Chapter Text
Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Naruto series.
[Meeting of Shadow and Light]
"Blank."
It was how her world looked like to her.
Wherever she looked, the terrifying blank space was there in front of her eyes, not leaving her vision even for a second. No matter how hard she tried to get rid of it, it followed her everywhere, even in her dreams, a space where she was supposed to have authority over everything.
"Why am I like this?"
She whispered to herself. "Why can't I see anything?"
Her voice cracked, indicating that she was on the verge of crying again, but stopped before tears could well up in her eyes. Why? Because she didn't want to look weaker than she already was in the eyes of others. Their usual taunts and laughs were already too hard to handle, and she refused to give them more things to laugh at.
"When will this bad dream end?"
With a desperate hope, her pale onyx eyes darted back and forth in their sockets, scanning her blank world for the light her mother had described in her stories, but found nothing. Her world was still blank, just as usual.
"Hold my hand, Sayuri-sama."
Instead of light, a familiar voice, one that belonged to her caretaker, filled her mind. He was a middle-aged shinobi from her clan, assigned by her father to guide her through the village today. Unlike the others who had been tasked with watching over her before, he wasn't rude, not exactly. But his tone was cold and distant, the kind that made her feel like he was someone simply carrying out an obligation, not someone actually helping a child like her.
"Hmm…" Still, Sayuri reached out to him without a word, her small fingers brushing against his palm before latching onto it. His hand was rough, large, and didn't feel warm the way her mother's hands did. Even so, she gripped it because she had no other choice.
Leaving the clan's compound was impossible for her without help due to her disability. She could sense people's chakra but could never see the people themselves or anything else. So an assistant was always needed to help her leave the compound, especially since it was surrounded by walls, things that held no chakra within them. But even with assistance, it was always a strange experience.
Right now, while walking with her caretaker, she could still hear the whispers that were following her footsteps. They were something she had grown used to, too used to, for someone her age.
"Poor Sayuri-sama is going to the park alone again."
"Doesn't she ever get tired? Poor girl…"
"She's still blind, right? What's even the point of sending here there?"
The bitter words of her clan people echoed in her mind, making Sayuri's lips tremble, yet she held the blank expression demanded of the clan head's daughter so that she didn't look weak.
As Sayuri and her caretaker continued their walk, she couldn't help but notice that the streets of the district seemed longer and colder than usual today. Was it because of the taunts? She wasn't sure, but something about the air just felt off. "To your left, Sayuri-sama." She blinked when her caretaker gave her a gentle push to guide her in the right direction.
Sayuri wanted to tell him to stop doing that but didn't. It was not worth it. Having been taken there so many times, she now knew the way to the park clearly, at least in her mind, but the idea of her walking alone there was something the adults of her clan did not want to entertain.
They continued walking a while longer before her hand was suddenly grabbed, bringing her to a stop. "Sayuri-sama, we are here," the caretaker said as they stepped into the familiar place she had been visiting for years. "I…" Sayuri paused, taking a step forward. A smile flickered on her lips as she could tell she was inside the park by the way the ground changed under her feet. "I know," she whispered and finally let go of her caretaker's hand.
"Would you like me to stay with you?"
Sayuri hesitated.
She knew what he was going to do if she said yes. He would stand a few steps behind her like a shadow and watch everything she did from there. She hated that. She hated the idea of people seeing her as helpless, like she couldn't do anything without someone else around to hold her hand.
"No," she said firmly. "Can you go somewhere else for now and come back to get me later? I'll be sitting on a bench and do nothing anyway."
The man didn't respond immediately. It felt like he was thinking about something. Then, after a short pause, he let out a soft sigh. "…As you wish, Sayuri-sama," he whispered and Sayuri knew when he turned around due to the sound his sandals made. She stood still for a moment, listening closely as his steps grew fainter, until eventually they disappeared from her ears completely.
After that, she took a few careful steps forward, her arms slightly raised for balance, and sat down on the seat nearby, one that had become her favourite in the park.
—Later—
"Sayuri…"
Her hands twitched a little when a familiar sound reached her ears. 'They are here,' she noted, and steeled herself for what was about to come next. Would it be harsher than yesterday? She hoped not, but remained emotionless just in case, exactly how her father had taught her to be in situations like these.
"Are you okay?"
Her slender hands began to shake in anxiety, but she did not let that shown on her face. "Yes," she murmured in answer and began to stare in the boy's direction with her dull eyes.
