Bored, I lay in the hospital bed and stared at the white ceiling. Tonight, I would be allowed to leave if there were no more incidents. Why only in a few hours? I knew the Medic-Nin didn't want to take any chances, but still. It was just about noon. Oh boy. Now I was supposed to have the first training session with the new sensei the Hokage wanted to assign me. This would now probably fail. Kakashi told me that Naruto had stayed with me the whole night. Shortly before I woke up, he had sent him home. Still touched me the fact that the blond Chaot had held out several hours beside me. And that although he actually put a lot of value on sleep. Friendship could be so strong. And I was just grateful for it.

I looked out of the window. Kakashi had opened it, before he had gone. So that I could get some fresh air according to him. It would do me good. Whatever he meant by that. He was already somehow strange, but at the same time also really sympathetic. Yes, I liked the gray-haired Jonin. Somehow. Even though I hadn't known him for very long.

„Surprise." A soft voice sounded next to my ear. While not loud, it was still enough to give me half a heart collapse. I jerked my head around abruptly and slammed into an obstacle forehead and nose first. Stars danced before my eyes and a sharp pain shot through my head. „Ouch," my counterpart said, rubbing his forehead as well. „Man, you have a thick skull. It hurts, for real now." Despite my aching forehead, I had to grin. Naruto, as he lives and breathes. „Why are you here? Visiting hours are long over, aren't they?" A fat grin stretched across his face.

„Visiting you. It's obvious, right?" Of course. „Besides, it was really fun tricking the nurses." Typical Naruto. I shook my head. „Of course, you can't let them take away the fun." „Surely not," he looked at me playfully indignant and I laughed quietly. „That wouldn't be Naruto Uzumaki after all," I teased him. „Exactly."

„NARUTO!" it resounded angrily through the hallway. Uh, that must have been Sensei Iruka again. Who was also, once again, not well disposed towards the blond slob.

A hint of disappointment flitted across his face. „Too bad. I thought my sexy-jutsu would have put him out of action a little longer. But fine. Then so be it." He grinned wryly. I bit my lip. So close to laughing out loud.

„Um...Tora? Do you mind if I use your window as an escape route for a minute?"

I shook my head. „No. Not at all. That's strictly forbidden. I thought you knew that Mr. Uzumaki," I said, grinning in a reprimanding tone. Naruto laughed. „Thank you," he said, and was out the window in the next instant.

Not a second too soon, because Sensei Iruka was already rushing in the door, giving me a knowing look. I grinned slightly. „That guy. I'll get him someday." It didn't really sound that angry. „You know Sensei Iruka..., if I were just dismissed, you'd be rid of the Naruto problem here already." Addressed laughed lightly and scratched his head. „You know Tora. I'd love to ... it's just not up to me, unfortunately." I sighed softly. „Can't you at least ask? I'm supposed to be on strict bed rest, so I'm not allowed to get away from here until evening."

My soon to be no longer former sensei eyed me scrutinizingly and finally nodded. „All right, I'll ask, but I can't promise anything. „Thank you," I said. Then he was gone, and I leaned back in bed.

In fact, a full hour later, I was really allowed to leave. I was so relieved that I hugged the Medic-Nin assigned to me. Surprised, she stumbled back, but quickly regained her composure. Man, I was just too emotional.

Instead of my old clothes, I now wore new ones. Which now also rather reminded of that of a girl. I hoped that now no one more, came on the idea to confuse me with a boy. I wore a dark green shirt and over it a hooded jacket in a lighter green. My pants were raven black and went to my shins. Dark green elbow pads were on the right and left of my arms and a black glove, which left only the thumb free, had found its place on my hand. Since I had planned to practice more often with bow and arrow, which had surprised Sensei Iruka very much, I had asked him for just such gloves. Oh yes, and the sandals were of a beautiful dark green. Somehow, I liked this colour. Perhaps the many years I had spent in the forest were to blame for that.

I was quite pleased with myself. Naruto was walking next to me. Meanwhile, the afternoon had dawned. The sun was no longer so high in the sky and the streets of the village were bustling with activity. „Tell me, Tora. Would you like to go out for noodle soup with me tonight?" Naruto looked at me questioningly. "Sure thing," I said. But then I remembered something. „Wait, I don't have any money." „That doesn't matter, I still have two coupons. You can have one," he said. I screwed up my face. „I don't know when I can pay you back." But the blond just shook his head. „Your friendship is all I need," he said with an honesty that almost took my breath away. And so, Naruto was the second ninja I had already hugged today.

Laughing, we sat next to each other at Iraku and his daughter's house, slurping our noodle soup. I enjoyed the feeling as the warm soup spread through my stomach and drove away the feeling of being hungry.

However, for some time now, a question kept buzzing in my mind. I emptied my bowl and finally turned to Naruto.

„Tell me, why have you been fighting with Kiba so much these days?" Naruto choked on his noodles smoothly at my question and began to cough. Firmly, I patted him on the back. When he calmed down again, he gave an angry growl. „That Kiba. I just can't stand that guy." I raised an eyebrow. „But that's hardly going to be the reason why you two had a physical altercation with each other twice in a row, is it?"

„No. Not directly, at least. The first time, he saw the two of us together in the village and then mocked me when I was on my way home, saying that it's a wonder anyone can stand me and all that. And then he told me that I can never become a real ninja if you look at my previous achievements. From that point on, it was enough, and I punched him in the face."

A satisfied grin crept onto Naruto's face.

„Hehe. He didn't like that at all. But it kind of felt good to have showed him." Indecisively, I looked at him. While I understood his anger and the displeasure, he felt towards Kiba, still, violence wasn't always a solution. At least in my eyes, which was perhaps due to the fact that I had already been through quite a bit and thus detested it.

„And the second time, I really accidentally stepped on Akamaru's tail. Kiba completely freaked out. He's really attached to his mutt, too." „Naruto. You know as well as I do that, they're practically inseparable. How would you react if ...?" He interrupted me. „Yes, yes I know. I would probably react similarly in your case. But still it wasn't intentional. And then Kiba turned his friends against me ... which then ended in a fight. Well, I admit that I fueled his anger a little bit, but not that much. Really now." He looked at me with a just cute puppy dog look. I shook my head and sighed. „Just try not to get him riled up in the future. You see where this is going."

„I'll try," he said without looking me in the eye.

Scrutinizingly, I eyed him. „Promise?"

„Yes yes," he growled.

Let's see how long that would last.