IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE

(please read)

A/N - Hello, it's been a hot minute since I've last updated, hasn't it? I would like to sincerely apologize for the lateness of this chapter. On April 30, almost a full month ago, my laptop, for some reason, wouldn't turn on. I tried my best overnight to fix it but, upon further inspection of its components, I realized that there wasn't any way I was bringing it back - my laptop had finally died. The reasoning behind its inability to turn on has to do with the actual charging port, not the charger itself so I can't even replace it to fix the issue. It's an older laptop model and I didn't feel like it would be worth the money to get that part of my laptop fixed - I'd rather get a new laptop with that kind of money if I had to be honest.

If you're worried that I might have lost some of my fanfictions, it's alright, I haven't lost any of the documents. I write all of my fanfictions on Google Docs now rather than Word so everything syncs up no matter what device I'm on.

This rather long author's note is really just me wanting you readers to know that, from now on, chapters are going to be significantly delayed and/or have a long period between each posted one. I'm currently writing on my tablet and/or phone - which is the last resort if my tablet isn't charged - which is incredibly difficult to write on. Although, I have been able to use my mom's PC while she's at work to save time. However, with my current work schedule, I just don't have the time to work on the story or I'm too exhausted to. This is just me saying that it will take longer for each chapter to be written.

For those who're probably going to say that I just purchase a new one, I don't have the privilege of being able to buy what I want/need at any given moment - I don't have the money currently to get a new laptop. The money I have right now needs to go towards my car that needs some repairs - getting my car to 100% is more important to me than getting another laptop or computer at the moment. I don't make enough per paycheck to just fix all I need to on my car - it's taken me almost a month to just have enough savings to get my car into the shop so it'll be even longer until I get a laptop, unfortunately. I have gotten a promotion as well as a small pay raise so, hopefully, it won't be too long.

Relating to the story, if the chapter feels off or is written rather oddly, please remember that I am not able to write at a computer where things are easier to see/read/write. Please have patience with my current writing style, especially if it isn't that detailed in the way my previous chapters have been. And, to finally end this little life update, I just want to say that I'm in a weird limbo of living paycheck-to-paycheck and I apologize for the future delays on this story. Thank you for being patient with me and I hope you enjoy the chapter!

A bead of sweat trailed down Naruto's face, using the side of his arm to wipe it away before it could contaminate anything. If he'd been at the hospital, he'd have some gear to keep anything bodily of his away from his current patient but, as he was currently in the woods, the boy would have to make do. Focused blue eyes stared intently at the injured deer lying in front of him, pained, scared noises coming out of the young buck's mouth every now and then. Green waves of healing chakra flowing from his hands as Teruya's words heeded him carefully in his head, reminding him of what to do and how to do it properly. Gritting his teeth, the blond-haired academy student pushed himself harder.

It had been a little over a month since the Uchiha clan's downfall as well as his new volunteer position at the hospital and, in that short amount of time, Naruto had probably learned more from the other nurses and doctors - Teruya especially - than he had working on his own for a little under a year. For starters, learning how to accurately direct and utilize medical ninjutsu in an efficient manner was a key part of his lessons. It turns out that Naruto hadn't been using the right technique to revive the fish corpse in the medic revival practice scroll and, if he had continued with his path of being self-taught with no guidance on what to do, Teruya warned that he would have seriously hurt himself in the long run.

"Hiruzen-kun was right to send you to me. Your technique is all over the place and, if you were in any combat situation, you would have killed yourself before you'd get the chance to heal anyone." Her words had stung at the time. Naruto had really believed that he'd been doing great on his own but, after a moment of reflection, it was clear that this was all for his benefit and the boy had greatly appreciated it afterward, pushing himself to really learn how to do things correctly.

It actually hadn't been long since he'd left the hospital for the day, taking the scenic route home. He'd been walking around the forested area, kicking at rock and pebbles in the dirt pathway, when he saw a young buck fall to his knees, blood draining from his side and panting heavily. The deer had obviously been attacked by a predator but had managed to escape albeit seriously injured. Seeing this as an opportunity, Naruto moved cautiously but quickly towards the deer. The academy student had made sure to check the area just in case the predator that'd hurt the buck was still around, but upon seeing nothing, he got on his knees; using his newfound knowledge and limited experience, he began to heal the deer.

