Chapter 136: Blue and Yellow

Chapter 136 - Blue and Yellow Naruto stopped at the entrance as he spotted Ren. Normally, he could easily tell what people thought of him, it was always in their eyes. But this time, he couldn't feel anything and Ren's eyes were hidden behind a pair of dark sunglasses, and there was no scorn or judgment in his posture, just calm neutrality. Ren, still halfway through a bite of noodles, glanced up at the soaked boy standing awkwardly near the entrance. A noodle hung from his mouth as the two locked gazes, or would have, if Naruto could see through those sunglasses. After a second, Ren slurped the noodle back in and took off his sunglasses, revealing a pair of sharp, light-blue eyes. "We have the same eye color," Ren remarked. Naruto flinched slightly. No one ever really looked at him like that, normally, they looked through him. So he hesitated, then asked cautiously, "A-Are you talking to me?" Ren tilted his head slowly, as if reconsidering the very idea of conversation. Then, dramatically raising his chopsticks, he pointed them, not at Naruto, but at his shoulder. In a deep voice, Ren said, "No. I'm talking to the bug sitting on your shoulder. Don't you feel it? It's heavy." Naruto's whole body stiffened. Then, his face twisted in horror. "AAAAAHHHH!" he shrieked, jumping in panic. "WHERE IS IT?! I HATE BUGS!" In his panicked frenzy, Naruto leapt forward and landed directly on Ren's face. "GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF! I HATE BUGS!" Naruto wailed, clinging to Ren's head like a terrified koala. Startled, Ren nearly activated chakra-enhanced strength on reflex. "G-GAH! GET OFF MY FACE, YOU BRAT!" "NOOO! GET OFF THE BUG FIRST!" Naruto yelled, still attached like a limpet. The two of them wrestled awkwardly, Ren trying to pry Naruto off his face, and Naruto refusing to let go until he was sure the imaginary bug was gone. "Why is your grip this strong?!" Ren groaned, struggling. "And there's no bug! Get off!" Naruto peeked up, loosening his grip slightly but still clinging to Ren's neck. "Really?" Taking the opportunity, Ren grabbed Naruto by the collar and held him up like a soaked kitten. Panting, he glared. "You overreacted that much to a joke. What would you do if there really was a bug?" Naruto flailed his legs slightly and shrieked again. "You shouldn't joke about bugs! They're the worst abomination! Except dragonflies, dragonflies are okay." Ren nodded solemnly. "You're right about dragonflies. But other bugs aren't so bad. You get used to them with time." They both finally calmed down. Ren sat back down and placed Naruto gently on the stool next to him. "Really?" Naruto asked again, skeptical. Ren raised his hand and quickly dried Naruto's soaked clothes using a burst of low-grade Fire Release. "Yeah. One of my teammates is from the Aburame clan. I spent enough time around him, and eventually, the bugs stopped bothering me." "Abu-what now?" Naruto blinked. Ren waved his chopsticks like a wand. "You'll learn it when you join the Academy." He pushed the second Ramen bowl toward Naruto. "Here. It's my birthday today, so you can have it." Naruto looked at the warm bowl in front of him, then back at Ren. "...It's my birthday too," he said quietly. "Today." Ren paused mid-bite, glanced at Naruto again, and said, "Then, happy birthday." Naruto froze. Then he lit up. Like, lit up, as if someone had flicked a switch and turned his body into a beacon. His eyes shone, his face glowed, and his entire being radiated joy. "Thank you," he said, voice bright and stunned. "No one's ever wished me happy birthday before." Ren quickly put his sunglasses back on, muttering, "Too damn bright." ~~~ When Ren met Naruto, many people moved. The six observers assigned to monitor Naruto Uzumaki acted the moment contact was made. Of the six, three flickered away instantly to report. ~ Hokage Office An ANBU ninja knelt in front of Hiruzen Sarutobi and reported, "Lord Third, Naruto Uzumaki is in contact with Chunin Ren Takahashi." He then explained the circumstances of the meeting. Hiruzen took a long puff from his pipe, exhaled slowly, and waved the ANBU away. The shinobi flickered out silently. Hiruzen opened a drawer in his desk, pulled out a crystal ball, placed it on a red cushion, and passed his hand over it. Slowly, images began to flicker and finally stabilized, displaying the interior of Ichiraku Ramen. What he saw was... chaotic. Naruto flailing about in panic, landing on Ren's face, the two of them wrestling in the middle of the shop. The Sandaime nearly choked on his smoke. He sighed, holding his forehead as he muttered, "Why did I expect their meeting