"Ohh…"
The silence that followed his word scared her. It always did, because usually when people went silent after taunting her, it meant the worst was about to come next.
"Do you want to play with us?"
There it began, the usual nightmare. She gulped and brought her hands closer to herself. "I can't, Daisuke—"
"Oh yes, I forgot you are blind. I'm sorry, Sayuri."
He meant none of that, and she knew it. He never did. Daisuke was someone who enjoyed laughing in the suffering of others, and hers was no different. Her suffering, as her brother had once told her, gave Daisuke a sense of euphoria, a feeling of satisfaction that the clan leader's daughter was utterly worthless and a pathetic failure, even more so than himself.
"But don't worry. I'm sure you'll become a very powerful ninja in the future. Then nobody will laugh at you, Sayuri."
His words were followed by a burst of laughter from the boys around her, the sound making her uncomfortable and intensifying the shame and anger inside her. "Don't—"
"Aww…"
Sayuri recoiled in disgust when the boy's dirty fingers touched her face. They felt horrible on her skin, and she wanted nothing but to run away from there now, but couldn't. Because to run, she'd need assistance too.
"Is our four-year-old Uchiha prodigy mad at us?"
"No…" she hissed when his hands cupped her cheeks. "Leave me alone, please…" Shame filled her heart as soon as she whispered those words. They sounded pathetic, even to her own ears.
"Huh? Did you just say please?"
Her dull, black eyes dropped, heavy with shame, and she could feel the heat of anger rising in her cheeks. Just how much more was she going to go through in her life? She had already caused her father enough embarrassment and did not want to increase that burden on him anymore.
"I-I said leave—" She tried to speak, but the boy grabbed her face tighter, making the corner of her eyes shine with tears.
"How much more do you want to humiliate our clan, Sayuri? People already make fun of you, and if you are going to behave like this, then that day isn't far when people will start taking the Uchihas lightly."
Every word that left his mouth punctured Sayuri's heart and pride in ways she couldn't even explain at her age. "H-how?" she whispered, confused by the boy's words. How could her blindness damage her clan's reputation? Wasn't it something that was out of everyone's control according to her mother? As far as she knew, she didn't choose to be like this, and she was certain neither of her parents did either. According to her brother, it was a thing called fate that gave her this curse, and she had no option but to accept it and live with it.
"Because you are weak, and Uchihas have no place for people like you."
'Are you not weak too?' Sayuri wanted to argue, but didn't, because she knew it was unnecessary. Other than starting a new debate with these boys, her response wouldn't do anything else.
"Daisuke, leave her. She is unnecessary."
Another voice entered her ears, and just like Daisuke's, it was bitter and arrogant too. 'Probably one of his friends,' she assumed immediately. Unlike her, Daisuke had many friends. So many that she couldn't even count them on both of her hands if she tried to.
"I know—"
"Hey!"
Sayuri blinked when another unfamiliar voice reached her ears. But this one was different, way too different from the ones she was used to hearing. Instead of making her more anxious, it soothed her heart with the strange amount of hope and happiness it was carrying. Even his chakra was different from everyone else, including her family. It was warm and too much to ignore. 'Like the sun…' she noted.
"Oh, so he is back, huh?"
The newcomer wasn't one of Daisuke's friends. She could tell instantly by the tone the boy had used to acknowledge the newcomer.
"Yeah. Doesn't he get bothered by getting rejected and thrashed so many times?"
Sayuri's lips curved downward. 'What do they mean by getting rejected so many times?' she couldn't help but wonder after hearing their words. Was the newcomer someone bad? No, she didn't think so, because if he was, then he would've been in Daisuke's friend circle instead of standing on the opposite side.
"Blonde idiot."
'Blonde?' Sayuri blinked. 'What does that even look like?' Was it the same as the blank space around her? She couldn't help but think.
"Monster."
That took her by surprise. 'Monster.' A frown creased her brow as she noticed the unusual tone and word her clan member had used to describe the newcomer. She had never heard them use that term before to address someone, especially someone with such a warm chakra.
"What is his name again, Shibuya?"
Sayuri perked up as she wanted to know the name of the stranger too.
Monster sounded horrible to be a name for someone according to her. It was something she wouldn't even call her worst enemy, including the surrounding boys who were making fun of her a while ago.
"Uzumaki Naruto."
