Pranks

On a weekend morning, Kiyoshi had just finished breakfast when someone knocked at his door.

He checked that mental ledger of his more often than usual that day: October was almost here. Less than a year remained until that night.

He opened the door. Naruto stood outside in his orange jacket, brimming with energy.

"Kiyoshi! Are you free today?"

Kiyoshi remained deadpan. "I just finished breakfast."

"Then you're done! Come on, come on, I'll take you somewhere."

Naruto grabbed him and pulled him outside. Kiyoshi didn't break free, nor did he want to. He simply went along.

After walking for a while, he asked, "Where are we going?"

"The Secret Base."

"..."

"You'll know when we get there!"

Naruto led him through several alleys and around a few corners before finally stopping in front of a row of discarded pipes. The pipes were piled together, forming a partially enclosed space. Inside lay a ragged cloth, a few empty cans, and a crumpled wrapper.

Naruto crouched and crawled inside, then looked back at him. "Come in!"

Kiyoshi eyed the size of the pipe's opening, then looked down at his clothes. Keeping his face blank, he crouched and crawled inside.

There wasn't much room, but it was just enough for two people to sit. Light filtered through the gaps between the pipes, falling in stripes across the ground.

With pipes this size, I can probably keep growing for another two years. After that, I might not fit.

"What do you think?" Naruto looked rather pleased with himself.

"Not bad."

"Not bad? I found this all by myself! Nobody else knows about it!"

"Mm."

Kiyoshi sat on the ground, leaned against the pipe, and looked around. There were five or six empty cans and two wrappers. A few footprints marked the ragged cloth, probably Naruto's own.

He asked, "Do you come here often?"

"Yeah! When I've got nothing to do after school, I come and sit here."

"By yourself?"

"...Yeah."

Kiyoshi said nothing.

Naruto quickly added, "But now I've got you here with me!"

Kiyoshi glanced at him. "Mm."

Naruto smiled, then seemed to remember something. He stood and crawled back out. "Oh, right! There's something else I want to show you!"

Kiyoshi crawled out after him and brushed the dust off his trousers.

Naruto grabbed him and ran again. This time, they went farther, crossing several streets and skirting a Security Force checkpoint before finally stopping on the slope beneath Hokage Rock.

Naruto pointed up at the cliff face. "Look!"

Kiyoshi looked up.

The faces of four Hokage were carved side by side into Hokage Rock. Between the First and the Second, someone had painted a crooked spiral, with several whisker-like lines nearby, as though they'd added whiskers to one of the faces.

Kiyoshi stared for three seconds, his face expressionless.

"What do you think?" Naruto waited for his verdict.

"...You painted that?"

"Yeah! I've done it loads of times. They scrub it off every time, so I paint it back on!"

Kiyoshi looked for another three seconds.

"You gave the Fourth whiskers."

"Right! Don't you think he looks too serious? Some whiskers make him look friendlier!"

Kiyoshi remained deadpan. "...The Fourth was a Hokage."

"I know!"

"You drew whiskers on a Hokage."

"So, do they look good?"

Kiyoshi fell silent. He glanced at Naruto's sparkling eyes, then at the whiskers on the Fourth's face.

"...Not bad."

"I knew you'd like it!"

Kiyoshi said nothing.

When did I say I liked it? But he's so happy. Never mind.

Naruto pulled a paint marker from his pocket and offered it to him. "Want to add a stroke too?"

Kiyoshi looked at the paint marker, then at the crooked graffiti on Hokage Rock. He took it and added a stroke to the Fourth's whiskers, making them a little more lopsided. His hand paused as he drew, and he almost reflexively struck the Jiahao opening pose. He held himself back.

Almost made a fool of myself on Hokage Rock.

Then he handed the marker back to Naruto. "Done."

Naruto looked at the crooked whisker and burst out laughing. "Yours is even uglier than mine!"

Kiyoshi remained deadpan. "Mm."

The two stood on the slope, looking at the graffiti on Hokage Rock. A breeze blew past, stirring their hair.

"Someday, I'm going to make everyone remember my name," Naruto suddenly said.

Kiyoshi turned to look at him.

"Not because of who my dad is, or who my mom is, and not because of...that thing. Just because I'm me, Naruto Uzumaki."

