I am sorry for the late chapter. Stuff came up and I wasn't able to update but I hope you like this chapter. Thanks for all the reviews and favorites!

A pair of onyx eyes watched the skilful hands mould a blob of white clay to life. School was long over but Itachi had come across Deidara in the art room. Naturally, he became curious about what the blond was doing there so he decided to check.

Upon getting there, he noticed that Deidara was moulding clay into something. That's right, Deidara said that he was a sculptor on his first day. Itachi didn't think he could forget his first meeting with the lousy blond and his proclamation that his art was better than Itachi's.

That was one of the reasons Itachi stayed back at school, to see if Deidara was actually as big as he claimed. Apparently, the blond was in fact very skilled both in sculpting and painting. They had been in school for hours. Deidara had sculpted a humming bird and was painting it.

If Itachi didn't know better, he would have thought that the hummingbird was real. That's right, Deidara did nail art and artistic ones at that. If he could paint small birds on nails then birds like the hummingbird he just created was a cinch to say the least.

Itachi would never admit this openly to the blond but his breath hitched at the sight of the finished hummingbird. It was so beautiful!

"And now, for the - danna is mean! - for the finishing touch of my masterpiece, un!" Deidara's scream took Itachi by surprise. Black brows raised. There was a finishing touch to this perfection? His onyx eyes followed Deidara's scrambling movements and watched him take something that looked dangerously like a...

What the?!

"Art is a blast, un! Katsu!" The blond pushed the button and the clay bird he spent HOURS making exploded to bits in colorful flames.

Blink.

Blink. Blink.

'Psycho.' Itachi concluded after minutes of trying to understand Deidara's brain. Said blond was laughing like one of those evil villains in cartoon shows whose evil plans never work. The blond was a pyromaniac as well as a lunatic.

Itachi shook his head. And that was a very beautiful hummingbird too. He could not believe that Deidara would spend effing hours to make that stuff only to blow it up. 'He is a psycho.'

On his way home, the raven thought back to when he met Deidara. The blond had thrown a blob of clay at the back of his head but Itachi was swift to evade the childish attack. Now that better light had shone on Deidara's true abilities, Itachi was not sure whether he could trust any blob of clay the blond held in his hands again.

Xxx symphony xxX

"Good morning Gaara!"

"Aaand once again you were snubbed." Shikamaru deadpanned. The blond never gave up on trying to get Gaara to reply him despite how obviously impossible it was. The redhead made it clear that he hated the human species with every drop of blood that he had but Naruto being another type of human (the dumb species) obviously ignored the boy's 'I'll murder you if you breathe' aura and strived to talk to him.

"No I wasn't, he looked at me!" Naruto yelled enthusiastically, his horridly coloured orange bag pack jiggling with every of his jumping movements. Shikamaru vaguely wondered if he could stay still for a minute. Even twenty seconds would be a great accomplishment for the energetic blond. "This is a great development! Normally he wouldn't even spare me a glance!"

"I congratulate you for your success, Naruto-kun!" Lee wholeheartedly congratulated his friend on something utterly insignificant. Who cares if Gaara looked at you?!

"Hn. It's not even eight in the morning and you're shouting down the whole school? Usuratonkachi." Sasuke muttered as walked elegantly into the hallway. His uniform was neatly ironed and his tie in place unlike his self proclaimed rival whose tie was nowhere to be found. Who cares?! Ties are dignified dog chains!

"Teme! I was having a good morning until you showed up!" Naruto angrily yelled at the retreating figure of the Uchiha. He would come to regret his loud proclamation when a horde of fan girls led by Sakura and Karin materialised from nowhere.

"And who asked for your opinion, baka?!" Sakura squawked.

"Nobody sees your face and has a good morning, boke!" Karin seconded. For some reason, the redhead had a great malice against Naruto that he didn't understand. She didn't hesitate to show it but she didn't show the reason for her anger towards him either.

"Girls are a drag." Shikamaru sighed. He almost pitied Naruto but the blond should have known better than to loudly proclaim his hate for Sasuke in an hallway filled with the blood suckers known as his fan girls. "I'm off to class." The brunet headed to the recuperative class with Lee. The latter really wanted to help Naruto but he knew better than to invoke the wrath of angry girls.

"Oh come on Hinata!" Neji's voice somehow carried above the chittering of the fan girls. Said boy was trying to get his cousin to talk to him again to no avail. Hinata had explained everything that happened during gum class to Hanabi and now she too was not talking to him. It was unnerving to say the least.