to be any less chaotic?" Still, his eyes remained on the crystal ball. "This was inevitable... but I can already see the upcoming headache." ~ ANBU Command Base Yoru's Office An ANBU stood before the commander. "Naruto Uzumaki has made contact with Ren Takahashi." Yoru paused, glanced up from his paperwork, and dismissed the ANBU with a wave of his hand. Once alone, he muttered to himself, "Let's see how this turns out to be." And then, in a flicker, he too vanished from the office. ~ Root Headquarters Danzo's Office In the shadows of the underground Root base, a Root shinobi kneeled before Danzo Shimura. "The Jinchuriki and the second priority are currently in contact," the agent reported. Danzo narrowed his eye. "Explain." The shinobi detailed the encounter. Danzo remained silent for a long moment. Then he gave a cold snort and stood up, his coat swaying as he stepped out of the room. ~~~ Ichiraku Ramen The shop was quiet except for the sound of slurping noodles. Ren had just offered his second bowl to Naruto, who practically lit up like a thousand-watt lightbulb at the gesture. Ren, blinking through the radiance, slid his sunglasses back on and muttered, "You set the bar for getting happy way too low. You should at least be that happy after someone gives you a gift." Naruto tilted his head, confused. "What's a gift?" Ren stopped mid-motion. Even Teuchi, who had been quietly watching the exchange with a smile, now wore a faintly sad expression. Ren glanced at Naruto's face. The confusion on it was genuine. He sighed softly and slurped more noodles, motioning for Naruto to eat as well. "A gift," Ren began, "is something you give to someone without expecting anything in return." Naruto nodded slowly, trying to understand. Ren then pointed to the Ramen bowl in front of Naruto. "By the way, that's not a gift." Naruto froze and quickly shifted away from the bowl. "I-I don't have that much money to give you in return." he said, voice growing small, glancing at the bowl as if it had betrayed him. Then came laughter. Ren clutched his chest, trying not to fall off the stool. "Pfft! Gosh! You turn serious so fast! I was joking, calm down!" Naruto flushed red. "HEY! What's with you!?" Ren finally caught his breath, still grinning. "But it's true. That's not a gift." Naruto glared, ready to jump again. "It's not a gift, it's a treat," Ren explained. "I'm treating you today since you don't have money and it's both our birthdays. But next year, it'll be your turn to treat me. Deal?" Naruto blinked, stunned. "You'll talk to me again?" "Of course," Ren said casually. "I always collect my debts. I'll be waiting for that Ramen next birthday." Naruto nodded slowly, and then his face crumpled. Soft sobs began to escape him. Ren looked over, ready to offer comfort but reeled back in disgust. Naruto was crying his eyes out, with a massive snot bubble hovering precariously above his Ramen. Ren jumped back, snatching both bowls with him. "What the hell is wrong with you?! You wanna eat snot-flavored ramen, go do it at home! Not when I'm treating you!" Naruto, now completely snot-faced, sniffled, "I-I'm j-just so happy... You said you'd talk to me again... People never talk to me again..." He wiped his face with his sleeve, only smearing the mess further. Ren groaned and walked over with a handkerchief. He wiped Naruto's face clean with clear reluctance. "Alright, alright. I get it. Stop crying or I'll cancel your treat." Naruto stopped immediately, blew his nose hard, and tried to hand the used handkerchief back to Ren. Ren looked at it like it was a cursed scroll and immediately incinerated it with fire release. "Ugh. You are nasty." Naruto gave a sheepish smile, his eyes still a little puffy. "Thanks." Ren just sighed, sitting back down and keeping a healthy distance from the snot kid. "Next year, ramen's on you. Got it?" Naruto nodded with a huge grin. "Yup! It's a promise!" By the time Ren and Naruto finished eating, a sizeable stack of empty bowls had formed beside them. Ren had seven, while Naruto, impressively for a five-year-old had polished off five. Naruto had initially tried to stop after the first bowl, but Ren kept ordering more, knowing a single bowl wouldn't fill the boy's stomach. Naruto hesitated at first, glancing at Ren with uncertain eyes. But hunger always wins. After the fifth bowl, his belly was visibly bulging under his shirt in a comically exaggerated way. Ren paid the bill, and while it looked like a lot to Naruto, Ren's wallet barely felt it. From his academy days until his promotion to Chunin, most of his expenses had been covered by his father. Meanwhile, his own income from missions kept piling up. Even after his father's departure, the only regular expense he had was food. Weapons and consumables like kunai, shuriken, and tags? Those were essentially free for him, he just fulfilled the village's Fuinjutsu scroll quota in exchange. At this point, Ren didn't even know how much he had saved in the bank. 