So... this is my first T-rated fic. A milestone? I don't know. It is interesting, though, for those who are familiar with my previous works.

A few things I'd love to cover before we can get into the story itself.

- This first chapter is a single day told from three different perspectives, Naruto's, Sakura's, and Sasuke's. The following chapters will not feature this premise, but it is this way for the opening chapter as a way to define several things that are important for each character.

- Just because two people interact and/or become friends does not mean they will be paired together.

- There is more than 'one change' to the story, but there is only going to be one major change relatively early on that will radically shift everything. It won't happen in the first chapter, or the second... it might take a while before we get to it. But, if you pay attention, you'll see it when it happens.

- If you like the story, do not forget to leave a review, and to favorite and follow the story. It means a lot to me.

Anyways, that seems about it. Enjoy!

Naruto was nervous.

Very, very (and about twenty more verys after that) nervous at the prospect of his first day at the academy.

Sandaime-jiichan had given him a rucksack for the academy. Upon opening it, Naruto discovered boundless amounts of school supplies - pencils, parchment, plastic shuriken and kunai, not to mention an inch thick leaflet detailing the rules enforced at the academy.

He hadn't been able to help himself. Soon, papers were strewn around his apartment, along with crude scribblings of stick figures along the walls. Plastic kunai lay at the foot of the windows, slightly dented. Out of all the things Sandaime-jiichan had given him, only the leaflet full of rules had remained inside of the bright orange backpack.

Now, on the eve of his first day, he was hurrying about the apartment, scooping up crumpled papers and broken pencils and cramming them into his rucksack. With only twenty minutes to go before he was supposed to be at the academy (and it was a fifteen minute walk to there), he knew he was in big trouble. He wasn't the type of person to agonize over being late - but Sandaime-jiichan had specifically asked for him to not be late, and he really didn't want to disappoint his idol.

He flew out the door at a hundred kilometers per hour his face heated, sweat dripping down his whiskered cheeks. The rucksack was hanging loosely from one of his shoulders. Only a last minute thought had given him the sense of mind to actually lock his door, but after that, he was descending the stairs three at a time and flinging himself into the crowd that packed the streets in front of his apartment block.

Naruto felt rather small, stooping beneath the weight of a rucksack that was nearly the same size of his body. He had always been on the small side, considering he was two to three inches shorter than all the kids at the playground - even the girls - but he felt even smaller here, in the streets. The orange bookbag, bright and obnoxious as it was, seemed to do nothing to help people notice him. Nearly every ten strides he walked, someone would bump into him. Once or twice he was even knocked down, face red, dirt getting into the ever present scrapes on his knees and elbows.

The crowd thinned out slightly as he kept walking, and just ahead of him, Naruto caught a glimpse of a painted mask before it disappeared into the shadows once more.

Sandaime-jiichan must really care about him. Why else would he assign not one, but two of the elite ANBU to watch over him? He knew they weren't really trying to hide - if they were he would never be able to see them, no matter how hard he tried. But he could see them, usually. One keeping an eye on him twenty meters ahead, one twenty meters behind, and sometimes (usually around his birthday) one would survey him from the rooftops.

They weren't going to step in for a little bump every now and then, Naruto knew. They would only step in if something serious happened, like if a drunkard approached him with a knife and a loud mouth. Then they would step in, faster than Naruto could even see, disarming, gagging, and carting away the man in less than twenty seconds.

Not that something like that happened often. But, it happened regularly enough that Naruto was thoroughly unfazed whenever it did happen.

Thankfully, it seemed that he was on time. There was a crowd congregating still, standing before a raised platform where several chunin stood.

One of the ANBU appeared at his side. "Come on," the man's gruff voice said, seizing Naruto by the wrist. "Hokage-sama wants you up at the front."

Even if he had struggled, there was no breaking the shinobi's ironclad grip on his wrist. So, Naruto meekly allowed the man to lead him through the crowd. Once he was in his position, the ANBU promptly disappeared, as fast as he had come.

It was silent, for several long moments, aside from the sparse muttering that consumed the crowd. And then in a swirl of leaves appeared Sandaime-jiichan, swathed in his Hokage robes, his grey hair hidden by the red and white hat he wore.

The crowd began to cheer, clapping enthusiastically. Sandaime-jiichan took it all in stride, waving at the people congregated below him. He quickly found Naruto at the front of the crowd, offering the short blonde a smile, which Naruto readily returned ten times over, grinning up at the third Hokage.

Not that he listened to a single word of Sandaime-jiichan's speech. It wasn't that long, but it was mind numbingly boring, and before long Naruto found himself staring up at the sky, his matching blue eyes trying to pick up funny shaped clouds.

He did manage to catch the tailwind of it, though.

"I hope to see all of you fine boys and girls grow up into shinobi that Konoha can be proud of." Sandaime-jiichan said. "Classes will begin in twenty minutes. The rosters and a map of the building can be found just inside. I hope you all have an excellent school year."

He offered all of the new academy students a smile. And then, just as he appeared, Sandaime-jiichan disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

There was a pause. And then all hell broke loose. Sobbing parents clinging onto their uncomfortable looking children. Groups of kids occupying great spaces, chatting adamantly. A road block at the academy entrance that took five minutes to clear.

Naruto found his name on the roster for class twelve, in room one-oh-one. The map was… difficult to decipher, and he honestly couldn't find his classroom on it.

He walked up to a mousy looking chunin for help. "Hello?" Naruto said, his voice high and squeakier than normal. "Do you know where room one-oh-one is?" he asked.

The woman surveyed him for a moment, her brown eyes cool. And then silently, without a word, she pointed down a hallway. Naruto beamed at her, shot a - "Thanks!" at her before darting off down the corridor she had pointed at.

