A/N: This chapter covers the academy days. This will probably be the last time I skip around a lot (until the training trip), since I don't want to drag out the academy days. It's basically a collection of important moments leading up to their graduation.

Sasuke will start to play a larger role in the story from this point onward. I'll explain more at the bottom once you've read the chapter.

RareDust76: To my knowledge, Naruto's KCM was a brighter orange while Minato's KCM was a darker orange because Naruto had the Yang half of Kurama while Minato had the Yin half. It's best demonstrated in that one episode where they're both in the chakra avatar mode and create a sage boosted Rasengan together. Once Naruto got both halves together again, as shown in The Last and Boruto, his KCM's color is somewhere in between his Yang half KCM's and Minato's.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any related content. c:

Chapter 3: Daylight of Konoha

Naruto: Original Soundtrack II, Track No. 1

Daylight of Konoha

Iruka walked into his classroom mentally preparing himself for a new year of instruction. His last class had just graduated, so he was asked to take over for another instructor, who had decided to return to active duty. He was surprised to see a student in the classroom already, though after taking a good look at the boy, he wasn't nearly as shocked, considering his brother had become an ANBU at the age of eleven. His attention was drawn to the room's entrance, where a young blond dragged a bluenette girl along with him. So, the former Hyuuga Heiress and the Nine-Tails jinchuuriki will also be in my class. He hated the Nine-Tails for taking his parents from him, but he wasn't stupid enough to believe that Naruto was the Nine-Tails. After all, the boy was raised by one of the Legendary Sannin and was currently under the care of a world-renowned shinobi. His attention turned to said shinobi, who was watching the kids from the doorway. "Kakashi, early? Must be the end of the world," he muttered. Unfortunately for him, the jonin heard him.

"The kids refused to be late! Naruto especially was too excited to the point he could barely sleep. My reputation, down the drain!" Kakashi cried out. Iruka sweat dropped as Naruto ran up to the row where the only other student was sitting.

"Hi! What's your name?" the blond asked exuberantly.

"Sasuke Uchiha," the boy answered with a small smile.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki, and I'm going to be the Hokage one day, dattebayo!"

Sasuke just shook his head slightly at the blond's energy while Hinata giggled. "My name is Hinata Hyuuga. Nice to meet you, Sasuke."

The Uchiha nodded in recognition. His clan and the Hyuuga had an ongoing rivalry, but his older brother had told him to pay it no mind. Are these two new students? I haven't seen them around before, but they seem like nice people. Although one of them is a bit loud.

His train of thought was interrupted by a voice from the door. "Naruto, Hinata, I have business to take care of with Guy. I won't be back until after dark, so take care of yourselves until then. Later!" The man suddenly flickered out of existence, leaving the three academy students stunned.

"He's never done that before. What was that?" Naruto asked.

"That was a Shunshin," Iruka replied. The three children turned their attention to their new instructor, who continued his mini-lecture. "It's a D-rank jutsu used for moving at near untraceable speeds, although it's rarely used in battle." Iruka noted the looks of awe on the children's faces, chuckling at their enthusiasm.

Once the trio digested that information, Sasuke asked, "Naruto, who was that guy?"

"Oh, him? That's Kakashi," Naruto replied casually. Sasuke's eyes widened as Naruto continued to talk. "He's been taking care of me and Hinata ever since Pervy-Sage left a few days ago."

Iruka snickered at the nickname but said nothing, wanting to see Sasuke's reaction. "Kakashi Hatake? That Kakashi?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto looked confused. "Yeah, what about him?"

Sasuke replied, "My brother said he's one of the strongest jonin in the village!"

"Really?" Naruto replied with stars in his eyes. "I gotta ask him to train me! He has to know so many cool jutsu!"

The Uchiha boy shook his head again. The blond had one of the strongest people in the village taking care of him and he didn't even know. He suddenly remembered what Naruto said earlier and asked, "Who's Pervy-Sage?"

Hearing someone else use that nickname threw Naruto into a fit of laughter. Hinata giggled slightly as well before answering, "Naruto-kun calls Jiraiya-sensei that because of his perverted habits."

