Childhood, Not Lonesome

Chapter 12: Clouds

"That was an unpleasant dream," Naruto said, waking up to the bright sun burning his skin. Seemed he ended up spending a night sleeping by the lake. It wasn't an unfamiliar feeling. All it really meant was that Kurama didn't come to pick him up and just let him lay there. Not that Naruto was going to complain about it. This was his favorite spot in the world. There was no way he was going to complain about being in it.

Naruto rested his arm on his forehead to cast a shadow to cover his eyes. As his eyes adjusted to the light, he stared up at the moving clouds--it had to be the middle of the day, maybe a little after noon. 

Clouds. Their lives were so repetitive and easy. They'd float around in the atmosphere following only the blowing up the wind that's controlled by the poles of the earth and other things. They'd fill themselves up with water vapor as air travels up and disappears when reaching exosphere is not captured by a cloud. After, when they were full, they would bring about the rain to water crops, solve droughts, and save lives as well as take them. Clouds could cause catastrophes and resolve them, and they didn't discriminate. They get to travel the world in full tranquility with the only worry of the wind blowing them past each area before they could finish sightseeing. Clouds lived tranquil, calm, and never disturbed lives. Naruto wanted such a life.

"I'm going to retire from being a shinobi," Naruto said, hypnotized by the blissful movements of the clouds. He wanted to be pulled up from the ground and transformed into sone of them.

"You're too young to be using the word retire."
Naruto's view of the sky was covered by the large head of his fox companion that he called his older brother when it was coinvent.
"Me, on the other hand," Kurama rubbed his hand on his chin like he was stroking a beard. One he was never growing to grow because Naturto wasn't going to allow him too, "Retiring from looking after you sounds interesting."

Naruto was less then happy feeling the tips of long red-orange hair tickling his face. He wanted to go to sleep and act like there was nothing leaning over him. He was to disappear, so he closed his eyes.

"You did a nice job apologizing," he heard as his face had to bare the heat of the sun as Kurama stopped leaning over him, exposing him back to the rays of UV that destroyed the skin.

Did he really did a good job? Not like he should really care about it. There were more important things that he could worry about. For example, getting his ass out of the ninja program. He had a talent for it, sure--honestly, it was mostly because of Kurama--but it was tiring.  Some talent wasn't meant to be used, and maybe this was one of them. Besides, without Kurama, it's not like he was an amazing shinobi. He was average at best, maybe even a little under. The only thing amazing about him is the history of the blood running through his veins. Take that away, ad he was nothing. 

"Sasuke knew I was lying," Naruto said, sitting up.
"He did?" There was a hint of surprise in Kurama's voice. Naruto was a good actor and an even better bullshiter when he really felt like it. If Kurama wasn't about to read Naruto's thoughts, he'd might've been fooled a couple of times. 
"Yeah." For Naruto, it was a bit scary knowing that there was a person who seemed to be able to see right through him. "Kept pushing the fact in my face no matter what I did."

This was a new development that Kurama never expected to happen. It was Naruto who was supposed to get attached to Sasuke. It was him that was supposed to be looking out for him, even when he wasn't looking. He was supposed to be the one able to see through the other, but the roles changed. Sasuke was looking out for Naruto in his sight and out. Sasuke was the one attached, and it was Sasuke who was seeing straight past every wall, barrier, and line Naruto had surrounding him. Now, the only problem with this is that Sasuke didn't want to break down those walls, jump over those barriers, and step across those lines. He was too scared of getting hurt, and there was no one on his side to encourage him that him breaking, jumping, and crossing said defenses was the only was he wasn't going to get himself hurt. But, it was Naruto who set the stage they were standing on. It was Naruto who wrote the script, and it was Naruto directing. There was no way Sasuke was going to go against that. 

"It's no wonder you're out here and not home." 
Naruto was in a bad mood, and this was his favorite place.
"Come on, I made lunch," Kurama said. With this that way it was, it was best if he just stopped his plan entirely.

Kurama noticed something. Naruto always got lost in the sky when he looked at it. It was normal for him to spend the day looking up at the sky, watching at the multiple clouds passed by with their everchanging shapes. But, recently, his eyes changed when looking up at them. It was like he was looking up, not to just watch the clouds blow by, but to find a way to be up there with them. Kurama always knew that Naruto wanted to leave the village and travel to the most tranquil place on earth. He just did know that the spot Naruto choose to dream about being wasn't on the ground but up in the sky. It wasn't a good sign.

"Let's go shopping, Kit," Kurama dragged him out of the house to be around people. Naruto didn't go against him in any way, allowing him to get dragged.

There are so many people...but all of them looked like they enjoyed living in this village. If he was born in their life, would he smile more? Would he be proud of his home? Would he want to defend it with everything he had? Naruto just didn't get it. He didn't get anything. The Hidden Leaf wasn't the only shinobi village and it wasn't the best. It wasn't a kingdom or the capital of one. But, everyday, without fail they smiled, they laughed, and they walk down the road with light feet. Everyone was like that, so was Naruto the one that was different? Well, that wasn't much of a question. Of course Naruto was different. He was a high ranked shinobi, he lived with the nine tails attached to him. He never ran around a park when he was little. He never played pranks, made friends, or went to school. He didn't have parents, and his family was forgotten. Of course Naruto was different. Of course he wasn't anything like them. It was stupid to think anything else.

Naruto pulled his jacket hood over his head. The market was too loud for him.