High School Is Such A Drag

by Narutofan08

Kiba is the captain of the soccer team at Konoha High, and Naruto is a brilliant student who's just been transferred from the prestigious Leaf Academy from the other end of the city. When these two encounter one another and life decides to throw some curve balls at them one by one, will they be able to get through their senior year completely drama-free? Come on: It's high school!

AN: Okay okay okay. So I'm sorry I haven't posted in so long, and I bet the majority of my fans have left me, and I don't blame you guys. I would totally hate my ass, too. I want to thank my fans who have stuck by my side and have waited patiently. Work and school are a bitch, but seeing as how it's summer, it's mostly work that's kicking my ass right now. I just want to say I haven't posted in so long because not only have I been busy, but also because I am working on other projects as well. Projects that aren't in correlation with FF. Still, I owe you guys a huge apology and love you all. Another reason why I haven't posted is because although you, my fans, may think my stories are fantastic, awesome, amazing, the list of compliments goes on, I honestly think they are horrible. Reviewing now, High School Is Such A Drag had no plot and was far too rushed, but that was too be expected seeing as how it was my first story. Now, I am revising the chapters and trying to add in a hopeful storyline, so excuse me if you see some major editing. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter; and if you can do me the favor of letting me know how I did, please do so.

Have an amazing day! Remember: Life is awesome!

Chapter 1

/1st Period – English/

Kiba Inuzuka lazily groaned in his chair as the teacher scolded him to pay attention. He was in his English class, the most boring subject ever to come across man, and he couldn't force himself to concentrate.

"Man! This school's getting old," Kiba lowly growled, drumming his fingers on his desk in impatience.

The few people that sad around him slightly scooted their desks to the side, wondering what was causing the boy to behave so out of character. He normally wasn't like this, but the truth was, unbeknown to all, that for the last couple of weeks... Kiba was like this on an ordinary basis. He just never really displayed it as he was now. And why was this? Well, it was simple really. It was only during these past weeks when his senior year started that Kiba realized his life was undoubtedly, undeniably BORING. There was no spark or fire in his life. It was dull like a rusted blade and colorless like a blank canvas. Oh, how he wished for something new to come up! Something new that would catch his interest! Just something new that would show that his life was actually worth-while!

/1st Period - Principal's Office/

"Wow, these grades are absolutely outstanding!" said the principle of Konoha High as she went through a newly transferred student's paperwork. "Where is that you're from again?"

"Leaf Academy. It's the private school on the other side of town," the student replied with a slight blush glowing on his face, absent-mindlessly scratching the back of his head.

"Oh, yes, that's right. You come from that prestigious school on the other end of the city, don't you?" said the principle as she nodded her head in approval, looking over the boy as if he were going to be the reason why their nation's test scores ranked highest amongst all other schools.

The boy nodded even though he knew the question was rhetorical, already having answered it before. While the principle continued to look over his papers, the boy let his eyes wander throughout the room, wondering when this brief interview would be over with.

"Well... like I said: These grades are phenomenal," she restated as she flicked the paper to add extra emphasis.

The blond timidly tapped his fingers on the principle's desk. He knew his grades were good. Oh... how he knew! Everyone in his old school would constantly praise and brag about him. It was insufferable and annoying. Those timid taps became loud thuds on the desk as he dwindled deeper into his past.

"Naruto!" the principle called, snapping him out of his reverie.

"Hmm?" he mumbled, lost.

"I have your class schedule right here. There's also a map of the school printed on the back. Naruto, Konoha High may not be as 'prestigious' as leaf academy, but I do hope that for your senior year you learn to love it here and come to 'Inherit your will of fire.' After all, once a Shinobi, always a Shinobi." she said, wishing Naruto a sense of good luck, making him feel as welcome as possible by even reciting the school motto and throwing in the school mascot.

Naruto gave a smile and nodded his head, picking up his green backpack off of the floor as he made his way towards the door.

"Uh... Thanks," he said, clutching the doorknob, a bit hesitant. "I appreciate that."

The principle smiled and waved, her eyes shining brilliantly. Naruto took that as his signal and walked out the door, looking over his class schedule. He read his class sheet:

Room # 4401(2nd floor).

Department: English.

Teacher: Iruka.

Naruto let out a sigh and turned his schedule around. He decided he would rather be reasonable then most students on their first day and follow the map. Being wicked smart was hard enough. Being the new kid was always killer. And now he was both at the same time. For a brief moment, Naruto wondered whether his day would be easy at all. Would people look at him like he was some kind of side-show freak? Like if he was too smart to attend public school? No, that was ridiculous. Nobody aside from Tsunade, the school principle, and his assigned teachers new his records. He would be fine, right?

"Then again... it is public school," he said pessimistically to himself, recalling on the rumors that he had heard from his private institution about what bullies do to fresh meat.

After a short amount of time, Naruto realized that he was in the English department of Konoha High, having made his way up a flight of stairs to get there.Nervously, Naruto made his way down the hallway, passing by many classrooms, peering over several windows and then looking away in circumvention the moment it seemed as if one of the other students was about to catch onto his ministrations. A door then opened, and Naruto blindly bumped into a student. The collision was fairly rough.

"Move it will you!" the student snapped immediately as the door closed behind him. His eyes were on Naruto and his gaze was fierce and menacing.

"Oh, crap! I'm really sorry about that. It's my first day, and I don't know where my class is at. Do you think you can help me out?" Naruto asked, a bit intimidated by the boy with long brown hair and pupil-less eyes – or so they seemed so anyways.

The boy who had been rude to Naruto snickered in a smug manner as he looked over the blond teenager. Naruto could tell right away that he was being registered as a ridiculous joke or first-class fool.

"Well it clearly must be an English class you're looking for..."

Naruto just looked at him with uncertainty. Of course it was an English class. That's why he was over here. And then he realized that this was about to get ugly.

"I say this because if you don't even know how to read a school map, then it's obvious you need the most tutelage this school has to offer. Are you even in the right school?" the boy laughed in a superior tone, mocking Naruto and making the blond grit his teeth.

Gosh, this guy's an asshole!

Naruto clutched his papers with his left hand and balled his right fist as his anger began to rise, his blood boiling. Meanwhile, the other teen continued to chuckle. He shook his head in a disapproving manner before he left the blond, blue-eyed boy there in the hallway, disappearing from sight.

"I guess the rumors about public school were true," Naruto seethed between clenched teeth as he glared holes into the back of the boy's neck.

Once he was out of sight and Naruto could no longer squish his head with his fingers like how he had been doing for the past minute, Naruto continued to pace around the hallway until he found his room number.

This was it. He didn't know why, but his heart was racing, and his throat was suddenly dry. His fingers trembled nervously and he began to shake, pure trauma readying itself to take over.

"Goddammit, Naruto, get a grip on yourself and calm the fuck down! It's just High School," he told himself, slapping himself back into reality. "Now relax. Breath in and breathe out and..."

He opened the door.

/1st Period – English/

Oh Iruka shut up! No one cares about the differences between active and passive voice! Kiba internally shouted. He kept his head face down on his desk, clawing at it, hoping that the bell would ring at any given moment.

"Kiba, what's wrong?" a girl with pink hair whispered. She sat next to Kiba and happened to be one of his best friends.

"I don't know," Kiba said in frustration. He didn't want her to know the truth mostly because he himself didn't know why he was so pissed with the world. "I'm just bored. I want this class to end. Don't you, Sakura?"

"No, I like English," Sakura replied with a smile. "Besides, we still got another forty-five minutes. It's pep-rally schedule today, remember?"

Kiba lifted his head up off the desk and banged it repeatedly against the wooden plate. Teens gave him concerned looks and skeptical gazes, but he didn't care. If it wasn't for the fact that he was one of the most popular guys in school, thanks to the fact that he was a soccer jock – or 'The Soccer Jock' – they'd totally consider him a freak. And if only they would! Kiba hated all of the attention. He felt that, aside from Sakura and his other best friend Hinata, no one else was really his true friend. He felt as if everyone were friends with his popular mirror-double and that they didn't know the real him. Kiba huffed upwards, blowing out strands of brown hair that he just now barely realized were growing far too long out of place.

"Oh, just someone save me!" Kiba hissed in a murmur.

Just then the door opened, and an unfamiliar face entered. Yes, it was definitely unfamiliar. It was one that had never been seen before – which was rare because Kiba knew everyone in the school. Well, he didn't know everyone exactly, but he at least knew everyone that mattered, anyways. What did that mean? It meant that being one of the top jocks at Konoha High taught Kiba one of the most important lessons one could ever learn in high school: which was that in high school you're either noticed for your smarts, your looks, or your rebellious attitude. That's it. And that was pretty much everyone who made up his click and, as shallow as it sounds, everyone who he associated himself with. And so that's why for him to see a face that seemed like it belonged in his party and not know who it belonged to was flabbergasting and irrefutably brought Kiba Inuzuka to a wonder.

"Who's he?" Sakura asked, her interest also piqued.

Kiba shrugged his shoulders, barely having heard her words. He didn't know why he was looking into this so much, but for some reason the new student caught his undivided attention.

Who is this guy? Kiba asked himself as his eyes fixated on the newcomer.

And while Kiba contemplated over this, Naruto timidly glanced around the classroom, slowly making his way towards the teacher's desk, shuffling his feet uncomfortably, obviously disturbed with the fact that he was currently the pinnacle of attention. For god's sake, the whole class fell silent the instant he walked into the room.

"Ah! A new student?" Iruka posed as he got up from his desk and walked up to the blond.

Oh, god, why did he have to say that out loud? It's not too late to turn back, Naruto! Just run for the door and don't look back! RUN!

Naruto pushed his cowardice thoughts out of his head and continued to approach Iruka, his mouth too dry to even form a single syllable. But instead of words, Naruto's actions are what proved Iruka correct as he handed the instructor his class schedule, proving that he had this class for first hour.

"U-zu-ma-ki, Na-ru-to," the teacher sounded out. "Well, Naruto, welcome to English. Sit in any free seat you'd like."

Naruto weakly smiled back at Iruka's welcome before he turned around and looked back at the class ahead of him. He gulped.

Okay, don't freak out! Where's an empty seat? he analyzed.

He glanced quickly around the classroom. He saw a few empty chairs, but deduced that reaching them would be far too troublesome. He'd have to pardon his way through people and probably make a loud ruckus while doing so. Being invisible for the rest of the school year would be unattainable if he did that.