The blond-haired boy would be the first to admit that the healing process had started out rocky, but he was slowly getting the hang of it. The only things he's ever healed were different kinds of amphibians and the fish corpse in his medical revival practice scrolls as well as a few cuts and bruises Teruya or nurses would get - none of the patients at the hospital wanted to be healed from someone 'like him'; it stung to hear such a thing. The point being, the young medic-in-training had never healed something that was this seriously injured - it was a scary experience, he'd admit.

After a couple minutes of pushing his chakra out, watching the green glow start to stitch muscles back together, and stopping the bleeding in the buck's side, the deer finally opened his eyes. "I guess that means I'm doing an alright job then." Naruto thought with a smile of determination on his face. Blue eyes met the poor animal's, still seeing those wide, startled eyes staring back at him while the academy student still continued to heal the buck to the best of his abilities.

The wound was finally starting to close. It was a surprising discovery for Naruto who'd only barely gotten the hang of it less than a week ago under Teruya's guidance. The young buck could sense it too, starting to kick its leg into a sitting position. In hopes of being able to finish healing the deer, the blond stayed as still as possible so that he wouldn't startle the animal. Now that all of the deer's internal bleeding and injuries were healed up, all that was left to do was close up the wound. Naruto wondered if it was painful to have every muscle stitch itself back up or force the body to close arteries and veins that were gushing blood, if it hurt to get the skin to mold back into place, leaving only a scar as a memory of what had gotten them in this position.

His work was done, almost fifteen minutes had passed since he'd started. Naruto shuffled away from the buck, sitting back on his haunches. The young deer started to stand up on shaky legs, staring at the boy who'd healed him with unblinking eyes. The two were silent for only a moment as the buck finished getting his bearings before bowing his head respectfully, his small antlers touching the bloodied grass below him before walking away slowly. The blond-haired academy student looked after the buck until he escaped his line of sight, a small smile on his face for doing a good deed.

Naruto sighed in relief, looking down at his bloodied hands. "Ew..." He'd forgotten how close they'd gotten to the deer's wound when he'd been healing him. Don't get him wrong, though, the blond had gotten over his queasiness pretty early on after messing around with bloodied or dead things this past month, but that didn't mean that he liked getting it on his hands.

He blinked as an idea struck him, "Maybe I should think about investing in some gloves to have on me outside of the hospital..." The academy student nodded to himself, solidifying his resolve as he stood up from the bloodied grass. Naruto was about to head home, wanting to wash away the crimson liquid coating his hands and the little bit that had gotten on his shirt but stopped himself. Knowing how the villagers thought of him if anyone saw him in this state with blood all over him, they'd probably think he'd killed someone.

"Yeah, let's not do that," Naruto murmured to himself, turning around and headed for a river he'd passed by when approaching the injured deer. The blond-haired boy went by the edge of the water, crouching down low so that he could wash away the blood and grim of his job away. He looked at his clothes, finding the only noticeable stains being on his shirt. The medic-in-training took it off quickly, starting to scrub it in the river water with his now clean hands. "If only I had some soap..." Naruto found himself mumbling out but, nonetheless, he managed to get the stain out of his shirt.

He wrung out the water clinging onto his shirt; it still felt a little damp. The academy student moved over to a tree, throwing it over a branch to let it dry while he went to sit back in the grass. As the wind blew gently, some of his hair flew in his eyes, catching the boy's attention. A hand came up to his forehead, wiping away his bangs off his face. Naruto considered the blond locks for a moment, seeing the strands between his fingers. "It has been a little while since I cut it..." The eight-year-old found himself saying, letting his hand fall beside him, "Do I even want to cut it? I've never had long hair before."

He took in the scenery with a soft smile on his face, searching the environment for nothing in particular. Without a thought, Naruto shifted until his legs were crossed in a meditation position, letting himself delve into a sense of serenity. It was easy to remember the guide in one of his many books, guiding him in how to meditate, "Close your eyes, clear your mind. Think of nothing or everything. Fill your mind with nothing but memories that calm your soul. Slow your breathing down, fill yourself with tranquility. Maintain the serenity for as long as desired."

This time, the memories came first before his breathing eventually evened out. Shikamaru came to mind first, bringing a soft smile to the academy student's face. It was easy to remember their conversation from a little over a month ago about the other boy's insecurity in regards to his own hair. "Why would he ever think he looked like a girl?" His mind ushered out without conscious control as his body became lax in his meditation, "I wonder... if I grew my hair out, then I can show him that having long hair doesn't automatically make someone look girly."

