I don't remember where the idea to this story came from. It tells the story of Naruto as a high school student in his 3rd year. It's a SasuNaru fic but I'm going to add NejiGaara too!

I think it's going to be sad (I have the basic lines for the plot) but I promise it'll have a happy ending. Sorry if I disappoint any of you, but I just can't do it to Sasuke and Naruto and to Neji and Gaara. I mean, I'm gonna make them suffer a lot so it's just fair that I give them a happy ending right? Right.

In any case, I hope you enjoy this.

Disclaimer: I obviously don't own Naruto and characters. However the plot line is completely mine (aside from some things from the original Naruto manga\anime).

HairoM

.o.O.O.o.

Tsunade was not the type of woman you would think to adopt a kid. She didn't appear like that at all. She was a strong independent woman, beautiful like a twenty year-old woman and certainly short tempered like one. She didn't have a lot of patience and her glares were scary enough to make a strong man fidget uncomfortably. Tsunade was a doctor-a very talented one- in Wave country and everyone respected her. She was rich and famous almost all around the world for her healing abilities. But only a few truly knew her.

She was born in Konoha, the capital of Fire country, and was actually the descendent of the founder of the city. Her family was, of course, of the richest and highest society but Tsunade was never like her family. She was too stubborn, too independent and she always had questions. A lot of questions, but her main questions revolved around happiness. Being born to one of the richest families she never lacked money and at first she thought money was the cause of happiness. But then, as she grew up and saw her parents fight and argue and simply become mad because of money she realized money was not the cause of happiness. But then, what was? She had no idea.

She wanted to become famous and rich because of her own talents and abilities and not because she was the great granddaughter of Konoha's founder. So she decided to become a doctor and started medic school at the age of twenty. During all the seven years she studied to become a doctor she never stopped wondering: what was the cause of happiness? What could make her truly happy? And then she fell in love with her classmate. He was amazing and Tsunade thought: this is the cause of happiness! Love…but on the day before her wedding day Tsunade lost her fiancé to a car accident. It was hard to pull herself together but she did so anyway and struggled to move on with her life. She could've done that if not for the second loss in her life: her brother died six months after her fiancé did. She broke down. She lost all interest in life and in everything else. Even her unanswered questions were neglected. Tsunade didn't care anymore.

But like a warm sun ray in the cold winter, that boy popped up into her life. Like a warm refreshing breeze full of longing, he appeared one day and Tsunade was alive again, alive and full with hope.

His name was Uzumaki Naruto and he was a seven year-old orphan. She saw him at the orphanage and he captivated her. He was not so different from the other kids and yet so different. She couldn't explain it. She became attached to him as days grew by and she found out that she was happy again for some odd reason. But what? She had to find the answer and in order to do that she knew she had to keep Naruto close to her. She spent a lot of time with the boy and he told her everything about himself and about his life. She learned that his family was also killed in a car accident and that he had a twin sister named Kyuubi. "She was very sick," he told her and looked down. "Very, very sick…" his tears fell to the ground and he hid his face in his hands. "Very, very sick…"

Tsunade officially adopted him four months later and they began their new lives together. Tsunade was happy again and Naruto was happy.

Their life together was not always happy and easy, though. They faced many problems and obstacles. Naruto was a sensitive child and very gentle and caring. But he was also strong willed and he wanted so much to be happy together with Tsunade. And as for Tsunade, she was not exactly the mother-type woman but she cared for Naruto, her new child, and she wanted him to be happy.

Two years later the Sabaku sibling came into their lives. They were a tough looking gang but Tsunade knew that it was only on the outside. There was a horrible story behind their rough appearance and Tsunade and Naruto gladly welcomed them to their family. Temary and Kankuro were much easier to handle than the youngest Sabaku, Gaara. He was an angry kid, full with hate and rage. The first time they met, Tsunade was so amazed by the foul language Gaara had used that she was unable to speak for several moments. But she understood. There were no other words that could describe the boy's pain better than those curses he spat at her. She understood. But Naruto was a different case. He was not as tough as her or Gaara and she was afraid he would be too afraid of the boy to try and befriend him but he surprised her. Oh he cried, many times even, but he was stubborn. He wanted to be Gaara's friend and he didn't give up. Slowly Gaara began to accept that fact and eventually gave in. They began to form a special bond between them, like real brothers'. Gaara learned of Naruto's weaknesses and defection and the same could be said about Naruto. Gaara protected Naruto from everything and Naruto showed Gaara that life could be so great, that there was no need to hate so much or to be angry for such a long time.

