The next day, Sasuke was out of the house bright and early. His brother was on a mission and his parents busy, so there was nothing to keep the young boy contained. The cool morning air was invigorating to him as he raced towards the academy. He arrived at the playground, which was empty, so he went to the training ground and took out the three shuriken he had gotten when Itachi was done with them. They were worn and blunted, but they were good enough for training.
He had been doing target practice for nearly a hour when the other students began to arrive. They seemed impressed that he was already there training, but he decided he'd practiced enough and stopped. He talked to the Inuzuka for a while until he noticed Naruto arrive. The boy kept to the background as usual, avoiding everyone's gaze but Sasuke's. He had bruises on his cheeks and seemed to be walking with a slight limp in his right leg.
" Hey." said Sasuke, walking over. I need to make friends with him, so time to start. he thought.
" Hi." said Naruto, not looking to Sasuke.
" What happened to you?" asked Sasuke.
" I fell." Naruto replied quickly. Sasuke could tell it was a lie, since the bruises looked like he had been beaten up.
" No you didn't." said Sasuke. " Did you get into a fight or something?"
" Why do you care?" asked Naruto quietly.
" I donno." said Sasuke, seeing a opportunity. " 'Cause its weird to see a friend hurt?"
Naruto looked up to him quickly. Sasuke was shocked to see that one of Naruto's irises was bright red, similar to the Sharingan, but with a slit like center.
" Friend?" said Naruto shakily. " We're…friends?"
" Yeah." said Sasuke, acting like nothing was off. The red eye suddenly began to change color, returning to a normal blue.
" I have a friend." Naruto said, as if talking to himself. He quickly covered his eyes, seeming like he was fighting back tears. Sasuke, at this point, was so confused that it hurt his head. Why would having a friend be such a big thing?
Suddenly, he remembered Naruto's words from the day before. He said we were all going to hate him. He didn't expect any friends.
" So…uh…." Naruto said, stumbling over the words and trying to recover. He was cut off, however, when Iruka opened the door and called for them to all come inside. Naruto joined Sasuke and the others in racing inside. Sasuke found his seat in the front row and focused. He was supposed to be there to observe Naruto, but he had to learn, too.
Though, after three hours of basic Kohona history, Sasuke felt rather learned-out.
" All right, out of here." said Iruka, shutting his textbook. " And grab your supply list by the door as you head to the practice field."
The students, eager to stretch, made their way to the door, grabbing the sheets of paper and heading to the field. Mizuki put them though what seemed a eternity, and even the rowdy Inuzuka was tired when they finished and began stretches. They worked though them, catching their breath, and then began beginning taijutsu, which was mostly stances. Mizuki was a good teacher, but Sasuke knew most of this stuff already. Other students, most notably Naruto, seemed to need the training, however, so Sasuke didn't complain. After more laps they were dismissed for the day, just as three o' clock came. Sasuke quickly spotted Naruto, who was looking over the supply list, and made his way to him.
" Hey." said Sasuke, getting Naruto's attention. " You want to go to the store and buy the supplies? I'd rather have someone to talk with on the way."
" S-sure!" said Naruto, quickly accepting. Sasuke was finding it almost too easy to manipulate Naruto, which was again, strange. " All that stuff sensei said today was really confusing." Naruto said as they walked out the gate. " A-about how the village was started and stuff."
" Yeah." said Sasuke with a nod. " I'd heard a lot of that stuff before and I thought it was still tough."
" You knew it already?" asked Naruto.
" Yeah." said Sasuke with a smile. " My clan, the Uchiha, were one of the two founding clans of the village."
" Oh yeah." said Naruto, looking like he had remembered hearing about that. The conversation went on as they walked, allowing Sasuke to get a good feel for Naruto's personality. Sasuke figured out why Naruto had accepted him so quickly. If you kick a dog everyday, the first other person who's nice to it will get it's loyalty. he thought.