His classroom was just at the end of the hall. A kind looking chunin was standing beside the door - his distinguishing characteristics being his remarkably tanned skin and a scar that ran above his nose.

He watched as Naruto approached. "Name?" the chunin asked, his curt voice a far cry from his kind demeanor.

"Uzumaki Naruto."

The man nodded, scribbling something down on the clipboard he held. Naruto waited a moment, to see if he would say anything else. When he didn't, Naruto squeezed into the classroom, glancing about with wonder in his blue eyes.

He was one of the first to arrive. Not looking any of his peers in the eye, Naruto hurried to an empty seat in the back of the class, and sat in silence as the room slowly filled up with kids.

Another long, boring speech by the kind looking chunin. Naruto spent it running his nails over the desk, his head propped up with an elbow.

They had to fill out some weird questionnaire. It ranged from stuff like what your favorite color was, to if you had gotten any shinobi training before entering the academy.

All of his pencils were broken, Naruto realized as he was rifling through his rucksack. He had to get one from a cup on the teacher's desk, flushing beneath the gaze of the kind chunin who glanced at him as he approached him.

There wasn't actually any critical thinking involved in filling out the paper, which Naruto was grateful for. He scrawled down his answers the best he could manage, skipping at least a third of the questions if they were too boring or too complicated.

About twenty minutes later, after the entire class was done - except a kid with a pineapple styled haircut, who was snoozing near the front of the class - the teacher called for them to pass their papers to the front. They did so, and a few moments later, once the questionnaires were piled up neatly on his desk, the kind looking chunin stepped back up to talk again. Naruto strained this time to hear what he was saying, sensing that it was probably important.

"For many of you, this is your first time ever doing any actual shinobi training. Some of you, however, have been training since birth. This will provide some an unfair advantage…" the teacher said. "... but, do not be disheartened. So long as you work, and study hard, everyone can be at the top of the class. Before we continue, any questions?"

A girl at the front of the class with pink (pink?) hair raised her hand.

"Yes?" the teacher said.

The girl looked rather nervous to be put so suddenly in the spotlight, her ears blending in nicely with her hair. "U-um, Iruka-sensei… are we going to be doing anything physical today? I-I didn't bring any shuriken or…" Her voice drifted off.

Iruka-sensei smiled. "I'm glad you said that… Sakura, right?" She nodded. "A very fitting name." Iruka said. "But, to answer your question, in just a few moments I'll be taking you all outside. We won't be sparring or anything, but I want an idea of what you all know already."

A few kids began to mutter, confident smirks on their faces as they imagined showing their power off to their peers.

"No more questions, then?" Iruka said, the class lapsing into silence as he began to talk. "Good. Form a line, and once everyone is quiet and orderly we can go."

After a few minutes, they managed to cobble together something resembling a line. Iruka deemed it acceptable, and soon he lead them outside to a court yard. It was empty when they got there. There were several boxes full of senbon, kunai, and shuriken on a table - and about ten target boards were arrayed at the far end of the yard, each two to three meters apart with plenty of room to avoid getting into other people's areas.

"Don't move." Iruka said. He walked in front of the class, his hands behind his back. "I cannot express to you how dangerous these weapons can be." he said, his voice low. "Do not play with them. Do not throw them at anyone. If you cut yourself, come to me immediately. Do I make myself clear?"

The class exchanged nervous glances. "Yes, Iruka-sensei." they chorused.

"Good. Would anyone like to go first, and show the rest of the class how it's done?"

Nobody rose their hand, or stepped forward. Iruka pursed his lips together, surveying the class.

"How about you, Sasuke?" Iruka said, pointing to a boy who Naruto couldn't see. "The older teachers raved on and on about your brother… how about you show us what you can do?"

"Fine." a childish, but gruff voice said. The boy called Sasuke stepped forward. The best word Naruto could use to describe him was black. Black eyes, black hair, black clothes. His face was soft, but the scowl marring it gave the impression that he was much older emotionally than he ought to be.

Sasuke strode forward, swiping six shuriken from the box on the table. The metal projectiles glistening in his bony fingers, he took his position on the line that marked where one would throw from, just in front of the middle target board.

He was silent, spreading his legs apart, clutching the shuriken tightly enough that his hands shook.

And then, with a wisp, he let them fly. The shuriken flew through the air. Three of them clattered off the sides, while the other three hit the board with a thunk, forming a triangle shape around the center.

Iruka beamed. "Excellent work!" he said. "I can't recall anyone else hitting that many on the first try."

Naruto heard a kid in the class say - "I heard his brother's first try was perfect…" It was clear that Sasuke had heard him, by the way his scowl intensified.

Iruka turned to the class, Sasuke returning to the line, looking sullen.

"There's not enough boards for everyone to get one to themselves. There's… nineteen of you, so pair up and whoever is left can take the tenth board."

There was a scramble. Naruto blinked, and it seemed everyone was partnered up. Even that Sasuke kid had a partner, some kid with red markings on his cheek that kept bellowing about how he was going to get every shuriken on the board his first try.

Iruka smiled at him, standing alone in between the nine other pairs. Was he imagining it, or did his teacher's smile look a little strained?

"You can take the last one, Uzumaki." Iruka said to Naruto, pointing to a board at the end of the line.

Naruto nodded, scooping up a heaping handful of shuriken, before darting to the line in front of his target board. Everyone had started by the time he had gotten there. Naruto observed them for a brief moment. Everyone was doing poorly, only getting one or two, a far cry from Sasuke hitting three on his first try.

He bit his lip, Naruto scooping up six shuriken from the pile at his feet. He took a deep breath, and then, let them fly.

