The sun slowly sank below the horizon, its fading light seeming to abandon the world.
Ueno Kei sat idly on a bench in Konoha Park, eating a boxed meal he'd bought with the living expenses issued by the Konoha Ninja.
"Ah." Just then, a groan came from beside Ueno Kei.
Uzumaki Naruto slowly opened his eyes. A wave of pain washed over his body, and he frowned, trying to remember what had happened. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, then dimmed again. That was right—he'd seen a girl being bullied and tried to help her.
He hadn't expected to get beaten so badly. Those people had called him a monster. Uzumaki Naruto gave a bitter smile. That was reality.
Uzumaki Naruto thought sadly, Would he have to live like this forever?
"You're awake?"
Uzumaki Naruto jolted, then immediately sat up on the bench. He stared at the unfamiliar boy before him, a purple-haired teenager with an expressionless face.
Uzumaki Naruto glanced cautiously at Ueno Kei.
Then he asked timidly, "Y-you're talking to me?"
Ueno Kei froze for a moment, then the corners of his mouth lifted. He hadn't expected this golden-haired boy to react like that. It was a little beyond what he'd imagined. Ueno Kei made no effort to hide his amusement.
Uzumaki Naruto just stared blankly at Ueno Kei, looking as if he had no idea why he was smiling.
Seeing the golden-haired boy's dazed expression, Ueno Kei felt even more certain that he was a simple, guileless child. As he'd carried the boy here, the Konoha villagers they passed had all looked at Ueno Kei strangely. And when their eyes shifted to the golden-haired boy behind him—
Each and every one of them had looked disgusted.
Some had even come over to tell him not to bother with the monster, and that he'd be better off leaving him somewhere and walking away. Ueno Kei had politely thanked them for the warning, nodding as though he agreed, but stubbornly refusing to change his mind as he struggled to carry the golden-haired boy toward the nearest park.
Everything he'd seen and heard along the way had only made Ueno Kei more curious about the boy's identity.
But now, the golden-haired boy's innocent expression had touched him. This was a child with no ulterior motives, a simple boy.
Ueno Kei smiled and asked, "Is there anyone else here?"
Uzumaki Naruto stared at him. "Looks like it's just the two of us."
Ueno Kei let out a soft laugh, shook his head, and held out his hand. "Let's get acquainted. Hello, I'm Ueno Kei. I just moved to Konoha."
When Uzumaki Naruto saw Ueno Kei's outstretched right hand, he seemed to panic. Flustered, he hurriedly reached out with his left hand. Ueno Kei froze.
Uzumaki Naruto immediately realized his mistake. His face turned bright red, and he quickly pulled back his left hand and offered his right instead, shaking Ueno Kei's hand. "H-hello. I-I'm Uzumaki Naruto."
All the while, Uzumaki Naruto stared intently at their joined hands, as if he couldn't believe he was actually shaking someone's hand.
Ueno Kei gave their hands a little shake, then let go. "Naruto-kun—uh, you don't mind if I call you that, do you?"
Before Ueno Kei could finish, Uzumaki Naruto hurriedly waved his hands. "I don't mind! Of course I don't!"
His face was full of excitement. At the same time, he asked very cautiously, as if afraid of offending Ueno Kei, "Th-then, can I call you Kei-kun too?"
Ueno Kei nodded casually. It seemed like such a small thing to him, but it made Uzumaki Naruto even happier.
"So, Naruto-kun, why were you there this afternoon? Did you know that girl?"
"No, I didn't know her. I just saw those three guys bullying her, so I wanted to help. It's just that..." As he spoke, Uzumaki Naruto scratched his head sheepishly. Getting beaten in front of Ueno Kei felt terribly embarrassing.
"What are you going to do now? You got beaten up. Are you going to go home and tell your parents?" Ueno Kei asked.
As soon as the words left his mouth, Ueno Kei sensed that something was wrong. Naruto, who'd been cheerful just moments ago, seemed to have taken a blow. His mood plummeted.
A dejected look crossed his face. Ueno Kei's eyelid twitched, as if he'd realized something.
Sure enough, he heard Naruto say, "I...don't have parents. I've been alone for as long as I can remember."
Ueno Kei sighed discreetly. He'd had a feeling when he saw Uzumaki Naruto's expression. Still, if Naruto had parents, how could they let their own child be treated with such disgust by the villagers—
Or be beaten and bullied by other people's children?
Thinking that the golden-haired boy's circumstances were much like his own, Ueno Kei couldn't help showing a sympathetic expression.
"I'm sorry, Naruto. I didn't know. I brought up something painful."
"It's okay, it's okay. I've gotten used to it over the years. Don't worry about me, Kei-kun." Uzumaki Naruto broke into a carefree grin, as if all his earlier gloom had vanished.
But Ueno Kei could still see the loneliness and sadness in Uzumaki Naruto's eyes. And yet he could remain so optimistic. It stirred something indescribable inside Ueno Kei.
Besides, since their conversation began, Ueno Kei hadn't heard a single complaint or grudge against the three boys who'd beaten Naruto. He hadn't even seen the slightest hint of resentment in his expression.
There were only two possibilities: Naruto was either deeply calculating, or he was so optimistic and positive that he didn't hold grudges.
To Ueno Kei, Uzumaki Naruto was clearly the latter. Their circumstances were much the same, and Naruto was so optimistic. Though he'd only just arrived in Konoha and had no one here, Ueno Kei already felt a flicker of fondness for him. Uzumaki Naruto seemed like someone worth befriending.
Somehow, it was as if a voice inside him had told him so.
So what if people hated him? So what if he had no friends? Ueno Kei believed Naruto was worth getting close to. That was why, even knowing that the people of Konoha despised and shunned Uzumaki Naruto, Ueno Kei had still chosen to befriend him.
It was simple: fate! Ueno Kei wasn't the sort to be a people-pleaser or follow the crowd. Once he made up his mind, nothing could change it—even if, despite having an adult's mind, he made a decision that seemed utterly irrational.
Ueno Kei would never regret it.
Of course, Ueno Kei didn't know that Uzumaki Naruto wasn't merely shunned by the villagers. He was also one of Konoha's greatest secrets.
Anbu were watching Uzumaki Naruto at all times. Ueno Kei simply wasn't strong enough to notice them in the slightest.
"Um, I think I heard you say you'd just arrived in Konoha, Kei-kun? Did you move here from somewhere else?" Uzumaki Naruto was clearly trying to dispel the awkward atmosphere, and his attempt at changing the subject was rather clumsy.
Ueno Kei saw through him but didn't call him out. He smiled and said, "Yeah, I moved here today. Then I thought I'd take a look around."
"Take a look around...?"
"Uh, I mean, walk around Konoha and learn my way around. Something like that."
"Oh. Then why did you move to Konoha, Kei-kun? Wait, no, Konoha's such a great place, so it makes sense you'd move here... Our Konoha..."
Uzumaki Naruto rambled on, answering his own question as he began giving Ueno Kei a tour of Konoha.
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