When Naruto finally woke, the sky outside his window had already dimmed into twilight.He blinked at his familiar ceiling, confused.
"…Why am I in my bed?"
"You're awake, huh?"
Naruto whipped his head toward the voice—and found Fujimoto Tōma sitting beside the bed.
Memories punched their way back.Training.Fighting.Tōma beating him into the ground.And him… refusing to give up.
But he'd done it.He'd protected that friendship.
Seeing Naruto's expression, Tōma could practically read the boy's thoughts. He sighed inwardly. Naruto called him a friend, yet Tōma always felt like some exhausted old parent taking care of a troublesome kid. Hard to treat a literal child as a peer when you carried decades of another life in your skull.
But if Naruto wanted to stand beside him, then fine. That was enough.
"You're still here?" Naruto hopped out of bed without the slightest sign of injury.
Tōma clicked his tongue.Unfair didn't even begin to cover it.Anyone else would need days to move normally after that kind of beating, but Naruto healed like a creature blessed by divine nonsense.
"As expected of a jinchūriki," Tōma muttered. Then, louder: "Of course I stayed. I knocked you out. I wasn't going to leave before you woke."
"Oh. Makes sense." Naruto nodded sagely, as if this were the most natural thing in the world.
"…Do you know why I pushed you that hard?" Tōma asked.
Naruto scratched his head. "Um… you said if I couldn't attack you, I couldn't be your friend. But I kinda felt like you didn't mean it."
"Of course I didn't mean it. But if you knew it was fake, why go so far?"
"I dunno." Naruto fidgeted. "It just felt like… if there was even the tiniest chance it was true… I had to try. I couldn't let that happen."
Tōma stared at him for a long moment.
He's far more sensitive than people realize.
He could easily imagine how that line must have hit Naruto—someone who grew up starving for even one genuine connection.
"…Sorry," Tōma said finally. "That was my mistake. I shouldn't have said something like that, even to motivate you."
Naruto blinked. "Huh? Why're you apologizing? You didn't do anything wrong."
"…Just forget it," Tōma sighed. Explaining parental guilt to Naruto was pointless.
He instead explained the real reason behind the harsh training—and why it would make Naruto stronger.
"So you did it for my sake," Naruto said softly, warmth spreading in his voice. "Feels kinda nice… even if the method's weird."
"More or less. But listen—just because you recover fast doesn't mean you should push yourself until you faint. Next time you hit your limit, stop. Don't be reckless."
"My recovery's really that strong? Isn't everyone like that?"
Tōma shut his eyes and inhaled slowly.
"I'm going to teach you exercises now before I lose patience."
Outside, he drilled Naruto through basic conditioning drills. And to his surprise, Naruto picked them up quickly. Physical skills were a night-and-day difference from theory lessons.
He really is built for movement, not books.
As Naruto trained, Tōma reflected.The moment he reincarnated, the original Naruto storyline was already fractured. There was no point clinging to scenes he barely remembered.What mattered was understanding people.
Iruka was trustworthy.Might Guy was sincere to the bone.Those were safe pillars to rely on.
But Kakashi? A stranger to a stranger wouldn't invest deeply.Tōma didn't need that kind of uncertainty.
If he remembered anything truly valuable from the "canon," it was personality patterns—not plot points.
Eventually, he clapped his hands. "That's enough for today. Keep this up every day."
"Yeah! I'll work hard!" Naruto beamed. Then his eyes sparkled with hope. "Tōma… will you come again?"
"Why? Want me to beat you up again?"
"…Not the worst idea," Naruto said with a grin.
Tōma chuckled. "Fine. I'll come check your progress when I can."
"YES!" Naruto pumped a fist into the air.
Tōma didn't invite Naruto to his usual training grounds. Those were technically public, but the only regulars were him and Rock Lee. Naruto's presence there… wouldn't fit the atmosphere yet.
Naruto's stomach suddenly growled. He brightened instantly.
"Tōma! I'll treat you to something delicious!"
"…What kind of 'delicious'?"
"My super-rare special-edition pork-bone ramen cup!"
Tōma covered his face.He should have expected this.
But in the end, he stayed.It was Naruto's treasured stash, after all. And Tōma had already told his mother he might not come home for dinner.
Surprisingly… the ramen tasted great.Maybe it was the seasoning.Maybe it was the company.
Either way, Tōma didn't regret staying.