The both of them marched past poor Naruto without even realising that he was the one lying at the mercy of the banshees. The vulpine boy was saved by Temari, the committee in charge of discipline, after a while of torture.

The dance studio was desolate save for a few dedicated dancers like Tenten who chose to practice even though there was no dance teacher available.

"I thought this was supposed to be a high class school. Why the heck is there no dance tutor or even a sub?" Kiba snarked from where he was at the studio. He was in a side split with his torso sprawled forward upon his elbow. For somebody who looked as uncoordinated as Kiba did, the boy was certainly flexible.

"Hn." Sasuke agreed-ish to Kiba's words. Dance class, like gym class, was one of the classes that everyone shared together. Unfortunately there had been no teacher so it was every man to himself now. At first, they all gathered at the studio without fail but after a week of doing that, the first years started going wayward.

Not only them but other grades as well.

Only loyal ones like Tenten and Naruto who really loved dancing were there every dance period. For people like Sasuke and Neji who had to keep up their appearances and school reports, there was no choice left for them but to attend every class.

"I'm sure that the school management is taking care of it s-so w-we might h-have a -d-dance teacher SOON!" Hinata frazzled off towards the end of her speech when she saw Naruto's eyes on her. Her face exploded into a bright shade of red when the blond smirked at her.

'Naruto-kun smiled at me! He's looking at me! What do I do?! Do I look okay? I hope I'm not blushing too hard! I hope -!'

The ravenette's vision of heavenly beauty was obnoxiously blocked by Neji's back. She scowled and glared holes through her cousin's back but it was not burning away. The long haired male knew better than to look Hinata in the eye. He didn't understand why she would have a crush on Namikaze of all people. It was just a phase...or so he hoped.

"Thank you for the compliment." Everyone in the room other than the calm ones like Shino jumped at the sudden intrusion of a man's voice. All heads turned to look at the person that just spoke. A man with a shock of silver hair and black eyes came into view.

A scar ran through the middle of his left eye and half of his face was covered by a surgical mask. His features made him look mysterious. Despite not being able to see his full face, his stature and charisma alone signified that the man was very handsome.

"Who are you, old man?" Naruto suddenly asked, breaking the silence.

Kakashi bristled at the jab. 'Old man?!' The man sighed. 'Some things never change. Whoa, he really does not remember anything.' Shaking off the upcoming sad thoughts, Kakashi made it to the front of the class and introduced himself. "I am Hatake Kakashi, your dance teacher from now on. I expected you to be more than this."

"Ah. Since we have been less busy during dance period, some students decided to use the time for another thing instead." Neji explained.

"I see." Kakashi hummed. "Well since I don't know you all, why don't you sound off your names starting from you?"

Neji blinked. "H-hai. Hyuga Neji!"

Kakashi looked at the boy. 'Violinist. Not much of a dancer but would perform awesomely in waltz and Italian dances.'

He analysed based on what he read about them, his spying results and what he was seeing now.

"Hyuga Hinata."

'Ballerina. I have seen her dancing street once but she has issues with choosing what to do between the two.'

"Uchiha Sasuke."

'Uchiha...good at everything but his forte is break dancing, surprisingly.'

"Tenten!"

'Street dancer. She is good with her hips so salsa would be nothing big for her. I do pity her partner for the waltz though. His toes...'

"Inuzuka Kiba!"

'Pop dancer. He is good at soft motions and pantomime. Would make a good ballerina if he was actually interested.'

"Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruto!"

'Break dancer. Although not as flexible as Sasuke, his earnestness makes up for it. He just needs some polishing and he would shine in no time.'

"Aburame Shino!"

'I was surprised to see that this kid dances pop and street. He has nice moves but he tends to blend in with the crowd a little too well.'

"ROCK LEE DESU!"

'And here I thought I've gotten rid of Gai.' Kakashi sighed. 'Energetic, would be good at tango if that didn't risk throwing his partner into the ceiling. Funny thing is, I have no idea what this kid does or what talent he has. We shall see, shalln't we?'

"Haruno Sakura!"

'Ballerina. But from what I see, ballet is not her thing. Dance isn't. It's something else that isn't dance.'

"Yamanaka Ino!"

'Ballerina. Has the physique for it but her mind...not so much. Lacks real motivation to do anything.'

"Sabaku no Gaara."

