All Okay

Naruto was with Sakura, Lee, Shikamaru and Chouji when he ended up having to tell them about the Kyuubi. Privately, he was sort of proud of himself for having managed to keep it from them for so long. Twenty-nine years old, having gone on multiple missions – often with his friends from the same genin class – and having used the power the Kyuubi’s chakra gave him many times before, it was only at this one point that he had to explain what was going on. And it wasn’t even his fault. Despite Akatsuki’s defeat and execution of its surviving members many years before, Naruto had still had to deal with many people who were after the Kyuubi’s power. Occasionally this resulted in him having to fight entire organisations, although thankfully none so far with the same level of power and skill as Akatsuki. In all that time, however, he’d never managed to land himself in a situation where he had to explain to his friends precisely what was going on. He’d come close plenty of times, but it looked like he wouldn’t be about to squirm out of this one. Lee was the first one to react. “I believe in you, Naruto!” he declared, striking the ‘Nice Guy’ pose. “I have known you for many years now, and no matter what you reveal, I shall still be your friend, for you will always be Naruto!” Naruto grinned at him, although in reality he’d expected Lee to say just that. He really was relentlessly predictable. Despite knowing that, Lee’s words still loosened something in his chest – something that always tightened at times like these, conditioned to always expect the worst. Shikamaru sighed, drawing Naruto’s attention to him next as the team leader stuck his hands in his pockets. “Well, that makes a lot more sense now,” he said. “Exactly how powerful does this make you, Naruto? We could use a bit extra.” “Ehe. . . .” Naruto rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed. “Pretty powerful, I guess. Strong enough for whatever you’ve got in mind, at least.” Shikamaru nodded. “Good,” he said, and left it at that. That left two. Saving the worst for last, Naruto turned to Chouji, who was snacking quietly on some crisps. “Oi, Chouji, you okay with this?” Chouji blinked at him, then nodded. “If Shikamaru says it’s okay, then it must be,” he replied. “It’s always ones like us that get underestimated, anyway.” Naruto breathed a sigh of relief, then tensed again as he caught sight of Sakura, moving slowly towards him. Sakura stared at him. “Naruto . . . all this time. . . .” He fidgeted, then realised what he was doing and stopped. “Yeah.” She slapped the back of his head. “Idiot. Tell me these things sooner.” Naruto winced, rubbing the back of his head, but couldn’t stop the smile spreading across his face. He was still smiling two hours later, when they were back on the road to Konoha, opponents defeated and mission complete.

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