V: Friends

Academy classes were done for the day and a nervous Sasuke slunk around to the backside of the academy building. What sort of prank did Naruto have planned? Sasuke couldn't even begin to imagine.

When he arrived at the rendezvous location he was surprised by the lack of…anything, really. Naruto was standing there by himself, leaning against a wall.

"So…um…what are we doing?" Sasuke asked nervously.

Naruto smiled slyly. "Follow me." He then started running.

"Hey, wait for me!" Sasuke yelled as he chased after the prankster.

Naruto didn't wait for Sasuke, instead he kept running, running towards a large apartment complex near the academy. As they got closer, Naruto took the rooftops, Sasuke following suit. By the time the Uzamaki stopped running he was on top of the apartments, the Uchiha arriving shortly after him.

Lined up along the side of the building were half a dozen simple catapults armed with buckets of different colored paints. Looking at them Sasuke was able to tell that they were designed to sling their payloads directly down into the neighboring alleyway when the trigger wire was cut.

"What are we going to do with this?" Sasuke asked

"I'm going to draw those bastard bullies from yesterday into the alley," Naruto said with a massive smile, barely suppressing his excited laughter. "Then you're going to cut those strings and the paint will fall all over them!" Naruto pulled out a knife and handed it to Sasuke, who took it by the handle. At this point the prankster couldn't keep his excitement anymore and started laughing manically.

Sasuke looked at Naruto, unsure of what to think. Then his attention turned to the paint loaded catapults. "Where did you get all of that stuff?"

"Hm?" Naruto said, interrupting his laughter. "Oh. I stole it."

"What?!" Sasuke exclaimed, surprised.

Before he got an answer Naruto started heading down to street level. "Just be ready!"

Sasuke sighed and did as he was told. Kneeling down at the corner of the roof next to the first catapult. Waiting for several moments he eventually saw Naruto running down in the streets. Lagging behind him were the three bullies.

"Get back here!" Sasuke faintly heard one of the bullies yell, along with the gleeful laughter of Naruto. Being well ahead of their prey, Naruto made the turn into the alleyway ahead of the bullies. By the time they arrived the blonde was already on the other side, waiting for his victims to arrive.

"Just going to stand there, huh?" one of the trio said. "Should have just kept on running."

Sasuke released the first bucket of paint, which it spilled its contents into the alleyway below.

"What the hell was that?" one of the boys yelled as the paint fell on and around them. "Just keep going!" another yelled and they did just that.

Soon Sasuke had dropped the second bucket, then the third, then the fourth, each time the Uchiha finding more joy in the prank. Having had enough of the paint falling from the sky the boys came to a stop, right in the sights of the fifth catapult, which Sasuke fired. Wisely deciding not to move any further, the bullies stayed in place. Sasuke, not wanting it to be finished, re-positioned the sixth and final catapult, landing a direct hit as he launched it, the bucket landing on one of the bullies' heads.

Naruto was laughing gleefully down in the alleyway. After a moment's hesitation Sasuke joined in.

"Naruto!" the voice of Iruka rang out.

Sasuke immediately went silent and covered his mouth with his hands, hoping that he wouldn't get caught. He inched over to the edge of the roof and watched Naruto and Iruka argue and yell at each other.

"How many times are you going to do something like this, Naruto?!" Iruka yelled.

"I don't know, haven't decided," Naruto replied.

"Are you going to come with me quietly this time?" the teacher asked.

Naruto shrugged. "Sure, but there's one thing first."

Sasuke watched, confused, as Naruto walked past Iruka and touched the wall of the apartment building. A string, previously hidden along the edge of the roof, suddenly lost tension, catching Sasuke's attention. He followed it back behind him to the rooftop entrance into the building itself, the throwing arm of a catapult barely visible beyond it. His eyes widened as he saw a bucket of orange paint flying at him.

It was too late for him to get out of the way, Sasuke got hit by the paint as the empty bucket sailed past him, falling to the the alleyway.

Overcome with anger, Sasuke yelled at Naruto from the rooftop. "Hey, idiot! We were supposed to prank those bullies, not me!"

