AN: So here's a little something I've been wanting to cook up. Some of the first stories I've ever read on this sight have been OC-centric in the Naruto-verse. So I thought I'd try my hand at having a little fun.

Hope you enjoy.

There was nothing.

But there was everything.

A void.

A limitless sky.

Never ending darkness.

A shimmering ocean.

The abyss.

And the forest.

I wanted to scream.

So I did.

My lungs expelled the noise, and yet they didn't.

…where…

"Where are you?"

A cheerful voice pierced this infinity of contradiction with a helpful prompt.

I was startled, but I was incapable of showing it. This madened realm was beyond my comprehension. Thought still pierced my mind, and my brain tried to formulate a question for my semi-existent mouth to yell out.

"Easy. Take a deep breath. Stay calm"

In a flash of revelation, I could feel my arms, legs, lungs and heartbeat. I now existed within the void.

"WHERE AM I?!" I screamed, "WHO ARE YOU?! LET ME OUT!"

"So eager" the voice chided. Whoever it was, they were speaking down to me, they-

My mind reeled.

I had been slumped in an alleyway, blood dripping from my side. Stabbed. I remember everything slowly slipping away, a deep tiredness taking my bones and body as my eyes had fluttered shut.

"And then you ended up here!" the voice cheered, "awfully fortunate" it concluded.

"Answer me!" I screamed, ignoring the gleeful tone in favor of my burning aggression. Because something was awfully wrong here. This endless nothing burned at my mind, slowly ripping away at my sanity as the images of a ragged man with a knife crept up on me.

What happened?

Where am I?

This voice, who-?

"Relax"

The playfulness was gone from its tone. A tingle in my semi-existent spine rattled through my body. My train of thought was instantly derailed. But so was my building panic.

"There. That's better. Don't forget to breathe now, little soul"

I managed a few more shuddering breaths, but remained silent.

"Now. Where you are doesn't matter. Who I am, doesn't matter. Why are you here?" the voice scoffed, "I suppose that might matter, but I couldn't care less"

It's childlike joy was starting to piss me off.

Anger built in me, a revolting rolling rage that helped suppress the billowing fear and terror in my heart.

"Then what does matter, asshole?"

Pain exploded across me. The entirety of me. Agony like I have never known it before burned over my form like lava.

I screamed.

And then the pain vanished.

"Language" the voice chided.

"But what does matter hmmm? Well, what matters is your answer to my question"

In the nothingness, a figure appeared. Featureless and blank, its entire body was hidden by the nothingness. And yet it tauntingly floated before me, its legs crossed and a featureless head supported by a white limb of nothingness.

…. I must be going insane.

And yet, I hadn't the energy to rebel against this madness. My anger remained, but I couldn't fight my current circumstances.

"Ask me then"

That didn't mean I would bow to this thing.

"So feisty!" the thing exclaimed, clapping silently at my rumbling temper, completely unmoved by my abject anger.

"Well…" it settled down again, returning to its seemingly contemplative and cheerfully observant tone "do you want to live?"

….

…

Huh?

"Of course I do" I snapped, "what kind of question is-"

The alleyway….

Darkness.

The figure approaching me…

Surprise.

The knife.

Pain….

The chaos of all the nothingness slowly started to bleed away.

"Am I… am I dead?"

"Oooooooh" the thing wondered aloud, leaning forward, "you catch on quickly, little soul" the joy in its voice was evident. I could imagine a face upon its featureless head and with it I imagined a savage grin.

"But you've already answered my question. So now-"

A solid structure pierced the void, appearing before the thing that hovered above-

No. There was no up and down here…. This thing was all around me.

And the structure?

It was…

"-you get to spin the wheel!"

I couldn't help it.

"Huh?"

It was made of black wood. A great revolving wheel with a marker at its top. Peering at the wheel my eyes turned blurry. I couldn't read what the markings on it said…. Nor could I see all of it. The wheel was before me, a physical object, but like the rest of this madened place it did not conform to any sense of rational understanding.

It was an infinite circle.

"You won't see what you get until you spin it" the thing laughed, "trust me, it's impossible to cheat on this one. You get what you get, little soul"

I couldn't stand the taunting voice.

