hinata looked outside the classroom window anxiously, worried about Naruto.
Shikamaru and Choji were hanging out and sharing snacks.
Sakura and Ino studied medical ninjutsu books together.
Then the students on sensei lookout gasped. "Quick! Iruka-sensei's coming back with Naruto!" They sent a signal to Kiba and the other seekers.
Kiba and the rest of the Haru Seeking team returned to the classroom glumly.
"Looks like you guys missed Haru again." Ino snickered. Noticing Sasuke's glower, she quickly said, "But you'll definitely get her next time, Sasuke! I believe in you!"
As everyone settled back into their seats, Iruka dragged in a tied-up and grumbling Naruto.
Then Iruka paused and looked around the classroom. "Hey. Where's Haru?"
Everyone shrugged.
"None of you saw her leave?"
No one wanted to tell Iruka that they had been playing Hide-and-Seek instead of studying. No one wanted to be tied up like Naruto.
So everyone just shook their heads.
Iruka groaned. "Don't tell me I have to look for Haru now too." Please, he'd run around the village enough already.
As if fate decided to give Iruka a break for once, Haru entered the classroom and quietly took her seat.
Iruka was relieved. "Haru, where were you?"
"Just went outside to get some fresh air, sensei. It's great for studying."
Kiba and the other seekers glared daggers at Haru, who took out a book to hide her face.
"Damn it!" Kiba cursed under his breath. "I can't believe Haru's managed to escape us all again!"
Haru - score: 99
Rookies - score: 0
"My graduation exam is next week, Haru!"
Lee shook intensely, unable to keep his nerves down.
"Don't worry, Lee. You'll be fine." Of course, Haru never doubted that Lee would become a splendid ninja. She knew of his future from the Naruto series.
And when Lee graduated, he would become a great taijutsu master (and Haru would be all alone again).
Now what was Haru going to do about her graduation exam?
Coming from a civilian family with no ninja lineage, it would be no surprise that she failed to pass. Then she could fuck off to the Genin Corps and frolic around with paperwork and coffee in the office all day.
…No wait. Bad idea. Danzo could pull her aside one day and no one would care.
Just great. She had no choice but to graduate and become a ninja.
She would be safest fulfilling missions outside of Konoha.
But was that much better though? Were her future teammates going to help keep her alive? Or would they all die as nobodies?
And Lee? He wasn't going to be with her. He was going to grow up destined for greatness. Apart from her…
Haru kept her eyes downward and fiddled with her hands anxiously.
Maybe this was for the best. She would just drag Lee down. He was better off without her.
"Haru, what's wrong?"
Lee's worried voice snapped Haru out of her thoughts.
"Nothing."
Sadness overcame Lee's face. "Haru, we're best friends! You can tell me anything! Please don't let me leave you suffering alone."
Haru felt like crying. She and Lee had only been friends for a few months. Yet he already considered her one of his precious people.
Ever since Lee and Haru first met, they spent time at the Training Field together. Lee practiced tree-climbing while Haru practiced water-walking. They worked out with jump ropes. They even sparred with each other, Lee using his nunchuck and Haru using her bo staff.
Lee made Haru's days just a little brighter with his presence.
But once Lee graduated, Haru would be left on her own again…
"My graduation exam is next year, Lee. What if I become a ninja and get killed? What if I die in battle?" Haru trembled violently. "I'm so scared. My heart feels like it's about to burst."
There was no guarantee that she would make it out okay.
Naruto was already this world's hero.
What need was there for Haru to exist?
Lee went quiet.
"…Lee?" Haru whispered.
Lee wrapped his arms around Haru, hugging her tightly. "I understand now, Haru! Thank you for confiding in me!" He pulled back and smiled warmly at her. "Don't worry! Everything will be okay!"
Haru's fear didn't completely go away. But Lee's smile made her feel just a little better. "Thanks, Lee."
And so, the fateful day arrived.
Standing outside of his classroom, Lee took deep breaths to prepare himself.
Accompanying him in support, Haru flashed a thumbs-up to Lee. "Good luck, Lee!"
Lee grinned and gave her a thumbs-up back. Then he stepped forward into the exam room.
Haru paced around nervously in front of the Ninja Academy entrance.
More students walked out of the Academy with headbands and there was still no sign of Lee.
Haru wondered if it was because Lee was having an especially difficult time with his exam since he couldn't do ninjutsu. Were his teachers skeptical of him, having to accommodate him with an adjusted exam for a taijutsu-only user? Would they go so far as to fail him outright?
