"We're finally here."
Naruto let his eyes fall upon every corner of the room he would come to call his class for the next few years and by extension, all those classmates he would share the space with. Potential friends, he realised, and yet he held no real expectations regarding that. Even with the absence of parents to influence them, children would likely follow the example of their teachers and treat him how they saw fit. There was no way around.
The class was pretty loud already, with most of the children already knowing each other and he felt envious of it all. Of the bonds they had long formed and nurtured in their early childhood.
His feet carried him forward as he took his place at the back of the class, right by the window that overlooked the rest of the playground and school ground. Finally, he looked around once more, and he found Himika a few desks ahead of him, on his very row, seated beside a blonde girl.
She was talking and the white-haired girl seemed to be listening with some sort of interest. He was happy that she was able to meet others and yet he had always held the fear that she would abandon him with time, forget him once she had new friends.
Before he could ponder it any further, their assigned teacher walked in, a sheet of paper in hand and a coveted headband on his forehead. That was the first thing Naruto saw, and his fists dug into his desk. That was what he was after. That is single piece of gear.
"Morning students. I won't waste any of your time with some of formalities, guidelines and regulations. You already sat through the majority of that during your orientation. My name is Iruka Umino, and for the duration of your six year stay here, I will be your main teacher, along with a few others that'll be here to offer some special classes. I hope that'll be alright with you."
There was a loud chorus of agreement and the man smiled and nodded before he began going over the sheet he had in hand, calling out each name. It went off without a hitch for the most part, with the children being silent and obedient. But they were children, and it was all bound to come crashing down eventually.
"Uchiha Sasuke."
The response was delayed, perhaps intentionally, but it served its purpose. Everyone looked over the moment he answered.
"Present." He answered, his attention on the empty ground just outside of class. Whispers erupted and rumors and fact spread around the class in tandem. All things Naruto had not even heard of before that moment.
"That's Sasuke Uchiha, I hear he's a prodigy just like his brother."
"Look how cute he is."
"I bet he's probably gonna be outta here way before us."
Himika found herself watching him as well before she turned back to Ino, who was still watching him, the oddest of smiles on her face. Himika nudged her lightly and she looked back puzzled.
"What?"
"You were staring you know." She told her new friend and the girl shrugged sheepishly.
"Yeah, but I mean come on, he's pretty cute if you think about. Probably the alone and silent type if you ask me." Ino reasoned, and Himika agreed with her. Sasuke was indeed all those things and likely a variety of other things.
"I don't think he likes people very much. He seems rather...distant."
"Yeah, the Uchiha are kinda known for being like that. It's what my dad said about them anyway."
It was in that moment Himika realised she knew very little about Konoha and its internal structure or what actually went around. Other children had parents that helped them along with all the questions they had. It was much harder at the orphanage, were there were so many of them and not nearly enough caretakers.
"Uzumaki Naruto."
The next name rolled off Iruka's tongue with a bit of venom attached to it and his fingers dug into the object is held. Everyone turned to the back of the class, because it was a sin to live in Konoha and not know who Uzumaki was.
Naruto looked back, silent, but there was something in his eyes. Defiance? Resistance? Or simply a pure stubbornness to back down. He sat up straight for once and his eyes only saw Iruka. Everyone else faded away in that moment.
"Present."
It was one word, yet the emotion and resolve packed behind it were clear as day to any listening or paying attention. The moment he said it, the tension seemed to dissolve instantly and a large grin broke out onto his face, his eyes closing as he reclined in his seat once more. The eyes of his peers never once left him, each one with varying responses and thoughts.
Ino leaned over her desk and let her head rest over it, facing Naruto as she spoke. He was well out of hearing distance.
"Himika." She started, grabbing the other girls attention. She snorted, amused now, her voice teasing."Who's staring now?"
"We were all staring." She justified, eyes finally coming back to her female compatriot. "What is it?"
"You said you grew up in the orphanage right? So you must know Naruto."
"Yes, but it wasn't until pretty recently that I interacted with him. I was hesitant to call him a friend as well, bit after much time with him, or was the only thing that felt natural. To have him as such." She said. Ino listened quietly.