'I'm surprised he's in class even. So this is the infamous red devil.' Kakashi chuckled inwardly. 'Can't read him but I can tell that dancing is not his thing. How unfortunate. With his strength and physique, he would have been a decent dancer.'

"Uzumaki Karin."

'Uh oh. I forgot that she was here.' One look at Naruto's surprised face and Karin's displeased face promised Kakashi of a not so good family reunion. After all, Karin was still under the impression that Naruto murdered his mother who was her aunt.

"Uzumaki? You're an Uzumaki?!" Naruto asked put of pure surprise and fascination. He had a family member that was attending the same school as he! Karin, however, was not too fascinated by his ignorance and she didn't hesitate to show it.

"Ahh?! Is that a question or are you joking?!" The redhead snarled, much so that Naruto jumped back with a start. Before she could go on, Kakashi put the class in order and continued with his first lesson...which was just two weeks before the mid term.

"Alright, alright, settle your dispute after class." The white haired man placated. "Our first dance lesson would be on ballroom dancing. You would eventually need to partner up but for now, we would be learning the leg positions."

"Sensei!" The boy with the weird triangle tribal mark, Kiba, Kakashi presumed, shot his hand up.

"Yes?"

"Moh, why do we need to learn ballroom dancing? We're not in the nineteenth century anymore." The brunet complained.

Kakashi's eyes closed in his usual smile. "Ask the person that created the work scheme for dance lessons." The man sassed but Kiba seemed to take his suggestion serious because he said,

"Is it principal Tsunade?"

"Ignoring Kiba-kun, shall we begin the lesson?" Kakashi did not wait for an answer and started anyway.

After dance class, Naruto walked up to Karin to ask some questions from her. What he did not expect was the way she snapped at him for something he could not control. Apparently, he and Karin were cousins but Naruto could not remember her or anything from his childhood for that matter. Not that she believed him anyway.

"Is that how you got out of prison?! Claiming memory loss due to trauma? I am not buying your lies for a minute, Namikaze! You murdered aunt Kushina, you were supposed to rot in jail!

"Don't call me a murderer or a liar!" Naruto was getting angry already. She did not even know the true story behind his parents' deaths and she was accusing him of being things he was not. "I really do not remember anything and I didn't murder my parents!"

"Karin drop it, we have classes." Neji, being the class rep tried to mediate the argument but the redhead was not listening to him.

"You'll say the same thing when you kill us all too, won't you?" Karin snarked.

"What?!" Naruto began but a deep voice from behind them caused all activities to cease.

"What is going on here?" It was Nagato, the school president. He and his classmates were on their way to dance class but the clamour of the first years stopped their advancement. Nagato knew that Karin was the reason for the clamour because he could hear her snapping voice from the end of the hallway.

Another voice was heard above the crowd too. It was a very familiar voice so when Nagato approached the crowd and saw Naruto along with Karin, his surprise was minimum. Ah, so Karin had finally burst her dam of emotions.

When the siblings heard that Naruto was accepted into KSA, they were beyond livid about it. How could that murderer be in a prestigious school such as KSA and worse, how could he be in the same school they attended?! It was sickening as well as frustrating.

One day, Karin told Nagato about how Naruto seemed to be ignoring her during their joint classes together. Nagato had assumed it was because he was too ashamed of seeing his cousins after what he had done and told Karin not to pay mind to him. It was better that way.

Now, however, Nagato was hearing another side to that story. Naruto had somehow lost all of his memories before the day he was found hovering above Kushina's body with a knife in his hand.

"Namikaze, see me after school." Nagato told the blond who jolted with both confusion and anger. He ignored it and dismissed the first years. At that moment, the warning bells rang so everybody ran to their individual classes.

"Was that biased or what?!" Naruto yelled to Akamaru after narrating the events of the dance class to the dog. "Karin clearly caused the fight but she's not getting 'seen' after school! I am the one getting 'seen', why?! Is it because I am Namikaze?!"

The dog whined as he sensed his friend's sour mood. Kiba watched in amusement as Naruto spoke to his dog as if he would understand. Akamaru was a smart dog but he was not the best pity party partner.

"You better get going otherwise Nagato-senpai would make shoes out of your skin." Kiba warned.

"Okay, okay, jeez. Tell Iruka-sensei where I'm at and that he shouldn't wait for me!" Naruto yelled over his back as he ran.

"Wha? Oi, I am not your errand boy!" Kiba yelled back.

"Love you!" Naruto jested and ran away before Kiba's shoe could hit him.

