Naruto: The Seraph Project

Chapter 28: A Walk Under the Sun

An hour was enough for Naruto to get better and recover from his emotions; with infinite patience, I gave him all the time he needed. After all, it was entirely my fault. When it was time to go out, I forbade myself to hold out my hand to him. I reassured him many times that everything would be fine and that we would come back here, together, at dusk. Visibly calmer, Naruto clung to my arm. Of course, I had to remind him to hide his tail—something the teenager did ... not without disgruntled complaints, though.

Sighing in spite of myself, we walked out into the bright sunshine.

The blond froze for a few moments to block the light rays with his arm. Nevertheless, he didn't hesitate to follow me when I started walking again. The light assaults his retinas and puts him in obvious discomfort, but he manages to bear it. This causes him to stick closer to me, snatching sighs from me. The more time passes, the more his half-closed eyes open; though his gaze is locked to the ground, avoiding the blue sky similar to his irises, Naruto is able to adapt.

Of course, I refrain from venturing into busy areas ... well, as much as possible since avoiding human presence is impossible; especially because Konohagakure is experiencing its usual afternoon bustle. The others agitate the feral teenager. I don't need to look at him since his fingers tense and dig into my skin. His deep blue eyes scan the surroundings, watching with anguish what is happening, forcing me to slow down in spite of myself. The only thing I can do is try to calm him down with reassuring words... Surprised, but not surprised, that doesn't dispel his growing stress. At times, I have to stop in order to tell him with exasperation to hide his ebony tail which expresses his moods in an unconscious way. Fortunately, in addition to a sulky pout and a grunt, the blond doesn't grumble and obeys.

If it wasn't that I had to watch him, I would have immersed myself in my favourite book as I usually do. Despite our atypical appearance, not to mention the long coat he wears on his back on this hot summer day, besides a brief look, no one really pays attention to us.

"Kakashi! Naruto!"

This much too familiar voice... I confirm that it's that of Might Guy when I turn my head. As always, he wears his ridiculous attire in a retina-aggressive green that contrasts with his charisma and exhausting positivity. He comes to meet us, but he must know about Naruto since he approaches with caution. In response, the teenager hides behind me without letting go of my arm before emitting growls in warning, further accentuating the feral features of his face. He never takes his eyes off him, not to mention that he's gradually ruffling his blond hair.

"Easy, Naruto. He's a friend," I softly say, reducing the intensity of his loud complaints.

Guy stops a metre from us.

"It's been ages since we've seen each other, dear rival," he greets me with his beaming, blinding smile.

"I was particularly busy, as you must already know..."

He nods before looking at my pissed off student.

"And you, Naruto. How are you doing?"

Naruto lets out a high-pitched hiss as he bares his fangs. I notice his tail trying to wrap itself around our legs to create a barrier between us and the man with the exhilarating presence. Frowning, I give him a stern look before pointing at said tail in question, emitting a grumble myself to capture his attention. Displeased, the blond reluctantly obeys and slowly tucks his tail back under the coat, jerking his head the other way.

"Don't take it personally, but he doesn't like you ... or anyone else for that matter," I explain, making sure the tail is out of sight. "Not to mention that he's completely mute."