Ⅰ

To learn that my dearest friend carries the Nine-Tailed Beast in him, I…I had no words.

How was I supposed to know there was a decree of not revealing the truth to Naruto? Did my friends know about this? Were they aware of it?

Shikamaru and Chouji were good friends of his, but they appeared to be unaware of it. The same thing can be said about Ino. She sees Naruto as a troubled kid who needs a bit of discipline. She held no dislike for him and even remarked that he reminded her of someone she used to be close to.

The three of them all regarded him as a fellow Konoha. When I shared my concerns about Naruto, they listened and gave me advice on the problem I had with him.

However, I felt that my grandpa could have helped me with this if he told me the truth. I would have done something about it, had he been honest that day. Why did he keep it a secret?

Starting my life in Konoha, I struggled to understand things like chakra. I was one of those kids who would always ask "Why?" Why does it exist? Why do we need it? Why do we depend on it?

My grandpa explained the reason for it, which didn't make sense to me at the time. But gradually, I was able to comprehend it. That it just exists.

But, this was something else. I couldn't just accept and let it be. There must be a reason why Naruto was chosen to carry the Nine-Tailed Fox. I had a feeling that I was just at the starting point of uncovering this mystery. It would take a lot of time for me to understand this. If that was the case, I must be ready for whatever comes.

As soon as I saw Mizuki-sensei pull out his large shuriken from his back, he gave a bit of a twirl as he aimed at Naruto. "You should have stayed down, Iruka! You and I both know we want him gone! I'll make it happen now!"

Iruka-sensei tried to argue back. But due to the injuries covering all of his body, he was too weak to speak.

Naruto stood there frozen. His fear prevented him from running. The harsh truth was too much for him to bear as he yelled "NO!" repeatedly.

The shuriken gained the momentum. Mizuki-sensei swiftly unleashed with a furious cry. "DIE NARUTO!"

Iruka-sensei tried to step in, to push Naruto away. But he stumbled and fell to the ground. Struggling to get up from the ground, he reached out his hand to him and shouted,

"R-run, Naruto…!"

He couldn't make it.

I swiftly moved in and landed in front of my friend. As the shuriken was coming to me, with a quick draw of my blade, I deflected the shuriken, redirecting its trajectory. The sound of steel on steel echoed loudly in the woods. Everything stopped when I intervened in the scene.

"D-Darren?!" Naruto said, his voice quivered in shock.

With no time to lose, I threw down my smoke bomb to the ground to shroud me and Naruto in a thick cloud. Using it as our cover, I swiftly grabbed his hand and fled the scene.

Ⅱ

Hiding in the bush, I activated my Eagle Vision to scan the area. Once I confirmed that Mizuki-sensei was nowhere in sight, I turned to Naruto and saw him hugging himself quietly.

"It's okay, Naruto. We are safe now." I tried to calm him down by reaching out my hand.

But, he quickly slapped it away and began a frantic cry.

"STAY BACK! I don't want you to get hurt!" His tearful eyes met mine while his lip still quivered. He slowly poured all of his emotions into his words, hugging himself tighter.

"I finally understand why the adults wanted me dead. I never knew that I had a Nine-Tailed Fox sealed in me. If I had known this sooner... then I should have. I should have…"

"No, Naruto," I shook my head. "Don't believe what Mizuki-sensei had said to you."

"Darren. This monster… killed Iruka-sensei's parents. It had almost destroyed the village twelve years ago!" He protested.

"But, you are not." I shook my head again. "You are a human being, just like me."

"Then why… I was treated like an outcast?" he slightly tilted his head as he gave me a long, searching look.

"You wouldn't understand this. You couldn't possibly know what it's like to be treated one." He looked down, convinced that I would never understand.

"Actually, I do."

His eyes widened as he looked up. "You... do?"

I slowly nodded, shifting my gaze to the side. Telling your best friend that you're an Ijin is like telling your family that you have made a terrible mistakeーthat can't be undone.

I had kept my identity for a long time. The mere thought of rejection made my heart race, and I was hesitant to say it.

However, sooner or later, I had to tell who I was. Not just him but my friends too. Taking a deep breath, I stirred the courage within me and slowly began.

"Naruto, there's something I've kept a secret about myself."

Ⅲ

Sharing my story with him, Naruto's tears dried and he began to calm down. As he listened attentively to what I had gone through, I gently patted his shoulder.

"Not every member of the family treated me as their own. It was hard, but I refused to let their words get to me."

"Why…?" he curiously asked.

"Because I made a promise to my grandpa. Whatever nasty things they said about me behind my back, I was determined to prove them wrong that I could become a shinobi. And then, over time, they began to see me as their kin."