Kiyoshi watched him without speaking. Then he turned back toward Hokage Rock.

"Mm."

Then he heard a voice in the distance.

"Naruto!!!"

It was Iruka's voice.

Naruto's expression changed. "Oh no, Iruka-sensei's here!"

He turned and ran, then looked back after two steps, shoved the paint marker into his pocket, and shouted at Kiyoshi, "Run!"

Kiyoshi didn't run.

He stood where he was, his face blank, watching Iruka run up from the bottom of the slope, panting.

Iruka reached him and paused in surprise when he saw him. "Kiyoshi? What are you doing here?"

Kiyoshi remained deadpan. "Enjoying the scenery."

Iruka glanced at the graffiti on Hokage Rock, then at the paint on Kiyoshi's hand-he'd gotten a little on himself when he took the marker. Iruka narrowed his eyes. "You're keeping watch for Naruto, aren't you?"

"No."

"Then what's that on your hand?"

Kiyoshi looked down at the red paint on his fingers, his face expressionless. "...Paint."

"Where did it come from?"

"Naruto gave it to me."

Iruka said, "...So you were keeping watch."

Kiyoshi remained deadpan. "I was enjoying the scenery. Naruto gave me the marker, I took it, and then he ran. I didn't."

Iruka looked at him, torn between anger and amusement. "Do you know that drawing graffiti on Hokage Rock is illegal?"

"Yes."

"And you still kept watch for him?"

"I was enjoying the scenery."

Iruka took a deep breath and let it out. "...Forget it. He's led you astray. You can go."

Kiyoshi stayed where he was. "You're not arresting me?"

"What would I arrest you for? You didn't draw anything."

"I added a stroke."

Iruka said, "...What did you draw?"

"I added a stroke to the Fourth's whiskers."

Iruka fell silent. He stared at Kiyoshi's expressionless face for a long while before speaking. "Do you realize what you just said could mean you helped Naruto with his graffiti, or that you only touched it?"

"Mm."

"Then which was it?"

Kiyoshi remained deadpan. "I added that stroke, but I don't think that counts as graffiti. It was an artistic addition."

Iruka said, "...Just go."

Kiyoshi turned and walked a few steps, then looked back. "Iruka-sensei, the Fourth's whiskers really were a little too serious."

Iruka shouted, "...Go!!!"

Kiyoshi left.

Iruka-sensei has impressive lung capacity.

He walked down the slope. The wind blew from behind him, sweeping his hair forward. He didn't brush it aside and simply kept walking.

At the intersection at the foot of the hill, he paused. A little girl stood by the road, with short black hair and a kimono. She held a small cloth bag, as though she'd just come out of a shop.

Hinata Hyuga.

When she saw Kiyoshi, she froze for a moment, then lowered her head, her face flushing faintly.

Kiyoshi nodded with his usual blank expression and was about to walk past.

Hinata said quietly, "You...you've got paint on your clothes."

Kiyoshi looked down at his cuff. Sure enough, there was a smear of red paint on it. He'd probably gotten it there when he took the marker.

He remained deadpan. "Mm, thanks."

Hinata nodded without saying anything else and walked past with her head lowered.

Kiyoshi glanced down at the paint on his cuff. He didn't wipe it off and kept walking.

He strolled along the village streets, his face expressionless, his pace neither fast nor slow.

He hadn't gone far when he heard two women talking by the roadside.

"Look at that blond kid. He's been scribbling all over Hokage Rock again."

"That child's the...Demon Fox, isn't he?"

"Shh, keep your voice down. We don't want anyone hearing."

"What's wrong with saying it? The whole village knows. That child is a walking disaster. The village hasn't had a peaceful day since he was born."

"Exactly. I heard his parents both..."

"Don't even mention it. That child's nothing but trouble."

Kiyoshi walked past them without stopping, his face blank.

As he passed, the two women glanced at him, paid him no mind, and kept talking.

He kept walking.

[System notification: face value +15. You remained silent in the face of rumors about the Demon Fox, neither joining in nor agreeing. Onlookers noticed your attitude.]

[System notification: awkwardness value +10. Hearing others discuss your friend's background, you stood nearby and pretended not to hear. The system has recorded this awkwardness.]