Naruto was also very afraid of the villagers, the teachers, the other students….and the animals on the street like cats. They all hissed at him as he went past, so he kept his distance. Sasuke wasn't surprised he was afraid of everyone after a storekeeper had yelled at him just for walking by. Everyone and everything seemed to dislike Naruto.
" Here it is." said Sasuke, coming to the entrance of the weapon shop his brother had said was the best. Naruto seemed uneasy as they entered.
" Hi!" said the young girl behind the counter. She was about their age and had strange buns in her hair.
" Hey." said Sasuke. " We're hear to buy out supplies for school." He held up the list to prove it.
" Oh. Mom!" the girl called out. A middle aged woman came out of the back room When she saw Sasuke, her face lit up in a smile, but when she saw Naruto, it instantly turned to a scowl. She took their lists and began to fill two boxes with the supplies.
" So, first year at the academy?" asked the shop girl.
" Yeah." replied Sasuke with a nod. Naruto was standing quietly, trying to look inconspicuous…but with yellow hair and standing in the middle of a room, he failed miserably.
" I'm in my second." said the girl with a smile. " I'm Tenten."
" Nice to meet you." mumbled Sasuke. " Hey, what's wrong?" he asked, turning to Naruto.
" I'm trying to not get in trouble." Naruto replied quietly. Tenten and Sasuke stared at Naruto in confusion.
" Your not…" Tenten began, but her mother cut her off.
" Here you go." said the woman bluntly, handing them each the box of shuriken, kunai, and other ninja tools.
" Thanks." said Naruto, handing the woman a piece of paper and slinking out. Sasuke paid for his and noticed that the paper had the Hokage's stamp on it.
The Hokage's paying for him? thought Sasuke as he walked out.
" Wow." said Naruto, looking through the box. He was seated behind a bush, out of the villagers view. He looked up as Sasuke came over. " I don't even know what most of these things are." he said, taking out a roll of wire.
" Why'd you leave?" asked Sasuke. He knew he shouldn't, but his curiosity got the better of him.
" I didn't want to get thrown out." said Naruto, standing up. " She was really nice to let me into the shop, so I didn't want to mess up."
" She wasn't nice letting you in." said Sasuke. " She's supposed to."
" Huh?"
Naruto and Sasuke were now both confused.
" If they don't let you in, how can you buy anything?" asked Sasuke, trying to solve the situation with logic. " They have to let you in."
" But they choose who comes in." Naruto explained. " Your families famous, so they wouldn't turn you away. They throw me out all the time because they don't want me."
" Why?" asked Sasuke. The more he pressed into Naruto's life the less made sense.
" Because." said Naruto with a shrug. Sasuke didn't find it very convincing, like Naruto was hiding something.
" So, want to go practice?" asked Sasuke, dropping the question.
" Really?" said Naruto excitedly. " That'd be great!"
" Come on!" said Sasuke, waving for Naruto to follow. They began to race back to the academy, which had a number of targets set up for them. They got most of the way there until a group of older kids leapt out and blocked their path.
" Hey, crybaby." said the oldest, looking to Naruto, who cowered in fear. " What do you got there? Is it for me?"
" Who's the other kid?" asked another of the boys. " Some other street trash?"
" Sasuke Uchiha." he said in a calm tone. The boys looked surprised, but then their eyes narrowed.
" No way a Uchiha would be hanging out with the freak." said the leader. " What, you another weirdo?"
" Huh?" asked Sasuke.
" You don't know?" asked the other boy. " The little freak lives in an apartment building near me, so I guess I noticed first. Every day in the morning he sneaks to the dumpster in the alley and hides a…"
" Shut up!" Naruto yelled loudly.
" Don't what him to find out?" said the boy with a laugh. " What, you his friend or something?"
" Leave or I'll beat the shit out of you." growled Sasuke. He didn't feel like dealing with these guys, and Naruto obviously didn't. Though, they know some secret of his. he thought, looking them over.
