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A few days later, Naruto found himself waking up with the sun, for once excited for the day. He lay on a small, lumpy bed, staring at the ceiling of his tiny apartment with a bright grin on his face.
Friend! He had a friend!
The flower Atsuko had given him sat in a cup of water by his bedside, its petals already beginning to wilt. Still, it looked beautiful to him – The first gift he had ever received from someone other than the old man Hokage or old man Teuchi.
He thought back to a few days back when he met her. He recalled the happy laughter and field full of flowers as they ran through it, chasing each other mindlessly with fistfulls of daisies. They’d been meeting there every afternoon since, playing together, laughing together. Atsucko even taught him how to make flower crowns! (nobody ever taught him anything)
Naruto jumped up quickly and swung his legs off the bed, little feet thumping on the ground as he quickly rushed to get ready, ignoring the emptiness in his stomach. Maybe he could get her a gift tomorrow! To pay her back for being so nice, even to a terrible thing like him! (As the adults loves to remind him)
He pulled on his jacket — the one with a loose thread at the sleeve where Atsuko had tied a daisy chain the other day. It had fallen apart when he got home, but he didn’t mind. He liked that it was there, even if only in memory.
He grabbed the half-stale bread he’d saved from yesterday and stuffed it in his pocket. He’d eat it later. A little giggle escaped him as he rushed out of the apartment, running down the street with a grin, ignoring the shouts. He wondered what he should get Atsuko. Maybe a ribbon? Girls like ribbons right?
The morning air was crisp as he sprinted down the narrow alleys behind the shops. He knew how to stay unseen — how to move where the grown-ups wouldn’t yell at him or chase him off with a broom. He’d learned that a long time ago. But lately, it didn’t sting as much. He wondered if it was because he had a person now too.
The field was just outside the village’s old wooden fence, down a slope by the river. Wildflowers grew tall and stubborn there — purple, white, yellow — all tangled together like they didn’t care who saw them. Naruto liked that. Nobody told the flowers they weren’t allowed to grow.
When he reached the crest of the hill, he stopped to catch his breath. His heart thudded in his chest, part from the run, part from the hope that she’d be there. Waiting. Like she always was.
And she was.
Atsuko sat cross-legged in the grass, her basket beside her, her head bent over something in her lap. When she heard him crashing through the grass, she looked up and broke into a smile, the kind he never saw directed at him, ever, but made him feel like he had a hundred bowls of free Ramen and got told he can have even more.
“You’re early today!” she called out, waving him over.
Naruto grinned back, nearly tripping over his own feet as he ran down the hill. “I wanted to see you!” he blurted, breathless, the words tumbling out before he could think.
Atsuko giggled, scooting over to make space. “Good! I made something for you.” She lifted her hands, and Naruto’s mouth fell open. Another flower crown — this one bigger, woven with tiny purple and white blossoms.
Atsuko grinned at him as she placed it on his head. “I found ‘em on the other side of the academy! So I brought ‘em here to make you a crown! The purple ones are Phlox n’ they mean harmony, unity and togetherness, n’ the white ones are, um. oh! The white ones are Mayweed! They're not actually a flower, their weeds, but they're still pretty! M’ not really sure what this one means though.” Atsuko frowned at the weed like it would suddenly reveal its secrets.
Atsuko shook her head and faced Naruto again with a smile.
“Forget tha’ do ya like it?” She asked, grinning eagerly.
Naruto gaped at her in shock and awe. Then slowly a beaming smile creeped onto his face.
“Yeah, it’s amazing! You're really great at this stuff, ‘ttebayo!” Naruto grinned at her bright, clutching the flower crown.
Atsuko’s grin widened at his words, scratching a pink cheek. “Course I’m great at it! I’ve been makin’ crowns since forever. My brother says I’ve got nimble fingers.” She wiggled them proudly, then leaned in closer, adjusting the crown so it sat properly on Naruto’s wild hair.
“There,” Atsuko said finally, sitting back with a satisfied nod. “Now you look like… hm.” She tapped her chin, pretending to think. “A prince! Or maybe a hero!”
Naruto’s eyes went wide. “Hero?”
“Yeah!” She plucked another flower and twirled it between her fingers. “Like the ones in the stories, n’ like the shinobi. You know, like people who fight monsters an’ save villages. You’d be a good one, I think.”
Naruto’s throat tightened, his hands curling into fists in the grass. He’d never heard anyone say something like that about him before. Hero. Most people only muttered the opposite. But Atsuko was looking at him like she believed it, like it was obvious.
“Someday,” he blurted, his voice cracking, “I’m gonna be Hokage! Then everybody’s gonna have to notice me! They’ll have to say my name, and they won’t be able to call me—” He stopped himself, biting down hard on the words that burned his tongue.
Atsuko tilted her head. “Call you what?”
“Nothing,” Naruto muttered quickly, staring at the grass. His smile wavered, but when she nudged his shoulder, he forced it back onto his face. “Don’t matter. You’ll see! I’ll be the best Hokage ever, dattebayo!”
Atsuko laughed, clapping her hands together. “Then I’ll be your helper! Every Hokage needs one. I can make sure your Hokage hat doesn’t fly off in the wind!”
Naruto burst out laughing, rolling back in the grass. “That’s the dumbest job ever!”
She stuck her tongue out at him. “Hey, it’s important! What if it blows away while you’re givin’ a old man speech? You’d look silly.”
Naruto snorted so hard he nearly choked, wiping at his eyes. “Fine, fine! You can be my… my Hat Protector, dattebayo!”
Atsuko grinned wide, puffing out her chest proudly. “Best job in the whole village, if you ask me.”
They both fell into another fit of giggles, the kind that made their stomachs hurt and their cheeks ache, until finally they lay back in the grass, staring up at the endless blue sky. For a while, neither spoke. The breeze carried the smell of wildflowers and river water, and Naruto let the quiet sink into him. Usually, silence meant loneliness, but with Atsuko, it felt… safe.
He plucked a blade of grass and twirled it between his fingers, sneaking glances at her. She was braiding flowers into another little chain, her brow furrowed in concentration, lips pursed just slightly.
“What’re you makin’ now?” Naruto asked, tilting his head.
“A bracelet.” She held it up proudly, a messy ring of daisies and clovers. “It’s not as good as the crown, but… here.” She slid it over his wrist before he could react.
Naruto stared at it like she’d handed him treasure. “You’re always givin’ me stuff,” he mumbled, almost shy. “I don’t… I don’t got anything to give you back.”
Atsuko blinked at him, then shook her head with a giggle. “Dumbhead. You already gave me somethin’.”
Naruto’s eyes widened. “Huh? What?”
“You made me laugh an’ you’re my friend.” She smiled at him, bright and honest. “That’s better than any flower.”
For a second Naruto just stared at her. Then he grinned so wide his cheeks hurt, throwing himself back into the grass. “Then I’ll make you laugh and be your friend forever, dattebayo!”
Atsuko laughed at that, tipping over so she lay beside him, both of them staring up at the sky. Clouds drifted lazily overhead, and for the first time in a while, Naruto let himself think of the future as something other than lonely.