Title: Disadvantaged Children (formerly UnWanted)
Rating: T
Summary: Uchiha Mansion is the last place for criminally and emotionally unstable orphans to prove their worth. Naruto finds himself caught in entangling situations with the owner of the Mansion, Uchiha Sasuke, and with his fellow teammates and friends. In the process of healing from his horrific past, Uzumaki Naruto discovers that he may not be the only disadvantaged child to deserve a second chance.


Chapter Five
Run

"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD MORNING, YOU LITTLE RUNTS."

The voice jars me awake and I fall out of bed, cursing and groaning. I hadn't noticed the PA system installed in my room bed so the unnecessarily loud voice presents a very detestable wake-up call. Why hadn't they just rung a bell?

"THIS IS JIRAIYA HERE AND ANYONE WHO PLANS ON SLEEPING OVER MY VOICE WILL FIND ME POUNDING AT THEIR DOOR AFTER BREAKFAST ENDS. COME ON, GUYS. LIVE A LITTLE. TODAY IS A BRAND NEW DAY, SEE THE GLASS HALF FULL, BLAHBLAHBLAH."

I look up under the covers to see Sai still painting, a calm and almost tranquil demeanor surrounding his activity. I just pound my face into the ground, grinding my teeth as the irritatingly loud voice continues.

"GET UP. YES, YOU ON THE FLOOR, CURSING MY VERY NAME, GET UP OFF THE FLOOR AND START YOUR DAY."

I quickly look around the room, expecting to see Jiraiya. How had he gotten into our room?

"He says that every day, stupid."

I glare at Sai, but opt in favor of battling the urge to yawn. I lose that one pretty quickly so decide to get out of my uncomfortable position of legs in bed, upper body on floor. Shuffling to my feet, I clumsily trip over my suitcase again on my scuffle to the bathroom.

There's a tug on the back of my head about the bathroom, but I ignore it to satisfy my full bladder.

I rush into the toilet, taking care of business, but after I've zipped my pants, I look to the side and see a blond-headed girl with astonishingly bright blue eyes. For a second, I think that I've come across a gender-bending mirror, but I realize that I'm not wearing a towel.

"AI!! Pervert!!"

I hurriedly rush out of the bathroom, then start scrubbing my sleepy eyes and shaking my head at forgetting that my roommate and I shared a bathroom with Sakura. And the blond girl must have been Ino, Sakura's roommate.

Abruptly, there's a knock on the door and I perk up when I hear Kiba's muffled voice through the door. "Naruto, get up! They have ramen!"

Salivating would be stupid to do so early in the morning, but I don't care because Kiba's just said my only weakness. I throw open the door and Kiba's leaning on the door, grinning that heavy grin up at me through dark lashes.

I've missed this, being carefree and being able to laugh with you.

I'm at a loss for words, because even though I've had a day to get used to it, I still can't believe that Kiba isn't dead, that his eyes are looking at me without the vacuity of death. He seems to understand this and gives me a moment to compose myself, not taunting or laughing at my momentary wavering.

After a minute, I invite him into the room and whisper. "One minute. Let me change and don't mess with my roommate."

Kiba cranes his neck and I lightly cuff his head, knowing that he'll disregard whatever I just said. "I'm serious, baka."

I start humming that same tuneless melody and jump around the room, trying to find my beaten up socks, shoes, shirts. Sai takes no notice of me and I do the same, not wanting to instigate another fight with him. My generosity could only extend so far and I didn't know enough of my new roommate to attempt conversation again. Although, I still thought he was creepy with that pale and blank face, poised only to paint. And the bit of the painting from yesterday I had seen had sent shivers up my spine; it was me with blood coating my fingers and a streak of red in my blond hair. It was weird.

Of course, I had a beast inside of me, a past smudged with murder, and a daunting attraction to his look-alike. Who was I to judge what weird was?

I finish changing and roughly grab Kiba, who's been inching closer and closer towards Sai. The way he's eyeing Sai reminds me of the way he would approach a prospective fuck in the past. I guess Kiba still hadn't lost his hunger for mindless sex, which could prove to be a problem in a place as strict as Uchiha Mansion. I wasn't worried, however. Kiba was smart and I knew he could take care of himself.

Besides, it'd be a cold day in hell the day that I allowed them to take away Kiba from me again.

Before I close the door on my way out, I can't get the image of Sai painting by the window out of my head. I sigh then stick my head inside the room and yell out, "See you later."

There's no answer from Sai so I shrug and shut the door.

xxx

The variety of choices for breakfast stunned me. Dinner had just been a meal, but breakfast presented itself in forms like cereal, pancakes, rice, meat, an assortment of fruit and vegetables, and of course, ramen. The minute I sat down to eat, I had almost killed myself by scarfing down everything in my path. I wasn't a stranger to hunger, but seeing food, actual food, in front of me had been the official indication of just how different Uchiha Mansion was going to be from the rest of the group homes.

