The Book of Nariko Hayashi | Naruto OC

Naruto Leaves Konoha

It was a beautiful day out for the villagers, and that same day was when Naruto had to leave the village to train under Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin. He would be gone from Konoha for two and a half years, or three.

Nariko was sitting on the roof of a shop with Kurai and Aiko as they looked up at the sky on that beautiful day. All the girl could do was reminisce about her friend.

~*~

I thought of Naruto to be many things when I met him and when I became his friend when we were younger.

He was an annoying tick that I couldn't get rid of... like, a lost puppy who wanted to be adopted so badly.

Yesterday, I sat at the park minding my own business as usual. Whenever I wasn't around my team, I sat alone at the quiet and peaceful park.

Not so quiet and peaceful when I heard him...

"Nariko! Yo! Hey!"

My left eye twitched so hard at hearing his loud voice. What ever happened to having peace and quiet when alone? When you're around Naruto.. it's never peace and quiet. Just loudness.

"...Hey."

He sat beside me and smiled widely as if I gave him a present he always wanted on Christmas. His smiling would always get me to scoot away from him, but I didn't do it that time. Instead, I just sat there and glared at him.

"..Let me guess. You came here to annoy me as expected."

And it was true. Whenever I was alone, he would ruin that moment for me just for the hell of it. I decided to hear his lame excuse. He gave lamer excuses than I did after all.

He chuckled before placing a hand on my shoulder.. meaning that he was going to say something touchy to me. If not touchy then.. something actually stupid. Anyway, I listened to his words.

"Somethin' like that! I was gonna ask you if you wanted to eat ramen with me at Ichiraku's like old times! Just the two of us."

After he told me that, I was perplexed. He.. wanted to eat ramen with me? It surprised me because he didn't ask me that question in a while, to be more specifically since Sasuke left the village. He did other things with me, but eating ramen.. was surprising to hear.

"I figured I should spend time with you before I go train with Pervy Sage. Before I leave, I'll eat ramen again with Iruka-sensei."

..Oh. That was right. He was leaving the village to train with that Jiraiya guy. I never heard of him until Amaya explained to me who the Legendary Sannin were. It surprised me to hear that Lady Tsunade was apart of it, and I was shocked to hear of Orochimaru playing a role in the team as well.

I couldn't help but smile slightly at him. It was a genuine smile if you ask me, but small. I didn't want him to make it seem like I was thrilled, considering the fact that I wouldn't see him in two and a half years.

"..Sure."

"All right! And don't forget about the last time we did this sort of thing.. you're paying this time."

"Whatever, man.."

We eventually ate our usual ramen bowls together. It was surprisingly nice to hear Naruto yap and yap about random things, and it was weird for me to even think of that. I guess it was because I wouldn't see him for a long time after.

He got my attention when he called my name.

"Nariko?"

"Hm?"

"I just want to thank you for being one of my coolest friends. I know you don't talk much around me, but I still consider you my friend! I won't forget about you when training with Pervy Sage, y'know."

His words made me smile.. a bit widely than last time, before we arrived at Ichiraku Ramen. I was his friend.. and he was mine. He would be thinking of me while training with a Legendary Sannin, and I would be thinking of him while training with my squad and hanging out with the others.

"Hey, what's with that dumb looking face?"

..Says the one who makes that dumb looking face almost every day.

"..Just shut up and eat."

~*~

Nariko snapped out of her thoughts when she felt Aiko tapping on her shoulder. She glanced at the ravenette. "Yeah?"

"I said will you miss him?" Aiko asked curiously, which she should have already known that answer.

Of course Nariko would miss her friend. He was one of her best friends from her childhood.. even now. "..Yeah. I'll miss him."

"Pfft.. I won't", Kurai spoke abruptly. "That shrimp.. I bet you when he comes back, he won't be as strong as me. That's why I'm pushing myself to become strong now."

His words annoyed Nariko, but at the same time.. it made her realize how much of an impact her friend left on the others. Naruto created an influence for many.. like Hinata, Neji, Rock Lee, Kiba, and after hearing it herself, even Kurai. It was like everyone wanted to show Naruto how strong they've gotten because of him when he returned back to the village.

Once Naruto caught up to his master, they took off immediately. As they became blurs amongst the trees, Naruto looked over his shoulder and back at the village as it began to fade from view.

After all.. there was no such thing as a proper goodbye. It wasn't the end of Naruto Uzumaki.