'Maybe I should go and check. Who knows, I might already be rich.' He thought. He turned his head to glance at Naruto, who was happily chatting away, swinging his legs on the stool like a pendulum. Ren asked, "Hey, do you have a dream?" Naruto quieted down at the question, then looked at Ren and answered softly, "I don't wanna be hated. I want people to smile when they see me, not curse or yell." Ren studied Naruto's face, thinking, 'So he hasn't decided to become Hokage yet.' He stayed silent for a moment, sipping the orange juice Teuchi had placed in front of him at some point. Then, with a serious expression, Ren spoke. "You know, people only hate others for two reasons." Naruto looked at him curiously. Ren raised one finger. "First, because they did something wrong. So, have you done something wrong?" Naruto scrunched up his face and thought hard. He remembered all the angry looks he'd gotten ever since he could remember. Except for Gramps, though even he sometimes felt cold. Naruto shook his head slowly. "I. I don't think I did. Maybe I forgot. I've got a bad memory, y'know." Ren nodded. "If you don't remember, it wasn't your fault." He raised a second finger. "Second reason: people hate someone who's better than them. If you didn't do anything wrong, then the only reason they hate you is because you're better than them." As soon as Ren said that, he felt several chakra signatures ripple in the air, subtle but unmistakable. 'Looks like that's all I can say for now. Any more and someone might 'escort' him away.' Naruto frowned. "How am I better than them? I don't have friends, or siblings, not even a mom or dad. They're all better than me." Ren was about to reply, but at that exact moment, a wave of chakra swept over the area. 'The commander's here too, huh. Guess that's my cue.' He stood up, looked over at Teuchi, who met his eyes and smiled faintly, then disappeared into the back. Ren turned to Naruto, who was still frowning in confusion. "You might not get it now," he said softly, "but maybe one day, you will." He glanced out. "Well, rain's stopped. Let's go." Naruto perked up and looked out the curtain. Sure enough, the skies had cleared and the setting sun was visible. But he still didn't move, clearly reluctant to leave. Ren sighed and picked him up by the collar like a kitten, carried him outside, and plopped him down on the street. "Alright, run along now. And don't forget, you owe me a ramen treat next birthday." Naruto nodded energetically, still not wanting to leave. That's when Ren smirked and added, "Hey. There's a bug on your face." Naruto scowled. "You already used that jo--------AAAAAHHHHHHH!" Because this time there actually was a bug on his face. The blond shrieked like he was dying and bolted down the empty street, his howls echoing across the village. Ren watched his retreating figure with amusement and then turned his gaze around. The ANBU had vanished. Except one, of course. A voice came from behind him. "That was not needed right now." Ren didn't turn around. "C'mon, boss-man. What are you talking about? I just stumbled on a poor kid and did a good deed for my birthday." Yoru stayed quiet for a moment. Then, "Everything has a time, Ren. Not everything can be pushed." That made Ren pause. He glanced back toward the shadows where Yoru was hidden and replied, "Commander, that's not like you. If you really believe that crap, I might just lose the bit of respect I had for you." He folded his hands behind his head and started walking away when Yoru's voice called out once more. "I'll handle the aftermath." Ren smiled faintly as he kept walking. 'I knew it. You're different from the rest of those old fossils.' The setting sun bathed the street in warm gold as Ren disappeared around the corner, his figure framed in fading light. ~~~~~ {How was the interaction between Ren and Naruto? This was just the first of many, but there would be many more in the future, but not right now, so you might have to wait if you want to read them talk or have fun again.} {Also, I purposely didn't let the conversation go to things like monster and other things, right now I just kept it somewhat on the surface.} {If you want, you can support me on pat-reon} { h t t p s : / / w w w . p a t r e o n . c o m / Z e e n o n } {You know what else} {200 Stones = Extra Chapter} {STONES!!!!}