AN: I appreciate all the reviews for this story so far. I'm very glad to get positive reception for this so far and hopefully more in the long run throughout this story! As always, tell me your thoughts and review the chapter after you read it if you can!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Those rights belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

The Savior That Can't Be Saved

Chapter 4:

The Academy: The Spar That Started It All!

Uzumaki Naruto awoke with a smile on his face as he raced to get dressed. He put a navy blue shirt with a crimson red Uzumaki Clan spiral on and smiled sadly at the familiar mark of his clan, his mother's clan. He, then, picked up a pair of grey shorts with crimson stripes down the sides, not really caring what he was wearing. A pair of goggles got his attention, his eyes flashing with nostalgia and his smile became sad with that very same nostalgia. He approached the dresser it laid and picked the pair of goggles up. His nostalgia filled smile was still on his face, remembering the times when he wore this as a kid.

Seems ironic since I'm technically a kid now… Naruto thought, chuckling as he fitted the familiar goggles on his forehead. He smiled at the way he looked, his eyes becoming brightened at seeing all his friends and classmates, but darkened as well when thinking about the war and their deaths. He shook his head, trying to not think of such things.

He went to his sandals and put them on his feet as heated a teapot of water and grabbed a cup of ramen from his cabinet. He set the thing of instant ramen on the counter as he waited, drinking a cup of milk that thankfully wasn't spoiled like the day he found out who his teammates on his genin team were.

Naruto just kept sitting there, thinking about anything and everything. After all, he wondered if this day was going to be exactly the same as his first day at the Academy back in the other timeline. He remembered that they each introduced themselves.

Sasuke was a lot more cheerful back on that day, a lot more like the Sasuke that showed through when he and Sasuke talked and trained as a team, but that was mainly because the Uchiha Clan Massacre hadn't happened yet. After that happened, Sasuke became an emotional time bomb ready to explode with only thoughts of vengeance and hatred in his mind. Naruto knew he would have to do something in order to get him to not defect to Orochimaru this time.

Sakura would be a lot less aggressive and open, and a lot more shy and reserved. She wouldn't be as shy as Hinata for sure, but she would be shy. She would also not be in love with Uchiha "Heartthrob" Sasuke yet. The reason Sakura would be shy was that she would be nervous of going to the Academy, would not have friends, and would not have met Yamanaka Ino. Once Sakura met Ino, Naruto knew that Sakura would slowly open up and turn into the Sakura he once knew. And very soon after that, Sakura would grow a huge as Gamabunta crush on Sasuke that would tear apart the friendship that Sakura and Ino had built.

Most of the class would be pretty much the same, if not exactly the same as they are in the future timeline. Ino wouldn't be as loud and as a gossip as she was in the other timeline, but she would most likely turn into that really soon with the whole popularity and sticking out thing in school. After all, Ino always had that stick out and be admired personality to her. Shikamaru would be his typical lazy self and Choji would still be snacking on some chips. Shino would still be quiet and observant, most likely unnoticed until people introduced themselves. Kiba would be loud, brash and cocky as always, trying to be the alpha dog of the class. But that was to be expected, he was an Inuzuka after all. And lastly, Hinata would be quiet and shy as always, not having the crush on Naruto yet as that developed some time while they were in the Academy.

All the other classmates were not on Naruto's radar. After all, they would all probably fail the Genin Selection Exam at the end of the Academy or not get passed by their jonin sensei and have to either go back to the Academy and try again or quit being a shinobi altogether.

Naruto also contemplated the idea of passing the exam before the rest of his teammates like his sensei, Hatake Kakashi, and Sasuke's brother, Uchiha Itachi. And maybe he could pass the Chunin Selection Exams and the Jonin Selection Exams in order to become a sensei to one of the future genin teams of his classmates. Sarutobi Asuma would be with the Ino-Shika-Cho lineup once again in this timeline since it seemed he would the recommended jonin for that squad. Hatake Kakashi would be assigned the Uchiha because of his Sharingan unless Naruto gets to the team first and allows Kakashi to train Sasuke on his own time. Knowing Kakashi, he wouldn't mind teaching Sasuke on his own time and being able to have more time to do tasks like solo missions and reading his Icha Icha. But you never know…

If Kakashi got Team 7 and Naruto became a jonin, would that mean Naruto would have to deal with Team 8, Yuhi Kurenal's squad? Naruto thought about this. He would have to deal with the silent Aburame Shino, the loud and cocky Inuzuka Kiba with his dog Akamaru, and the shy and fainting Hyuga Hinata… He would NOT be able to deal with her fainting every time he tried to help Hinata with training. How would he be able to train her at all if she fainted all the time?

Naruto sighed. Maybe I should just go through the Academy again and stay on the same genin team…

There were so many choices, so many routes he could take…

The whistle of the tea pot stop his train of thought as he stop the stove, poured the hot water into the instant cup ramen. He waited until it was cooler to grab it and eat it, still thinking about all the choices and outcomes of his actions, his brain beginning to feel like it would crash…

XXX

Umino Iruka looked over the class that he would be undertaking. He noticed some big names of shinobi clans such as Yamanaka, Nara, Akamichi, Inuzuka, Hyuga, Aburame, and Uchiha. But one name got his definite attention, seeing the familiar smile, sparkling cerulean eyes, spiky blond hair, and whisker marks on the person in question's cheeks. The whisker marks particularly made a reaction out of Iruka, a mix of emotions rising in his body. He still reminded him of that day five years ago.

