The sky was clear of clouds this day. It had an awe-inspiring azure hue to it that spread on for miles and miles, and the sun beat down brightly on the ground below. It was a lazy afternoon; the streets of Konoha were far less noisy than they usually were. A gentle breeze caught the tree branches, they swayed, and the rustling of leaves was soothing to the mind and soul. Here and there, pockets of people milled about, going around doing their jobs, their chatter filling the air not just with sound, but also with the essence of life. Children ran about, carefree and joyous, their laughter blending in seamlessly with the voices of the adults.

Chuunins on patrol duty did their work slowly, their faces free of stress, some of them eating and drinking, greeting civilians as they passed. An occasional Jounin could be seen, blurring into view and fading out of sight as they hurried along on their missions. It was a peaceful day, but Uchiha Sasuke found that he could enjoy none of it.

Why did Brother have to kill the Uchihas?

The question kept repeating itself inside his head, and he could find no logical answer to it. He recalled his brother saying that he had done so for the safety of Konoha, but that would mean that the Uchihas had been a threat to the Hidden Leaf, which made no sense. Weren't the Uchihas the peacekeeping force of Konoha? If anything, the safety of Konoha was up to them to preserve. Sasuke scowled. And what had his brother meant when he said that he could not protect their mother? It was all so confusing.

For the week after the massacre, Sasuke had cried himself to sleep every night, waking every morning only to find that the massive Uchiha compound was now devoid of life and activity, knowing that his parents would never again be there for him, knowing that he was very much alone.

Knowing that made his pain worse. He was used to having a family around him, used to knowing that even if he stumbled and fell, there would be someone there to catch him. He was used to waking every morning to pester his older brother to teach him something new, to train him to become as powerful a ninja. And although his father was often impassive, knowing that his father was around made him feel secure. His mother had always been so loving, so willing to sacrifice herself for his gain. But now, he had none of that. He had to fend for himself, had to pick himself off the dirt after he fell, had no one around to make him feel wanted, to make him feel like he belonged.

But he did not blame his older brother. He held on firmly to the belief that his brother was innocent, and after he had forced himself to stop crying, he had started combing the Uchiha compound for clues or evidence that would lead to clearing his brother's name. But he did not know where to start, or what to look for, and it frustrated him to no end. Was he that powerless? He could not even do something as simple as proving his brother innocent.

"Isn't that Uchiha Sasuke?" Sasuke looked up, wondering who was talking about him. Turning to his left, he saw a group of middle-aged women huddled together, whispering and staring pointedly at him. He frowned, and turned his gaze away, although he continued to listen.

"Poor boy, I heard that his brother, Itachi, had killed the entire clan." Sasuke's eye twitched. He wanted so much to prove that his brother was innocent, that he had killed the clan to protect people like them.

"Such a pity, I heard that he was a genius... but all he is now is a murderer." Sasuke's blood began to boil. Were these people stupid? Didn't they know that Itachi was a fiercely loyal ninja? Didn't they know that he had risked his life many times to protect Konoha? He gritted his teeth, clenched his fists.

"I hope they find that murderer soon! I don't feel safe knowing that he is still out there somewhere." That was all Sasuke could take. Wheeling around, he exploded.

"My brother is innocent!" He screamed at them, and they appeared to be startled. They gaped at him, speechless, and Sasuke took grim amusement in their reactions, knowing that he had, at least, shut them up. Glaring at them as best he could, he walked away, leaving them muttering amongst themselves.

Without realizing it, so deeply lost in his thoughts was he, that Sasuke very nearly tripped and tumbled down the slope that led into the river flowing through Konoha. Catching himself at the edge of the slope, he heaved a sigh of relief and leaned against a large boulder, sitting on the ground. The sound of water trickling in the river calmed him down, and he felt considerably better. He managed a small smile. I'll rest a while, then go home and search again.

That was when his ears picked up a strange sound.

Hmm?

Getting to his feet, he listened closely. Someone was sniffling, and from the sound of it, that some was nearby. He walked around the boulder, and looked around. Strange, there was no one in sight And yet, he could hear the sounds of someone sniffling. He glanced down, and jumped. There, curled up on the ground in a tiny ball, was a boy around his age, with bright blond hair. He was dressed in a decidedly horrible bright orange shirt and with a pair of gray shorts. His feet were bare. His face was buried in his knees, and his body was trembling slightly. Sasuke stared at the boy, unsure of what to do, then bent down and poked him in his shoulder. The boy looked up, and Sasuke was stunned by how brilliantly blue the boy's eyes were. The boy stared back at him for a split second, then yelped and jumped on top of the boulder in a surprising display of dexterity and agility.

"Are... are you going to throw... s-stones at me again?" The boy stuttered, and that was when Sasuke took notice of the bruises on the boy's face and skin. His mind began to cloud with anger again. Who could be some inhumane as to inflict pain and injury upon someone so young?

"No..." Sasuke said, standing up.

"You sure?" The boy did not seem frightened anymore, but was still wary of Sasuke.

"Yeah." Sasuke was surprised at how quickly the boy's expression changed. In an instant, his mouth twisted into a wide grin, and his eyes seem to sparkle with limitless energy. The boy straightened himself and stood proudly on top of the boulder.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto!" He proclaimed loudly, flashing Sasuke a thumbs up. "And I'm going to be Hokage!" His voice was filled with confidence, confidence so complete, so absolute, that Sasuke did not doubt that the boy in front of him would indeed one day be Hokage. Naruto grinned, and began to laugh, and Sasuke found himself smiling despite himself. This boy's cheerfulness was infectious! Then, Naruto blinked, and peered at Sasuke curiously.

"Who are you?" Sasuke flinched. He did not want to tell this boy his name, speaking his name brought back memories of his dead clan, and he was sure that this boy would immediately take on an expression of pity. That was how everyone had been looking at him lately, and Sasuke hated it. Take your pity and channel it into something useful! Sasuke longed to tell those people.

"I'm Uchiha Sasuke." He said hesitantly, and was surprised when Naruto did not look at him with pity. Instead, his face took on a look of thoughtfulness.

"That's a cool name!" He laughed after a moment of silence, and Sasuke gaped at him. Did he not know of the Uchiha Massacre, as people had come to call it? Apparently not. Sasuke was happy to know that, strangely.

"Why were you crying?" Sasuke asked, and Naruto's face fell.

"I don't know why." He muttered. "I wanted to play with the other kids, but then their moms came and took them away. They were calling me 'monster' and 'demon'... and then some of them started throwing stones at me." Sasuke stared, horrified. What was wrong with these people? Naruto was very much an ordinary boy, not a demon!

"I don't have any friends." Naruto frowned, "Your name is the first I know. Well... second. I knew Iruka-sensei first, but he's not a kid, so he doesn't count."

"I'll be your friend." Sasuke offered. He wasn't sure why people would shun away from Naruto, when Naruto seemed like such a likeable person. He smiled as Naruto's face brightened.

"Really? You mean it?" He asked hopefully. Sasuke nodded.

Naruto smiled at him, and Sasuke smiled back.