Notes: Since you guys asked for it, here it is! I've also decided to take requests! If there's anything in the fic you'd like me to expand upon or a scene you'd like to see, then let me know! I'll pick some and post them here as well.


Alternate Scene: Rivals

"Good morning, Naruto!" Takeshi greets him warmly.

"Don't you think I'm falling for your nice guy act, Sasuke!" Naruto squints his eyes at him, suspicious.

Takeshi resists the urge to sigh. He'll admit that the class pariah had reminded him painfully of Tsuna - and even himself - in the beginning, but after spending six years in the Academy with him, Takeshi knows that Naruto isn't really like Tsuna at all. Oh, he's bright, blindingly so, and Takeshi's willing to bet he's not as stupid or as weak as his class scores would have everyone believe him to be.

With just a little hands on training, maybe if someone explains things differently, Naruto could be more than great.

The thing is, though - and Takeshi's not sure how this happened exactly - Naruto pegged him as his rival since day one. And now he won't accept any of Takeshi's offers of friendship. It's a strange limbo he finds himself in because lots of his friends in the other world had been reluctant to befriend him, too, so he's not unfamiliar with the process of endearing himself to someone. It's just that it's never taken him six years - and counting - to do it.

"Don't be so mean to Sasuke-kun, Naruto!" Sakura scolds him harshly, punctuating her words with her fists.

Shielding himself rather futilely, Naruto protests, "But Sakura-chan-! Oww!"

"Settle down!" Iruka-sensei calls from the front of the room, and almost everyone hurries to do so. Generally nice he may be, but Iruka-sensei can be pretty scary when he wants to be, hahaha.


End Notes: I originally planned for Naruto and Sasuke to be little more than rivals in the beginning. It was only for the shock value, however, which is not a good enough reason to keep it in, so I changed it. I'm definitely glad I did.