Oh, there's one! Naruto thought to himself as he made his way up the steps, sitting down next to a brunet, all the while keeping his gaze away from everyone and onto the floor..

Why out of all places did he have to sit here! Alright, Kiba, relax. Breathe. Be smooth. Be cool. Aggh! Why am I thinking about this too much? There's nothing special about him. He's nobody. He's just a regular dude. But then why is this so hard? Just fucking talk to him already! Grow some balls, Kiba, and make him feel goddamned welcomed!

"Uh... Hi. Are you new here?" Kiba greeted with a dazzling smile, the kind that would have most teenage girls swooning and fainting. Instead of answering right away, Naruto turned towards him and gave him an incredulous look.

Ah! What a stupid question! Of course he's new here! Kiba screamed at the top of his head, physically slapping himself.

Naruto gave Kiba an expression that said he was clearly taken aback and so Kiba stopped scolding himself and put an end to his foolish ministrations. Still, Naruto decided to reply back. It was obvious that this guy was trying to make an effort in putting together a conversation. Why would he push the only person being nice away?

"Yeah, I barely got transferred in today. I'm Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki," he said, holding out his hand.

"I'm Kiba. Kiba Inuzuka. So you're new to the school? I just thought you were new to the class. That's all," Kiba said, trying to save himself from before.

"Yeah. I'm the new guy. So, tell me, Kiba, how are things in this school?" Naruto asked as he locked eyes with Kiba.

"I will marry your eyes!" Kiba thought – or so he had thought until Naruto started laughing.

"Ha-ha-ha! You're really funny, man! I've been told I have nice eyes. Thanks."

Kiba blushed furiously as he rolled his eyes to anywhere other than Naruto. Never in his life had he ever felt so hot and red and embarrassed. Naruto looked over Kiba and wondered what was wrong with him, but decided not to press on the matter. Rather, he looked him over and noticed weird markings on his cheeks just above his jaw line and decided he would base a question off of that.

"If it's not too much to ask: What are those?" Naruto questioned, curiosity consuming him.

Kiba quit glancing around and focused on Naruto's question, looking in the direction in which the blond's fingers pointed and noted that the Uzumaki had referred to his cheeks.

"Well... hmm?" he pondered as he placed a finger to his chin and looked deep in thought.

"What?" Naruto smiled, intrigued.

"I don't really know. All I know is that my whole family has them," Kiba replied, trailing off in the end and mumbling. "It must be a hereditary thing."

"You... don't know what they are?" Naruto said skeptically. "And your whole family has them? Isn't that more of a reason why you should know what they are?"

"Well, yeah, but I never really questioned it. I mean I forget I have them half the time cause it's not like I could feel them on my skin and shit. I guess it just doesn't really matter to me. I mean... I guess I could always find out and -"

"For all you know that mark could mean you're part of a cult or gang. Something along the lines of the KKK or something, ya' know," Naruto laughed. "And you wouldn't even know about it."

"No! That's ridiculous!" Kiba growled. "Don't be stupid."

"You're telling me not to be stupid and you go and ask if I'm new here?" Naruto cheekily laughed.

"Urrrgh!" Kiba let out an evil grin. "You're a smartass, aren't you?"

"I'm guessing you're not..."

"Heh, we'll see what's up when -"

"Mr. Inuzuka!" Iruka shouted at the top of his lungs, cutting Kiba off. "Since you enjoy talking so much, maybe you'd care to give an example of the Passive voice? That is, unless of course, you weren't paying attention – which in that case I would have to ask you to leave my classroom and go straight to detention for being disruptive."

Kiba groaned, almost whimpered like a dog to be more accurate. As a matter of fact, he hadn't been listening and did not know the answer, his face obviously letting everyone who could seem him clearly know that he was at a complete loss for words.

"The lights were turned on by me," Naruto whispered in an innocent tone, never taking his gaze away from the whiteboard.

Kiba turned towards Naruto, a speculative gleam within his eye. Naruto looked down, having felt Kiba's stare, but he nodded nonetheless. Kiba repeated what Naruto had told him and Iruka was taken aback. He was almost positive that the Inuzuka hadn't been paying attention.

With nothing else to say, Iruka sourly replied, "Correct. Just... just don't disturb my class again!"

"Sorry, Iruka-sensei, Kiba was explaining the material we were covering. It's my fault," Naruto spoke up, defending the boy. Iruka nodded, understanding at once, and he excused himself for having shouted at Kiba.

"Hey, thanks for that," Kiba said with a smirk.

"No problem," Naruto responded, flashing a grin of his own. 'That's just two counts you owe me on now!"

The bell then rang and when the whole class got to their feet and Naruto also made his way to leave, Kiba instantly reacted.

"Hey, can I see your schedule?"

"Sure," Naruto said as he pulled out his schedule from his backpack and held it over to the taller of the two. "I guess if I have a stalker, I can't exactly get lost or be alone, right?"

"Don't be stupid! I'm not stalking you. I'm just seeing if we – Hey! Cool!" Kiba exclaimed. "We have second and third period together."

"Really?" Naruto asked, kind of satisfied to hear that.

Kiba nodded but after much more scanning, his smile faltered.

"What's wrong?" Naruto asked. "Your face is looking pretty stupid."

Kiba dismissed Naruto's insult with a wave of his hand and handed his schedule back to him, his voice disappointed as he said, "We don't have any more classes with each other, and we have different lunches."

Having heard that, Naruto's spirits also plummeted. But Naruto was never the type to stay down for too long, so he shook his head, not wanting anything to disturb his state of mind – or let anyone else know that was possible.

"Oh, well, that's okay," Naruto suggested as he started pushing Kiba down the aisle and out the door. "It's kinda better if I don't see you often anyway. One person can only take so much ugly."

"I know! Yours alone should be pushing the limit," Kiba smirked.

""Har Har Har!" Naruto said. "You got jokes"

"Hey, you set yourself up for that one. And will you quit pushing me!" Kiba said as he broke away from Naruto and began to push him instead – and at a much faster pace seeing as how he was significantly stronger. "You're new here, remember? I'll lead the way."

As Naruto's feet skidded on the ground, one single thought came to mind:

Maybe... I won't hate this school after all.

/2nd Period –Math/

After a series of left turns, right turns, round-a-bouts, and of course the never-ending traffic of the student population, Kiba and Naruto finally made it to their second period class. As Kiba was about to walk in, pulling Naruto by the wrist now, seeing as how he had second thoughts about going to math class and pretty much forced Kiba into leading the way, the blond tugged back, halting Kiba in his place.

"What's wrong?" Kiba asked, annoyed. Throughout all their walk, Naruto kept asking the same questions over and over again. And Kiba was pretty sure Naruto was about to repea-

"I don't know, Kiba. Is the teacher nice? Are the students nice?" Naruto asked, remembering how that jerk from before had treated him. "Aside from you, people haven't been exactly friendly to me."

"No, Naruto, she's horrible! In fact, the teacher is actually a twelve foot dragon that spits acid-fire and drinks student's tears to stay younger, and the kids – Oh man! Don't get me started on them! They are her demon spawn from hell looking to unleash their unholy vengeance against new guys like you!"

"Wow, dude, you must've had a fucked up childhood," Naruto said with a grin.

""Living with my mom kinda does that to ya', so... yeah, pretty much," Kiba laughed. "But, naw, don't trip, man. Nobody cares whether you're new or not!"

Naruto nodded his head, letting all pretenses of the classroom fade away. He walked in with Kiba, who decided it would probably be best to release his grip on the blond now that they were at their destination.

"Hey, teach," Kiba started, walking up to the center of the room.

A woman with black spiky hair looked over to the person addressing her. Once she saw it was Kiba, she gave him a daredevil grin that matched his own.

"What'ya want Inuzuka?" she said, flashing him a dark, cynical smile.

"We've got a new kid here," Kiba told her, trying so hard to seem cool that it actually made Naruto roll his eyes. "Thought it'd be cool if you let him sit next to me. Ya know: Show him how things go on in this class."

"Yeah, what do I care! Who's the new brat?" Anko said as she wiped her nose with a quick brush of her thumb, looking smug but nevertheless cool. Kiba, who had been standing with his ankles crossed and arms behind his head, pointed behind himself. Anko looked over Kiba's shoulder to see a very timid Naruto.

Poor guy looks like he's going to die from stage fright. Hmm... This is gonna be fun! she snickered to herself. "Hey, kid, get your ass over here!"

Naruto, who was unfamiliar with teacher's being able to curse, instantly made his way to her side.

"Yes?" Naruto asked, his voice cracking near the end.

Anko laughed at him. She loved scaring children. It was like a hobby of hers. And oh was she enjoying the sense of fear she was getting off of Naruto. The sweat trickling down his face and his insecure stance had her stomach fluttering with butterflies. She actually had to hold herself down from bursting out into euphoric laughter.

"What's your name?" she demanded, curious, her gaze still mischievous.

"Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki," he announced. He didn't know why, but he had taken a soldier's stance the moment he gave out his full name to Anko, his chin pointed high and his chest puffed out. It was as if she were analyzing him like if he were under evaluation; a predator watching it's prey closely, readying itself to attack, and he couldn't afford to show her any kind of weakness or fault.

"Naruto, I hope you just realized that you just walked into the hardest Calculus class there is!" she warned, her tone very much threatening."Everyday I'm going to make your life a living hell, and from this point on you're my new, personal target!"

"Really?" he gulped.

"Nah, I'm just messing with ya! Take a seat next to Kiba here," she laughed as she gestured to Kiba. "Now get in your seats. The both of ya."

"She always plays that off with the new students," Kiba whispered as they made their way to the back of the classroom.

"You could have told me that in advance," Naruto heavily hissed.

Kiba took his seat in the back, and Naruto gladly took one next to him. Within the next few seconds, the classroom flooded with students. Some faces Naruto recognized from his previous class, and, of course, many were new and unfamiliar. But there was one in particular that had Naruto wishing he was no longer part of Anko's calculus class for second period.

"Awe man!" Naruto groaned.

"What? What's up?" Kiba asked, noticing Naruto's random mood-change.

"Nothing," Naruto replied as he turned his head away, covering the side of his face that was open to the door with his hand.

The boy in which Naruto groaned at walked towards his own seat; but before he sat down, he noticed a puff of yellow hair sticking out in all directions. Instantly, he knew who it was. Nobody else in the classroom had blond hair.

"Hmph!" the boy snorted from across the room.

