Opening his eyes, Naruto felt a sharp pain on the right side of his head. Grunting, he instinctively reached for his head, breathing heavily as he endured the throbbing ache. Minutes passed as he struggled to ignore the headache, the strain of maintaining the seal weighing heavily on him.
"Well..." Rising to his feet, he made his way to the bathroom to splash water on his face. Staring at his reflection in the mirror, he fell silent for a moment, lifting his hand to touch the scar over his right eye. Through the mirror, the steady rotation of the sharingan tomoe caught his eye. "Forget the past, huh?" he muttered to himself, grabbing a bandage from behind the mirror to conceal the legacy he bore.
"Will you be able to do it?"
A kunai materialized from under Naruto's sleeve, flying across the room to embed itself in the wall. Before his eyes, a figure materialized in the kitchen chair. It was Tenko Hamura, former sensei of Team 4, an elderly man with long gray hair clad in typical Konoha Jounin attire. "Good to see you, Tenko-sensei," Naruto greeted calmly, turning away to finish covering his right eye.
"You were always the most disciplined of my students," Tenko remarked, retrieving a bottle from his jacket and taking a swig. "You'd have become one of the deadliest ninjas this world could have known. Legends like Orochimaru, Tsunade, Jiraiya, Hanzo of the Salamander, Mito Uzumaki, Tobirama Senju, Hashirama Senju, Madara Uchiha..." he listed, pausing at the mention of Minato Namikaze.
"I left my mark on the shinobi world," Naruto replied bitterly, devoid of pride or joy.
"And that's why you're here? Whining because you killed a few miserable people? Enduring the judgment of ungrateful wretches? You saved thousands with your 'heroic' acts. And what's your reward? Treated like garbage... you're disappointing me, brat."
"..." Naruto remained silent, moving through his apartment to pack some clothes into a bag.
"You were raised to be a Shinobi, devoid of mercy or emotions..."
"I guess I failed at that," Naruto paused, sitting down in front of his sensei. "My whole life was just training to meet their expectations. I trained until my bones broke, until my fists bled... all to make them proud. Shishui-sensei, Oka-san... Oto-san," he spoke softly, gazing at his hands. Looking up, he met his former sensei's gaze. "Though the shinobi code demands we suppress our emotions... it's hard to let go of what makes us human, don't you think?" he asked, standing up to shoulder the bag.
"That rule isn't for the village's benefit," Tenko interjected, stopping Naruto in his tracks. "It's for our own good. Losing a comrade, a friend, an ally, a member of our family can drive us to irrational actions. Think about it, boy. If you're truly leaving the past behind, start anew. Embrace your emotions, and be prepared to suffer like never before."
"..." Naruto watched in silence as Tenko's silhouette faded into shadow, just as a knock sounded at the door. Approaching, Naruto opened it to find Ibara smiling joyfully.
"Naruto-kun! I'm here to take you to camp. I figured you might need a little push," she said cheerfully, adjusting the straps of her backpack.
"Oh, really?" Naruto smiled faintly, shouldering the bag he had packed. With a nod to Ibara, he left his apartment, closing the door behind him.
"Oh, is anyone in a good mood?" the religious girl asked, curious, noticing the blonde's strange smile. She shrugged it off and turned around to go down the stairs, but her path was obstructed by a wall of light. "Ouch…" Holding her nose, she raised her head to see someone coming down the stairs.
"Why so much fuss?" Mrs. Yuroichi descended the steps until she stood in front of her only tenant's door. "Naruto-chan, did you bring another girl who offers you her services? If so, try not to make so much noise. I hate hearing screams and moans for hours. And don't forget to use protection. I have enough problems without seeing a miniature copy of you run through these corridors," the old woman said with a mocking smile as she lightly tapped her cane against the blonde's head.
"Offering services?!" With a blush covering her entire face, the teenager gave the shinobi a penetrating look.
"That?" He wouldn't deny that every few weeks he had a woman as a companion. After all, he was a teenager of almost 17 years, and his hormones were at their most chaotic peak. To avoid having a case of blue balls, they had the service of some women in the area. Although he couldn't admit it now, since the look Ibara was giving him promised a lot of pain.
"I was just joking, miss," luckily for Naruto, the old woman shook her head in amusement as she descended the stairs and reached the green-haired teenager. "It's good to meet you. I heard a lot of good things about you on television when you participated in the festival. And because of that bitter brat, you are one of the few girls who earned his affection," he said softly as he extended his hand, which was quickly taken by the girl.
"Oh really?" Happy, the girl looked at the shinobi, who was only crossing his arms, keeping up appearances. "Well, he's just a little grumpy and cold, but I know that deep down he's a great guy. And so far, I've seen that to be true," she assured, already knowing everything her friend had done so far.
"Grumpy and cold? That's a soft version to describe him. I would see him more as a potential psychopath with a big case of 'Emo Facet.' Having a girl as pretty as you and not taking you on a date, what a stupid boy," the blind old woman mocked again, getting different reactions from the teenagers.
"Emo facet?" one of Naruto's eyebrows began to tremble uncontrollably because of that bad joke from the blind old woman.
"Appointment?" With a blush rising again on her cheeks, the green-haired girl couldn't help but let her imagination fly a little. For her, that scenario was not unpleasant at all. "Well... I…" Unsure of what to say or do, she watched as the lady just smiled once more.
"Don't worry, honey, I was just joking... I have to go, a night of bingo awaits me," he said, heading downstairs and bidding farewell to both teenagers. Before leaving, he paused and 'looked' upstairs where the boys could be. "I wasn't kidding about the appointment. See you." With that, the lady finally left, leaving both UA students alone.
"We're leaving," Naruto said, not staying still as he approached the green-haired girl to take her suitcase with wheels and carry it on his shoulders effortlessly. As they descended, the silent evangelical girl followed, keeping her eyes down and her hands together. Upon reaching the street, both teenagers headed to UA, where their other classmates would be waiting for them for this camping trip.
"Should I say something or start a conversation?" Ibara hesitantly followed Naruto just a few steps away. She didn't know his tastes or whether he wanted to talk about something in particular. Moreover, the shinobi was not the most talkative person in the world. "Maybe he just wants to be quiet," she thought, disappointed, as she continued walking.
"Ibara-chan..." Naruto's voice interrupted her thoughts, surprising the girl. "We still have a long way... and I would like... that..." He sighed and turned to look at the teenager who was now walking next to him. "Could you please help me?" he asked, "talk about you…"
With that simple phrase, Shiozaki's world lit up. With a bright smile, she nodded her head, getting a little closer to Naruto. "Well, my favorite color is green. I like gardening, reading, and watching some animes," she began, "of the comedy genre... and now I'm watching an American series that Itsuka-chan recommended to me, 'The Big Bang Theory.'"
As she spoke, Naruto just looked at her in silence, listening to everything she had to say. Seeing her, her aura of innocence and purity, that bright smile that brightened anyone's day, made him feel calmer and... at peace.