When they were twelve, Tsunade sent Naruto and Gaara to a summer camp and she regretted it for a long time after they came back because it was at that camp where Naruto met Uchiha Sasuke. And it was after that, when all their troubles began. When Naruto came back he was so happy and love sick Tsunade thought at first that it was a good idea after all-despite all her worries- to send him over to that camp. But as time went by Naruto became depressed. She didn't know why and the boy didn't tell. When Naruto stopped eating properly and began losing weight she was really worried. She took the boy with her to the park one day and asked him to tell her the truth. He did and she was surprised when she heard what he had to say.

He said he made a wonderful friend. "I think I am in love with him, baa-chan…" he said. Tsunade didn't know what to say. What could she say to such statement? Besides, she didn't believe it was real love. There was no way it could be true love. How could an eleven year-old boy possibly know something about true love? Those issues never interested boys his age. In fact she knew children were always disgusted by the thought of falling in love. But then again, Naruto was always different. "He promised he would write to me…" Naruto whispered and a tear slid down his cheek. "And he didn't?" Tsunade asked knowingly. She knelt down in front of him and lifted his chin with one gentle hand. "Look at me Naruto." Naruto looked up, his eyes filled with tears. Tsunade kissed him softly on his forehead and said: "Honey, it will be alright. I am sure Sasuke wants to write you a letter but he must be having some problems. Did you give him our address?" When Naruto nodded she smiled. "Then it will be alright. Maybe you should write him first," she suggested. Naruto looked to the ground and mumbled: "he didn't give his address." Naruto didn't hear when Tsunade murmured: "bastard." He looked so lost and helpless, like a lost kitten.

"Listen," she said. "If he doesn't care about you then he's not worth your love. Naruto…my Naruto, you have so much to give and you're such an amazing boy. If Sasuke can't appreciate it then he's not worth your tears, ok? Forget him baby. Be happy," It was easier said than done, but although Naruto was fragile, he was eventually able to get over Sasuke and forget about him though he could never forget about him completely. He just forgot how it felt to love Sasuke.

And four years later, a cute looking girl joined their family. Her name was Ten-Ten and she was a year younger than Naruto and Gaara. Ten-Ten was different than all of them because she actually had a father. "He's off somewhere," she said when they asked her where her father was but she never agreed to elaborate. Ten-Ten was cute and funny and quite tomboyish. She was stylish and yet her mannerisms were quite awful, much like those of a hyperactive teenage boy. She loved to dance and sing and always carried a guitar on her back. She was amazing with the instrument and Naruto would often ask her to play something and she would agree eagerly. But her name was unusual. Naruto suspected that it was a nickname she had chosen for herself and never understood why. When he asked Tsunade about it she only said: "Ten-Ten is the name she wants to be called and Ten-Ten is the name we will call her." Naruto didn't try to ask Ten-Ten because the first time he did she said: "It's my real name!" and ran off to somewhere. He never believed her but he was too nice and gentle to dare to ask her again. In his thirteen years-old mind he somehow understood that it was a private thing and he respected her privacy.

But one day came a phone call. It was a man Naruto didn't know.

"Hello, Tsunade's house."

"Hello, can I speak with Tsunade-san?"

"She's not here right now. Shall I leave her a message?"

"Umm no. Is Mai there? Can I talk to her?"

"Mai? I'm sorry we don't-" but someone snatched the phone away from he and Naruto was surprised to see Ten-Ten giving him a terrified glare and speaking to the man on the line. Naruto heard her saying: "Dad," before he left her alone. He found out Ten-Ten's real name…It was Mai. Naruto thought it was a fitting name (1) for her and he liked it. So he didn't understand why she would want to hide it. That evening Tsunade gathered everyone in the common room and said Ten-Ten had something to say. Ten-Ten fidgeted uncomfortably and for a moment didn't say anything. And then she began to speak.

Her mother died giving birth to her and her father tried to raise her but he was a guy and he didn't know how to do that. Also he was poor and couldn't possibly raise a baby so he gave her to a foster family. Ten-Ten never knew of his existence until she reached the age of six and had been through too many foster families to even count. Her father showed up one day, saying he was sorry and that he missed her so much. Ten-Ten forgave him 'cause she wanted a real family so much. He told her he couldn't take her with him but he will come to visit her. Ten-Ten didn't mind too much-she was just happy she had a real father. Her father did come to visit her as she left a family after family. She never seemed to fit in and no one ever seemed to truly want her. That was why she acted like a boy and had no mannerism at all. She grew up to be a tough and strong girl.