Like air is needed to breathe, Naruto could already feel it coming. He knew that smug attitude was directed towards him – and him alone. Still, for some reason, he hoped that perhaps it was someone else that had caught the other boy's attention and that hopefully he would not be bothered.

"What are you doing in this class? This curriculum is for advanced, intelligent students only," the brunet said in a condescending manner. "It's apparent that they'll let anyone in these kind of classes nowadays."

"Oh, well, there goes my theory for hope," Naruto muttered to himself as the boy went on and on about how ridiculous Naruto was, explaining to a nearby student about his clumsy mistake earlier on in the day. Nobody else was saying a word and even Kiba was listening to the brunet, seeing as his voice was the only one audible within the room. Finally, it hit to the point where Naruto had enough of this guys' attitude. He stood up and retorted, shouting from across the room, "If advanced students are supposed to be taking this course, then explain to me as to why they would let someone as ignorant as you in here!"

"Do you have any idea who you're talking to?" the brunet glared, the look on his face murderous."Nobody talks to me like that."

Kiba looked at both boys, his eyes swaying from left to right, undecided whether he should enter the fray or not. Naruto was his friend – sort of. For some reason, he felt as if he was obligated to look out for him, seeing as how it was his first day and all. And yet, still, he didn't want to come across the brunet, neither. It wasn't that he was afraid of him or anything like that. No, that wasn't the case. It would just look bad on him as captain if he had gotten into a brawl with one of his teammates.

"Well I'm not nobody, dude, and maybe someone should talk to you like that. Maybe that way you'll learn a lesson on class and learn how to look at people like their not on a social ladder. You're just another one of those smug assholes who thinks he's better than other people." Naruto yelled, unafraid. "Quit being a cliché."

The brunet scoffed, irritated. The nerve of Naruto was outrageous and honestly had his blood to a boil. He clenched his teeth and his fist, and his eyes were nothing more but deadly.

"Cliche?" he said in a disapproving manner, almost as if Naruto had insulted him to the fullest extent. "Imbecile, you just signed yourself a death note."

It was then that the boy began to make his way towards Naruto. Kiba quickly got up from his seat, but Naruto pushed him back down as he too made his way towards the brunet. As both teens neared each other, Anko sat up from her desk, all along having heard the intense words that were exchanged. She grinned.

I guess he does have some backbone in him after all.

Right before they could reach other, she intervened. In less then a second, she was in the middle of both of them, pushing them back with her arms.

"That's enough! Take your seat, Neji. Same to you, Naruto." Anko warned. "If you try to fight in my classroom again... I'll kill both of you. And that is a threat!"

Neji let out an appalled expression, but he sat down regardless, and Naruto did the same. When he reached his seat, Kiba whispered,"Dude, you totally pushed me!"

Naruto merely shook his head, wanting to erase that whole argument from his mind.

"Sorry about that," Naruto apologized.

"What the hell happened earlier?"

"I really don't want to talk about it. It's kind of a long story."

"Can't be that long if you barely started today. Come on. Tell me!"

"Not right now. I'm kind of getting a headache."

"Naruto...?"

"Quit bugging, dude! I'm trying not to be a dick, but no is no!"

Kiba let out a pout on his face and turned away from Naruto, feeling annoyed and angered and immature at the same time. Still, he wasn't going to beg Naruto like a dog, so he decided to give the boy his space and decided to listen to Anko's lecture instead. At first, everything seemed to be moving too slow for Kiba's comfort. Review was always something that made Kiba lose his mind with impatience, but time went by fast when Anko started introducing new formulas. It kept him pretty busy trying to keep up that only now and then he would hardly look at Naruto. But whenever he did, he noticed that the blond wasn't really doing anything in particular. He wasn't taking notes nor was he looking at the board. He seemed to have his hands on his head. That headache must have really been worse then what Kiba could have possibly imagined. And by the end of the period, the class was given a quiz. Kiba looked over at Naruto, wondering how the boy would ever manage, seeing as how he had been spacing out the entire time

"Dammit. Worry about yourself, Kiba," the brunet whispered to himself as he pulled back his pencil and started erasing his answers. "Okay okay okay. Carry the two and divide the – No... Do I have to flip it? Fuck."

Kiba's grunts and cursing drew out Naruto's attention. He turned to see that the brunet was biting his pencil in frustration, and he let out a chuckle. Then, he picked up his own test and began to work the problems out.

Okay. This looks simple enough, Naruto thought as he looked at the formulas and the equations and what had to be solved.

In a matter of minutes, Naruto had finished a thirty question test. He looked around and noticed that all the other students seemed to be working out their own problems, clearly not finished yet. Having nothing else to do, he put his pencil down and flipped his paper backwards, letting out an inaudible yawn.

Kiba noticed when Naruto had flipped his sheet around and looked him over with an incredulous gaze.

"Yo, Naruto, I say you shouldn't guess. Anko-sama deducts points for each wrong answer," Kiba warned him. "Look: I know you weren't paying attention. We're allowed to use our notes. If you want, you can use mine. I'll be fine."

Guess? Naruto cocked his head to the side, unable to fully grasp the concept the Inuzuka was implying. The bell then rang, and Anko demanded that all pencils be put down. While she had her back turned, Naruto quickly slammed his hand down on Kiba's paper and snatched it. Seven problems were all that were left, and they were multiple choice as well. He quickly looked over the problems and bubbled them in.

"What the fuck, dude!" Kiba harshly hissed. "I'll get marked down for each wrong answer!"

Naruto just gave him a flashing smile. The kind that let out a brilliant light as they shined like shimmering pearls. Finishing up, Naruto tossed back the paper and put his belongings away. And as for Kiba... Well, he meant to erase the answers Naruto had put in, but before he could, he was caught by Anko, who scolded her favorite student.

"Pencils down, Kiba," she flatly told him. She couldn't show favoritism after all.

Kiba, with a resigned sigh, put his pencil down, giving Naruto a dirty look as he did so. The Uzumaki just bit his tongue down and winked at the Inuzuka. Once the teacher had collected all of the students' papers, she dismissed them. But before everyone could leave, another student, holding a note from the office, along with a transcript, approached Anko. He handed her some papers and left without a word. Anko looked over them, her face reflecting that of a stupor.

As Naruto and Kiba made their way towards the door, Anko called out, "Naruto. Can you come here for a minute? I need to talk to you."

Naruto made his way to her, and Kiba stood by the doorway.

"Why are you still here Inuzuka? This is a personal matter!" Anko said with a leer. "Get outta here."

"Relax, girl, I'm walking Naruto to third. We have P.E. together," he replied adamantly.

"Well I need to talk to Naruto in private. So get out of my class and wait your ass outside. I'll write a pass excusing you both."

Kiba, left with no other option, nodded his head and walked out the door, shrugging his shoulder and mumbling, "Whatever."

Naruto pulled up a chair to Anko's desk and sat down, scooting his chair closer to the woman's work area.

"What is it?" he asked. For some reason, his stomach felt like it was turning in knots, almost as if something bad were about to happen.

"Mind explaining to me why you're taking Calculus?" she asked without hesitation.

"Because - " Naruto began to explain, but he was cut off by Anko who continued on with, "Why would you take Calculus when your transcript says you took A.P. Calculus the previous year and passed the A.P. exam with a four?"

Now Naruto knew why he had that awful pit in his stomach. That sinking feeling that made him want to get as far away from Anko as possible. He should have just walked out the door when he had the chance. Still, he remained silent.

"Not only that, but you're taking a lot of classes you don't need. Freshmen classes since the 8th grade, advanced classes at 9th. You even took A.P. Exams such as Bio, Composition, and U.S. in 10th and passed with outstanding scores! Care to explain this?" Anko said, flipping through his transcript. "Eleventh grade you took classes the advanced seniors are struggling to keep up in. Why are you settling down for regular classes such as Calculus?"

Naruto looked away. He had nothing to say. He didn't even want to be in the room at the moment.

"Naruto?" Anko demanded. "Answer me!"

"Can I go?" he asked, his voice perturbed.

"No. Not until you tell me why you're settling for less?" Anko pressured. "Well?"

"BECAUSE..." Naruto exploded, no longer capable of holding all the pressure in. "Throughout all my years at Leaf Academy all I heard was the same thing: He's so smart – or there's our number one! He's the reason why our school is so successful. It's driving me crazy, Anko! I want to be normal. I want to live a normal life by taking regular classes with regular people. Why should I live up to anybody's expectations other than my own? You have no idea how nerve racking it can be. I took regular classes this year because I don't want A.P.! I don't want to be considered the freaky genius like how I was in my old school. It's my choice! Please...just let me take regular classes, regular calculus."

Anko sat there, looking at Naruto, completely engulfed by shock and astonishment. As much as she wanted to disagree and say that Naruto should set for higher goals, she felt pretty bad for the boy. That very thought she was thinking of a few seconds ago was what was slowly killing him inside.

"Well, you technically don't need any other classes. You can pass two and graduate. So, realistically, this class is your elective and therefore... you can have it if you wish too," she told him.

Naruto looked up and smiled at Anko. She gasped as Naruto unexpectedly pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Oh, man, thanks!" Naruto said with relief. "I guess you aren't a dragon after all."

"A what?"

"Oh nothing..."

"Anyways, this discussion will be confidential. I'll assume that only Lady Tsunade and myself know for now. I give it a week before you'd have to explain to the rest of your instructors, though. Now, get to class and out of my sight."

Naruto nodded and thanked her once again, walking out the door, uttering a final, "Thank you."

Anko sat in her desk, smiling at the idea that things could possibly work out for Naruto. That is until a thought crossed her mind:

Crap, today there's an academic pep rally!

/Passing Period - After Class/

"What did she talk to you about? She saw you cheating, huh?" Kiba said, making assumptions while Naruto made his way out of the class. " I told you not to fuck with my tests. Anko's chill as fuck, dude, but she takes her job serious. She's like a ninja on her shit."

Naruto laughed at Kiba's comment, but pushed his thoughts away, satisfied with the thought that things were actually going his way.

"Nothing. She didn't say anything. Let's just get to P.E.," he replied enthusiastically, laughing manically.

Kiba just shook his head and let out a grin. He didn't know why, but... he really liked it when Naruto was smiling.

/3rd Period - P.E./

"Do you even know where you're going?" Kiba laughed as Naruto fumbled with the school map.

They were outside the building and walking around campus now. The general classes such as Math, English, and History were all within the main building of the school. The other classes like P.E. were located in the back of the main building.

