Disclaimer: We all already know I don't own any of this.

Please read and review. This is my first Naruto/Naruko fanfic and I hope it goes well. As of right now, I'm planning to loosely follow what is cannon. There will be some obvious differences and twists I throw in. Hope y'all enjoy. Please feel free to make any suggestions if you have any. (If you find any grammatical errors or anything is unclear I'm begging you to tell me. I hate editing, so there's probably gonna be a few mistakes.)

Naruko jumped out of bed unable to contain the childlike excitement that swelled in her heart. Today was the day that Naruko Uzumaki had been waiting eagerly for. It was the 15th, the day of her orientation.

"Todays the day. The day I become a real ninja." She jumped up, pumping her fist into the air. "Dattebayo!"

She prepared herself a cup of instant ramen for breakfast and pulled a carton of milk from the fridge. Naruko let out a content sigh as she took her first bite of ramen. Nothing beats ramen for breakfast, except maybe ramen for lunch, and the sole thing that could knock that is ramen for dinner. Naruko took a big swig of the milk straight from the carton. The instant it hit her tongue, she thought it tasted funny but merely shrugged it off. She took another monstrous gulp.

After finishing the measly breakfast Naruko dressed hastily in her signature orange and blue jumpsuit. She gently put her long golden hair up into two large pigtails on either side of her head. She looked triumphantly in the mirror "I am Naruko Uzumaki, the future Hokage of this village and everyone is going to properly respect me. Dattebayo!" This was the daily mantra she'd been reciting to herself for as long as she could remember. A huge grin spread across her face causing the three lines that adorned each of her cheeks -like whiskers- to nearly disappear. Her eyes that matched the blue of the sky glittered and then closed and 'turned into upside-down u's' "Today's the day," she squealed in delight.

Carefully Naruko grabbed the ninja headband from the drawer she'd been keeping it in. Staring in awe, she was still in slight disbelief that it did in fact belong to her. She placed it on her forehead and knotted it in the back. She couldn't help but admire the way it looked on her or the way her long bangs fell perfectly on the sides of it. It made her look like a real deal ninja and wearing it made her feel more powerful than she ever felt before.

~ "Congratulations, you graduate. And to celebrate I have a surprise. We're going out for ramen tonight." Unable to think properly Naruko stared open-mouthed at her sensei. She couldn't believe the words he'd said to her. I really graduated, she thought to herself, I really did it! Looking at her sensei, she realized he was no longer wearing his ninja headband, suddenly she noticed an extra weight on her head. Could it be? Did Iruka Sensei give her his own headband? Her excitement went through the roof. She lunged towards Iruka and hugged him, causing them both to fall over. The two of them began to laugh.~

Naruko left the shabby apartment she called home in a breathless rush. Eager to make it to the academy early, she raced through the local streets of Konoha. Tactfully avoiding the people milling about the numerous shops and stands and barely even noticing the dirty looks many of the people cast her way.

"Oi! Baka watch where you're going next time huh?" An old man yelled, furiously shaking his fist after Naruko. She had just about knocked him over in her rush to get to the academy. Grinning sheepishly she turned to him while scratching the back of her neck.

"Hehehe sorry, old man." Naruko turned forward again and ran towards the academy. After a few short minutes, she reached it. Entering the academy, she chose a seat at random, not paying attention to who she sat by. The blonde was soon lost in thoughts of being a ninja and all of the awesome missions she'd go on, which of course would eventually lead to becoming the Hokage. (and having the respect of the entire village.)

"Hey, Naruko whatta you doing here? This orientation is for ninja only." Naruko was 'awoken' from her pleasant thoughts.

"Huh." She looked up at the source of the familiar voice. "Yo, Shikamaru, I'm a ninja too. See, see, look at my headband." She pointed to the shiny headband she had so carefully placed on her forehead, earlier that morning. "It's a standard leaf ninja headband." Anyone could hear the triumph in her voice and see the fierce gleam in her eyes. She flashed a dazzling white grin. "Dattebayo!"

"They let the likes of you become a ninja. How troublesome." Shikamaru was about to congratulate Naruko. Despite his teasing, he knew how much becoming a ninja meant to her; but a loud commotion coming from the entrance of the room interrupted him. Naruko looked up to see the familiar sight of Sakura and Ino angrily arguing about something. "Geeze, what is it with those two this time around?" Shikamaru asked, rolling his eyes.