Naruto closed his eyes, waiting for the thunk that signaled he had hit his target.

It never came.

He opened his eyes to see not a single one of his shuriken had come close. Some had fallen short, while others had hit closer to the neighboring board than his own.

His face flushed red in shame. No one had missed all of them on their first try. He waited, for the laughs, the jeers, once his peers and Iruka realized how pathetic his attempt had been.

But that didn't come either.

Naruto looked around. Quickly, it became evident that either no one had noticed his abysmal attempt… or… or they simply hadn't cared enough to laugh, to jeer, to do anything to recognize him, even if it was to recognize him as a failure.

He watched, his face crestfallen, as everyone else continued on with the exercise. Friendships were being made. Iruka was walking from student to student, correcting their form, nodding approvingly whenever they made an improvement.

And here he was at the end, alone.

His face as pink as that Sakura girl's hair, Naruto stomped up to the target board, collecting his shuriken before darting back to the line. He readied himself again. Took a deep breath. And then, let them fly.

He kept his eyes open this time, and that only made it worse - as he watched the projectiles arc through the air, missing the target board by several feet at least.

His fists balled up at his sides. "Come on!' Naruto thought to himself. 'You can do it, you can do it! Believe in yourself!'

But when the third, and fourth attempt came up with the same result, he was starting to doubt his own words.

By the time he was readying himself for a fifth attempt, his face twisted horribly, Naruto hardly holding back tears, Iruka was calling them back in. Naruto took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. He followed the rest of the class by dropping his shuriken back into the boxes back on the table, and then trailing behind them as Iruka lead them back to the room.

He was hardly even aware of the rest of the day, Naruto keeping his head down for pretty much the entire time. He couldn't get over it. It would have been better, so much better if someone had simply laughed! But no. They hadn't cared, they hadn't paid attention to him - and that was proven further, as Iruka, nor anyone else paid attention to him for the rest of that unbearably long first day.

When the class was finally dismissed, Naruto was first out the door , despite the fact that he was near the back. He flew out of the building, and took off down the road, hampered only slightly by the orange bookbag slung around his back.

He was home in ten minutes, digging a key out of his pocket and twisting it in his lock.

Sandaime-jiichan was sitting on his ratty and aged couch. His hat was off, sitting at his side, the elderly Kage idly smoking a pipe. "I managed to find some time off to come and see you," Sandaime-jiichan said kindly, smiling at the sight of the little blond boy. "How was your first day, Naruto?"

He couldn't stop the tears coming down now. Shrugging off his rucksack, he threw himself into Sandaime-jiichan's arms, pressing his face into his Hokage robes so as to conceal his face. "I hated it!" Naruto cried. "It was terrible, I don't ever, ever, ever want to go back there again!"

Sandaime-jiichan sighed, patting his back affectionately. "What's wrong?" he asked, his voice soft and soothing.

Naruto bit his lip, tears streaming freely down his cheeks. "I-I don't want to talk about it." he said.

The man smiled. "That's alright," Sandaime-jiichan said. "If you don't want to, you don't have to." He continued to rub Naruto's back soothingly. "I can't stay much longer… but, how would you like to share a cup of ramen together?"

Naruto beamed, though his eyes were still watery. "Ramen!" he said happily.

Sandaime-jiichan chuckled, standing up. Naruto seized his hand, clinging to the man's side as… well, a grandchild would his grandpa. "Let's go," Sandaime-jiichan said, gently leading Naruto into the kitchen.

"Ow! That hurt, kaa-chan!"

Haruno Mebuki beamed, a pink brush in her hand as she ran it through her daughter's equally pink hair. "Sorry!" Mebuki said. "But you just look so cute!"

Sakura bit her lip. Her father let out a laugh that sounded more like a bark, clapping Sakura on the shoulder. "Go easy on the poor girl!" Kizashi said.

"I know, but look at her~!" Mebuki squealed. "I could just pinch her cheeks and kiss her and-"

"Please don't…" Sakura mumbled.

"Sorry, honey." Kizashi said sympathetically. "Her hair looks fine, honey." he said to his wife. "Besides, we should be going. We don't want little Sakura-chan to be late on the first day!"

"Alright." Mebuki said, looking defeated. She dropped the brush with a clatter onto the table. Sakura hopped down from the chair, smoothing out the front of her pink dress. The girl grabbed her father's hand - and the two of them went and waited at the door, as Mebuki quickly collected the last of what she needed. "Do you think she needs anything on her first day?" Mebuki practically screeched, looking feverish.

Kizashi laughed good naturedly. "She'll be fine," he insisted, letting go of his daughter's hand in order to give his wife a reassuring smooch on the cheek. "Let's go. Like I said, we don't want her to be late!"

Half dragging, half pulling Mebuki with them, the Haruno family departed - stepping out into the street. They weren't that far from the academy building, a few minutes at most, but considering their rather low status as a genin family - it would probably be best to be punctual.

Mebuki was still insisting that they had likely left something behind at the house, but Kizashi would have none of it. Sakura followed at her parent's side, a happy little smile on her round face, all too used to her parent's antics.

There was a big crowd in front of the academy, stretching from the base of the podium that had been hastily erected to nearly spilling out into the street.

The Haruno family took up a place near the back, considering they were one of the last to arrive. Kizashi scooped Sakura up, placing the girl on his shoulders so that she could properly see over the heads of the crowd.

Sakura beamed, spending the rest of the time before the speech playing with her father's dark pink hair. Mebuki and Kizashi engaged in quiet conversation, though their daughter paid no attention, too busy braiding Kizashi's hair.