"And if I don't want to spin it?" I asked, defiant to a fault.

"Then you die"

The answer was abrupt and simple.

And threatening. So I took my chances.

My hand brushed the scratchy and worn material, my eyes locked on the pointer arrow at the top of the spinning wheel.

"Will you tell me what's going to happen?" I quietly ask, consigning myself to whatever gleefully annoying answer I would likely receive.

"Nope!" the thing joyfully popped out, "now, hurry up! I'm just as excited as you are!"

Excited wasn't what I was feeling.

But I spun the wheel all the same.

The endless circle hurdled past, an infinite number of symbols and markings flying by as the wooden wheel spun for a second, and for an endless time.

As it began to slow, the symbols ticked just one more over, leaving a marking I couldn't discern at the very top.

I'd spun the wheel.

The thing moved through the void, coming close to myself as it looked up at the wheel. I studied it instead, giving up on trying to understand what the wheel was.

"Again?" it sighed in exasperation, "well, it is a favorite after all-"

"If the result bores you, let me spin it again" I snap, minding my language as to avoid the searing agony the thing inflicted on me before.

"Huh" it turns away from the wheel, glancing at me with what I would like to imagine as curious consideration. Even if it didn't have a face.

"As interesting as that sounds, unfortunately there are rules"

"I'm dead" I snap, "so fuck the rules. Spin it again if whatever it is, is so damn bor-"

I convulse before I can get another word out.

"Language" the entity mutters, its attention focused on the wheel.

As I come down from my temporary ticket to pain town, this bloody gleeful bastard remains studying the wheel.

"No. The destination is set in stone…" it grumbles.

I keep my mouth shut.

Frankly I have no clue what's at stake here…. Nor do I understand what I am speaking to, where I am, or what's going on.

I have a few clues, but beyond that I'm lost.

"But perhaps… oh!" it jolts forward, a semi-existent hand touching the wheel gently, "let's layer another on top of the first! What a brilliant idea!"

I frown.

An inkling of worry tells me that I may have bitten off more than I can chew with my suggestion.

The wheel suddenly changes. I can't tell what has happened to it…. But something's off.

"Well now, little soul! Let's make things interesting!"

And then the thing spins the wheel.

"Hey!" I snap, "you bastard! I thought I- AHHHHRG!"

…I barely managed to hear the thing's response as the pain began to disperse.

"Rules, little soul, rules. You only get one spin"

The wooden wheel rattled as it rotated.

"Even God has to play by the rules" I snort, "what a joke"

"God?" the thing quizzically repeated, "you think I'm a God, little soul?"

The wheel started to slow.

It laughed, "how naive"

I glared.

The wheel slowed even further.

"Then what are you" I wanted to curse, but kept my fury in check.

"Oh" it laughed, "that's easy. I'm you!"

What?

"And I'm also not you!"

…HUH?!

"That doesn't make any-"

"Sense, yes, I can see how a simple existence such as yours may see it that way" the thing tittered with humor as it snatched my disbelief from my mouth.

The wheel was coming to an inevitable stop.

"A reflection may reveal many things, little soul. One must dive deep into themselves to know who they are" it pointed at the stopped wheel.

"But that's neither here nor there"

It sounded like it was smiling again.

And once more, I couldn't make out the markings on the wheel. It was a language of some kind, but not one I was able to read.

"Try to have some fun" it suddenly remarked, the wheel disappearing between us "most don't make it very far"

"And why's that?"

It shrugged with a laugh, "too worried about dying. I don't think you'll be any different though, you-"

The thing stopped.

Its featureless presence stopped right before me, its being right in front of me.

I could see a smile on its face now, a real smile.

It was vicious.

"Ha! Oh this is going to be so much fun! For a moment I almost didn't see it!"

See what?

… my voice was gone though. I didn't get to speak anymore.

Yet the darkness of the void was slipping away. This realm of contradictions was starting to dissipate.

All I can hear is its laughing declaration as the void vanishes.

"Monster!"

It is a mixture of both condemnation and praise.

I awoke to a rough hand shaking my body. There wasn't much force behind the movement, but it was boisterous enough to draw me from my deep slumber.

