At first, I despised him. I mean, yeah, sure, the Hokage gave us (the teachers) a general lecture about the boy. But, it didn't change my mind about him or anything. That thing killed my parents and left me alone.

Well, not him, but the fox inside of him.

It doesn't matter though, right? They kind of blur together in a sickening mess anyway.

Except, I met him for this first time. I was face to face with this monster, this creature who ruined my life.

And I was underwhelmed. It wasn't like how the other teachers said. I mean, I felt scared, uncomfortable, but he didn't seem as such a terrible monster we all make him out to be.

That didn't stop me from not wanting to teach him though. I just couldn't bring myself to look at the boy. I would see my dead mother or father instead of the child.

But, Kakashi stopped me from asking the Hokage to take him out of my class. "You have more in common with him than you think." He said. "You weren't the only one who lost someone precious to you that night."

Except, he and I are... different. I ,at least, knew my parents. He didn't. Although, should that still matter?

It all changed the day I caught the boy scavenging in the forest for ninja tools. In an instant he wasn't safe. Logic and reasoning be damned, I had to protect this child from danger. Even if I really didn't want to.

After the situation had been taken care of, I turned to look at the boy, who was still clutching the tools he discovered: a battered kunai knife. I didn't ask why he was picking up discarded ninja tools; I already knew. Who would sell weapons to a demon fox?

I still looked him in his watery, blue eyes. Eyes the same color as his beloved father's.

And I could finally say his name.

"Naruto."

Perhaps we aren't so different.

Perhaps I could give this emotionally-starved, snot-nosed kid something or someone he needs. (A person to look out for him).

Perhaps he isn't a demon fox child but just simply Naruto?