Her parents had mentioned Naruto in passing, but never to her. They simply spoke of him in hushed voices and whispers and when she came into the room, they always shifted the topic of conversation. Sometimes she really wished she had mastered her powers so she could just have a peek inside someone, anyone's, head.
"Aren't you curious though? I certainly am." Ino told her friend and she nodded.
"About him? About why everyone hates him. Yeah, but I don't have the answers, and neither does he. I want to know though." Himika said.
"It's settled then." Ino banged her hand against the desk as she turned to Himika. "We're gonna get some answers. I mean what are friends for if they can't help each other out."
"Miss Yamanaka would you please take your seat." Iruka chided as he went over something before he began their first lesson. Himika giggled a bit and Ino at least had the decency to blush a bit.
"Hai sensei."
.
.
"Naruto."
The blonde looked up as he heard his name, turning to meet Himika and Ino. It was lunch, and the children had been given an hour off before they would inevitably find themselves back in class once more.
Naruto was surprised to see someone other than Himika not avoid him, yet the feeling, though new, was still rather present.
"Hey." He beamed that sunny smile of his and Himika and her companion plopped down on either side of him, sandwiching him in between. He was confused more than anything as the three sat out by the swings.
"Oh, this is Ino." She belatedly spoke, her hand gestured towards the other girl, who remained silent as she studied him intently. He almost flinched before she offered a tiny smile in return. At that, he relaxed.
"Oh yeah, you're the one that Iruka-sensei yelled at in the morning." He laughed a bit and the embarrassment from before flared up once more.
"It wasn't yelling!" She corrected, her voice octaves louder than it needed to be. Himika watched them silently, watching as they exchanged verbal barbs like it was common. Two explosive personalities that had found release within each other.
"Where'd you even find this one?" Naruto teased as he looked to Himika for an answer. Ino did not like that statement at all, actually tugging on his hair at that one.
"That's not very nice Naruto." She chided, siding with Ino on the matter and the girl stuck her tongue out at him, to which Naruto deflated and frowned.
"She started it!"
"Nuh ah, he did!"
"You two are acting like kids."
"We are kids!?"
"Oh...right." Himika closed her eyes and Naruto finally caught a glimpse of that smile, so true and pure, one he hoped to see again.
"Naruto Uzumaki, future Hokage." The blonde puffed out his chest and pounded on it with his fist as he spoke and Ino resisted the urge to snort.
"I know who you are, Naruto. Everybody does." She dusted herself off and stood off her seat on the swing. Naruto seemed to sober up at that one.
"Hehe, yeah, kinda famous you know." He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. Ino rolled her eyes and Himika swung harder on her swing, content to just be quiet. The silence lasted all of three seconds.
"Hey, I'm kinda hungry." Naruto said.
"The Academy doesn't serve lunch to all students, or any for that matter. Nobody knew that before today, so none of us packed any lunch." Ino explained as she fixed a strand of loose hair. "You know, I'm kind of curious about how you two even met in the first place."
"Naruto was watching me on day and the rest of history."
"You mean he was stalking you?!" Ino sounded appalled by such a possibility. Naruto immediately tried to clear up the most understanding that was inevitable while Himika let the two go at it again, watching as Ino tackled him to the ground and proceeded to educate him on a bunch of different things. She almost felt sorry for him. Almost.
The rest of the day was slow, and not much was learned concerning their syllabus, simple a brief overrun of it and what it entailed, as well as homework on the three shinobi prohibitions and the duties of someone in their line of work.
Naruto found himself walking back with Himika to the orphanage, the golden rays of sunshine falling away, about to be replaced by twilight. He held his hands behind his head while Himika carried both their assignments. She was certain Naruto would lose his if he tried to keep a hold of it.
"I think Ino is kinda nice." He said, turning back to face her as he walked backwards. Himika nodded along, eyes brightening just a tad, something he was still so unaccustomed to with her.
"She is, isn't she. Do you perhaps like her." Her tone was teasing, playful and light hearted, something she almost never did. "Naruto."
"What? Of course not. She's loud and annoying and a lot of other stuff. Plus, she likes Sasuke." He made a face at the end, one of disgust.
