One day, after the midterm evaluation at the Ninja Academy, in the first-year class...
It had been a few days since the midterm tests, and Kaito was relieved to see his popularity fading back to its usual levels, thanks to his habit of rarely interacting with others. While there were still a number of people paying attention to him, it was nothing compared to the throngs that had surrounded him before.
At the moment, however, Kaito found himself glancing at Naruto, who was fidgeting nervously beside him. With a sigh, he spoke up.
"If you have something to say, just say it. There's no need to be all jittery," Kaito said.
"Whoa, no hiding anything from Kaito, huh? You always know!" Naruto laughed as he scratched the back of his head.
"So, what is it?" Kaito asked, more than a little exasperated.
"Well, tomorrow's a day off, and... I wanted to invite you to my place!" Naruto finally blurted out, looking expectantly at Kaito. If Kaito agreed, Naruto would have his very first visitor at his home besides the old Third Hokage.
"Hm?" Kaito was stunned for a moment; he hadn't expected Naruto to invite him over.
"So, uh, is that a no?" Naruto looked at Kaito's lack of response and thought he might have said something wrong. His face began to fall.
"It's not that," Kaito said, snapping back to reality. "I just didn't think you'd invite me over, that's all."
"So... you'll come?" Naruto's eyes lit up with hope.
"Yeah, I'll come. But just give me your address, and I'll head there myself. You know how people react when they see us together," Kaito said, not hiding his thoughts. He didn't want to deal with the judgmental stares of the villagers.
"Oh! Sure, sure." Naruto agreed readily. He knew all too well what Kaito meant—before coming to the Academy, he had also kept his distance for the same reason.
As Kaito considered the idea of visiting Naruto, he realized that while he didn't know Naruto's exact address, he could already guess it was probably in a secluded area, without many neighbors. As long as he avoided the eyes of the villagers, everything should be fine.
Of course, there was also the matter of the Anbu and the Root agents monitoring Naruto. But Kaito wasn't too worried about them—it was normal for him, as Naruto's classmate, to pay a friendly visit. The Third Hokage would likely welcome the increased bond between Naruto and the village.
The only real concern was Root. In the past, Kaito might have hesitated, but now he was confident that he had the Third Hokage's attention. Even if the Third was old, he wouldn't let Danzo extend his influence into the village's future. With everything in place, Kaito saw no reason to decline the invitation.
Soon, Naruto gave Kaito his address. As Kaito had expected, it was in an even more remote spot, and the route was complicated enough that he would probably need Naruto to come fetch him halfway. Otherwise, it would be hard to find.
They agreed on a time. Even though it was a casual visit, Kaito wasn't about to waste his training time. Using a shadow clone for this crossed his mind, but he quickly dismissed the idea—it seemed impolite to send a clone to a friend's house, even if that friend was just a kid.
"What? Kaito is visiting Naruto's house?" Ino, who had overheard their conversation, asked curiously.
"Yeah, why?" Kaito replied, looking at her.
"Um..." Ino frowned slightly. Her father had once told her to keep her distance from Naruto, though she couldn't quite understand why. She thought about Naruto's behavior lately, and honestly, he didn't seem that bad.
"It should be fine, I guess," Ino said, going with her gut feeling.
"I don't know what other people say about Naruto, but I'd rather trust my own judgment. And I think Naruto's a good kid—a good friend." Kaito nearly called Naruto a "little guy," but caught himself. Considering his own age, it seemed more fitting to call him a friend.
"Got it." Ino nodded, though she looked a bit confused, as if she had just heard something profound.
Meanwhile, Naruto was looking like he might burst into tears, clearly touched by Kaito's words.
Shikamaru, who was slouched over his desk, heard the exchange and smiled. Although he found Kaito a bit troublesome, he had to admit that the guy had a surprisingly good heart.
Ino, still puzzled, decided to just ask her mother later. She glanced at Naruto, who looked like he was about to cry—how uncool, she thought—and then at Kaito. Indeed, Kaito looked way better, and he was much calmer. Plus, his grades were excellent.
Seeing Naruto invite Kaito to his home, Ino wondered if she should also invite Kaito over. But as a girl, wasn't it improper to take the initiative like that? She hesitated, unable to make a decision before class resumed.
Kaito didn't notice anything unusual about Ino. Unlike Naruto, she didn't wear her emotions on her sleeve. Besides, she hadn't stayed for long, so there wasn't much for him to pick up on.
After class, Ino continued to mull over the idea, when she suddenly spotted a familiar figure. She stopped and looked more closely, realizing it was her classmate—Sakura Haruno, the second-place student in their class. Right now, Sakura looked a bit down.
Why would she be upset with grades like hers? Ino thought for a moment before deciding to approach her.
On his way to the training ground, Kaito also noticed the scene. He thought back, remembering that Ino and Sakura did eventually become close friends. He'd been curious why they seemed so distant before, but it seemed that the time for that connection had finally arrived.
Kaito recalled that Sakura had struggled with confidence about her wide forehead, even though she was academically near-perfect. Once she gained confidence, she would probably start getting perfect scores consistently. Thinking about it, Kaito realized he couldn't relax—if he wanted to maintain his "genius" persona in front of the Third Hokage, he would need to keep placing first in all areas.
For now, though, that concern was a bit premature. He looked at Ino and Sakura chatting in the distance. Though the two would eventually have their spats over Sasuke, they always remained good friends—a solid bond.
Kaito then thought about Naruto, who kept sneaking glances at Sakura. It seemed like he had the same crush on her as in the original story. Given how isolated Naruto was, it made sense he'd like her—mostly based on appearances. And Sakura was certainly cute... though, on second thought, Kaito felt his own perception might not be reliable. Honestly, he found all of these kids kind of cute.
Of course, Kaito's perspective was that of an adult looking at children, while Naruto's was that of a peer. They were very different perspectives.
Even as his thoughts wandered, Kaito's feet never stopped moving. He still had training to do, and there would be no slacking off today—not even for Naruto's invitation.