Konoha High was a gated school. The main building that consisted of the general classes was at the front of the school. It was maybe at least two-three stories high and was very wide. On either side of it, there were numerous trees and tables. The design was pretty simple. Behind the main building, there was a black-top which had green high-lighted numbers evenly spaced out; and beyond that, past a vast field, there was a smaller building. That department held Science, Art, Music appreciation, and Drama.

On top of all the buildings and each door that could be found, the leaf symbol for Konoha proudly emblazoned the school motto: "Inherit Your Will of Fire."

Naruto walked around the main building, lingering on the sidewalk, whilst still having Kiba alongside him.

"I have a general idea. The gymnasium should be in the back, right? So... it's this one!" Naruto pointed.

"Bingo! You're right. But we usually go line up on our numbers first, and then we go into the gym," Kiba concluded, laughing.

"Oh," Naruto mused, while he scratched the back of his head.

Kiba instantly distanced himself a few steps from Naruto when he heard a girl's voice. He turned to see that it was Sakura.

"Gosh, Kiba, I've been looking everywhere for you!" she said breathless, catching up with the two.

"What's up, Sakura?" Kiba asked.

"Guy-sensei wants us all to meet on the lower field today. We're not dressing out 'cause third period has been shortened due to pep rally schedule. Where were you?" she questioned.

She then looked behind Kiba to see Naruto, who had his attention directed on the clouds just above their heads. It was a sunny day, but the clouds provided a lot of shade.

"Hey," Sakura interrupted, "you're that new kid, aren't you?"

Naruto broke free from his trance and stared Sakura solemnly in her eyes. Electric blue eyes met emerald green ones as they looked deeply at one another.

"Yeah. I'm Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki," he greeted.

Sakura returned his welcome with a friendly gesture.

"Oh, that's so kind of you, Kiba! Showing the new kid around and all. Hey, Naruto, you got really lucky. Kiba's pretty hot around here! He's got connections and knows how to make anyone feel welcomed! I'm Sakura. Sakura Haruno. Feel free to ask me for anything, too, all right?"

Naruto nodded, glad to have made her acquaintance. He was very fortunate to keep coming across such nice people. After a few seconds of small talk, Kiba, Sakura, and Naruto then walked down the sidewalk and past the black-top together. They made their way down a slope and onto the lower field. There were already several students lined up and a man in green spandex.

"All right! Kiba's here! Now we can get started with our game that will surely bring out the spring time of youth!" the teacher shouted.

Naruto gave Sakura and Kiba an inquisitive stare.

"It's just how he talks," Sakura told him. "Pay no mind to him. You'll get used to it."

"Or more stupid..." Naruto said dryly.

"I agree Guy-sensei. Let us enjoy our youth while we can!" came another voice.

Naruto's expression became more baffled then before.

"Holy crap! A mini-me!"

"Ha-ha-ha!" both Kiba and Sakura laughed. Kiba then added, "That's Lee. He really looks up to his mentor, but don't convince him for a wimp because of the same goofy fashion style. He's probably one of the most strongest, fastest, and toughest guys at this school. In fact, he's the main reason why our track team has been winning for these past four years."

"Oh, Kiba, there you are!" Guy shouted as he pulled the brunet away. "I called everyone down here because due to pep rally schedule we won't have enough time to dress out and work on our daily exercises: 100 pushups, followed by our regular twenty-minute sit-ups interval, and our one mile jog around the campus."

"Oh god! He's joking, right?" Naruto blurted in disbelief.

"He's not joking," Sakura said with a deadpanned expression. "I'm still sore from yesterday, and I didn't even keep up like how Lee and Kiba can."

"So instead I thought we could all have a friendly game of Soccer," Guy went on. "Seeing as you're the captain of the Soccer team, I thought I'd let you set the rules."

"Kiba is... Captain of the soccer team?" Naruto inquired, nudging Sakura.

"You got it! And he's by far the best!" Sakura smiled as she gave a thumbs up with a wink.

"Alright. We'll play free style: No rules! Of course you guys can't use your hands, but you get what I mean when I say no rules. Just get the ball into the goal. Hey, Sensei, who's the second team captain?" Kiba asked after having stated everything.

"Why me of course. I want to challenge you in a real, fair match as we release our inner youth."

Kiba gave him a smug smile and a toothy grin, loving the thrill that came with a worthy challenge.

"I'll start!" Guy began. "Lee!"

Lee ran to his side.

Naruto hated P.E. In his old school, he always got picked close to last because he never did anything. He wasn't the sportsy type, although he did maintain himself in top physical condition. Regardless, though, his athletic abilities sucked, and he wouldn't be surprised if he was picked dead last.

"I call... Naruto!" Kiba called from across the students.

Naruto looked up, shocked by what he had heard. His blue eyes met Kiba's brown ones from across the field. Kiba didn't even know him. Why would he pick him when he could have someone better on his team? Now Guy would surely pick the next best player while Kiba got stuck with him, a sorry one.

"Get up here," Kiba said as he waved for him to come.

Naruto walked through the crowd of students. Obviously no one had ever seen him before so he got many inquisitive stares. In the end, though, he reached Kiba and stood by his place.

"Hmm? I don't believe I've seen him in my class before," Guy started, rubbing his chin.

Kiba quickly explained how Naruto was a new student. Once Naruto gave out his full name, Might Guy discovered that his name was in fact on the roster, and he marked him present. A good ten minutes passed by as they finished selecting their teams.

"Kiba, I don't really like to play sports," Naruto confessed, twiddling his thumbs.

"Awe, it'll be okay. Just pass the ball to me when you can," Kiba reassured with a smile.

Once they took their places, another student, who decided to fail, rather than play, blew the whistle, signaling that the game had begun. The game then began, and Kiba started off with the ball immediately. The teacher already was right on his tail, so he passed it onto Naruto, who, to his own surprise, kept up with Kiba's pace.

Naruto dribbled the ball with his feet, all the while looking ahead as he ran towards the goal. Another boy came out of nowhere from his side and kicked the ball from Naruto's reach, claiming it for his own. However, after a desperate move to not seem useless, Naruto quickly recovered the ball again as he slid and kicked it out of the boys range. The boy tripped over Naruto's leg and fell. The ball then rolled over to Sakura, who was also on Kiba's team, and she instantly started where Naruto had left off. She prepared to kick the ball towards the goal, but a blonde-haired girl came from behind her, threatening to steal it away.

"Back off, Ino Pig!" Sakura yelled loudly.

"Or what? You'll beat me with your forehead, billboard brow!" the girl Ino taunted back.

Unable to shake Ino from her tail, Sakura quickly passed the ball back to Naruto. He meant to go further or pass the ball to another player who had more experience, but three students on the opposing team surrounded him, and so he no other choice but to shoot for the goal. The goalie, however, successfully blocked it, sending it into the air. Quickly and literally out of nowhere, though, Kiba jumped up for the ball and smacked it with his head, sending it into the goal.

"Yahoo!" Kiba howled, doing a back flip with absolute giddiness. "Gooooooaaaaaaal!"

Although he was completely breathless, Naruto couldn't help but laugh as he saw the brunet happily dance around. For some strange reason, though, his stomach began to feel a bit uneasy – and not in the way where he ate something bad or he was hungry uneasy. It just felt weird.

For the rest of the period, the game continued on, but during the second round, it had to be called short. When the bell rang, everyone came to an immediate stop. The referee then deemed Kiba's team the leader.

"1-0" he said.

"Good game, " Might Guy said with an incredible smile. Never had Naruto seen such an elated expression creep over someone's face like that. "That's all for today. Get to class or lunch or wherever. Just make sure to exploit the springtime of youth. You only have it for so long!"

Having been dismissed, Naruto walked off on his own. Kiba followed him, though, and that honestly caught him off guard.

"What are you doing? I have Chemistry right now," Naruto said as he turned around, having noticed that Kiba was tailing him.

"Well... I got lunch. You mind if I walk you to class?" Kiba replied. His last words caused him to blush slightly, but he looked away before Naruto could notice.

"No, it's cool, dude," Naruto laughed. "I could use your help anyway. I think I might get lost."

"For sure. Let's go."

Along the way to Naruto's fourth period class, Kiba got many greetings from numerous students. He also got hit on a lot by many girls. It was slightly uncomfortable for Naruto who felt like an anonymous wallflower in the background. He felt like, compared to Kiba, he was a nobody and insignificant.

"Wow! I never knew you were so popular," Naruto said with a laugh when they reached the door to his fourth period class. "I guess being the captain of the soccer team would do that, though, won't it?"

"How do you know that?"

"Oh...ya know, I've been watching you for the last twenty years..."

"But I'm seventeen?" Kiba laughed.

"Aha. Sakura told me when what's his name called you to pick the teams. And I think he might've mentioned it, too, but I'm not quite sure."

"Oh, duh! Totally forgot we had last period together, man," Kiba laughed.

"Well, hey, thanks for walking me to my class, but I think I'm better off on my own here. I doubt I'll get lost."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine, man," Naruto assured. "Thanks for showing me around while you could. I'm pretty sure I'll be alright from this point on, so just get some lunch and I'll see you around."

Before Naruto could enter the class, already having turned his back on Kiba, the brunet seemed to call him back.

"Naruto!"

"What's up?" he asked as he turned towards Kiba once again.

"I was wondering if maybe you'd... um...you'd like to sit with me during the pep rally?"

"Oh, yeah, sure. I could use some company and a face I know would be cool. But... wait! Aren't you supposed to sit with all the other soccer players or like the sports section or something? I mean that's how we did it at my old school."

"Yeah, but they'll hardly notice that I'm gone."

"You're the team captain," Naruto laughed, arguing. "I'm pretty sure they'll notice your absence."

"Well... I want to sit with you."

"Oh... okay then," Naruto replied softly, quickly retiring into the classroom. "Then I guess I'll see you then. Have a good one, Kiba."

Once the door closed, Kiba felt so elated, almost as if adrenaline was pumping throughout his body, as he ran down the hall, defiantly yelling, "Yahoo!"

/1st Lunch/

After several teachers had opened their doors to chide in on Kiba's fun, the brunet made his way towards the lunch area that was back in the main building of Konoha High. He entered through the back double-doors on the right-hand side of the building and made his way down the hall. Although the number of students in the hall was drastically lessened, there were still a few students who were trying to get to class. Thus, they blocked Kiba's way and constantly detoured his original route. Arriving to lunch late and entering through yet another pair of double-doors, Kiba entered the luncheonette. He had never really paid much attention before, but now that he looked at it, Kiba had to admit that Konoha high had a pretty nice eating area. All around the cafeteria, the walls were painted with their school colors: green and black. The tables were black, the chairs were green, and, heck, even the trays they ate their food off of were mixed colors. And above the luncheonette, there was no ceiling, but glass. The cafeteria in a way reminded Kiba of a greenhouse.