Her father sent her money sometimes but Ten-Ten didn't care, now he was like a faded memory and she wanted nothing to do with her past. It was then that she adopted the name Ten-Ten. "It means nothing and yet everything," she told them. "Ten-Ten is how my friend used to call me. She was with me in one the foster families but we were separated when I was sent to a different one." So from that day on they called her Ten-Ten without questioning. Ten-Ten was grateful forever and everything seemed to be ok from that day on.

But you know, the future was always unpredictable and all one could do was pray. Pray the future would be better than the present and not worse.

"I got a job offer guys," Tsunade announced one evening when they all were sitting around the dinner table. They (except for Gaara) looked at her curiously. "They called me from Konoha." Naruto and Ten-Ten gasped and both Temari and Kankuro looked equally surprised. Even Gaara turned to look at her with a slight interest.

"Isn't it your hometown, baa-chan?" asked Naruto in excitement. Tsunade nodded. "Yes it is. They need a doctor and apparently they've heard about my skills," she said smugly and made Kankuro snort. Tsunade laughed. "Anyway they offered a large payment. Much more than what I get here but I said I have to talk with my kids about it first. So what do you think?" she examined each one of them and waited patiently. Each one of them had a different expression on his face. Temari was contemplating and Kankuro frowned, deep in thought. Ten-Ten seemed to be excited about the idea and Gaara for some reason looked displeased. But the expression she wanted to see the most was Naruto's. He smiled softly, as if thinking about one of his bizarre dreams that he liked so much, and said nothing.

"I think it's a good idea," Temari said finally.

"Yeah, it'll be a new beginning," added Kankuro nodded. They all knew too well how much a new beginning could help them.

"What about you Ten-Ten?"

"I think we go for it! I heard Konoha is one of the most interesting cities in the world!" the girl answered enthusiastically.

"I also think it would be nice," said Naruto and Tsunade smiled, relieved.

"Gaara?"

"Whatever, I don't like it," was the boy's reply. No one said anything and only the sound of forks and knives could be heard in the room. "Urgh! Just do what you want! I don't give a shit anyway," Gaara said after a while.

"Are you sure? We don't have to move if you prefer-"

"I don't prefer to stay here."

No one spoke again after this but the decision was already made the moment Gaara said he didn't mind. The rest of them were pretty much excited about the move. Temari hoped she could start to work as a fashion designer (she studied art and fashion designing in college) and Kankuro wanted to start college in Konoha. Tsunade encouraged them do so and planned on sending them to the best schools (like she always did). She registered Naruto, Gaara and Ten-Ten to Leaf Academy in Konoha, which was the best school in the whole Fire country of course. There were also a lot of other arrangements to be done (like taking care of the shipment of their things and selling the house they lived in) but they left the Wave country four months later and that was when trouble found them again.

XXXXXX

The clock announced the hour: 07:00. It was time to get up but the sleeping figure on the huge bed seemed not to notice. The long curtains covered the big, large windows therefore the room was still dark despite the sun that had long ago began to rise. The annoying alarm clock kept on ringing and the sleeping figure finally gave up and heavily lifted itself and stretched out a hand to shut the damned thing. "Urgh…" Tsunade groaned unhappily and searched for her slippers. Where were the stupid slippers? Oh there… once she found them she went to open the windows and then left the room for her morning duty.

The house they received was very big, very much bigger than their old house back in Wave, and it's been only a month since they arrived here so she was still quite not used to its size. Everything seemed to be big about this house. Tsunade walked like a zombie down the hall and to the remarkable large marble staircase and reached her first target. She only bothered to knock twice on the wooden door before entering and reaching the window. She pulled aside the indigo curtains, ignoring the groans of protest from the figure in the bed, and walked toward the bed. "Kankuro! Wake up!" she roared and pulled the blanket off the half awake Kankuro. "You've got work to do!" Tsunade left, leaving the door open, and moved on to her next target. She knocked on the next door (twice) and entered. "Gaara! Wake up kiddo! You'll be late for school!" Gaara something that suspiciously sounded like 'fuck off' but Tsunade only laughed and reached the bed to ruffle the boy's crimson hair affectionately. She pulled aside the crimson-colored curtains and, again, left the door open and went to the next room. The next room was Naruto's. She entered the room and was greeted sleepily by the blonde boy. "Morning baa-chan," Naruto said while trying to surpass a loud yawn and smiled sheepishly. "Morning gaki," Tsunade warmly smiled back and went to open the lime and yellow colored curtains to reveal the morning sunrays. "Get up gaki, you'll be late," she said and left to wake up the last kid who needed to wake up. The soft pink curtains in Ten-Ten's room were already pulled aside and said girl was already brushing her teeth in the bathroom. "I'm almost ready!" she said and Tsunade smiled. Despite her behavior, Ten-Ten was always organized and aesthetic, maybe due to the fact that she had to take care of herself most of the time in the past. "I think breakfast is almost ready," Tsunade said back and went down to the kitchen.

