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Uzumaki Naruto was proud of himself. Maybe it was a narcissistic thing to say, but at freshly 20 years old, he was finally happy with himself. He and Kurama were closer than ever, he'd learned even more jutsu than he'd thought possible, he'd even gained his own specialty in traps, much to the confusion of everyone else.
But the thing he was most proud of was also the thing he carefully kept a secret. He'd published his first novel.
It wasn't anything like the Icha Icha had series of his master, no. Instead, he'd chosen to call it Storm Bound. It followed a young man, who had been accused of murdering an important man. His main character, Fuji Mirai, hadn't done it, and tried to gather the proof, which led to a man named Kaido Keima. Eventually, Mirai found out the truth: the man he'd been chasing the whole time was himself. Keima was another personality that came about during a traumatic event, leading to the death of the favored merchant.
It had been so fun to write, even if he kept doubting how he wanted it to end. Overall, he was happy with the book, and had already started the next one when the letter came.
He remembered Jiraiya so fondly, no matter how long the man had been dead, or how much he liked to kvetch about his editors. One particular night, about a year into their training trip, Jiraiya told him how he'd gotten into writing in the first place.
Apparently, Jiraiya was the dead last too. The man, then boy, had wanted someone to understand, and, back then no one even tried. So, Jiraiya started a journal about his daily life, how unfairly he was treated compared to the other two, and eventually, he transitioned to story telling.
When Naruto, feeling just as alone, decided to try himself, he'd been surprised how much he fell in love with his characters. He thought about them constantly, and always wondered how they would react to whatever was happening to him.
Slowly, Mirai became his own person, with likes and dislikes, and a past that he whispered into Naruto's ear in his sleep.
No, he wasn't real, not in the sense that Naruto himself was, but that didn't make him any less. No, maybe it made Mirai more, since he wasn't stuck by the same constraints Naruto himself was.
Because, while Naruto was happy with himself, there was still something missing. He wanted a partner who actually knew him. He wanted to find someone he wanted to spend time with, someone who he could drop his masks around. He wanted to learn how to love someone else in a way that wasn't friendship.
His first thought was Hinata, but that was discarded immediately. She was his friend, and had confessed to him, but Naruto had never seen her as anything more than that. He didn't want to.
Next, his thoughts turned to Sasuke, but he gagged just thinking about waking up next to the teme. He'd heard a lot of people whispering about the two of them, that they were obviously dating because of all of the things Naruto had sacrificed to bring Sasuke back. But nothing about the man appealed to Naruto in the slightest. Not romantically, definitely not sexually.
Sakura? Even worse. Plus, she was dating Lee of all people.
Ino? Same as with Sakura, only dating Sai.
Maybe he needed someone new, someone who he'd never met before. Maybe he needed-
"Naruto!" A voice called from behind him.
He turned on his heel easily and felt himself smile. "Hey, Shika! What are you doing up so early?"
The raven haired boy shrugged. "Mom woke me up early because she's still pissed."
Naruto felt himself sigh in exasperation. "Still?"
He liked Nara Yoshino, he did, but for the last few weeks she'd been... intolerable. Ever since Shikamaru's home had been finished, and he'd gotten the okay to move in, his mother had been furious. Apparently, she felt like he was betraying her by leaving, even if he wasn't doing it to spite her.
"Yes," he grumbled. "The passive aggressive bullshit is really pissing me off."
"What did she do now?" Naruto couldn't help but ask.
Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "She just so happened to be moving the pots and pans this morning and 'dropped' them. Troublesome woman."
"Of course she did. Let me guess, she dropped them right outside your door?"
A groan of annoyance was his only response.
"Cheer up, Shika, at least we can start moving in today! That means, once we're done, you don't have to worry about her waking you up anymore!"
A few weeks ago, Shikamaru had made the offer of the two of them living together, since both were single. Naruto wouldn't have to pay rent, and Shikamaru got to share the bills, and have someone cook for him. It was a win-win in both of their eyes.
Granted, Naruto still planned on keeping his writing a secret, but he knew Shika wouldn't judge him for the hobby. In fact...
No, he wouldn't ask Shika to read his book. That would be weird. He couldn't risk upsetting his friend, especially not right now.
Maybe someday, when they were older and more confident, he'd tell his best friend. Until then, he knocked his shoulder against Shika's and gave him a bright smile. "Come on, show me where your stuff is, and my clones can get started."
Brown eyes locked with blue for a moment, before looking away, cheeks slightly red. "Fine, troublesome blonde, let's go."
Maybe he didn't have a romantic partner, but he did have a Shikamaru, didn't he? And maybe, he eyed the blush, his feelings towards his best friend weren't as one sided as he'd always thought.
He ducked his head, hiding a much softer smile. Even if Shikamaru didn't like him in the same way, he knew he'd never loose his best friend. And that would be enough.