In the Rain
It was as if someone had turned off the lights above the clouds, and the surrounding light suddenly dimmed. Then, a loud thunderclap echoed through the sky, and heavy rain began pouring down without any warning.
Naruto and Sakura stood in the hallway by the door, staring dumbfounded at the heavy curtain of rain.
"Did the Konoha weather report mention rain today?" Sakura stood by the wall, frowning as she watched the mist that had almost instantly blurred everything.
"The weather was cloudy this morning anyway," Naruto commented. "The good news is, I've got an umbrella."
About an hour later, the rain subsided a little.
"Let's go," Sakura said as she stood up.
"Oh," Naruto responded, locking the door as he stepped outside.
With a snap, the black umbrella opened. The two of them huddled under the large umbrella, grateful that it was big enough to keep them from getting wet.
"Naruto," Sakura broke the silence, her mood seeming a little low.
"Hmm?"
"Why did those people look at us like that...?" Sakura asked anxiously, "Aren't they also residents of the apartment?"
When they walked out of the building, Sakura was the first to notice the gloomy expressions on the villagers standing under the eaves, as though they were looking at something they strongly disliked.
"It's because you're walking beside me, so they're disgusted by both of us," Naruto said.
"Is that really okay?" Sakura shivered, unable to stop herself. "Naruto, you've always been looked at like that..."
She didn't continue her sentence, cutting off her words.
"Ah, it's fine," Naruto said as if he didn't care about what Sakura had said. Holding the umbrella, he kept his eyes steady, looking straight ahead.
The street beneath their feet was slick with rainwater. It was the peak of summer, always a season with heavy rainfall. The black umbrella stood out sharply against the cool street.
His voice was calm and cool, as plain as water that had just cooled down.
"I stopped caring about them a long time ago, though it may sound a bit extreme. But they are just brainless pests, parroting what others say."
"Or maybe, their hatred of me is what unites them. No one wants to be seen as an outsider, right?"
The rain was hitting the black umbrella with a constant swish-swish sound.
"To be honest, they're just surviving, not really living, aren't they? Wearing the skin of humans, the only meaningful things they do are work and reproduce."
Listening to Naruto, Sakura didn't know what to say.
After passing through the old street, they stopped in front of a gift shop, and Naruto motioned for Sakura to go in first. Sakura was confused and looked at Naruto in question.
"If you go in with me, the owner might not sell it to you."
Sakura paused for a moment after hearing this. She looked at Naruto, then at the rain outside, hesitated for a while, and finally turned to go inside.
After a moment, Naruto walked in, estimating that Sakura had already chosen.
The owner recognized Naruto and frowned at him but said nothing.
At that moment, Sakura was coming out, holding a gift, a cute blue plush toy. Naruto nodded and turned to leave.
"Leaving without buying anything?" The owner, sitting by the door, sneered. "Next time, don't come to my store if you don't have money."
Naruto ignored him, walking forward.
However, Sakura felt a sharp pain in her palm, like being pricked by a needle. She frowned, her fingers sinking deeply into the plush toy.
Ninjas are not allowed to harm the villagers of their own village, as clearly stated in the ninja regulations. The owner surely knew this too, and even though he had no intention of backing down, he watched as Naruto left without saying a word.
Although Sakura had already mentally prepared herself, seeing the blatant bullying unfold before her eyes, and knowing the victim was her companion, left her with a bitter taste.
Sakura angrily threw the plush toy into the owner's arms, shocking him.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm not buying anything! What a crappy shop!" Sakura glared at the owner and stormed out.
"Are you crazy?!"
Sakura walked out of the gift shop and saw Naruto standing under the opposite eaves waiting for her. She pursed her lips and said,
"The stuff was bad, so I'm not buying it."
"Mm." Naruto didn't say much, opening the large black umbrella and walking into the rain.
"I was thinking of going to the ninja tools shop to buy some wrist guards for Sasuke, what do you think?" Sakura said, forcing a smile. "I don't really know what boys like, so I asked you to come along for advice."
"I didn't expect this to happen, I didn't think that much... sorry."
In the end, Sakura's voice grew quieter.
"No need to apologize, I heard it all. Actually, you could've bought it," Naruto said dismissively. "I really don't care about what those pests say."
"Pests?" Sakura blinked, not quite understanding.
"Yeah, I see them as pests," Naruto said. "Honestly, aside from excluding me, they can't do anything to me."
"They have no power, living ignorantly in this world. Even after I became a ninja, they still disrespect me."
"These pests, who don't care whether they live or die, I don't even bother with them. To me, they're just pests in Konoha."
The more Sakura listened, the more uneasy she felt. She could only quickly change the subject. Just as she was about to speak, a bright golden light flashed in front of them.
"You two are walking together?" Ino raised her umbrella and stood in the rain, looking at them suspiciously.
Sakura was afraid Ino would find out she was preparing a birthday gift for Sasuke, and was worried Naruto would slip up, so she quickly explained.
"I asked Naruto for help with something!"
"Huh?" Ino eyed Sakura suspiciously. "When did you two get so close? Are you at the point where you can ask each other for favors?"
"It's something to do with training, right? Naruto!" Sakura, flustered, acted clumsily, clearly lying.
"Yes," Naruto nodded.
"Training?" Ino's suspicious look slowly faded as she turned her attention away.
She knew the three of them were in the same class and was indeed impressed by Naruto's top score in the graduation exams.
If it was about training, it made sense.
But there was something else bothering Ino. Ever since Naruto mentioned that Sasuke didn't like women, it had been stuck in her mind.
"I see you two have been walking together, so the training session is over?" Ino asked.
"Finished... the training," Sakura said helplessly, realizing she couldn't lie any longer.
"Okay then." Saying this, Ino handed her umbrella to Sakura and grabbed Naruto, running off!
"What?" Sakura stood stunned.
"Borrowing him for a bit!" Ino's voice came from a distance as they disappeared.
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