At the suggestion that she attend the Academy, Naruto's expression made it clear that she truly hated the idea.
First of all, Naruto genuinely hated shinobi.
After all, the only shinobi in Naruto's memories were the ones who beat her and took her money.
Besides, if she attended the Academy, she would naturally meet children around her own age, and those children would surely bully Naruto as if it were only natural.
Children were cruel because they were innocent.
They thought it was only natural to torment Naruto, and they even went around boasting that bullying her made them heroes who had defeated a monster.
Only recently had Naruto managed to escape their bullying by hiding well, but if she started attending the Academy, she did not need to see the result to know what it would be.
That was why Naruto's expression could only darken at the suggestion that she attend the Ninja Academy.
"What is it? Naruto, you look unwell."
"W-Well..."
Naruto hesitated.
She thought that if she refused the Third Hokage's request, even he would leave her.
But mistaking Naruto's appearance for nerves, the Hokage smiled and spoke.
"Hahaha, do not worry, Naruto! I am sure you will make wonderful friends."
"...If it were that easy, I would have had friends a long time ago."
"Hm? What did you say?"
"Nothing."
Naruto had muttered too quietly for the Hokage to hear, but he assumed it was nothing important and let it pass.
"Then I shall be going. I am sure my proposal would be good for you as well, so think it over carefully."
With those final words, the Hokage lightly patted Naruto on the head once and left.
Kurama clicked his tongue, clearly displeased by the sight.
"Tch. That old Hokage... I do not like him."
"Don't say that, Kurama... Grandpa is the only person I can talk to."
"But he gives you kindness only halfway. You should already know that such treatment hurts more than indifference, should you not?"
"It can't be helped. Grandpa is a busy man..."
"Haa... You really are too soft."
"I'm sorry."
"Stop apologizing for every little thing."
"Okay..."
After receiving the Hokage's proposal, Naruto spent a long time thinking it over, but naturally, she could not bring herself to decide so easily that she would go to the Academy.
In the end, her thoughts becoming too tangled, Naruto decided to read a book because she wanted to forget reality.
But when she tried to read, she realized that she had already finished every book she had borrowed before.
"I need to borrow more books..."
Having received permission from the Hokage to come and go freely from the library, Naruto left home carrying books, intending to clear her mind.
It was dawn, the perfect time to make the trip without running into anyone else. As usual, Naruto pulled her hood low to hide her face and left home with both arms full of books to return.
"It has been a while since I came outside."
Naruto walked down the road tensely, wary of encountering anyone. When she sensed a faint presence nearby, she quickly hid behind a utility pole.
Holding all those books made it a close thing, but thanks to her slight build, she managed to conceal herself completely.
"Sniff... sniff..."
Then came the approaching presence and the sound of crying.
Something about the crying struck Naruto as strange. Peering out carefully, she saw a young girl with pink hair walking down the road with tears streaming down her face.
Because she was crying, the girl did not notice Naruto and passed right by her. Naruto was about to let her go, but for some reason, the sound of her crying reminded Naruto of the times she herself had cried after being bullied by other children. She stopped walking.
"..."
Naruto quietly watched the pink-haired girl's retreating back, hesitating. Then she suddenly remembered what Teuchi had done for her and wondered if helping someone might mean she could make a friend.
"E-Excuse me..."
"Eek!!"
The girl, who had not sensed Naruto's presence at all, spun around in fright. Seeing Naruto, who was smaller than herself, she seemed to relax a little and stared at her quietly.
It was dawn, and Naruto's face was hidden by her hood, so the girl was confused. Yet perhaps because Naruto was so slight, she was not afraid.
"W-Who are you?"
"...!"
She had spoken to the girl on impulse, but Naruto had barely ever talked to anyone else and had spent two years shut inside her home. She did not know how to have a conversation.
In the end, as she fumbled in panic and was about to run away, the girl spoke again.
"E-Excuse me, but I moved here not long ago, and I got lost... Could you help me?"
"..."
"Sniff... Please."
At the girl's earnest plea, Naruto found her courage and nodded. The girl seemed relieved and stopped crying.
After hearing a rough description of where her home was, Naruto began leading the way.
In truth, Naruto did not know the village geography well either because she stayed home all the time, but fortunately, it was a place she knew.
As the girl followed Naruto through the awkward silence, she noticed Naruto struggling with the heavy books. When she approached, Naruto startled and stepped back.
"S-Sorry. They looked heavy, so I wanted to help..."
"...?"
Naruto, who had almost never received kindness from someone without reason, froze in confusion. Only after the girl took the books from her did she come back to her senses.
"I'm Haruno Sakura. What about you?"
"...K-Kurama."
"So your name is Kurama."
Flustered, Naruto answered that her name was Kurama. It was a lie, because she feared that if the girl learned her real name, she would call her a monster and bully her.
Did she not know about me because she just moved here?
Naruto was briefly tense at the girl's unfamiliar attitude, but she realized there was no malice in it.
"How old are you, by the way?"
"S-Seven..."
"You're so small, but we're the same age? Ah... I mean, I'm seven too!"
The girl who introduced herself as Sakura had moved to the Leaf Village because she wanted to make friends, and had been wandering around the village when she got lost.
And having run into Naruto by chance and received her help, Sakura decided that she would use this chance to make a new friend in her new village.
"Um, if it's okay with you, would you be my friend?"
"!!!"
Crash—
"Huh?! A-Are you okay?"
Naruto was so startled that she fell over. Sakura, startled along with her, asked anxiously, while Naruto merely nodded her head quickly to show that she was fine.
More important than falling was what Naruto had just heard.
"W-What did you just say...?"
"Just now? When I asked you to be my friend?"
"I-Is that really okay?"
"...?"
Sakura did not understand Naruto's question, but she smiled and nodded. Naruto's heart began to pound at an incredible speed.
For the first time, she had a friend.
And someone else had asked her first. It truly felt like a dream.
Just in case, Naruto pinched her cheek. Once she confirmed that it hurt enough to bring tears to her eyes, she swallowed those tears back and spoke.
"N-Nice to meet you."
"Likewise!"
Then, from far away, Sakura heard adults calling for her. Her face brightening, she ran toward the voices.
"Mom, Dad!!"
"...!"
At the appearance of adults, Naruto's joy at making a friend lasted only a moment. Instinctively wanting to avoid them, she took back the books Sakura was carrying for her and hurried to say goodbye.
"I-I have to go now too."
"A-Already?"
"Sorry."
"...No, it's okay. But let's definitely meet again later."
"Yeah...!"
Naruto vanished quickly before the people who appeared to be Sakura's parents could approach.
It seemed to Sakura as though Naruto were running from something, but she chose not to think too deeply about it.
Just then, Sakura's parents came over to her and spoke with visible relief.
"Sakura! Do you know how worried we were?"
"I'm sorry. I got lost... But a friend I just made helped me!"
"A friend?"
At the word friend, Sakura's parents looked around, but Naruto had already disappeared.
Still, they found it suspicious that someone had been wandering around at this hour, and wondered whether it might have been that child they had heard rumors about. So they asked Sakura.
"It wasn't the monster... No, what was that name again? Na...ruto? Right, it wasn't Naruto, was it?"
"Naruto...? No, she said her name was Kurama. She was the same age as me, but small."
"I see. That's a relief. Remember this, then. You must never play with a child named Naruto."
"...?"
Sakura did not really understand what her parents meant, but she nodded.
She was the kind of child who listened well to her parents.
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