Sasuke's jaw dropped. These two were being trained by one of the Legendary Sannin? However, before he could form a response, the three turned their attention to a cloud of dust forming at the doorway caused by a large group of people. Sasuke's curiosity immediately turned into fear, knowing who, or what, resided on the other side of the door. "Can you two sit next to me, please?" He asked in a small, frightened voice. Confused, the two did as told just as the classroom door burst open.

"Sasuke-kuuun!"

Iruka face-palmed.

The fangirls began to swarm Sasuke's table, but once they noted Naruto's presence, they began to back off. Their parents had told them not to interact with the boy. Although one of the girls with bright pink hair and jade green eyes tried to be bold. "Um, excuse me? Can you two let me sit next to Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke looked at Naruto and Hinata with pleading eyes. The lavender-eyed girl and the blond-haired boy sitting next to him held the Uchiha's fate in their hands. Fortunately for him, Naruto responded with a grin, "Sorry, I kinda like this seat. You can always sit behind us!"

The bubble-gum haired girl looked down in sadness, but did as he suggested. Shortly after, the rest of the students filed in, prompting Iruka to begin class. "Welcome back to another year of the academy. Your previous instructor returned to active duty, so I'll be taking over this class. My name is Iruka Umino, and you'll address me as Iruka-sensei while in class. Understood?"

"Yes, Iruka-sensei!" the class chorused.

"Good," Iruka smiled as he pointed to the chunin standing next to him. "This is Mizuki. He will be my assistant for the rest of your time in the academy. Now, I want you all to introduce yourselves and tell us a little about your goals. Most of you already know each other, but we have a couple of new students joining us this year, and I would like to know more about all of you as well. We'll begin at the bottom rows and move to the top."

Once it was Sasuke's turn, he stood up and declared, "My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I love my family and will do anything to keep them safe. My goal is to surpass my older brother one day."

The fangirls squealed in unison as he sat back down, prompting Hinata to give her own introduction. "M-my name is Hinata Hyuuga. I love cinnamon buns and my friends. I want to protect my f-friends," she glanced at Naruto, who smiled back at her. "As well as end the separation of the houses in the Hyuuga clan in the future."

The rest of the class looked at her inquisitively, causing her to blush slightly from the attention and sit back down. She was one of the two new students, but she seemed like a good person to them. Iruka smiled at her introduction. He was told by the Hokage about the circumstances surrounding Hinata's expulsion from the clan, so hearing that she cared so much about her former clansmen brought a smile to his face.

His thoughts were interrupted by the loud voice of one Naruto Uzumaki. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki, dattebayo! I love ramen, Ichiraku Ramen, training with Pervy-Sage, Pervy-Sage, that Kakashi guy, and Hinata!" Said girl blushed madly at his "declaration," but he was far too focused on his introduction to notice. "My goal is to be the greatest Hokage! I want to be strong like Pervy-Sage to protect my friends and my home!"

Most of the class couldn't help but admire Naruto's reasons, even though they thought that becoming the Hokage was far-fetched. However, a boy with two red triangle marks on his face asked cockily, "Who's this Pervy-Sage? He doesn't sound that strong to me."

The temperature in the room dropped significantly as the boy received a pair of icy glares from Naruto, and surprisingly, Hinata. "Jiraiya of the Sannin," Naruto answered coldly. While the blond was carefree and happy most of the time, he wouldn't tolerate any slander to those close to him.

The class collectively went wide-eyed at the statement. Even the civilian students knew of the Sannin. Their heroic deeds during the last two Great Ninja Wars were told to everyone, shinobi and civilians alike. Sasuke chuckled at their reactions, wondering if he looked like them when he found out.

Naruto decided to not press the boy anymore, knowing that he didn't know Pervy-Sage's identity. However, he would pay close attention to the boy's introduction. He felt Hinata grab his hand tightly as he sat down. The way she was squeezing his hand told him that she wasn't happy either, but neither of them wanted to create a huge scene on their first day in the academy. Naruto noticed Sasuke chuckling and asked, "What's so funny?"