Deciding to skip lunch, which was extremely rare, seeing as how Kiba had an oversized appetite and could normally eat as much as a whale, he made his way over to the table that was in the center of the cafeteria where all his friends sat at. Although, he wasn't one for labels, Kiba had to admit that the only ones who were sitting there were the popular kids of Konoha.

At the table sat Shikamaru Nara, an average boy with an average height. He had jet black hair that was combed back and tied with a rubber-band at the upper-back of his head, a few strands of hair poked out in spikes at the top. Shikamaru usually sported a black shirt, dark blue jeans, and a green vest, but aside from his appearance, Shikamaru was also Konoha High's #1 – which was a befuddlement because Shikamaru was perhaps the most laziest person in the world and seemed like the least academic student. To Shikamaru's right side was his girlfriend, Temari. She was a blonde like Naruto, who had her hair in four knots on the corners of her head, holding her long yellow hair in place. She also had the tendency to wear strange outfits as she styled a large black robe with a red shirt underneath, black sandals, and black fishnet stockings that covered most of her legs. Temari leaned on Shikamaru's right shoulder, looking utterly bored with everything. And on Shikamaru's left was his best friend, Choji, a burly boy who liked to eat a lot of potato chips. He was a nice guy, almost too sensitive to be honest, but he hardly ever really did much which made him kind of invisible to most people.

On the opposite side of Temari, there was Sakura with her pink hair matching that of her red shirt and pink skirt. Today, she decided to wear some low-rise green shorts underneath, the kind that matched her eye color. She also wore red vans and had a pink headband that tied back her short hair in place.

"Kiba, over here!" Sakura called in a shout, smiling. Kiba let out a grin and made his way over to her, sitting down between Sakura and another girl.

"Hi, K-Kiba," a shy girl to his side greeted.

"Hey, Hinata, how have you been?" Kiba replied as he greeted the girl.

Hinata, a short, timid girl, who looked very much Asian, blushed as Kiba patted her on her shoulders. She had long violet hair and soft white eyes. As a matter of fact, her eyes were so white that her pupils seemed to be invisible. Kiba at times even questioned if she had any.

Unable to come up with a response, Hinata just sat there at the table, twiddling her thumbs, blushing a furious red.

Typical Hinata. Too flabbergasted to respond as always.

Hinata was the type who got choked up over the simplest of questions and was far too innocent for her own good. She was very unsociable with many people and it was just fortunate for her that she happened to make friends with the most popular jock in high school since back when they were in grade school. And as Hinata's eyes were kind and compassionate, her cousin, Neji's, were intimidating and terrifying. Said boy sat there at the table with the others. Most people didn't like to socialize with him because of his superior attitude towards others, but he believed he had every right to brag. Other than beating Shikamaru in grades, Neji was Konoha high's number two and also Konoha high's best defensive goalie on the soccer team. Not only that, but the boy was also just considered to be a pure genius.

And although Neji was very much rude to every other person, to his friends, the majority that sat at the table, he was... tolerable. Kiba in fact was on good terms with Neji, which is why he hadn't intervened with the situation at hand earlier.

They all sat there, talking and laughing as they ate their food.

With nothing to do, Kiba began to reflect on today's earlier events. He'd think about a lot of random things, but for some reason his mind kept on wandering back to Naruto. He didn't know why, but he was curious about him. He was wondering what he was doing right now, wondering whether he was liking his fourth period class or whether he had made any new friends at all. His thoughts were so mind consuming as a matter of fact that he hadn't heard Sakura call out his name twice before she flicked him on the forehead to get his attention.

"Kiba, are you okay? You kinda just left planet Earth out of nowhere. Do I have to start sounding like an astronaut to bring you back down here or what?" she said, echoing her voice slightly.

"Sorry. I'm fine. I just have a lot on my mind right now," he said, abashed. "You guys have a good one. I think I just need to take a walk is all."

Kiba abruptly stood up from his table, stuck his hands into his jeans, and made his way out of the double-doors within the cafeteria. Once he exited the second double-doors, he was back outside on campus grounds. He walked alongside the sidewalk until he saw a nice tree that provided a lot of shade. He made his way to the tree and sat down, leaning his back against the trunk, resting his head on it.

"What's the matter with me?" Kiba questioned himself. "Why the hell do I keep thinking about Naruto? I mean I don't even know him."

And then the question of all questions appeared it's ugly head around the corner, but instantly Kiba was in denial.

"No! I don't like guys. I can't. But... Ugh! Why do I keep thinking about him, and why do I feel this... happiness when I do. What does this mean?" Kiba scoffed as he slapped himself on both cheeks.

Why lie to yourself?

The voice came out of nowhere, but Kiba already knew where it was from. He took a moment to think, listened to what his inner conscience was telling him, and he thought things through clearly for a change rather then brashly. After all, he was safe within the confines of his own mind, wasn't he? For some time, Kiba thought it over, and his decision was made. He concluded in the end that he didn't like guys, for none caught his attention, but he indeed did find an attraction towards Naruto, the reason still unknown.

"He's just a guy who I happen to... want to get to know," Kiba said to himself. "Doesn't mean I'm gay. It could just mean... I can see the possibility of having a badass homie."

The bell then rang while Kiba nodded his head in approval. Maybe things would work out best for him after all.

/4th Period – Chemistry/

As soon as Naruto had slipped into the room, he made his way over to the teacher's desk. Kakashi Hatake instantly explained the curriculum and what they had been studying on for the last past week. Naruto nodded in agreement, understanding all of the assignments Kakashi was now assigning to him so that he could catch up with the rest of the class. Soon enough the bell rang and the class flooded with students who were no doubt standing around outside making idle conversation. Kakashi quickly assigned Naruto a seat in the back where he didn't sit at a desk like the majority of the class but instead at a table that was connected to the sinks found in science labs.

Sitting across Naruto was a pale boy with a light blue shirt. He seemed really annoyed as he had his fingers folded together and his eyes closed with a look of irrefutable, deep concentration.

"Are you okay?" Naruto asked. He didn't know what prompted him to be so bold and ask such an adamant question upfront, but the boy's expression was a bit troubling. And it was then that the boy's eyes shot wide open, and he looked over at Naruto. His pitch-black eyes made contact with Naruto's blue eyes and his eyebrows contracted with slight irritation.

"What's it to you?" came his cold reply.

Naruto shook his head and turned away from the stranger, but he had seemed to call him back. And, although he didn't really want to, Naruto glanced back at him once more, curious.

"I haven't seen you here before," he said indifferently, not a trace of interest at all detected within his voice as he kept his gaze straight ahead towards the board. "Are you new here?"

Is he really trying to make conversation without eye contact?

"Yeah, I am new here." Naruto replied in an equally dry manner. "I'm Uzumaki."

The boy with black spiked up hair nodded, still showing no interest whatsoever as he nonchalantly replied, "I'm Sasuke Uchiha."

Naruto took his indifference as one of those fronts people put up to try and act cool.

"Well it's nice to meet you, Sasuke. Hey... since I'm new around here, you think you could show me around during lunch? I got lost looking for my first period class, and I only made it to my other two because I had a friend helping me out."

Sasuke said nothing for a total of one minute before he coldly replied, "No."

I think I got the point when you didn't answer right away, Naruto concluded.

"Oh, okay then. It's totally cool."

The rest of the period went in silence, other than the exception of Mr. Hatake's lecture. Naruto had always found Chemistry interesting, but the way Kakashi-sensei explained it was like a totally new world. Kakashi found cool ways to talk about the elements and how they were associated with Chem. It was as if he were manipulating them himself and causing bonds that were abnormal and unreal. It was literally awesome!

But then when Kakashi started going over a topic that Naruto had already learned and practiced back at Leaf Academy, he started to reminisce on his day, starting with his first period class, where he had met Kiba. He randomly began to chuckle, but Naruto quickly composed himself as Sasuke turned his left eye slightly towards his direction, observing him. The last thing Naruto wanted was for people to think of him as 'the crazy boy who laughs with himself.' But the reason why he started to laugh in the first place though was because he remembered Kiba's outburst about the marrying of his eyeballs. This brought another smile to Naruto's lips. Kiba was for sure, without a doubt, an eccentric. And yet... for some reason, he was glad he hadn't pushed the brunet away when it was that he was trying to formally introduce himself. He was glad he had decided to befriend him.

Something was off, though. And that was something Naruto had to admit to himself. He felt like he... liked Kiba a little too much. Truthfully, he enjoyed the boy's company. It was kind of boring now without him. In fact, it was so boring that Naruto felt a little sad that he wasn't here right now. And the moment Kiba said that they would no longer have any classes together was also a let down. It was almost as if he depended on Kiba just to have a good time – which was ridiculous if one thought about it logically.

I wonder why that loser keeps popping up in my head. Arggh! I'm worse then a gir-

Naruto's eyes widened in shock as he caught onto his own thought process and shook his head, freaking out. What was he thinking? Why was he thinking about a boy so much? There was no way this could be happening. No fucking way at all. Naruto Uzumaki was not gay. No, he couldn't be.

But then... what was this attraction he was feeling towards Kiba? This pull? Was it lust in some shape or form? No, he had never even thought about doing anything provocative with Kiba – or at least not until he not thought about it.

A mental image of Kiba, much to Naruto's dismay, strolled into his head then:

Kiba stood in an open field with a white jersey and white shorts as he held onto a soccer ball. The shirt was then subtracted, and Kiba stood there shirtless, his broad chest and blazing, rock-hard abs displaying his well defined exterior. His lean muscles were taught as he flexed his arms, sweat drops glistening off of his body. His flawless face and tanned physique were also a wet dream as he held the ball to his hips in a seductive manner. He then moved the soccer ball further down below, so it could cover his pelvis. His shorts were then removed, showing all of Kiba's features except that of his pride and glory. After a few agonizing seconds, Kiba began to move the ball, and Naruto practically began to drool in his seat as the Inuzuka was about to expose himself. And then -

"Naruto. This is important. Don't be losing track on the first day," Kakashi warned him, shaking his finger.

Naruto groaned, his reverie interrupted. Not only that, but now he was receiving a raging hard-on within the confines of his shorts.

Yup. It's official. I'm gay!