Soon, however, the Sandaime appeared on the stage and the crowd went wild. The Sandaime seemed to take it in stride, gazing at the crowd as they cheered and whooped, although Sakura was oblivious, still happily playing with her father's hair.

Then, the Sandaime smiled, and the crowd settled down. "I don't think I have ever seen so many fresh faces for the academy as I do this year." he said, chuckling.

"But… onto the speech. The academy is a very important place, where all of you will hone your considerable talents, learn the basics our ninjutsu and taijutsu, and not to mention learn the history of our great village.

"This place is where boys will become shinobi, and where girls will be transformed into kunoichi. I implore all of you, every single last one of you, to work hard on your studies, to make new friends, to make these some of the best years of your life.

"I hope to see all of you fine boys and girls grow up into shinobi that Konoha can be proud of. Classes will begin in twenty minutes. The rosters and a map of the building can be found just inside. I hope you all have an excellent school year."

He gave the crowd one last smile, before flickering away in a swirl of leaves.

There was a bustle to get to the door. Kizashi lifted Sakura off of his shoulders, setting her down on the floor.

It wasn't that long before they were standing in front of the door to her classroom, room one hundred and one.

"Are you going to be alright on your own…?" Mebuki asked, pressing a wet and sloppy kiss to Sakura's cheek, who pouted.

"I'll be fine, kaa-chan!" Sakura beamed.

Predictably. Kizashi had to drag Mebuki pulling and kicking out of the building, yelling about leaving her 'precious baby girl' behind. He did make sure to shout "Love you, honey!" before they whipped out of sight.

"Iruka-sensei, r-right?" Sakura asked, walking up to the kind looking chunin who was standing at the door. "Your name was on th-the roster."

Iruka smiled at her. "Name?" he asked.

"Haruno Sakura."

He scribbled down a name on the clipboard he was carrying. "Go ahead and find a seat, Sakura." Iruka said. "Anywhere is fine."

She stood there, her face pink.

"Is… something wrong?" Iruka asked, a mildly uncomfortable look on his face.

"Um… w-where's the bathroom?" Sakura asked, her voice hardly above a whisper.

Iruka chuckled. "Ah, that's it." he said, a look of relief on his face. "Down the hall. Take a left… it's the second hall on your right, the bathrooms should be there."

"T-thank you, Iruka-sensei." Sakura stammered, before darting off down the hall as fast as her little legs could carry her. She followed his directions to the letter, and it indeed lead her to the bathroom. After she was finished with her business, she stepped out a few moments later, a satisfied smile on her face.

She blinked.

There was a boy standing there. Glancing about, a scowl on his face. He seemed very… dark. His hair, his eyes, his clothing… yet his features were beautiful. She couldn't help but stare for a moment, before shaking her head, her ears as pink as her hair.

"U-um… a-are you lost?" Sakura asked, stepping up to the boy.

If anything, the boy's scowl intensified. He glared at her for a moment, before grumbling, "... yeah." under his breath. "Do you know where room one-oh-one is?" he asked.

Sakura beamed. "I'm in the same room!" she said. "Just follow me."

The boy looked as if he wanted to do anything else besides that, but it was clear he didn't have much of a choice. As Sakura half-walked half-skipped, the boy trailed behind her, hands stuffed into his pockets and a surly look on his face.

They didn't speak once they were inside of the class. But, she turned and looked at him expectantly, students shuffling around them as they walked to their class. The boy gave her a soft nod of thanks, and a satisfied Sakura darted into an empty seat at the front of the class, a smile on her face.

It was loud, many of the kids talking adamantly to their friends. Sakura twiddled her thumbs for a while yet, biting her lip, feeling just a tad lonely with nobody to talk to. An indigo haired girl with white eyes was one of the last to shuffle into the classroom, and she slid into the empty seat beside Sakura - hanging her head as if she were particularly ashamed about something, her frail body swathed in a lavender coat that seemed several times too big for her.

The two didn't talk to each other. But Sakura felt the slightest bit better about the fact that she had somebody to sit next to at the very least.

At long last, Iruka stepped up to the front of the room, clearing his throat loud enough to silence the entire room at once. Mostly everyone sat up, rapt with attention, eyes focused on the chunin teacher.

He smiled brightly. "It's a great pleasure to meet you all," Iruka began, his eyes carefully surveying the class. "My name is Umino Iruka, and I will be your teacher throughout your years at the academy."

"Now, make no mistake, this will be easy for some and difficult for others. I do not expect everyone to manage to pass the final exam - but I hope to get as many of you through it as humanly possible.

"I will now hand all of you a questionnaire. This isn't a grade, I just want an idea of what your likes and dislikes are, and so I can know a little more about you all."

He strode around the classroom, passing out a sheet. Sakura was one of the first to get hers - and with a pencil already in hand, she set out to work.

1. What is your name?

She quickly scribbled 'Haruno Sakura' down in neat, curved and loopy handwriting.

2. How old are you?

She wrote down seven.

3. When is your birthday?

Sakura wrote March the twenty-eighth.

Needless to say, the test, or questionnaire, whatever, was a breeze. None of the problems were even challenging, just simple stuff. If she had missed any of them, it had been question 11 - 'Have you received any shinobi training beforehand? - where she'd had to halfheartedly scribble down a no.

Actually, she was the first to finish. Not knowing whether to get up and hand it to Iruka, or simply place it face down on the desk, she waited in her chair, her hands folded in her lap. Sakura even picked up her paper and gave the answers another once over, but that only killed about five minutes in the twenty minute wait that she was forced to endure after finishing.

Finally, Iruka stood up. "Pass the questionnaires up to the front, please." he said. The class did so, and soon, all of the forms were sitting in a several centimeter thick pile on his desk. "Now, before we get to doing anything else, I want to tell you all something very important."

