Chapter 2: Exploring Around Tokyo
It had been a week since Naruto and Tsunade had moved to Tokyo and in that time many things transpired. From needing to shop for furniture, to enrolling Naruto into school. The teenage boxer also needed to get accustomed to the new timezone, so with his sleeping schedule being jumbled up his first few days at school were quiet hectic.
His new classmates were learning a totally different curriculum than the one he was exposed to back in the States. Due to this, Tsunade offered to help him catch-up and with most of her time being spent at her workplace. Naruto frequently visited the new hospital she worked at. It was currently Saturday and the blond found himself sitting on his study desk.
He had been given so much homework by his subject teachers, that for a moment he thought they just wanted to drown him with work. He had been getting the urge to go out and travel around his new hometown. He'd been cooped up in his room for so long, he yearned to see civilization.
As the clock on his nightstand ticked off every second in the background, Naruto had enough. 'What's a few gibberish answers going to get me in?' the blond thought as he just gripped his pen and began skimming through every question out of his Maths textbook.
It didn't matter at this point whether or not the answer was right to him. He'd explain why he did this to Tsunade later but for now the time was 12:51 and he a breather.
"A-and...DONE!" stopping abrumptly from pressing his pen down the book, the teen looked at his vigorously done work and grinned. 'Sorry, auntie. You'll understand one day.' he thought as he rolled back his chair and planted his white socks on the floor.
"Tokyo here I come!" he proclaimed as he stretched his back.
It didn't take long for him to get a quick shower and dress appropriately to be seen in society.
Not feeling his signature orange jumpsuit today. The blond wore a blue t-shirt, cargo shorts, black sandals and a Philadelphia Phillies cap that he had on backwards. Still showing off his love for his hometown he added a basketball sweatband on his left wrist.
Feeling confident in his appearance Naruto finally stepped out of his apartment and locked the door behind him. A short trip down the staircase and a few hellos being exchanged with bystanders later, he was finally out of the apartment building and watched as the bustling city of Tokyo unfolded before him.
The sun's rays beamed onto the city streets while the air was filled with the din of traffic. Making his way up the sidewalk he heard the mixture of cars honking and the chatter of pedestrians. And it seemed it wasn't long that his different way of dressing caught a lot of people's attention.
It worked like clockwork for the blond. He'd been used to people always looking at him that it had become a sense he'd harnessed. He never liked how he got it in the first place but then again it wasn't his fault that everyone back in Konohagakure hated him.
"Is this the new look the deliquents are doing these days?" the teen heard one mother say to her friend while they walked towards him.
"If it is it's atleast more decent...not sure I'm okay with the way he's wearing the cap though."
Walking past them the blond couldn't help but chuckle. He never thought that Japan had never seen the clothes of the youth back in the States.
Alas, he continued to walk at a steady pace. Eventually finding himself wandering down a side street, passing quaint cafes, boutique and pastry shops. The aroma of the freshly brewed coffee and pastries wafted through the air, tempting his senses.
'If only I'd exchanged my dollars for yen.' the blond grimaced. He felt like buying a treat but was too lazy to see if the establishment would have a problem with his money.
Continuing his exploration, Naruto didn't expect to stumble on a charming park. It had been filled with lush greenery, towering trees, and winding paths.
People were showing their Saturday spirit, as with their loved ones they enjoyed picnics, and shared laughs with their children.
Deciding to just take in the nice view, the blond simply relaxed on one of the available benches. As the sun kissed his face with its rays, a gentle breeze soon introduced itself and it rustled through the leaves, carrying the scent of flowers and freshly cut grass.
'Now this is what freedom from books feels like.' he thought as he closed his eyes and just hummed for a moment.
Sadly that peace could not last for a moment as a stray frisbee was sent his way.
WACK!
"Ow!" the blond winced as he rubbed the back of his neck. Hearing the clatter of the frisbee he quickly looked behind the back of the bench and saw the red object, quickly picking up he felt pissed right now as his peace had been broken. Scanning in the direction he assumed it came from, the blond saw an enormous blond dog running in his direction. Behind it he saw an old man with an apologetic tone also approaching.
"Arf!" the dog barked as it arrived infront of the blond. Having been a fan of dogs, the blond's anger boiled back to a zero as he just petted it. "Oh! This must've been meant for you?" he asked as the dog wagged its tail. Meanwhile the old man who was pursuing the dog also appeared, he had been in such a hurry to apologise to Naruto that he forgot for a moment about his cane.
"Sorry about that young man. Wanpo here just wanted to play a little with the frisby but sadly his owner has a noodle arm." the old man explained as he chuckled at his skill. "Wanpo huh." the blond commented at the dog's name as it barked. "I like it."
"Why thank you." the old man accepted the compliment as the blond decided to hand the frisbee back to the old man. "Oh no no no! I don't think I should be anywhere near that frisbee. I might end up hitting someone else if I use it, and who knows if this person might be more aggressive than you. Please, if you wouldn't mind. Can't you throw it for Wanpo for me?" the man edged on as the blond just looked at him surprised and back at the dog.
'It's not like I have anything else to do.' the blond thought as he just smiled at the offer. "No problem, gramps." he began as he got up from the bench. "Who knows, you might learn something." he added with a smirk as the old man chuckled.