…and the weird dream I'd had.

"Hurry up idiot, or we're going to be late!"

Late? For what?

I drowsily sit up. My bleary gaze falls upon the intruder in my room.

My eyes widened.

Spikey blond hair.

Whisker marks on his cheeks.

….holy fucking shit.

My memories of the void return, the whole world in front of me suddenly turning on its side. My mind goes haywire.

I couldn't hold it.

"AH!" a young Uzumaki Naruto fails to leap back in time as I voided my stomach all over my bed, the floor, and his sandalled feet.

…this can't be fucking happening.

Reincarnation?

Multi verses?

I'm left to ruminate upon the nature of my current situation once the blond hurricane is gone. I'd managed to convince the protagonist himself, one Naruto Uzumaki, to go ahead to the academy while I dealt with my little accident.

The blond idiot had bounded off without a second thought once I told him to let Iruka-sensei know I'd be a little late, but would be there.

The washing machine begins its cleaning cycle and I turn back to the staircase that would lead me to my apartment.

After my indecent spillage, a few things had settled into place once I'd managed to get the exuberant blond out of my face with my puking being chalked up to "examination nerves".

Once I was capable of delving into my thoughts, it had only taken a few moments for the memories to organize themselves.

For a brief moment I glance at my hands.

I'm an orphan.

Or at least, the body I'm in, which is now me, is an orphan.

'So I'm an orphan' I remind myself.

I sigh.

My thoughts are a little sketchy right now, but the memories are solid and tangible. This is real.

My parents died when I was young. During the nine tails attack. And now its container was my de facto best friend.

Go figure.

I can only chalk that up to the fact that myself and Naruto grew up together. His proximity to myself in our early years had earned me the village's indifference as well. Thus Naruto was my only friend and I was his only friend. Once the two of us were old enough, we were moved out of the Orphanage and into the assisted living development.

Not great, but not terrible.

Do I think being friends with the blond nutcase damaged my chances of adoption?

Absolutely.

But considering the truth of my circumstances, a little peace and quiet wasn't a bad thing.

What was terrible was the fact I was enrolled in the Shinobi Academy.

That was not good.

The world of Naruto… my new world…. was filled with murder and violence. Tens of thousands were slaughtered daily just so the balance could be maintained, and I was to become a footsoldier in the endless massacre that was the Shinobi lifestyle.

I glumly turned into my apartment, softly closing the door behind me.

Fuck.

Enemy hidden villages, Orochimaru, Tailed beasts, Akatsuki, Madara Uchiha… I'm an academy student who can just complete the basic techniques required to pass, and those are the entities that linger in the shadows?!

Who the fuck am I to do anything against that when things finally go down? Because it's not a matter of if these terrors in the night come knocking, but when.

And when they do I'll die like any other nobody.

…

Oh right.

My name.

Whatever it was before… I can't recall. But the body I'm in is called Ryo.

So…I guess I'm called Ryo now.

Fuckin Ryo.

It's the same pronunciation as the currency used around here, but probably has a different meaning. I couldn't care less though.

Ryu would have been cooler. I'm pretty sure that meant Dragon or something.

But Ryo?

What kinda fucking name is that.

A future name on a casualty list, that's for sure.

I sighed.

The words of the entity tickled the back of my skull as I began to change into a dull gray set of clothes.

"Too worried about dying, huh?" I already feel exhausted.

I'm a side character. A kid. At best I'll just be a casualty of war for my best friend Naruto's moral character to overcome.

Probably killed off horribly by whatever enemy of the week he's up against.

By the time I'm dressed my thoughts have settled.

I couldn't hold off on it any longer.

Time to go see the village I lived in. Time to go become a killer, I darkly think to myself. A part of me fears this world… a big part of me at that.

But another piece of my soul twists.

Deep down, I'm curious.

My thoughts may be guarded, but I'm keeping an open mind.

After all, living is way better than dying.

The Hokage mountain is pretty amazing in person.

I've always felt it to be a little egotistical, but it wasn't a half assed effort born out of narcissism.

It's my first day in the village hidden in the leaves, and even though I was required to show up at the academy…. Somehow I really just couldn't be bothered.

