[ 新しい始まり ]
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The sunlight poked into your eyes almost aggressively as you squinted at the bustling streets of Konohagakure in wonder, glancing around for the apartment complex you were told to stay at. Konohagakure, you decided, was a strange, scary place. People glanced at you out of interest, eyes wandering over your tall figure and your backpack. Their stares felt intrusive as if they were searching your soul for something they wanted.
You raised a hesitant hand and smiled at them. Be nice to strangers and they won't try to hunt you down. That's the rule you went by. And hopefully, it would prove the same in this village.
It really was strange, walking around in this foreign village with people who were so distant yet close by, with the smell of ramen and other foods drifting in the air. It was a nice change from your village.
"Ugh, this stupid sun. I'm going to die in a puddle of liquid me any second now." You grumbled babyishly, raising one hand to block the light with the map of Konohagakure as you tugged at your dampening shirt. "It's so hot." You moaned, beginning to slouch from the weight on your back, making you readjust your backpack, hiking it up onto your shoulders for what had to be the fifth time on your journey.
You paused in your step to take a look at the map in your hands and gasped quietly at the size. The place was humongous compared to what you imagined in your mind. You didn't expect your parents to move you to such a village.
A sudden shout interrupted your thoughts, wrenching you from your thought to the direction of a boy that was headed straight for you. He was blond. So very blond. Like a cockatoo kind of blond. You sucked in a breath and moved to the side, wincing as he crashed into a stall, cabbages flying into the air and eggplants rolling to the floor.
That was a stupid move on your part.
The stall owner cried out in anguish at the destruction.
Oh, why you? Why out of all people to pick was it you, a boy that was so foreign that even the dirt underneath his feet looked completely different. To help or not to help. The scolding tone from the store owner was getting louder with every minute and those shouts of a name that sounded strangely like "Narto". Who would ever name their kid Narto, you would never understand.
"Woah, I'm super sorry, I-" The boy rushed into an apology as he frantically stood up, making a grab all of the fallen vegetables sprawled out over the dirt path.
"No, stop! Leave them alone, you've already done enough damage as it is, boy!" The owner's horrified voice yelled out, gaining attention from the nearby audience. Suddenly all the noise seemed to have been sucked out of the crowd and was instead replaced by whispers and sharp glares. Everyone's expression darkened at the mere sight of the boy.
What was going on? It wasn't that much of a big deal, was it? Were kids not allowed to make mistakes around here? Your forehead creased as you stared at him in concern, your hand outstretched hesitantly. Should you help him out? Vegetables were cheap but it would make a noticeable dent in your rent allowance. You mulled over the option in your head and finally decided that it was truly the best idea.
A small piece of yourself whined in pain at the thought of lost money. Useful money. Good money. A larger piece of yourself growled at it and slapped it down.
You advanced towards the boy, grabbing a hold of his orange jacket—pulling him to his feet and leaving your baggage abandoned on the dirt floor.
He quickly spun around with a confused gleam in his blue eyes, and you found yourself engrossed in the whisker-like marks on his cheeks. Were those hand-drawn? It didn't seem like they were—what are you doing, you were supposed to be getting him out of this. You would just ask later on. That question wasn't very important.
"Hey hey! There you are, I was looking for you. You should really stop pulling all these stupid stunts you know? You could get hurt." You turned to the older man and bowed. "I'm really sorry about him, he doesn't watch where he's going sometimes. Please, if you would allow me to pay for those wasted vegetables, I would be really thankful to you!"
He watched you nervously, pinching at his fingers in worry as he smiled. "Oh um, it's fine." You noticed how his tone went up an octave as if he was asking a question. His eyes spoke that unsaid question. Who were you?
To be honest you weren't so sure yourself. You should've just been another stranger passing by, only to appear in a diary chapter once or twice. So why had you intervened in this boy's life? Why had you decided that maybe he was worth helping?
You decided that those questions were unimportant for now. You could answer them later. It didn't matter. What did matter was helping this dumb boy out.
"No, how much? Please, I insist." You held his gaze as you readied the money in your hands. And just for extra purposes, you smiled at him with closed eyes and a tilted head.
