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"Alright, that's it for today. Starting tomorrow, when you get to class, it's graduation test time. Whoever passes gets their forehead protector and officially becomes a ninja. The test will be the Clone Jutsu. Go home, prepare well. Dismissed!" the teacher announced, then walked out of the classroom.
Graduation was finally happening tomorrow, and instead of rushing out the door, the students all stayed behind, the room buzzing with excitement.
Everyone was chatting, checking in on old friends, talking about how they'd look out for each other once they became ninjas.
"Akio, I wrote this for you! Here!" a girl ran over to Akio, blushing as she handed him something. He had just stood up, ready to leave the classroom.
"Oooh, is that a love letter, Akio?" Tenten said teasingly, leaning on her elbow.
"…" Akio didn't respond. He just accepted the letter with a small smile and walked off.
The envelope was thick—definitely more than just one letter inside. "Huh, never thought I'd see the day I got love letters," he mumbled to himself, glancing at it while walking down the street. He leapt onto the rooftops and made it home quickly.
Sure enough, when he opened the envelope, it wasn't from just one girl. Almost every girl in class—except Tenten—had stuffed a letter in there.
Akio chuckled, stacked the letters, and casually placed them on a cabinet.
Bang.
With a poof, his Shadow Clone at the Hokage Rock vanished. The cleanup job was done.
"Obito, Obito… sure, the one who actually killed my parents was the Nine-Tails, but the one who let it loose... that was you. If I didn't have memories from my past life, maybe I could get revenge without feeling so conflicted.
But of course, in the end, you were redeemed. Man, this is complicated," Akio muttered as he sipped tea on the porch outside his house.
"But thinking about this stuff now won't help. Even if I wanted to kill him, I'm not strong enough yet," he said with a self-deprecating laugh, shaking his head.
It was evening now. After sitting outside for a while and having a light meal, Akio went to bed.
The next day, Akio passed the test with ease and officially got his forehead protector.
He tied it around his waist and headed straight for Ichiraku Ramen. It wasn't just Naruto's favorite—Akio loved it too. Ichiraku really did make some top-notch ramen.
"Yo, Akio's here! Same as usual?" Teuchi called out as soon as he saw him.
"Yeah, the usual," Akio replied with a smile and a nod.
"Got it!" Teuchi said, heading off to prepare the noodles.
"Teuchi-ossan! I want char siu ramen today!" Naruto's voice came shouting from a distance, followed by him barging into the shop full speed.
"Yo, Naruto's here too! Grab a seat," Teuchi said with a grin. In Konoha, besides Akio and a few others, Teuchi was one of the rare people who treated Naruto kindly. But why was that?
Well, because Kushina also loved ramen. She often brought Akio with her to eat here, and during those meals, she'd naturally mention Naruto. So even though it wasn't openly said, Teuchi knew exactly who Naruto really was.
"Shouldn't you be in class right now?" Akio said to Naruto as the boy plopped down beside him.
"Eh?! Y-You!?" Naruto jumped in surprise, pointing at Akio. "What're you doing here?!"
"What, I'm not allowed to be here?" Akio smiled at him. "I just gave you a lecture yesterday—already forgot?"
"I—I got it! I'll head back now!" Naruto turned to run off, but Akio grabbed him by the collar. The little guy was already wearing the new outfit Akio had given him—much sharper than his old clothes.
"Hey! Let me go!" Naruto squirmed in his grip.
"Sit down and eat. It's my treat. But after that, you're going straight back to class," Akio said, plopping him back onto the stool.
"Wait, you're buying me food? Huh… didn't think you were actually a nice guy!" Naruto beamed.
"What, I'm not allowed to treat you to food?"
"Of course you can! It's just... no one's ever done that for me before," Naruto muttered. At that moment, Teuchi placed two steaming bowls of ramen in front of them. "Here ya go—enjoy!" he said with a hearty laugh, clearly pleased to see the two of them sitting together.
"I'm diggin' in!" Naruto clapped his hands together, then grabbed his chopsticks and started slurping away. Akio smiled as he watched the boy eat.
Even though he'd seen Naruto's story unfold from a distance in his past life, now that he was here—as his older brother figure—it was impossible not to feel protective and affectionate.
"What? You're not eating? If you're not, I'll take it!" Naruto said, feeling a bit awkward under Akio's gaze.
"Sure, it's all yours," Akio grinned, sliding his bowl over. "Teuchi-ossan, another bowl please."
"Sweet!" Naruto didn't hold back at all. He grabbed Akio's bowl, even though he hadn't finished his own yet. "Mmm! This one's so good! What flavor is this?!"
"That's Mom's favorite—miso seafood with extra salt. She liked her food on the salty side," Akio replied with a smile.
"Ohh, it was your mom's favorite? Well, I love it too! Teuchi-ossan, next time I want this one too!" Naruto shouted.
"You got it—miso seafood ramen, coming right up!" Teuchi answered cheerfully, quickly bringing over a fresh bowl for Akio.
"Thanks for the food," Akio said quietly, picking up his chopsticks and starting to eat—much more neatly than Naruto, of course.
A few moments later, Naruto had already polished off both bowls. Not a drop left. "Man, that hit the spot! Thanks!" he said with a grin.
Akio, still finishing his own bowl, just nodded and swallowed his bite.
"Alright, back to class with you. No more skipping school, Naruto," Akio said seriously.
"…" Naruto didn't answer. He squinted at Akio suspiciously.
"What is it?" Akio asked, setting his chopsticks down.
"Why are you so nice to me? Besides Teuchi-ossan, everyone else avoids me… But you bought me food, told me to study hard… it's kinda like… like having an older brother," Naruto said quietly. Then he quickly shook his head. "What am I saying!? You're just a brat one year older than me—no way you're my big bro!"
With that, Naruto bolted out of the shop. But instead of wandering off again, his feet seemed to move on their own—straight back toward the classroom.
"....."