"For many of you, this is your first time ever doing any actual shinobi training. Some of you, however, have been training since birth. This will provide some an unfair advantage…" Iruka said. "... but, do not be disheartened. So long as you work, and study hard, everyone can be at the top of the class. Before we continue, any questions?"

Sakura bit her lip. And then, she raised her hand.

"Yes?" Iruka asked.

Sakura felt a flush creep up her neck, as suddenly all eyes in the classroom were on her. Feeling exposed, she tried to ignore the pounding of her heart, and instead ask the question. "U-um," Sakura began. "Iruka-sensei, are we going to be doing anything physical today?" she asked. "I-I didn't bring any shuriken or…" She drifted off, feeling distinctly embarrassed.

Iruka gave her an exceeding kind smile, that served to calm her down minutely.. "I'm glad you said that… Sakura, right?" Feeling slightly nervous, Sakura nodded.. "A very fitting name." Iruka said. "But, to answer your question, in just a few moments I'll be taking you all outside. We won't be sparring or anything, but I want an idea of what you all know already. It's the same kind of concept as that questionnaire I gave you all."

'I hope I'm not the worst in the class,' she thought. Sakura was sure that a lot of these kids came from shinobi families - and everyone knew that they received a ton of training before coming to the academy, not to mention while they were in the academy as well. It was unfair… but it was just the way things were.

"No more questions, then?" Iruka said. "Good. Form a line, and once everyone is quiet and orderly we can go."

It took several minutes for the class to erect a line, with lots of pushing and shoving used. Sakura quietly found a place around the center of the line. It loud for a while, but Sakura was the opposite - staring at her feet, one hand gripping her arm tightly. Kaa-chan and Tou-chan hadn't told her just how bad the nerves could be. It was one thing to have fun with the other kids in the playground… but to be surrounded by so many of her peers, in such a competitive environment… the anxiety was positively killing her.

Once they were outside, Iruka gave them the usual spill. About how 'dangerous' the equipment they would be practicing was, about how serious it would be if they were to hurt someone. 'A metal shuriken? Dangerous? Who would have thought!' Inner Sakura thought, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

It appeared that they were going to practice throwing first. After Iruka was done with his whole speech about safety and such… "How about you, Sasuke?" Iruka said, pointing to a boy who was just a few spaces down from Sakura, a very familiar boy… "The older teachers raved on and on about your brother… how about you show us what you can do?"

"Fine," Sasuke said, his voice gruff but still tinted with that high pitch that came from childhood. Sasuke stepped forward, a scowl on his face. Something clicked in Sakura's mind. The boy who was lost earlier! He certainly looked more confident now, Sakura thought, a far cry from when he had been aimlessly wandering the halls.

He was really cute though… she could just pinch his cheeks and squeal. She was sure that if her mother saw him, Mebuki would sling him over her shoulder and never let go.

Sasuke strode forward, swiping six shuriken from the box on the table. The metal projectiles glistening in his bony fingers, he took his position on the line that marked where one would throw from, just in front of the middle target board.

He was silent, spreading his legs apart, clutching the shuriken tightly enough that his hands shook.

And then, with a wisp, he let them fly. The shuriken flew through the air. Three of them clattered off the sides, while the other three hit the board with a thunk, forming a triangle shape around the center.

Iruka beamed. "Excellent work!" he said. "I can't recall anyone else hitting that many on the first try."

Sakura heard a kid near the front of the line say - "I heard his brother's first try was perfect…" It was clear that Sasuke had heard him, by the way his scowl intensified.

Iruka turned back to the class, Sasuke returning to the line, looking sullen as ever, his round, childish face looking far too sad for a boy his age to be. Sakura stared at him for a few moments, a sad frown curling her lips.

Soon, Iruka told them to divide up into pairs. Sakura, not wanting to be the odd one out, latched onto the first person she saw. That blue haired girl who had sat next to her earlier - who stood practically invisible in the center of the class, looking almost like a turtle with the way her hoodie dwarfed her frame.

Sakura walked up to her. "Want to be my partner?" she asked. The girl stared at Sakura, wide eyed for a moment, before nodding almost solemnly. "Great!" Sakura said, beaming. "Let's go find an empty board then." Sakura walked off, the girl trailing behind her. Sakura scooped up a heaping handful of shuriken, and the indigo haired girl followed suit. Together, they walked to an empty lane towards the beginning of the row. "What's your name?" Sakura asked the girl.

"Hi-hi-hi-n-n-" The girl looked almost petrified to be talking to someone, her stutter so horrible that she sounded like someone trying to grasp their language for the first time.

Sakura frowned. "My name's Sakura." she said. "Hi… Hikari?" The girl shook her head. "Hi… Himawari?" The girl once again shook her head. Sakura pursed her lips together. "What could it be?"

"Hi-na-na-na-ta…." the girl stammered out.

"Hinata?" Sakura said.

Hinata nodded.

"NIce to meet you!" Sakura said, smiling brightly at her. Hinata seemed to cower, as if the sight of a tiny, frail pink haired girl smiling was the equivalent of an executioner approaching the chopping block.

Sakura seemed not to mind. The girl was obviously deathly shy - but, managing to get a name out of her was an excellent start, she thought. It was clear that Hinata wasn't going to go first, so Sakura decided to take the lead.

To be honest, when she had seen Sasuke, or whatever his name was, only manage to hit the board with half of his shuriken, she hadn't been anywhere near as impressed as Iruka had been. Only half? That wasn't that good!

Or so she thought. She grew a new appreciation for Sasuke, however, when she threw her first volley of shuriken, and only managed to land a single one that was only an inch away from missing. Sakura blinked. She glanced around, noticing that most if not all of the kids had achieved the same poor results - except, of course, for Sasuke, who had managed to land three shurikens out of six once again.