"The looks on their faces," the Uchiha boy responded while trying to suppress a smile. Naruto and Hinata took a quick look around the room, seeing the looks of shock plastered on all the students' faces. The cold atmosphere shattered as the blond began laughing uncontrollably, falling backwards onto Hinata's lap and causing her to blush deeply. Iruka face-palmed again. Well, at least it will never be boring with Naruto around.

It was well after dark when Kakashi returned to Jiraiya's home, now his residence for the near future as well. Guy had challenged him to a race across the village. Naturally, Kakashi won. Maybe. Afterwards, the two trained for hours together until dusk, when they discussed Hinata's unique situation over a quick meal. There hasn't been a Hyuuga in generations that didn't have a primary earth nature. Kakashi theorized that both of Hinata's parents had a secondary nature, and that she inherited both of those instead of their primary earth nature. The two jonin were up to the challenge of helping Hinata modify the Gentle Fist to her liking. They believed that the Hyuuga were so stuck in their traditional ways that it would stunt the growth of future generations. Guy and Kakashi planned to break that trend with Hinata.

The scarecrow nin grinned at that thought as he checked in on Naruto, expecting the boy to be asleep. Much to his surprise, Naruto was reading one of the books on sealing from Jiraiya's collection, with only a dim reading light illuminating his face. Through the darkness Kakashi was barely able to make out another form in the same bed, the midnight blue hair giving away her identity. He noticed that she was clinging onto Naruto like a lifeline. Jiraiya had not informed him that they were this close. They were only seven! But before his thoughts spiraled further out of control, Naruto mouthed, Nightmare. Kidnapping. Kakashi was slightly confused by his response. However, seeing Naruto's lack of surprise told him that it happened at least somewhat frequently. He decided he would ease into a conversation first before asking about it.

"So, how was your first day at the academy?" Kakashi asked quietly. Naruto put down his book and responded, "Boring. Iruka-sensei just lectured the whole time. But we made a new friend! I think…"

"Sasuke?" Kakashi guessed.

Naruto was mildly surprised. "How'd ya know?"

Kakashi deadpanned at his little brother. "You ran straight towards him the moment you opened the door."

The blond smiled bashfully, his cheeks flushed from embarrassment. He then felt Hinata snuggle into his chest, reddening his cheeks further. Kakashi snickered, causing Naruto to glare at him.

"So, what's this about?" he asked teasingly, gesturing at Hinata's affectionate cuddling.

"Hinata had nightmares right after she was first kidnapped, but they stopped happening for a while. After her dad kicked her out, the nightmares came back worse than before. They're starting to go away again," Naruto began, his face scrunched up in thought, "but she always jumps into my bed and grabs me when she has one. I ask her why, and she gets super red while saying it helps her sleep." The boy looked completely confused and lost now. "Do you know why?"

"You'll understand when you're older," Kakashi responded softly. He could tell the boy was becoming sleepy. He lightly ruffled his little brother's hair as the blond yawned. "Sleep well, Naruto," he whispered as he exited the room, looking forward to his own sleep.

A couple of months had passed since Jiraiya left the village. Naruto and Hinata became fast friends with Sasuke, even going over to the Uchiha's family home for dinner whenever Kakashi had a late day. Mikoto Uchiha, Sasuke's mother, loved having the kids around. Naruto especially reminded her of Kushina. He had so many of her traits, while having so many of his father's looks. She spoiled the kids rotten, knowing that Naruto had never known motherly love, and that Hinata had lost her mother nearly two years earlier. She had given the two cooking lessons, among other practical life lessons, but for the most part, only Hinata paid attention. Naruto was too busy trying to get spars out of Sasuke.

The kids had met Itachi as well, though Hinata could tell the older Uchiha brother had something on his mind. He was never fully invested into any conversation, and his thoughts always seemed to be somewhere else. However, she didn't think too much of it, knowing that Itachi was a high ranking shinobi in the village. He probably had to deal with a lot on the regular, like Kakashi did.