He also began to think of this situation he was in. He merely just turned the rank of Chunin at the age of sixteen yet the task of training these future genin, these future shinobi lay in his hands. He was just a teenager! How could he teach anyone anything?

Still that smile on that boy's face, on Uzumaki Naruto's face, reminded him too much of himself… too much of the pain he felt after his mother and father died… too much of the very thing that took his family away from him as the whisker marks were too close to the smile for comfort… He set the roster down and let out a breath as he went outside to greet those who were coming for the registration and the first day of school.

If the newly made chunin teacher at the Academy had looked closer at the picture of Uzumaki Naruto, he would have noticed the hidden touches of pain and sadness, drowning in the fake happiness of his ocean blue eyes. Those same touches that were hidden on the chunin's face back when he was in the Academy… those same emotions held after he lost everything…

XXX

Naruto held a wide grin rushing at the Academy with a chuckling Sarutobi Hiruzen on his toes, clothed in his usual Hokage robes. The young new Academy student ignored the glares, the stares, the pointing fingers, the whispered words as if they were for someone other than him. When he arrived at the Academy,

Naruto's eyes wandered to each of his classmates as their parents said their goodbyes after they handed in the forms to finish the registration process and allow their child to be allowed inside the Academy. He noticed familiar faces until he stopped at one face in particular, the face of his teacher, the face of his, in his eyes, older brother, Umino Iruka. Iruka noticed his stare as he looked at the boy with a flurry of emotions present until he noticed that the Third was beside the boy, placing his hand on the boy's shoulder, getting his attention to go forward to the table for the finalize the registration process and start their first day at the Academy.

"Pleasure to see you as always, Hokage-sama," Iruka said with a bow and a smile as he, then, eyed the young Uzumaki beside the village's leader. "Are you here to finish up registration for Uzumaki Naruto here?" Iruka said this question with no emotion leaking out, knowing how the Hokage would react. The Hokage nodded with a smile and handed Iruka the paper that was put it into a folder with Naruto's name on it. "There you are, Hokage-sama. Naruto, you may go into the classroom. It's the first door on the right in the building. There should be some classmates of yours in there already."

Iruka noticed Naruto look at him and flash him a different smile than the one in the picture on his roster. This smile was a lot warmer, a lot more genuine, and a lot happier and made Iruka unknowingly smile genuinely back. "Thank you, Iruka-sensei!" Naruto raced into the Academy building as the Hokage told Iruka more about Naruto, his reputation in the village, and the feelings Naruto had, the want of being acknowledged.

It painfully reminded Iruka of his own self back then, when he was in the Academy, getting ready to pass and become a Genin, as Iruka bid a good day to the Hokage who smiled at Iruka and nodded before he turned away, a glint in his eye showing that he knew something that Iruka didn't when he looked at the chunin teacher. Iruka brushed it off as he turned away, heading into his classroom of students.

XXX

Uzumaki Naruto sat at his seat, head on his desk, knowing that some students were just looking at him, whispering things they've heard from residents of Konohagakure and their parents. Naruto sighed, knowing full well he would have to deal with all these comments until he was able to show off his skills and how much he wanted to protect the village. He chuckled at this thought.

When he was originally just starting the Academy, Naruto said he wanted to become Hokage just to be acknowledged by the village of Konohagakure, to get the attention that he had so wanted all his life. After seeing all the things he had in his life, from the mission in the Mist to the whole war, Naruto knew why he wanted to be the leader of Konohagakure, the Hokage. He wanted to protect the whole village. Hell, after the war, Naruto wanted to protect everyone in the Shinobi World! It was just the way he was!

Naruto noticed Iruka walk through the door as he introduced himself and the basics of what the students would learn. The basics of chakra, handsigns, taijutsu, ninjutsu, genjutsu, and kekkai genkai as well as history of Konohagakure and the Shinobi World in general were all things that Iruka said, things that Naruto already knew himself. Then, he told them they would go into alphabetical order to introduce each other to their other classmates.

Aburame Shino mainly talked about his clan and insects, Akamichi Choji, of course, said how much he enjoyed food and playing with Shikamaru, Haruno Sakura was mostly about her finding confidence by being a kunoichi, Hyuga Hinata was about showing her skills to her family and not being as shy as she was now, Inuzuka Kiba talked about his clan and his pet, Akamaru, and Nara Shikamaru talked of how troublesome everything was and how he enjoyed cloud watching and shogi. Along with Sakura's, Uchiha Sasuke's introduction slightly surprised Naruto. This was mainly because of how used he was to the brooding, revenge driven Sasuke and his introduction in his timeline when they were a genin team.

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. What I like is training and my family. What I dislike is when my tou-san praises my nii-san and not me. My dream is to become a great shinobi to bring honor to my clan."