Sakura glanced at Hinata, who seemed to be content with not going at all. 'Just one more try,' Sakura thought, racing forward and scooping up the shuriken that had missed, plucking the one that had hit from the board. She ran back to the line, and threw a second volley. It was… better, this time around. She'd only managed to land one shuriken again, but a second had ricocheted off the edge of the board. That was good… right?

Feeling slightly bad about the fact that she was kind of hogging the shuriken, once Sakura scooped up the second volley of shuriken, she strode up to Hinata. "Here," Sakura said, pressing the shuriken into the pale eyed girl's hands.

"W-w-what?" Hinata stammered, her cheeks seemingly a constant twenty-four seven shade of pink that matched Sakura's hair near exactly.

Sakura frowned. "Don't be scared!" she said, wagging her finger. "Just step up, and do it. Nobody is going to laugh at you if you do bad."

Hinata seemed unconvinced, but after a moment, she stepped forward. Sakura beamed at her. Hinata drew the shuriken back, clutching them tightly in her hands, and then, she let them fly.

Thunk. Thunk.

She'd hit two on her first try, Sakura thought, trying hard, really hard not to frown. Hinata turned to her, the shy girl actually smiling slightly. Sakura offered her a smile back, although it seemed more grotesque, something the indigo haired girl obvious picked up on, for her smile turned to a frown.

Hinata poked her fingers together, in an obvious nervous tic. "S-s-sorry…" she whispered.

Sakura shook her head. "It's fine," she said. "Jealousy is a… natural thing, I guess."

Hinata flushed. "I-I-I g-got…" Her voice drifted off. "I-I'm o-one of the kids w-w-who got t-training b-before t-the a-academy."

It was silent for a minute.

Sakura didn't say anything in response… although, she felt slightly mollified. "Here," Sakura said, stepping past her. "Let me go get those shuriken for you, Hinata."

That tiny little smile reappeared on Hinata's face. "T-t-thank you, S-Sakura-san…" she said.

Sakura smiled. "It's no problem." she said, honestly.

The rest of the day was… nice.

She and Hinata weren't friends. Not by a long shot. But, it was nice having an acquaintance of sorts, someone who was just as nervous about the academy as she was, and someone who she could sit next to without having to worry about embarrassing herself in front of them.

When the bell finally rang at the end of the day, Sakura strolled out of the academy with a smile on her face.

"How was your first day, honey?" Mebuki asked, her and Kizashi having been standing outside of the academy, waiting for her.

Sakura grinned. "I think I'm really going to like the academy, kaa-chan." she said.

He was nervous.

No… no, no he wasn't nervous.

Yes he was!

No he wasn't!

'Argh!' Sasuke thought, frowning. It felt as if his internal instincts were screaming at him to deny the undeniable, which was this - that he, Uchiha Sasuke, was really, really nervous about his first day in the academy.

And really, his mother wasn't making it any better.

Sasuke visibly cringed as Uchiha Mikoto dipped her head down, pressing a big kiss to his forehead.

"Kaa-san!" Sasuke whined, his big chubby cheeks flushing a light shade of pink.

Mikoto giggled. "Sorry, Sasuke." she said, brushing a speck of dirt off of his shirt. "But you just look so cute!"

"I'm going to be a shinobi, kaa-san… I don't want to be cute!" Sasuke said. He pressed his lips together in what was undeniably a pout, although he would never admit to it.

She shook her head slowly, fixing his collar, smoothing back his hair (which immediately sprang back into its typically spiky demeanor, to her irritation). "Itachi! Fugaku! You two had better be ready!" Mikoto called.

There was a light sigh. Two pairs of footsteps approached, and Sasuke saw out of the corner of his eye as nii-san and Fugaku stepped into the room. Both of them wore suitably blank expressions on their face, dressed in their Sunday best without even a single crinkle or untucked corner on their shirts. When nii-san saw him, he offered Sasuke a small smile - but within a millisecond, his face was stoic once again.

Sasuke smiled as well, although it didn't quite match his eyes. He knew that the only reason his father was coming to the academy with him on his first day was because Itachi had practically blackmailed him into doing so. He was happy that his entire family was going to be there… but he really would have liked for them all to be perfectly willing.

"Alright." Mikoto said, surveying the three of them with a keen eye, as if searching for any imperfections. Apparently finding none, she drew herself to full height, smoothing out the front of her dress. "Let's go."

Silent as a family of ghosts, the four of them made their way out of the house, and into the Uchiha compound proper. Mikoto had a hand on Sasuke's shoulder, steering him carefully in front of her, as his nii-san and Fugaku flanked them.

"Is it Sasuke's first day at the academy already?" one of his great aunts called.

"It is." Mikoto said, smiling happily.

"Good luck!" the woman said, waving a wrinkled hand at Sasuke. He offered her a shy smile in return, as they walked past her. The guards that stood at the gate of the compound gave them a nod, murmuring "Fugaku-sama," under their breaths, long and dangerous looking katanas gleaming on their backs.

"Yoroi is sick today, Rashida." Fugaku said, to one of the guards. "You'll need to fill in for his shift and the station later. You'll be paid overtime, of course."

"Yes, Fugaku-sama." the man named Rashida said.

Fugaku nodded approvingly. "Done?" Mikoto said, her eyes glinting in a way that would have sent Sasuke and Itachi running had it been directed at them. "We only have thirty minutes before Sandaime-sama gives his speech, and we don't want Sasuke to be late, do we?"

"Of course not." Fugaku said. His face appeared calm, but when Mikoto turned her gaze from him, he let out a soundless breath of relief.