The trio were currently hanging out at Ichiraku's. Naruto inhaled bowl after bowl of ramen while Sasuke watched in awe. He noticed that Hinata didn't even bat an eye. "This is normal to you?" he asked. Hinata just nodded, not wanting to reveal to him that she could eat more ramen than Naruto. That secret would die with her if she had any say about it.

Moments later, Naruto finished his last bowl, using his ramen allowance given to him by Jiraiya to pay. "Ah, that hit the spot! Thanks, old man!"

"No problem, Naruto! You and your friends are welcome any time!" Teuchi replied gleefully as he scooped up the large sum of money.

Sasuke continued to stare at Naruto incredulously. "How do you eat that much ramen?"

Naruto looked confused. "Huh? I usually eat more than that," he stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"But you ate seventee-" Sasuke decided it wasn't worth it and sighed in defeat. "Nevermind, let's go train."

Naruto's confusion quickly transformed into anticipation at the sound of training. "Training time, dattebayo!" he shouted in excitement as he darted towards the training grounds. Sasuke sighed again as he ran after the excitable boy, leaving Hinata to giggle in their wake as she caught up with them.

The sun had already set by the time they finished training. The three had taken turns sparring before Hinata taught Sasuke how to walk on water. Naruto and Hinata decided to accompany the Uchiha boy back to his home since he was exhausted. However, when they reached the gates, they could tell something was very wrong. The usually bustling Uchiha district was too quiet.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto whispered. Without a word, the clone took off towards his home, hoping that Kakashi was there to help. Sasuke bolted towards his home while the blond was distracted, his apprehension turning into despair as he passed more bodies of his fallen brethren. Naruto and Hinata caught up to their friend just as he reached his home. Sasuke was about to run in when Naruto grabbed his shoulder tightly.

"Don't go rushing in. The person who did this might still be here, and we wouldn't stand a chance," Naruto replied calmly, despite the massive amount of fear he was feeling internally.

"I-I need to know what happened to my parents and my brother!" Sasuke replied worriedly, hopelessly praying that his family would be safe.

Naruto knew that they should wait for help. For all he knew, the enemy could still be lurking about. Jiraiya had taught him to be cautious when something seems out of the norm. Being careless could cost him his life, even in the safety of the village. Yet, seeing the look of desperation on Sasuke's face slowly ate at his resolve. "Fine," Naruto relented. "But we stay together, no matter what. Hinata, what can you see inside?"

Hinata activated her Byakugan and gasped in surprise. Taking it as a bad sign, Sasuke ignored Naruto's only condition and rushed inside. "Sasuke, wait!" the blond-haired boy shouted in vain. The two quickly chased down their friend and followed him to a room with its door slightly ajar. Sasuke was already inside the room, staring at the cold, lifeless bodies of his parents.

"Father? M-mother?" Sasuke called out desperately, his still childish mind holding out for any hope of them being alive. Naruto and Hinata both put a hand on his shoulder, with the latter shedding tears at the carnage she witnessed. The two of them had grown to like Mikoto. Seeing her in this state heavily impacted their composure, but Jiraiya and Kakashi had taught them to keep their emotions in check, something they managed to do, albeit barely. Still having her Byakugan activated, Hinata gasped in surprise as she noticed a third figure in the room. Her reaction caused the two boys to look at where she was looking. They were able to make out a faint silhouette, his identity concealed by the shadows of the night. Naruto noticed that Hinata was too shocked at the perpetrator's identity to speak.

A deep-seated anger began brewing inside the young Uchiha boy at the sight of the silhouette. "Who are you?" Sasuke shouted. "Show yourself!"

The figure emerged from the shadows, revealing his ANBU uniform and Leaf headband. Three tomoe spun slowly inside his blood-red eyes as he focused on his little brother. Sasuke spotted the drying blood on his older brother's sword and immediately connected the dots.

"I-Itachi? Why?" Receiving no response, the younger brother asked again, this time more desperately. "Why would you do this? Mother and Father are…" He couldn't finish the sentence, tears already streaming down his face as he fell to his knees.

