Chapter 319: My Mom
At the Leaf Village, the door to the girls' apartment opened as Naruto and Jada walked in.
"What's wrong?" she asked upon noticing his concerned expression.
Naruto sighed as he tried to find the words. "It's just weird since Will's not here..."
"Aren't you at least glad to be back?"
"Yeah, but..." Naruto paused and ran a hand through his hair. "Since the day I met him, we've never been that far apart. And knowing I had a family really helped me understand things."
This was quite understandable due to Naruto not having been raised with any loved ones.
"He shared so much with me. Everything was intense at first. I was confused. But I eventually got used to it. Everyone knows that I want to become the Hokage one day, but he was the one who helped me see what that meant and how to get there."
Jada couldn't help but give him a gentle smile as his voice grew stronger, saying, "I mean, Will helped me graduate, took me on my first high-ranking mission, and taught me techniques that no one else would."
The boy continued to state how William pushed him to grow up, trained together, and even taught him the basics of how to cook a real meal.
While Sasuke might have seemed like Naruto's first "friend," it was William who earnestly displayed that title. So much so that everyone in the Leaf knew how close their bond was.
Did anyone really help Naruto train? Did anyone introduce Naruto to his father's teacher? Or did anyone help Naruto truly connect with his parents—the same ninjas who save the village?