Naruto realized this as he thought things through, putting everything together piece by piece. He let his chin hit his desk as he sulked over his new discovery.

"Now Kiba won't want to be my friend, period!" Naruto sighed in a whisper.

However, after a moment, the blond stubbornly shook his head.

No. I can still be friends with Kiba. I just won't tell him, and I'll respectively keep my distance. I mean I'm pretty sure Kiba's straight, anyways. He's the hottest guy in this school. What girl wouldn't want him? He's probably been around. Naruto face fell grim as he made himself even more depressed than he already was. And even if he was gay – which is highly doubtful, Naruto! You'd never stand a chance with him, not when there's guys like HIM in this school.

He finished that last thought as he glanced over at Sasuke. The boy was drop-dead gorgeous. His non-caring attitude was no help, neither. It just gave his mysterious mystique bonus points, making him seem all the more attractive. Instead of moping any further, though, Naruto lifted his chin and told himself in an upbeat attitude, "Kiba's my friend. I should at least be thankful for that."

With that in mind, Naruto decided to let his concerns go and paid close attention to Mr. Hatake's lecture. All the while, Sasuke had been glancing at Naruto through the periphery of his eye, a smile tugging at his lips.

"You seem like... a total loser," the Uchiha said.

Before Naruto could rebuttal, the bell rang, and Sasuke sauntered off. Grimacing to himself for having been dissed and ditched, Naruto quickly collected his things as well and set off for lunch.

/2nd Lunch/

Naruto found his way to the lunch room by using his school map. He arrived later than everyone else, but he was pretty proud that he had made it regardless – and on good time, too. He nervously checked around the cafeteria. It was huge. It was maybe twice the size of his old cafeteria. The school colors matching with the white-marble floor wasn't a bad touch, either. And the variety of food choices they had was also impressive. At leaf academy they never had pizza, burgers, or dessert. At his old school, they only provided healthy food, not sweets. Naruto was all for pro-choice, but every now and then he did love to have a little junk food – something leaf academy always neglected him of.

"Oh, Kami! They have gatorade and soda!" Naruto beamed, his face lighting up.

Without further thought, Naruto started grabbing everything that would surely put him in a food coma: a few slices of Pizza, some cookies, and two gatorades; and once he was done, he looked around the lunch room to see where he could sit. Every table, however, seemed to be occupied with people he didn't know. It was then that he saw a few kids heading outside with their food, and he remembered that there were tables set outside. He pursued them through the double doors.

To make it look like he wasn't following like some creepy stalker, Naruto made a turn to the left as soon as he walked out onto school grounds. He noticed a few clear tables, but settled for one he was especially fond of. He sat at a table that was placed under a very tall tree, no sun hitting it whatsoever. Naruto sat down and began to eat his food. He chewed on his pizza slices slowly, relishing each and every bite. He hadn't remembered how long it had been since the last time he had eaten the food of the gods. As he was twisting his cap to get a drink from his gatorade, he noticed a kid behind a tree to his right. He wore a large overcoat-jacket with a hoodie that covered his neck, mouth, and head. He also wore a pair of black goggles that made his eyes undetectable. He seemed to be staring at Naruto, but because his eyes were invisible, he wasn't quite sure. And, then, gradually, the boy fell back into the shadows until he was no longer in sight.

Creepy!

"Oi! Naruto."

Naruto snapped his head in the direction where he was being called from. Coming from the double doors of the cafeteria was Kiba.

"Kiba!" Naruto practically shouted, both for being in disbelief and the second because his naked flesh just seemed to pop back into his mindset. "What are you doing here? Don't you have class – or better things to do then stalk me like some weird, creepy journalist?"

"It's weird that you said that cause I actually have Journalism fourth period, aha! Sometimes the teacher lets us go out to do reports around campus, and I thought... Hey! What's better than getting an actual inside scoop on the school, if not from a new student himself. So... what do you say? Would you help me with my interview?" Kiba asked him.

Naruto agreed. He always found journalism kind of interesting. And if it helped Kiba with getting a high grade, then why not. Plus, if he had said no, then maybe Kiba would have left to go interview someone else. After all, he was just out here with Naruto to complete an assignment given to him.

"Yeah, sure," Naruto said. "But you better not go twisting my words. If anyone is gonna make me out to be a conniving, impulsive, malicious liar, I'd rather do it myself."

"You know a lot of big words," Kiba laughed.

Those aren't big words... I learned them in the sixth grade...

Lunch went on with Naruto listening to Kiba's questions and answering them as so. He gave each once a minute to sink in before he eventually replied to it. When Kiba finished his interview, he put down his pencil, his writing pad, and took one of Naruto's cookies, not even having asked for it.

"Hey!" Naruto shouted, and his tone of voice was different. So much so that even Kiba caught onto it.

"What? Don't tell me you're gonna get all butthurt over a cookie. Learn to share," Kiba said as he stuck out his tongue and took a bite, obviously not caring.

"Dude, that's mine! Fuck sharing!" Naruto complained, this time sounding more like a greedy, antisocial child. "You don't know how long it's been since I had one of those. If I give you one, I'll have one less!"

"Come and stop me then!" Kiba challenged, taking yet again another cookie. It was the last one actually.

Naruto's anger began to bubble, but then he realized that Kiba was actually getting a rise out of him for something so insignificant. In the end, he shrugged Kiba's words off, saying, "Sorry, I don't go to bitches. They come to me."

Kiba practically choked on his cookie due to insult. If there was one word Kiba was not fond of, it had to be the word bitch. For some reason, it pissed him off like no other. Maybe it was because he saw himself like an alpha or a top-dog, and the word bitch just seemed to be the complete opposite of that. That word was not only degrading, it was downright unacceptable.

"Hmm. Too bad I'm not a bitch!" Kiba replied as he took a bite of the last cookie, a bite in which's Naruto's eyes followed with intensity. "I'm top-dog around here!"

"That does it,"Naruto said angrily as he rolled up his sleeves. He then got on the seat and lunged across the table, yelling, "I'm kicking your ass!"

"Gah!" Kiba half-choked as Naruto pounced on him. The reaction was so random and unexpected. No normal, sane person would leap across a distance to pummel someone over a sweet.

A thud echoed slightly as Kiba hit the ground hard. His back was to the floor and Naruto was on top of him, practically wrestling with the brunet's vice grip for the remaining piece of chocolate chip. The struggle was too much, along with Naruto's weight, and Kiba ended up losing as the blond quickly snatched the rest of what was pretty much crumbs and stuffed into his mouth.

"Yeah! Who's top-dog now, asshole?" Naruto laughed in mock victory, his mouth full and his words incomprehensible.

Kiba did not reply, however. Naruto was sitting on his lap, practically straddling him, and he didn't know how to react. For some reason it was entirely wrong. Naruto should get off him immediately. But, yet, the sensation was so good. Kiba moaned as he felt Naruto's rear on his member, which was growing slightly larger with each passing second. The thin material of Naruto's pants wasn't helping, either. And the fact that Naruto's ass was a god's send was just killing him.

Having heard that groan, Naruto stared down at Kiba, who was wincing at the bit of pleasure that was surging throughout his body. Instinctively, he put both his hands on Naruto's hips and when he did, Kiba took notice of his actions and -

"Naruto! Get off!" Kiba shouted angrily, pushing Naruto to the side.

"Ow, dude! Sorry," Naruto apologized, turning his gaze from Kiba's. "I didn't know I was hurting you!"

"Of course you were, you fucking pompous baboon!"

"Jerkass!" Naruto shouted back, snapping his head back in the Inuzuka's direction. "Fuck you!"

"Awe, don't be mad, babe. Let's kiss and make up," Kiba teased as he shot out a grin, which showed off his sharp canines.

All reactive movements came to a halt as Kiba felt two hands clamp down on his cheeks. He looked directly into light blue eyes that seemed to be moving in with each passing second. Naruto was moving in, and he was moving in fast!

Oh god! He's going to kiss me!

"Wow! You have really sharp teeth," Naruto stated as he touched Kiba's fangs with his index finger, and looked under his nose to see how well pointed they were, probing his mouth like a dentist. "You could literally cut through some skin with those things!"

Kiba unfroze, slightly flustered, his fingers curled like an animal as he felt Naruto tap his canines. Was Naruto literally teasing him? If so, the asshole was gonna pay. He bit Naruto's finger in revenge.

"Ow!" Naruto groaned, pulling back and flailing his finger around. "Dude! What the hell? Awe, man, I'm gonna get rabies now!"

"The better to bite you with!" Kiba clowned in a gruff voice as he tried to bite Naruto again.

Naruto laughed as he backed away. "You have issues."

Kiba frowned at that, but later smirked as he realized Naruto was just messing around, a smile on his lips as well. They both sat back down on the table, sitting on the same side, but in different positions. Naruto sat on the table, and Kiba sat on the seat.

"Hey! I didn't know you had marks on your cheeks. What are those?" Kiba asked, having been observing Naruto subtly.

"There's a lot to me that you don't know about," Naruto said with a laugh, locking his eyes on Kiba's. "I mean I'm new to this school. You actually don't know anything about me."

"Well I mean I could, if you'd tell me, right?" Kiba said in a confused tone..

"Maybe. I don't know," Naruto replied. "I'm not exactly the opening type. You'd have to literally be with me day and night for me to trust you enough."

"That doesn't sound bad at all!"

A huge blush covered Naruto's face and his heart palpitated madly. All through this, they had been whispering, and, without taking any notice, they were slowly inching themselves closer to one another as Kiba had risen to his feet.

"Yeah... maybe," Naruto said as he closed in, both boys nose to nose, both eyes glued on nothing but each other. "I don't think that will be such a bad idea, either."

Their lips slightly brushed when the bell rang. Instantly, the duo parted, snapping out of it.

"I gotta go!" they both shouted in unity, Naruto scurrying off ahead while Kiba did a back roll/flip off of the table and headed in the opposite direction, daring not to look at each other or even think about what just did or could have happened.

/5th Period – Government/

Kiba entered the room quickly rather than chatting outside with his friends as he normally did. He sat at his desk and buried his face into the wooden pallet of the metallic chair. He pulled his gray zip-up hoodie over his head, not wanting to talk to anyone. When Kiba had a lot on his mind, he preferred to be isolated so he could think of the various situations that were plaguing his thoughts. And, oh, man, was there one situation that rushed to his mind at every chance it could get!

Did he and Naruto almost kiss?

Did he kiss Naruto?

No, he had confirmed that they did indeed not kiss, but he also noticed that Naruto hadn't pulled away, neither.

