The sky in the world of Naruto was always so blue and clear, like a sapphire washed in pure water, so blue it was mesmerizing.
But even such a beautiful view couldn't stop a group of kids from eating non-stop.
Nara Shikaku and his two best friends, Akimichi Choza and Yamanaka Inoichi, quietly watched the four little gluttons stuffing their faces at the corner of the rooftop.
Akimichi Choza kept swallowing hard, even though his two friends had already shared a lot of food with him.
But watching his little clan brother eat so happily made his mouth water even more.
"Let's go; it's too noisy here today."
"Choza, isn't that your little clan brother? Can't you hold back? Have some dignity, would you?"
Just then, Nara Shikaku saw a younger student walking briskly toward them, carrying a large box of food.
"Hello, my name is Sarutobi Ryo. It's my first day at school today. I figured you guys might not want to join us, so I brought some food over.
Sorry if my friends were a bit noisy while eating. I hope we can all be friends in the future."
Akimichi Choza took the food, glanced at his two friends, and looked conflicted.
"You're too kind. My name is Nara Shikaku, and this is Yamanaka Inoichi. The guy over there is your friend's clan brother, Akimichi Choza.
We're two years older than you guys, so we're technically your upperclassmen. If you run into any trouble at school, it's best to handle it yourselves.
If you can't, go to the teacher. We hate trouble. But thanks for the food," Nara Shikaku finished with a lazy tone.
"Then I'll be counting on you, senpais~," Sarutobi Ryo bowed respectfully before returning to his little group.
"Shikaku, this tempura's pretty good," Yamanaka Inoichi said, handing him a piece.
Nara Shikaku took it, glanced at Sarutobi Ryo, and said casually, "The kid's not bad either."
After eating for another half hour, even Akimichi Yoshimaru couldn't eat anymore. Everyone lay on the ground, staring at the sky in a daze.
"I once read a novel," Sarutobi Ryo began. "It talked about a different country from ours.
I thought it was interesting, so let me share a part of it with you guys."
XXXXXXXX (censored storytelling), "And then the three of them went to the west side of the village, where there was a big peach orchard. It was the season when the peach blossoms were in full bloom, fiery red and full of life.
They loved the place, so they made a vow there, swearing brotherhood with eternal loyalty. That was the Oath of the Peach Garden."
Shibi Aburame listened with a smile.
"That's an interesting story."
"Yeah, it sounds like Guan Yu and Zhang Fei are really strong," Akimichi Yoshimaru said.
"A Peach Garden Oath, huh? How come I've never heard of it before?" Namikaze Minato added.
"I've got it!"
The three of them simultaneously turned to look at Sarutobi Ryo, wondering what had gotten into him this time.
"Why don't we do that too? If they could do it in a peach orchard, we can do it right here on the school rooftop.
How about a Rooftop Brotherhood of Four?!" Sarutobi Ryo said excitedly.
The three of them just stared, completely stunned.
Sarutobi Ryo thought to himself, Crap, maybe this kind of thing isn't popular in this world... Gotta think of a way to convince them.
"If we do this, we can eat and drink together every day, sharing good times and bad times!" Sarutobi Ryo coaxed.
The thought of eating and drinking every day made Akimichi Yoshimaru jump up instantly. He slapped his thigh and shouted:
"I agree! And it has nothing to do with food—it's all about the bond of brotherhood. It's... moving!"
"I've never heard of this 'sworn brothers' thing before. It sounds... interesting," Shibi Aburame said.
All three of them turned to look at Namikaze Minato, who seemed completely dumbfounded and was only managing an awkward smile.
"Perfect, Minato agrees too! Look how happy he is! He's just shy, but I can feel his sincerity!"
Poof!
Before Minato could say anything, Sarutobi Ryo suddenly whipped out a scroll and unrolled it.
A small table appeared on the ground, and on it stood a tiny stone statue of the First Hokage.
Sarutobi Ryo, looking completely calm and collected, said, "I'm four years old, born in August. How about you guys?"
Damn, this guy is so professional about this!
"I'm five, born in September," Akimichi Yoshimaru replied.
"I'm also five, but I was born in March," Shibi Aburame added proudly.
"Uh... I was born in January. January 25th, actually. So, I guess I'm the oldest," Namikaze Minato said, a bit embarrassed.
"Great! Perfect! So, Big Brother Minato, you stand on the far left. Second Brother Shibi, you stand next to him. Yoshimaru, you're Third Brother, stand to my left. I'll be the youngest on the right."
Once they took their positions, Sarutobi Ryo knelt down with a thump.
"Brothers, let us complete this ceremony together!"
The three of them looked at each other before mimicking his gesture, kneeling down as well.
"Under the heavens, witnessed by the First Hokage, I, Sarutobi Ryo, swear brotherhood with Namikaze Minato, Shibi Aburame, and Akimichi Yoshimaru.
We do not wish to be born on the same day of the same month of the same year, but we hope to die on the same day of the same month of the same year! Heaven and earth bear witness to this oath. If we betray it, may we be struck down by fate itself!"
"Under the heavens, witnessed by the First Hokage, I, Namikaze Minato, swear brotherhood with Shibi Aburame, Akimichi Yoshimaru, and Sarutobi Ryo... Heaven and earth bear witness..."
"Under the heavens, witnessed by the First Hokage, I, Shibi Aburame... Heaven and earth bear witness..."
"Under the heavens, witnessed by the First Hokage, I, Akimichi Yoshimaru... Heaven and earth bear witness..."
After finishing the elaborate ceremony and bowing nine times in total, they finally stood up.
They looked at each other, and for some reason, it really felt like something had changed.
In the distance, Nara Shikaku and his friends watched, completely dumbfounded.
"Shikaku, what are they doing?"
"I don't know. It looks like they're praying to the First Hokage... or maybe swearing some kind of brotherhood?"
"No way, didn't they say something about betrayal and divine punishment? Sounds like some sort of oath."
"Forget it, it's none of our business. Let's go, class is starting," Yamanaka Inoichi said, putting an end to the pointless guesses.
The four newly sworn brothers kept grinning from ear to ear, caught up in the joy of their newfound bond.
The day flew by, and before they knew it, it was time to go home.
Except for Namikaze Minato, the parents of the other three had already arrived.
After all, they were all from prominent clans in the village, and the parents exchanged a few polite words.
Namikaze Minato was happy. Not only did he learn a lot, but he also made friends and even gained three sworn brothers.
"Not born on the same day of the same month of the same year, but hoping to die on the same day of the same month of the same year!"
Whenever he thought of those words, his heart swelled with pride.
Sarutobi Ryo walked home with his parents, leaving his unique footprint in this world.