"Naruto, you're also all of those things, and if I didn't know any better, I would think you were jealous of Sasuke." She said as they rounded a corner and walked a little bit faster.
"He's just so full of himself, the nerve of that guy."
"That guy hasn't even done anything to you. You're being ridiculous." She chided, the orphanage now well within sight. They would be home so very soon. Unfortunately, Naruto's hunger became apparent at that moment.
"Hehe, still pretty hungry after the whole lunch thing." He said and Himika sighed. She had to admit that she was hungry too. Yet they could not afford to be late.
"Dinner time at the orphanage is not that far from now. We can eat there, Naruto. I'sure you can wait." She walked faster, not giving him the chance to convince her to stop by some random place for a snack. She knew he very well might.
"But I could die before then. I'm really hungry." He whined, hurrying to catch up to her as he suddenly found himself trailing. "I'm serious right now."
"No...you aren't."
It went like that for the next for minutes, with Naruto trying to convince her of the most appalling ways he could meet his demise, while she easily refuted each claim. Before he knew it, they had reached the stairs that divided the dorms. They stopped, simply starting at it, before Himika turned to him.
"Here." She held her hand out for him to take his assignment, but he refused almost immediately.
"Nah, I think it's better off with you. I'll do it tomorrow." He waved off. She really did not see him managing to finish tomorrow, not without copying, but she shrugged and packed it up with hers before turning in to her room. She would likely not see him during meal time.
"Good night, Naruto."
"Night."
.
.
A total of three months had been spent at the Academy and for the most part, simple theory had been the children's daily bread. Anything else fell away in favour of actual learning for this first semester, and Iruka had been adamant on finishing up on the backbone of the syllabus before he delved into teaching any of them practical applications. He demanded patience and discipline, both things that seven years lacked in abundance. He was asking for too much.
That day had been particularly gruellying, with Naruto having received detention along with a few other classmates of his. Iruka had been extra pissed for some reason and few had been spared. Those that remained sat quietly, patiently waiting for the final bell so that they could go home to the safety of their families and away from their teacher. Even Ino sat quietly by Himika's side, playing with her hair as she willed the minutes by.
Himika herself sat with a book in hand, one she had found in one of the classrooms earlier during their lunch break. It was clearly one that the second years used for their classes, but it still contained certain things they were prone to do.
Things such as the basic concept of chakra theory and its existence. Her eyes carefully read through the text, making sure to absorb it to the best of her ability.
"The basis of chakra theory. Chakra is considered a spiritual component of the body, one that takes on the form of the body it inhabits. It is not fixed. It stands in balance with physical and mental parameters. All organic life forms have chakra and inorganic components may be I fused with it."
"None of that is useful." She browsed through a number of pages before stopping again, finding something that had caught her immediate interest.
"Individuals unlock chakra as children, a normal part of life and fundamental process. The process should be natural and unforced for coils to loosen correctly, though there are methods to do this manually." Conveniently, the book left that part out.
"The forms of chakra people have become accustomed to are the ranges of blue and red, though certain aspects of a jutsu may cause the form or colour to differ. It's often thought that..."
The bell rang at that moment, and Iruka looked up to find the class of seven year olds looking at him, a sea of eyes filled with anticipation. He sighed rather loudly before finally giving the what they wanted.
"Dismissed." No sooner had the words left his mouth than they were tumbling out, no line or form of order. Simply kids running out with an eagerness to expel all the chaotic energy they had stored up.
Ino practically bounced off her seat, dragging Himila by the hand. She had no time to mark her lahe and simply let the book fall closed as she managed to keep a hold of it. Ino dragged her along through along the halls of the Academy before finally stopping when the road up ahead branched into two.
"Hey...uh...do you happen to know where the detention room is?" Ino smiled sheepishly and Himika has to resist the urge to facepalm.
She took the lead and suddenly found herself in charge of their position. With a sharp turn to the left, they were om their way to the detention facility.
"Hey Ino. Is there someone you wanna see there. I know it can't be Naruto." Himika said as she stopped by a door that blocked them off from the others. Ino stood straight and tall, before she finally spoke.
"There's a couple of guys in there that I know. We're actually supposed to head over to my house for something but the idiots decided to get themselves detention. Honestly, those two."
