#naruto shipudden

He waves a hand dismissively, tearing open the bag of gummies with his teeth. “Ah, come on! Twenty minutes is nothing. Here, want some?” He holds the bag out to you, his blue eyes sparkling

You hesitate, then take one just to be nice. The sugar melts on your tongue as you push a history scroll toward him. “Focus. We’re starting with History and the Renaissance. Iruka-sensei said you mixed up the dates last test.”

Naruto leans back against the tree trunk, stretching his legs out so his knee brushes yours. “Yeah, yeah, history stuff. Did you hear about that new ramen place that opened near the bridge? They have this spicy miso that’s supposed to be insane! We should totally check it out after this. My treat!”

You bite your lip, fighting the smile that wants to break free. This is exactly what always happens. “Naruto, we’re not going anywhere until you can at least tell me the characteristics of that era. Come on, I made these flashcards for you last night.”

He takes one of the cards from your hand, squinting at it for about three seconds before tossing it lightly back onto the pile.

“Man, you’re always so prepared. It’s kinda cute, you know that?” His grin turns a little cheeky. “Studying is so boring. We could just talk instead. What’s your favorite gummy? I bet you like the sour ones, with all that smart brain of yours.”

You try to ignore the compliment. “That has no correlation, Naruto.”

Iruka’s words echo in your head: extra credits, big ones, if Naruto actually passes this upcoming exam. You need those to boost your own grades for next finals. But sitting here with Naruto so close, his shoulder bumping yours every time he laughs, makes it feel impossible to stay strict.

“Naruto,” you say, voice softer than you meant it to be, “if you don’t pass, Iruka-sensei is going to be really disappointed. And… I kind of promised him I’d help you get through this.”

He pauses mid-chew, looking at you earnestly. “You really care that much about me?” For a second, he sounds serious. Then the grin comes back full force. “Alright, alright! Let’s do a few questions. Then we take a break and I show you that skate trick I was talking about. Deal?”

You roll your eyes but nod, sliding the scroll closer. “Fine. Which country is considered the birthplace of the Renaissance?”

Naruto scratches the back of his head, staring at the words like they’re written in another language. “Uh… Renaissance sounds like a french word… so France?”

You can’t help but laugh, covering your mouth with your hand. He’s too cute. “Close, but not. It was in Italy.” You lean in a little, pointing out the key lines in your notes, trying to explain it simply. Your hair falls forward and you tuck it behind your ear, hyper aware of how his eyes follow the movement. For a moment, he actually seems to listen, repeating a few facts back to you in his loud voice.

But then his attention drifts again. “You know what would make this way better? If we studied while eating! I brought extra gummies. And I could tell you about the time I pranked Sasuke in our dorm. It was awesome!”

“Naruto!” You swat his arm lightly, but there’s no real force behind it. Your crush makes you weak like this. Every time he smiles at you, you forget why you’re even here. The extra credits feel distant compared to the way your stomach flips when his fingers accidentally brush yours while reaching for another gummy.

He catches your hand for a second, pretending it’s part of the game. “We make a great team, you and me. You do the smart stuff, I do the fun stuff.”

You pull your hand back gently “If we were really a team, you’d be passing these tests already. Please, just ten more minutes on this section? Then we can… talk about whatever you want.”

Naruto tilts his head, studying you. “You’re cute when you’re trying to be all teacher-like. Makes me wanna mess with you more.” He says, popping another gummy into his mouth.

You know you should be firmer. You should move the bench or at least scoot away so his constant distractions don’t feel so tempting. But instead, you find yourself explaining the next point slower, letting him ramble a little between answers, caught between the promise to Iruka and the boy who makes your whole world feel brighter and more chaotic at the same time.

“Fine,” you say after he gets one fact right by pure luck. “Five minute break. But only if you promise we’re going back to Humanism after.”

Naruto’s face lights up like you just handed him a lifetime supply of ramen. “Yes! You’re the best, you know that?” He jumps up, grabbing his skate and offering you a hand to pull you up too. “Come on, watch this trick. I’ll dedicate it to my favorite tutor! You!”

As you stand there watching him balance on the board, laughing at his over-the-top attempts and falls, you realize this tutoring thing is going to be a lot longer and a lot more complicated than you thought.