Never Forget

Life is Born...

Lol what I'm updating again? What a miracle... 

This chapter (and the next) are making me sad! T.T

Chapter 20

I found Naruto quite easily. He was just approaching the village when I spotted him from high up above and swooped down to meet him.

I put both hands on his shoulders simultaneously. "Hi, Naruto!"

He jumped and whipped around, eyes wide and body tense. I laughed. When he saw that it was me, he relaxed. "Kira-sensei, don't scare me like that!"

"You're supposed to be a ninja," I lectured him, and he pouted. "What if I was an enemy? You'd be dead."

"Normal people don't fly!" he retorted. I shook my head at him, before looking around. Fukasaku was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps he had left Naruto to his own devices after leading him off the mountain.

"Anyway, do you want to enter the village to get something to eat before we head for Konoha? My treat."

"Yeah!" Naruto cheered, immediately setting off for the village gates. Sighing, I followed him. He was certainly an energetic one.

After waving to the village guards, who all recognized me, we found a ramen stand and sat down to eat. "How'd your training go?" I asked.

He swallowed a huge mouthful of noodles. "Good! I figured out Sage Mode!"

I eyed the visible bruises on his body. "Yeah? How was the food and such?"

He froze immediately, his face turning purple as he thought about it. I immediately backtracked.

"Hey, it's okay. You're eating ramen now!" I said, faking enthusiasm. He immediately brightened up.

"Yeah! Hey, shop owner, this is great! I want more!"

"Oh, no you don't!" I stuck out a hand, stopping the stand owner. "I'm paying, remember? You're not depleting all of my precious savings, you endless pit."

"On the house for you, Miss Kira Izanami," the old man said, shaking his head. I gawked at him.

"No, no, I can't accept that – "

He took my hands in his own. Naruto stopped eating for a moment to watch. "Please, Miss Izanami. This is all I can do. You have vowed to help save our village."

I was stunned. After the massive blowup between Kakashi and me, combined with the constant stress that I couldn't escape these days, this was the last thing I expected.

I could only stare at the man's bowed head. Somehow, I was near tears.

Naruto gently patted my shoulder. "See? You're doing good, Sensei!"

I searched for words. "It's really... no problem at all. Thank you for your hospitality."

It wasn't just me defending the village. It was all of the shinobi of our allied lands. Somehow, as I thought about that, I could only think of Kakashi.

My dear Kakashi.

***

Since we were now traveling on foot due to Naruto's unfortunate inability to fly, the journey would take us four to five days. As we went along, Naruto rambled on about his training. I kept the mind link open.