"It's fine, Shin. You were supposed to win anyway. It's Iruka-sensei's fault for interrupting."
Shin had just rejoined the group when Kiba's voice reached him, filled with consolation.
"I'm alright," Shin replied with a light chuckle, his face calm and unbothered.
"Still," Shino added from the side, "you're really strong, Shin. Even Sasuke couldn't keep up with you."
"And that kick just now so fast. Your moves were incredible."
Shino rattled off his thoughts all at once, clearly still stunned.
Kiba nodded vigorously. "That's right! Come to think of it, I don't really see you training much. How do you manage all that?"
Shin didn't know how to explain. In the end, he didn't bother. He simply shook his head.
Training, huh…
Kiba's words struck a chord. Life here had been too peaceful lately. He was getting lazy. In truth, he hadn't been training much at all.
Winning against Sasuke today was purely thanks to his experience and refined technique. But if he kept this up, it was only a matter of time before someone like Sasuke, with his obvious talent, would surpass him.
He needed to start training seriously again.
Shin made a silent decision in his heart.
"Let's keep watching the matches. One win doesn't prove anything," he said.
After his bout with Sasuke, a few more sparring matches followed. Shin and the others stayed to observe them closely.
Before they knew it, the afternoon had slipped away.
Finally, the last match ended.
"That's it for this afternoon," Iruka announced, snapping the attendance book closed.
"To those I called earlier, make sure you come in this weekend for remedial lessons!"
"And just because you passed doesn't mean you can slack off. Keep up your training!"
"Alright, class dismissed!"
"Whew." Kiba let out a long breath.
"Finally done." He stood up from where he'd been sitting on the ground.
"That was seriously boring."
"Ruff!" Akamaru gave a lazy grunt from his arms.
Shino, too, looked visibly tired.
"Let's go home," Kiba said, waving.
Shin stretched lightly, then turned to follow him off the training field.
"Come on, Shino."
"Alright."
But just as they were about to leave, someone called out to Shin.
He turned to see Naruto jogging toward him, wearing an awkward smile on his face.
Ah, right. He'd nearly forgotten about Naruto.
But just from his expression, Shin could guess what Naruto was thinking.
He was afraid Shin might still be angry.
"What is it?" Kiba asked, noticing Shin had stopped.
"You two go ahead. I've got something to take care of," Shin replied with a smile.
Kiba followed Shin's gaze and saw Naruto approaching. He pressed his lips together but said nothing.
"Let's go, Shino."
"…"
Kiba and Shino walked off together. The other students were leaving as well, the training ground gradually growing quiet.
They didn't speak on the way home. A heavy silence hung between them.
Then suddenly, Kiba let out a loud groan.
"I wonder what sis is cooking tonight. Hope it's something I like."
"Akamaru, what do you think it'll be?"
"Ruff!"
"What? Meat again? You'll get fat if you keep eating like that."
"Ruff!"
Shino watched the back-and-forth between Kiba and his dog in silence. Eventually, when Kiba ran out of things to say, Shino spoke softly.
"You really do care, don't you?"
Kiba paused.
"Shin is a really kind person," Shino said quietly.
"…"
Back on the training ground, only Shin and Naruto remained. The place had emptied, leaving behind a hush in the air.
Naruto ambled over, scratching his head and wearing a sheepish smile.
"Heh heh," he chuckled, then brightened as he spoke.
"Shin, you were awesome today! You totally crushed that stuck-up Sasuke in the sparring match."
"But really, it's Iruka-sensei's fault for stopping it. You definitely would've won."
Naruto's tone shifted, full of sympathy as if he were the one who had lost.
"Don't worry about it, though. You're way stronger than him. You'll get another chance to beat him."
Shin didn't reply. He simply smiled quietly at Naruto.
"It was a good wake-up call for that guy, though. Maybe he'll stop acting like he's all that." Naruto continued, glancing at Shin's face.
"Seriously, Shin, you're amazing. You picked up shuriken skills so fast, your taijutsu is top-tier, and you're acing theory class too. You're probably the top student in our year."
His praise sounded genuine, but also a little strained.
"…Anyway, don't get too down about the shuriken thing. I heard Sasuke's been training with those since he was a little kid."
Naruto pulled a face of exaggerated disdain.
"You're definitely gonna surpass him someday."
He gave Shin a firm pat on the shoulder.
"…"
"…"
"Uh… so…" Naruto rubbed his cheek, searching for words.
"Oh, right, Sasuke again. That guy's not even popular. Lots of people in class don't like him, you know?"
"But you're different, Shin. You-"
He stopped mid-sentence. His mouth opened, but nothing came out.
"…"
"…"
"Shin…"
"I…"
His voice began to falter.
"I thought about it a lot…"
"This afternoon, when I fought with Kiba…"
"It was all my fault."
Something inside Shin stirred, like a string being plucked.
Naruto took a deep breath, lowering his head. His bangs fell forward, shadowing his eyes.
"It was me… I'm always acting like I'm great, but I'm not. I can't really do anything."
His voice softened. It sounded like he was laughing, but the bitterness was unmistakable.
"Kiba was right about everything."
"I'm such an idiot…"
"I really am just a dumb idiot." His voice trembled, and so did his shoulders.
"…"
"Shin, I'm…"
"I'm so sorry."
"…"
"We're friends, right?"
"You'll forgive me… won't you?"
"Please, Shin, tell me you forgive me."
Naruto looked up. Tears welled in his eyes, clinging to the corners before spilling down his cheeks. Desperation and fear shimmered in his gaze.
"Shin…"
Shin's smile slowly faded. He looked at Naruto, his expression growing solemn and complicated.
"I'm sorry, Shin. It's my fault. Please, forgive me. I'm begging you… please…"
Tears ran freely down Naruto's face. His voice choked with sobs.
"Naruto…"
"Naruto!" Shin stepped forward, placing both hands on his shoulders to steady him.
"Stop apologizing."
"You didn't do anything wrong."
He stared directly into Naruto's eyes, his voice steady and sincere.
"Naruto, we're friends, aren't we?"
"We've always been friends. Always. Forever."
Naruto gazed at him, dazed, as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"Really?"
Shin nodded firmly.
"Thank you… Thank you so much…"
"That's… that's such a relief…"
"Thank you, Shin…"
The tears came again. He tried to smile but only cried harder.
Not far away, Kiba and Shino stood side by side, silently watching the scene unfold.
"Had to come back and see, huh?" Shino asked.
"…Yeah."
"Let's go," Kiba murmured, his expression unreadable.
But Shino knew him well. He could see the truth behind that calm mask.
Kiba turned and walked away quietly. Shino didn't call out, only watched his slow steps.
He looked up at the sky. The sun was already starting to dip toward the horizon, casting everything in a warm golden hue. Kiba's shadow stretched long behind him.
How nice…
Shino thought to himself.
Shin… and Kiba…
_________________________________
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