"Foolish little brother," the Itachi replied coldly, his Sharingan shifting into a pattern unknown to the children. On instinct, Naruto and Hinata immediately turned their eyes away from the Uchiha prodigy, the former tackling Sasuke to the ground, to avoid whatever genjutsu was coming. Itachi chuckled dryly. "It seems Kakashi has taught the two of you well." He raised his blood-soaked blade and silently moved towards the children, none of whom were aware of his movements as they continued avoiding eye contact with him. "But that won't be enough."

Before he could strike, he was forced to jump back as he heard the sound of a thousand birds chirping coming straight at him. He narrowly dodged the jutsu as he heard the man declare, "You won't be laying a finger on any of them, Itachi."

"Kakashi," the rogue ANBU replied simply. Knowing that his former captain had likely called the ANBU on his way over, Itachi decided to make his retreat.

"ITACHI!" Sasuke shouted in pure rage, quickly getting to his feet. He glared at his brother with his newly awakened eyes, one tomoe spinning around wildly in each of them. He tried charging at his older brother, but was held back by Kakashi. "LET ME GO! I'LL KILL HIM!" the younger Uchiha raged.

"Even with the Sharingan, you're too weak, foolish little brother." Itachi tried casting Sasuke in a genjutsu again, but Kakashi blocked his line of sight, the Copy Ninja's own Sharingan glowing defiantly against his.

"Like I said earlier," Kakashi stated. "You won't be hurting any of them."

Damn. I won't be able to get Sasuke to hate me deeply if they keep defending him. Kakashi will be able to hold me off until help arrives. Hopefully, what I've done tonight is enough for him to despise me. Farewell, little brother, Itachi thought as he went through several hand seals. He began speaking again, but this time, in a more genuine tone, something that Sasuke caught on to but didn't understand. "It seems you've made good friends, little brother. I'd advise you to hold onto them. After all, you'll need them when you face me." The former ANBU captain dissolved into a flock of crows, leaving the trio of traumatized academy students and his former superior in his wake. A single tear escaped his eye as he made his escape, taking one last look back at his little brother. I'm sorry, Sasuke.

Sasuke had taken a turn for the dark. His previously friendly disposition shifted into a cold and uncaring one. He shut everyone out, only barely tolerating Naruto and Hinata, as they kept the fangirls away from him and allowed him to focus on his studies. The year following the Uchiha Massacre was tough for the two, as they were forced to watch their friend willingly accept the darkness in his heart while repeatedly rejecting their offers to help.

The two took their regular seats next to the brooding Uchiha as Iruka walked into the room. "Alright class, we're going to do something a little different today," he announced. The scarred chunin handed out a small piece of paper to everyone in the class before returning to the front of the room. He received inquisitive looks from most of his students, curious about the different exercises today.

"You all should know by now that being a shinobi is a very dangerous line of work." Receiving mostly nods, he continued, "While it is my job to prepare you all for the life of a shinobi, we all know that anything can happen out in the field. And, as much as I hate to say this, some of you may die early in our line of work."

A deafening silence fell upon the room as many of the civilian-born students looked unsure about their career choice. However, the students that descended from clans looked unfazed, knowing of the dangers they would face in the future.

"I know that this may be an uncomfortable topic for some of you, but you must understand what you are getting yourselves into before you spend any more time at the academy." Iruka eased into the subject before diving deeper into the life of a shinobi. He explained the value of comrades and a shinobi's role in the village. Naruto was bored, having learned all of this from Jiraiya and Kakashi at an early age. However, he still tried his best to pay attention, hoping something interesting would come up during the lecture.

"Now, let's move on to a more cheerful exercise. Now that you know how valuable the time you spend with the people around you is, I would like you all to reflect. Think about the people you hold closest to your heart. If the world was going to come to an end tomorrow, who would you like to spend your last day with?"

Naruto put both of his hands behind his back and leaned back against his chair, a large grin covering his face. "Oh, give me a break! Like that's really gonna happen!"

"It's a hypothetical," Iruka replied. "Just suppose the moon began to fall."

