Ren raised an eyebrow as he watched Naruto sit comfortably on the grass, scarf loose, leaf in hand, not a care in the world.
Then something clicked.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Aren't you supposed to be at the Academy right now?"
Naruto blinked.
Paused.
Then grinned.
"Uh… yeah. Technically."
"Naruto."
"I skipped. Just for today!" he added quickly. "I wanted to train with you instead!"
Ren stared at him, unblinking.
Naruto laughed nervously. "Come on, don't look at me like that. It's not that big a deal. I'll just… catch up tomorrow."
Ren let out a sharp sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"You're unbelievable."
"You're my brother," Naruto said proudly, "so technically, this is educational. You're smarter than the whole Academy combined."
Ren looked like he wanted to argue.
Then gave up.
He handed Naruto another leaf.
"Fine. But if Iruka finds out—"
"I'll tell him it was your idea."
"You'll be lucky to graduate before you're twenty."
Naruto grinned as he focused chakra into his palm again.
"Then I better learn to cut this leaf before that."
Ren just shook his head — but that tiny smirk still slipped through.
Brothers.