(EIGHT YEARS LATER)
Ⅰ
On the day I promised Naruto that I would be his friend, I stayed true to my word. In the early days of our friendship, we spent a lot of time playing at the park. We slid down the slides, swung on the swings, and went up and down on the seesaw. It was a lot of fun.
We did try to play with other kids, but they never seemed interested in joining us, making it difficult to play games like tag or hide and seek. However, Naruto didn't seem to mind it. He was pleased to have someone to play with. And that made me happy.
We also started doing parkour together. When I told Naruto about my interest, he got really curious. He was skilled at doing jumps and vaults, the two fundamentals of going through obstacles. It was impressive to see a four-year-old kid mastering these movements so quickly. In just a matter of a few days, he learned three unique parkour techniques: the safety vault, cat leap, and lace.
He was also quick to identify the fastest and easiest routes with fewer obstacles. Gradually, we began to compete with each other once he was more familiar with the landscape of the village.
I would always win most of the time but I had a feeling that Naruto would catch up to me one day. He was very stubborn in not admitting his defeat and would always challenge me again and again until he won the race. Honestly, I never expected to find a friend who enjoyed it as much as I did.
As I spent more time with him, our relationship grew stronger by the day. We've become closer than ever before, always having each other's backs. Later on, I developed a sense of protectiveness toward him. I often find myself advising him to be careful whenever he does things that appear reckless to me. I worried that he would get hurt in the process, and whenever that happened, I was the one who had to clean up the mess.
Ⅱ
It was a peaceful and sunny morning. I was on the street, walking towards the Ninja Academy. On that day, there was going to be a test to check the students' parkour skills; I didn't want to get myself tired and be ill-prepared for the examination.
Walking towards the main gate, I found myself humming a tune under my breath. My peaceful state of mind was soon disrupted when I heard the outburst of angry yells and the sound of breaking glass.
"Hahahahaha!"
"Come back here, Naruto!"
"Catch me if you can ~ !"
As soon as I heard my friend's name in the distance, my face went pale.
Oh no… What did he do this time…?
He wasn't like this when we first enrolled in the academy. He had some difficulties adjusting to the new environment. He was timid like a mouse and didn't know how to approach strangers in a sociable manner, due to the traumatic experience he had with the adults. He was very concerned about not being liked by everyone at school and wondered if they would treat him like an outcast.
However, I was there at his side. I taught him how to communicate confidently and advised him not to worry about how people would look at him when meeting for the first time. As a result, he was able to make two good friends: Shikamaru Nara (奈良シカマル)and Chouji Akimichi(秋道チョウジ).
Shikamaru had an air of laziness. He would rather take naps instead of paying attention during class. He did not seem bothered by getting an earful from the teachers, making me think he was either brave or a bit well… something else. However, unlike the laid-back Nara, Chouji was the complete opposite. He was kind and very polite among the boys I met. He was the type of person who would not want to get into trouble, as he treated everyone compassionately.
Ever since the day we first met, the four of us have been together after school. We would come to the park and do various activities like watching the clouds, taking a nap, eating snacks, and even playing tag or hide-and-seek until sunset. It was nice to have more friends in the group, as I felt I was getting along quite well with the people of Konoha.
As time passed, Naruto became more self-confident. Seeing him change over the years warmed my heart, as he was no longer the scared boy he once was. I was pleased that he became more outgoing and strongly hoped that his newfound courage would help him deal with any problems he faced with ease.
Unfortunately, it took a complete turn, leading him to play pranks on other people. I had no clue why he started doing this, but whatever the reason, Naruto became the number one prankster in our class and continued doing it every day.
"Ha! See you later, suckers!" Naruto taunted. He hurriedly left the school compound as he tried to shake off the pursuers. Following him behind, two or three Chunin Instructors were chasing after him. All had furious looks on their faces, with their hands forward, trying to get closer to catch the blonde boy.
It all happened very quickly when they all passed by. I felt the gust of wind scraping through when I stood in the center. Thankfully, I avoided any collisions. But seeing him causing trouble again, I slowly shook my head and let out a sigh.
"Looks like I am going to be a little late for the test," With that, I quickly hurried to catch up with them.