Finally, Haru spotted a familiar pair of bushy eyebrows and rushed forward. "So how did the graduation exam go, Lee?"
Lee didn't cheer, didn't shout, and didn't jump up and down with joy.
That was strange. Why wasn't Lee proudly wearing his headband? Why was he being so quiet all of a sudden?
Instead of a wide grin, Lee only gave Haru a sad smile.
Something sank in the pit of Haru's stomach. "Lee…what happened?"
"Haru…I've failed the graduation exam."
Haru's heart stopped. "What?"
"I said I failed the graduation exam." Lee's smile turned into a reassuring one. "But I'm in no rush to graduate! I refuse to leave you behind! I promised you before, didn't I? I'll always stay by your side!" He gave Haru a thumbs-up. "That's a promise!"
Haru couldn't bring herself to give Lee a thumbs-up back.
No. No. No. This wasn't supposed to happen!
Lee was supposed to graduate this year with Neji and Tenten!
"Lee, can't your teachers change their minds?"
"Why would they need to? I've already made up my mind to stay an extra year at the Academy! So I can stay with you, Haru!"
"I didn't ask you to do that for me, you idiot!" Haru yelled. "You have so much potential to fulfill your dreams! Don't waste it on me!"
"It's not a waste!" Lee yelled back. "How could I call it fulfilling my dreams if I had to leave my friend behind?"
"Rock Lee, you stupidly loyal friend!" Haru shook terribly. She shut her eyes and sighed. "Maybe…Maybe it was better that we never met…"
Haru pushed past Lee and ran.
"Wait! Haru! Come back!"
Haru didn't stop, the only constant being the burning in her lungs and legs.
The truth was…Haru was the real idiot here.
She should've known better. Should've known not to befriend Rock Lee and jeopardize his future.
Damn it. Why did she have to be such a good-for-nothing…
Walking along a quiet path in the village, Haru kicked at a pebble on the ground.
Stupid. Stupid. I'm so stupid…
If only she had kept her dumb mouth shut, Lee wouldn't have done something so drastic.
What future was there for Lee now?
She should just get swallowed up by a black void in the ground and cease to exist…
A loud shout came from behind Haru.
"Hhhhhheeeeeeeeeeeeyyyyyyy!"
She turned around.
Haru's eyes bulged as she saw a man in a green jumpsuit rushing right at her. "Aaah!"
The man breezed right past Haru, skidding to a stop in front of her. He turned to Haru and waved a hand in greeting. "Hello there!"
Haru blinked. "Uh…yes…hello."
Wait. That bowl haircut and bushy eyebrows…And that green jumpsuit!
Might Guy?!
Guy grinned. "I am Might Guy! Lee's told me a lot about you, Haru!"
Haru blinked. Lee actually talked to Guy about her? "And Lee's told me a lot about you, Might-san."
Guy chuckled. "I'm sure you've also already met my eternal rival, Kakashi. He's told me about you too! What was it you call him? Rikimaru?"
Haru nearly keeled over.
Kakashi had told Guy about her too?! Sure, she had already met him twice but she didn't think Kakashi would care that much about her!
"Uh…yeah. That's right."
Haru turned her head away, unable to look at Guy. "You…heard what happened to Lee, right?"
A serious expression appeared on Guy's face. "Yes…"
Haru looked back at Guy pleadingly. "Can't we just tell Lee's teachers that he wasn't showing them his true abilities for my sake? Then they could let him retake the exam so he could graduate!"
Guy shook his head. "I'm afraid it doesn't work that way. If people found out that retakes were possible right after the graduation exam rather than having to take an extra year at the Academy, they'd be hammering at the Academy's doors day and night!"
"But Lee can't be held back at the Academy like this! This shouldn't be happening! I'm just slowing him down!"
Guy smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry! Lee will be placed in your class!"
This shocked Haru. "…What?"
"Yes. Kakashi and I managed to advocate for Lee's repeat year at the Academy and his placement in your class!"
So Guy and Kakashi pulled some strings to have Lee be able to stay with Haru.
The Academy Administration wouldn't dare argue with Hatake Kakashi, deadly Copy Ninja and Troll Extraordinaire.
"Seeing how passionate Lee was about staying with you, I knew I had to do something!" Guy teared up. "How noble of Lee to treasure his bonds! Such is the power of youth!"