"They're probably fighting over that teme Sasuke again." The blonde couldn't help the scowl that obscured her face or the unutterable disgust that filled her voice as she said his name. Shikamaru rolled his eyes at Naruko's antics and stalked off; knowing one of her rants about Sasuke, could last an incredibly long time. "I don't see the big deal with him anyway, he's a no-good bastard, who thinks he's better than everyone else, and…"

"Hn." Naruko nearly fell out of her chair as she realized she'd been sitting next to that teme the entire time. The 'teme' Sasuke merely glanced at Naruko."Quiet down dobe, you're giving me a headache." He returned his attention to the window, ignoring Naruko's shouts of protest and what would surely only lead to an argument between the two of them. Suddenly, his view was disturbed by a ball of orange and yellow. Naruko had jumped on the table and crouched in front of him. He stared into her blue eyes and his anger surged.

What's this girl's problem? She's always being loud and obnoxious, acting like an idiot. Giving me headaches. Suddenly his eyes widened as Naruko started to fall forward. What is this brat doing?!

"Oh, sorry did I push you?" A random student turned around to apologize properly but was shocked at what he saw. Naruko and Sasuke were kissing? Both Naruko and Sasuke shot backward, gagging and furtively wiping their mouths. Naruko even went as far as spitting on the floor and Sasuke was turning an olive shade of green.

"Oi! I need bleach. I need to cleanse my mouth. Someone, anyone help me. I'm dying. That teme just kissed me. Bleh." Naruko's shouting only stopped when she felt the heat of someone's death glare on her. She looked up to realize it wasn't just one person, but multiple people who were currently glowering at her. "Hehehe," she scratched the back of her neck and grinned bashfully at the crowd of girls angrily surveying her. It was the group of girls she frequently referred to as 'Sausuke's fan club.' They approached her calling her foul names looking as if they wanted to punch her. Naruko slowly backed up, nervously putting her hands in the air as if in surrender. "Nandayo! It's not like I did that on purpose. Who'd want to kiss that uzai." They ignored her shouts and continued ganging up on her.

Naruko massaged the back of her head, peeking warily at the pink-haired girl who was currently sitting -very happily- between her and Sasuke. I hope I never get on her bad side again. She doesn't look it, but she sure is tough. I bet she could knock a tree down with that strength!

The door to the classroom opened and Iruka sensei walked in. "Good morning. I'm sure you're all extremely excited for today, so let's get started shall we?" Naruko listened carefully to what Iruka sensei said. He was one of Naruko's 'special' people. And she wanted to show him nothing, but the utmost respect. "All of you have worked extremely hard to get here, but that was nothing compared to the trials you'll be facing from here on out. You're going to be separated into teams of three. The people in your team will be some of the most important people in your lives. You will work together, grow together, and go on missions together. The people in your team will depend on you, and you will depend on them. The teams have already been made up, they were decided and based off of skill level."

As long as I'm not with Sasuke, I don't care about what team I'm on. I hope whoever's on my team can keep up with me. I don't want anyone to slow me down. Naruko started to space out while Iruka sensei listed off the first few teams and their members. Thoughts of Ichiraku's filled her head. It had been a long time since breakfast and Naruko could feel herself growing hungrier by the minute. Miso ramen was all she could think about. Drool began to pool at the corners of her mouth.

"Naruko Uzumaki." Naruko perked up at hearing her own name. Now paying full attention, she was eager to find out who her teammates were. "Sakura Haruno." The blonde looked uneasily at the pink-haired girl again. She was unsure of how to feel about being on the same team as one of the girls who had given her the beating of the lifetime. She shuddered just thinking about how hard Sakura could hit.

"Sasuke Uchiha." Naruko groaned, only she was unlucky enough to be put on the same as that teme. Besides her, Sakura jumped up with glee. Take that Ino pig Sakura thought with triumph. She spun around to face Ino and stuck her tongue out at her. Ino was fuming, while Sakura looked very smug. Sasuke-Kun is mine. The power of unconditional love conquers all.

"Yo, what is this about? Why am I on the same team as him?" Sasuke internally rolled his eyes at Naruko, who was currently standing on top of the table pointing accusingly at him.

"NARUKO! Sit down." Iruka Sensei was glaring at Naruko so much it almost made a part of her feel ashamed for causing a scene, but an even bigger part of her was still pissed she was on the same team as the teme. "Might I remind you Naruko these teams were made based on skill, you were grouped with the people that would best complement each one of your skills and weaknesses. And Sasuke achieved the highest scores in the class, while you received the lowest. You could learn something from him."

Naruko bitterly muttered something to herself about disrespect and favoritism but begrudgingly sat back down. She decided she wasn't going to let anything -not even being forced to deal with that teme- ruin her special day. A broad grin consumed her face. Even with that teme on my team, I'll become the best ninja Kohona has ever seen. Dattebayo! Her cheerful mood soured again at the listless voice of her new teammate.