The name sounded familiar, very familiar. Sayuri was sure she had heard it somewhere before. 'But where?' She began to scour through her memories and gasped when a particular memory struck her mind like a boulder. 'Mother!' Her mother was the one who had told her about him. 'A boy who is very much like you, maybe even worse, but he still smiles, no matter what the conditions are.' Sayuri smiled a little as she recalled her words, finding them true to some extent already.
'He never gives up. You should be like him, Sayuri.' The words of her brother followed her mother's in her mind. 'They were right.' She thought to herself.
"Hey! Do you guys want to play with me?"
A strange emotion began to soar inside her. It was warm and fuzzy, but intense enough to make her forget her problems, even just for a moment. His voice was truly contagious, mostly because of the happiness and hope it carried.
'Uzumaki Nar—'
Slap!
Just like that, the sensation vanished as soon as it came, leaving behind a scowl on her face as she turned in the direction from where the sound had come.
—Last Night-
Loneliness.
It was an emotion Naruto was very well accustomed to, even at an age where no one should even know it exists. From the day he was born until this current, cold moment, it had been something that had been a constant companion throughout his entire life.
Ironically, loneliness was the only thing that had never left him alone.
Naruto had tried to suppress it, run away from it, and had even tried to wipe out it from his heart, but unfortunately, it was something that had been engraved in his destiny it seemed. No matter what he did, it remained with him, aging his mind faster than his body.
"Why?"
A single word, a heartbreaking question, left his dry mouth as his sharp blue eyes stared at his beautiful village through the broken glass of the window.
Broken.
This world was a broken place. The old man at the ramen shop had always said this to him whenever he had asked him why the people of his village hated him so much. Otherwise, there was no reason the people of this village would hate and ignore him like they do.
After all, he was just a child, a lonely child whose heart ached for a soul who he could call his friend, but this harsh, unforgiving world wouldn't grant him even that simple wish.
"Because they hate my presence and fear me."
Fear.
It was a feeling he had always observed present in the eyes of people whenever he had tried to get close to them. Each and every one of them had this fear of him inside their eyes, as if he was some sort of monster.
As if he was someone who should be kept away from them. But lost in the sea of their baseless fears, the same people around him had always managed to not see the fear in his eyes.
His fear was very different from their fear. While they feared his presence, Naruto, on the other hand, feared their rejection. He had always feared rejection. Even after experiencing it many times, he still feared it.
"They reject me because they hate me."
Hate.
It was something he had always felt in every action directed toward him, no matter who the person was. It didn't matter that he was just a child. For them, he was someone who should be hated at all costs. The merchant that day had made it clear to him.
"What have I ever done to these people? Why do they hate me so much?" His fists clenched by themselves, tightening as the seconds passed by.
"Even the Hokage doesn't help me!"
The leader of his village did not care about him. Naruto knew it very well. How? Because he had never punished anyone who had wronged him, no matter the circumstances. For some reason, the old man had always placed below the other villager, even the ones who he knew were not good people.
"Why? Isn't he supposed to be the village leader? Someone who leads fairly?" He whispered, recalling how that same man had once told him about the duties of Hokage. "Then why does he treat me like I don't matter?" By this time, his nails were digging into his flesh, making his hands bleed a bit, and his eyes had also turned red.
He didn't notice.
Because right now, he was on the verge of accepting something he had promised never to.
Defeat.
'It is useless.'
He was going to die all alone in this hell, just like people of his village had always told him. Alone, with no one to call his own. No one to cry over his dying body.
Naruto was sure some would even celebrate it.
The thought stung like someone had dug a knife into him and twisted it. It made him feel truly hollow on the inside for the first time. The realization that he was going to live and die alone, forgotten soon after his death, made him bit a sob back as he shook his head.
'No.'
Naruto pushed those thoughts aside. He still had his whole life in front of him, and giving was not the right option. He had to keep going, going until he achieves what he had been trying for so many years.
'But will I?'
Deep down, he knew, knew that it'd all be in vain, but his young brain refused to acknowledge it. He still wanted to try, and would keep on trying until the last drops of hope had been squeezed from his soul.
"Yeah… even if I fail, I'll keep trying." He whispered, sobbing as he looked at his hands. They were bleeding a little. "Hehe… it's nothing." He smiled between those soft sobs as he began to wipe them on his shirt.