Breakfast was ready. Shizune was just setting the table when Tsunade came in and grabbed a bottle of orange juice from the refrigerator.

"Good morning Tsunade-san," the young woman said with a smile.

"Morning," Tsunade replied. "Would you mind dropping Kankuro at school? I plan to drop the others at theirs."

"Sure. Aren't you going to buy him a car?" asked Shizune curiously.

"The brat needs to work for at least half of the price. I want them all to learn that they have to work for the things they want. I'm not going to let them turn out to be like the snobbish rich brats around here who think they own the world." Tsunade retorted and Shizune smiled. "Besides, do you know what he's fantasizing about? Bugatti Veyron 16 something… do you get it? I told him to dream on."

"It's 16.4," Kankuro walked in and took his seat near the table.

"Whatever, if you want it so much you'll have to pay more than half of the price," she told him and he shrugged. "Ok," he said. Tsunade huffed. Two minutes later the rest of the kids arrived and also began to eat the breakfast Shizune made. Shizune made each of them their favorite food so she smiled contently when they all looked satisfied and happy.

"Where's Temari nee-san?" asked Ten-Ten.

"She doesn't have to get up so early. She starts working at eleven so I allowed her to sleep a little bit more," said Tsunade.

Fifteen minutes later they were done and Tsunade urged the Naruto Gaara and Ten-Ten to get in the car. "Kankuro, behave!" she told the boy before getting into the car herself and leaving. The Sabaku brothers were tough, rough and quite impolite.

They arrived at Leaf Academy fifteen minutes later and one by one Tsunade's kids hopped out of the car and bid her goodbye. Ten-Ten was the only one who hugged her, though, but it was reasonable. The other two were boys, and teenagers no other. But she just had to ruffle their hairs and say: "Don't get into trouble, monkeys!" she laughed when they each glared at her and she knew that they were probably wondering what kind of mother would call her kids 'monkeys'. She waved them good one last time and drove off.

Three kids stood at Leaf Academy's gates and looked utterly lost. It was the biggest and most expensive looking school they had ever seen (and Tsunade always sent them to the best schools). The place was filled with students, all wearing the same expensive uniform, chattering with friends and sharing experiences from the summer vacation. Naruto thought it could be nice if they, too, knew someone there, but they were the new kids. Not new like the freshmen but completely new. Unlike the freshmen, they were to enter classes with students who probably already socialized with each other and probably didn't like new kids butting in. Naruto gulped at that thought but Gaara's hand immediately found his and Naruto was able to relax. Even Ten-Ten looked a little anxious. Naruto took a deep breath and stepped forward. "Come on guys," he turned to his brother and sister, "we can do it. We're together, right?" Ten-Ten nodded enthusiastically and Gaara offered him a small smile. "Yeah," they said and followed him when he made his way through the students. As they walked towards the building Naruto noticed the looks they received. They somehow looked out of place. Maybe because no one had seen them before or maybe because they had that foreign aura surrounding them that made it so clear that they were not originally from the fire country. And of course they were not! They were born in the Wave country (like Naruto and Ten-Ten) or raised there (like the Sabaku); they were water kids as much as those kids staring at them were fire kids. Hmm…fire and water…somehow it makes me feel uneasy when I think about this way, thought Naruto but he decided to ignore the feeling.

A man came to greet them. He was tan-skinned, his hair tied up to a spiky ponytail but oddest thing about him was the scar. It crossed his nose bridge from one cheek to another but in an odd way it made him appear like a gentle and nice person.

"My Name is Umino Iruka. I suppose you are Tsunade's children?" he asked, his voice was nice. Naruto and Ten-Ten beamed at him and Gaara just stared at him like he was an alien who just asked if he's got coca-cola. Do aliens drink coca-cola? Gaara could care less even if they drank tequila.

"I'm Naruto," Naruto smiled and shook the man's hand.

"I'm Ten-Ten!" Ten-Ten jumped hyperactively and didn't bother to shake Iruka's hand. She was too excited to pay attention to formalities and besides, Ten-Ten never shook hands with someone. Gaara simply said: "Gaara," and kept his hands inside his pockets.