I idly listen to the conversation around me, mostly just a repeat of Sasuke's ominous words from yesterday. Wherever I turned, that name was always on the tip of people's tongues. Even my roommate was a breathing, living reminder of my fascination with the dark haired Mansion owner.

I didn't have a neat description for what I felt for the Uchiha, but there was something else on top of the hatred and the confusing magnetism that I had for him. His eyes, whenever I had looked into them, had been cold and distant. They weren't the blank eyes that Sai possessed. Sasuke owned the capacity to strike true fear into someone, because of those chilling, never-ending pools of darkness.

And of course, his appearance.

I bite the inside of my cheek hard enough to draw blood and curse softly. It was one thing to dissect Sasuke's character in order to gain knowledge. It was another thing, entirely, to draw so much obsession over him that I ended up losing myself to a façade.

"So what do you think the First Event will be?" Kiba asks Shikamaru after he's done shoving noodles into his mouth. I listen closer, trying to figure out what he's talking about.

Shikamaru shrugs, poking his chopsticks into his rice. "Something to test our teamwork, probably."

Kiba shakes his head then exclaims, "No way! They're probably going to test us to see who the strongest one is. In which case, I'll win because I have Akamaru." The dog in question barks and snarls savagely at Chouji, who backs away in fear.

I look across the table to see if anyone else will contribute, but, just like the other day, everyone is still keeping to themselves. I do, however, see Ino and Sakura, but they only appear to be bickering about Sasuke. Rock Lee is listening intently to Sakura and there's a look of blind devotion on his face. His group members, Tenten and another person I don't know, aren't conversing very much and, instead, are looking down at their food in silence.

At least they're sitting together.

Which is a far cry from my team. There's a rampaging lunatical flirt who only cared about Sasuke, and an emotionless shell who didn't even have a last name. Oh and of course, me. What a team, I think sarcastically.

Shikamaru's team, which consists of Chouji, the obese boy, and Ino, the blond girl I had stumbled upon earlier in the bathroom, do much better in interacting with each other. Although Chouji complained about Ino all the time, I can tell that they had already gotten to know each other enough to be familiar in name calling and bickering.

I prod Kiba with my elbow and ask, "Who's in your team, Kiba?"

Kiba thoughtfully surveys the table then says, "Well, Shino's the creepy guy with the bugs that I told you about. Then there's this girl but she don't speak much. You know, though... She wouldn't shut up about you the other night."

I shrug and think out loud. "Probably scared of me."

Kiba laughs then says, "Yeah, probably."

A bell rings above our heads and people start throwing away their food and heading towards the door. I try to remember what Kakashi told me about my schedule then realize that this must be the hour for my counselor meeting. There was no telling what things I'd have to go through, what with most counselors being avid psychologists and trying to dig up painful memories.

I turn to say goodbye to Kiba, but see him going the wrong way, back to the dorms. "Where are you going?"

Kiba just waves and cheerfully says, "I'm ditching. Aren't you?"

For a moment, I'm sorely tempted. But I don't want to start the downward swirl into my past so I shake my head.

"Okay, your choice."

He turns his back and I watch him go, wondering if I should warn him about ditching too many meetings. I make a note in the back of my head and continue walking to the direction that everyone else is heading.


"So.."

"What?"

".."

"Ok, great. That's helpful."

"Naruto, please don't start."

"On what? A list of all of my mentally unstable and psychological diseases? Or maybe you want me to start mentioning all of my significant life events in the order of most distressing to least harrowing."

Kakashi sighs then leans back in his chair. His mask stretches over his face and I have to quell the itching in my fingers to rip it off and uncover what's lying underneath. His shock of silver hair over the leaf headband over his right eye contrasts with his black shirt and mask, but instead of making him look old, his hair gives him a unique look.

It's almost gross to admit it, but my counselor is hot. His black shirt doesn't hide the toned muscles and even though his eyes are constantly bored, he has the classic, eye-catching face that will cause a bypasser to stop in the streets and stare. He also has the subtle power that Sasuke also wielded which reminds me of the faint strength of some of the gang leaders that I had encountered. In fact, I can almost see Kakashi on the streets, fighting with that sleepy, easy glance.

"You seem a lot more uncomfortable in an office than you do elsewhere in the Mansion, Naruto. Care to tell me why?"

I just growl and cross my arms. "No thanks. I'll just suffer through this hour and hope that you get bored enough to kick me out of the room."

"Okay then." Kakashi adjusts his seat and kicks his leg up on the table, adopting a casual pose. He shuffles through some drawers then takes out a rubber ball. Without paying any attention to my flabbergasted stare, he starts throwing it up in the air.

Up

Down

Catch

I frown, not used to having a counselor call my bluff. At this rate, I'd probably get bored faster than he would.

Up

Down

Catch

I puff air into my cheeks and blow the air out, slowly. I take a look around Kakashi's office, noticing the wide open spaces and the comfortably arranged furniture. There's a window right behind Kakashi and the view shows the front of Uchiha Mansion, which I've forgotten is almost an acre of pure, stunning land.

The enormous fountain is spouting clear water that's shining and glinting off the sun's rays. It's such a cheerful sight that I almost forget that I'm locked up in a room with a really irritating counselor.