While he was doing that, his stomach growled abruptly. "Not again…" He forgot about the bleeding when his stomach began to ache. It was nothing uncommon for him, but today it was worse than usual. "Agh… I have nothing to eat right now…" his eyes were doing their best to fight away the tears that were trying to fall from them. "Come on… calm down." He jumped on his bed and began to roll on it, hoping it would take away the pain.
It did, somehow.
Naruto stopped rolling and smiled to himself. "When I have friends…" he giggled, already imagining stupid things. "I'll take them to the old man's ramen stand," his words were followed by tears that had been holding for a while. "There I'll eat a lot of bowls of ramen with them…"
"A lot…"
With these thoughts, he slowly dozed off, not knowing when sleep claimed him. His last thoughts were about hoping to make some new friends tomorrow.
—Playground—
"Hey!" an overly excited Naruto yelled out, his voice bright and hopeful as he waved both arms in the air, trying to catch someone's attention. He stood in the middle of the playground, waiting and hoping that the kids around him would turn and acknowledge him. But sadly, not a single one of them moved. Not even a glance came his way.
A little disheartened, Naruto still didn't let the silence crush him completely. He puffed out his chest and forced a smile. He was still trying and still holding on. "Hey! Do you guys want to play with me?" he called out again, louder this time, stretching the words with a hopeful lilt. "I'll play whatever you want me to. Anything!" His voice cracked at the end.
The excitement in him faded quickly, replaced by something quieter. A kind of sadness that was just starting to show in the way his shoulders sagged. "Umm—"
Finally, someone stepped forward.
Naruto's eyes lit up instantly. 'Someone heard me!' But before he could even smile properly and look at him, the boy's first words hit like a kunai to the chest.
"Why don't you go away?" the boy said, voice flat and mean. "Don't you get it? We don't want you here." The boy who whispered those heart-wrenching words had a very unpleasant look on his face, something that Naruto had seen many times in the past.
"B-but—"
He didn't get to finish. A sudden slap landed hard against his cheek, making his head jerk to the side. His breath hitched, and for a second, everything froze. Then laughter… loud, echoing laughter erupted around him, ringing in his ears. The same boy who hit him laughed first, and the rest of the kids joined in like it was the funniest thing they'd seen all day.
"Hehe, look at this loser!"
"Get him out of the park! He's a terrible person!"
"Yeah, my mom said he's a monster!"
"Really? My dad told me the same thing!"
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's throw him out!"
"Yay!"
Each and every word felt like needles stabbing his heart. Naruto didn't understand why they were doing this to him. 'What did I do? I didn't even do anything…' Their voices echoed over and over, piling on top of each other until he couldn't tell which insult came from which mouth.
"I just want—"
Another punch silenced him. This one hit his cheek, right over the one already stinging from the slap. "Hey!" he tried to shout, but was soon silenced with another punch to his chin, one that stung harder than the previous one.
"Look at how he's yelling at us!"
Naruto fell and landed hard on the cold dirt, his small frame curling up from the pain. But he still pushed himself up, his arms trembling, knees scraped and shaky. He looked at them, every single one of them, his blue eyes wide and filled with something that wasn't anger. It was just sadness, pathetic sadness.
"Don't hit me… please…" he whispered, caressing the swollen cheek with his right hand as tears flowed down his bloodied face. "I promise I'll leave the park and never disturb you guys again…" He turned around, dragging his feet as he started walking toward the playground's exit. He didn't even care if they laughed again. He just wanted it to stop.
But still… just before he was about to leave, he stopped and looked back at them one last time.
"Still…" A sad smile flickered on his lips. It was useless, he knew that, but he still wanted to say it. "If you ever decide to play with me. You can find me on the swing beside the Academy. I am…" he didn't get to finish and went wide eyed when a boy appeared in front of him out of nowhere and slammed his tiny fist into Naruto's already swollen face.
"Agh!"
The hit knocked him off his feet, and he hit the ground hard again. His head started spinning, and the whole world felt tilted. He tried to move his limbs, but they didn't want to move. They felt heavy, just like his heart.
He tried to get up, but this time… he could not. This time, the pain was too much. So, he stayed there, face-down, still, and quiet. His blue eyes drowned in the ocean of sadness when they saw children leaving the park. "I…" he wanted to tell them they didn't have to do it, that he was going to leave soon, but at that moment he had no energy to draw those words out of his mouth.
