Summary: The story behind the oneshot of "The Reason I Stayed" by rageofkyubi.

Disclaimer: I wish I own Naruto.

Prologue

It was a beautiful day.

Bright white clouds floated in the air, drifting west in the pale blue sky. The rays of the afternoon sun was gentle, a soft golden glow that was illuminating as it flitted through black shadows.

The weather was pleasantly warm with periodic cool breezes blowing about mildly.

The villagers of Konoha were walking around with smiles and cheerful chatter as they completed their errands. Shinobi walked leisurely without the need to project a professional image that was usually applied to their missions.

The atmosphere was absolutely peaceful.

"NARUTO!"

The shout made heads snap abruptly towards the direction of the yell.

Among the tall rooftops that stood underneath the stone figures of the hokages on the mountain, a small orange blur sprinted from one roof to another.

Another blur, taller and dark blue, chased after the orange blur. With dark eyes, hair, and his signature scar across his nose, Iruka Umino bellowed.

"NARUTO! GET BACK HERE! YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE PULLING PRANKS AND SKIPPING MY CLASS! STOP RUNNING AROUND, NOW!"

The volume of his scream echoed, spreading throughout the village.

The villagers, resigned to this sight, turned back to continue their previous actions before the interruption. Some scowled while the rest shook their heads in exasperation.

"NARUTO!"

Naruto Uzumaki grinned widely and ran the moment his "special surprise" was complete. He knew that Iruka-sensei will find him soon and punish him for skipping.

He laughed and fled to the rooftops, the muscles of his calves flexing as he leaped away from the scene.

In moments, he was found and the chase began with Iruka-sensei at his heels.

"NARUTO! GET BACK HERE! YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE PULLING PRANKS AND SKIPPING MY CLASS! STOP RUNNING AROUND, NOW!"

Naruto vaulted into the sky and twisted his body so he was facing his sensei in midair. With a smug grin, he hollered back, a hand curved on the side of his mouth.

"YOU CAN'T CATCH ME!"

He rotated his body again and landed safely on the next rooftop.

He ran, increasing his speed to avoid his capture.

Iruka-sensei narrowed his eyes and focused his chakra to enhance his speed as well.

Since Iruka was following Naruto from behind, he was completely ignorant of the expression Naruto made that portrayed a deeper character of a trickster.

Naruto was never taken seriously due to delinquent behavior.

His looks didn't help either.

There was exaggeration in his expression when he smiled, which was almost always. His eyes were shut, mischievously shaped in an upside down U and his whiskers looked thicker when they were stretched. His smile widened from ear to ear and looked comical when all of his teeth showed.

No matter what happened, he'd just smile like an idiot who was incapable of understanding the villager's distaste of him.

The look he had on his face was foreign and it completely changed who he was.

Eyes, color of a sunny sky, glowed in a way that the villagers have never seen. It wasn't fierce or angry from his determination to prove himself to others. They were wide open, bright and innocent from an unknown joy. He didn't have them shut, hiding the pain when people continuously rejected him.

His smile was different as well.

The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, showing happiness in a simple, breathtaking away.

The lack of his usual and hyperactive energy softened his face dramatically.

It was as if he at peace with himself and the world.

His face would have reminded the villagers of someone who had a similar resemblance they admired had they bother to give a chance.

It was a shame that most people were too late to see it.

Naruto abandoned the roofs and ran in the streets, darting past small groups of people and individuals.

As he dashed past a corner and Iruka-sensei following, a soft and sweet laugh floated from the winds to his ears as he ran.

He could hear his heart pounding.

The voice was familiar to him and he felt like he was soaring in the sky when he heard it.

It was a sound that he didn't hear often enough and he was pleased to know that he was the one who made it happen. The person who had always believed him and supported him from the shadows was happy for another moment in her life.

Another success in his mission.

A small, porcelain hand tried to cover the mirth that threatened to spill out of her lips, but it was futile.

She never knew that it was on purpose, that he would do anything for her when he acknowledges her presence all those years ago.