Up

Down

Catch

It feels like thirty minutes have passed, so I finally relent and bite out, "Ok, I got it. This is what happens when you listen to me. Jesus Christ, thirty minutes have never gone so slowly in my life."

Kakashi takes a look at his watch then cheerfully says, "Nope. That was actually just six minutes and 20 seconds."

I just glare at him.

"So, aren't you curious as to your punishment for breaking the entrance doors?"

"What?"

"Yup." Kakashi digs through a stack of papers then finds the right one and starts to read off. "..Uchiha Mansion reserves the right to use disciplinary measures in order to maintain a safe and protected environment. These disciplinary measures are decided by the faculty and are subject to review by the peer board if deemed too harsh. The disadvantaged child in question will face possible consequences such as withdrawal of privileges, community service, time spent reviewing with the faculty, or, in the extreme case, expulsion."

I cheekily grin. "That last one sounds good to me."

Kakashi's uninterested face speaks volumes about his professional training to deal with irritating brats like me. He takes his feet off the desk then thoughtfully says. "Your punishment for breaking the windows is community service."

"Community service?"

"Yes, Naruto. Service for the community."

The news is so unbelievable that I actually start laughing, albeit a little hysterically. "You must be joking. Me. Naruto, the criminally insane delinquent. Helping the same village that spat at me the day I was born."

I stop laughing when I see that Kakashi isn't kidding. "You can't do this to me! The Konoha government won't let you."

Kakashi just puts a hand to his hair, shoving away a wisp in front of his eye. "The government has no control over Uchiha Mansion, which is one of the reasons that Sasuke's program has a high success rate. I have no doubt that you'd be correct in assuming that the government would be highly opposed to the idea of their definition of mentally unstable orphans interacting with the environment. But, Sasuke's influence is quite remote from the state and, at times, exceeds its power. Needless to say, Naruto, you are going to participate in helping the community."

I keep gaping at him, unable to grasp the thought of me on the same streets with the same people who had succeeded in devastating my life by beating, spitting, and emotionally torturing me.

"I won't do it." I finally say, giving Kakashi a stony glare, daring him to strike the match and light the flame. He didn't understand the basic human instinct to run away from things that caused pain. I couldn't do it all over again, no, I just couldn't.

"I know you feel cornered right now, Naruto-"

"Cornered? More like fucked." I bitterly laugh.

"But you have to face your past some day. It's vital to your recuperation and the longer you avoid this, the longer it'll take for you to heal from the effects of your childhood. And Sasuke will make it his personal responsibility to make sure that no one touches you or violates your rights on your excursions to Konoha."

"Sasuke?" I ask, startled to find his name mentioned in the consequences of my actions. "Aren't you going to accompany me? You're my fucking counselor."

This is the first time that I see Kakashi searching for words. He's attempting to be pacifying but it fails to alleviate my freezing blood. "Well.. In normal cases, the counselor does oversee the punishment. But, for you, we.."

He stops then finally says. "We made an exception."

With those words, the room becomes a prison, I stand up in my chair, clenching my jaw, unable to stop the stab of betrayal coursing through my veins.

"So, essentially, you're saying that I'm so fucked up that you need the highest authority to supervise me. I can't even carry out my punishment normally in a place where you espouse normalcy."

I grip the chair when Kakashi eyes me calmly. "Sit down, Naruto."

The calm attitude that had appeased me earlier only serves to fuel the rage and the red creeping into my vision. Snarling, I throw my chair, ignoring the clatter as it strikes against Kakashi's desk.

"No! You need to fucking hear this, because I'm not the only broken thing in this house. I know what's running through your head. You think I can't handle community service, so you sic the owner on me, thinking I can't possibly go on a rampage with Sasuke by my side. Well, you can go and tell your fucking little peer board that they'll be endangering Sasuke's life if they even think about sending him to accompany me to a place that is my own personal private hell. Do you know the amount of ammunition that you're placing in his hands by-"

"Sasuke requested you."

I stop, anger momentarily distracted. "What?"

"Naruto, we don't have a peer board that deals in enacting punishment. One of the faculty generally applies to help enforce punishment and, as I mentioned earlier, the counselor takes the responsibility. In your case, your exception, Sasuke personally pulled me aside and inquired if he could take over the job."

I stare at my fallen chair, not wanting to process the information.

"And there's information about the Uchiha Mansion participation in community service that you should know. It's not standard disciplinary action. I was surprised to hear Sasuke request that you accompany him to his frequent trips outside of the Mansion to various orphanages, shelters, and poverty-ridden communities. This isn't so much a punishment as an honor. Very few people get to experience time with Uchiha Sasuke, much less a loud, obnoxious brat like you."

I say, slowly. "So what you're implying is that-"

Kakashi interrupts, with an exasperated gaze in my direction. "No, what I'm telling you is that Sasuke expects more from you than from any other orphan in the Home. And, once again, it'll ride on my reputation if you fail to surpass his expectations."