No no no! That didn't mean that Naruto liked Kiba – or approved of it. It just meant that Naruto wasn't paying attention, right?

I mean I wasn't even really paying attention, right?.

The brunet shook his head on his desk as he further looked into recent events.

What is he doing to me? I need to relax. I'm pretty sure it was nothing! Kiba screamed in his head.

"BUT WHY DID IT FEEL SO RIGHT?!"

A girl with knotted buns on the side of her head arrived at Kiba's side.

"Hi, Kiba," she greeted as she took her seat next to the Inuzuka. "You talking to yourself again?"

"Tenten! Can I ask you a question?" Kiba asked, his eyes pleading for answers from the brunette.

"Um... sure. Shoot," she replied as she set her bag down on the floor next to her chair.

Kiba wasted no time in delaying.

"Okay! Let's say you like someone, but they are entirely wrong for you. And not because they do anything bad – or because appearance wise or anything like that. But more because others wouldn't approve of that person and also because you don't know how that other person feels about you?" he asked, trying to avoid words like him and he.

Tenten seemed to be diverged in thought as she took in a minute or two to let the question fully sink in.

"I would say that who cares what other people think? Everyone is so judgmental nowadays that it'd be impossible to get the approval of everyone. I say you shouldn't worry too much about it. Besides, those who really love you, well, they'd support your decision... no matter what. Also, the part of her not liking you... Hmm..." she pondered as she put her fingers to her chin in a guy-like manner. "I would say that you should just ask her. What's life without a little risk, man? You got to risk it all to win it all! At least that's my motto anyways. So who's the girl?"

Kiba blushed at that and his breathing came to a stop, having heard the word girl'

"Uh-nuh-no one. It–It was one of those questions I asked for a friend. A hypothetical scenario Thanks, Tenten," Kiba replied after much stuttering, turning back around and away from Tenten.

"I think you're lying to me, but, hey, it's your business, not mine," she finished. "Glad I could help."

Kiba thought over what Tenten had just said, and she was absolutely right. Who cared about what other people thought? As long as he had Naruto with him, why would Kiba care? That boy brought about the first ounce of happiness Kiba's had for the first time in weeks.

I just have to take a chance on it... the brunet exhaled.

/5th Period - Performing Arts/

Naruto made his way back across campus as he went down onto the lower field and back into the building where he previously was for his Chemistry class. Naruto had Performing Arts next. Most schools separated categories like Drama, Music, Art, Culinary, and Ceramics, but not this school. Konoha High had all subjects wrapped up in one course. They even offered a Health program in there for extra kicks. The reason for this unity of all subjects was so that throughout the school year students would be able to explore all fields of artistic interest.

Making his way down the hall of the first floor, Naruto found himself deep in thought. However, he decided that right now wasn't the best moment to ponder on such things so he pushed his troubling thoughts to the back of his head and entered his fifth period class. He showed the teacher his schedule and sat down next to Choji, the burly boy who was Shikamaru's best friend and who was also currently swallowing down a bag of potato chips.

Ugh! I hate it when people smack!.

Even though he hated the noises coming from Choji's open mouth, he decided to play nice and strike up a conversation.

"Hi. I'm Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki. I'm new here. It's nice to meet you," he inaugurated, reaching out a hand.

The boy stopped eating his chips and looked at the Uzumaki's hand. He wiped his chips on his shirt, leaving food stains, and grabbed Naruto's hand with his own.

"I'm Choji. Choji Akimichi," Choji announced as he shook Naruto's hand.

Naruto flashed a smile at him, but the moment he turned back around, he wiped his hands on his jeans, slightly disgusted with the fact that Choji didn't carry some hand sanitizer with him or anything. The teacher then began to lecture, informing Naruto on what they had learned previously and on what they were learning at the moment.

Performing Arts was perhaps Naruto's most enjoyable subject. It was the only class where he could express himself. He could do things that made him... him. He could draw, he could play an instrument, and he could act. All the others aspects to him were boring and implacable.

The blond sat at his desk, replaying today's actions in his head. What was it about Kiba that just turned Naruto... on?

Seriously, he barely met the boy today. Most people didn't crush on someone on the first day. It was impossible. He had to know why? Realistically, love was out of the question. Maybe... Was it lust? He did just have a fantasy in the previous classroom. But, no, that didn't make sense. Naruto never thought of anything about a guy until today...

After several seconds of intense thinking, which meant looking at it rationally and logically, Naruto concluded that it was just a strong infatuation. He knew that they almost kissed. That he wasn't going to deny. But was it intentional? To be honest, he slightly hoped so. His heart even gave a heavy sigh as, once again, pessimistic thoughts buzzed into his head and broke his delighted spirits.

He doesn't like me like that. It was just a spur of the moment kind of thing. Like I said: Even if he was... Why me?

Because you're fun to be around. You're honest and you speak your mind

Right. And what's there to like about that?

What's not to like about that? Besides, you're also smart and fit and hot! Not to mention, you have one ammmaaaaazzzing ass!

I do not! Naruto protested, confused by arguing with himself. Stop talking like that!

Dude, stop being such a downer! Honestly, people like that are aggravating! Ever think that Kiba might just like you for you! his voice chided with stubbornness.

I guess you...or me...or I don't know...could be right.

The bell then rang and Naruto headed off to his sixth period class, a slight glimmer of hope sparkling off his eyes as he walked forward with bold determination.

/6th Period - A.P. Government/

A.P. Government was perhaps the only A.P. course Naruto decided to take for his first semester. He thought it would be best to have at least one potential challenging class or other-wise he'd get lazy with his work and would probably succumb to Senioritis: a graduating senior's worst enemy. No, that wasn't going to happen. He wasn't pressured all these years just to flunk out in the end. Heck no! He was going to get outstanding grades once again, but this time without all of the pressures, hassles, and motivations that came along with it.

Most people sought out motivation, but not Naruto. Oh, no, sir. He was sick and tired of it. Honestly, it was a such a drag when people expected too much from you.

Finally, after much traveling, which was honestly a pain in his ass and why he was hating his school schedule, he made his way to the final platform of Konoha High's main building on the other end of school. Here, the Government, Economic, and History classes lied.

Naruto looked once more at his schedule and made his way to his class. Constant students bumped into him as he didn't pay much attention to the scenario in front of him, his face glued to his map. He turned to the right, noticing a classroom that had his room number. He entered, already pulling out his schedule to show the teacher.

The teacher, Asuma, marked him down on the attendance sheet and had him introduce himself to the class, along with stating three facts about himself.

Once everyone entered, Naruto began.

"Hi. I'm Naruto Uzumaki. Um...I previously went to Leaf Academy. It's that...um...private school on the other end of the town. I like to swim...and the third thing I can say about myself is... that I don't know what to say about myself?"

Several students laughed, and Asuma sighed, accepting it. He then thanked Naruto for his participation and asked him to sit down at any available seat.

Naruto looked around. There were only a few kids in this class. He'd doubt he'd recognize anyone.

"Since the pep-rally's this period, I suppose there won't be much time to do anything. Just chill I guess," the teacher told the class as he sat at his desk.

"Naruto," a familiar voice called. Naruto turned, seeing that it was Sakura.

"Sakura!" Naruto grinned as he saw the girl with pink hair. He made his way to the back of the class with her. There in the back was another familiar face. Sasuke Uchiha sat there, close to Sakura's side.

Hey, if both Sasuke and Sakura were there, then maybe... It was then that Naruto glimpsed around the class in hopes of finding other people he had spoken to in previous classes. He saw a few he recognized. That obnoxious punk from before, Neji. That weird kid who was hiding behind the tree. And that was about it. He didn't know anyone else.

A random girl came and sat with them.

"Hi N-Na-Naruto. I'm Hi-Hi-Hinata," she greeted with a blush, stuttering quite a lot. "I thought you were...um... pretty funny up there."

Whoa! She has the same eyes as that other guy, but hers tell an entirely different story.

And Naruto was right. Unlike Neji's, whose were filled with volatile hatred, Hinata's eyes were filled with compassion and understanding. Maybe they were brother and sister – or cousins.

"So... why are there only a little bit of students in this class?" Naruto asked, looking around, counting a total of twenty-three students.

"Well that's easy to explain," came a tired, bored voice from behind. "A.P. at Konoha High is pretty difficult. Hardly anyone takes it. It's usually only Top Ten members who do, and the other kids who think they're as smart. They probably are, but they're usually not. I'm Shikamaru Nara. It's nice to meet you."

Shikamaru held out his hand, and Naruto shook it.

"I'm Temari. No last name is required," his girlfriend said as she also shook Naruto's hand.

"So who's Top Ten in here?" Naruto asked.

"Well, that guy over there in red is number ten, and the guy with the big green coat and black goggles is Shino. He's number nine. That guy over there, the one with the pale skin and belly shirt, his name is Sai. He's number eight. Hinata here is number seven, and Temari is number six. Yours truly, muah, is number five. Sasuke is number four. That kid over there with the black hair and bucket hat is number three. I don't exactly know his name, but I do know that he is wicked smart. Won't surprise me if he passes Neji," Sakura listed and stated and when she mentioned Neji there was a snort on the other end of the room. She carried on," Anyways, Neji is number two, and Shikamaru is number one."

Sakura finished naming all the candidates as she pointed to each member, finishing with Shikamaru.

"Wow! Awesome!" Naruto replied. "Seems like I'm around all the smart kids."

"Surely, you must be used to it," Neji chided from the opposite end. "Everyone is smarter then you in comparison."

An announcement projected over head, interrupting Naruto's remark, as the principle declared that all teachers begin releasing students for the pep rally. All the students walked out of their classrooms, making their way towards the gym.

"I noticed that that kid in red was kind of bummed. Why is that?" Naruto silently asked Sakura as they made their way to the Gymnasium.

"Apparently there was a change in the order. I heard he got bumped off the list. It's a rumor, but seeing how sad he was... it must be true." Sakura said, sounding sad.

"That sucks. I wonder what could have caused that?" Naruto thought aloud.

/6th period – Gym/

Naruto entered the Gymnasium, his eyes scrutinizing the large building. He was so lost, and he didn't know where to go. Students were everywhere, cheering, and there was loud music that blocked out all noise, making the whole thing a giant, confused mess.

"Oi! Naruto!" a voice called from the bleachers, making itself louder than all the noise.

Naruto looked up and saw Kiba, and a grin instantly crawled upon his face. He ran up the bleachers towards him, jumping past a few at a time. Sakura followed in pursuit, Sasuke behind her.

