Chapter 17: In the Rain
The low-hanging clouds were a deep gray. After washing up and getting dressed, Naruto pushed open the door, and the distant sky instantly turned oppressively dark.
It was as if someone had switched off the light above the clouds, and the surrounding brightness abruptly dimmed. A deafening clap of thunder followed, and then a torrential downpour descended without warning.
Naruto and Sakura stood under the corridor at the entrance, staring blankly at the heavy curtain of rain.
"Did the Konoha forecast say anything about rain today?" Sakura stood by the wall, frowning at the white mist that blurred everything in an instant.
"It was gloomy this morning anyway," Naruto muttered. "Luckily, I brought an umbrella."
About an hour later, the rain eased a little.
"Let's go," Sakura said as she got up.
"Okay," Naruto replied, locking the door behind him.
With a soft whoosh, a black umbrella sprang open. The two of them shared the umbrella; fortunately, it was big enough that they didn't have to worry about getting wet.
"Naruto," Sakura broke the silence, her mood seemingly low.
"Mm."
"Why did those people look at us… like that just now?" she asked worriedly. "They live in the same apartment building, don't they?"
When they had stepped out together, Sakura had, for the first time, seen the villagers standing under the eaves give them gloomy looks, as if they were looking at something repulsive.
"Because you're walking next to me, you got hated too," Naruto said.
"Is that really okay?" Sakura shivered involuntarily. "Naruto, you've always been looked at like that…"
She didn't finish her sentence, cutting herself off.
"Ah, it's fine," Naruto said, seemingly unconcerned, holding the umbrella steady and gazing calmly ahead.
Rainwater streamed along the street underfoot. Summer always brought heavy rain, and the black umbrella looked oddly out of place against the chilly streetscape.
His voice was firm yet cool, as even as freshly cooled boiled water.
"I stopped caring a long time ago. It might sound harsh, but honestly, they're just mindless parasites, nothing more, swayed by whatever people say."
"Or maybe… hating me lets them feel united. No one wants to be the odd one out, right?"
Rain drummed on the black umbrella, a constant, pattering sound.
"Frankly, they're just existing, aren't they? Wearing human skin, their only real purpose is labor and reproduction."
Listening to him, Sakura didn't know how to respond.
They passed through an old street and stopped in front of a gift shop. Naruto gestured for Sakura to go in first. She looked at him in confusion.
"If you go in with me, the owner might not sell to you," he explained.
She froze for a moment, glanced at Naruto, then at the rain outside, hesitated, and finally went in.
After a pause—judging that Sakura had probably finished choosing—Naruto stepped inside.
The shopkeeper recognized him, frowned, and shot him a look, but said nothing.
At that moment, Sakura was walking out, holding a cute blue plush toy. Naruto gave a slight nod and turned toward the exit.
"Leaving without buying anything?" the shopkeeper suddenly sneered from the doorway. "Next time, don't come here if you don't have money."
Naruto ignored him completely and kept walking.
Sakura, however, felt a sting in her palm, like a needle prick. Her brow furrowed, and her fingers sank into the plush toy.
Ninja were forbidden from harming their fellow villagers—this was clearly stated in the shinobi regulations. The shopkeeper obviously knew it too; seeing Naruto leave without reacting, he didn't bother restraining himself at all.
Though she had been prepared for this, seeing blatant bullying right before her eyes—especially when the one being bullied was her own comrade—made her seethe.
She hurled the toy back at the shopkeeper with a force that startled him.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
"I'm not buying it! What a lousy store!" Sakura glared at him and stormed out.
"Crazy brat!" the shopkeeper muttered.
Outside, Sakura saw Naruto waiting under another eave, keeping out of the rain. She pressed her lips together and said,
"The stuff wasn't good. I didn't buy it."
"Mm." Naruto didn't comment, just opened the big black umbrella and stepped into the rain.
"I was thinking of getting a wrist guard from the ninja tool shop as a gift for Sasuke. What do you think?" Sakura forced a smile. "I don't really know what guys like, so I asked you to come with me."
"I didn't expect this to happen… I didn't think it through… I'm sorry."
Her voice grew lower and lower as she spoke.
"No need to apologize. I heard everything back there. You could've bought it if you wanted," Naruto said indifferently. "I don't care about what those insects say."
"Insects?" Sakura blinked, momentarily confused.
"Yeah. I see them as insects," Naruto said. "Other than ostracizing me, they can't do anything to me."
"They're powerless, living blindly in this world. Even after I became a ninja, they still insult me just the same."
"Creatures whose lives or deaths make no difference—I never bother to acknowledge them. To me, they're just Konoha's insects."
The more Sakura listened, the more uneasy she became, and she hurried to change the subject. But just as she opened her mouth, a flash of gold caught her eye.
"Why are you two walking together?" Ino raised her umbrella, peering at them from the rain with narrowed eyes.
Sakura, afraid Ino would find out she was buying a birthday gift for Sasuke—and even more afraid Naruto would accidentally let it slip—rushed to explain,
"I had something I needed Naruto's help with!"
"Huh?" Ino stared at her suspiciously. "Since when are you two so close? Close enough to ask each other for favors?"
"It's training-related! Right, Naruto?" Sakura, flustered and defensive, was a terrible liar.
"Yes," Naruto nodded.
"Training-related?" Ino withdrew her gaze, the gossiping look on her face fading.
She knew the two of them were in the same team as Sasuke, and Naruto's top marks in the graduation exam had indeed been surprising.
If it was about training, that explanation was… plausible.
Still, one thing continued to nag at Ino—ever since Naruto had told her that day that Sasuke didn't like girls, it had practically become a thorn in her heart.
"So you've been walking together this whole way. Done with your 'training talk' then?" Ino asked.
"…Yeah, I guess we're done," Sakura replied helplessly. She couldn't come up with another lie.
"Good."
With that, Ino shoved her umbrella into Sakura's hands and, without warning, grabbed Naruto and bolted!
"What?" Sakura froze.
"Borrowing him for a bit!" Ino's voice rang out from afar, the two of them already vanishing from sight.