I'm not excited to get started down the path of a Shinobi. Not one bit.

But I'm getting the distinct feeling that one way or another I'm going to get roped into things.

…so until someone gave enough of a shit about my absence to show up to get me, I'd take my time slowly walking to the academy with my hands in my pockets.

A nonchalant stroll through a fictional city….

How surreal.

But Konoha was beautiful. The people I passed in the streets, less so. I got a wide berth from all the passers by, which felt kinda cool. But the more apparent their disgust and dislike was… well it disfigured them to me.

Blind hatred served no purpose.

And what did these people know?

Hate for the nine tails? Hate for the kid that hung around its container?

Ignorance and fear guided their dislike, so I didn't care for the most part. But since no one cursed at me, I wouldn't swipe back at them. In fact, having enough space to walk in a busy street was pretty nice.

Gave me a pretty decent view at least.

And as soon as the Hokage mountain came into view I couldn't take my eyes off of it.

Hashirama, Tobirama, Hiruzen and Minato were on it.

One through four, the best this village had to offer…

"Keh" I grunt.

Arguably some of the strongest characters to ever exist in fiction, and each of them died one way or another.

A decidedly dark thought worked its way to the forefront of my mind.

'Monsters… the lot of them…'

Not that I'm cursing them or anything, but just expressing my irritation at the bar being set so high.

A ridiculous comparison for a bare bones academy student to make, but the gulf between my current abilities and theirs…

I could barely feel my Chakra, even though I knew it was there, and the Hokage's had the ability to wipe a city off a map.

I wanted to scoff at the thought.

Back where I was from, explosives were one of the only sure fire ways to destroy vast amounts of land instantly. Here, a single individual making hand signs was all it could take.

I can't quite imagine being ripped apart by a sentient forest, or killed so fast I don't even get the chance to register I'm about to die… Well I suppose guns do produce a similar result, but here the same outcome of instant death can be achieved by one man and a knife. And that same hypothetical man could also be capable of killing a thousand more all within a second.

…

Yeah.

I was in the playground of these kinds of people.

Monsters.

Each of them were as respected as they were feared. For good reason too.

I suppose that their effigies were meant to convey both feelings. Respect for those that had lived, and would continue to live, under their rule…

And fear, for those that would work against them.

I didn't know which feeling won out in my own heart, but there was indeed the presence of both.

That's because I'm not so keen on dying for a fictional village, for people I couldn't care less about.

Sunshine.

Laughter.

Playing around a swing set.

I stopped in the middle of the road, my eyes casted down at the sudden memories that flooded over me.

…I suppose that Naruto wasn't that bad. He was a good kid with a good heart. I couldn't care less about the rest of Konoha, but that idiot didn't have a hateful bone in his body. When Ryo had been sad, the blond had been there for him.

A child's intentions were always pure.

Friendship in exchange for nothing…

Naruto was indeed a good person at his core.

A poor choice of profession on his end…. But I don't think a Jinchuuriki could walk any other life path than that of a ninja…

Myself on the other hand?

If I could, I'd consider being a Chef of some kind, or work in some other industry with a far better mortality rate.

But my circumstances are not a mistake.

No. I had spun the wheel and this is the situation I had ended up in.

It would seem best to make the most of it.

Besides, I'd taken a long thought about my current circumstance.

At worst I die a painful death… at best I learn to defend myself and get to live a bit longer.

Either way, I'd at least do my best to enjoy it. I resume my leisurely stroll toward the academy, but am almost halted by a voice popping up beside me.

"Out for a stroll, Academy student? And here I thought it was your big day"

Man… Shinobi sure are quiet.

I know it's a trained killer because I never heard or saw him pop up next to me until he spoke.

I turn to look at the stranger-

Oh what the fuck.

Already?!

Hatake Kakashi was a formidable Shinobi. Not many Ninja reached the upper limits of an A ranking classification, but those that did were the ones whose names drew attention for those in the know.

Few, however, recognised such Shinobi by sight.

Kakashi was a professional after all.

Witnesses, besides his own comrades of course, weren't common. The Shinobi that Kakashi had tangled with and lived to tell the tale were far and few between.