Naruto's laughter echoed in the alley. "Yeah, but then I thought how funny it would be if I got you too!"

Sasuke's anger simmered for a moment, but then he just broke down laughing. He rolled around in the puddle of orange paint around him, getting even more covered with the stuff, the sound of both the Uchiha's and the Uzamaki's laughter mingling together.


Itachi paced back and forth in one of the of the academy's classrooms, his younger brother sitting in one of the front row seats, an absolute mess, caked in orange paint from the crown of his head to the soles of his feet. With them was their mother, her mouth agape in shock. The fact that they had been summoned to the academy by Sasuke's teacher was surprise enough, but they hadn't been remotely expecting this.

"How-how did this happen?" Mikoto asked, finally getting over her shock.

Sasuke smiled awkwardly at them, scratching the back of his neck. "Its…um…a long story."

"He and Naruto pulled a prank on a group of their classmates after school today," Iruka answered, leaning against the windowsill. "Should have seen them, covered in more paint than Sasuke here, black, red, blue, and a few other colors." Iruka barely suppressed a laugh before clearing his throat and continuing. "One of them had bruises all over his head from where a bucket landed on him. Their parents wanted to have Naruto kicked out of the program, but that isn't happening. Even if I were inclined to indulge them, Lord Hokage wouldn't allow it."

Itachi looked at his little brother, then over at Naruto sitting a few rows back, seemingly asleep.

"If Sasuke was pulling the prank," Mikoto asked, "why is he covered in paint too?"

"Oh, that? Naruto is more clever than people give him credit for, he set up a trap for Sasuke too," Iruka said, not without a hint of pride.

Mikoto turned to face the teacher. "What about Sasuke? Are the parents of those other children pressing charges?"

"Oh, don't worry," Iruka replied with a dismissive wave of his hand, "they weren't at all concerned about him."

"Very well," Mikoto said, turning back to younger son. "You got lucky this time. But you're going to get some discipline when we get home."

"Wait, Mother," Itachi interjected, "I want to talk to Sasuke alone. Naruto too."

"…OK," Mikoto replied, sighing before she stepped out of the room.

Itachi looked over his shoulder at Iruka.

"Oh, alright," the chunin said as he exited.

"Naruto, could you come over here?" Itachi asked.

The kid opened his eyes, having apparently feigned sleep the whole time, and walked over to sit next to Sasuke.

"How did this happen?" Itachi asked. "I want the whole story."

Naruto and Sasuke recounted the tale of how they had run into the bullies the previous day and how Sasuke agreed to help the prankster with his prank. Naruto also told how he had come up with the plan to double cross the Uchiha and how he'd gathered the materials for his plan.

Itachi smiled and shook his head. "Well, Sasuke, it seems you've got yourself a friend."

The two boys looked at each other. "Are we friends?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto remained quiet for a moment. "Sure, I guess," he finally said with a shrug.

They both smiled at that and started laughing before confirming their new friendship with a fist bump.


A few days had passed since Itachi had found his little brother in an academy classroom, covered in orange paint. Despite the fact that their parents had forbidden the boy from going near Naruto, Sasuke not only disobeyed them, but was brazen and open about it. The day after, a Saturday, so there were no classes, Sasuke came home late in the afternoon, talking about his training session with his new best friend.

Today was Monday and again Sasuke had come home excited with the stories of the antics he and Naruto were getting up to. Regardless of their parents' exasperation over the sudden change of affairs, Itachi was silently glad that Sasuke had found a friend.

But that wasn't the only thing on his mind. Today was the day that the transfers happened and as far as Itachi was concerned no news was good news.

"Lord Itachi! Lord Itachi!"

The yelling could be heard from outside and, suddenly alert, Itachi rushed to the front of the house.

"Lord Itachi!" a young Uchiha yelled as the clan head opened the door.

"What is it?" Itachi asked.

"Sir, it's Yashiro," the messenger said. "He's under arrest."

"For what?!" Itachi exclaimed, surprised.

"Sir," the messenger replied, short of breath, "he murdered one of his new squad mates."