The rest of the walk there was quiet. Sasuke kept his face purposefully smooth, although inside, he was teeming with two emotions - excitement, and anxiety. 'I hope I do well,' he thought, remembering the stories that Shisui told him about, where nii-san had come close to breaking the records set decades ago by the legendary Yondaime, a feat that no one aside from someone they called the 'Copy Ninja' had even come close to achieving.

He hoped beyond hope that he wouldn't be last, at the very least. But - he shouldn't be, right? He was an Uchiha, not to mention the fact that he'd been given training in the basics of being a shinobi, by his nii-san and mother at different intervals.

There was a large crowd in front of the academy. Which was to be expected, Sasuke thought, considering they were a scant few minutes from being late, and there were probably a lot of kids who were going to enter the academy with him.

A large outbreak of cheering broke out. Sasuke wasn't sure why at first, but when chants of 'Sandaime-sama!' began to reverberate through the air, he could hazard a guess. He couldn't see the Hokage though. He was far too short, and so, he clung to Mikoto's arm as the Sandaime droned on and on, about one thing or another.

"We can't come in with you, sweetie." Mikoto said, startling Sasuke. Was the Sandaime finally done? Thank kami.

"Why not?" Sasuke asked.

Mikoto smiled. "You're not a little kid anymore, Sasuke, even if you are still my little baby." She grinned now, pinching his cheek and causing him to whine. "Besides, it's a bit of a tradition, to go into the academy by yourself. You'll be fine, trust me." She patted his shoulder reassuringly. "We won't be able to pick you up afterwards, though. Do you know your way home?"

"Yes," Sasuke said, glumly.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." Sasuke repeated.

"Okay." Mikoto said, nodding. "If you get lost on the way home, just ask somebody and they'll point you in the right direction." She leaned down, kissing him on the cheek once more. "Say goodbye to your brother…" Mikoto said to Itachi. "And son!"

"Have a good day." Fugaku said gruffly.

"Good luck." Itachi said.

And they walked off, Mikoto making sure to turn back and wave at him before they were out of the view.

Sasuke frowned, pulling at the collar of his shirt with obvious anxiety in his face. He took a few breaths, calming himself, running his hand through his hair and steeling himself. And then, he walked forward, joining the throng of kids pushing into the building.

He found his name on a roster. 'Room one-oh-one.' Sasuke thought. He took a step down a random hall, frowning as he glanced at the number plaques on the doors. 'One thirteen, one fourteen, one fifteen… is it back this way?' He walked back towards the entrance, and chose another hallway. There weren't any doors for the first third or so - only ones leading to bathrooms and the courtyard. Then, a few classroom doors. 'One twenty, one twenty one… wrong way!'

Sasuke paused for a moment, scratching his head. Where could his room be? It had to be around here somewhere, and yet, there seemed to be an endless number of hallways that could lead to it. If only there was a map or something of that sort…

He caught a flash of pink out of the corner of his eye. Sasuke turned. "U-um… a-are you lost?" a girl with… pink hair asked, her emerald eyes shimmering.

Sasuke scowled. He glared at her for a moment, as if asking why she dared to ask him something like that - before relenting. She was only trying to help after all. "... yeah." Sasuke grumbled. "Do you know where room one-oh-one is?" he asked, after a moment's pause.

The girl beamed at him, her smile reminiscent of the one his mother would give him. He was taken aback for a moment. "I'm in the same room!" the girl said, her voice… stronger now, more vibrant. "Just follow me."

And then, she skipped off. Sasuke hesitated for a moment, before following after her, stuffing his hands into his pockets and trying (and failing) to stop himself from scowling. The both of them were quiet. She walked straight into the class - but Sasuke paused long enough to give the chunin standing at the door his name before trailing in after her.

She turned, and looked at him, her emerald eyes expectant. He repressed a sigh, before giving her a soft nod of thanks. She seemed to understand his meaning, and with a smile, she darted off to her seat.

Sasuke found an empty seat near the windows that lined a wall of the classroom. Already bored out of his mind, he was content with staring out at the trees, watching as a bird made a nest in the upper branches of a willow while the rest of the class talked adamantly.

He listened to the teacher - who was apparently Iruka - as he gave a drab speech about how he hoped to get everyone through the final exam. He explained that he was going to give them a questionnaire, and followed, predictably, by giving them a questionnaire.

Sasuke frowned at the paper in front of him. Some of the stuff made sense, like needing to know their names and birthdates… by why in the world would Iruka need to know what his favorite color was? How many brothers he had? Why would a chunin need to know what his favorite food was?

He pursed his lips together. He really hadn't been paying attention… was this a grade? Sasuke could imagine it now, getting second or third in the class and having to see his father's disappointed face, all because he refused to put down his favorite color.

Sasuke groaned. Then, with reluctance, he scribbled it down. Blue.

Once Iruka called for them to hand the questionnaires in, Sasuke did so. More boring speeches. That pink haired girl, her face as flushed as her hair, asked a question. Iruka gave an answer. Kami! Were all days going to be this boring? He was seriously considering the prospect of pulling open a window and hopping out when the class began to stand up and shuffle into a line.

Not one to be taken by surprise, Sasuke stood up as well, and managed to secure a place near the center of the line. Iruka lead them out, through the halls, and into a courtyard. Cue another speech ('Iruka-sensei must love those,' Sasuke thought bitterly.) about dangers and safety and could we just get onto it, please?

"How about you, Sasuke?" Iruka said, pointing at him. Sasuke was caught momentarily off guard, although it didn't show. "The older teachers raved on and on about your brother… how about you show us what you can do?"

