Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Masashi Kishimoto does. *sob* I also don't own any of the songs used.

XXX

"Last song, dobe. Tsunade is gonna chew your head off if we're late for the ceremony," Sasuke said as he played a few notes on his guitar. He, Kiba, Shikamaru and Naruto were all practicing for the school debut of their band, Bowling For Ramen. They'd started the band about a month after first meeting in Junior high and have been best friends ever since. Sasuke was the Guitarist, Shikamaru was the Keyboard player, Kiba was the drummer, and Naruto was the singer. It had surprised them at first that they all were talented musicians but after a while, they got used to it.

"Don't call me Dobe, Teme!" Naruto yelled on Cue. He fixed the mic stand so it was right up to his face before turning on the Uchiha. "And I'm the leader of the band! You don't get to end practice, only I do!"

"Shut up. We've got about ten minutes, Naruto. If we don't start the last song soon, we're not gonna be able to practice and we're gonna be too fresh to play for the school!" Kiba yelled from the drum set. His drumsticks were placed firmly in each hand and he wore an angry expression on his face.

"I can't believe I got out of bed for this..." Shikamaru complained.

"Shut up, Lazy boy! And why aren't you ready to play! Get the hell on the instrument!" Naruto yelled.

"You're one to talk, Dobe."

"What did I just say, Teme!?"

"Troublesome..."

"Ah, Akamaru! My drumsticks are not for fetch, boy!"

Oh yes, they may be best friends but the boys were very different. The argued about everything, even when they practiced. It was usually Naruto or one of the others, mainly because sasuke called him a dobe, Kiba and him were too alike, and Shika was just too lazy. Either way, even if they argued, they were best friends. No matter how many times Akamaru ate Kiba's drumsticks, Sasuke called Naruto a dobe, or Shika....slept.

"Ah! Shikamaru! Get up!"

XXX

(In the auditorium in velvet leather seats)

"I wonder who Tsunade got to play this year. I hear its a band from the school," Sakura said, sitting next to her three friends Ino, Hinata, and Tenten.

"I don't know. I think their sophomores though, like us. Rumor has it that Akatsuki is scouting for recruits here. I think that's them up there," Ino, Sakura's best friend, said. She pointed in the direction of a few seats closest to the stage. Sure enough, seven seats were occupied by Akatsuki members. (A/N Akatsuki is like the coolest clique in the school.) There was Itachi, Pein, Konan, Sasori, Deidara, Hidan, Kakuzu, Tobi, and Lastly, Kisame. Together, they formed Akatsuki with the charming Itachi Uchiha as their leader. Everyone wanted to be a part of their secluded clique but only a few chosen people could. And even then, they usually only chose Juniors or Seniors to be pledges. It was really unfair.

"Yeah, I see them, too," Hinata, the quiet one of their group, said. She was sitting in between Ino and Tenten and Sakura was at the end, near the isle.

"Ooh! There's Itachi! I wonder if he's dating anyone..." Ino said. She sported a rather big blush on her face as she said his name. It looked like it took over most of her face.

"Ino's got a boyfriend!" Tenten sang.

"I wish!" Ino said. She placed one arm over her eyes dramatically and pretended to faint. "Next to the Namikaze's, the Uchiha's are the richest family in Konoha. They're boys aren't bad looking either."

"You sound like a money hungry slut," Sakura said. Ino glared at her and was about to say something. Then the lights cut off and she went silent. It was the signal that the beginning of the ceremony was about to start. She hushed her friends quickly. If anyone was caught talking during an assembly, they'd have to deal with the Anbu security Guards that guarded the Nations most powerful money makers' kids.

Everything soon quieted down so much that you could hear a pen drop. Not a sound was made. Then, a dark, young figure appeared at the podium that was situated in the front of the stage. A single white light came on so that you could see her. She had two pigtails in her pale blonde hair and a singal diamond tattoo was in the middle of her forehead. She was wearing a casual blue suit with black heels. Once she was sure her entrance had gotten enough attention, she spoke.

"Good morning, students. Welcome back to Konoha Boarding school. This year we have some very important family representatives. Like last year, we have the Uchihas, the Namikazes, and the Hyuugas," Tsunade spoke. Everyone in the audience groaned when she said the 'Namikazes'. She'd said the same thing last year and no matter how many times they hunted, no one could find the member of the elite family. Everyone thought she was lying. Tsunade was known for it.

"Now, since it's the beginning of the school year, we all know what's coming up next. Every year I hire new talent from across the nation to find good entertainment for all of you. Now this year, I've chosen a group from your very own school. Please welcome and give it up for...Bowling for Ramen!"

As soon as she said it, she walked off stage. The red curtains that had stood behind her parted until a group of four boys stood there. One was sitting at a drumset and had unruly, wild hair. Another was standing a little ahead of him to the left and had a high ponytail that made him look like a pineapple. The third stood to the right of him and was a little tall with duck-butt hair. Lastly, a short boy with spike hair was standing by the mic. His head was bowed slightly and you couldn't see his face. Then, suddenly, four lights turned on and shown down at the four boys. They came on one by one, first showing down on the unruly boy, then pineapple head, then duck-butt, and lastly, spiky kid. You could see that the drummer was Kiba Inuzuka, the keyboard player was Shikamaru Nara, The electric guitarist was Sasuke Uchiha, and the singer was Naruto Uzumaki. The blonde pulled his head up slowly to show the crowd that he was smiling. But this wasnt his normal smile. This one looked nervous.

"H-Hey everybody. If you don't know, I-I'm Naruto Uzumaki. This is our group um...bowling for ramen. O-Our first song is called uh High school never ends." (A/N heh heh...). Naruto then motion to his friends to start playing. He was getting even more nervous by the second and everyone could tell. It was mostly because a few upperclassmen were snickering a shouting up stray remarks of "dead last can't sing" or "This is gonna suck!"

"I feel bad for Naruto. He's gonna embarass himself in front of the whole school," Ino remarked in a sympathetic tone. Sakura cut her a quick glare that told her to shut up. Naruto was one of her best friends at the school and she wasn't going to have her other best friend talking about him. That was just rude.

Up on stage, Naruto was getting ready to sing. He clamped his hands over the mic, gulped loudly, and...