CHAPTER 6 (NEW COVER!)

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A MONTH LATER

to tell you." Naruto walked up to the singing blonde quickly, poking his fingers together.

"You only do that when you're nervous. What's wrong?" Yuri asked curiously, grabbing one of his hands to stop him.

"I'm..." He looked at the backpack on his back and back to the girl in front of him. It pained him to do this.

"You're...?"

"I'm leaving." He whispered, pulling his hand back out of hers to adjust the strap of his bag.

"What?" She clenched her fists to stop herself from saying anything stupid, but shook her head quickly to deny what he was saying.

Naruto's confidence only faltered slightly. "I'm going away with Pervy Sage. For a couple of years."

"Years? And you're leaving right now? What the hell, Naruto?" She replied angrily, her shining eyes turning bland.

"It's for my own good. Pervy Sage said that there's people after me." He took a step forward, reaching out to grab her wrist. "After what's inside of me."

She pushed him away and just stared at the boy before her. Was this really what their friendship had come to? To the point where he didn't even want to tell her in the first place and just leave?

Naruto frowned. "You're not really mad, are you?"

Yuri inhaled. "Yes, I'm really mad. But I'm not mad at you." She sighed. "I'm just... I'm mad at the fact that I won't be able to see you, or laugh with you, or run my fingers through your hair when you need me to calm you down, or hug you when you're said, or tell you that..."

Naruto's eyes brimmed with tears. "Tell me what, Yuri? You don't think I'm sad that I won't come back to the village and see you in this flower field everyday? You don't think I'm sad that I can't make you laugh, or that I can't train with you? I am!" He shouted, wiping away his tears. "And yet, here I am, saying goodbye to you."

She let out a quiet sigh and wrapped her arms around the yellow-haired knucklehead, pulling him close so that she could cry into his shoulder, and so that he could cry without her seeing.

When he was done, he stepped back and flashed her a sad smile. "I'm gonna come back, okay? So until then, keep in mind that..."

"I love you too."