"That doesn't matter!" Haru protested. "Lee should be training with you, Guy! How is he supposed to become the greatest taijutsu master if you're not his sensei?"
Haru began to cry. "How is Lee going to fulfill his dreams now? I screwed everything up!"
Guy placed a hand on Haru's head. "Haru, you have to believe in Lee."
Haru turned her head up, meeting Guy's earnest eyes.
Haru sniffled. "All right. I'll…try."
Guy laughed, giving Haru a thumbs-up. "That's the spirit!"
He smiled. "You should go talk to Lee, Haru. I can imagine that he really wants to see you right now."
Guy crouched down into a running stance. "I must depart and continue my training! Goodbye, Haru!"
Guy dashed off with a quick burst of speed, leaving a dust cloud billowing behind him.
Haru watched in awe. - Damn…he's fast.
Would Lee become that fast too?
Would Lee still be able to become who he was meant to be?
…
Haru knew what she had to do.
"Of course, he failed. What did you expect from someone who can't do ninjutsu? Someone like that could never be a ninja."
Lee tried hard to block it all out.
All the sneers, the jeers, and the snickers his teachers and classmates sent him.
Even as every insult stung, Lee held strong. His friendship with Haru was more powerful than any contempt slung at him.
Guy-sensei had said to him, "All your hard work will prove worthless unless you believe in yourself! Lee, I'm proud of you for being such a loyal friend." Then he gave him a thumbs-up. "So go ahead and study an extra year at the Academy with your friend! Don't worry! I'll take care of everything!"
And so, with Guy's reassurance, Lee failed the graduation exam. He performed badly on purpose but it still hurt that his teachers didn't notice anything was off. They deemed him a failure from the start…
Lee heard footsteps fast approaching him.
"Hey, Lee…"
Lee turned around. "Haru?"
Haru rubbed the back of her neck. "Lee…I'm sorry about everything I said." She smiled nervously. "Might-san told me that we're going to be in the same class together. Isn't that great?"
Lee's eyes widened. "You've met Guy-sensei? And he said that we were going to be placed in the same class?"
Haru nodded.
Lee couldn't believe it. So that was what Guy-sensei meant when he said that he would take care of everything.
"This is a wondrous miracle!" Lee hugged Haru tightly, tears streaming down his face. "Let's do our best together, Haru!"
"Okay, okay, Lee! Hug me a little more gently! I need to breathe!"
Haru's classmates didn't think much of Lee when he first arrived. He was just a flunk like Naruto was.
To Haru's relief, Naruto kept his distance from Lee, not wanting to catch his "uncoolness".
Lee stuck close to Haru's side and she, of course, stuck close to his.
"Haru!" Lee called as he ran to meet up with her for the class's break time.
"Hey, Lee."
As Lee turned his head to survey the rest of Haru's classmates, he suddenly froze and seemed to stop breathing.
At the sight of Sakura, Lee's cheeks instantly flushed. He clenched his fist with determination. "If I don't confess my feelings for Sakura and keep holding myself back, I will never be at peace with myself!"
Haru agreed with him. If Lee didn't confess now, she would not hear the end of his gushing about Sakura. Little kids' crushes weren't particularly interesting to her.
Haru gave Lee a gentle and encouraging push. "Go on. I'll be right behind you. And remember, don't force your feelings on her."
Lee nodded vigorously. "Right! And don't blow kisses at her either!"
Haru had a serious talk about consent and boundaries with him earlier.
Lee stepped up to Sakura and nervously waved at her. "Um! Hello there! I'm Rock Lee!"
Sakura, Ino, and their friends blinked in astonishment.
"Um…Hi! Was there something you needed?" Sakura asked.
Lee stiffened. "Um…Um…well…I…" He took a deep breath. "I really like you, Sakura!"
Sakura's face turned mortified.
"Hey!" Naruto stomped up to Lee. "I'm the one who liked Sakura first!"
Lee's nostrils flared. "Oh? A love rival?" He faced Naruto head-on. "Challenge accepted! Sakura will like me more!"
"Nuh-uh, it'll be me!"
"Boys!" Ino shouted. "You're stressing Sakura out!"
At Ino's scolding frown and Sakura's grimace, Naruto and Lee became ashamed. "Sorry, Sakura."
Then Lee's eyes sparkled. "So Sakura, will you do me the honor of being my girlfriend?"
Sakura shuddered. "No way! Like I would ever want to date you! Your hair and bushy eyebrows are weird!"