"There's a saying that says, it's never too late to learn something new." the man replied as Naruto nodded. "Well the first thing about frisbee throwing..." the blond stated as he began to walk down one of the park's paths, being followed closely by the old man and his dog, Wanpo.
"It's that you should find an area that's spaceous and less crowded. That way you don't end up hitting people in the back of the head and ruin their day, you know?" he stated as the old man blushed in shame. "I-I guess that should've been my first thought, but yeah. I see what you mean." the old man replied. Scanning past the many laughs, and ice cream vendors across the park, the blond finally found the perfect spot.
It was spacious enough for Wanpo to run as far as the blond could throw the frisbee, while he and the old man could sit under a giant oak tree that provided some shade from the Asian sun.
"Alright, buddy!" Naruto stated enthusiastically "Are you ready to get started?" he asked as Wanpo barked with excitement.
Taking that as a yes, the blond got into a throwing form and not long analysed the weather. Quickly licking his tongue, he gauged the direction of the wind and upon satisfaction, charged up some strength. "Ready...GO!"
Both him and the old man watched as the red disk sliced through the air, with Wanpo not long chasing after it. "Wow! That's a heck of a throw, kid." the old man commented, as noticing the title he had been given the blond turned to the old man. "Where are my manners. I'm Naruto by the way, sir. Not kid." he introduced himself as he offered a handshake. 'Gus would've laid me out if he saw how long it took to introduce myself.' the teen thought remembering his trusty trainer.
With a toothy grin, the old man accepted the blond's handshake. "Ginpachi Nekota!" he smiled as they soon broke the handshake. "Is it fine if I call you Nekota-jiji? Seeing you're...not in my age group." the blond stated as he noticed how perplexed Nekota looked.
It seemed that during their handshake the action made the man notice something.
"I don't have a problem with that at all." Nekota broke out of his daze as it wasn't long he marveled at his hand and back at the blond. "Is something wrong?" the blond asked as the man shrugged a bit.
"No, nothing at all. It's just I got impressed by your grip." he stated, as the blond hearing that chuckled. "Oh sorry about that. Did I squeeze too hard?"
"No, no, no. You didn't do anything wrong, it was just unexpected is all." the man replied as Naruto nodded.
"Arf!" hearing Wanpo's bark the two men's attention was caught, as the dog had returned with the frisbee in his mouth. "Good boy!" Naruto commented as he petted him. "How about we go again. Only this time a bit further?" Wanpo's tail began to waggle with excitement, as Naruto got into a throwing from.
"Ready...GO!"
Once again the frisbee wheezed through the air with Wanpo hot on it's tail. "Come on Wanpo! Don't let it out run you!" cheering his dog on, Nekota shouted underneath the large oak tree.
"Wow look at him go! He's pretty fast." Naruto said feeling impressed as the old man nodded. "That's Wanpo for you. He's had a lot of speed to burn for years now. It's a good thing he found you to play with." Nekota stated as Naruto nodded. "I actually don't mind playing with him. It beats spending time with Mathematics by a long shot." the blond commented.
"Oh really? Is the maths you kids are doing these days that bad?"
"It's rough here and there...but once you get it." the blond just pointed at his cranium. "It stays forever." he said only to sigh. "Atleast that's how it felt like back in the States."
"The States?" Nekota said confused "As in the United States?" Naruto nodded. "Yep. Just moved here not long ago with my aunt." the blond explained. "You don't say..." Nekota mused "Well now it makes sense why you're dressed this way." he commented as Naruto looked at himself.
"Don't you guys have, swag this side."
"Pardon...swag?" he said confused as Naruto smirked and got into a pose. "Yeah...swag." he pointed out his attire. "It's a form of a cultural statement. A way to show confidence and embody the pride you have with your body. Atleast that's what my friends back home called it." he explained to Nekota who laughed. "If the plan was to make a statement, then you sure made a heck of a statement." he concluded as the two fell into silence and for a second they listened to the rustling of the trees and the chirping of the birds.
It wasn't long until Nekota remembered the blond's grip. "So...what exactly did you do back in the US, that made you have that grip of yours?" he questioned as Naruto looked back at the old man as he'd noted that Wanpo was dashing back to them with the frisbee.
"That'd be the constant usage of the hand grip strengthener Gus had me using." the blond explained "Gus?" Nekota asked about the new name "My trainer." the blond replied as Wanpo barked to show his arrival.
"Good boy! How about we go again?" he asked and the dog still had it's level of positivity. Getting the frisbee he got into a throwing form. "He said that in order for my hands to deal out 'Straight bombs' as he call them. All parts of my hands had to exhume strength."
"Why? Were you prepping to take part in arm wrestling at the Olympics?" Nekota joked as Naruto just laughed. "No, not really. It was an exercise part of our boxing regiment." he explained as the mention of boxing caught Nekota's attention.
"OH! NOW THAT MAKES SENSE. YOU'RE A BOXER!" he shouted as Naruto charged up his strength. "That...I AM!" Naruto shouted as on cue he threw the frisbee and not long Wanpo dashed after the frisbee. "GO WANPO GO!" the blond shouted out, trying to motivate the dog.