Rest

After classes ended at the Ninja Academy that day.

Josuke hurried home and began training in taijutsu. This year had been a fulfilling one for him. The feeling left behind by his parents' deaths had faded, but whenever he thought back on it, he still could not help feeling grief.

Still, he had barely had any time to rest over the past year, and he had spoken less and less with Naruto and Ino. He could sense their concern, but someone as weak as him simply had no time to rest.

After a year, Josuke's chakra reserves had reached the average level of a genin. He could cast ten Great Fireballs.

But it was still not enough. That Sharingan of his was still a massive chakra drain. After using it only a few times, he would become weak.

That was why learning senjutsu was crucial. It all depended on whether he could gain the recognition of the Three Great Sage Regions. As for tailed beasts, it was not as though he had never considered them, but a small fry like him was not even enough to fill the gaps between a tailed beast's teeth. QAQ.

Josuke kept thinking like this as he walked home...

A sudden shout snapped Josuke out of his thoughts, and he followed the voice.

"Josuke..."

It was Ino, holding a bouquet of daisies in her hands. (The language of daisies: hidden love.) (Author's note: Every flower has a whole pile of meanings, it's maddening. Anyway, it's roughly that kind of meaning. Also, Josuke doesn't understand flower language.)

Josuke froze slightly and accepted the flowers on instinct.

"Thank you..."

Though he did not know why Ino had given him daisies, Josuke knew what it meant when a girl gave someone flowers...

Ino's eyes were misty. She had learned everything that had happened in Josuke's family from her parents.

"Josuke... I'm sorry. I didn't know you had gone through so much this past year... I'm really sorry."

Josuke more or less understood what the little girl was trying to say. He sighed, then waved his hand. "It's all because I was too weak, isn't it?"

Josuke did not say much else. After apologizing to Ino, he left.

Of course, he knew what Ino wanted to express. He had watched so much Naruto, and he was Sasuke's brother. How could he not know what Ino was thinking?

People in Naruto really matured early. The future Hokage's wife seemed to have had a crush on Naruto when she was four or five, while Sakura and Ino had both liked Sasuke since they were little. But perhaps because of his arrival, Ino had not fallen for Sasuke.

Instead, she liked him. Pah, pah, pah. Why was he being so conceited? They were just ordinary classmates. There was no need to read so much into it.

In the original Naruto, Josuke had actually liked Ino's boldness in love and hate. And her ending had been exceptionally happy. As for that brat Sai, Josuke had disliked him from the bottom of his heart.

By Boruto: Naruto Next Generations,

she had made people understand what a mature woman truly was. (#^.^#) (Anyone who's read the doujins, come on out.)

Calling her one of Konoha Village's most beautiful flowers would not be an exaggeration.

Ahem, ahem, he had gone off topic. Ino's words made Josuke think for a long time. He really should take a break.

He had not rested properly in so long.

(⊙o⊙)...

How about Ichiraku Ramen today? Hehe.

With that, Josuke headed to his most beloved Ichiraku Ramen.

There, he saw a blond-haired boy eating ramen. Naturally, it was Naruto.

For some reason, Naruto suddenly turned around and spotted Josuke. He immediately greeted him enthusiastically, and Josuke politely returned the greeting.

Josuke ordered a miso ramen and sat down beside Naruto.

Looking at Naruto, he suddenly recalled the first time they had met. He had been happily eating ramen with Itachi and Sasuke. Josuke still remembered that the ramen they had eaten that day had been tonkotsu flavored.

Naruto had not been as cheerful then as he was now. He had been trapped in a spiral of self-doubt and lacked the confidence he had today, even though the villagers still shunned him.

But at least he had made quite a few good friends at the Ninja Academy.

"Naruto."

Josuke looked at him and spoke.

Naruto stuffed an entire mouthful of ramen into his mouth.

With his cheeks puffed out, he asked,

"What is it?"

Josuke looked up, smiled, and said,

"Do you remember where we first met?"

Josuke's words pulled Naruto back to an even younger time. He had had no friends and no parents. There had only been the Third Hokage Grandpa, while Uncle Ichiraku had been the person who cared about him most. Since childhood, he had suffered the villagers' discrimination.

They called him a demon star and a fox demon. Even now, he still endured those rumors and insults.

He had not even dared to eat Ichiraku Ramen with other people.

He could only watch from afar and wait until they had left before daring to come over. Of course, he could not eat Ichiraku every day either. Most of the time, all three meals were instant noodles.

That day, he had finally saved enough money to eat some Ichiraku Ramen.

Then he saw three people: one older brother and two children around his own age. He seemed never to have seen them before.

Then it suddenly occurred to him that perhaps he could eat ramen with them. The gears of fate began to turn. He asked them, and the answer was actually yes!

Naruto still remembered that scene to this day. He had made the first and second friends of his life.

It was also the first time he experienced the care between friends.

Back in the present,

Naruto smiled and scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"Yeah, I remember. You were my first friend. Thank you, Josuke."

Josuke waved his hand. You're the Yellow Flash. I definitely need to stay on good terms with you, or no one will speak up for my brother and me when we run away later.

"I should be thanking you too, Naruto," Josuke said sincerely.

Naruto laughed heartily and slapped Josuke hard on the shoulder, nearly knocking him over. This carefree Naruto...

"Hey, easy, easy!" Josuke steadied himself. "But seriously, I really envy you, Naruto."

"Envy me?" Naruto blinked in confusion. "What's there to envy about me?"

Josuke said with a serious expression, "You have unwavering convictions and a goal worth striving for. Unlike me, I'm always wandering in confusion."

After hearing that, Naruto said thoughtfully, "Everyone gets confused sometimes. What matters is finding your own path, then taking it one step at a time..."

Josuke nodded, seeming to contemplate Naruto's words.

Just then, the owner brought over steaming bowls of ramen.

"All right, don't think so much. Eat first!"

"You..."

Wonderful times always came to an end, and they were no exception.

Josuke soon finished his Ichiraku Ramen, said goodbye to Naruto, and returned home.

But what he did not know was that an eye in the darkness was staring intently at everything before it.

Inside the Hokage's office in Konoha Village...