Disclaimer: I own nothing in the Naruto universe... which is a shame~

My first long Naruto story, so be nice, and tell me what ya' think, and if I should continue!

"Haruno Sakura, Inuzuka Kiba and Uchiha will form Team 7, under Hatake Kakashi." read Iruka, reading from the list in his hand.

And at these words, as quickly as it had built up, Naruto's hope crumbled.

Sakura had quite literally cheered when her team had been read out, and was now looking over at the Uchiha with gooey eyes, squealing and smirking as she noticed her friend Ino's look of total disappointment.

Sasuke, however, looked quite bored with the situation. His eyes rested on the window to his left, his hands pressed to his mouth, fingers interlaced. Apparently this was a look that could send his fan-girls to the hospital in pubescent fits of adoration.

Kiba was glaring at Sasuke, his partner/best friend/nin-dog Akamaru resting on top of his wild hair, yapping happily. He then turned to look at Sakura, and his eyes narrowed in disgust, a feral snarl growing onto his face

Naruto sigh, miserably. Why couldn't he be on a team with Sakura? Why did she have to be with that miserable prick?

"Aburame Shino, Hyuuga Hinata and Uzumaki Naruto will form Team 8, under Kurenai" continued Iruka, taking a quick glance at the blonde haired boy, feeling almost guilty.

Naruto turned around to look over his new team mates, feeling less than optimistic.

Hinata was the young heiress to the Hyuuga clan sitting a few seats away to his left with short blue hair, her bangs over her deep red face. She wore hear headband around her neck. Naruto noticed that her pale, pupil-less eyes would flicker over to himself every few seconds, which seemed to prompt her face to deepen in colour.

"Uh, Iruka-sensei, I think you might want to send Hinata to the hospital... that fever looks pretty serious." he said concernedly, pointing over at the young Hyuuga.

The girls' eyes widened considerably, her face turning even darker than Naruto thought possible, as Iruka chuckled lightly.

"Don't worry about her Naruto, I'm sure she'll be fine once she's awa- I mean, when she's outside." Iruka said softly, nodding at the boy before continuing.

Naruto shrugged dismissively, and turned to observe Shino, who sat at the back.

Shino wore a large coat, the rim covering a majority of his face, while his round sunglasses covering his eyes. He wore his headband on his forehead, like Naruto, just below his spiky dark brown hair. Something about Shino just creeped Naruto out. Perhaps it was the way most of his face was covered by his coat, or the sunglasses that made it impossible for one to tell where he was looking. Or perhaps it was the way his face remained completely blank.

Or the way that his coat occasionally wiggled by itself, as if it were alive.

Naruto wasn't sure, but he tried not to be too judgemental. After all, he had spent the whole of his life being feared, detested and shunned by all those who knew him, for a reason that he had only recently discovered.

After a run in with one of his past teachers, in which Naruto had been tricked into stealing a sacred forbidden jutsu scroll, (which, naturally, he had mastered himself) and giving it to the man, he had been told that the Forth Hokage had sealed the Kyubi, one of the tailed beasts, that had attacked the village years ago, inside of him.

For that reason, he had been hated by the entire village, as people had seen him as the remnants of the demon that had caused so much death and destruction. Families had been torn apart, children growing up as orphans, including Iruka, and people blamed him.

Naruto still wasn't sure how he felt about this.

Sadness, that he had spent his like in torment for something that was not his fault?

Anger, at the people who had treated him so cruelly, despite the fact he was keeping them safe from the demon that was sealed within him?

Pride, that he was, though completely unappreciated, a hero of the village and the jail-keeper of the beast that had caused so much hurt?

Naruto shook his head sadly, finally returning from his thoughts, when he noticed something.

He had been staring at the Aburame kid the whole time.

And it seemed that Shino was staring right back at him, though he couldn't quite tell.

Naruto spun around so fast that his neck hurt, feeling completely embarrassed. He really hoped that Shino hadn't seen him staring at him for so long.

Unfortunately, Shino HAD noticed Naruto staring at him, and though the Aburame clan was known for their total lack of emotion that rivalled the Hyuuga, the boys' eyes were widened slightly in discomfort. Not that one could tell.

'Did I have something on my face?' Shino wondered bemusedly.