She slid the door open to find three boys there in the room, one passed out and the other two sitting over what looked like a shogi board. Himika walked past her as the door closed and she stopped to take in the sight.
"Shikamaru! Chouji!" The sound of Ino's loud glaring voice was enough to make the boys flinch, even Naruto who was asleep sprawled on the floor.
The two by the board looked up and Himika had hard time deciphering which boy was which.
"What are you yelling for you stupid girl?" One spoke, putting a hand to his ear and turning to her, annoyed and tired no doubt.
"You know Shika, is your mom heard you right now, you would be so dead." Ino glared, her index finger jabbed his way. The boy frowned even more and Himika was now aware that he was indeed Shikamaru.
"But she didn't." He pointed out rather obviously and Ino groaned as she tried to swallow her words.
"Sorry about those two, they tend to argue a lot." The other boy said, his face much kinder and contorted into a small smile as he munched on a bag of chips. Himika turned to him, book in and shook her head.
"Chouji, I take it. It's quite alright, I'm used to arguing like that." She stated, her mind thinking back to all the needless arguments Naruto and Ino got involved in. Sometimes they argued simply for the sake of arguing and she was really starting to get annoyed, yet she was also becoming tolerant to it all.
Himika found herself walking over to the desk that held the shogi game Shikamaru and Chouji had been involved in. Curiosity filled a part of her and her eyes went over the pieces over the board.
"Oh, that's just a game Shikamaru and I were playing, but I'm not really any good at it." Chouji said as he threw something into his mouth.
"He says that, but really, it's just that Shikamaru is pretty good at it...you know, when he isn't fussing and complaining all the time." Ino piped in as she walked over to them.
Naruto chose that moment to raise his head, trying to make sense of his surroundings. He spotted her, and the goofiest of grins broke out onto his features as he chuckled a bit.
"You got detention?" He laughed the moment he said it, and he struggled to get back up as he held his sides. She turned slowly, eyes blank with her lips pursed.
"No."
"Oh."
The smile slid off his face as he slowly stopped laughing, clearly unamused at how she had let him make a fool of himself.
"You know how to play?" Shikamaru redirected the topic of conversation, bringing them back to her fascination with the game before. He waited, anticipating her answer before she gave it, before once more she delivered another crushing reply.
"Not at all." She smiled apologetically, something she realised she was doing a whole lot more often. "First time I've seen it."
"Figures. Kids our age don't really have an interest in stuff like this." Shikamaru reasoned before Ino smacked him over the head.
"Don't go sounding like an old geezer. Himika, if you wanna learn about it, I'm sure you can just find a book about it in a store or something. This guy is never gonna help." As she said it, Ino turned to her associates."Come on you two. We're really late."
Naruto and Himika watched her drag them out. The board was left there, pieces scattered and laid around haphazardly for all to see. She picked one up, the kanji for king in bold black, painted over the browning wooden piece.
"So, how was it?" Himika asked as Naruto dusted himself off and stood with her. She picked up the pieces, resolving to give the black-haired boy tomorrow.
"Huh? You mean detention?"
"Not that. You get detention a lot so that isn't surprising or interesting. I meant having other people in detention with you?"
"Oh, they were alright. They aren't as horrible as Iruka-sensei is," He shrugged as they walked out of the academy, the sun starting to go down. It was colder than most days and nightfall seemed to be coming a lot quicker than usual.
"The winter is coming." Himika absentmindedly said, her thoughts still more focused on the things she had read up on. Beside her, Naruto had his hands in his pockets, eyes focused on the stand they had just walked past. He caught sight of a book on shogi, the very thing that had caught her attention earlier. He stopped and called out to her.
"Hey, Himika."
"Hmm." She paused and turned to face him, resting on the balls of her feet. "What is it?"
He offered her that usual grin of his, eyes closed and teeth on display. His hand rubbed the black of his neck.
"Why don't you go on without me. I think I forgot something at the Academy."
"Oh. Do you want me to come with you?"
"Nah, that's alright, you don't gotta do that. I'll be quick. Leave your window open for me alright." He said and it was odd that he ever told her in advance. Often, it was a game of chance on whether he would be coming or not.
