Naruto: Mixed Heritage(Rewrite)

Renjiro stared at Sora, his brain grinding to a halt as her words echoed in his head. 'I used to have a crush on you.'

The chatter of other customers in Teuchi's ramen shop faded into the background. The clink of bowls and utensils seemed miles away, muffled beneath the thunderous beat of his own heart. He blinked rapidly, his chopsticks frozen mid-air, suspended above his half-eaten bowl of miso ramen. 

Sora, meanwhile, sat across from him, her expression calm but tinged with a faint blush. She seemed oddly composed, as though she had simply commented on the weather rather than dropped an emotional bombshell. 

Renjiro swallowed hard, trying to find his voice, but all he managed was a strangled, "Uh…" 

'How does one even respond to this?' he thought, panic bubbling beneath his stoic exterior. 

Sora tilted her head slightly, a faint smirk tugging at her lips as though amused by his reaction. "Relax, Renjiro," she said with a light laugh. "I've grown out of it." 

Her tone was casual, dismissive even, but it did little to ease the tension coiling in Renjiro's chest. He let out a nervous laugh, scratching the back of his neck. "Oh… uh, good to know," he mumbled, his voice betraying his awkwardness. 

A silence settled between them, the kind that felt both suffocating and loaded with unspoken questions. Renjiro found himself avoiding her gaze, focusing instead on the swirl of steam rising from his ramen. 

Finally, unable to bear the quiet any longer, he cleared his throat and asked, "Why?" 

Sora blinked, her turn to be caught off guard. "Why what?" 

Renjiro shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Why did you… you know, have a crush on me?" 

It wasn't that he wanted to dig into something so personal, but he genuinely had no idea how else to navigate the situation. Asking felt like the safest move, even if it might lead to more awkwardness. 

Sora's cheeks flushed a deeper shade of pink. "Why do you want to know?" 

"I don't know," Renjiro admitted, shrugging. "I guess I just… I'm curious." 

Sora leaned back slightly, her fingers brushing against the counter as she looked down, avoiding his gaze. "I don't know," she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. "Maybe because you were different." 

"Different?" Renjiro echoed, arching an eyebrow. 

Sora glanced up, her blush deepening. "You were always so focused, so driven. You had this… this intensity about you that set you apart from everyone else. It was like nothing could shake you." 

Renjiro sighed, setting his chopsticks down. "Well, I hate to break it to you, but I was plenty shaken back then. Still am sometimes." 

Sora smiled faintly but didn't respond. 

Renjiro leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on the counter. "Are you sure you're over it?" he asked, his tone light but with an undercurrent of genuine curiosity. 

The question hung in the air for a moment before Sora answered, "Yes. I am." 

But there was a hesitation in her voice, a split second of uncertainty that didn't escape Renjiro's notice. His brows furrowed slightly as he studied her. 

'I really hope she's being truthful,' he thought, an uneasy feeling settling in his stomach. 

Sora seemed to sense his doubt, and she quickly added, "It's probably for the better anyway." 

Renjiro gave her a questioning look. "What do you mean?" 

Sora sighed, her gaze drifting toward the street outside the ramen stand. "Back in the academy, I always felt like you were… distant. Like you were here, but not really here. You were so focused on your training, so determined to push yourself further, that it sometimes felt like the rest of us didn't even exist to you." 

Renjiro frowned, her words striking a chord. "I didn't mean to come across that way," he said quietly. 

"I know that now," Sora replied, turning back to him. "My mother told me about Uzushiogakure. About your family. I can't imagine what it was like, losing them and being sent here to start over. I didn't understand any of that when we were kids."

"All I knew was that you were different, and I guess that's what drew me to you. But it also made me realize that you… you didn't belong here, not completely." 

Her words were honest, raw, and they hit Renjiro harder than he expected. He leaned back in his seat, letting them sink in. 

"I guess that's why the crush didn't last," Sora continued with a small shrug. "I realized I didn't really know you, and you didn't seem like you wanted anyone to." 

Renjiro nodded slowly, her assessment both accurate and humbling. He had spent so much of his life consumed by his goals, by the need to honor his family's memory, that he hadn't stopped to think about how it made others perceive him. 

"I never meant to shut people out," he said finally. "I was just… focused. Maybe too focused." 

When Renjiro transmigrated, his only thoughts were growing stronger as he was aware of the harsh reality that was to come in the following decades, so he rarely, or rather purposely, had no time to fraternize with his 'peers'.

He had always thought that using the 'orphan from another village' as an excuse would be the perfect cover, but Sora's words, though a bit late, gave him another perspective on the situation.

Sora offered him a small smile. "I understand now. And honestly, I respect you for it. You've achieved so much because of that focus. So let's keep getting stronger Renjiro!" 

After that, they sat in silence for a moment, each lost in their own thoughts. The hum of the village outside and the occasional clatter of bowls filled the quiet between them. 

Finally, Renjiro broke the silence. "Thank you," he said, his voice soft but sincere. 

Sora looked at him, her expression curious. "For what?" 

"For understanding," he replied. "And for being honest." 

Sora smiled, the tension between them easing. "Anytime, Renjiro." 

They finished their meals in relative silence, the atmosphere between them lighter now. 

As they stepped out of Teuchi's, the cool evening air greeted them, carrying with it the faint scent of blooming flowers. The streets of Konoha were quieter now, most people having returned to their homes. 

"Well," Sora said, turning to Renjiro, "this was… nice. I'm glad we ran into each other." 

"Yeah," Renjiro agreed, offering her a small smile. "It was good catching up." 

They stood there for a moment, the silence between them no longer awkward but comfortable. 

"Take care of yourself, Renjiro," Sora said finally, her tone warm but firm. 

"You too, Sora," Renjiro replied. 

With a final nod, they went their separate ways, the sound of their footsteps fading into the night. 

As Renjiro walked home, he couldn't help but reflect on their conversation. It wasn't often that someone from his recent past made him pause and think about who he had been—and who he was becoming. 

For the first time in a long while, he felt a strange sense of clarity, as though a weight he hadn't realized he was carrying had been lifted. 

'Maybe,' he thought, 'it's time I start letting people in.'

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