Especially when the fight was serious.

` So the copy Ninja was decidedly confused as the wandering academy student recognised him. There was nothing to mistake the blatant surprise and shock…. And fear, huh?... that erupted across the youth's face.

A name settled in Kakashi's mind.

This was Naruto's lax childhood friend.

Ryo.

Another orphan.

Back when the ANBU were still guarding the youth actively, Kakashi remembered the first day's Naruto had been transferred to the orphanage. He remembered seeing their friendship form.

But Ryo hadn't seen him.

"Jonin-san" the boy spluttered, bowing slightly, "I'm sorry. I was expecting Iruka. I did not expect this to warrant your attention"

Hmmm.

Kakashi was almost fooled by that.

Almost.

'Jonin-san' he chuckled internally, 'you know who I am'

There were a few possible explanations to this.

The bounty books, Bingo-Books, were public knowledge after all. In a world of professional Assassin's, it behooved oneself to keep an eye on who was who.

But bingo books were only a statistical analysis attached to names. For most, it merely described skills and presented a threat classification.

Only a fully fledged ninja could make sense of what the skill rankings in the books meant in the real world.

Letters, numbers and classifications to a civilian… potential deaths, dangers and hazards to a knowledgeable Shinobi.

"Easy there" Kakashi merrily declared, waving a hand in casual dismissal "I'm not here for you kid, was just passing by when I spotted you"

Ryo pulled up from his bow.

"Ah… I see" he said, awkwardly.

… he was attempting to end the conversation.

The Copy Ninja wasn't so inclined.

'But how is it you know who I am, kid?' Kakashi thought to himself.

"But I have to ask, why skip? It's your big day after all, no?"

The kid got affronted, "I'm not skipping!"

At his sudden, almost shouted, exclamation, the youth quickly brought himself back in. A few nearby eyes had been drawn to the furious noise, but Kakashi paid them no mind.

Slowly, the kid looked him in the eye.

"Just…" a note of humor but also sadness appeared in the boy's eye, "thinking about things. Thinking about my life, and the road it's now on"

He looked over at the Hokage monument, studying the far off faces that dominated the skyline.

"I guess you could say I'm a bit lost… and needed some time to find myself"

The boy's gaze returned to him, his light blue eyes boring into his.

Kakashi felt his entire body tense for a hair moment.

Something… something was grinding at his senses, something he couldn't make heads or tails of.

Something was off about the orphan.

"Having second thoughts?" Kakashi managed to ask, casually appraising the boy, "it's normal. Being a Shinobi isn't a life path that most should choose"

Ryo shrugged, "sometimes looking in the mirror is easier said than done. None of this" the boy looked to the world around him, "seemed real to me, until this moment"

The village didn't seem real?

What did he…

Oh.

To dedicate oneself to the village.

Now Kakashi was beginning to get it.

The kid had started to look into Shinobi life. Properly. Not by reading textbooks or studying history, but by reading Bingo-books… or asking questions, or visiting graveyards… If he'd been asking questions Kakashi knew of a few Shinobi who'd give it to the boy bluntly.

If he'd managed to bump into anyone like Ibiki, or anyone from Ibiki's department… well based on how relatively optimistic the kid seemed, Kakashi ruled that possibility out.

Many seasoned veterans would often comment how the training methods of today returned, soft Shinobi. Only the very wise could see that churning out unthinking and unfeeling killers was exactly what nearly destroyed the Shinobi world during the Clan Wars.

To kill for the sake of inflicting death, or for the sake of protecting another… that was the difference between many modern Shinobi and those of Kakashi's era.

Some exceptions could certainly be found for both cases, in any time as well, and as of this moment, Ryo seemed to be figuring it out.

What it meant to fight for a village, to fight for those that lived beside him.

And perhaps his allies too.

"RYO! What are you- Hatake-san!"

Chunin Iruka Umino had come running toward them, but stopped a few steps before reaching them upon noticing the Copy Cat Ninja.

"Iruka-sensei" Ryo was quick to address the somewhat confused man, "I apologize for my tardiness. I wasn't feeling well this morning, I had hoped Naruto would have told you"

That snapped the scarred man out of it.