It's funny how a few words can change the entire perspective and clear my ignorance. I taste the words over again, savoring each hidden compliment and enigma. And then I ask the only question I can ask to the extensive amount of information I just received.

"Why did Sasuke choose me?"

Kakashi turns his chair to stare out the window, honesty coating his voice. "I don't know."

He then promptly turns back to me, eye trailing to the clock behind me. There's a casual smile on his face and he cheerily announces.

"Time up! And this concludes Uzumaki Naruto's first counseling session." He winks then gets out of his chair to usher me gently out of the door.

I walk out of Kakashi's room, wondering if my head will ever stop spinning.


I go downstairs to attend the team-interaction meeting that's located at a great hall which is even bigger than the expansive cafeteria. No matter which way I turn, the Mansion keeps growing and growing, leaving me no room in my brain to memorize the different twists and turns of the home. At first, I spot Sakura by herself and she scowls at me, no doubt remembering how I had barged in on her friend in the bathroom this morning.

"You're late, Naruto! What were you doing?" She points a finger at me, accusatory tone and all.

I shrug and reply, "Counselor meeting. Where's Sai?"

Sakura inches closer to me and surveys the room before whispering, "I don't know. But the last time I went into his room, he was staring at me like a dead man. I think he can sleep with his eyes open, don't you?"

I nod, surprised that Sakura's offered a theory that makes sense. "You're probably right."

She shudders then clobbers me on the head, leaving me with a slight bruise. "Baka! That's for disturbing me in my sleep last night."

She keeps sullenly glaring at me and I put up both hands to defend myself. "Hey, we didn't know you were in the room next to us, okay? You were the bitch from hell when you started yelling at us, so I'll try to keep it down. Just don't barge into our room again."

She squints at me and I grimace back, trying to intimidate her until she sighs then goes, "Well, I guess I'll do what you say. We have to work as a team, anyway, and Kakashi-sensei did tell me to cooperate with you. Even though you're annoying, bratty, stupid.."

She continues ticking off my bad traits so I shove her voice into the back of my head while surveying the room. All of the other teams had already arrived and we were waiting for the counselor who would give us instructions. I had never been in an orphanage where the orphans were paired up into teams, so I didn't know what team-recreational activities meant. I'm guessing they're a big deal, though, from the way some teams are fretting and other teams are angrily yelling at each other.

"..insensitive, short, blond, troublemaking, and attention-needy!" Sakura nods gravely then crosses her arms. "And where the hell is our other team member?"

I suddenly see a flash of pale, bare stomach and a pale face on the far side of the room. I grab Sakura and point in his direction. She presses up to my side, to get a better look at him, and we both start watching what he's doing. He looks the same from when I left him in his room, only this time he's standing next to two members of the Mist dorm.

"What is he doing over there?! He should be over here, helping his team mates!" Sakura frantically whispers and she pushes me to have a better view of Sai.

"Y'know, I don't think he's really interested in being our team member." I mockingly reply and Sakura just gives me an irritated look.

"Yeah, well those people that he's hanging out with look really creepy. One of them is wrapped in bandages!"

I roll my eyes, but continue watching Sai. Sakura was right; the Mist dorm guy with the bandages looks around six feet tall and has a huge machete-looking thing on his back. Since when did they allow weaponry inside a group home?

"Well, trust Sai to know some creepy people," I say, chuckling lazily.

Sakura's about to say something, but abruptly, Sai turns in our direction and fixes us with a hollow stare that somehow manages to convey 'I will murder you' signals all the way across the room. I just snarl at him while Sakura blanches and immediately turns away. Just like that, our Team is down one member.

Sakura just collapses on the floor, clutching her heart, and sighs. "We're going to get eliminated if we can't even communicate with our third member. Those dead eyes!"

I make a face then look down at Sakura to say, "At least you don't sleep in the same room as him."

She fixes me with a look of pity, something I've never seen from a fellow orphan girl before, and shakes her head. "Even though I hate you for stealing Sasuke's attention on your first day here, you aren't bad enough to deserve getting murdered in your sleep."

I shrug. "He's not too bad." I smirk, feeling a surge of confidence to pull off my next words. "And besides, he'd risk getting beat up if he tried anything on me during the night."

Sakura looks dubious, but she's interrupted by a noise from the counselor who just walked into the room.

"Sand Dorm, please exit to the back entrance. Watch your step. Sound, follow the man in black to the front and Leaf Dorm, exit to the side. Mist, follow me."

Sakura gives me a friendly shove towards a door that all of the leaf-band kids are headed towards and I feel a surge of annoyance from the clamor and the swarm of orphans all rushing towards an entrance. I wasn't excited for this meeting, because I wasn't prepared to dive in and start holding hands and sing Kumbaya. A niggling thought keeps picking at the back of my head. Why were we even split up into teams? What was the point?

To build trust. Kakashi's voice reverberates in my head and I scowl. The last thing I wanted was to have my manipulative counselor's voice in my own head, so I push him out and focus on the room that's crowded with familiar and unfamiliar faces.