Some time passed before another thought crossed his mind. "Iruka has long hair, but he always has a ponytail like Shikamaru. Does Iruka also wear his hair up because people called him girly before? Is it really such a big issue if guys have long hair?" He pondered these thoughts with a furrow in his brows, almost losing his concentration. Naruto quelled his frustration, getting his breathing back under control.

"Please don't pity me." Shikamaru's voice rang through his head, startling the blond out of his meditation, eyes peeling open. The world was a little blurry as he pulled himself together. Naruto rubbed his eyes, sighing out heavily. The way the Nara heir had said those four words struck a chord deep within him at his very core for some reason - if it was because they were friends and the blond hadn't seen his friends hurt or something else, he wasn't entirely sure. Just the pure pain, his earlier panic, and the hoarseness of unshed tears of trauma that fueled those words made a shiver run down Naruto's spine.

The bullying Naruto sustained was never physical but the abandonment and ostracization he faced day-in, day-out was enough to give him some desire for comfort from others and a need to please people or, before he got serious about his medical studies, prank people to just get them to look at him. He dealt with all that with a smile on his face and a determination to be acknowledged by the villagers.

But what kind of things did Shikamaru have to go through? Was it physical altercations that forced him to cut his hair? Did the bullies of his clan hurt him?

Naruto swallowed heavily, eyes gazing into the river unblinking as he tried to herd his thoughts together. The only way to know would be to ask Shikamaru himself, even if it was a sensitive topic. He could remember the way his friend's shoulders shook, the way his voice wavered uncertainly while the blond-haired academy student had put his hair back into a ponytail with concentrated ease. He slipped back into a fixed meditation position, allowing himself to think about that day in the forest where the two had been sitting on that branch.

He flushed a little in embarrassment about his out-of-the-blue statement when he'd called Shikamaru handsome. He hadn't ever called anyone handsome - at most, it was thinking that someone was cute or really pretty - but, when he thought of the Nara heir, that was the only word he could come up with. Handsome suited Shikamaru, at least to the blond. He didn't think he was girly like those of his clan thought or pretty like Naruto would consider other guys or girls, he was just handsome.

He could feel the wind changing directions as Shikamaru drifted from his thoughts, the blond falling into a deeper meditation - it tipped between slumber and consciousness, he supposed. "I suppose it would be nice to have long hair..." Was the last thought Naruto had before true serenity fell upon him, his shirt still drying elsewhere.

The last month of summer came and passed rather quickly between Naruto running between home, his summer courses at the academy with Iruka, and his training at the hospital. Any spare time he had was spent with Shikamaru and Choji before school started up again at the beginning of September.

That first day of school had been awkward despite everyone excited to see their friends again. This tension came from the lone Uchiha sitting by himself at the back of the class, hands laced in front of his face while deep in thought. That bright, happy look that he used to have the last Naruto had seen him was only replaced with bags under his eyes and a numbness. For lack of better wording, Sasuke looked dead.

At the beginning of the school year, seating charts were always done by last names in alphabetical order. Students had the opportunity to sit where they'd like as the year progressed - this was just to make it easier on teachers to learn students' names if they hadn't already. For Iruka, it was merely to keep order in the classroom until he'd let his students have their fun. For Sasuke, it meant that that empty seat that he wanted to remain as it had to be filled by someone.

Uchiha... Uzumaki...

Naruto would be that someone it seemed, not that he had a problem with the raven-haired boy but he didn't know what to say - maybe Sasuke didn't want to hear anything. The class collectively looked at each other, trying to hide from the Uchiha's dead stare. Naruto, although a little nervous about approaching someone who'd gone through so much trauma, was not scared to approach the boy and sit directly beside him as if nothing had happened over the summer.

The girls who'd once fangirled over the Uchiha were still awed by the boy's presence but were much more shaken about doing what they'd usually do, pampering Sasuke with praises about how cool he was and generally surrounding him before class would begin. They were unable to bring themselves close to the lone Uchiha, grateful that their last names put them as far away from him as possible.

Maybe Naruto imagined it, but Sasuke looked disappointed, sad even. And Naruto understood the feeling of being left out or talked about behind his back, whispering popping up every time he walked into a room. So, when he caught the Uchiha's eye, all the blond did was smile.

Sasuke hissed, "Dobe..."