"Of course he did… but not until he'd completed his exam!" Iruka fumed, "I came to check on you as soon as we realized you were absent!"
"I'm sorry, Sensei" Ryo repeated, "I'm… nervous"

Kakashi felt a pang in his chest at the boy's uneasiness.

'Hesitation gets you killed' reminded a well ingrained part of him.

And to a degree, what Ryo was expressing was partially built around hesitation. But Kakashi knew it was more than that.

This was intentionally dedicating yourself to a difficult life.

Not an easy choice by any means, and a painful truth that many do not truly come to terms with, until the moment they're required to take their first life. Or when the life of a friend or loved one is taken from them…

"Maaa" Kakashi exclaimed, "never jump without looking, kid. Once you get the best picture you can, then make your mind up"

Ryo nodded at him steadily, "thank you, Jonin Hatake-san. I'll keep those words in mind"

The silver haired man let his eye turn to a smile as he sheepishly rubbed his head, "how rude of me, little student"

The copy ninja never saw the boy's eye twitch.

"Hatake Kakashi, Jonin-sensei of Konoha. But you knew that already, didn't you?"

As he opened his eye slowly at that, Kakashi took in the boy's bashful and embarrassed expression.

"...yeah"

"Pardon me, Kakashi-san, but Ryo really needs to get to his exam. If you would excuse us"

"Ah. My bad. Well, since I've taken up so much of your time" the Copy Ninja casually shrugged, "How 'bout the two of you just side along with me"

Ryo blinked.

"Side along?"

A side-along Shunshin is gross.

Fucking.

Gross.

One second Kakashi put his hand on both mine and Iruka's shoulders, the next he was stepping away from us, waving a cheerful "bye!" before vanishing.

And for the second time that day I hurled.

The sudden motion was jarring.

Incredibly so. Something about experiencing the sheer speed of the movement for an instant, and then returning to a static position. My body wasn't able to adjust to the change, let alone the moment of travel itself, before everything was back to normal.

"I'm sorry Ryo-kun, but time really is of the essence"

Iruka tried to be considerate, but nevertheless we made it inside the Academy and to the examination room.

What a trip.

Ninja examination, after hurling my guts up twice. At the very least I can't say my first day in Konoha has been boring.

For how stressed I had been thinking about my future, the tests went well.

All that worry disappeared after I was able to complete every challenge with relatively successful results.

'This is the minimum requirement for children' I reminded myself, once my clone technique had fizzled out.

"You did well, Ryo-kun"

Iruka had given me a beaming smile, likely having picked up on a thing or two about what was going on inside my head. He was trying to ease my tension. Iruka's a good teacher.

But I didn't need this partial pity and praise.

I'm going to pass. I know that already.

A second later I'm outside the testing room, face to face with all the others that had already gone their turn.

…my first impression of some of the main cast is surprise.

If I didn't already know who most of them were, I'd have to say they seemed like pretty normal kids. Sure some of them seemed more aristocratic than others, but I was having some trouble lining them up now with who they would become.

No one really paid attention to me entering the relatively filled room, so I managed to get a good look at everyone.

I knew their names. And not just from the abundant classroom memories.

Ino. Choji. Shikamaru. The family trio team that would play a great roll in future conflicts. One was a bratty blonde girl, surprisingly sitting amongst a few other girls instead of fawning over the resident Uchiha. The other two were lazily sitting side by side, one eating crisps as the other was head down on his desk, napping.

Like I said, kinda hard to see what they would become compared to who they are now.

Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame and Hinata Hyuuga were also present. They were, like the others, a mere shadow of their future selves, but the foundation was there.

Kiba looked a lot more vicious than I imagined he would, his fangs beared proudly as he loudly chatted with other people.

And Shino certainly looked a lot creepier, especially behind those glasses of- the bug user's head tilted towards me ever so slightly.

I force my eyes to move elsewhere in the room as I slowly make for my seat.

Back of the room, next to Naruto's-

The blonde's chair is empty.

Right.

In canon he doesn't pass.

"Looking for the blonde dork, pinkie?" a snide voice floats over the din.