"Chouji, you're stepping on my foot! Why is it so dark in here, anyway?"

"Oh, sorry. I think they want to intimidate us, Kiba."

"Sakura, where are you, my sweet, blossom-haired, pea? I, Rock Lee, will divulge all of my tips and suggestions so that your Team will advance to the finals with my Team."

At the sound of Spandex squeaking in our direction, Sakura jumps and hides behind my back. "Don't let him get near me. Maybe it'll be so dark, he won't be able to see me."

Unfortunately, the dark room is nowhere near dark enough for Sakura to escape Rock Lee's fervent love. He stops to a halt in front of me and salutes.

"Uzumaki Naruto! I have watched you from afar but it is only now that I get to express my pleasure in meeting the famed delinquent from the States. And your inspirational speech yesterday MADE. ME.. CRY!! YESSIR." He punctuates his last words with rapidly twitching eyes. His words are faintly slurred, and he keeps swaying back and forth on the balls of his feet.

Now that I've taken a closer look at Rock Lee's odd behavior, I think I can tell why he's in Uchiha Mansion. But, not wanting to make a mistake, I frown then ask as blatantly as I can, "Are you drunk?"

"No, not at the moment. But, since your words imply curiosity, I will further tell you that I was a habitual drinker in the Konoha Army. Anything-"

I interrupt and blithely summarize, "So you got a drinking problem, they caught you in the Army, and now you're at Uchiha Mansion trying to rehabilitate?"

Rock Lee's face turns a pitch white and he puts down his hand, ending his salute. He softly answers, "No. I'm here because I killed my own sergeant."

The look of desperation is familiar to me, even if the wearer is a boy who looks, acts, and thinks nothing like me. Seeing the mask pulled off from Rock Lee's normally cheerful face is an act of shocking trust and I don't know if I even deserve to have asked the question. Sakura behind me falters, her look of annoyance morphing into one of surprise. The silence stretches and I'm racking my brain for words to fill the silence (not that the Great Uzumaki did comfort.)

However, I'm saved when Iruka walks through the door and starts to speak. Seeing Iruka again doesn't surprise me, but the twinge of pleased recognition does. The dark doesn't hide the patient and tranquil look on his face as he waits for the people in the room to stop talking and start listening to him. He's standing on top of a podium that elevates him, symbolically and literally, so that he's towering over us. The headband on top of his forehead reminds me of my own lack of the leaf-bearing metal and I rub my forehead. I still had no intentions of being part of a sappy group, but I was worried that Kakashi might deem this too rebellious and take off points.

Of course, points were the least of my worries, which the overwhelming hatred I have for Sasuke tells me. And the way Sai can conjure up fear is almost daunting. Almost.

"Welcome to another exciting afternoon of team interaction!" Iruka says, a hopelessly hopeful twinkle in his eye. He's greeted with an awkward silence and grunts, but he ploughs on ahead, ignoring the fact that he's trapped in a room with 12 odd delinquents. "Teams, keep in mind that the First Event will occur in about a week or so, now that our last Leaf Dorm resident, Naruto, has arrived. In the meantime, we'll be filling in the days by participating in trivial group interactions that will hopefully get you closer to your teammates."

Ino, the blond girl with remarkably blue eyes, raises her hand and swishes her long ponytail, haughtily. "What is the First Event?"

Iruka coughs. "I'm unable to answer that."

Ino scoffs and crosses her arm. "Thanks for helping."

Unfazed, Iruka continues. "But I can tell you that this First Event will be a daunting task. As a warning, Hatake Kakashi, who will oversee the First Event, rarely gives out points. Some of you may be discouraged by this, but remember that there will be many chances to accumulate enough points to stay out of the negatives and, also, to be the team with the highest number of points."

He suddenly stops and shoots an uncharacteristic glare at Ino, whose eyes have suddenly switched from a blue to a murky gray color. "However much you may want to win the First Event, Ino, delving into my mind is prohibited. You know this. Five points."

There's a murmur as Ino sarcastically smiles, eyes bleeding back into a clear blue color. My thoughts join the crowd's and I nudge Sakura who only whispers something about mind reading and stupid, blond psychics. I fix my gaze back on Ino who's calmly stroking her hair. Stories about true psychics were passed by word-of-mouth on the streets, but I had never believed in them, thinking that they, like everything else in the world, were hoaxes and cheap scams. Even now, there's a fair amount of doubt lurking in my mind about Ino's supposed mind reading. But the slight sweat on Iruka's brow and the image of cold, grey eyes tell a different story. Well, at least now I knew that I wasn't the only freak in Uchiha Mansion.

"So, for today, we're going to go outside and-"

The door opens again, sending in a stream of light that makes me squint. We all crane our heads to see who the late arrival is. His smirk at seeing our flabbergasted faces widens the white bandage on his old and wrinkled cheek. I take the sight in, noticing the unorthodox clothing; the guy at the door is dressed almost in ninja attire and he's obviously undergone many bruises because of all the cuts and scars on his old, but beefy body. He's carrying a white envelope that matches his white, long hair and I think I know now why he's smirking at us. An older guy like that would only come in because..