"4185.92 yen." He said reluctantly.
Your eyes flew wide open and you could see Narto looking down in shame. "Oh wow...Um here!" You slapped the money onto the stall table, willing yourself to part with your precious money before grabbing your backpack and the blonde boy and pushing through the small crowd the scene had collected.
The two of you rounded a corner, Narto shouting directions at you the whole time. His voice was high pitched as if he hadn't completely graduated childhood. It was a complete difference from yours in all honesty. Your voice was softer, calmer whereas his was raspy from either constantly shouting or not talking at all. Judging from his clothes and how he talked, you were going to assume the former. He was a boy who attracted attention wherever he went.
Eventually, the two of you found yourselves up on a roof, panting and staring at each other with wary looks. Narto was the first to recover, frowning at you.
"Hey! Who are you?" Apparently hoping that his first words to you would be "thank you" or "I'm sorry" was too far fetched. You contemplated his question before deciding that no harm would be done and this boy could lead you to your apartment.
"The name's [M/n] [L/n]! Don't go forgetting my name now! I'm assuming that you're Narto?" You stuck out your hand while beaming at him happily.
"Narto? Ha, You've got it completely wrong! The name's Naruto Uzumaki, future Hokage of this village!" He spread his arms wide and with how he looked right now with the village behind him and the sun overhead, you could almost believe him.
He had that hopeful glint in his eyes and the proud stance and his chakra was overwhelming. He looked happy. Almost peaceful.
"Alright, tell me, why the heck did you bother helping me? Don't you know who I even am here? Do you want something from me?"
You stared blankly at him. Despite not knowing him, it disturbed you that that small glint on hope and determination had vanished. It didn't look right. It made something inside you squirm uncomfortably. It built up in your chest like an explosion, waiting to explode.
"You needed help." You stated. "If someone needs help, you help them. So I did that. I helped you...right?"
You didn't see what he was going on about. Was he some type of fearful being? You doubted that this boy could even hurt a fly. His arms were like noodles. All flab and no muscles. And he smelt like ramen too. Ramen and weirdly enough, citrus. It blended together like a smoothie. It was the closest simile you could think of for it.
"...do you...do you like ramen?" There was a small silence. He looked up. "I...I may not have known you for very long but if someone needs saving, I'm going to step in. And you...I think you need some saving."
For a second you thought that this whiskered boy broke.
His eyes grew wide for a long minute. Then he started to smile again. It was big, almost as warm as the sun. All teeth with no hint of malice. Only happiness and surprise.
You decided that you were going to do anything to keep that beautiful smile on his face. Even if that did mean having to spend more money on him. Or maybe not. You winced at the idea of your mother ever finding out that a good chunk of the money had disappeared because of a certain Naruto Uzumaki.
But right now, you were currently trying to figure out if those tears streaming down his face were ones of sadness or happiness. You brushed your thumb over his cheek and frowned.
From the way he was leaning into your touch, it was obvious that he had never really been held before.
What was up with this village?
You held him in your arms as you patted his back awkwardly. Just how touch starved was this boy? You figured that you had been holding him for at least three minutes before he finally stopped crying.
"Hey, you aren't gonna leave me right?" His voice was careful, strained from all that crying. "Right?" He sounded so doubtful yet his eyes screamed 'please. Accept me'
You smiled. "I don't leave friends behind. More like I drag them along with my evil plans to take over the world using frogs."
And just when you thought your heart couldn't go even softer for him, it did. It started out soft, as all laughs do. Then it bubbled up, erupting like a geyser.
You beamed before finally remembering one of the main reasons why you had decided to save him.
"Uhm hey, you wouldn't happen to know where this building is, right?" You passed the map over to him, pointing at the circle you marked down and you felt a large wave of relief wash over you when he perks up.
"Hey, wait..I live there!" His eyes twinkled with joy, his lips curving up into an ecstatic smile as he peered up to you.
"Wait, really?!" You grinned, excitement taking over your features as you held the map closer to your chest. Finally, you could stop wandering around like an idiot! On the plus side, you also made a friend at the same time. Somehow. "Would you mind leading me there?"
