Hatake Pride

Part XVII

~Kashin~

"Man I'm beat, today sure was rough," Boruto sighed as we all walked home.

"Who's fault was it that we were there, to begin with?" Inojin chirped.

Boruto chuckled nervously. I watched my classmates before yawning and stretching my arms.

"Hey, you guys wanna stop to get burgers?" Boruto asked us.

"I have some sweet coupons we can use!" He cheered.

I was walking behind everyone so I was the first to notice when Metal turned back to look at the Rock faces. I paused next to him, placing my hand on his shoulder but not looking at him, feeling him sigh before I pulled my hand away.

"Don't stress about it Metal, his face isn't perfect in real life either, so don't try so hard to make it perfect." Boruto tried to lighten Metal's mode, though I don't think that was the right thing to say to do it.

"But..." Metal mumbled.

"You know, just working hard, doesn't mean you're doing it in the right way Metal." Shikadai began.

"Sometimes, you make things worse, and tend to skip over what's important." He added.

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion.

"Listen, you make mistakes when you're feeling nervous right?" Shikadai asked.

Metal gasped, stammering as he tried to ask how we figured that out. Shikadai told him it was obvious to everyone, well, everyone except him that is. Shikadai then told Metal that he was too honest. I don't know where he got that, but they've known each other much longer than I have so, I guess from past encounters.

"Ok Shikadai, I think that's enough, you've made your point," I tried to tell the young Nara, sensing Metal's mood dip more than it already was.

"No matter how hard you train to better yourself on your own, if you can't keep your nerves under control it'll be all for nothing," Shikadai added, ignoring me.

"Oh... I didn't... I didn't realize," Metal's voice broke.

"Anyway, my house it this way," Metal pointed behind us.

"So, uh, I'll see you guys tomorrow..." He added, casing his eyes to the floor before walking away.

I watched the defeated ninja fade away, his sad hunched over figure growing smaller the further he got.

"Shikadai! Did you have to be so hard on him?" Inojin reprimanded his friend.

"Not to sound rude or anything," I caught the other's attention.

"But the next time I advise you to stop, you should probably listen, some people's emotions are more fragile than your own," I stare at Shikadai before turning down the street next to us and heading home myself.

"H~hey Kashin! Don't you wanna get burgers with us?" I heard Boruto call.

I stopped walking, turning to look at him. I know he's trying to be nice, and I appreciate the thought that he wants to be friends, but...

"Maybe some other time, but thank you for the offer," I tell him before turning and continuing my walk.

The next morning started slow, my Father was away for a few weeks so I had the house to myself. That does mean however I need to get myself ready for school.

I was walking to the Academy with my nose in a book, not exactly paying attention to the people around me but managing to not walk into anyone, well, that was till I heard yelling. I lifted my head, I was in a pathway behind the Academy that I usually take to get to the front gates, but today, others were using it too.

"Boruto? Shikadai? Inojin?" I call to my classmates, making myself know.

"Kashin! You need to leave," Boruto told me.

"Why? What's going on?" I close my book, furrowing my eyebrows.

"If you get in my way, I will show you no mercy!" I looked past the three boys to see Metal standing there with a deadly look.

"Uhh?" I questioned.

"Run!" Shikadai ran past me, running away.

Boruto and Inojin looked at each other before following, Boruto grabbing my arm and pulling me along.

"Boruto! What's going on? Why are we running from Metal?" I ask, looking over my shoulder at the Lee ninja following us.

"Because he's trying to kill us!" Boruto yelled.

"I find that had to believe, Metal? Trying to kill us?" I sassed at the young Uzumaki.

"Come back here and face me!" I heard Metal call.

I looked over my shoulder again to see our classmate grab shuriken, holding them at the ready before throwing them toward us.

"Watch out!" Boruto called and we all pulled out kunai, skidding to a stop and deflecting the attacks.

"I retract my latter statement," I say as I hold my kunai tighter in case Metal decided to throw more shuriken at us.

"Let's go!" Boruto pulled my wrist and we all hid in some bushes.

We waited till Metal had run past looking for us, he obviously had no intention of hurting anyone other than who he was chasing so that meant the other students were safe.

"We can't run from him forever," Shikadai spoke up.

"Who's idea was it to run from him in the first place!?" Boruto whispered the hiss at his friend.

"Why is he chasing us anyway? What did we do to get him so riled up?" I ask peering through the bushes to see if I could see Metal.

"I tried to apologize to him about what I said yesterday," Shikadai rubbed his neck.

"But it doesn't seem like he's interested in an apology, more looking for a fight to prove his skills." He added.

"Isn't that just swell," I mumble sarcastically before turning back to my peers.

"Ok, so Shikadai is who he's after, let's think, how are we going to catch him without hurting him but giving him what he wants..." I rub my chin.

"Huh!?" Shikadai stared at me.

"I have an idea," I say, looking at my classmates and beginning to explain.

"Ok Boruto, go..." I signal the young Uzumaki and he nodded, jumping ino action with a shadow clone.

Metal took care of the two Boruto's with one kick -which was impressive- before 'Shikadai' jumped out from the bushes behind him.

"Shadow paralysis Jutsu..." Shikadai put his hands together and the shadow under him began to move.