"If it's the end of the whole world, I'd rather have a big piece of meat fall on us than the moon!" Choji exclaimed.

The entire class began laughing at the Akimichi heir's joke while Iruka tried to regain order. "Alright everyone, write down who'd you want to spend the last day on Earth with."

Naruto wrote down his answer quickly and turned his paper over, not wanting anyone to see his response. He tried peeking at Hinata's answer, but the girl quickly flipped her paper over once she noticed he was looking. Still, he caught a glimpse of the name written down on the paper. Me? Hiding his surprise well, he gave her a wide grin, one she returned with a massive blush. Deciding to enact her revenge, Hinata blatantly activated her Byakugan in front of him, making sure he knew she was staring at his answer. The panicking blond tried in vain to cover his paper, blushing up a storm at the sound of Hinata's giggles.

Pouting in defeat, he decided to look over her shoulder and peek at Sasuke's paper. It was completely blank. The boy was staring intently at it, conflicted on whether to write his brother's name down or not.

"Hey, Sasuke!" Naruto whispered.

"What do you want?" the Uchiha boy grumbled.

"How come you haven't put anyone down yet?" the blond-haired boy asked out of pure curiosity.

"BECAUSE THEY'RE ALL DEAD!" Sasuke shouted in response, shocking everyone in the classroom with his outburst. Naruto's repeated attempts to connect with him have been rubbing him the wrong way, eventually causing him to snap. Not caring about the attention on him, he continued, "You don't know what it's like, having your whole family ripped away from you! You've been pampered your whole life by elite shinobi! So why do you keep coming to me? Just leave me-" before he could finish his sentence, he was silenced by a death glare from Hinata, who stood between him and Naruto. He was about to lash out at the lavender-eyed girl as well when she grabbed him by his collar and dragged him out of the room. The whole class, including Naruto, was stunned into silence by her behavior. The normally quiet girl, considered the nicest person in the class, had the last Uchiha under her mercy without even saying a word!

Once Naruto snapped out of his stupor, he asked, "Iruka-sensei, can I go check on them? They're both my friends."

The chunin instructor nodded as he regained his composure. Wasting no time, the blond-haired boy ran out of the room, trying to find his friends.

Outside, in the academy's yard, Hinata dropped Sasuke onto the ground, her piercing glare never leaving her face.

"What do you want with me?" Sasuke spat.

Hinata balled her hands into fists, trying her best to restrain herself from hurting him. "Naruto-kun has always tried to help you, and you constantly push him away. I've tolerated it for nearly a year now, but I won't let you walk all over him anymore. He's only ever been nice to you, and you treat him like trash! You were friends once! We were friends once! Did that night affect you so much to the point you're willing to throw everything we once had away?"

Sasuke was taken aback by the former heiress' outburst. He had never seen Hinata angry before. The last Uchiha guessed he was first to experience her rage based on the way Naruto reacted back in the classroom. A small amount of guilt began to surface as he reflected on her words. However, his pride wouldn't let him give in so easily. "Naruto understands nothing about me! He may be an orphan, but he was never alone! He had Jiraiya, Kakashi, and you around all the time! He's never lost anyone close to him. He doesn't understand what I'm feeling at all, so how can he help me?"

Hinata detected Sasuke's slight voice crack towards the end of his response. She could hear the desperation in his tone, hoping someone could understand him. But he kept everyone at an arm's length away so he would never have to feel that pain and the guilt that came along with it again. He was just like her when she lost her mother. "Naruto-kun may not understand how you feel, but I do." Sasuke looked at her in genuine surprise, but said nothing, allowing her to continue. "I normally wouldn't tell you this, but I feel like you need to understand my story. Nearly three years ago, my mother died from childbirth complications a while after giving birth to my sister. From the little information my father told me, she was injured when giving birth to me. Her injury was reopened during her second labor, and it never healed properly afterwards, leading to her death.

