"Who are you?! Why are you helping the monster fox?"
"Just a brat, don't go sticking your nose where it doesn't belong!"
A few people stepped forward, intending to pull Kanon away, but she spread her arms wide, shielding Naruto behind her.
"Don't you think you're being incredibly cruel?!" Kanon snapped, indignantly slapping away a hand that tried to grab her.
"Whose kid is this? She's lost her mind!" the middle-aged woman who had been swiped at shrieked in anger.
"Defending the monster fox... is your brain broken? How unlucky!"
The crowd directed their accusations at Kanon for a moment longer until they drew the attention of a nearby Konoha shinobi patrol. Knowing they were technically in the wrong for harassing a child, the onlookers quickly dispersed.
"What's going on here?" a patrol shinobi asked, approaching the scene.
Kanon kept her arms outstretched, refusing to let Naruto out of her protection. "What do you want?" she asked suspiciously, eyeing the ninja as if they were just more bullies come to torment him.
"We're just checking the situation. If there's no trouble, we'll continue our patrol."
Naruto lay on the ground, his blue eyes wide and blinking as he stared at the back of the girl who had stood up for him. His eyes welled with tears that threatened to spill over.
Once the shinobi had left, Kanon finally turned around and extended a slender, soft hand toward Naruto.
"Can you stand up?"
"Th... thank you." As Naruto was pulled to his feet, he finally took a proper look at Kanon.
Her jet-black hair reached past her waist, held back by a pink headband. She looked to be about his age. Her face was delicate and well-defined, yet possessed a touch of childish roundness that made her look vibrant and adorable. A faint, pleasant fragrance drifted from her, leaving Naruto slightly dazed.
Feeling a bit self-conscious under Naruto's gaze, Kanon bent her knees and crouched down. She picked up the mask that the shopkeeper had thrown at Naruto's face.
With her dainty hands, the index finger still bearing a small cut from her training, she gently patted the dust off the mask and handed it to him.
"It's not too dirty. Here."
Naruto froze. Looking at the fox mask Kanon was holding out to him, the emotions in his eyes became even more complex.
Sensing his hesitation, Kanon reached out her other hand.
"I'm Kanon Uchiha. What's your name?"
Naruto lowered his head, still reeling from the weight of the crowd's scorn. But suddenly, he felt a wave of warmth. Kanon had taken his hand, her face breaking into a sweet smile as she tilted her head.
"I was planning on getting some Ichiraku Ramen. Do you want to come with me? My treat!"
Kanon pulled out her small coin purse. It had enough inside, at least enough to treat Naruto to a bowl.
At the mention of ramen, Naruto's eyes practically glowed with golden light. And since she was treating him, he definitely wasn't going to say no!
"I'm Naruto Uzumaki! I'm seven years old! Kanon, how old are you?"
"Ah... then I'm a year younger than you!"
"Hehe." Naruto rubbed his nose. "Kanon Uchiha... I'll remember that!"
"You'd better! It's not like you're the type to forget names easily, are you?" Kanon looked curiously at the boy beside her, who was roughly the same height.
"Of course not!"
"Anyway, you lead the way. I haven't been around here much to eat ramen," Kanon said, pointing toward a fork in the road.
"You got it!" Naruto nodded eagerly.
Naruto led Kanon to the Ramen Ichiraku stand. Lifting the noren curtain, he pulled Kanon to a seat in the corner.
"Old Man! Two orders of Ichiraku Ramen! Put extra chashu in mine!" Naruto shouted toward the kitchen. "Kanon, what flavor do you want?"
"I'll have the chashu one too, then." Kanon thought for a moment; she really hadn't eaten ramen often, so she decided to order the same thing as Naruto. Usually, she ate at shops near her house, but more often than not, it was her mother, Mikoto, who cooked for her.
"Ichiraku Ramen is the best ramen in the whole world! I eat it every single day!"
"Is it really that good?" Kanon gave Naruto a skeptical look. "Besides, eating ramen every day isn't very nutritious, you know!"
Faced with Kanon's interrogation, Naruto scratched his head awkwardly. It seemed she had a point. He tried to defend his choice: "Well, ramen comes in lots of different flavors! If I eat a different one every day, then it's nutritious, right?"
Kanon just looked at him with a gaze full of pure disdain.
"What's with that look?!" Naruto felt a bit flustered under the weight of her spirited, shimmering eyes.
"I just think you're making excuses. You should try to eat more nutritious food from now on!"
"Alright, alright, I get it! But we're eating ramen right now, so don't think about other food."
"Hmph!" Kanon turned her head away, seemingly annoyed by Naruto's easy-going attitude, though she didn't press the matter further.
A moment later, the bowls were served.
"Two Miso Chashu pork ramen, coming up!" Teuchi said, placing the bowls on the counter before heading back to the kitchen.
The amount of toppings was staggering; even Kanon was taken aback. "So... so much."
Seeing Kanon's shocked expression, Naruto felt a sense of pride. "Want to try it? Especially this chashu." He pointed at the pork.
"Well then, let's eat!" Kanon picked up her chopsticks and was about to dive in when Naruto stopped her.
"Wait!"
"Hm?" Kanon tilted her head in confusion, using one hand to tuck her long black hair behind her ear.
Naruto felt a bit overwhelmed by how incredibly cute she looked, but he managed to get his words out. "Um... you have to try the broth first. It makes the flavor even better..."
"I see." Kanon nodded. Following Naruto's advice, she used a spoon to take a sip of the broth.
Suddenly, her body stiffened. "Wow! This is actually delicious!"
"Hehe! Alright, I'm digging in too!" Naruto showed off his own way of eating, dipping the noodles into the broth before taking a bite. Kanon followed suit, and before they knew it, both bowls were empty.
After Kanon paid the bill, she walked out of the shop with Naruto.
"I'm stuffed! Ichiraku Ramen really is the best," Naruto said, rubbing his belly.
"I'll give you that much," Kanon agreed, giving him a thumbs-up.
"So, where are you going now?" Naruto asked softly.
"I have to go back to my training. How about you?"
"Training? What are you training for?" Naruto asked, confused.
"Just the basics." Kanon pointed toward a distant hilltop. "I'm there every day. If you climb up, you'll see a cliff; I train in the woods right next to it."
"Is that so? Do you usually come out for lunch?" Naruto inquired.
"Mostly, if I'm training."
"Then, when are you free? I want to go there and talk to you sometime," Naruto said with a smile.
"After three-thirty in the afternoon... I should be done with my training by then. It's too early to go home, so I usually sit and rest for a bit."
"Great! I'll come find you when I'm free," Naruto promised, the whisker marks on his face crinkling as he grinned.
"Understood. If that's all, I'll be going now."
Kanon waved to Naruto and turned to leave. She had only taken a few steps when Naruto called out to her.
"Kanon Uchiha!"
Kanon blinked and turned around, looking at him with a puzzled expression. She wondered why he was calling out her full name so solemnly. Before she could react, Naruto gave her a thumbs-up.
"Are we... friends?!"
At that moment, a light breeze swept through the air. A single leaf drifted through the sky, landing softly in Kanon's palm. She gently closed her hand over it and gave Naruto a radiant smile.
"Of course! We're friends!"