the last student The Child Arc

chapter 51

*It's been a few weeks since the last chapter. The seasons were beginning to change, and the year was coming closer to an end. We see Naruto and Anko at home, Naruto was dangling his feet on his chair as he waited. His mother was on the other side of the table, with the equipment to create a plushie. Even if Naruto's bed was filled with different plushies that he hugged every night, he wanted a new one. A very specific one, from a movie Anko took him to the other day. With a final stitch, Anko placed the plushie on the table and smiled, proud of her work.*

Anko: And done your very own Nuka plushie

Naruto: Yay! Thank you, Mommy!

*Naruto said with an excited smile as he grabbed the lion plushie and hugged it tightly, squeezing the life out of it in his chest with how tightly he was hugging it. Yesterday the cinema was playing a Sunagakure-made movie and Naruto wanted to see it, since " it's a movie from where Gaara lives!" Anko seeing nothing wrong with that, bought them tickets and watched an animated movie of the leader and others only they were played as lions for children to experience history. Aka, they watched The Lion King 2 Simba's Pride. One thing that Anko wasn't expecting, though, was her little sunshine falling in love with the character of Nuka. So much so that He begged his mom to make him a plushie of him.*

Anko: Of course, my little snake. But if you don't mind, if Mommy asks you a little question?

Naruto: Sure! What is it, Mommy?

*Naruto asked, confused as he put the plushie down and helped his mom clean up the table from all the fabrics and other stuff she used to make the plushie. Of course, Naruto helped clean up without even being asked since that's just the kind of child Anko raised, so Anko cleaned up with him, without having a crying attack about how amazing her child was. Anko looked at her son and asked the question that had been stuck on her mind ever since the movie was over. Which was her child's obsession with the Nuka character.*

Anko: Well, why did you want a plushie of him? There are other more popular characters like Simba or Scar. Scar was my favorite as a kid

Naruto: Oh, because no one loved him.

* Naruto said simply, as he petted Nuka plushie's hair with a bright smile before going back to clean up. Anko stopped what she was doing for a second, confused. She looked at her boy, wondering where his endless imagination brought him, to come up with such an answer. Anko knew she was playing a dangerous game, but she had to know. She had to ask her son to explain his thought process. She can only hope that this time it doesn't go to the strangest of places.*

Anko; I'm gonna need you to explain a little more of an explanation

Naruto: Well. He was sad. He was very sad because his mommy didn't love him, he was sad because his daddy didn't choose him, and he was just a very sad lion throughout the whole movie. But he masked it with his anger

* Naruto explained, again showing moments of his brilliance as he said something that no 5-year-old should be able to know. Anko wasn't even surprised by it at this point, she had made peace with the fact that her son was a very smart individual for his age, honestly, it was something she was so proud of him for. Even if it sometimes took Anko by surprise. Anko gave a short nod, understanding where the thought started, so far so good.*

Anko: ok, I'm with you so far

Naruto: Well, he reminded me of Gaara, of Sasuke, of Yakumo, of so many of my friends, who were at one point very sad. I can't help Nuka be less sad since he's not real. He also reminded me of you when you had nightmares, Mommy

* Naruto said, getting a little off tangent with his explanation. Anko flinched at that and frowned over the fact that her son was worried about her, when that should never be the case. But as they saw, "You can't put the toothpaste back in the tube." Anko can only hope and pray that Naruto will move past that moment over time. Anko nodded and gave a forced smile that Naruto could just feel was forced even if he didn't know why his mother was forcing herself to smile, or how he knew it was a fake smile. But before his mind could get distracted again, his mother spoke, bringing him to the original conversation.*