"Not only did I lose my mother, I felt like I was responsible for her death. It was my birth that caused her failing health. Do you know how much guilt I harbored when it happened? Just as I thought life couldn't get any worse, it did. My father kicked me out of the clan. I was told it was to protect me, but I was never told why. I lost all of my family in one night, just as you did. Most of them may still be alive, but apart from my father and Ko, they look at me like I'm a failure. I've never even met my little sister! Sasuke, I know exactly how it feels to lose everything you cared about. I wanted to push everyone away. And I might have turned out just like you, cold and uninterested, if it wasn't for him."

"Naruto," Sasuke surmised.

Nodding simply, Hinata continued, a small smile on her face as she remembered his acts of kindness that night. "That night, I made a decision. I wanted to see him one more time before I shut everyone out. Little did I know that he would be the one to pull me out of my own misery. He saved me from my despair, my guilt. He and Jiraiya-sensei gave me a place to call home when my own family turned their backs on me. He would stay up with me on nights I couldn't sleep. He would talk to me whenever I needed someone to talk to. He knew nothing of my pain, yet he was able to empathize with me. He is the light in my world, the light that keeps the darkness away." She took a deep breath, extending an olive branch out to the Uchiha in the form of her hand. "Please, Sasuke. Just let us in. We're only trying to help you. I know what you've been through, and even if Naruto-kun can't relate to you, he's never done anything but try and help you."

Hinata's willingness to help caused Sasuke's mind to flash back to his older brother's last words to him.

"It seems you've made good friends, little brother. I'd advise you to hold onto them. After all, you'll need them when you face me."

He remembered the tone his brother used. It wasn't one of malice or hatred, but one of sadness and regret. The single tear his older brother shed was embedded into his mind by his Sharingan. Why, Itachi? Why would you kill them all? I don't understand! He didn't know what to believe anymore. Why give him advice after killing all of his family?

One thing he did know was that Itachi was right. I'm so stupid. I pushed them away when they tried to help me. He took a few minutes to reflect on the past year, realizing that his actions have caused his friends a lot of anguish. He remembered when he snapped at them if they got too close, or when he ignored their offers to help and just walked away. A massive amount of guilt bubbled up to the surface, making itself known on his face. "I'm sorry. For all the pain I've caused you and Naruto last year."

Hinata smiled gently at him. "Naruto-kun and I were both willing to endure that pain to help you return to your old self because we're your friends."

"Friends," Sasuke muttered. "I don't deserve to be your friend anymore after what I put you through."

"Unfortunately for you, Naruto-kun won't give you that choice," Hinata replied, knowing that Naruto, the stubborn boy that he was, would pester Sasuke until the Uchiha gave in.

That response caused him to chuckle for the first time in a year. "Yeah, you're probably right." He took her still-extended hand shakily, letting her pull him up to his feet. "Thank you, Hinata," the last Uchiha whispered out, not used to having people go so far out of their way to help him.

They settled into a comfortable silence for a couple minutes before Sasuke spoke up again. "You really like that blond idiot, don't you?" he asked teasingly. He had noticed during their conversation the way Hinata's eyes would sparkle when she talked about their blond friend.

Hinata blushed and quickly turned her head away. "T-that's not the point!"

At that moment, Naruto came bounding through the front entrance of the academy, slightly winded and obviously looking for someone. He grinned when he spotted the two of them in the middle of the yard. "Hey, guys! I ran all over the academy looking for you! Didn't realize you guys were outside!"

Hinata's blush receded slightly, a tinge of pink still visible on her cheeks. She gave him a warm smile as he approached them. "So, what happened here?" the blond asked, rubbing the back of his head in confusion. "I thought you were going to beat him up, but he doesn't look hurt at all!" The former heiress just giggled at his expression while Sasuke chuckled. Naruto's eyes widened in surprise. "Sasuke smiling and laughing? Iruka-sensei's right, the world really is ending!" He looked up at the sky in excitement, which quickly turned into disappointment. "I thought the moon was supposed to fall."

Sasuke just deadpanned at the blond. "Idiot."

Receiving a small glare from Hinata, the Uchiha sighed and apologized. "I'm sorry, Naruto. For everything I said to you earlier, and for everything I put you through in the last year."

