Party

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Ramen with Iruka-sensei had cheered Naruto up, but it was, of course, short-lived. After Iruka-sensei paid for their meals and waved Naruto goodbye, Naruto grinned cheerfully the whole time all up 'til after his older-brother-figure departed. Then, as turned and Naruto walked his way home, his smile vanished.

It was a very late, midnight almost, and the moon was nowhere to be seen. The crowds dispersed as the lone orange boy entered the ghetto, poorer areas of town.

His head was mostly down, thinking over the events that felt as though they happened seconds ago, his body was still tense for action.

I guess that explains everything. Why I'm hated. It's because the monster that killed their parents and comrades is inside me.

Naruto's hand trailed to his gut. They think I'm the Nine Tails. Sakura and Sasuke don't know. I wonder...if they knew...would they ignore me like everyone else?

Naruto didn't want to risk it. He was afraid to tell them. It went against his nindo but Naruto was only human. He would hesitate. He would keep it to himself. I'll tell them when the time is right, he promised himself-ARGH! Forget losing them as friends 'cos of the Kyuubi, I already lost them as friends 'cos I didn't graduate with them! Um, fine, I did, but they don't know that!

Naruto thought back about earlier today, when he was the only one who failed. Sakura hadn't said anything to him, she just went straight to her parents. Sasuke didn't have any parents, so he snuck up behind Naruto, but he also didn't say much. He said "Whatever" and left him behind...all alone, to repeat the year.

Basically, they just ignored him and went about their own separate ways...No, they left together, without him...ignored him like everyone else did.

Naruto clenched his fists and trembled, feeling betrayed.

He watched an a woman usher a child inside her house, and a man carrying a toddler on his shoulders, jogging off into the distance.

Suddenly, Naruto didn't want to go home. It's not like there's anyone waiting at home for me. He wanted to see Sakura and Sasuke, but at the same time he was afraid to. Sakura was out of the question, she had parents guarding her at home, and Sasuke...Naruto's stomach churned at the thought of visiting that bastard for no reason at the middle of the night. It's not like we're particularly close or anything. And that bastard acted like he didn't care that I failed!

Hell no!

Naruto sprinted the rest of his way home.

Then, he hesitated at the door, prepared himself to greet the darkness, and opened it,

Only to be met by an explosive flash of painfully bright light.

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"Oops," Sakura rubbed her head sheepishly as Naruto rolled around on the floor screaming and grasping his eyes in pain. "We meant to use the flash bomb as um, y'know, colorful party lights!"

Sasuke watched Naruto through orange-tinted goggles and was relieved he had borrowed Sakura's goggles, otherwise his special Uchiha eyes (they weren't Sharingan yet) might experience the same 'pain' Naruto was feeling. Nonetheless, it was a funny sight. "Surprised, dobe?" He smirked.

"No fair!" Naruto jumped up, having recovered, and pointed both his fingers at Sakura and Sasuke. "You two got stuff to cover your eyes with-..wait, what are you doing here?" I thought I'd never see you two again. He looked around hazily to make sure he was in the right place, and spotted a birthday-sized cake at his cleared dining table... ... ..."Huh?"

"Celebrating our graduation, you idiot. Did you think it was your birthday?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if he did."

It was then he noticed, after overcoming the weird sight of Sasuke wearing Sakura's goggles, that they both had their forehead protectors on.

They weren't wearing it because I didn't graduate with them, and now they are, and now they're at my apartment with a cake, and Sakura-chan said "our," does that mean she's including me? So they know what happened? How? And how much do they know? It took Naruto ten seconds to think that out before Sakura dragged him over to the couch before the low table.

Sasuke was already sprawled on it.

Naruto asked, "How?"

"How? Let's see...4 egg whites 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup butter or shortening, softened 1 3/4 cups sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 1/3 cups buttermilk or sour milk," Sakura listed out. "And tomatoes, though I wanted strawberries."

"Tomatoes have more nutrition," Sasuke rebuked, "you're an annoyance," for dragging me to the supermarket. We should have just informed the loser and gone straight home.

"Argh guys!" Naruto rubbed his head in confusion. "I meant, how did you guys know I passed?"

Sasuke looked at him. "We went to make a complaint to the Hokage, but discovered him spying on you through a surveillance jutsu, like the seals I made for the Hyuuga Challenge."

"We saw everything," Sakura added, "including what Mizuki-sensei said," Cha! I knew that man was a creep!

"S-So then you guys know?" Naruto looked worried.

"It was obvious from the start," Sasuke exaggerated. He had not known before Naruto found out. "It makes no difference to us, except that you have the most chakra out of all of us," his eye twitched. "Power that you don't deserve, and have no use for."

I don't deserve the monster Kyuubi? It was almost laughable, Naruto felt, how everyone thought it was a curse while Sasuke saw it as something Naruto had over him.

"We don't abandon our friends," Sakura insisted, "From now on, that's our nindo."

Naruto could almost cry. Sasuke only smiled.

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"I'll get a knife," Naruto said,

"No, wait," Sakura formed a glowing chakra scalpel on her hand and sliced it into the cake. The cake exploded into a scattered mess, that luckily remained on the plate because Sakura retracted her jutsu instantly. Unfortunately, bits of it flew onto their clothes and faces. She blushed, embarrassed, "Aah, sorry, I was trying to save us some time."

"Tch. Leave it to Meiwaku(Annoyance)," Sasuke had started nickname her with the dobe. He tossed them some spoons. "We don't have the time to waste. Just eat it off the plate, clean up, and leave."

Naruto drooled, "uh, okay!" He took the spoon and scooped up crumbled reddened cake and ate fast. It tasted more like squashed cooked tomatoes than actual cake.

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Mei waku= Annoyance.

This term will come up...often. To match in Japanese: meiwaku/dobe/teme.

In English: Annoyance/Loser/Bastard.