Smiling warmly at him, I gently grabbed his shoulders. "Naruto. You have the power to make a choice. Don't let anyone define who you are. Just because you have a monster in you, that doesn't mean you will be one. You are youーNaruto Uzumaki. I understand your struggle. I know what's like to be alone and you would do anything to…"

Then it hit me like a bolt of lightning, "...gain acceptance."

It all fell into place. Slowly realizing that Naruto's pranks had the same purpose as mine, we both yearned for acceptance. While I worked hard to prove those family members wrong, deep down, I have always wanted them to acknowledge me.

Eight years into our friendship, I had failed to see my friend's deeper desire to be recognized. I slowly looked down and shook my head. "I am such a bad friend, aren't I? To not notice that you wanted people to see you. I'm sorry, Naruto. I should have known it sooner."

"No, Darren." Naruto's head shook, "I am sorry too, I didn't know you went through the same experiences as I am."

"Well, we are not so different after all, right?" I softly chuckled.

A soft smile spread across Naruto's face as he nodded in agreement.

"So, um… how did you feel when you found out I'm an Ijin?" I asked tentatively, bracing myself for his response.

"Hmm…," Naruto began to think. "From the way you spoke, I could tell you are not from here. But does it matter? You were the only one who asked if we could be friends. That's something I won't forget."

A surge of relief washed over me. I was glad to know that Naruto accepted who I was.

"Thanks, Naruto," I replied with a grin. Then I asked him, what he meant by the way I spoke. "Also, how could you tell I am not from here? Do I…have some kind of accent?"

"Yes," he nodded.

"Really? How strong is it?"

"Not strong. But you tend to stretch your words a little. It sounded smooth and had a bit of rhythm like a bounce."

"A bounce?" I raised my brow.

"That's how I heard. When you get emotional, you gobble up your words like you're in a rush."

"Hmm…I never realize that."

As I mulled over his observation, we were immediately caught off guard by an explosion that rocked our hiding place.

Ⅳ

As the sharp ringing in my ears faded away, I slowly pushed myself from the ground. The pain surged through my body, leaving my limbs agonizingly numb for a moment. With a small groan, I instinctively called out my friend's name, as my voice echoed through the chaos.

"Naruto!" My heart raced as I scanned through the sulfur-filled smoke. I didn't want to think that the explosion had gotten to him. I kept pressing on, hoping that he was safe.

Then, I saw a shadow in the distance. At first glance, I thought it was Naruto. But the moment of relief quickly vanished when I realized it was Mizuki-sensei, mounting on him. He had a Kunai in his hand, ready to stab Naruto's heart with a malicious grin.

"GET OFF HIM!" I shouted. With a burst of energy, I dashed towards him, launching myself to push him aside. As the Chunin stumbled away, I quickly pulled Naruto to me and gently woke him up.

"Naruto!" I called out his name.

Then, as if my desperate wish had been answered, his eyes began to flutter open.

"D-Darren...?" he murmured. "W-what just happened?"

A menacing laughter came from the side as I was about to reply. My head snapped to see Mizuki-sensei on his feet. He bore a sinister smile on his lips as he slowly approached us.

"Naruto, can you run?" I turned back, helping him to stand up.

"I-I think so..." Naruto nodded.

"Listen carefully. You must find Iruka-sensei and keep the scroll away from Mizuki-sensei at all costs."

"What about you...?" His eyes widened in concern.

"I will stay here and buy you some time to find him."

"W-what?! No! Darren, you can notー"

"YOU ARE NOT GOING TO DIE HERE!" I cut him off, "He is after you and the scroll! It's the only way to keep it safe."

"B-but what happens if he -"

I placed a hand on his head, gently ruffling his hair as I met his gaze with a reassuring smile. "He won't. Trust me on this."

He looked down and was hesitant to leave. But knowing that Mizuki-sensei was after his life and the scroll, he slowly nodded as he locked his eyes with mine. "Okay…" He swiftly left me behind while carrying the scroll tight to his chest.

As his figure slowly faded away, I turned to face Mizuki-sensei with my hand resting on my blade.

"How foolish you are to risk your life for that brat." Mizuki-sensei taunted. "You should know your place that you will never stand a chance against me."
"You think so?" I held his gaze unwaveringly. "I'll do whatever it takes to protect Naruto from you. You're not going to lay a hand on him."

Slowly drawing my blade from the sheath, I brought it into the Seigan no Kame stance （正眼の構え）, aiming the blade squarely at his face.

"You think your katana could scare me?" Mizuki-sensei scoffed. "I have killed people before, kid. And some of them were as young as you." His hand flicked downward, and the glint of steel caught my eye. With a kunai in his head, he also brought to a stance.

As the air between us was crackling with tension, we clashed as our blades collided with each other.