"I have a message from Kakashi. He wants to see the little runts."

Iruka looks just as surprised as we do and he shakes his head. "Excuse me for my rudeness, Jiraiya-sensei, but this must be a mistake. The First Event isn't scheduled until next week! These children.." He stops when he sees the multiple, hardened faces glaring at him. "I mean, kids, aren't prepared for such a vicious undertaking."

Jiraiya just starts chuckling. "Iruka, you could give them a year and they still wouldn't be prepared. Besides, I think we've been entirely too lax about these Events. Kakashi and I have agreed to test these little squirts earlier, which will weed out the competition sooner. Can't have any weaklings running around, eh? Half these kids look so puny, they wouldn't be able to last two seconds in the Mansion." He sighs and shakes his head. "Sasuke's judgment just isn't the same as it used to be."

The guy must be deaf and blind because he doesn't seem to notice that he's made an enemy out of all twelve orphans in the room. His cocky attitude just makes me more determined to get the most points for myself in the First Event. I look around me and see the same thought running through everyone next to me. Even Chouji's normally flabby chin is gripped into a hard and firm line. The tension can almost be tasted and we're suddenly all unified in proving our worth to the powerful old man in front of us.

Iruka continues defending us, trying to change Jiraiya's mind. "But it's not protocol! These tests are brutal and dangerous-"

I suddenly interrupt, speaking for eleven other people. "Hey, Iruka, no use in wasting your breath, right? He's not going to listen to reason." I turn to Jiraiya, fixing him with a cool stare. "So c'mon, old man. Bring it. But try not to give yourself a heart attack, ok?"

I hear snickering, but I keep my eyes on Jiraiya. I had just challenged authority; there was no way I was going to get by easily. We keep staring at each other, and surely enough, out of the corner of my eyes, I see Jiraiya tucking in the envelope but also pulling out something that glints dangerously. Sakura's giggling turns into a shriek as an old type of knife suddenly zips my way. I immediately duck, as do all the other people behind me and when the danger's passed, I look behind me to see where the knife went.

"Jiraiya-sensei!" Iruka is frowning, but his voice is unwavering. "Violence is discouraged in Uchiha Mansion. I expect better from a high-class sensei like you."

I can't find the knife and it's only when I let my eyes search the floor do I find it. Except, the end is pointed the wrong way.

Sakura's figured this out before I have, though, because she's already started muttering, a little sheepishly. "There wasn't any real threat to that, because Jiraiya-sensei threw the knife the wrong way. I feel stupid for screaming now, but I was so sure after you insulted him, he'd retaliate. And what is he doing, carrying around a kunai? Those aren't used very much. In fact, they're downright antiquated."

Jiraiya starts laughing and yells out, "Ah, Naruto, is it?"

I just raise an eyebrow and nod. "What of it?"

"Nothing. Just surprised that a midget like you could dodge that." He turns to Iruka. "And you must forgive me, Iruka, but taunting these newbies is a habit of mine. Besides, that knife wasn't aimed the right way. No harm done, eh?"

Iruka doesn't stop glaring at Jiraiya. After an uncomfortable silence, Jiraiya sighs. "All right, all right. For the sake of Uchiha Mansion, the future of the world, blahblahblah, I'll refrain from throwing things. Although, if my kunai hit the right mark, the First Event should be starting any minute now."

I look around me, wondering what he's talking about. I'm surprised to see Kiba by my side, but he just grins at me and rolls his eyes at Jiraiya. My eyes narrow as Jiraiya closes the door, leaving his full laughter ringing in my ears. The darkness encloses me and I sigh in relief when Kiba grabs my sleeve, pulling me closer to him. "You ready for this?"

The room starts moving, but I don't feel like shrieking or exclaiming like the other people in the room, because of Kiba's comforting presence by my side. I pull closer to the boy who means everything to me and whisper in his ear, excitement lining my voice. "I was born ready."


The room that we were in turns out to be a crude, large elevator and when it stops, I unhook my finger from Kiba's sleeve and step out of a door that leads straight outside. Sakura's mouth is open and she's frantically explaining the mechanics of the elevator but I don't hear her because I'm too busy trying to assess where we are. The wizened trees beside us whisper of tainted days, but the sunlight peering through the canopy is enough to brighten my hopes. It's almost a sin to put Uzumaki Naruto outside, especially on his second day in supposed Hell.

I breathe in deeply, savoring the clean and fresh scent while Kiba stretches and yawns. Other kids are doing the same, although I notice that Sai is still in the shadows, observing each orphan in front of him. Sakura, after noticing that my attention is more focused on nature than on her, has drifted towards Ino and the only sound is of them bickering over who will win the First Event. There's a clearing in front of us and I nudge Kiba, who nods and starts walking. I follow him and smirk when I hear the exclamation and rushing feet of the other orphans. After only a few minutes of walking, the whole group comes through an area that's mostly devoid of trees and Kakashi waiting for us.

