A/N: Hello everybody! I'm very excited! This will be my first Multi-Chapter! Woohoo! I hope you enjoy this fabulous first installment! I say it's quite a good start! Expect updates! :) This is different than my first two fictions. Those were a bit silly, while this...this is cold, dark and sad. :) Enjoy!

Failure after failure after failure. I remember when I used to care whether I passed or failed. I remembered when I used to hope that I would pass and become a genin. I remember so many things, but they don't matter anymore. They're simply dreams that will never come true. The dreams of a foolish child that is now long gone, replaced with a hollow shell that is me.

I always sit in the corner. Not because teachers place me there, but because I want to be there. Classes trawl by every day, but I have long since stopped listening. I took to staring out the window, thinking of nothing in particular.

My name is Naruto Uzumaki, and I'm the kid who never passed the Academy. I go through each year alone and empty. I used to try and make friends, but people come and go, and I never can follow them, so what was the point in trying? I sat back in my chair, probing my feet on the desk. I closed my eyes, and tried to shut the teacher's lecture out. It was only a few minutes before a ruler snapped down upon my feet. My eyes shot wide and I cried out, suddenly regretting wearing my black sandals.

"Uzumaki! Pay attention!" The teacher roared. I stared into the brown eyes of Tachiki Tairiki, my teacher this year. I had been moved from Iruka's class after failing my first year.

"Yes, Tachiki-Sensei…" I sighed, my voice sounding flat and weary. The teacher glared at me for a few moments longer, then turned back to his class. I suddenly became aware of everybody staring at me. I lowered my head, gazing down at my now-red toes. I'm the failure who sits in the corner, there's nothing to look at here. I thought. The teacher apologized for the interruption and carried on with his lecture, but I didn't care. I simply stared out the window, marveling the beauty of the grass and trees. I made certain to dart my eyes back to him occasionally so he wouldn't notice I wasn't paying attention. I hate this. I thought. I just don't care anymore. What's the point of being Hokage, mind you? Nobody would listen to me. That was a stupid dream. What's the point of being a ninja? Who could I ever hope to triumph over? I sighed. I'm so weak.

Class ended that day like they did everyday. Everybody bustled out as soon as the bell rang, but I stayed a few moments longer, staring out the window. The teacher marched over to my desk, a glare on is face.

"Let's go, Uzumaki. You're as slow as a turtle. You do this everyday." He growled, his voice hostile. I understood why he was always so angry with me. He was sick of me. I never did anything, and I'm certain it infuriated him that he couldn't make me be a good student, or even pay attention.

"I think turtles can be quite fast underwater." I replied, and stood up, grabbing my satchel and slinging it over my shoulder. I walked out the door without ever looking at him. I heard him sigh as I made my way down the hall. I rolled my cerulean eyes. There's no point in trying. I'm not going to change. I'll be an Academy student forever. The genin days so many students are able to someday experience will never be true for me. I thought, a frown tugging at my lips. I walked out into the schoolyard, and I saw all the kids playing outside, waiting for their parents to pick them up. A few backed away from me as I passed by. They knew it was best to stay away from me. Not only because I was a jinchuuriki, but because anybody that tried to get too close to me I pushed away. I didn't need friends. Friends are stupid. They can't be trusted. They betray you, backstab you, and destroy you. I thought sullenly. I stalked over to my swing, glaring at anybody who was too close to it. They shuffled away, unnerved by my cold gaze. I sat down on the wooden platform, my hands gripping the ropes. My head hung down, and I stared at my orange pants. What a goofy attire. It would have suited me in the past. I thought. But, despite how much I'd changed since then, I still loved the color. As a compromise, I switched to orange and black. Orange of a once-cheerful child, black of a cold young man. I thought with a faint smile.

Suddenly I saw a rock whirling toward me at the corner of my vision. I turned my head to it to see it better, but that was a grave mistake. Before I could raise my arms in defense, the rock smashed into one of the lenses of my green goggles. I heard the sickening shatter of glass and I fell out of the swing, hitting the ground head-first with a hard thump. I heard the cruel laughter of several children, and one kid yelled "Headshot!"

Of course. They were cowards, attacking me at long range. I tried to move, but found myself stunned. My head throbbed with pain, and a few shards of glass were imbedded into my forehead. Slowly, I sat up, clutching my goggles, a dark look in my cerulean eyes. I love these goggles. They were from back in my earlier years, where the future seemed brighter. I glared at a group of kids holding a few rocks in your hands.

"You'll wish you'd never done that." I told them slowly, my voice sounding dangerous, filled with cold, contained rage. The kids backed away a few paces, unnerved. I stood up, using the swing seat as a support. Blood stained my hand from my forehead, and I gritted my teeth. One of the kids, a stubborn blonde-haired girl, sneered at me.

"You're here every year. You should've been a genin long ago, but you aren't. I think that means you aren't very strong. So you're all talk!" She growled. The other kids stared at her for a moment, then nodded their heads, understanding her logic.

"She's right! You're nothing to be afraid of!" A brown-haired boy yelled. The two of them threw their rocks at me. I managed to dodge one, but the blonde girl's rock smashed into my eye. I cried out in pain, and stumbled back falling into my swing. I tripped over it and fell face-first into the ground. The kids laughed at me and hurled their rocks. I could feel them slam into various parts of my body. I quickly covered my head with my arms, trying to withstand the onslaught of cruelty. Cowards! Cowards! Cowards! I thought furiously. Come and face me, rather than hiding behind your silly rocks!

"That's enough!" A voice roared. Immediately the children stopped throwing rocks. I hesitantly rose my head to see Iruka, standing over the kids, an enraged expression on his face.

"You should all be ashamed of yourselves! This is no way to treat somebody! Detention, all of you!" He yelled. The kids dropped their rocks, hanging their heads.

"We're sorry Iruka-sensei." They all apologized, sounding extremely fake. The blonde-haired girl glared at me, hatred in her green eyes. I stared at her, shocked. How can you blame ME for this? You were the one throwing rocks! You should've known you'd be caught! I thought.

The children filed back into the building, and I counted how many there were. Five. That's not too many… I mused. Iruka watched them enter the building, then strode over to me.

"Naruto, are you alright? I'll take you to the hospital-"

"I'm fine." I interrupted him, and struggled to stand. He offered a hand, but I refused to take it. I grabbed the swing for support and hauled myself back up. Iruka's onyx eyes widened when he saw the blood that ran down my face, and my black eye.

"Naruto, you're not fine! Come with me!" He made a move to grab my hand, but I quickly backed away.

"I don't need your help!" I growled at him. I turned and bolted away, staggering slightly as I ran.

"Naruto, wait!" I heard him call after me, but I did not stop. I didn't even look back. I raced through the Academy entrance and out onto the streets, my black velvet satchel banging against my side. A few villagers looked at me in surprise, and they quickly moved out of my way. I could feel my legs growing weary and my head becoming dizzy, but I did not stop. I just kept running, running, endlessly running….

Until I barreled into an old friend. I slammed straight into her, knocking us both to the ground. The books she'd had in her hands clattered to the ground with us, and I found myself lying on top of somebody I had not expected to meet that day. Or any day, in fact.

I was looking into the jade green eyes of Sakura Haruno, a girl I'd known three years ago at the Academy.

"Naruto?" She stared at me in shock, and a drop of my blood landed on her cheek.

A/N: I really am mean to Naruto. Oh well. I hope you liked my cliffhanger. What did you guys think? Interesting? I'm certainly interested.