Naruto blinked in surprise, having never been called such a name before. He just stared curiously at the raven-haired academy student, still reeling from the venom directed at him. The way he said it made his skin crawl, his blood boiling just under the surface. All he was trying to do was be nice. The word sounded familiar, though, something Massan had once said maybe while he'd been studying at the library - two insults that coincided together, he thought. Someone had called Massan a 'dobe' once, but what had she said back?

And as Sasuke glanced back at him it clicked. Naruto turned fully towards the Uchiha and said, "Well, if I'm a 'Dobe' then that makes you a 'Teme'." The Uchiha paused, as if not expecting the other boy to bite back. It wasn't even a second later that Naruto swore he heard Sasuke snort before turning back to the board just as Iruka walked in.

Class was the same old thing, day after day, test after test. A lot of the first two weeks had been a review from last year to make sure the students hadn't forgotten anything since the year before. For Naruto, though, it was just a boring repeat from the last three months he'd spent with Iruka during his summer courses. He was so bored that he'd actually begged Iruka to let him work on his medical studies while the rest of the class was catching up with the review. Iruka had said yes, surprisingly, and would let Naruto know when they'd finally caught up to new material.

It wasn't long afterward that Shikamaru's birthday rolled around late September, the Nara heir inviting the blond-haired academy student to his birthday party. The only other person invited was Choji, both him and Naruto showing up early to their friend's party. The three of them had a good time between stuffing their face with cake, ice cream, and chips, washing it down with sugary sodas that Shikamaru's mother - Yoshino, if Naruto remembered correctly - nagged on about, swearing their teeth were going to rot off. Shikaku - the Nara heir's father - only laughed, saying that they were young and allowed to have fun.

After eating, the three played card games well into the evening, Speed was a good choice for a while but everyone got bored with it when Naruto kept winning. Choji left shortly after a few games of Gin Rummy, saying that his parents had wanted him home at seven. The three friends said their goodbyes, watching the Akimichi heir leave before heading back to Shikamaru's room.

He pulled out a shogi board, having taught Naruto the game not too long ago. While Shikamaru was definitely superior in this particular strategy game, the blond-haired boy could still give him a run for his money. They played silently for quite some time, Yoshino coming in at some point to tell the boys that she was heading to bed and not to stay up too late as tomorrow was a school night. They'd waved her off before continuing to play.

"Can I ask you something?" Naruto whispered out, not really willing to be the first to break the calm silence of the night.

"Hm?" The Nara heir gave him a look, finishing his turn with a calculated risk.

Not realizing it was a trap, Naruto played one of his pieces there, watching in despair as Shikamaru took the piece off the board in victory. He pouted as he finished collecting his thoughts, "Did those... Did your bullies hurt you? Like hitting you or s-something...?"

He paused, hand hovering over the board in shock, eyes peeking up at the nervous look on his friend's face, "W-What?"

"I kept thinking about our conversation when you were helping me learn how to do the tree-walking exercise. And, yeah, I was bullied a lot - I mean... I still kind of am - and I've been ignored most my life by those in the village but I was never really bullied physically." Naruto fiddled with his fingers, running it over the zipper of his jacket, "I just... worried what they did to you?" It was more of an uncertain question than a statement.

Shikamaru pulled his hand away from the board, putting a pause to their game for a moment as his hand sat in his lap palms up. His eyes looked far away, sighing quietly, "Most days, it wasn't that bad." His voice was hollow. "I, um... I used to get bothered by those kids a lot. It was just a swat to the back of the head or a pinch to my arm. They used to pull my hair and threaten to cut it with scissors."

The blond's jaw tensed, that similar feeling of anger filling him, "Do they still do it?" His voice was hardened, something that actually shocked the other boy upon hearing.

"Naruto, they haven't done any of that to me since I cut my hair. It doesn't matter anymore - it's too troublesome to think about anymore." He shrugged nonchalantly, finally moving his piece, ending his turn.

"That's bullshit." He hissed quietly, arms crossing over his chest, "Did they get away with it too?"

Shikamaru blanched, not understanding where this anger was coming from, "We were all kids - it was way before I got into the academy."

