Naruto : Chronicles of the Uchiha

Chapter 6

Next Morning…

Naruto woke up with a start, happily grinning from ear to ear. Today was the day he finally got to go to the Academy! He glanced beside his pillow, where a small cub was curled up, sleeping soundly. He scooped her up, lifting her and waving her playfully into the air.

The cub woke with a startled mewl, blinking as she tried to make sense of the sudden movement. "Mewww!" she squeaked, as Naruto rubbed his cheek against hers. She nuzzled into him, settling into the familiar warmth of her energetic master.

"Today's the day, girl! I'm finally joining the Academy!" Naruto chirped, rolling up his futon and tucking it into the closet. Humming with excitement, he jogged into the bathroom, glancing back to see the cub scurrying off as soon as her eyes landed on the filled tub. But with a quick grab, Naruto caught her, laughing as he gently threw her in the water her mewling protests.

He prepared a modest breakfast, setting out a small bowl of milk and a slice of crispy bacon for the cub. He left a bit more milk in her bowl, hoping it would hold her over until he returned. In a rush of excitement, he stuffed his bag with the books and supplies needed for a first-year, only to realize with a jolt that he was still wrapped in a towel, completely forgetting to dress in his excitment

But today he ran into his parents' room. A wave of melancholy washed over him as he took in the quiet, lonely and untouched space. The bed remained unmade, with a few wrinkles in the sheets, just as they'd left it. He hadnt made the bed up ever since this room lay vacacnt somehow, keeping the room this way helped him hold on to memories of them—a small, comforting piece of the past nestled in his present.

"I'm going to the Academy today Tou-san, wish me luck…" he whispered to the walls and walked to the closet in the room. Instantly he saw clothes stacked up in rows neatly in a layered way having three rows of them ranging from all sizes. His father bought clothes and either wore them once or simply kept them in storage since he didn't like them when it finally became the time to wear them. So they were mostly in pristine condition, thus the reason he never got worried for buying any clothes.

He couldn't bring himself to touch anything in the room that still held traces of life—it felt almost sacred, as if those items still carried his parents' presence. Each detail was precious, a small piece of them he could hold onto forever.

Carefully, he selected a crisp, white, long-sleeved shirt with a high collar. The Uchiha symbol was embroidered on the cuffs, and a subtle emblem was embossed at the nape, a small tribute to his heritage. He slipped on blue pants and a pair of matching blue sandals, a look that mirrored what his father wore in old photographs. The resemblance brought a quiet joy; dressing this way felt like honoring his father's memory, a small attempt to step into his shoes and keep his legacy alive.

He swung his side back on by his waist and ran down to see the cub waving it's tail while waiting for him at the doorstep. He picked the cute thing up in his arms and brought her to eye level, getting a curious stare from the cub who leaned closer and licked his nose to get a giggle out of him.

"Alright girl, now I'll be back by evening. I've put the milk in the kitchen in your usual bowl for lunch and some spare meat I cooked for my sandwiches. So take care of the house while I'm gone and don't make a mess of the place 'kay?" he asked but got a simple tilt of the head to the side while she licked her nose with a yawn, no doubt oblivious to his words.

He let out a soft sigh and dropped the fur ball down on her feet who ran into his room, no doubt to sleep and he walked out, shaking his head with a smile. At least someone waved him off from home on his first day, he couldn't help but think in happiness and ran into his clan's streets towards the Academy with an extra hop to his step.

He couldn't even care less for all the snide remarks and looks being sent his way when he ventured out of his clan grounds, he was just too happy to be bothered by them.

Konoha Ninja Academy

Naruto walked up to the Academy's main gates, rounding the corner with a bounce in his step, only to pause in surprise. The area in front of the gates was completely empty, silent, and still. He'd imagined it bustling with students and parents saying their goodbyes, a mix of excited chatter and anxious farewells. But a quick glance at the street clock reassured him—he wasn't late. It was only nine, and classes wouldn't start until 9:30. He was just a bit early.

Entering the building, Naruto's gaze wandered through the hallways that would soon become so familiar. Each doorway, each corridor felt like an invitation, and he couldn't help but smile as he imagined all the memories he would make here. His ears picked up soft, muffled voices behind closed doors, which only heightened his excitement.

Following the directions on the form Tobirama had given him, he finally found his assigned classroom and stopped just outside the door. Taking a deep breath, he steadied himself, his face breaking into a Smile.