" I'm going to kick your…." began the leader, cocking his arm for a punch, but Sasuke was faster. He dropped the box and lunged in a kick, driving it into the boys stomach. The older boy was taller and heavier, but the force of the blow was enough to knock him over. As his friends helped him up Sasuke drew a shuriken.
" Next time I use this." he said, gesturing the weapon towards them. The older boys backed off and began to retreat. Sasuke turned and walked back to the stunned and thankful looking Naruto.
" They…they were gonna beat me up again." he said, dumbfounded. " But you stopped them."
" Yeah." said Sasuke with a nod. " Friends help each other."
" Hey, freak!" called back the retreating boy towards them. " Tell your stupid friend about the fox tails!"
Fox tails? thought Sasuke, trying to hide his reaction as a look of panic went over Naruto's face.
" Let's go." said Sasuke, picking up his box and acting like nothing had happened. They walked in silence for a minute, but as the school came into view Naruto spoke up.
" Hey, follow me." said the boy quietly, running down a side street. Without questioning why Sasuke did, and after five more minutes of silence they were in a small copse of trees by the villages lake, far from anyone else. Naruto seemed to know the spot well and found a stump and sat down.
" I-I need to tell you something." said Naruto, looking nervous. " It's a secret. Only ojiisan and Mr. Dog know."
" Mr….Dog?" asked Sasuke. Ojiisan means Hokage. Who's the other?
" This guy who guards me sometimes. He has one of those animal masks and this one red eye."
Kakashi…? The Sharingan Thief knows Naruto too?
" I asked them not to tell anybody…." said Naruto, trailing off. " B-but I kinda want to. I've never had anyone to tell before."
He completely trusts me. thought Sasuke, his eyebrows raising. That was quick!
" Just…promise not to freak out?" said Naruto gingerly.
" Promise." said Sasuke.
" Every time I go to sleep, I wake up with a fox tail."
Sasuke looked at Naruto blankly.
" B-but I cut it off every morning." said Naruto squirming in his seat.
" Why does it grow in the first place?" asked Sasuke. He had a million other questions, but that one seeped most pertinent.
" Ojiisan won't tell me." Naruto said quietly. " But I know it's why everyone hates me."
" What's it like?" asked Sasuke.
" Huh?"
" Having a tail." said Sasuke, scratching the back of his head. He knew his father was going to want to hear about this, but it was taking some time to process though his mind. " What's it feel like?"
" Uh…." said Naruto, blinking. He had obviously had not expected Sasuke to react in this way. " It's like having an arm on your butt."
There was an awkward silence.
" Why do you cut it off?" asked Sasuke. " Doesn't it hurt?"
" Yeah." said Naruto, looking down. " I…I just…if I had a tail, even more people would notice me. I don't like being noticed because I get in trouble or beat up."
" Wow." said Sasuke, stunned. Naruto's life out and out sucked in every possible way. " Uh…." Sasuke didn't know what to say.
" Sorry." apologized Naruto. " I…I heard how friends share secrets and stuff so I wanted…wanted….."
" I understand." said Sasuke, rubbing the back of his head embarrassedly. He looked up and noticed the sun was starting to get low. " Hey, I have to head home. Sorry."
" See ya tomorrow!" said Naruto. He waved as Sasuke left.
I need to think about all this. thought Sasuke as he walked through the streets. He's got a tail. That sounds like part of some bloodline, but why would it be kept a secret? Kohona's proud of it's bloodlines. We've got more than any other village.
….unless they hate him because he has a bloodline from another village. If his clan had killed a lot of our ninja, he wouldn't be liked. Uzamaki sounds like a Whirlpool country name, so I should look that up. But what use is a tail for a bloodline? And what was with his eyes? Two bloodline? Is that even possible? If he has eye techniques and some sort of physical bloodline, he'll be really strong someday.
But, since this was all guesswork, Sasuke was no closer to the answer when he arrived home.