His lips could barely move due to the pain, but not from the pain from the punches. Naruto could've handled that as he was used to them. But the feeling inside… the feeling of defeat was worse. So much worse.
"Monster…"
He froze.
That word again. This time, it came from a woman, a mother. She was picking up her child from the playground, her arms tight around him, her eyes never leaving Naruto's broken body and bloodied face.
She said it like it was a fact.
Like he really was one.
"I'm not a monster…" The words barely made it out of his mouth as more tears began to stain the ground beneath him.
'I'm living in hell…'
—Later—
Strolling through the streets of Konoha was something Naruto had always hated the most. These roads, so full of life and laughter for others, never felt warm to him. No matter how bright the day looked, no matter how many smiles danced across the faces of passing villagers, they never reached him. Not once.
Why? Because they weren't for him.
The people who walked these streets were cruel. Naruto couldn't even remember how many times they'd told him to leave, to disappear from their village. Some had even told him to die, and if that wasn't enough, they would always laugh at him too, mock him for having no parents, no friends, and for being a monster.
"They're right though. I can never have friends. No one wants to be my friend," he whispered, his voice barely more than a breath.
His small hands were glued to his cheeks, still bloodied and sore from earlier. Each step he took sent a jolt through his aching legs that were too tired to carry him properly. But he didn't stop and just kept walking because he did not want to face anyone else now.
"Mama, that boy is injured! We should help him!"
Naruto blinked, his head turning toward the voice of a little girl. It was soft, curious and, most importantly, not mean.
But that hope lasted less than a second.
"Sshh… stay away from him, Aki-chan. He is a bad boy."
"Bad boy? But he's just like us! Let me—"
"Monster! He is a monster!"
That word again.
Naruto's feet stopped moving as that word reached his ears. He turned to look at the woman and frowned when he saw that she wasn't even trying to hide her hate. It was visible on her face clear.
He stared at her for a long moment before looking away. Usually, by now, he would've said something back or glared or muttered under his breath. But not today. Today… something had broken inside him. Something that had always kept him moving. Something that helped him believe, even just a little, that maybe tomorrow would be better.
But not anymore.
That something had died back at the playground.
Now, he didn't care if anyone hated him or not. He didn't want to try anymore. What was the point?
He had finally accepted it.
'I'm going to stay alone forever…'
The thought felt awkward, but it didn't hurt anymore. Maybe he was getting used to it, or maybe it was better this way. So, he turned away and started walking again, ignoring every glance, every whisper, every look of disgust he passed on his way.
—Behind the Academy—
Creak.
Creak.
Creak.
The infuriating sound of the swing was nothing new to him. It was something he had gotten accustomed to over time. This place, this small space beside the enormous Academy, was his second home. A place where he had spent hours crying and despising his existence, something a four-year-old child should never do, but sadly, he was an exception.
"Why?" Naruto whispered, his hands gripping the ropes that supported the swing. "Why am I the only one to get this treatment? What have I ever done to them?" He yelled, pausing for someone, anyone, to notice his question, but unfortunately, there was no one there, as usual.
"I just wanted to make new friends…" he whined and gently caressed the fresh wound on his lips. "It's hurting a lot…" A whimper escaped his mouth, a soft sound that made it clear he was truly in pain today. "They punched me so hard that I couldn't even realize what was happening around me…" A pathetic smile bloomed on his face as he remembered the beating he had suffered at the hands of those idiots. "Especially that boy who punched me in the last…" he mumbled, occasionally glancing down at his swollen lips.
"I should complain about them to the Hokage," He thought about it seriously for a second and was even about to stand up from his seat, but at the very last moment, he decided against it. "No… what even is the use? I do not matter to him. The old man will ignore this once again… probably ask me to forgive those boys like always…" Sandal-clad feet patted the damp grass beneath.
"I think I should—" His words were cut short by a melodic voice, a voice he had never heard before, and it made him turn around at the speed of light.
"Are you hurt?"
It wasn't what she asked that made him freeze up. It was how she said it.
Over these past few years, he had grown very adept at sensing the emotions of others. He could easily tell when something said to him was a lie or when it was truthful. And by extension, he could also figure out the tone behind anything said. For once, the only things he could hear from another person were worry, concern… and curiosity.
However, he was still cautious about the strange girl standing in front of him.