He slid it open, instantly turning nervous when he saw the population residing in the room clearly wasn't what he was expecting. The parents were in there too along with their children and all eyes were on him as soon as he opened the door. But he saw most of them narrowing their eyes at him after a moment and he looked down a bit to ignore them, but it still hurt him to see those accusatory gazes on his first day.

"Can I help you young man?" he was startled by a male voice when a man wearing a green vest and shinobi clothes along with the village's headband stood in front of him with a start. Though he did smile a small relieved smile seeing the man's warm smile and kind eyes looking on at him in pure curiosity. He pulled out his signed form, handing it to the man who took it with a curt nod.

"I am assigned to this class sir." he spoke softly and as politely as he could making the man smile. He turned his eyes back to the blonde with a raised eyebrow.

"Then why are you so late? All children were supposed to be here an hour earlier with their parents for an introductory orientation. Didn't the lady handing out the forms inform your parents of this?" he asked making Naruto look at his feet and shake his head negatively.

"I don't have any parents, and my form wasn't taken from the Academy sir, someone gave me an extra." he answered the man's question in his soft voice making the man turn a bit saddened at his reply.

"An orphan, such a small age at that…" he thought sadly, and nodded at the boy. He looked onto the details of the form he was handed. He rose an eyebrow reading his clan name, quite happy he had got an Uchiha to teach. Though they did narrow in dangerously on the paper when he read his father's name on the sloppily filled paper.

His gaze turned up to the boy, now with a slight glare instead of the warm eyes he had treated him earlier with.

"He is related to them huh?" he thought venomously, while the blonde boy in question was now looking at his feet to avoid those venomous eyes glaring at him. He put the form down for him to take back.

"Go and take a seat." he spoke dismissively while Naruto trodded away from the man who wasn't the least bit amused at his presence right now.

Instantly his heart broke, seeing all the parents and guardians pulling their children away from him harshly as if he were the plague. His eyes watered hearing their hushed whispers telling their children how he was a 'bad boy' and to stay away from him since he was nothing but trouble like his forefathers before him. He stood all alone in a corner and stared at his bag with a bitten lip to control his tears from falling.

The teacher told them all to take a seat when the bell rang and the parents started making their way out. He walked up, instantly seeing all the children covering the seat by their sides with their things so that he could not sit with them. He ignored them all and walked up into the corner seat by the window with a small sad smile.

" Looks like I won't be making any friends any time soon…" he thought sadly, looking up when the teacher opened up his register and started calling out rolls. He looked out the window at the bird's nest in the tree knowing his name would be in the end with his surname being Uchiha.

SWISH… CLACK….HUFF HUFF….

Naruto glanced back, resting his cheek in his palm as a sudden commotion by the classroom door caught his attention. His curiosity piqued as he watched a blonde girl burst into the room, slightly out of breath. Her hair, a shade less golden than his, was pulled back into a high ponytail, and her hazelnut honey-brown eyes sparkled with excitment despite her flustered entrance. She wore a simple, white, thigh-length kimono, its clean lines and elegance contrasting with her hurried appearance.

"Sorry, sensei, I overslept…" she mumbled apologetically, still catching her breath as she walked up to the front of the class and handed her crumpled form to the instructor. The man took it, his expression shifting from mild annoyance to surprise as his eyes scanned over her surname and the list of names under "Parents and Guardians."

His eyes widened slightly, and whatever words of reprimand he had prepared vanished in an instant. Here, standing in front of him, was the heir to the illustrious Senju clan. He quickly handed the form back to her with a respectful smile, any thought of scolding forgotten in the shock of the moment.

She trudged up the steps, scanning the room for an empty seat among the few children who had already settled in.

The first one she spotted had a boy with a smug, prideful smile, two red tattoos marking his cheeks, exuding an air of confidence that felt almost annoying. As she walked past, he called out, "Hey, why don't you sit with me? I promise I won't bite—much!" His voice was teasing, but she merely rolled her eyes and moved on, leaving a seething Inuzuka behind, visibly frustrated at being dismissed so easily.

As she continued down the aisle, her gaze fell upon another empty seat. This one was next to a boy with classic onyx-black eyes and dark hair, exuding that same high-and-mighty attitude she recognized all too well.

"Uchiha…" she thought with a frown, quickly dismissing the seat next to the boy with the dark hair. The reputation of the Uchiha clan loomed large, and she wasn't in the mood to deal with any of that right now.