Naruto made a hum of agreement, opening his mouth to reply when an audible rumble interrupted his next sentence, and you both glanced around until his eyes eventually landed on your stomach.
It was then when you finally realized how hungry you actually were.
You let out a sheepish chuckle, a light pink blush blossoming across your cheeks out of embarrassment as you slowly took back the map from his hands. "Uh, actually scratch that thought...Can you take me to a place where I can eat?"
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"I think I can die of happiness now..." you whispered as you scooped up more ramen with your chopsticks. "It's so good I'm gonna cry!"
Naruto laughed, nodding happily in agreement. He seemed happier than when you had first met him. Granted, your first meeting with him wasn't a very happy time, especially with the whole 'you crashed into a vegetable cart and now my rent money has a whole chunk of it missing, help' thing. Why had he been running was still a mystery to you.
You paused, setting down the chopsticks on the rim of your bowl. "Hey...Naruto?"
He quickly slurped up the remaining noodles in his mouth, gulping it down, and flickered his eyes to you. "Yeah?"
"What exactly were you running from earlier?"
He blinked, staring thoughtlessly at you. "What do you-?" His eyes lit up in realization as if the memory had been forgotten, clarity hitting him. It was almost funny. Seeing that blank look get washed away in the wave of clarity.
"Oh yeah! I forgot about that! Anyways I was just, y'know, doing my usual and then they finally noticed-"
"The usual?"
"Yeah, pranks and stuff! They don't appreciate true artistic talent either. Believe it!" He crossed his arms and pouted. It wasn't hard for you to put two and two together to make four. He obviously drew on something.
"...that's a terrible thing to do. You shouldn't draw on things like that. Tell me next time so that I can join you."
He looked vacantly at you for the longest time, most likely wondering if you were serious or not. After you two had a staring contest for what seemed like forever, he laughed out loud.
"Sure! But be prepared because I, Naruto Uzumaki, future Hokage and greatest ninja this village will ever see, can do the most amazing, eye-catching, super epic pranks that you'll never ever do in your entire life." His face lit up with impish glee as he striked a pose. He looked ridiculous but you weren't about to go and break this picture of happiness before you.
You scoffed, "Ha! Naruto, I think you need to be prepared for me." You struck your own pose and was rewarded by an onslaught of snorting from Naruto. If you looked up right now and saw a noodle coming out of his nose, you would've left. Thankfully he didn't have it in his nose when you did look up.
"Yeah, right. We'll see." He rolled his eyes with a smile.
You got out your money just a few seconds before Naruto did, and slapped it down on the wooden table with a challenge in your eyes.
Naruto stared you down, all the while moving his hand up and slapping down his own money on the table, a frog wallet in his other.
"Oi, Pops! Take this money!" The old man perked up from behind the counter, glancing towards the two of you with a raised brow.
"Oh, okay." He reached over to grab Naruto's but you nudged the boy's hand away so that the ramen owner's outstretched hand would take hold of yours.
"Wait! Please, take mine!"
"No way! Take mine!"
The man tilted his head back and laughed, loud and surprised.
"How about I make this one on the house? Is that okay, boys?" Almost immediately you and Naruto shot him down, your voices gradually getting louder as you argued about who would be paying.
In the end, Naruto slapped you on the back of your head and shoved the money into the man's hands before taking off with you running behind him like a strange angry puppy with your backpack hitting you on the back with every move you made.
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The two of you had been wandering around for at least seventeen minutes, jokingly shoving each other and still arguing about the money thing. It felt nice, what you had here. It sent a warm feeling in your chest and it made you feel as though you were home.
Watching Naruto talk about his dream so excitedly made you feel small and stranded on a small piece of land. What did it feel like to have that one passion that you would stick to for your whole life? What would it feel if you could ever bottle the stars and live to tell the tale?
It made you feel empty. Almost embarrassed. In your hometown, the most common future for everyone was the medical-nin path. You didn't completely want that. Sure it might've been the only thing to come easy to you but if you had to be honest? You would've killed just to be better at something else. To stand out in a crowd and be able to boast about something that you were good at.