My masked counselor takes a quick count and frowns. "There's only eleven. Where's the last person?"

"Up here." My eyes trail upward and I see Sai sitting passively on a tree that's at least four stories high. I inwardly growl and don't even bother wondering how he got up there. A dark look flashes through Kakashi's face so quickly that I wonder if my imagination is working overtime. Turning from Sai to us, Kakashi starts to speak again.

"This is the First Event and as Jiraiya should have conveyed, I requested that it be scheduled earlier. I'm Hatake Kakashi, the counselor for Team 7, but this will, in no way, effect or bias my decision. For those of you who are uncomfortable with possible prejudice, concern yourselves with the information that every counselor will eventually partake in all of the Events."

He glares at us and his stern voice contradicts the light and optimistic picture that I had painted of him in the beginning.

"The First Event is the most brutal out of all four Events and will test strength and skill more than mental acumen. The rules are simple. The first person to reach the finish line will acquire fifty points. There will be red markers to indicate the way. However, the people around you will not be your only opponents. Sometime during the race, I will unchain a number of vicious and savage dogs that are trained to attack moving objects. You will all have to decide between outrunning ferocious animals or staying behind and risking fifty points, because the last person to cross the finish line will lose fifty points."

There's a loud murmuring. Fifty points was a huge amount and losing it might just be the turning point between staying or leaving the Mansion. I start memorizing the forest that we're in, wondering if there's any way I could climb up the trees to avoid the dogs. This challenge, although far more vicious than I had thought it would be, sounds right up my alley. And I can see Kiba hopping with enthusiasm, whispering enthusiasm and triumph. Everyone is regarding the other, trying to size who the winner might be. The thought of fifty points at stake strikes me and I idly feel sorry for the female portion of the group. Like Kakashi had said, this was a test of strength which meant that brawns would beat brains.

I crack my knuckles and grin savagely, barely hearing the rest of Kakashi's words. "If you need assistance, ask your teammates. Otherwise, I will promptly appear and call off the dogs." He points to a red line in the dirt. "Everyone, to the starting line."

The energy is crackling with competitive glares and shoves, now that the challenge is up for grabs. We all walk towards the starting line, watching as Kakashi pulls out a small gun and gives us a cool, hard stare.

"Ready?"

There are nods all around and Kakashi puts up the gun. "Don't disappoint me. Now, on the count of three. One.. Two.. THREE."

The gun pops, but the blurs indicate that most of us are already far away. I feel the exhilaration surge through me as my feet pounds the ground and I keep pushing, not stopping, loving the feel of freedom. I ignore everything else and keep running, my heart beating furiously and pent-up anger released in a ball of hard energy. I don't even think, because thinking is unnecessary in such a base instinct like moving your feet to the sound of the wind or almost tripping over the obstacles that nature presents. The forest continues on and I even venture to push my feet off against the trees to propel my speed. It's almost fun to only hear silence coupled in with my harsh breaths and a rapidly beating heart.

I don't slow down, impossible, but continue running, occasionally getting lost but finding a trace of red to strengthen my resolve and giving me another burst of speed. It's not until I hear screams and barking that I remember the last part of Kakashi's challenge.

I finally look back, unable to escape reality by only focusing on running, and see some of the slower people having to confront snarling, salivating, and raging pitbulls. I keep running, determined to outrun those who have fallen behind because of the dogs. I hear another person besides me and it's Shikamaru, who's running just as fast as I am. I know talking would be a waste of breath, so we keep running in silence that's sometimes pierced by groans of pain and fighting all around us. I spot Sakura and Ino from a distance, who have both stopped running and instead are fighting each other, shouting insults and trying to ward off dogs at the same time.

I just shake my head and keep running, focused only on finishing the race and beating Shikamaru. I'm determined to not have fighting involved in the race, because it would only waste my energy and pose a threat to Kyuubi. I keep pumping my legs and breathing, in and out, as much as I can.

The clamor around us pitches to a high cacophony when all of the bull dogs have been released. The sounds of punches, yells, and dogs give me a headache and I shake it off, drawing more power to keep moving. Trees, clear sky, the sun.. All these are a blur to me as I continue sprinting, the thought of fifty points as motivation. Soon, however, the breath starts to leave in gasps and my sides ache and scream for a rest. I'm about to stop and catch a breath, which would leave Shikamaru racing ahead of me, but there's a desperate shout beside us.

"Help! Somebody help!"

Shikamaru stops abruptly and turns around, whispering Chouji's name. I stop too, lungs screaming from relief, and I blanch at the sight of Chouji, whose leg is so bloodied that I almost miss the deep gash that shows bone. Sweat pours from his head and his muscles tremble every time he swings the heavy branch that he's using to ward off two dogs. One of the dogs sees us and starts to swagger towards us, predatorily. I falter, wondering if I should help, but Shikamaru just smiles wearily at me.

"Go on, Uzumaki. It's not your problem."