"Oh, hey Ino. What's up?" Kiba collected his shoe from Akamaru, who had gone to fetch it for him. He patted the big dog as a thank you.

"Nothing, just that Yota's not been in school for two days now. His guardian called in sick so I'm planning on visiting him. He would like it if you and Akamaru came too." Ino informed.

"Okay, but how do you know where he lives?" Kiba asked.

"I asked his class teacher. She could associate Yoga with me so she gave me his address."

"When are you planning to go?"

"This evening. Let's meet with the others at Amaterasu Café. I have to go now." Ino made to leave.

Kiba waved the girl off as she walked over to her fancy car where her chauffeur got the door for her. "Spoilt kids. Can't even open a door by themselves." Kiba scoffed and Akamaru barked in agreement. "Com'on boy! Let's see if I have something Yota would like!"

"Aarf!"

Xxx symphony xxX

Naruto was kind of anxious. Nagato's purple eyes were scary up close. They weren't like Hinata's gentle and pupil-less ones, these ones made him feel as if they could alter gravity. But that wasn't why he was anxious. He was anxious because the third year senpais were looking at him as if he were the last bacon on earth.

All nine of them gazed at Naruto with hawk like eyes, watching every of his moves and counting every of his breath.

"Please sit." Nagato offered him a seat but Naruto was too stiff to move. That was until Konan and Yahiko burst into laughter simultaneously. Hidan and Deidara joined in the laughter after some seconds and then everybody except Sasori (who just quirked his lips) were laughing.

Itachi was doing the gentleman laughter (laughing behind his palm) while Kisame and Kakuzu just chuckled at Naruto's confused face.

"Did...pfft!...did you see the shitless look on his face?!" Hidan guffawed.

"Oi kid, we're not out to eat you. Un." Deidara wiped a fake tear from his eye.

Konan, deciding to have mercy and ease Naruto out of his confusion, explained things to the poor blond. "Don't mind us, we just like pulling jokes on everyone that enters this class. Rest easy, you're not in trouble..." She looked at Nagato's face. "At least not with us. Come on guys, let's get out of here before Nagato blows a fuse."

Everybody left Naruto and Nagato in the room with a series of goodluck wishes to the blond. "I hope you make it alive!" Yahiko's wish was the last thing Naruto heard before the door of the classroom slammed closed. Not that their wishes did anything to help the feeling of dread pooling in his stomach.

"I'm sorry for their...immaturity." Nagato apologized for lack of better words to say about his classmates and their joking habits.

"Are you going to kill me?" Naruto asked skeptically.

"Should I?" Nagato threw the question back.

"Well no...so why did you want to see me?" The blond asked.

"In case you haven't figured out, I am Karin's brother." Nagato announced.

"Ah?! You two are not alike at all!" Naruto exclaimed honestly.

"The reason I called you here is to give you a chance to explain what happened that day to me." The atmosphere around them stilled into something bitter and stiffening as Nagato said those words. Naruto gulped.

"Why are you letting me explain?" He asked warily.

"To be frank with you, I have no idea. However, I do not like the idea of hating somebody without a real reason to do so. I implore you to be honest with me, Naruto. What happened on the day of aunt Kushina's death?"

Naruto swallowed the lump that built in his throat at the distasteful memory before he began to talk. "I don't know how it happened. When I woke up that morning, I just found them dead." The ghastly images of his parents' pale faces almost made him vomit. "I tried to help and I removed the knife from mom's chest...that was when..."

"That was when you were caught." Nagato finished for him.

Naruto nodded. After the police had arrested him, Naruto was subjected to questioning but the immense shock he felt made him mute. He was lifeless like a robot all through the process and could only vaguely remember himself nodding at one point in time during the questioning.

The next thing he knew, he was taken from court to court until he was finally imprisoned in juvenile because he was too young to be jailed. The previous years of his life were a blur to Naruto. He only had vague memories of his parents here and there but the image of them both lying in a pool of their won bloods remained vivid and clear.

"I see." Nagato hummed. "I misunderstood you." The redhead said as he arose from his seat.

"Wait– you believe me?!" Naruto was honestly stunned that Nagato would believe him.

"Should I not believe you?" Nagato threw back at him. "Just so you know, you're not the only one that wants to find the real murderer behind aunt Kushina's death." With that, Nagato left the room.

Hello! How was your day/night?

Do you have any thoughts on who the real murderer is?

I do not own Naruto!

Please review. See you real soon!

-Star.