It sounded like a dream and would most likely be a dream. Like those light-up stars your mother had stuck up in your old room, close yet unreachable.
But if you got onto the bed with a broom in hand, you could just barely brush against it. And that's when you decided that you were going to go on the same path as the blue-eyed boy beside you, minus the whole Hokage thing.
You were going to be a ninja and you would be damned if you didn't at least try.
But to be a ninja, you would have to be able to keep up with your house rent first. And because of Naruto, a good chunk of it was gone. That was one of the things you weren't so grateful for.
The two of you continued in comfortable silence, the streets lit by the lamps and a cool breeze in the air. Then you saw it. A hiring sign in the windows of a flower shop, the graceful flicks in the sign reminding you of your father's handwriting.
"That's Ino's shop. She's obsessed about that stupid duck butt I told you about. Goes on and on about him. I'm telling you, she's a creep. Believe it!" Naruto grumbled.
"If you're this worked up about it then I guess I can believe it..." you trailed off, eyes flickering towards the hiring sign hopefully.
Tomorrow you would head over to the shop and beg for the job. Yes, it would be shameful—but you could shove your pride to the side for a minute if it meant being able to get a decent stream of income from someone who wasn't part of your tightly knit family.
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Pushing open the door that leads into your new home, a sigh of irritation left your lips as you rubbed your eyes harshly with your fist. You turned, grabbing your belongings, and walked into the kitchen, placing them down on the counter carefully before taking a seat. A wave of citrus hits your nose, rousing you out of your aggravated mood and you glanced up, seeing a lit lemon-scented candle. Leaning closer, you took a good whiff of the smell and exhaled a deep breath, making the flame flicker ever so slightly before resting your head on the tabletop. It was just your first day, but yet you were already so tired. You didn't plan enough for this.
If you knew you were moving alone, you would've spent more time preparing yourself rather than lazing around the house. If you knew, you probably wouldn't have let the feeling of thrill overcome you. Not saying you weren't — of course you are. After all a new life, new food, new people who didn't know all of the stupid stuff you've done. Hopefully, you wouldn't ever do those things ever again but you were starting to highly doubt that now with your newfound friendship with Naruto.
In the end though, everything was going to change and you could only hope that you would be able to survive all of it. Literally or figuratively, you weren't sure yet. But whatever that was going to lay in your future was going to have to face a boy called [M/n] [L/n]. And maybe his accomplice, the ever so awesome; NarutoUzumaki.
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ᴰᴱᴬᴿ ᴹᴼᴹ𓆏,
By the time you're reading this, I'm probably already settled in the new apartment. And yes, I was able to make it to Konohagakure safely, mom. You weren't lying when you said this village was a lot more different than ours.
Oh yeah, I met a boy today. He's kinda dumb but I think it's more of the 'charge in headfirst then think' type of dumb. He's a nice change from all those people back in the village. He isn't as judgy. I think he's good. I hope you're doing okay without me. Hopefully dad isn't as stupid as he usually is, no offense dad. This frog drawing is really bad but it's a dedication to Naruto. I guess that if you keep seeing it in my letters to you then I'm still friends with him so that should be a good thing. He's really dedicated. He wants to be the greatest ninja this village has ever seen and become Hokage in the process. I believe in him. And I think I'm going to join him. Maybe.
Your son,
[L/n] [M/n]
P.s, remember to feed the cat. Yuki doesn't like it when you forget about him.
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Welcome, hello, hola, bonjour little frogs.
If you have gotten this far, get comfy because you're stuck with us now.🧍♀️🧍♀️
Big thanks to Sparrow60 for helping me write this chapter, kiss kiss joop joop. He's our co-author to this book to those who are wondering. Also, for the people who don't know what the thing at the beginning says, it just says 'the beginning' so don't worry about it lol. I used google translate so I'm not completely sure it's accurate, but let's hope it is!
Trash:comeonshakeyourbodybabydothatcongayouknowyoucan'tholdbackanylonger 💃🕺✨✨💫⭐️🌟
Sparrow:Pleasedontshakeyourbooty,holdbackandresisttheurgetolaughbecausewhattheheckistheauthordoing- 😦😦😦👁️👄👁