Once Sasuke was done, Iruka's eyes hit Naruto, who looked back at Iruka. "Uzumaki Naruto, you're next."

In an instant, everyone's eyes fell upon him, full of a wide variety of emotion, from hatred to curiosity. Naruto gulped as the pressure was like a kunai in front of his throat. He put his hands onto his desk and he rose his body up, looking at all the faces that looked up at him since he was in the very back row. He let out a held in breath and looked seriously at everyone before him. Then, suddenly, his mouth curved into a smile.

"Hello, my name is Uzumaki Naruto! My likes are training and ramen, especially ramen from Ichiraku Ramen! What I hate are people who are judgmental and mock people and the minutes you have to wait for ramen to cook." Naruto noticed almost everyone sweat drop at his talk of ramen. "And my dream…" Naruto closed his fist, put it against his chest, made one of his genuine smiles, and had a childish gleam in his eyes. "…is to surpass the Hokage and protect everyone that is precious to me…" His eyes then became downcast, catching the more observant people in the class' attention. "…to make sure that they will not be harmed…"

Iruka wondered what made the boy talk so much of precious people when almost everyone in the village was against him. Though the boy did have the Third and the people of Ichiraku Ramen to help him out so those were his precious people. It may be because those were all Naruto had. If Naruto lost them, he would be nothing. Iruka could tell at least that, and felt a little bad for the young boy.

Iruka smiled lightly at the blond. "Thanks for that, Naruto! You may sit down now."

Naruto smiled lightly back and sat down as Iruka called Ino to stand and introduce herself, Naruto feeling that this was exactly the same as back then. Iruka, then, began to talk about the basics of shinobi such as ninjutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu, and chakra. Naruto just put his head down and barely listened to Iruka, already clearly knowing all this. Naruto still kept his ears pealed and was surprised with what Iruka said next.

"Alright, since we've introduced ourselves and went over the basics, I want to see what you guys and girls can do. We're going to have a little sparing match."

XXX

Naruto was definitely surprised by what was going on, watching as the matches went on, and seeing Iruka talk about the Sign of Combat and Sign of Harmony. This didn't originally happen until after the Uchiha Clan Massacre with Naruto losing to Sasuke, noticing the look in his eyes. He did notice that the matches were the same as Choji and Shikamaru went up, only for it to end by forfeit because Shikamaru didn't really want to fight. Naruto smiled at this before hearing Iruka complain about Shikamaru not wanting to spar, not wanting to put up any effort.

Naruto eyed Iruka picking up the clipboard as Iruka announced his name and Sasuke's name. Almost instantly, Naruto heard the cheers of the girls rise, shouting out Sasuke's name to heavens. Naruto put his finger in his ear as he walked up, seeing Sasuke right in front of him.

"Arg, could you calm down your fan club, Sasuke? I think I might go deaf!" Naruto said to Sasuke, his eye moving over to Sakura for a second, seeing that she wasn't cheering for Sasuke, merely asking Ino something while pointing over to Sasuke.

Sasuke scowled for a moment and, then, let out a sigh. "I wish I could…" He, then, smiled at Naruto, who smiled back, but, then, had a shocked look on his face when Sakura looked at him, pointing at him while saying something to Ino, who looked at him and sneered. Naruto frowned before looking at Sasuke.

"Alright, Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, get into stance and make the Sign of Combat!" Both did so as they held their smiles.

"Good luck, Sasuke." Naruto said to which Sasuke had a surprised look on his face before smiling at the blond.

"You too…, idiot," Sasuke said in a playful, friendly tone, getting Naruto to broaden his smile, glad that he was friendly with Sasuke. At least until the Uchiha Clan Massacre…

"Begin!" Iruka said loudly as Naruto and Sasuke charged at one another, fists drawn back.

Naruto launched his forward, having Sasuke catch it. Sasuke smirked at the shocked blond before unleashing a fast fist at him. Sasuke's usually calm stoic face grew shocked when Naruto grinned, caught his incoming fist and moved his body to loosen his fist from Sasuke's grip. Naruto grabbed Sasuke's chest and lightly pushed him to the ground, hovering over him, gripping onto Sasuke's shirt. Sasuke scowled as Iruka was about to declare Naruto the winner. The Uchiha flexed his legs back and hit Naruto hard in the stomach, pushing Naruto away. Sasuke quickly took control as he flipped up and used his speed to grapple Naruto, pushing him to the ground.

Naruto opened his unknowingly closed eyes to see a fist in front of his face and a smiling face, a face that belonged to Sasuke. Iruka looked at the two as Naruto just nodded in defeat.

"Alright, Uchiha Sasuke is the victor." Cheers erupted from the girls in the class as Sasuke got up from his position and put a hand down toward Naruto.

"Here, idiot, let me pull you up." Naruto smiled and nodded, extending his hand to Sasuke's before Sasuke pulled him up. "Dang, you're heavy. You need to cut down on that ramen."

Naruto pouted and yelled, "Hey!" before smiling at Sasuke. Iruka smiled at the interaction between his students. "Now, make the Sign of Harmony and we can move on with our day."

Naruto and Sasuke approached each other, lightly smiling at each other, before putting their two fingers together, making the Sign of Harmony.