Lee flinched, sadness overcoming his face.
"Hey!" Haru shouted. "You don't have to accept Lee's feelings, Sakura. But you could've done that without insulting his haircut and eyebrows. Remember how you felt when people insulted your forehead?"
Sakura flinched. She turned her head down with shame. "…I'm really sorry, Lee. I shouldn't have said such awful things to you."
Lee gave Sakura a smile and a thumbs-up. "Apology accepted! I thank you for your honesty towards my feelings!" Then he walked off to a tree alone to quietly mourn over his rejection.
Naruto smiled at Sakura, pointing at himself. "What about me, Sakura? What about me?"
"Sorry, Naruto. I don't like you that way either."
Naruto let out a cry like he was dying inside. "Oh…Ok…" He proceeded to stand next to Lee in gloomy rejection solidarity.
Haru sighed and went to go pat Lee's back in comfort.
Ino patted Sakura's shoulder. "Aw. Don't worry about them, Sakura. They just need time to deal with their feelings."
Ino had tried confessing her feelings to Sasuke and gotten rejected herself not too long ago. So she totally understood how Lee and Naruto felt.
Catching sight of Sasuke nearby, Lee snapped out of his misery and stared intently at him.
"Lee? Is there something you want with Sasuke?" Haru asked. She wondered if Lee was so overeager that he wouldn't wait until the Chunin Exams and just challenge Sasuke right here and right now.
"No…Not right now…" Lee's expression turned contemplating. "Back in my old class, my rival was Hyuuga Neji. He always beat me in spars and laughed at me. I still want to prove myself to a genius like Neji!" Lee's fists clenched. "But when Sasuke becomes a full-fledged ninja with his Sharingan, I wish to test my abilities against him too!"
Naruto was broken out of his sad state and he stormed up to Lee again. "Hey! Buzz off! I was Sasuke's rival first!"
Lee blinked at Naruto in astonishment. Then he sent him a determined smile. "Is that so? We'll both be Sasuke's rivals then! We could even be each other's rivals!"
Naruto gaped. "Re-really? You would consider someone like me a rival?"
Lee nodded.
A huge grin appeared on Naruto's face. "All right! I'll wipe the floor with both Sasuke and you, Bushy-brows!"
After that, Naruto took a keen interest in Lee.
Haru, to her dismay, could not stop Lee from talking to Naruto.
Naruto and Lee got along swimmingly. They shared the same ideals and work ethic.
Naruto had already failed the graduation exam twice when he took it in advance to look cool. So he bonded with Lee over their shared failure in the graduation exam.
They even had a little friendly rivalry going on.
It was obvious that Naruto looked up to Lee. He admired Lee's determination to push forward despite failing to graduate once.
Whenever Naruto met eyes with Haru, he looked annoyed, probably not understanding why a cool guy like Lee was friends with someone lame like her.
And Haru would turn her head away from Naruto as she always did.
One day, Lee asked Haru the dreaded question.
"Why aren't you friends with Naruto, Haru?"
"I can't be around Naruto, Lee."
"Why? Do you dislike Naruto?"
"It's not that I dislike him! It's just-It's just-!"
Haru sighed.
"You're different, Lee! It's safe for me to be friends with you! If Naruto and I get friendly with each other, the villagers will just hate us more than they already do."
Lee's eyes widened. "So that's why…how horrible!" He grabbed Haru's hand and squeezed it. "But wouldn't you and Naruto be better together? Your friendship will be more powerful than the villagers' hatred!"
"It doesn't work like that, Lee!"
"But Haru! I'm friends with both you and Naruto, aren't I? I chose to be friends with you, no matter what the villagers say!"
Haru's eyes watered. She covered her face with her hands and trembled. Lee really was too good to her.
Lee was alarmed. "Haru! I'm so sorry! Are you-?"
"You can be friends with Naruto all you want, Lee. But don't force me to get chummy with him."
Lee's shoulders slumped. "All right, Haru."
Then Lee wrapped his arms around Haru in a warm hug.
She made no moves to push him away.
The graduation exam was soon.
Iruka set down his paperwork and wiped the sweat off his brow. It was a lot of work to grade his class's tests and make preparations for their upcoming graduation exam.
"They grow up so quickly, don't they, Iruka?" Mizuki sat down next to Iruka with his own set of paperwork.
Iruka smiled. "Yeah! They sure do!"
As a fellow Academy instructor, Mizuki would be assisting him with managing their classes' graduation exams.
