DATTEBAYO !

                      I  NEVER  GO  BACK  ON  MY  WORD  . . .

“    ah,    where    are    we    going,    naruto    ??    i    was    hoping    not    to    do    much    today.   “

“  granny  tsunade  says    i  can’t  train  again  until  i’m  all  healed  up,  ”    a huff, childish  &  indignant.  isn’t the fifth supposed to be, like, the greatest kunoichi ever ???  if she’s so talented, she should just heal him herself!   “  so  i  was  thinking  we  could  hit  up  ichiraku  and  get  some  ramen  !!  anyways,  i  already  asked  sakura  but  she  said  no.  ”

“  if  you  can’t  get  what  you  want,    then  come  with  me.  ”

he’s met all sorts of people    during his travels, though none as nice as luke.  maybe that’s why his guard has lowered ever-slightly, why he feels comfortable enough to lay back in tall grass  &  stretch out beneath the midday sun.  nothing beats the konoha breeze, of course, but this comes pretty damn close.    “  hey,  ”   he drags himself up to a sit, one knee pulled tight to his chest and the other still long in weeds.    “  tell  me  somethin’,  would  ya?  ”    for twelve years he never once ventured past the village hidden in the leaves, so  homesickness  is not a matter of missing what has been left behind.  if anything, naruto was sick of home.  but it’s been on his mind a lot lately  —  the best ramen in the whole world, yeah, but mostly the people there.  his friends, like sakura  &  iruka sensei  &  sasuke  . . .    “  do  you  have  anyone  in  your  life  who’s,  y’know,  ”    he scratches at the back of his head, sheepish smile pulling at cheeks still full with baby fat.    “  precious  to  you?  ”