A/N

Merry Holly Jolly Boxing day! I hope you've all gotten amazing presents from your friends and family!

I finally finished this chapter, it was pretty though to write the chapter. I do plan the content of my chapter, but I have this problem of not knowing how to write it, while I know what I want to write. Does that make sense? I am the kind of Write-as-you-go writer that makes up the story at the exact moment.

I do not know what en when the next chapter will be, but I hope you will all hang on. I am planning to rewrite so earlier chapters, they are too cliché written and I don't like the way I wrote and described every character, they were kind of forced. But that is just a thought.

Also I will be updating another story before the new year stars if I can make some time for it.

enjoy for now! next chapter will finally have some action and away from all the depressing chapters.

-All my stories are currenty un-beta'ed

-disclaimer: don't own any of the characters.

Love Korrie :D

The door shut with a hard bang. Naruto sighed as he slowly sank with his back to the door on the ground. He hated this, he really did. He wanted it to stop, the pain, the loneliness, the sadness. All of it, but it didn't. He, of course knew that he wasn't the only one that lost his parents, but he just couldn't help it. It was hard.

He just wanted it to end. ... to end? He stopped that that last thought. Did he really just think that? No, that wouldn't do any good at all, no problems would be solved by doing that. But what could he do? Tsunade did offer him counseling, but he didn't feel up to talking at all.

His mind would shut down when his parents were mentioned or when someone asked how he was doing. Couldn't they see that he was not fine at all? Life was not like those animes where the main character could talk his way out everything. This was the real world, talking would not solve any problems.

He glanched with a tired look at the ever slowly ticking clock on the wall. It was almost time for dinner.. again alone. How long had he been sitting there on the ground, he found it hard to muster some energy to make his instant ramen and to eat it. As he sat there alone at the table, eating in silence. It wasn't much different that when his parents were on a trip, but there was a huge difference. He knew that all so well. His parents would not come home, ever. Stuck in his spiral of thoughts he didn't notice the tears that rolled down his cheeks.

XOXOXOXOX

Umino Iruka was an observant man, while it may not look like it. He noticed small things that others didn't notice. Like Uzumaki Naruto's emotional mask. The boy's attempt to cover up his sadness was a good enough to fool normal people, but not good enough to fool a shinobi like him.

He did empathize with him, he also lost his parents when he was young. Because of that he learnt of the Shinobi Community of Konoha. His parents disappeared on one of the many secret missions that were carried out in the shadows. The Mayor visited delivered him the news in person and so he learnt what his parents' secret activities and absences meant. Children that lost their parents who were part of the Shinobi Community of Konoha were usually almost always told what happend to their parents if they died or disappeared on missions.

Iruka was not sure if that also applied to Naruto. His parents were important assets to Konoha, but weren't on a mission at that time. If it were, the blond would be told for sure, but it wasn't. The matter was still being researched since Akatsuki was involved, so it wasn't a coincidental murder by the serial killer.

While he didn't know the boy's parents personally, he did know their names. Who wouldn't? They were pretty well known in the Shinobi community and outside it. Namikaze Minato was a famous martial arts star and Uzumaki Kushina came from a big influencial and well known family. People were bound to know atleast that much about them.

He really pitied the boy for being left in the dark. But he also felt glad that he wouldn't discover the horrors of the Shinobi Community and live a peaceful live. Perhaps he could offer some guidance to him and talk about his own experiences. He'd invite the boy for some ramen in the near future.

XOXOXOXOX

"Mr. Uzumaki, you know why you are here? Right?"

Mizuki watched the blonde with thoughtful eyes. Naruto nodded slowly.

"Yeah.. for counseling..." he replied absently. He would rather talk too Tsunade than Mizuki-sensei, if he had to.

Mizuki nodded, "Yes, and I know you don't want to be be here, because this is hard." The man answered as if he read the blonde his mind. "And on top of all, you still need to do your make up work. You are falling behind a lot, if you don't start coming to classes again you will have to repeat this year. I know you have an excuse, but the school is worried about you. So is Iruka."

Naruto listened half-hearted at the talking man, he didn't notice that he spoke with no real concern at all, too deeply plunged in his own spiral of thoughts and misery.

The teacher sat down on his chair and took out a pen and a sheet. "I may not be your homeroom teacher, but I am still the students' confidential adviser." He smiled. "So, tell me how are you coping?."

Naruto flinched, again a reminder of his dead parents, but he still answered. Despite the fact that he was silently pleading that the man would stop asking questions about how he was feeling and over the loss of his parents.

"Fine.. I guess.." that was all of it what the teacher got out of the boy. Mizuki scribbled something down on a sheet and moved on the next question.

"I know this is a tough question, but are you packing you belongings already?" Naruto looked at him in confusion. "You know you can't stay alone at your own house right? You are still underage, so you are obligated to live with someone that is above eighteen and able to provide for you."

"I can live fine on my own!" Naruto snapped, he flinched inwardly at his tone towards his teacher.

"I'm sorry Naruto, but that is the law. You are only fourteen, that is too young for a boy to live on his own! And further more, with what happend to you, it is not healthy to live alone." Mizuki answered. He saw the blond flinch again. Naruto was about to retort, but Mizuki started talking again. "If you really want to keep living on your own, you'd have to talk to the mayor. That is the only way, your situation is not the same as Konoha's orphans." The man sighed.

"Ok.." the answer was unsure and full of doubt.

"Let's move on to another topic, shall we?" Mizuki suggested, there was not much to argue about it anymore. Naruto nodded in agreement.

The teacher started scribbling something down before talking again. "Your schoolwork is not up to date and you are falling behind in your classes. How are you going to catch up?"

"Ehh... I dunno? Just going back to classes?" Naruto questioned.

Mizuki-sensei shook his head, "That won't be enough. We are in a busy school period, otherwise it would be possible."

Mizuki continued, "That is why Iruka-sensei and I deceided to give you an extra credit essay to pull up your grades to compensate the material you've missed up until now. Also I've put in a personal favour." A mysterious glint flashed through Mizuki's eyes, unnoticed by the ignorant blond who just stared at the man. "I want you to help me with some chores that still need to be done. So I want you to help me next Friday after school, got it?"

"I guess...?"

A/N

please leave a review so I can see for improvements.

also little sneakpeak on the next chapter title

Next time: Chapter 7: Betrayal

Naruto turned around, his eyes widened in surprise...