Johan's POV
Winter has settled over Konoha like a funeral shroud.
The snow muffles everything — the wind, the whispers, even the sound of your own thoughts. It's peaceful, in the way that being buried alive might be peaceful.
I woke up at 8. Same as always. My breath came out in pale puffs as I lit the stove. Eggs. Toast. Warm milk. The smell of breakfast made the cold feel less cruel.
Naruto was still wrapped in his blanket, a small mound in the bed beside mine.
"Hey, Naruto. Wake up."
He groaned.
"Five more minutes…"
I sighed. "Alright. But no park today then."
Silence. Then: shuffle, shuffle—
"Wait, what?! I'm up! I'm up!"
I smiled faintly. He's predictable like that.
After our bath and breakfast, we stepped outside. The snow crunched under our sandals. The air stung our faces, but Naruto didn't care, he ran ahead like always, arms flailing like wings.
Then I heard it.
"Look at her eyes! She's such a freak!"
I stopped walking.
A group of kids circled someone small, curled on the ground. I didn't even have to see her face. I knew.
Hinata Hyuga. The heiress. The outcast.
Another boy laughed. "Bet she can see through walls with those creepy things!"
Then, one picked up a stone.
"Let's hit the freak!"
Before I know it, Naruto was already there. He threw himself between them and Hinata like a shield.
"Hey! What's wrong with you?! Leave her alone!"
The bullies sneered.
"Oh look, the demon's saving the weird eyes. What, is this some kind of loser club?"
Naruto's fists trembled. But he didn't move.
Hinata peeked up at him, her eyes wide, wet. Like she'd never seen someone stand for her before.
I knew Naruto wouldn't back down. He never did, especially not for people like her. I stepped forward and stood beside him.
The moment I did, the group hesitated.
One boy scoffed. "What is this, some kind of freak show? First her, now these two? My dad says they're cursed."
"Yeah, mine too. Especially that quiet one. Creeps me out."
Naruto shouted, "We're not cursed! We're not demons!"
But his voice cracked.
Their words slid off me like snow. Cold, meaningless. But I saw it hit Naruto. Saw it settle on his shoulders like fresh frost.
Something shifted inside me. Quietly.
I didn't speak. I just looked at them.
The air around us thinned. The cold deepened.
Even the wind stopped.
The bullies stopped laughing.
One took a step back. "H-he's looking at us weird…"
"Let's just go. This isn't worth it."
And just like that, they ran, cowards hiding behind their parents' words.
Naruto grinned. "Heh! Did you see that? They got scared of me!"
He turned to Hinata, kneeling beside her.
"You okay? Did they hurt you?" He held out his hand.
Hinata stared at it like it was a foreign object. Then, hesitantly, she took it.
"Th-thank… y-you…" she whispered.
Her voice was paper-thin.
Then a Hyuga guard appeared, stern and stiff. His eyes flicked to us like we were bugs he wasn't allowed to crush.
"Miss Hinata," he said. "Are you injured?"
She shook her head quickly. "N-no… They helped me."
He grunted. "Lord Hiashi is asking for you."
Hinata looked down. Her fingers tightened around the hem of her coat. But she followed him without a word.
Before turning the corner, she looked back.
She smiled.
Small. Barely there. But real.
Naruto waved at her until she disappeared.
Then he turned to me, beaming. "Hey Johan, let's go! Bet the swings are covered in snow — I'm gonna slide off them like a seal!"
I nodded.
Some things never change.
Naruto saved her again.