9 Thawing the Frozen Heart (End)
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[Kazahana Koyuki's POV]
He called himself Uzumaki Naruto. When I first saw him, I thought we were alike. Given the way he gazed at the world, he had gone through a lot, just like me. I could see how the villagers treated him differently—in a bad way. Despite so, the exterior that he showed off to the world was genuine. Unlike me, Uzumaki Naruto was truly sick of the world.
The look of apathy he gave to everyone was not to hide the pain he felt. He cared about nothing but himself. I was trying to do the same thing, but unlike him, I was running away from the problem I should face. He was strong. He faced his problem head-on unflinchingly. However, it was still sad to see that look on a child.
"Thanks, Ayame-chan. I will now take Yukie here around the village."
"Ah, take care Naruto-kun, Yukie-san. Don't forget to come back!"
As apathetic as he was usually; however, he could show such a genuine smile to the girl. It was mesmerizing. I had seen more charming smiles, but they wouldn't match the sincerity behind his smile. I would choose his smile at any time of the day.
"Let's go."
He stood up and offered his arm to me. I followed suit and then wrapped my arm around his. I felt the girl's gaze on my back but ignored it. I was already used to being looked at. He asked me where I wanted him to take me, taking my attention. I told him to take me to places he deemed amazing.
There were not many such places, he said. It probably had something to do with the way the villagers took his presence. I wondered why they were hostile toward him but didn't probe him for that. As someone who had an issue of my own, I knew how irritating it was to have people sticking their noses into my private life.
The places he took me to were mostly quiet. We went to a bamboo forest, a flower garden, and a riverside. His favorite places reflected his personality well. On the other hand, it might also show how he wanted to be as far away as possible from the villagers.
"Look at how quickly time flies. The sun is about to set already."
I was brought out of my musing by his remark. Gazing at the sky, I saw that the sun was on its way to hide. I felt a shift on my right before I was swept off my feet. My vision tilted and I could see his half-hearted smirk.
"Let's enjoy the sunset, shall we?"
And then, he sprinted. He was fast. Everything was a blur to me. I guessed he had had enough of my face. It reminded me that, despite his age, he was a Ninja, and thus he was capable of achieving feats mere men could only dream of.
Before long, he stopped moving. I was a bit disoriented, but I could still stand on my feet after he let me down; though, I needed his support a little. Looking ahead, I was presented with the scenery of the entirety of Konoha. I realized right then that we were on the hill where the Hokage statues were carved.
"How do you think this scenery reflects on life?" he asked in mild interest.
"That is quite a random question," I pointed out.
"You look dying to dispel the silence between us, so I gave you a chance."
I didn't deny his statement. It was true that I, for some reason, wanted him to talk to me other than the times he talked about why his favorite places became his favorite.
"Well, in that case, I think this beautiful scenery reflects that there is always beauty in life."
"I see…"
"What about you?"
"I think it reflects that everything would look beautiful from afar."
The tone he used to say those words shook me slightly. I wouldn't have cared if he had said it spitefully, but he had said it as if he was stating a fact. He already had an established view and nothing would change it. Uzumaki Naruto was a certified cynic.
"I am being realistic, in case you are thinking I am being cynical," he chuckled. "Life is full of condoned ugliness when you look into it."
Again, his observation skills astounded me. I wondered if he even had figured me out. It didn't matter even if he had. I felt weirdly safe sharing my worry with him. Had I just fallen in love? My cheeks warmed slightly. We were five years apart. It was embarrassing.
"Are you tired?"
I averted my gaze when he looked at me. "No. Just a little bit cold."
"We can go to your hotel now. It will be a quick affair," he offered.
"It's fine. I want to see the sunset."
He said nothing and I opted to look ahead to look like I was truly enjoying the sunset. I felt something warm landed on my shoulders. I was lying about the cold, but I liked the warmth his jacket provided me. The sun disappeared not long after and the moon slowly took its place. I enjoyed the sunset.
He swept me off my feet again and took me to my hotel. I hadn't told him where my hotel was, but he knew where it was. As soon as we arrived, he put me down and provided me some support, so I didn't fall. I fished out the money I had promised to pay him and he gladly took it. I smiled faintly at his pragmatism.
"Well, then, see you tomorrow, Yukie."
"…see you." I clutched the jacket draped on my shoulders unconsciously.
He chuckled at that and said, "Warm the jacket for me, Princess."
He turned around, waved his hand, and then disappeared into the night. I wondered what was attracting me to him. It might be his lack of interest in me. The men I had met had been always trying to impress me, but he didn't. Then again, he might not be interested in girls yet. However, I had seen how he teased the curious females he caught staring at him.
"Uzumaki Naruto… what an enigma."
I clutched my head in frustration. I couldn't get him out of my head now.
***
[Uzumaki Naruto's POV]
For someone who acted so well, Yukie was bad at hiding interest in me. It could be an act, but I had caught her staring at me six times already. Her genuinely flustered face was not something that she could fake. Besides, she wouldn't have tried to conceal her flusterment if she was acting. I wondered what part of me caught her interest.
Well, I can't help it. I am that charming, after all.
A smirk crept up my face, but I didn't show it to anyone. I hated having people know what I was thinking. The chilly wind reminded me once again that we were already in the Land of Snow. The place was as cold as Sapporo on a bad day, but it was bearable. At least, that was the case for me. My teammates didn't look too fond of the weather.
A frown marred my face as I sensed approaching Chakra signatures ahead. I knew we were going to be ambushed as soon as we arrived in this land, but my heart still pounded in anticipation.
Shiing!
The sound my tantō made as I unsheathed it attracted everyone's attention. The Samurai entourage hired alongside us stiffened and my teammates took on a combat stance.
"A group of 50 is quickly approaching," I declared.
"Can you tell how far they are?" Kakashi asked as he readied himself.
"I am not that good yet."
"I see. Pay close attention to our client."
Despite knowing we would get ambushed, we still pushed forward. It wasn't long for us to meet the quickly approaching group. They were riding a train which surprised me slightly. I had forgotten that there was such a thing in the movie.
As some of the enemies climbed up to the top of the train to utilize the machines attached to the roof, the rest of them rushed to us using their snowboards. Using Kagebunshin no Jutsu, I created fifty clones and sent them toward the approaching people. I snatched Yukie from her horse and took her away from the battlefield.
"Wait! What about everyone?"
"Relax. My team is not that weak."
I fully believed that.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
At least, until I saw the hundreds of kunai launched by the machines on the train dispelling all of my clones
"Shit. We have to get close."
Creating a clone, I handed Yukie to him. I wouldn't be able to contribute to the fight if I left everything to the clones.
"Where are you going?" Yukie asked frantically.
"I am going to paint."
A quick use of Shunshin quickly brought me to the center of the battlefield. The Samurai and the random people of Yukigakure who came to our aid did quite well but had a hard time changing the tide of the battlefield. Kakashi was occupied by the Hyōton user who was the boss of the group. It was up to me and my team to eliminate the small fries.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
"Ack!"
It was not a hard task. It was fun and morbidly satisfying seeing the patches of red on the snow-covered ground.
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Honorary Mention:
Faisal Salih
Florin Durbaca
Friday
Luck George
