59

                                    

                                          
The chaos had passed, and the group began their journey again. Gai had come to take Sasuke back as they kept looking for Tsunade so she could heal Lee and Sasuke. Sora looked down at the ground between her and Naruto, once again walking behind their Sensei. Naruto looked at Sora, noticing how she had changed recently.
"Hey, Sora, why did you protect me back there?" Naruto questioned. 
The two sensei tuned in, curious about the conversation. Sora looked up at Narutpo, who looked at her with pure curiosity in his eyes. She let out a sigh as she looked up at the clouds. 
"I realised that no matter what I do, people will always find something to use against me or threaten me with. So instead of pushing everything away to avoid that, I decided I would embrace it and simply become strong enough to protect the things I cherish," Soraa explained, her voice holding determination.
She turned to look at Naruto, who was smiling brightly at her. 
"You know, you are nothing like the girl who arrived at the academy out of nowhere. Back then, I was super scared of you. Like, if I did one thing wrong, you would rip me to shreds. But now you are approachable," he said, smiling at her.
"Thanks, I think," Sora said, unsure if that was a compliment or an insult. 
The group continued walking, but soon, another topic came up; Naruto questioned why the Akatsuki was after him. They weren't after him, though, but the nine tails within him, which had attacked the leaf long before Sora arrived. This information seemed to worry Naruto, but he quickly bounced back, declaring he would become stronger. 
The topic soon moved on to Tsunade. Jiraiya described her as a die-hard gambler known across the land for that and someone who could change the age she looked to be. Despite being 50, she probably looked to be 20 years of age. Sora looked forward, becoming more curious about this person, a legendary sanin the same as Jiraiya. Naruto became worried about how long it would take, but Jiraiya soon declared that they would be training for their time travelling. Sora looked at Tatsuo and gave her a slight nod, confirming she would be training. 
The group arrived at another town where a festival was happening. Jiraiya handed them his bag as he gathered information, with Tatsuo giving Sora and Naruto some downtime before training. Nauto ran off excited as Sora was dragged alone. The two got some food sitting on a bench together, watching people walk by. Sora had grabbed some dango. 
"Do you know what you are training for?" Naruto asked, stuffing his face. 
Sora looked at him, feeling a sense of warmth around him. His personality made her want to open up to him, and it was annoying. 
"I am trying to gain control over a new power I have. But it's been difficult; I keep losing control," Sora said, looking down at her Dango.
"What makes you lose control," Naruto asked, mid-chewing. 
This made Sora wonder if there was something in common each time.
"fear, desperation, anger, hate," Sora mumbled. 
"Then just think of things that make you feel the opposite of that: safety, happiness, joy, stuff like that," Naruto said, as if it were the most straightforward thing. 
"It's not that simple," Sora mumbled. 
"Sure it is. Tell me something you remember where you felt like that," Naruto said, looking at her and smiling. 
Sora hummed in thought as she looked down at her dango, a small smile coming to her face. She began telling him a story that replayed itself in her mind.
Sora walked alongside the Hokage, looking around on edge, looking for danger around every corner. She had no idea what he had planned, but she was scared. She had only been in the village a few months at this point, and she was even close to feeling safe. But soon, they stood in front of a small tea house. 
"This place makes the best tea and dango. Have you had dango before? " the hokage asked. 
Sora shook her head, having barely spoken to him since she got here. They sat down as he ordered two servings of tea and dango. The two sat down, waiting.
"You know, Sora. The leaf is your home now. You are safe here, and I will protect you just like any other villager," the hokage said gently.
"No one can protect me," Sora said, her voice dull. 
The Hokage looked at her with a sad smile. 
"You may not believe me now or ever, but that won't change the fact, my dear," He said.
She looked at him from the corner of her eye. He had told her that repeatedly, and she wanted to believe him more than anything. She wanted to put her trust in him, but she was terrified of what would happen if she did, scared of the pain that would come if anything happened to him.
The tea and dango soon came out, and Sora carefully sipped them, enjoying the warmth that spread through her body. She then looked at the dango cautiously as she picked it up. She slowly put it in her mouth, and her eyes widened in shock at the taste. It had a gentle sweetness and the subtle taste of rice, something that reminded her of the rare treats her brother would bring home from his missions. The Hokage laughed, and Sora looked at him.
"I'm glad you like it," He said. 
She pouted as a blush formed on her cheeks. She looked away from him but kept eating it nonetheless. That was the first time Sora felt at home there like she belonged. She was finally able to enjoy the freedom she had. 
Sora finished telling Naruto the story with a slight smile on her face, remembering the happy times with the hokage for the first time after his death. 
"See that? Just think of that whenever you are losing control," Naruto said happily. 
"But what if I can't," Sora said sadly.
"Wait here," He demanded as he ran off. 
Sora watched him run off, confused. She slowly ate her dango, waiting for him to return. After a few minutes, he came running back. Sora finished her dango, and a huge smile was on his face. His hand gripped something. 
"Hold your hand out," He said.
She cautiously held her hand out as he placed something in it. Sora looked down, shocked, as a small dangling dango charm was placed in her hand.
"If you struggle to remember, just look at that, and it will remind you. Plus, it's a token of our newfound friendship," he declared, proud of his idea.
But he paused, shocked, as a tear ran down Sora's cheek. He began panicking, worried he had done something wrong. 
"I'm sorry, but if you don't want it, I can take it back," he said, worried. 
"No, it's perfect. Thank you, Naruto," Sora said with a smile spreading across her face. 
Naruto looked at her, entranced by her smile. She had started cracking small smiles, but he had never seen such a big and warm smile from her before. She was stunning as the sun hit her face perfectly. 
Sora looked down fondly at the charm. Not only would it remind her of the old man, but it would also remind her of this moment when Naruto had gone out of his way to do something so thoughtful and nice for her. She placed it on a lop on her ninja pouch.