Pinkie?

Oh right. That's my hair color.

And the voice was Kiba's, a regular antagonist to Naruto and myself.

The Inzuka's question was rhetorical, as the smarmy bastard loudly finished what I'd already concluded.

"He failed. For good. Could barely hold himself together!"

My eyes were still on Naruto's empty seat.

Kiba had always been cruel.

He was a child, after all. There was nothing as pure and as cruel as children.

I made my mind up.

Even though I was likely supposed to remain in this room for the post examination debriefing, there was a friend I needed to go see. I knew where Naruto would be after all.

Walking back down the steps and to the front row of the classroom, I'm face to face with a smirking Kiba.

At some point all the chatter and noise in the room had died down.

As Kiba and I face off, everyone is likely expecting a fight of some kind. In my memories, Ryo and Kiba had fought before.

And everytime, Ryo lost.

…so I don't even bother. My hands slip into my pockets as my eyes hold his for a moment.

"Excuse me" is all I say as I slip by him.

I'm out the door of the classroom a second later.

I never took note of the coal black eyes that followed me out.

"Oy"

Naruto's eyes snapped up, his entire body twisting in the swing chair toward the voice that had called to him.

Ryo was walking toward him, hands in his pockets.

Always trying to look so damn cool.

Ryo was a genin now. He had passed the exam.

The blond hadn't stayed long enough for Ryo to take his test, but in his heart he knew the outcome.

His pink haired friend wouldn't fail.

Not like he did.

Not being able to make a damn clone!

Naruto grit his teeth, "go away" he weakly growled.

Ryo was by his side in another moment.

"Ah?" the pink head wondered, "but I just got here"

Naruto slumped on himself, turning his body away.

A pain shot through his heart.

Failing the exam? …now he wouldn't be able to become a ninja. Now he wouldn't be able to pursue his dream…

Ryo knew this as well.

Naruto only managed a brief, yet hurtful admission.

"I don't want your pity"

The chair beside him rattled as Ryo sat down in it, twisting the seat slightly so he could still take a look at the blonde.

"And you're not getting any. Quit moping and look me in the eye, Naruto"

The blonde was used to carefree quips and a miserly attitude, not… a voice of authority. Naruto was used to that voice from someone like the old man, not from Ryo.

So he complied, eyes still dusted with tears as he surprisingly looked his friend in the eye.

Ryo was frowning.

"Giving up so soon? I never thought some stupid test would get the best of the great soon to be Hokage, Uzumaki Naruto"

The blonde couldn't help a barked retort of, "hey! The Exam was-"

"One way of becoming a Ninja," Ryo abruptly cut through him, "I'm sure there are others. Besides, Hokage-sama believes in you. Another chance will come"

"And how do you know that?!" Naruto snapped, standing up right with an accusing finger pointed at the pink haired boy.

Ryo held his gaze.

And shrugged.

"Just cuz'"

Naruto's jaw failed to make words.

Ryo however, continued speaking as he slowly stood.

"One way or another Naruto, I know you're going to become a Ninja. A good one, too" the Pink haired boy smiled, "just don't take so long kay? I wouldn't wanna get too far ahead of you"

A hand clasped Naruto's shoulder.

"I'm with ya till the end of the line, you blond dork"

In the next second, Ryo's calm smile dropped away, his gaze turning contemplative.

"Shit" he frowned, "I gotta go"

"Wha- huh?" Naruto abruptly replied, even as his best friend began to jog away.

"Left my laundry in the building's machine!" Ryo called over his shoulder, "gotta make sure its still there! Swing by mine for dinner when you're done being a cry baby! Later!"

And he was gone.

'The idiot' Naruto tisked mentally, 'even I know not to do that'

While their building wasn't nearly as populated as other developments, petty theft affected them too.

'And I'm not a cry baby!' Naruto huffed, starting to trudge his way out of the empty park, 'I-'

"Naruto-kun!"

A figure was approaching him.

And Naruto wasn't expecting this person, of all people, to be seeking him out now .

"Mizuki-sensei?"

Just a little taster for now. I've got idea's on where I want this one to go, but NOTHING is set in stone.

All the best,

Freedom