Ⅲ
As I leaped from one rooftop to another, I was able to locate my friend in the vicinity. He was using a traditional environmental camouflage technique called the Kakuremi no Jutsu (隠れ身の術). He covered himself with a brown cloth, his back facing the wooden fence, blending his entire body into one.
It was a neat little trick when trying to outrun the pursuers. It gives you an edge to avoid detection of your whereabouts. However, the Ninjutsu technique proved to be ineffective against me due to my Eagle Vision abilities, which allow me to detect a body's heat.
I quickly climbed down from the roof and landed safely where he was hiding. After checking the surroundings for any Chunin Instructors nearby, I called out his name in a hushed tone, "Hey, Naruto." "Darou? Is that you?" Naruto asked, his face still hidden underneath the cloth.
"Yes, it's me," I replied.
"What are you doing here? You will blow my cover!" Naruto exclaimed, worried that the teachers were still searching for him.
I eased his concerns when I tapped his shoulder, "The cost is clear, Naruto. You can come out now."
"Really?" Naruto poked his head out, seeming skeptical about it.
I quickly nodded, encouraging him to come out from hiding. He lowered the cloth and slowly emerged. He took one look around his area and grinned widely to himself.
"Haha! I outsmarted them! They thought they could catch me, but they were dead wrong!" He exclaimed, "It will take them years to finally get hold of me!" He patted himself on the shoulder and was proud of himself for getting away from the instructors.
It was indeed impressive how he managed to outrun them. Our daily parkour routine has helped him become more agile and faster, making it easier to flee in a very short time. However, I wish he would use his skills in a better circumstance.
"Well, you did a pretty good job of escaping from them, Naruto," I said with a soft smile.
"But we should return to the academy before the test starts." I folded my arms and warned him about the possibility of being lectured by our homeroom teacher, who is known for his tough disciplinary measures. "You wouldn't want that to happen again, so come on." We ran back to the academy, keeping our heads low along the way.
Ⅳ
We arrived at the academy after a short three or four-minute walk. Fortunately, we didn't run into any teachers in the corridors—everyone appeared to be in class, either beginning their lessons or having the students take their tests. As we approached the door of our classroom, I turned to Naruto and asked about the prank he had done this morning.
He glanced at me and replied, "I did some painting today."
"Painting?" I tilted my head. "You mean… graffiti?"
He nodded.
"I see." I sighed and shook my head. "Okay, I'll clean up the graffiti later. We'll apologize to the teachers for painting the walls at school, so let's do it after class, alright?"
At my suggestion, he swiftly looked away as if he'd just swallowed something bitter.
"Naruto..?"
"Well… umm…"
His sudden shift in behavior was strange. Normally, he would've expressed gratitude for the help, yet in this moment, he was avoiding eye contact and mumbling to himself. I started to wonder what exactly he was hiding.
"You said you did graffiti, right…?" I asked gently.
"Yes," he nodded.
"At school?"
"No. It's more like…" He paused, clearly struggling to find the right words. "At a place where… everyone can see it. Like… up high in the sky, perhaps?"
"In the sky?" I raised an eyebrow, confused.
"Yeah…"
"What are you—" Then, it hit me. My eyes widened as the realization sank in. "Naruto," I crossed my arms, my tone sharp. "Does this place… have something to do with someone? Someone who I'm very close to…?"
Naruto hesitated before nodding sheepishly. "Y-yeah…"
"And this someone… happens to have his face sculpted into a monument? That oversees the entire village?"
He gave another nod, scratching the back of his head.
I stared at him, completely shocked. Naruto had graffitied on Konoha's most important monument—the Hokage Rock, which honors the village's leaders. It symbolizes their strength, their courage, and even the respect of the village.
I felt a surge of emotions rushing through me: disbelief, anger, and disappointment. Of all the reckless things he could have done, this was beyond anything I had imagined.
Unable to hold back, I let out a sudden outburst, yelling from the bottom of my lungs. The loud shout caught the attention of students from nearby classrooms, including ours.
At that moment, Iruka-sensei, our homeroom teacher, stormed out of the classroom with his arms crossed. He had been waiting for us to show up. "There you are…"