"Don't slow me down… Dobe," Sasuke looked at Naruko and smirked. Only a complete idiot would make such a big deal like that while being dead last. She really made a complete ass of herself in front of the entire class. He looked over at the annoying blonde again. Her face had turned a hilarious shade of red. She was biting her tongue, presumably fighting the urge to snap back at him.

After Iruka sensei finished assigning the rest of the teams everyone was dismissed for lunch. The students rushed about finding their new teammates and making plans to dine together. Naruko was looking for Sakura. Although the girl had just pummeled her to the ground, Naruko was still hopeful that her new teammate might want to eat lunch with her. She spotted the pink-haired girl up ahead calling after the teme Sasuke.

"Hey, Sakura-Chan." The blonde frantically waved to the pink-haired girl, but she kept chasing after the teme. "Sakura-Chan," Naruko yelled louder than before. The girl stopped and turned to face Naruko. "Hey, Sakura wanna go get lunch. As a way to get to know each other. Eh?" Naruko grinned amiably while folding her arms behind her head.

Sakura's lips turned downwards and into a frown, but she plastered a slight grin on her face. "Uh, sure, but we should get Sasuke-Kun to join us as well. As he is a part of this team and everything." Her cheeks and the tips of her ears turned pink as she cast her eyes down. She cupped her hands to her face and yelled. "Sasuke-Kun? Where are you?"

Sakura wasn't sure how she felt about Naruko. The blonde had always been rather loud, acting out when she didn't get her way, constantly picking fights with anyone who dared cross her path (including her precious Sasuke-Kun,) and not to mention she had stolen Sasuke's first kiss. Sakura had always thought of herself as better than Naruko, her parents had always warned her to stay away from the girl. Her parent's voice rang in her head: 'That girl is nothing, but bad news.' But if Naruko was going to be on her team, she supposed she'd have to get used to the other girl, even if she was a little… backward with her ideas.

"Nandayo! Why do we have to invite that teme? He's nothing, but a stuck-up jerk." Naruko slouched and could feel her good mood waning. What is it with this girl? All she says is Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke. How could she possibly like that teme anyway? He's always smirking, thinking because he scored the highest he's better than me. A moment later Naruko was struck on the head by an angry Sakura.

"Baka, don't talk about Sasuke-Kun like that." Sakura realized this might be the perfect chance to lecture her new teammate and generously help her get her head on straight. "You know Naruko just because you don't have parents, doesn't mean you get to go around acting… the way… you do." Sakura looked around confused as to where Naruko had gone. "Naruko?" she called out.

Naruko was currently running towards the bathroom, desperately clutching her stomach and groaning. Nandayo! What is this? My stomach is killing me. Bleh, I must've caught something from that jerk Sasuke. I'm gonna go beat him up and put him in his proper place. Naruko started looking for Sasuke, but a large gurgle from her upset stomach stopped her.

"Bathroom first," she groaned, "then Sasuke."

Sasuke sat comfortably on the ledge of a window and stared at the bustling streets of Kohona down below. He was a genin now. This was the first necessary step towards his ultimate goal of avenging his noble clan. He was allowing nothing to get in his way. Not even his new teammates. They meant nothing to him; they were merely pests he was reluctantly forced to deal with. He thought harshly for a minute about his two teammates.

The pink-haired girl, Sakura, was irritating to no end. She was always obsessing over him and in his opinion, she displayed no true talent. He didn't think she'd have much to offer him other than headaches, but it couldn't be helped that they were forced to be teammates. He thought about his other teammate, Naruko. He suspected she was going to serve as the source of many of his problems. In fact, she already was. The way she was constantly picking fights with him and in general, she was a terrible nuisance; goofing off in class and typically doing whatever she pleased. It was a wonder she'd even made it out of the academy. Sasuke was positive she'd failed the graduation test. He wondered earnestly how she possibly made it to the orientation today. It couldn't be avoided, she too would be another minor obstacle in his path. Sasuke's trivial thoughts were abruptly interrupted by an obnoxiously loud voice.

"Oi! Uchiha. What's your problem, you bastard? Do you think you're better than me or something? Huh?" Naruko stood on the rooftop, her hands on her hips and her legs spread shoulder length apart. She was taking up as much space as possible, standing in what she believed to be a menacing stance. Her golden pigtails flew wildly in the wind. She gave Sasuke her best death glare. "Well, answer me teme!" Naruko's burning anger flared.