" How was school, sweetie?" his mother asked as he entered.
" Pretty good." Sasuke replied. " Is dad here?"
" He's talking with Itachi in his study." his mother called back. Sasuke walked up the stairs and went to the door to the study. He felt like he should report in as soon as possible. He heard talking inside, but he knocked anyways. There was a short silence as his father opened the door.
" We'll finish the report later, Itachi." said Fugaku, turning to the older brother, who looked rather surprised. It was rare for their father to stop one of the meetings. Itachi gave Sasuke a nod as he gathered up several sheets of paper and left the room. Sasuke saw a hint of congratulations in his eyes.
" I assume you have discovered something new?" asked his father, shutting the door.
" I did, dad." said Sasuke, taking a seat. " I'm Naruto's friend now."
" Indeed." said his father, sitting across from him.
" When he got to school he had been beaten up." Sasuke said, beginning to relate his discoveries. " And his eyes were red, like Sharingan but with different pupils."
" What?" Fugaku blurted, not hiding his surprise.
" I don't know why, but when I talked to him and suggested we be friends, his eyes went back to blue." Sasuke explained. His father sat back and took a brooding position, and for several second there was silence.
" This is quite the discovery." said his father.
" There's more." said Sasuke excitedly. " After school three older boys tried to attack him. I beat one and they left, but they yelled something about foxes tails as they left."
Fugaku was now looking at Sasuke with his full and undivided attention.
" Naruto trusts me. I don't think he's ever had a friend before. So he took me to where nobody could hear us and he told me a secret. He has a tail he has to cut off every morning because it keeps growing back."
" A foxes tail?" his father said, sitting back.
" Yeah. And it grows back while he's asleep." said Sasuke. " I think it's some sort of bloodline."
" This is…fortunate." said his father, giving him an approving look. " I must admit, I didn't expect this much in two days. You are truly my son."
A warm rush flowed through Sasuke's veins. He had been waiting for his father to say that for years, but it was only reserved for Itachi.
" Keep this to yourself." said his father, standing up. " And tomorrow, when you get home from school, we will begin training."
" Training?" asked Sasuke.
" Our clans fire jutsu." said Fugaku, opening the door. " You have earned the right to begin learning them."
" But you didn't teach Itachi until he was nine." Sasuke said, wide eyed.
" He didn't earn the right until then." said his father. " You may not have his genius as combat, but you have proved yourself useful. You seem to have the charisma Itachi lacks, which could serve you as a diplomat for the clan."
Sasuke's heart fell. He doesn't think I can be a ninja…
" Though, you have the skill to become a great ninja as well." said Fugaku, ruffling Sasuke's hair. Sasuke smiled as he looked up at his father, spirits returning." Now go. Dinners almost ready."
Joyously, the young Uchiha ran downstairs.
After dinner, in which Fugaku had been unusually focused on his younger son, Sasuke was going towards his room when Itachi stopped him and motioned for him to follow. His older brother took them outside, where they sat on the deck to talk.
" I do not know what it entails," began Itachi " But I know you are performing a duty for the clan."
" Yeah!" said Sasuke excitedly as his brother gave him a smile.
" And father thinks your doing a good job." continued Itachi. " So I know your doing a good job. But, there is something you must consider. While most missions for the our clan benefit Kohona, since we possess it's foremost bloodline, some do not."
" Huh?" asked Sasuke.
" Like all clans…the Uchiha are involved in a number of petty squabbles." said Itachi, frowning. " And sometimes, father puts the Uchiha ahead of others. We may seek to increase our station by weakening others. You must decide, in these situations, if the Uchiha truly deserve to become more powerful if we are still bound by same limits as everyone else."
" It's not like that." said Sasuke.
" But it is something you should know, little brother." said Itachi, returning to normal. " Don't be blinded by the small goals of the Uchiha."
Sasuke nodded. Any advice that Itachi gives has got to be good. he thought as he stood up. I'll make sure I follow it.