Not only were there about to be new genin soon but new chunin as well.
The office buzzed with everyone talking about the Chunin Exams held by the village of Shimo in the Land of Frost.
"Do you think Lord Hokage is going to make it back to the village in time to greet our new graduates?" Mizuki asked Iruka.
"Of course, he will! He's never missed a single one!" Iruka said without any doubt in his heart.
The Third Hokage had been around for the graduation of the Legendary Sannin, the Fourth Hokage, and Iruka himself. There was no reason for him to miss this generation's graduation.
The door to the Academy Staff Office burst open. "There's been an assassination attempt on Lord Hokage!"
Horror filled Iruka's face.
And just like that, the excited chatter of the Academy staff died instantly.
"What? Someone tried to kill Lord Hokage?"
"You're fucking serious?!"
The entire office was thrown into disorder.
"Trying to murder Lord Hokage so soon after we lost Lord Fourth? They know no decency!"
"The other villages are getting too damn bold!"
"Is Lord Hokage alive?"
"Yes! Lord Hokage survived! He'll be returning to Konoha soon!" the messenger answered, relieving some of the tension in the room. "But remember! We are to keep the news of what happened amongst our ranks. We are not to spread the info to the rest of the village and put Konoha in a panic!"
Iruka sighed in relief. He calmed himself, stopping his heart from pounding so hard.
Mizuki chuckled, probably trying to calm himself down as well. "I guess you were right, Iruka. Not even an assassination attempt could stop Lord Hokage from seeing our new graduating classes."
Iruka smiled shakily. "Yes…"
But what of the other Konoha ninjas in Shimo? Who knows how many died during the exams? How many of the Third Hokage's bodyguards gave their lives to defend him?
None of the Academy students knew about the Chunin Exams yet. The chunin and jounin were sworn to keep it secret so that the students didn't get impatient and rush through their careers as genin.
Word was that the Chunin Exams were set to be held in Konoha next.
If the other hidden villages were getting so confident about attempting to assassinate the Third Hokage, would they be bold enough to invade Konoha? Especially in the aftermath of the Third Shinobi World War and the Fourth Hokage's death?
Iruka's hands shook.
It wasn't too long ago that Konoha was invaded by the Kyuubi.
In a single night, both of Iruka's parents perished.
If Konoha was invaded again, were his students going to be killed as well?
Iruka gritted his teeth.
No. His students would not meet the same fate!
He would prepare them. Make them ready.
They will survive.
"You fail!"
The words rang in Naruto's head again and again.
Naruto sat on his swing outside the Academy entrance, staring longingly at his classmates proudly wearing their headbands.
Outside of Naruto's sight, Lee and Haru looked at him from a distance.
Lee looked at Naruto and then looked back at Haru with a troubled expression.
As Lee began to walk towards Naruto, Haru grabbed his arm. She shook her head.
Haru didn't think Naruto seeing them with their headbands was going to make him feel any better. And she was already feeling the villagers' baleful glares on her. She needed to leave before things got sour.
Lee reluctantly followed Haru away.
Naruto stayed on his swing, feeling the heavy emptiness on his forehead. He had taken off his goggles that day, so hopeful, so desperate to finally graduate. But now his classmates were moving forward without him…
"Look. It's that boy."
"Yeah. He's the only one who failed!"
The villagers were badmouthing Naruto again. That was nothing new to him.
"What about the other one? The girl?"
"She passed."
"Shit. It would've been better if they both failed."
"Can you imagine if both of them became ninjas? It would be a disaster!"
Naruto's grip tightened on the swing's rope.
Haru…Haru…damn it! She was always leaving him behind! How come she could be friends with Rock Lee but not with him? Didn't she say she didn't need anyone but herself?
Yet at the same time, Naruto couldn't help but feel happy that Haru didn't fail. That she'd proven the villagers wrong by managing to become a ninja despite how much they despised her. Despite how wimpy she always acted. Naruto only wished the same happened for him too…
A shadow fell over Naruto and his swing.
"Huh?"
Naruto looked up to see Mizuki smiling down at him.
"Come with me, Naruto. I'll let you in on a little secret that'll help you graduate."
A/N: So I finished watching a playthrough of Aragami and it gutted me emotionally. Cool game.
So Haru is finally going to get assigned to her ninja squad next chapter!
Which team do you think she's going to be on?
Who do you think her teammates are going to be?
I'd love to hear your guesses and predictions!
