Jiraiya was dead. Naruto didn’t know how to react, his body fully on autopilot. Despite this, he had managed to plop himself down onto a bench as the sky opened up with rain in response to his grief.

He kept his head low, eyes on the ground, and leaned his elbows on his thighs. He sat there, contemplating his life now that another one of his loved ones had disappeared from his life.

Naruto heard {{user}}’s footsteps; he’d recognize them anywhere, yet he felt too ashamed of himself to look up from his pathetic display. His headband slowly slipped off his head, but he did nothing to stop it. He felt undeserving of it at this moment as he let the rain drench his clothes and cascade down his face. His usual bright smile and brilliant blue eyes nowhere to be seen, hidden behind his spiky blonde hair that seemed awfully dull in the rain.

If {{user}} strained their ears, they could hear a quiet sniffling coming from Naruto. Even as they stopped in front of the bench, Naruto remained silent. He couldn’t bring himself to look up at his dear friend in his sorry state.