The chirping of a lone cricket was the only sound in Naruto's small, messy apartment. The moon still hung high in the sky, casting a pale light through his window. He blinked slowly, the memory of the vast, sewer-like chamber, the furious demon, and the booming old man feeling distant and dreamlike.
Maybe... maybe I just imagined it all, he thought, a familiar pang of disappointment settling in his chest.
"IT'S 5 AM, BRAT! THE SUN ISN'T GOING TO WAIT FOR YOU TO BEAUTY SLEEP! GET UP!"
The voice, booming directly inside his skull with the force of a cannon, made Naruto jolt so violently he fell out of bed with a yelp. He scrambled to his feet, heart pounding. It was real.
"Five laps around the entire village," Garp's voice continued, relentless and cheerful. "And if I see you slacking, you'll feel my Fist of Love. Now move!"
Fueled by a mix of excitement and terror, Naruto was out the door in minutes. The streets of Konoha were empty and silent, shrouded in the pre-dawn mist.
The first lap was agony. By the time Naruto passed the silent, dark storefronts of the market, his lungs were burning and his legs felt like lead.
"I... I can't," he gasped, slowing to a walk. "I need a break."
"A break? You've barely started!" Suddenly, Naruto felt a sharp, jarring thump on the crown of his head. It didn't hurt physically, but it was a powerful mental jolt that made his vision rattle.
"OW! What was that?!"
"That was a taste of my Fist of Love!" Garp declared proudly. "It's a spiritual punch filled with encouragement! Now, are you going to keep complaining, or are you going to keep running?"
Gritting his teeth, Naruto ran. He ran until the sun began to rise, bathing the village in gold. He ran until his body screamed, and then he ran some more, pushed onward by the relentless shouting and the surprisingly effective "encouragement" of the ghost in his soul. He completed the five laps and collapsed in a heap at his own apartment door, every fiber of his being trembling with exhaustion.
He found himself back in the watery mindscape, lying on the "floor" while Garp's spectral form stood over him, arms crossed.
"I did it..." Naruto panted.
"You did," Garp acknowledged, a hint of pride in his voice. "But that was the easy part. Now comes the hard part. The most important lesson I will ever teach you."
He crouched down, his expression turning deadly serious. "Listen to me, Naruto. From this moment on, the strength you build with me is a secret. The biggest secret in your life. To the world, to your classmates, to your teachers... you are the same loudmouthed, talentless dobe you were yesterday."
Naruto stared, confused. "What? But... why?! What's the point of being strong if no one knows it?"
"Because a revealed weapon is a useless one!" Garp explained, tapping his own temple. "Power isn't just about how hard you can punch. It's about when you choose to punch. If they know you're strong, they'll watch you. They'll make plans for you. The village elders, the Hokage... everyone. But if they think you're a harmless fool? They'll ignore you. They'll underestimate you. And that, my boy, is the greatest advantage a warrior can have."
His gaze became intense. "You will not speak of me. You will not speak of the fox. You will not let anyone know what you know. You will play the part of the fool until the day it truly matters. Can you do that?"
Naruto thought about it. He thought about the glares, the whispers, and the loneliness. He thought about how they all looked at him now. If he was already a fool in their eyes, what was the harm in pretending a little longer? A slow, mischievous grin spread across his face.
"So I get to prank everyone, every day?"
Garp burst out laughing. "Hahaha! Exactly! Now you're thinking like one of my family! Just be sure you can back it up when the time comes."
Later that day at the Academy, Iruka-sensei clapped his hands to get the class's attention.
"Alright, class! Today we'll be practicing the Transformation Jutsu. I want everyone to line up and transform into me. Remember the hand signs and focus your chakra."
The students lined up. Sakura transformed perfectly. Sasuke, with his usual bored expression, created a flawless copy. Then, it was Naruto's turn.
He stepped forward, a goofy grin on his face. Inside his head, Garp's voice was a low growl.
"Remember the plan, brat. Make it loud. Make it dumb. Make it believable."
"Okay, Iruka-sensei! Prepare to be amazed!" Naruto yelled. He clumsily formed the hand signs. "Transform!"
There was a poof of smoke, but when it cleared, standing in Naruto's place was not Iruka, but a strange, crude, and very much female version of himself. It was a botched, gender-bent transformation that was so poorly executed it barely held its shape.
The classroom erupted in laughter.
"Naruto, you idiot!" Sakura shrieked. "You failed again!"
Iruka slapped his forehead, a vein throbbing on his temple. "NARUTO! WHAT IS THIS NONSENSE?!"
As he endured the scolding and the ridicule, Naruto kept the grin plastered on his face. But on the inside, for the first time, he wasn't hurt by it. He was calm. He was in control. It was just a role he was playing.
"Good," Garp's voice echoed in his mind, laced with approval. "Let them laugh. Let them think they know you. Every laugh today is a punch you'll get to land tomorrow."
Naruto looked across the room and met Sasuke's dismissive gaze. For a fleeting second, his grin tightened into something else. Something harder.
Yeah, he thought. Let them laugh.