Her eyes continued to scan the room until they landed on the back corner of the class, where a blonde-haired boy sat quietly. What caught her attention were his striking eyes, an unusual pale hue that almost seemed to shimmer in the light. They were captivating, with a depth that suggested a wealth of maturity beyond his years. The intricate patterns surrounding his irises added an air of mystery, making him stand out from the other students. Though she did smile at having found a seat for herself and hopped in by his side with a grin.

Naruto looked on surprised when the girl took a seat by his side instead of all the other vacant ones. But he was even more surprised when she placed her bag in her desk sloppily, with it's handle half hanging out and turned her gaze to him with a wide smile.

"Hi I'm Tsunade, Tsunade Senju. Nice to meet you…" she trailed off putting her hand forward for him to shake. Naruto had a wide smile himself as he looked on at the offered hand and nodded, beaming in joy.

"I'm Naruto, Naruto Uchiha. Nice to meet you too…." he trailed of halfway in his words when the girl pulled her hand back with a huff.

He pulled his hand back and looked away towards the window to hide his misty eyes, filled with unshed tears threatening to break free of their confines. She hated him too as soon as she knew his name. He didn't glance in her direction for the fear of aggravating her any further than he already might have done.

Tsunade was surprised when the boy had extended his hand along with an introduction even after hearing her full name. But she wasn't going to be falling for any pranks or snide remarks from him, those damned Uchiha kids always did that with her and she hated them with a passion.

She did feel a little sad though when she caught sight of his sad gaze while he stared out the window. She had half expected some sort of arrogant remark or a revers taunt but nothing of the sort came from the boy. He sat in silence with her doing the same, and looking back to the front with a blank face.

Her day couldn't start off any worse than…

"Tsunade Senju!" the voice rang in the room making her ears perk up at her teacher's call and she called out a 'Hai', and concentrated on the man now.

"Naruto Uchiha!" she couldn't help but see the small glare the teacher sent her side partner's way when the boy mumbled a soft 'Hai' and looked away.

"Alright class we'll start with some history lessons today…" the teacher called out making Tsunade let out groan inwardly. She hated history with a passion, it made her sleep when her granduncle tried to drill their clan history into her thick skull.

The teacher droned on through the textbook lesson, while she struggled to keep her frustration in check, fighting the overwhelming urge to pull her hair out or drift off into slumber during that thrice damned history lecture. Her cheeks puffed up childishly in annoyance seeing many of the kids around her had already dozed off their heads lolling forward or resting on their desks halfway through the long lecture and turned her eyes to her side.

Her eyebrow rose in surprise at seeing her partner paying rapt attention to the lecture as if it was the most interesting thing he had done all morning and she frowned seeing him jot down little notes in his notebook in between the teacher's pauses.

"Only these stupid Uchiha's can pay so much attention to these boring lectures…" she pouted to herself and slammed her head on her desk to keep herself awake through the lecture. Naruto opened up his book for reference, seeing many little side notes made there which were quite helpful to him as well as gave him some additional knowledge on the topics being explained, while he kept up with both the book and his sensei in full attention.

The teacher looked up when he heard a small yawn only to see half his class asleep and sighed tiredly. Well he couldn't expect anything else in a history lesson, he supposed.

RRRIINNNGGG…..

The bell rang making all the children jerk awake in unison, when the teacher snapped his book shut and told them of the taijutsu lessons after the lunch break was over.

Naruto packed his books and took out his sandwich, unwrapping the plastic wrapping and munched a soft bite out of his self made lunch. Everyone pulled out their home made lunches and bentos.

Tsunade grinned, taking out her back and popping her hand in to pull out the bento her mother had made for her. Her eyebrows furrowed while she rummaged for her lunch only for it to turn into a full blown scowl before her face marred one of pure horror. She remembered her mother calling out to her and keeping her lunch on the table but she didn't remember herself putting it in, while she was running around the house due to being so late…

She slammed her head on the desk and let out a soft sigh. She had forgotten it at home…

Naruto looked to the side after hearing her sigh and was a little confused as to why the girl hadn't brought out her lunch yet. Well, she was a little late in the morning so…

"Did you forget your lunch?" he asked nervously, making her look at him with irritated eyes. She huffed and looked away, feeling a bit embarrassed that he had pinned the reason right in on the first try.

"Why do you ask? Going to compare me to the elite Uchiha…" her snarl trailed off with an innocent blink of confusion seeing a wrapped sandwich being forced into her hands. She looked at him stunned, no one else had bothered asking why she wasn't eating except for offering her to sit with them that she had refused as politely as she could in her hungry state.

