It LIVES IT LIVES!
Anyways sorry about taking so long; back to the story
Chosen: Happy
In the end, no matter how I feel about messing him up in the first place or causing him all this trouble, Shino is still my friend, and I’m glad to see him again. It’s time to let him know that.
“Shino,” I say.
“Yes?” he answers, not looking at me.
“I’m glad you’re going to be okay. I’m sorry I caused you all this trouble in the first place.”
Just barely I catch the hint of his eyes behind the glasses before he starts staring at the ceiling
“It is not your fault. If I had been more cautious, if I had been more intelligent...”
No, I’m not doing this. I’m not letting Shino blame himself for this mess.
“Shino, stop it. It’s not your fault. I don’t know what’s wrong with my chakra, and if I don’t know, then you can’t be expected to either. So stop blaming yourself, man. ...I want my friend back. I missed you.”
Shino stops looking at the ceiling and focus on me. A soft half smile I can just barely see behind his collar forms.
“Thank you, Naruto. ...I missed you, too.”
The silence stretches between us. I rub the back of my neck. I...it’s been awhile since we’ve been close. Even with the letters it doesn’t feel right. Part of me just feels like I decided to sleep on my hand and then poke it. But I know I have to do something....
In the end I’m not a complicated guy, and if I want Shino as my friend then I’m going to have to act like it. So I talk to him
“So Shino what did you think of....”
I just started talking about all sorts of things; good things, bad things, how I’d been living since we started drifting, what he had been up to, why, what he had learned. We just talked...for the first time in a long time. Apparently Shino likes pirates- weird, but I’m glad to know it. I’m glad to be his friend again.
“So there I am hanging from the roof, praying that the teacher won’t notice my fingers when he steps on the rake I planted...I mean really stepped on it, smacked him in the nose.”
“Then what happened?”
“Then he said ‘WHO THE HELL PUTS A RAKE ON A ROOF?’ and by this point I’m just hoping not to get caught. He looks around, throws the rake down to the ground past me and then goes to go back inside not seeing me.”
“Of course, they did figure out it was me who had stink bombed the girls bathroom, but that was more because I wrote ‘Naruto was here’ on the ceiling.”
“So that’s why they closed the school.”
“Yeah.”
We lapse back into comfortable silence. We don’t need to say anything because we get each other. We’re friends, friends to the end.
I check the clock. Shit, it’s late. Shino follows my eyes and looks unhappy.
“I’m sorry Naruto, but I need to rest...see you soon, though,” Shino says quietly.
I nod. It’s like 3 in the morning, and Shino looks like he does need it.
“Yeah, get better man”
Reluctantly I stand up. I prepare to leave but decide to do something first. Walking over to Shino I hold my fist out. He bumps it with his own. We’re bro’s and that’s what matters.
“Later.”
Walking out of the Aburame compound Shibi stands in front of me
“Naruto...as thanks for helping my son....take this,” He gives me a scroll.
Taking the scroll, I look at him.
“What’s this?”
“A supplemental D-rank ninjutsu. It’s useful for restraining animals and civilians.”
I think that’s the most he’s ever said at once to me.
New Ninjutsu, though?
Man, I wish Shibi was my dad. I’d have all the ninjutsu, then, and I would be 8 kinds of awesome not just 7 like I am now. Still, I didn’t do this for jutsu.
“Thanks...I didn’t do it for a reward or anything, though...”
‘I know.”
Shibi just stares at me. I decide to excuse myself.
“....Good night,” I say, slipping out the door.
Konoha is oddly quiet at 3 in the morning. I guess it makes sense; the only people normally up at this time of night are ninjas and most ninja seem into the whole stealth thing. Still, it’s kind of eerie to see it so quiet. That the Hokage Monument looks like it’s about to transform into a stone monster and kill us all doesn’t help. Stupid moon.
Ignoring that, I make it home about half an hour later to see Sasuke still up...wait, what?
“Naruto?” He seems surprised.
I’m surprised, too.
“Sasuke?” I ask.
He recovers first, looking me over.
“...What are you doing up...and what happened to your arm?”
Oh, right, the arm, Easy explanation.
“Tiger. What about you?” I ask.
Doesn’t seem satisfied by the Tiger explanation, but Sasuke still says,
“Just reading something.”
No, he’s definitely hiding something, but how to convinces him to blurt it out? Do I go all sneaky with fake happy (Well, not that fake, I’m pretty stoked right now) understanding shenanigans? Beat it out of him? Or patience?
Happy, Aggressive, Calm, Understanding, pick one