Iruka smiled warmly. They are not that bad after all, he thought. "It's nice to have you in our humble school. I'll be you guide this day and I'll give you a special tour around the place and I'll also try to explain how things are going here. If you please follow me now," He led them inside the building and Naruto was amazed once again by the beautiful architectural design of the school. Wood, stone and glass were combined wonderfully to create a magnificent hallway with high ceiling. The windows to their left were long, large and displayed the view of the lawns outside. Naruto couldn't wait to lie down on the grass and stare up at the clear sky. Iruka showed them the President and his vice's offices and knocked on the president's door. Someone said: "come in," and Iruka entered and urged them to follow him. The room was not very big and there was a large wooden desk near the large window and behind it sat a man with his head bent down over some papers. When they entered he lifted his head and Naruto saw an old man with a cape over his shoulder and a smoking pipe in his mouth. He smiled and told them to sit down.

"I am assuming you are Tsunade's kids," he said slowly, still smiling. When they nodded he continued. "You can call me Sarutobi. That brat, she's still as stubborn as ever. How is she doing? Is she alright?"

"She's great," said Naruto. "Do you know her jii-san?"

"Why, yes of course! I was her teacher way back then. She was short tempered and stubborn like a mule but very smart and talented." Naruto and Ten-Ten laughed. Even Gaara allowed himself a small smirk. "Yeah that's exactly our mother!"

"Tell her I ask her to come visit me someday. I know she's probably busy as the new head of Konoha's medical center. Tell her not to stress herself too much. Now if you'll excuse me, Iruka will continue your tour. I have some important paperwork to take care of," and with that he smiled and dismissed them. "He wasn't that bad," Ten-Ten commented and Iruka smiled. "Oh, he's not bad at all!"

Next Iruka showed them the gym, the orchestra room, the music room, the art room, the amphitheatre, the swimming pool, the two libraries and the stable. After all that he led them to their homeroom classes and gave them their timetables. "Naruto your homeroom teacher is Hatake Kakashi. Gaara, yours is Baki and Ten-Ten yours is Maito Gai. If you need any help or just want to talk I'm in my office. Lunch is at 13:20, ok? I'll take you to your classes now." And once again he led them through hallways and corridors and to their classrooms. Gaara was the first to go. He stared into Naruto's eyes and then into Ten-Ten's. He looked as if he was about to resist so Naruto smiled and slightly squeezed his hand. "We'll be fine," he promised. Gaara nodded and entered the classroom. Ten-Ten was next. She hugged Naruto as if they would never see each other again and smiled happily. "I'm extremely excited!" she announced before entering. Finally Iruka brought Naruto to his classroom. "Don't be afraid Naruto-kun," he said to the boy, seeing that he was slightly trembling. "I'm sure you'll do just fine." Naruto nodded and whispered: "It's just that it's a bit hard without Gaara and Ten-Ten. I really don't like being alone…" but before Iruka could say anything he smiled and added: "Oh, but I can do it, don't worry!" and with that he left a stunned Iruka and knocked on the door. It was opened by a weird looking man. He wore scurf or some sort of garment around his face and only one of his eyes were visible. Is he sick? Naruto wondered when the man beamed at him (though he could only tell by the eyes). "You are Naruto-kun, aren't you? Come in, come in! My classroom is your classroom!" Apparently he thought his own joke was very funny but Naruto was too nervous to pay attention. This teacher scared the shit out of him.

"Everyone! This is Uzumaki Naruto. He'll be joining our school from now on. Please take care of him!" The teacher turned to Naruto and introduced himself. "I'm Hatake Kakashi but you can call me Kakashi." Naruto nodded with great anxiety and tried smile. He was not very successful, though. "Now…where should you sit? You need someone responsible and smart to help you…I know!" he cried joyfully. "Who's better than the president of the student council himself?" he winked. "You'll sit next to Uchiha Sasuke!"

Everything came crushing down on him. His thoughts, his dreams, his world, his peace and serenity…everything turned black and Naruto found it hard to breathe. He didn't dare looking at the boy Kakashi pointed at. He was horrified. Calm down Naruto, he told himself. It's probably a different guy. There's no way in hell it's him! Although he didn't know if Uchiha Sasuke were common names he hoped so. He prayed it won't be the same boy… he finally looked up and looked for the boy. There was an empty seat, and next to it, sitting carelessly and looking painfully indifferent was Uchiha Sasuke. Naruto held back a gasp. It was the same Sasuke. And the more he looked at his handsome face, the more he felt the urge to run away, to leave. But he couldn't. And as he sat down he hoped Sasuke will never talk to him. Please make him ignore me…! He prayed.

.o.O.O.o.

(1) Mai- it means 'dance' in Japanese. That is why Naruto thought it was a fitting name for Ten-Ten, 'cause she loves to dance.