"It doesn't matter how old you were - bullying is still bullying!" Naruto expressed vehemently, dragging a hand down his face in frustration, "You say it doesn't matter, but if it really didn't matter, you wouldn't still be affected by what they did to you. You freaked out when your hair was falling out of your ponytail because you were worried I was going to make fun of-"

"Naruto!" His voice raised, shoulders shaking with his hands raised in the air as if surrendering, "I don't want to think about the shit they put me through. I decided to cut my hair and they stopped. I don't have to deal with it anymore so it doesn't matter. Just drop it..."

"You know I can't do that." The blond whispered, moving his piece after a stretch of silence passed through them. A sniffle sounded shortly after, Naruto lifting his head to stare into tearful black eyes. His face softened, moving around the shogi table to sit beside the Nara heir. "I'm sorry for bringing it up, I just couldn't get it out of my head..." The blond-haired academy student said in a hushed voice.

Shikamaru leaned over, nestling his head into the crook of the other boy's shoulder, hands still in his lap but just needing some form of comfort right now. Naruto wrapped one of his arms around Nara's shoulder while his other hand reached for one of the other boy's hands. "W-Why..." He hiccupped quietly, "Why do y-you care so much?"

Naruto chuckled softly, squeezing his shoulder slightly, "We're friends, Shika. And I would do anything for you. I care because you're important to me and I hate to see you hurting." His arms resting over the other boy's shoulder lifted up, petting the top of Shikamaru's hair, running his fingers through his ponytail. "You were my first friend, the first person to look at me and go 'I'm going to be friends with him', something I've never had before. For the first time in my life, I had someone who didn't look at me with disgust or hate."

"I..."

"You are one of the most important people in my life, Shika."

The black-haired academy student sniffled, letting go of Naruto's hand to wipe his tears away. "I don't know how you keep getting me to cry... troublesome brat." He said with a little more life to his eyes.

The other boy barked out a laugh, "I'm just good at comforting people, I guess."

"Yeah, you are." Shikamaru smiled softly, leaning in more, content to just stay here with his best friend, "Not even Choji and I cry around each other, to be honest..."

"It's fine and I'm sure Choji doesn't mind it either."

"Hm..."

Naruto sat and continued to play with the other boy's hair, "Did you want to finish our shogi game?"

He hummed again, "Not really, feeling kind of drained right now... and tired."

"If you want to go to bed, I'll head home then." He moved to get up but stopped by a hand on his shirt.

"Do you... want to spend the night?" Shikamaru asked hesitantly, neither having spent the night over at either's house since their friendship had started, "It's really late right now and I don't really like the idea of you walking home by yourself. At least when Choji left, there was still some light out and he doesn't live very far - you live almost across the village... So?"

Naruto pondered for a moment before smiling, "Sure! I've never had a sleepover before!"

"I'm, uh... I'm going to go get you some blankets and a pillow. I'll be back in a minute." The Nara heir mumbled out, awkwardly standing up and stepping out of his room for a moment, the door left open.

The blond-haired academy student stared after him, a smile on his face. Not long after he left, Shikaku appeared in the doorway just as Naruto had finished putting away the shogi board for the night. He glanced up, an unreadable expression on Shikamaru's dad's face, "Um... is it alright if I s-spend the night? Shikamaru asked and, um..."

"You're fine, kid." He raised a hand, hoping to ease the boy's nervousness, "I just wanted to thank you for being there for my son."

Naruto flushed, "Y-You heard that?" He scratched his cheek.

Shikaku motioned his head towards the wall, "The walls in the house aren't as thick as Shikamaru would like to believe. Sounds travel pretty well here."

"Oh."

"Take care of yourself, Naruto."

He smiled genuinely, "I'll try my best, sir." Shikaku merely nodded before leaving, just in time for Shikamaru to walk back into the room with the blankets and pillow he promised. Naruto thanked him, putting together where he'd been sleeping on the spare futon the Nara heir had found in a closet.

Things would be fine, he was sure of it - give it some time.

A/N - Forgot to mention something about the last chapter for those wondering. The reason I made Teruya kind of info-dump onto Naruto is that there are actual studies that show that people with severe anxiety/trauma will cope by info-dumping onto another if asked how they are rather than those who become shut-in's or refuse to say anything about what they went through. I made Teruya like this because I do it myself for unresolved trauma and anxiety. I thought some people would appreciate having a character represent this flaw - to me, I consider it a flaw whereas someone might enjoy this way of coping.

Some of you didn't understand or rather disliked this representation and I apologize but I will not change the previous chapter and Teruya will continue her info-dumping!

Until next time, everyone, whenever that may be!