Location: Somewhere Along the Road, En Route with Jiraiya | Time: Dawn, Day After Departure
The sky stretched wide overhead, streaked with faint gold and sleepy clouds as the dirt road crunched under their sandals. Jiraiya walked a few paces ahead, humming to himself, scribbling notes into a small book. The morning was quiet.
But Naruto wasn't.
Not out loud, anyway.
He walked with his hands behind his head, eyes to the side, expression half-lost in thought.
It hadn't hit him until now.
Not really.
He was gone. From the village. From Ren.
"…Tch."
His foot kicked a loose stone down the road.
He remembered that morning—Ren stuffing extra food in his pack, slipping in a sealed envelope with a few bills, acting like it was just another errand. Like they weren't about to spend years apart.
"Why do you always act like it's fine…?"
Naruto's fingers clenched at the back of his head.
Ren had always been there. Always.
Since they were kids, when no one else cared.
When the shopkeepers refused to sell to him, Ren bought it instead and handed it to him behind the alley.
When kids threw stones and words, Ren stood in front of him—bloody forehead and quiet rage in his eyes.
When the villagers glared… Ren never looked away.
Even when Naruto didn't notice it—Ren was always walking behind him, beside him, or one step ahead.
Quiet.
But never absent.
"I remember… when I failed the first clone test. Everyone laughed."
Naruto frowned.
"But not him. He just stayed after class with me. Sat down. Told me to try again."
Naruto rubbed his eyes. "Back then… I didn't even realize how much I leaned on him."
The memories kept spilling in.
How Ren patched up his cuts after pranks went wrong.
How he'd leave notes when Naruto forgot mission times.
How he always remembered the dates Naruto didn't care about, like the first time Iruka treated them to ramen.
And yet, Ren never asked for anything in return.
Not a single thing.
"…You've been carrying me for a long time, huh," Naruto muttered under his breath, just loud enough for the wind to hear.
He looked up, squinting at the light on the horizon.
"I'm gonna catch up, Ren. I swear I will."
Jiraiya suddenly glanced back at him, raising a brow. "You say something, kid?"
Naruto quickly shook his head. "Nah! Just stretching!"
"Hmph. Try stretching your brain too," Jiraiya muttered, going back to scribbling.
Naruto smiled faintly.
Ren never said much.
But he never needed to.
Because everything he did…
He did for him.
And now, Naruto was going to become someone worth walking beside—someone his brother could count on, not just protect.