145. The Fall

To be honest.

In the past, deep within the heart of Uzumaki Naruto, he had always harbored a dream that even he felt was unrealistic.

It was that, after some ordinary dusk, as he stepped out of the school gates, a strange figure would suddenly appear and stop him.

That person would lean down and, in a voice he had never heard before—or perhaps one carrying a hint of warmth—say to him, "Naruto, I am your..."

...Whatever title followed didn't matter. Something on the level of parents was far too extravagant; he dared not even think of it. In fact, even if it weren't a relative, it would be fine.

He didn't ask for that person to treat him particularly well; just being able to go eat Ichiraku Ramen together occasionally would be enough... and if that wasn't possible, it wouldn't matter either.

As long as he could know that there was still someone in this world connected to him, as long as he could believe that he, Uzumaki Naruto, was not entirely alone, that would be enough.

This was Naruto's greatest fantasy.

In truth, he knew better than anyone that this was just a fantasy. To use the terminology of the screen, it was merely self-indulgent escapism—using imagination to self-anesthetize against things that were impossible yet yearned for, satisfying his desires at the most basic level... But this humble imagination was the only solace he could cling to in his barren childhood.

However.

When the cold screen of the cinema projected the truth before his eyes, when Naruto learned that such an existence was not absent, that the person was even more closely connected to him than he had imagined, and that they were within arm's reach, living in the same village.

He could not help but... feel a sense of resentment.

Yes, as a student, there is indeed no obligation to take care of a teacher's orphan.

That's right, that man named Kakashi also had many difficulties, and he had experienced many terrible things. Naruto had no right to demand that anyone treat him well.

But...

Why didn't you come to see me?

I should have the right to feel aggrieved, shouldn't I?

The stories of the future were, after all, just stories to this Naruto. Only those past twelve years were what he had truly and painfully experienced: every day and night stung by cold glares, every mouthful of salty instant noodles, every time he watched his classmates being picked up by their parents from afar, only to walk away pretending not to care... He truly could not act as if these things had never happened.

Why did my parents die for the village, yet the village treats me with alienation and hatred?

The villagers who didn't know the truth were one thing, but why did you, Kakashi... also watch all of this with cold indifference?

These feelings had nothing to do with logic. In the days since his return, Naruto had never let them go, which was why he had secretly hidden the fact that he had seen the Flying Thunder God, and why he was no longer interested in that dream of becoming Hokage.

In an instant, a thousand threads pulled by a single name flashed across the lake of Naruto's heart like lightning, yet he revealed nothing on his face, remaining calm as he chatted and laughed with Ino.

When all was said and done, the Naruto of the past, who had to be recognized by others to survive, had long since died.

Still, the same sentiment remained.

Temporary sorrow was inevitable, but it only made him more determined in what he wanted to do now.

Therefore, this calmness was not a disguise.

Almost immediately, something deeper and harder replaced that fleeting, burning pain, settling heavily into the bottom of his heart and truly calming him down.

"Huh? What do you mean you just don't like the name?"

Although Ino sensed that Naruto had some unusual emotions, she wasn't the person involved and didn't think too much of it, assuming his eccentric personality had surfaced again. She urged him:

"Don't look down on a Jonin instructor. Strictly speaking, they aren't just our teachers; they are our superiors. This is very different from Iruka Umino, so you must have a good attitude toward your Jonin. He can teach you many things, and he will be your support when you go on missions in the future."

"Got it."

Regarding Ino's nagging, Naruto was in a fairly good mood and smiled, saying, "I'll have a good attitude toward him. Actually, I'm also looking forward to meeting this Kakashi."

"You have to call him Kakashi-sensei!"

Ino poked Naruto on the forehead, then looked at his messy bangs with disdain. "Naruto, can't you go get a haircut? We have to take our ninja photos the day after tomorrow, and we're meeting our Jonin instructor. You need to pay attention to your image; you've been looking like a mess lately."

"I'm broke—"

Naruto let out a long sigh and pointed to the patches on his clothes.

"...Sigh—"

Ino was momentarily speechless, and seeing this, she could only let out a long sigh as well.

As the young lady of the Yamanaka Clan, she had never worried about money. In fact, before she became close with Naruto, the concept of being poor didn't exist in the world Ino lived in.

Shikamaru and Choji went without saying; they were both sons of clan heads, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they had lived in luxury since childhood. Even that big-forehead Sakura lived in a small Western-style house... So, if she hadn't seen Naruto's life with her own eyes during this time, Ino would never have believed that someone around her, a peer just like her, could live in such dire straits...

"A haircut doesn't cost much. I'll lend you the money."

Ino had the heart to say this to Naruto, but she pursed her lips and suppressed the thought.

Because she remembered that at dinner the day before yesterday, when her mother asked why she had been running out so often lately and she told her about Naruto, her father had suddenly put down his chopsticks.

Her father had been silent for a long time then. Usually, her mother would nag her father a bit at such times, but even her mother seemed to know something and fell silent as well, only asking after a while if they should help Naruto.

Although she felt a bit strange, she was happy to see Naruto live a little easier, but her father had refused.

He said, "When a man makes a resolution, any pity or sorrow is the greatest insult to him... Some people must walk a certain path alone. As a... he has the talent and ability to finish this path, so let's not gild the lily. This path itself is his greatest harvest."

Ino: "?"

What was this old man talking about?

Ino hadn't expected her usually gentle, rational, and calm father to say something so out of character. Words like "man," "resolution," "backbone"... weren't those the types of things usually said by hot-blooded idiots?

But neither of her parents intended to explain further, so even now, Ino didn't fully understand the meaning behind her father's actions.

But not understanding did not mean she wouldn't do as her father had said.

So, she didn't say anything that sounded like pity to Naruto, but couldn't help asking:

"Naruto, it's really tough, isn't it?"

"Yeah." Naruto, still lying there like a corpse, complained. "Training is just too damn hard, argh!"

"That's not what I meant, you idiot..."

Ino sat down beside Naruto, feeling helpless.

The two of them stayed like that in the shade of the tree, one lying down and one sitting, lost in a daze during this rare moment of respite.

As the center of attention, Naruto naturally had no idea that his actions during this period had already drawn many eyes, and quite a few people were pondering matters concerning him.

With his mind blank at this moment, he simply lay relaxed on the ground, staying by Ino's side, watching the stars flicker in and out of view in the clear sky, his mouth muttering unconsciously as he hummed a song at random.

"Always thought this world... wouldn't care if I weren't here..."

"Maybe this feeling has been there since before..."

"So don't hold me tight... don't comfort me..."

The faint singing drifted away in the evening breeze. Ino quietly observed Naruto from the corner of her eye, watching this boy softly hum a song she had never heard before.

She had heard Naruto hum this song many times lately. Naruto said he had forgotten where he heard it, and she had searched for it when she got home, but she couldn't find the original artist or know what the complete version was like.

But having heard it so many times, it didn't stop her from learning the part Naruto hummed.

Before she knew it, she began to hum along softly, though the lyrics were slightly different:

"So hold me tight... so comfort me..."

"Don't give up on me... don't let me fall..."