Sasuke blankly stared at Naruko, propping his chin on his knees. Gah, if it wasn't such a waste of time and energy I'd give this stupid girl a piece of my mind. We've argued strenuously countless times but to no avail. She's constantly trying to fight with me and always pissing me off. Naruko started tapping her foot, looking expectant.

"I'm waiting, answer me. Let me guess now you think you're too good to even talk back to me? You arrogant bastard." How dare that idiot just sit there and act like I'm not even here!

Naruko took Sasuke by surprise. She leaped forward, kicking him in the gut. He fell back through the open window and into the vacant building. Naruko sat on top of Sasuke watching him flail about desperately trying to break free from her mighty grip but it was all in vain. Naruko smiled to herself but before she could begin cheering like she wanted Sasuke disappeared with a puff of smoke. He had used substitution Jutsu and carefully replaced himself with a log. Before Naruko could react Sasuke tackled her and hog-tied her.

Sasuke was about to leave through the window. Planning to leave Naruko tied up in the empty room but he stopped when he heard a popping sound. He quickly looked behind him Naruko was no longer tied up, instead, she was in the process of producing shadow clones.

Sakura was desperately looking everywhere for her two teammates. More specifically Sasuke. How rude of that Naruko. Suggesting we get lunch together to only run off a few seconds later. Gah, the nerve of that brat. Well maybe I'll find Sasuke-Kun and instead of all three of us going to lunch just he and I can. Wouldn't that be nice? Just the two of us. Sakura sighed aloud. Lost in her daydream she didn't realize who was standing right in front of her. She bumped into the person and fell to the ground.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going." Sakura said as she stood up gently wiping the dust from her skirt. She looked up to be met with Sasuke's cold hard gaze. She looked everywhere but his eyes and placed her hands behind her back. "Oh uh, Sasuke-Kun. I didn't mean to bump into you, maybe I can make it up to you with some lunch?" She asked praying he hadn't noticed how red she was becoming or how she had started holding her breath.

"Have you seen Naruko?"

"What?! Naruko? Why do you care where she is?" Sakura couldn't believe it, just when she'd finally gained the courage to ask Sasuke out to lunch and he's asking about Naruko.

"Have you seen her or not?"

"Who cares where she is? She's probably off somewhere getting into trouble. She's annoying, don't you think? She constantly instigates fights with you. Ya know she only acts that way because she has no parents. She's all alone, she has no one to teach her right from wrong. I wouldn't do half the things she does because my parents would get mad at me and then I'd get in trouble. She's so lucky, having no parents and all. She can get away with anything she wants to. Wanna know what else is wrong with her?" Sakura could have continued going on and on about all of Naruko's terrible flaws but she stopped instantly when she saw Sasuke's face. "Sasuke?" she asked tentatively.

"The isolation and pain. It's not about having your parents scold you. You have no idea what it means to be alone or how hard it is not to have anyone to turn to. You act as if the pain of being yelled at by your parents amounts to the pain of having no parents."

"Why are you saying that?"

"You annoy me." Sasuke walked away leaving Sakura in complete and utter shock. He didn't want to admit, but he and Naruko did have something in common. They both knew the unspeakable pain of being alone.

"Damn my stomach, I was so close to getting that teme too." Naruko was yet again rushing off to the bathroom. Just as she created a few shadow clones her stomach had of course started to hurt terribly. Naruko fled the room instantaneously with her shadow clones trailing behind her.

Sasuke had watched her run off in confusion. When did she learn to produce clones? And why is she running off like that? What is the dobe up to? Could it be some sort of elaborate plan to mess with me? No way is she that smart, and she could have gotten me just now. She definitely had the element of surprise. So why did she run off like that? Sasuke decided to go find Naruko and figure out what was going on.

After his conversation with Sakura, Sasuke found himself in a rather foul mood. How can that pink-haired fool possibly think she could properly understand Naruko's pain, his pain. She thinks because her parents scold her she knows what it's like to be alone. Sasuke heard a rather loud commotion coming from the building ahead of him. A commotion like that could imply only one thing. Naruko.

He headed towards the building with caution, all the while fruitlessly trying to figure out what the blonde bimbo was playing at. He ran into the building at full speed ready to attack, but he was left absolutely dumbfounded at what he saw. All of the shadow clones Naruko had made earlier were currently fighting to get into the bathroom.

"What are you doing dobe?"

"Huh? Oi! Sasuke? Prepare to be annihilated by the wrath of Naruko Uzumaki- '' before she could finish her speech one of the clones struck her on the head. "Hey! What was that for?" All of the Naruko's started to fight viciously. Punching and hitting each other, arguing over who should be let in the bathroom first.

"Dobe," Sasuke said as he walked away.