Vision of Truth I: Cat and Fox (Naruto)

Elusive

"Because of you
I never stray too far from the sidewalk
Because of you
I learned to play on the safe side so I don't get hurt
Because of you
I try my hardest just to forget everything
Because of you
I don't know how to let anyone else in
Because of you
I'm ashamed of my life because it's empty
Because of you
I am afraid"

 - "Because of You" by Kelly Clarkson

Chapter 5: Elusive

Everyone always told me my curiosity would one day get the best of me, and now I wondered if they were onto something. Naruto began avoiding me at school, and while it was nice at first, eventually it became so boring my mind could not stop wondering about him due to his uniqueness. So, I started following him after classes let out. I told myself I had nothing better to do and I found him interesting.

I did not let him see me, of course. Hiding and keeping silent were essential parts of being a ninja that my dad taught me over the years. Naruto, in his obliviousness, never noticed a thing. Anyway, I found out his two favorite activities were training by himself and pranking the villagers. Oh, and he frequented a particular ramen shop, but I found it too risky to follow him inside.

From his interactions with everyone in the village, I realized the adults treated Naruto even worse than the kids - and it was not simply an overreaction to his pranks. Even when he merely walked around, minding his own business, people gave him dirty looks and made rather rude comments, such as "I can't believe he's allowed to roam free in the villages." Many people made much worse statements when he was out of earshot, things I could not believe anyone would ever say about a child. There was no way it was justified.

One day during lunch, I was headed to my normal eating spot in the courtyard - a large tree - when I spotted Naruto out of the corner of my eye. I turned just in time to see a boy intentionally stick out his leg as Naruto walked past him. Naruto tripped and fell, spilling the contents of his food tray all over the ground. The boy snickered, and his friends laughed. My eyes narrowed. I hated bullies. Still, what use would it do to intervene?

"That was a good one," Naruto said with a nervous chuckle as he picked himself up. He searched the ground, but there was nothing salvageable. Despite his obvious attempts to keep an upbeat attitude, I recognized dejection in his eyes, and I could not stand it.

Before I could think too hard about it, I ripped my sandwich in half, walked over to Naruto, and handed him one half of the sandwich. "Take it," I said to his surprised look. "I don't want to hear you complaining you're hungry for the rest of the day."

Naruto smiled and took the sandwich. "Thank you, Katsumi. Hey, do you want to join me for lunch?" He motioned to a nearby picnic table. "It, uh, doesn't have to mean we're friends or anything. Just two classmates eating together."

I hesitated. Despite his reassurance, I should have said no. Yet, I could not pass up the opportunity to learn more about him. "Fine,  but just this once. We're not making it a habit."

Naruto grinned. "Okay!" He led the way to the table, where we sat down opposite from each other. Then he took a big bite of the sandwich. "Mmm... this is good!"

I smiled slightly. "I'm glad you like it." If they had not had peanut butter in this world, I would have gone crazy. I took a bite of my half of the sandwich and swallowed. "Hey, Naruto, I have a question. When that guy tripped you... Stuff like that happens a lot, doesn't it? And it's not just these kids. The adults in the village don't seem to... like you."

Naruto merely shrugged. "Yeah, I guess that's true."

"Do you have any idea why?"

Naruto paused with his sandwich halfway to his mouth. "Nope. It's just always been that way. Don't worry, though. One day, I'll earn everyone's respect and become Hokage! I want to be someone everyone can count on."