I nod and continue running, hearing one of the dogs chase after me, growling and snapping at my heels. I can almost feel its hot, mangy breath down my back and I conjure up more strength to run faster, faster, and so fast that I can't breathe, can't think, it hurts. But I can't stop, or I'll have to face the beast behind me, face the beast inside of my mind, and I'd rather face self-inflicted pain then go through monsters. But my stamina doesn't agree with me and before the dog behind me can jump, two dogs, one from the left and one from the right, decide that today isn't, shouldn't, be my lucky day.

I cough haggardly, almost blinded by the dog from the left knocking into my internally injured side. I stand up, but I have to duck when an ugly pitbull tries to jump on me. I stagger, pain attacking every organ in my body, mind screaming from the danger that I'm in, and I manage to kick a dog hard enough that it crashes against a tree. But I'm still stuck with two more dogs and I can feel Kyuubi eating my waning strength, trying to come out, whispering cajoling words of release and escape, but I push him away and punch, kick, bite, do whatever it takes to stop the dogs from clamping on a body part. However hard I try, though, those vicious pug faces manage to back me into a corner and all I'm doing is shielding my body, and shit one of the dogs has a murderous, evil look and it's so close to my face that saliva is drenching the front of my shirt and shit it's going to bite me so I squeeze my eyes shut, waiting to feel teeth clenching, wondering if Kyuubi will be the last thing I'll hear.

But the weight is freed from my body when I feel another smaller animal slam itself into the pit bulldog and I open my eyes to see the most beautiful sight in the world, Akamaru's dirty fur. I turn my head upwards to find Kiba standing on a tree branch, slightly strained but still smiling at me, fangs visible.

"Keep up, slowpoke."

And before I can thank him, he and Akamaru are gone, just slight blurs in the whole forest, struggling to survive. I stagger up to my feet and start limping, and I can just barely see the finish line. But it's there so I wince and bite my cheek as I put weight on my injured leg. Keeping a steady rhythm is my biggest challenge, but eventually, I find myself in a trance, foot after foot, breath after breath. I've forgotten what I'm running for, what I'm doing here, but it doesn't matter because my brain is wired to do one thing and one thing only. Run.

I'm almost there, so close that I can feel the blessed stop, the rewarding cool wind, but I'm stopped one more time when someone slams into my stomach, knocking both of us over.

I get up, clenching my mouth at the sudden pain, and come face to face with Sai's slight smile. "What the fuck?" I yell, trying to catch my breath, unable to believe the fact that Sai can stand so calmly, pale face mixing transgression and simper effortlessly. "We're fucking teammates, you stupid fuck!"

In reply, he swiftly punches me in the face and I spit out blood, refusing to be knocked over again. I watch him shift into a fighting position and I feel like crying from the sheer amount of pain in my system. There's no time for thinking so I go with my gut instinct, which is to pound the shit out of my roommate.

I quickly dart behind Sai, wrenching his elbow and throwing him forcefully against the ground, pleased when he makes a grunt. He retaliates by kicking me in the groin and I blindly, through the haze of raw aching, start throwing punches everywhere I can, aiming for his face, his stomach, his windpipe. I manage to get a few in before Sai, murder briefly flashing in his face, yanks a handful of my hair and forces my body in a painful backwards bend.

He leans in closer to my ear and his whisper is tantalizingly excruciating, the feeling of cool air on hot, burning, tender skin. "I don't have a team." Stars explode in my vision and I absentmindedly note the way blond hair coalesces with black hair,

Oh, Naruto, you're going to die.

I prepare myself for being thrown against a tree or a knife slitting my throat, but nothing happens except Sai roughly letting go of my hair and disappearing. I collapse and face the ground, blood mixing in with the dirt, helplessly trying to breathe in and out. I burn everywhere, bruises and cuts and scrapes all itching with stifling attempts to breathe. My vision keeps flickering between reality and a dark shroud that threatens to send me to a healing place, an empty place.

I finally black out, but only for a few minutes, before coming back to the sun shining in my face and blood smearing my shirt, my face, my whole body. There's still noises, but they're far away and don't pose a threat to me at the moment. The finish line is only a few feet away and I crawl the whole way there, agonizing and searing pain shooting through my back and dirt getting under my nails. I keep staring at the ground, blood drops making neat dots on the grime, and focus on crawling the same way I focused on running, earlier. I'm so close, so close, and after an intense five minutes, I find my hand touching a red line that hides the blood that I bring.

With a shaky breath, I made it, I stumble and force myself to the side, where people won't trip over me when they, too, cross the finish line. And then, without further thought, I drop and close my eyes.


These damn kids don't know the meaning of teamwork. They think they can get by on their own but the more Kakashi and I watch, the more hopeless the battlefront becomes. I admit, I'm surprised by the sheer amount of strength some of them have. But it's all worthless if they can't trust each other.
When I watched the blond squirt stagger in, I saw the look on his face. Pure determination. Even if he's still a newbie, I think he's worthy of going to the next level. Plus, I like him.
There's a small piece of him that reminds me of myself.
Jiraiya


Oh, the possibilities. Oh and my sorrow at deleting UnWanted. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm Ssssooorrry.

Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed! :)