Naruto was working part time then, scrubbing tables to make ends meet while competing as a track and field star in college.
The first time they met five years ago Sasuke had walked in casually, donning an expensive black suit and surrounded by bodyguards.
But despite his shame, he could not help grinning at the memory. There had not been a single time since they first met at this very spot that Naruto had ever let him down. Naruto’s head snapped up as he felt a wave of shame at the thought of making Sasuke wait. “He was looking for you,” the restaurant owner interrupted Naruto’s thoughts, “your friend. While his stomach grumbled in appreciation, his mind frantically tried to think up a plan B. Kicking himself for not even thinking of sending a text, Naruto sat down on one of the tables and ordered some food. He was twenty minutes past the scheduled meeting time. Upon checking his watch, it wasn’t hard to see why. His worst fears were confirmed when he arrived at the local Japanese restaurant and the person he was meeting was nowhere to be found. To none of his surprise and all of his dread, he was late.
This prompted him to sprint down the street and catch the nearest bus, to which he immediately regretted. It would have just been faster to run, so he got off and did just that. Come morning he was met with a dead engine in his garage. Yet somehow everything seemed to go wrong this particular day. It had to be today, that much he knew for sure. By noon, Naruto was sprinting across the street.