Chapter 4: First New Friend
"Hey, who do you think you're calling a wall!"
This voice immediately caught my attention as I wasn't expecting my ear to be yelled into at that time
"Wow, I didn't realize walls could talk." I sarcastically shot back still lying flat on the ground looking at the sky.
"They can't! I'm a human being, not a wall!" The retort came swiftly, filled with indignation.
I pull my upper body up into a sitting position and pretend to look over the short little black haired girl in front of me. After a brief moment, I broke into a playful smile.
"Oh sorry I didn't see you down there short stack"
"I'm not a short stack! And we're the same height too!" The little girl shoots up off the ground and starts to rocket towards me with a fist raised.
Fortunately, her mother intervened before any punches could be thrown. With a gentle hand, she scooped up her daughter, diffusing the situation instantly.
"Alright honey that's enough, he's clearly just teasing you a little bit." The mom of the little girl tells her while smiling. Once the little girl cools down she is standing back on the ground as if nothing happened.
"Okay, fine. I'll let it slide this time, but don't call me short stack again."
"You've got a deal." Not wanting to make things worse and risk my mother's wrath, I agree.
"I'm Miki. What's your name?" the little girl asks me as she introduces herself.
"I'm Shiran Uzumaki. Nice to meet you, Miki."
As the two kids started to get to know each other their moms were observing with amusement, exchanging knowing glances and soft laughter.
"It's nice to see them getting along so easily. I didn't think they'd hit it off like two puzzle pieces fitting together." remarked the young woman with black hair and pale skin to her companion, a woman with lighter hair and tanned skin.
"Yeah, it is. Speaking of, it's nice to see you again Tomiko. I feel like I haven't been around the Yuki compound in ages." Kumiko said as if reminiscing upon a time too far in the past.
"Oh my gosh, I know it feels like ever since we had these two rascals all of our time is taken." Tomiko said playfully her eyes holding the joy which her tone was portraying.
"It does, but I wouldn't trade it in for anything," Kumiko said resolutely, her gaze softening as she watched the children interact.
"Me neither but I have a feeling we might be seeing a lot more of each other in the future."
"I think you're right about that Tomiko," Kumiko said while chuckling a bit seeing how friendly their two kids were already.
Well we should probably get going Kumiko, it was great seeing you again after all this time. Come on Miki let's get going."
"Ok, mom. Hey by the way Shiran, where do you live in the Uzumaki clan compound?
"We live right in the middle of it. Just ask a guard to take you to the clan leader's house and they'll be able to get you there."
"Ok, I can't wait to come play with you."
Feeling a gentle tap on my head, I glanced up to see my mother looking down at me with a curious expression.
"Why didn't you ask where she stayed Shiran?" My mother asked a little perplexed.
"Well, I saw you talking with her mother pretty friendly so I figured that you already knew her and where they lived."
"Ah, I see, my little genius is already so good at reading social cues. What am I going to do with you?" Mom said with helplessness and a tad bit of pride hidden beneath.
"Who knows but I'm hungry we should get home so we can start to eat," I said while looking at the setting sun casting beautiful sun rays shining through the trees and the warm colors that painted the sky.
"Alright, let's get home then sweety."
I reached up to grab my mom's hand as we walked home and felt a sense of freedom, belonging, and love. The freedom of a whole new life with different possibilities working in tandem with the sense of belonging in the village and the love I get from both my parents.
Looking up at the sky I just sighed my eyes starting to well up before I could think to stop them from falling down.
My mom being ever attentive noticed the complex emotions in my eyes and picked me up gently to give me a big hug.
"What's wrong honey, why the tears all of a sudden?"
"I just feel so happy to be your son, Mom."
As this came out of my mouth I heard my moms breath catch as she let out a sigh. "Those are not thoughts a 2.5-year-old should be having young man." She said sounding a little exasperated.
I looked up to see her bright lavender eyes glossed over looking back at me. The flicker of surprise in my mother's eyes was so brief but it was still there. All of a sudden I felt an overwhelming rush of love. It was a love so pure and unconditional that it was almost overwhelming in its intensity. Before I knew it my head was buried again in possibly the biggest hug I've ever gotten.
I sunk into this hug suddenly feeling my little body's lack of stamina caught up to me. As I lay there getting more and more sleepy I felt her walking along the road until we reached the clan compound again. Before long, there was a door being opened and I was being laid down to rest on my bed.
"I'll call you out to eat once everything is ready sweety so you just take a little nap, ok?"
"Ok Mom, I love you."
"I love you too sweets."
An hour and a half later there could be seen a family of three, soon to be four, eating onigiri all enjoying the time they were spending together. The satisfaction was evident on all three's faces and the love in the room was palpable.
Just when everything was starting to wind down I turned to my dad with resolute eyes.
"Dad I'm going to be a ninja that both of you can be proud of."
My dad, taken aback for a second by the intensity in my eyes, turns to me with a warm smile saying:
"Son you could do anything you want to and we'll still be proud of you. Why choose to be a ninja to do that?"
Without the slightest bit of hesitation, I responded. "Well I want to be able to protect you guys and my family in the future, and to be able to do that I'll need to be the strongest in the world"
With a nod, my father placed a hand on my shoulder, both his support and my mom's clear for me to see. "Then we'll support you every step of the way, son. Together, we'll make sure you achieve your dreams."
(A/N: A little bit of a sappy chapter but I think it came out nice.)
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