Naruto's eyes got wider. He turned to Hinata and asked, "Sasuke apologizing? Are you sure you didn't beat him up? What did you do to him?"

"N-nothing much," Hinata replied, whistling innocently with a small blush while avoiding eye contact with her blond friend. Said blond looked at her in suspicion, but decided to drop it. He turned his attention back to Sasuke and smiled brightly. "No need to apologize, Sasuke! I'm just happy you're not being a jerk anymore." He began walking back towards the academy entrance, shouting, "Alright! Let's head back to class! Even though Iruka-sensei's just gonna lecture about boring stuff again."

Unfortunately for him, Iruka had just walked out of the academy entrance, wanting to check up on his students. "Naruto, care to repeat that?" he asked, his menacing look betraying his friendly tone of voice.

"Uh… I-Iruka-sensei! I-uh… Gottagobye!" Naruto replied quickly, dragging both Hinata and Sasuke back into the classroom with him.

As class was about to be dismissed, Sasuke looked at his still blank sheet of paper. Last day on Earth with one person? He took a look at the two friends next to him and smiled slightly. Screw the rules. After jotting down two names, he put his pencil away and joined Naruto and Hinata as they made their way to Ichiraku's for the millionth time.

After everyone had left, Iruka collected the papers and decided to feed his curiosity by looking through the answers. Most of his students had relatively standard answers, like a parent or a sibling. He noticed that Naruto and Hinata had written each other's names down. He knew that the former heiress would write down her best friend's name, but he was surprised by the blond's response. He thought the boy would have chosen Master Jiraiya, considering the man raised him since birth. Pushing those thoughts aside, he took a look at Sasuke's answer and was even more surprised by the Uchiha's response.

Hinata Hyuuga

Naruto Uzumaki

Iruka was pleasantly surprised by the answer. It seems the two of you finally got through to him. Who knew the shy and quiet Hinata had such a temper? Either way, it worked out for the best. He grinned happily as he cleaned up the classroom and headed home, thinking about the potential those three students would have in the future.

A/N: I think Hinata inherited someone's temper! hehehe... the specifics of that will be explained way down the line.

Ironic that the OST I chose for this chapter is so happy and carefree, considering the Uchiha Massacre happened during the academy days. I tried finding one for the massacre, but I couldn't find one that I didn't plan on using down the line. Also, I feel like this OST fits so well with the theme of the academy. And yes, if you haven't noticed yet, each chapter so far shares its name with a Naruto OST, where the OST either sums up the chapter as a whole or an important moment in it. I don't know how long I can keep it up for, but I'll try my best to match one to each chapter.

I have a feeling that Sasuke's "goodness" will be somewhat controversial and maybe a little confusing, so I'll explain in advance. Sasuke isn't as bent on revenge as in canon because Itachi never tortured him with Tsukiyomi. There have been several iterations of the Uchiha Massacre shown in the anime, with some conflicting dialogue as well. I stripped most of it away since Kakashi intervened before most of Itachi's words could be said. Sasuke's short turn to darkness in this chapter had more to do with his feelings of guilt and anguish within himself, and less to do with hate and revenge. Will Sasuke still be mad if he sees Itachi? Of course. But after Hinata talked some sense into him, he'll be more focused on protecting his friends from his brother instead of going after his head.

I have big plans for Sasuke down the line. I won't reveal everything now, but I hate when fics bash him for the sake of it. His motivations won't be black and white in this story like I see in most. He was actually starting to grow close to Team 7 in canon before Orochimaru bit him. And by nature, Sasuke isn't a hateful dude. He was all smiles before the massacre and he became a softie in Boruto. He is a perfect representation of Tobirama's description of the Uchiha's deep love and even deeper hatred, and I find that really intriguing to work with.

I'm kind of a nerdy stat-watcher, so seeing the numbers go up motivates me like hell to write more and write better. Thank you for all the positive feedback too.

As always, any feedback is appreciated. c:

Edited 06/28/2024. No content change, just fixing minor mistakes again.