Naruto knew his assumptions weren't perfect and that anyone could easily fake their emotions if they really wanted to. No matter how kind or soft someone appeared to be, they could still hurt him. His experiences had taught him that… the hard way.
"Hello," Naruto said slowly, his body tense, on guard for any sudden movements. "Who are you… and why are you here?"
The girl flinched when she heard Naruto's voice. It was so much like hers, filled with sadness and suffering. "My name is Sayuri Uchida." She responded, making sure not to make any sudden moves in front of the boy.
Naruto's senses immediately shot into high alert the moment he heard the name Uchiha.
He didn't have any good experiences with that clan. Most of them only pointed at him in disgust whenever they saw him. Some even told others where he was hiding. There was never kindness in their eyes, only sneers and cold shoulders. He was prepared to bolt from the spot when the girl spoke again, this time sounding even more nervous than before.
"Are you trying to run away from me? If yes… then please stop. I just want to help you." Sayuri spoke hastily as she held up a healing salve along with some bandages and gently placed them down on the ground, backing away after she did.
"Uhhh…"
The sadness inside her only grew stronger as she heard Naruto hum quietly, probably scared of the items she had just placed on the ground. She figured the only reason he would react that way was if someone had tricked him before using such things.
But little did she know it was worse than that. Far worse than she could have ever imagined.
"My name is Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto." His whisper pulled her out of her thoughts, and she turned toward him with a small smile forming on her lips. A soft smile, one that was wrapped in warmth and comfort.
"I see…" she replied, her dull eyes settling on his bruised and swollen face.
Naruto shifted uncomfortably on the swing as he opened the salve and started applying it to his bruises. His fingers were clumsy, but careful. "Umm… why are you helping me?" he asked, tilting his head a little, genuinely confused as his big blue eyes blinked slowly at her.
As far as he knew, people, especially ones from important clans, always stayed away from him. They didn't even look in his direction, let alone offer help.
Sayuri was momentarily caught off guard by his question but quickly composed herself. She wanted to help him, and that meant she needed to be different from her clan, completely different. "I'm fixing the mistakes of my clan's children," she whispered. "It was very wrong of them to hit you like that for no reason."
"Oh… you saw me too, huh?" His gaze instantly dropped to the ground, his hands freezing mid-motion. There was no hiding the shame now. It was already humiliating enough that he got beat up, but knowing she saw it too made it a hundred times worse. "I-I was just outnumbered… otherwise, I'm very powerful," he whispered.
"I know, Naruto."
Whatever he was about to say perished in his mouth when the girl uttered his name. He knew that it might not mean anything special to others, but for him, it still meant a lot because no one in his life had ever whispered his name with so much affection, without any tinge of malice. It was the first time, and so it felt oddly satisfying.
"I-I…" He closed his mouth, unsure how to respond because his thoughts were a mess. "You don't have to apologize for them, Sayuri. I'm fine," he added softly, eyes darting around to see if anyone was watching them because deep down, he was worried people would pick on her too if they saw her talking to him.
Sayuri slowly shook her head. "No. You deserve an apology, Naruto. My fellow clan members behaved in a way that was utterly wrong and deserve to be called out."
"I-I see…" Naruto blinked, completely lost on what half of those words meant, but they sounded… nice? Fancy, maybe? Either way, it was the first time someone ever defended him like this, and that alone was enough to make him feel warm. "But I-I still don't want an apology," he said, trying to convince her. She didn't know what those boys could do. If they were forced to apologize, they'd just take it out on him later. Probably worse than before. He didn't want that.
He just wanted to be left alone.
"Hehehe…"
"Hey! Why are you laughing?" he muttered, confused and maybe a little embarrassed. Was she making fun of him now? He didn't want to believe it, but she was laughing, and he was the only one here.
The laughter stopped quickly, but his face was already red.
Then Sayuri turned back to him, and her voice reached him gently. "Umm… I just found your statement funny." There was no teasing in her tone, just something honest, and for some reason, that made his heart feel… weird again.
"Funny?"
A smile bloomed on her small face again.
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because your voice was cracking so much while speaking those words," she said with a soft giggle. "It felt like you were still afraid of those boys."
Everything left his mind as soon as he heard her answer. "Huh?" he scowled at her, visibly annoyed by the fact that she was laughing at something so serious to him. She didn't get it. He wasn't joking. He was really afraid of those boys. They could ruin his whole life if they wanted to, and now she was making fun of that?