"Why are you giving me this?" she asked in a baffled voice, figuring it must be some sort of prank while Naruto had his innocent look on her and gave her a blink of confusion.

"Well we do have taijutsu lessons after lunch…" he pointed out making her nod, but not quite getting his point. "… so it will have a lot of physical training and you'll need our energy. You wouldn't be able to go through them on an empty stomach. I brought an extra with me in case I got late for home so you can have it if you want…" he told her and went back to munching on his sandwich in silence.

The silence was eating away at Tsunade's heart while she stared at the food in her hands with a bitten lip. The guilt was eating away on her now, she hadn't even talked to him nicely yet he was the only one kind enough to see her plight and offer her his food.

"I'm sorry…" she mumbled in a soft whisper, her cheeks turned pink in embarrassment at having to apologize to a classmate on her first day. Naruto though didn't hear her whisper in the whole loud racket in their class and looked on at her curiously.

"I'm sorry I didn't hear you, can you repeat it…" he trailed off seeing her glare at him with her puffed out cheeks.

"I said I'm sorry for treating you the way that I did alright?" she asked quickly, her face turning tomato red from the effort it took to get out an apology out of her heart.

"But don't expect me to repeat it…" she mumbled in an embarrassed voice making the boy blink in confusion. Why he want to do that?

"Because I won't, get it?" she asked him sternly and he merely nodded dumbly, not quite getting why she was getting so hyper. Maybe she was a lot hungry he answered to himself intelligently and munched on in silence.

"And thank you for sharing your food with me…" she mumbled as an afterthought, this time surprising him. No one had ever thanked him before, so it did embarrass him a little and he merely nodded timidly, munching on his lunch with a smile.

Tsunade dug in her sandwich and her eyes widened in surprise at the strange burst of flavors in her mouth. It was unlike anything she had ever had before, a bit weird but still nice. She thought it was perfect a moment later and devoured the sandwich hungrily. She choked on a large bite a bit at the end, and gulped down the offered water bottle half in a single gulp while patting her chest. Naruto smiled that she liked his cooking, as little as he knew for himself and kept going through his own at a slow albeit calm pace.

"So why aren't you being mean to me?" she asked making him stop in his small bites and look at her with a confused look, his head tilted to show his confusion quite clearly to her.

"I'm sorry I don't get you…" he said cutely after a moment of silence between them and she merely stared at him incredulously.

"You're an Uchiha right?" she asked pointing to him with her finger for emphasis of her point getting a nod from the boy. "And I'm a Senju?" she asked yet again, getting yet another nod from the boy who remembered her name from the morning introduction but wasn't seeing her point. He stared on at her innocently while she was staring at him expectantly for a sudden breakthrough.

"Sorry but I'm still not getting you." he finally said to break the thick silence making her head drop tiredly. Was she going to have to explain everything around here?

"Our clans have been enemies for generations," she said, her voice tinged with frustration. "All the Uchiha kids try to bully me or pull pranks on me." She thought to herself, And in the end, I always end up beating them to a pulp. With a sigh, she continued, "So, in a nutshell, they're just plain old mean to me. Why aren't you doing the same?"

She looked at him with genuine curiosity as he took his last bite, chewing thoughtfully before popping open his bottle for a drink.

"Well you haven't done anything to me, so being mean to you just for being a Senju is quite stupid." he said simply and she was surprised at his simple yet deep words. She grinned and shook her hands free off the bread crumbs, to extend it for a shake when he finished drinking water from his bottle and popped it close.

"Then I guess we can be friends, so let's start again. I'm Tsunade Senju nice to meet'cha!" she chirped up happily making the boy smile. He wiped his hands with his handkerchief making her quite embarrassed that she hadn't done the same, but she had probably forgotten that at home too she thought in silent embarrassment when he shook her hand with a grin.

"I'm Naruto Uchiha it's nice to meet you too." he said in a chipper tone making her grin and nod when they finally shook hands at the start of a new friendship.

"Alright class, it's time for your first taijutsu lesson, so everybody come out now." the teacher called out from the door making them all start to walk out with Naruto and Tsunade walking out together in the back.

Authors Notes:

If you enjoyed the chapter, please review your opinions, as it certainly motivates me to write more and provide additional content.

Don't forget to follow and favorite!

I am also thinking of giving one more Kekkei Genkai to Tsunade, as the Senju Clan was famous for its moniker of the clan with a thousand skills. So, why not add a Kekkei Genkai to her skill set?