"Hi Kiba," she greeted with a wave and smile, having seen her closest friend.

Naruto sat by Kiba and with a smile asked, "So what's this pep-rally for, man?"

"Academic Achievement."

"So early?"

"It's already past the 1st eight weeks Naruto," Kiba responded. "We're about to hit October. School here started the week before July had ended."

The Pep-Rally started off with a performance from cheer and then the Konoha Dance Team. Drama put up a presentation of their own, and then, finally, Lady Tsunade, the principal, walked out onto the center of the arena.

"Alright. We're now going to introduce the Top Ten and congratulate them for their academic progress," Tsunade began."At number ten we have... Aburame, Shino!"

Shino's eyebrows raised, and he was stunned to discover that he was number ten. However, nontheless, he made his way to the center, accepting the certificate. He made his way to leave, Tsunade beckoned him to stay until she called all members down. And Shino wasn't the only one confused, either. All the other members were stupefied as well. They all discussed in hushed murmurs, asking one another as to why this was happening.

What Sakura said was true. That kid did get bumped. But how? And why?

"I always thought Shino was number nine?" Kiba asked, unsure of what was going on, scratching his chin. 'I'm confused here."

Sakura nodded, agreeing with Kiba. The following student was Sai being bumped up to number nine.

"Number eight: Hyuga, Hinata," Tsunade called. Hinata made her way down, her face torn with the fact that she was no longer number seven, but now number eight.

"Number seven: Temari of The Sand."

Temari came down the bleachers and took the certificate, standing in the center with the other Top Ten members. Occasionally, other people would move around, making Naruto scoot closer to Kiba and sometimes even bump him. Due to the sudden compression, the brunet had the strange impulse of wanting to hold the blond's hand, his fingers trembling reflexively.

It's now or never!

Consumed by fear and shaking all the while, Kiba slowly snaked his hand downwards, reaching for Naruto's open hand. Naruto paid no notice as he intensely watched his classmates, wanting to see why the order had been so rearranged.

"Number six: Haruno, Sakura." Sakura's face fell, pure terror reflecting on that of her countenance.

"Oh no!" she whined. When people gave her sympathetic looks, she quickly changed her demeanor and added, "It's fine. There's no problem."

CHA! WHAT THE HECKS GOING ON HERE!

The girl with pink hair made her way down and accepted the certificate, appearing clam, although, evidently, she was far from that.

"Number five: Uchiha, Sasuke," Tsunade called.

Sasuke, without showing any kind of hesitation or interest for that matter, walked down to gather his slip. The kid with the black spiky hair was called down for being number four. His face held no expression, neither, but his light-gray eyes, almost a silver color, gave away his true feelings: annoyance and contemplation. And then he looked up at the bleachers to exactly where Kiba and Naruto had been sitting.

Naruto stared at him and asked, "Why is he looking at -"

"Number three: Hyuga, Neji!" Tsunade cried.

"What!" yelled a voice from the crowd in a fierce manner, actually cutting off all music.

Neji wasted no effort in expressing his opinion, practically running down the steps and shouting in Tsunade's face.

"What do you mean number three? I have been number two since freshmen year! What's the cause for this outrage?"

"Neji, just take the slip!" Tsunade barked back, her voice hinting annoyance.

Kiba touched Naruto's fingers, then, slightly tapping them, and he slowly wrapped his hands around Naruto's. Naruto at first flinched at the touch, but then, after a millisecond, he turned his head towards the brunet.

What is he doing?

This is it! Kiba thought

"Na-Naruto... I...um -" Kiba began, but he was caught off as Tsunade's voice boomed over the microphone.

"Number two: Uzumaki, Naruto!" Kiba instantly pulled his hand back as did Naruto.

"WHAT!" they both shouted together, shocked.

Even the Top Ten shouted, Neji having been the loudest.

"Naruto Uzumaki! Please come down and accept this certificate."

Kiba eyed Naruto who looked on ahead with terror.

"Naruto Uzumaki! Come down here and please accept this," Tsunade repeated. "Seriously, kid, we don't have all day."

Left with no option, Naruto got up off the bleachers, making his way down them as he appeared on the gymnasium floor.

"This is some kind of a joke, isn't it?" Neji fiercely questioned.

"No, Neji, it's not," Tsunade said. "Naruto's grades are outstanding. He's only but a few points away from being valedictorian, and he's not even taking A.P."

"Outrage!" Neji yelled through gritted teeth, unwilling to believe it.

Tsunade waved him off and then called down Shikamaru Nara, who was number one. Once all members were there, Tsunade beckoned that they all have a round of applause and then dismissed the assembly as the bell rang and it was time to go home.

Instead of waiting for Kiba – or a confrontation from pale eyes, Naruto ran, not wanting to be anywhere near another student – or the school for that matter. Kiba saw Naruto sprint, and he quickly got up, chasing after him.

/After school - Campus grounds/

Why is he so damn fast! Non-sports playing people shouldn't be this darn fast!

Naruto barely managed to reach the gate before he was pulled back by the Inuzuka.

"Hey, what's going on?" Kiba asked, out of breath, restraining a fidgeting Naruto. "Why'd you run off?"

Try all he'd like, what with his tossing and turning, Naruto could not break free from the brunet's grasp.

"Mind telling me why you're so fidgety?"

"No!" Naruto replied sternly, scoffing.

Surrounding students, who were making their way off campus, watched the two of them, a bit confused with what was occurring.

"Maybe we should go somewhere else," Kiba trailed, not liking the attention they were receiving.

"Maybe you should let me go!" Naruto practically yelled, throwing a tantrum like a five year old who didn't get things their way.

"Not goin' to happen," Kiba said, relaxing the blond as he rubbed Naruto's shoulders and dragged him further back on campus. "Come on."

By the time they had reached the tree from where they had ate their lunch, most of the students had left, making the school seem abandoned and desolated. Kiba sat Naruto down, still rubbing his shoulders.

"You're so tense!" Kiba stated, rubbing the strained muscles between Naruto's neck and shoulder pads.

"Tell me about it!" Naruto sarcastically responded, now more calmed down than he was before. The brunet finished up and sat next to Naruto. He forced the blond to look at him.

"What's going on with you? You just won an award and knocked off most of all the Top Ten members! You should be proud, not tensed or stressed. Frankly, it kind of hurts that you kept such a secret from me," Kiba mused, looking away.

"Secret? What secret?"

"The fact that you're a freaky, super genius – Duh!" Kiba replied, gazing at the blond. "I mean you heard Tsunade: And he's not even taking A.P."

Naruto's face became cold and flat.

"Naruto?" Kiba inquired.

He put his hand to the boy's chin and turned his head. Naruto appeared as if he were on the verge of tears.

"Did I say something wrong?" Kiba posed, examining Naruto's eyes, his own eyes beginning to sadden.

"No!" Naruto said on the verge of tears as he shook Kiba off of him. "Nothing that isn't already on the minds of everyone else here at Konoha High."

Kiba gave him a skeptical look. He really did not understand what the boy was rambling on about. Naruto let out an overwhelming sigh, and he put his fingers to his forehead.

"In my old school, I got the best grades. I was valedictorian – or at least I was supposed to be. Everyone would talk about how smart I was, and my teachers were always praising me for my success. I was voted most likely to achieve since the end of my junior year. Do you know how sad that is? When a Junior is voted most likely to succeed over anybody in their class when the next year hasn't even started yet, " Naruto paused.

"Are you ashamed of your success?"

"No, it's not that."

"Then what is it?" Kiba retorted.

"Ever since I was little when my mom and dad passed away, my grandfather had always pressured me! He's always forced me to participate in events that I never wanted to be apart of. It's nerve racking and insufferable when everyone has such high hopes for you and expects you to do what they want you to do. I transferred here so that I can avoid all that! I came here so I could start off fresh, ya know?" Naruto explained, letting out a resigned sigh.

Kiba chuckled, running a hand through his hair and tousling it.

"It's not funny!" Naruto pouted, huffing madly.

"I'm sorry. I'm not laughing 'cause it's funny. I'm laughing 'cause I think you and I are going to be great friends!" the Inuzuka responded with a toothy grin.

"Mind elaborating?"

"You say that you hate the fact that you carry around everyone's expectations, almost as if you're carrying a large burden placed by others, am I right?" Kiba asked. "Well, Naruto, I'm the same way."

"How can you – and no offense – possibly understand what I'm going through? I doubt you've ever had everyone expect so much from you."

"That's where you're wrong. I can empathize with you perfectly. I'm the team soccer captain! Whenever we go out and play a game, my team – and the school rely on me to bring home a glorious victory. Do you know how pressurizing that can be?" Kiba asked.

"I suppose you have a point," Naruto surrendered, looking things over through Kiba's perspective.

The brunet gave the blond a quick hug. Not wanting to make things weird, he coughed and said, "So see, don't stress, man. We all have our share of problems. As long as we look out for each other, everything will turn out all right."

Naruto's azure eyes locked with Kiba's brown ones.

"Thanks," Naruto told him, feeling better.

"What are friends for?" the other one replied.

/After School - Off Campus/

Naruto and Kiba made their way home together. Although they lived in two different areas, their general direction was still the same. Naruto still felt bad, confused, and alone, but he could not bring himself to state such things in front of Kiba. They both walked home in silence, enjoying each others company and the unfounded sense of calmness that surrounded the atmosphere whenever one was around the other. Eventually, they reached a street where the both of them had to part ways.

"Thanks, Kiba. For everything I mean," Naruto thanked as he hugged the Inuzuka firmly.

He held onto him for some time, enjoying the feel of Kiba's body, Kiba's touch, and Kiba's scent. His warmth could not be matched and, he didn't want that moment to end.

Kiba just stood there, blushing, turning his head from side-to-side, looking out for any pedestrians or cars that might be capable of seeing them. Despite his fear of being seen, though, the Inuzuka loved the blond's embrace: his warm, intoxicating embrace. He hugged back, and, for a moment, it felt as if all the problems of peer pressure and expectations just... melted away.

"I need to go now," Naruto whispered into Kiba's chest.

"Right," Kiba murmured, not even thinking, not wanting the blond to leave. He hesitantly let go as Naruto stepped back, and both boys said their goodbyes as Naruto walked forward, disappearing after a short while.

Kiba, who was left flabbergasted, was welcomed by a series of new questions and feelings. He rubbed his temples in annoyance and turned his heel on the corner, heading for home.