"Fine," Sasuke said. He scowled, knowing that everyone's eyes were on him and not caring in the slightest. Iruka indicated a basket sitting on a table, and he scooped six shuriken from inside of it, the metal clinking together. Clutching them tightly in his fingers, he strode up to the line, took aim, and flung them at the board.

Thunk. Thunk. Thunk.

'I can do better.' Sasuke thought, his fingers twitching as he looked at the three shuriken embedded in the target board.

Iruka, it seemed, thought otherwise. "Excellent work!" he said. "I can't recall anyone else hitting that many on the first try." Sasuke almost let a smile cross his face. And then-

A kid in the crowd murmured something under his breath. "I heard his brother's first try was perfect…" In the silence, it was plainly audible to nearly everyone in the class.

A surge of anger tore through Sasuke, and he scowled. 'Of course.' Sasuke thought, knowing that it wasn't fair to blame nii-san for this, and yet not caring at the same time. 'Perfect Itachi.'

Iruka turned back to the class. Sensing that his role in the demonstration was over, Sasuke stalked back into the line, his scowl growing with every passing moment. He folded his arms over his chest, his eyes bitter. He half listened as Iruka explained that the class would be divided into pairs. Really, he was going to wait until everyone else was partnered up so he could be the odd one out - but a boy with red markings on his cheek walked up to him.

"We're partners." the boy said, clearly not giving Sasuke any room to argue.

"Okay." Sasuke said. If the boy wanted to partner with him, he wasn't going to say no. He didn't care enough to, and besides, his kaa-san had warned him to try and not make any enemies on the first day.

They scooped up the shuriken from a basket, and found an empty lane.

"Do… do you want to go first?" Sasuke asked.

Kiba shrugged. "Sure," he said. He made to move forward - but paused for a second. He then turned around. "Iruka-sensei said your name was… uh… Sasuke, right?" Kiba asked. Sasuke nodded. "Nice to meet ya, then." he said. "My name's Kiba." He extended his hand.

Sasuke hesitated for a moment, before shaking it. He leaned forward, and got a good sniff of Kiba - causing his face to scrunch up. "You smell like…" he drifted off.

"Wet dog?" Kiba completed, chuckling. "Sorry about that, but kaa-chan had me wash Kuromaru before I got here." he said. "Not somethin' I can control, though…"

"It's not that much of a problem." Sasuke said quickly.. A brief pause. "Well… you're going first, so go ahead, I guess. I'm not stopping you."

"That's alright with me." Kiba said. He dropped most of the shuriken he was holding onto the ground at his feet, carefully picking up six - the same number as Sasuke. He reared them back, and then let them fly. Thunk. Thunk. Two hit, but the others flew several feet short or off their target. "Jeez. I can never get that third one." Kiba half whined. He went to collect the shuriken, and then stood behind Sasuke as the Uchiha went up for his attempt.

Sasuke managed to score another three out of six. Kiba clicked his teeth.

"How did you get so good at this?" Kiba asked, frowning slightly.

Sasuke allowed himself a smile. "Uchihas have always been good at shurikenjutsu," Sasuke explained. "My tou-san always said that It comes as natural to us as… well, awakening the sharingan and using Katon techniques."

Kiba blinked. "Shar-in-gan…?" he muttered, scratching his cheek. "What's that?"

Sasuke shook his head. "It's not important." he said quickly. Sasuke hurried to grab the shuriken from the board and surrounding area, before stepping back behind Kiba. "Your turn." he said.

"Alright." Kiba said. "Here goes!" He reared his hands back, and then let the shuriken fly. Thunk. "What?" Kiba protested. "How did that not…!" One of the shuriken had hit the board… but it had ricocheted off, instead of sticking into the wood.

Sasuke chuckled. "Better luck next time," he said, stepping forward.

Overall… the rest of the day was about as boring as the first part had been. More speeches. Actual work - Iruka introducing the co-teacher, a man named Mizuki, who would be teaching them mathematics, history, and things of that nature while Iruka would teach them shinobi skills, theory, and conduct practical training.

Had he made a friend? No, not really. Kiba was tolerable, Sasuke supposed. A little boastful, too arrogant for his own good, but he could be amusing, and he was certainly good for conversation. Sasuke doubted that they would ever be 'buddies' or something like that… but, at least he'd managed to follow his mother's advice and not make any enemies on the first day.

The bell rung. Sasuke followed the rest of the students out of the academy, his face stoic and yet a warm feeling settling in his stomach.

Of course, he had to walk home. About half an hour later, Sasuke strolled into the house, kicked off his sandals, shrugged off his rucksack, and padded into the kitchen. He didn't know where his father or nii-san was - but Mikoto was sitting on the couch, engrossed in a book.

She looked up as he walked into the living room. "How was it?" Mikoto asked, slipping a bookmark in between the pages and closing the novel with a slap. She leaned forward, a small smile on her face.

"It wasn't bad." Sasuke said, flopping down on the couch beside her. "It was… alright, I guess." he said, honestly.

"Aww…" Mikoto leaned to the side, grabbing his shoulder and pressing a kiss to his forehead. "Hopefully tomorrow will be better, sweetie."

Sasuke flushed slightly, but he couldn't help but smile. "I hope so, too, kaa-san." he said honestly.

A few things to think about.

- Notice that Sasuke and Sakura never noticed Naruto during the day.

- Naruto isn't outright hated - more so ignored.

- Sakura clearly isn't a fan of being upstaged by someone of equal status.

- And Sasuke is quite the momma's boy.

I thought this chapter came out rather well... what do you think? Be sure to tell me in the reviews, and I'll try and reply to any interesting ones in the next chapter. Again, don't forget to favorite and follow the story. Thanks for reading, and as always, have an awesome day.