"Sure." She said as she turned and walked on, a bit faster now knowing there was no reason to try enjoying the walk on her now. As she left, Naruto went his own way, dragging his hoodie over his head and fading into one of the corners of the alley.
Himima continued on her, deciding not to worry about whatever it was that Naruto had forgotten. She could always ask him about it later. She walked, taking a detour by the local playground.
It was empty and she was unsurprised, considering how late it was in the day. Still, she had thought some of the children would still be there. She walked, going by the dock and lake, and there, she saw someone. Someone short and her age. Someone she knew to be none other than Sasuke.
He was simply seated there, his feet dangling over the edge as he looked over the lake. She did not dwell on it, instead moving forward and continuing on her. She was unaware he had seen her, casting a glance her way once she had stopped looking.
It was slow after that, as she simply sat in bed and browsed through her book. The concept of chakra theory was one that greatly fascinated her considering most things used chakra. It left her wondering when she would unlock hers. It was getting late, and she was beginning to wonder if Naruto really was going to be making an appearance or not.
Something rattled against her window and she turned just in time to watch Naruto tumble in, landing rougher than usual. She peeled out of her blankets and walked over to him as he got up.
"Hehe, sorry it took so long. Didn't think it would take me that long to get this thing." He pulled a book out of his jacket, a manual on shogi and her eyes zeroed in on it, lighting up as she took it from his grasp.
"Oh. Thank you." They were simple words, heartfelt and honest and it was rewarding enough for him. She flipped through it, finding a couple of big words in it, and setting it down by the table. Naruto tilted his head to the side before she turned back to him and showed him a broken mirror. There was a rather nasty bruise on his left cheek and dirt all over the rest of him.
"What happened to you? You look like you swam in a dumpster." She set the mirror down and climbed back into bed. He laughed awkwardly, almost forced, and he smiled again.
"Yeah, I kinda fell over when I was on my way here...didn't have time to fix up you know. It was getting pretty late." He was lying. She could tell, but she said nothing, not wanting to ruin his gift. It was something she had not asked of him nor had she expected him to be so perceptive of what she had innately wanted.
For Naruto, he was simply relieved she had not questioned him any further. He hated to consider what she would think of him if she knew he had stolen that book for her sake. It was likely she would reject it and have him send it back where he got it.
She smiled up at him, small though genuine and he suddenly ft less guilty. He suddenly felt it had been worth waiting in the cold for the perfect chance to grab that book. That it had been worth it nearly getting beat up by the guy running the stand.
"Yeah..." He whispered to himself. She heard him though, and she faced him again in a strange mix of confusion.
"It's nothing, don't worry about it." He turned, ready to leave when he paused in his tracks and faced the sky through the window.
"What is it?"
"Was the moon always sorta red looking?" He asked and Himika found herself being dragged it of bed once more for a second time. She took her place at Naruto's side and gaped out the massive window, coming face to face with the full moon, a light shade of red seeming to be cast off it.
"Odd. I didn't think there was any solstice this time of year. Not for a few more weeks."
"Pretty cool don't ya think?" Naruto said and she found herself agreeing wholeheartedly.
"Yeah. It's certainly beautiful. Reminds me of when you first came." She started as she let go of the ledge and turned her back. Naruto turned to face her and watched as she paused midstep.
"I've decided, Naruto."
"On what?"
"Your goal. That foolish dream of yours to be Hokage." She turned halfway as she spoke. "I'll watch it all the way there like you want me to. I'm certain now, more certain than I was back then. Is that alright with you?"
He said nothing as the wind blew into the room before he swallowed thickly. His mouth opened, then closed again, before he opened it finally.
"Yeah, that would be awesome." He held his hand out to her, extending his hand out to her. She looked at it, before raising her own and shaking his firmly, saying those words that practically rolled off his tongue every other time. This time, she would be borrowing those words.
"It's a promise."
Something shifted in that moment of contact, though both were unaware of it. Deep within the depths of Naruto's mind, an eye opened, red irises revealing themselves in the darkness. It narrowed before fading away. As that single promise was made, another was broken across the village under the eye of the crimson moon.
The Uchiha massacre had begun.