It didn't sit right with him at all.
"You're only laughing because they didn't make fun of you," he muttered bitterly. "If you'd been in my place, then you'd know what it feels like to be bullied and beaten by them." A little anger slipped into his voice, sharp and sudden, something he didn't even realize until the words had already escaped.
Sayuri went quiet.
She didn't respond at first, just stood there with her lips parted slightly, looking genuinely hurt by what he'd just said. The pain in her expression was clear, and even though her voice was soft when she finally spoke, it was filled with sadness. "You know…" she murmured, her shaky voice doing little to hide the sadness behind it. "I know what it feels like to be taunted by them. I really do. They do it every day… from morning to evening. They never leave a chance to make fun of me." She whispered those words like she'd been carrying them for too long.
"W-why?" Naruto asked, his voice low now, unsure if he wanted to know the answer now.
A sad smile crept onto her lips, the kind of smile that wasn't happy at all. It made Naruto's stomach twist because he could feel something tragic coming. "Because I'm blind. I can't see anything."
In that moment, Naruto felt like the whole world had stopped. 'Blind…?' His soul shattered into a million little pieces as he processed what she had just said. All the things he had wanted to say about himself… all the pain he held onto… it disappeared. Her words crushed it.
For the first time in what felt like forever, he forgot about his own problems, his own sadness. Because her pain… her pain was different. He had no one, but no one had ever taken anything from him. But her? She had something ripped away from her before she even had a chance to live.
She was being hated by her own clan.
Unlike him, who was loathed by strangers, Sayuri was being rejected by the very people who were supposed to love her the most.
"Naruto?"
He looked up slowly, like waking from a deep, sad sleep.
"Y-yes?"
"Are you okay?" Sayuri asked, worry creeping into her voice. His silence had stretched on too long, and it reminded her of the others. The ones who always left when she spoke her truth. She was scared now, scared that maybe he would leave too. After all, who wanted to be friends with a blind Uchiha?
"Yes."
His soft reply made her relax, just a little. A small smile dared to tug at her lips again. "I see." There was still uncertainty in her voice, but Naruto… he didn't hear it. All he saw was the happiness that had returned to her face, and somehow, that was enough.
They sat like that for a while, not speaking, just listening to the wind and the soft creak of the swing behind him. Then, finally, Naruto spoke. "Umm… do you have any friends?" he asked hesitantly, almost afraid of the answer, but hoping, just this once, to hear a yes. Because even though he wanted someone to share his pain, he didn't want her to be alone like him. She didn't deserve that.
"No."
His heart sank deeper. "I-I see…" he murmured, eyes locking onto her coal black ones. They were awesome, he thought, and even though she couldn't see him, they twitched like they knew he was looking at her.
"No one wants to be my friend… not even my own clan members." Her voice was soft, but the words hit him like a boulder, each one crashing against his heart with full force. She really was just like him. But instead of feeling relieved that someone finally understood his pain, he only felt worse.
Why?
Because someone else was suffering and living a life like him too, someone who didn't deserve it. A life like his was like living in hell… no, it was worse than hell, and he didn't want anyone, especially not her, to live it.
"Say… if you don't mind… can I ask you something?"
Naruto nodded instinctively, then remembered that she couldn't see that. "Yes," he murmured.
"Do you…" Sayuri hesitated, the words caught in her throat. It was hard, harder than she expected. She took a deep breath. "D-do you want to be my friend?" The moment the silence came back, her whole body tensed. Her hands curled against her legs as she tried to maintain a small on her face.
Sayuri was scared, scared of his answer. Why? Because she knew what he was about to say. She had heard it before, so many times.
"I-I…"
The fear and hesitation in his voice told her everything. She lowered her head, her voice trembling. "It's okay if you don't want to be my friend, Naruto. I-I will not—"
"Hhhshhh…"
Sayuri gasped as the sound of Naruto's soft whimper reached her ears.
"Nar—?"
"I always wanted to have a friend…" His voice was barely audible, a quiet, broken whisper, but she heard every word. And in that moment, she had all her answers.
Blue eyes met faint coal orbs as the two children looked at each other, one gaze full of tears and darkness, the other glowing with warmth and gentle light.
"Sayuri, I'll be the bestest friend you'll ever have…"
No… he would be more than that.
He would be her eyes.
-[ END ]-
Hope you enjoyed it. Will be updating soon.
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Stay safe.