A/N: All right, this is my first fanfic, and I am a little bit nervous so
please keep that in mind as you read and be kind in your comments! There
will probably be some R rated material in here somewhere, with a SasuNaru
pairing... Yeah, call me unoriginal, eheh, but the two of them really
intrigue me.
Disclaimer: As I'm sure you could have all guessed, Naruto's not mine, nor are any of the characters found therein.
...........
What a day! Naruto's ninja registration was complete, his confidence in himself renewed. He had graduated from the ninja academy through sheer determination and force of will (with a little bit of mischief added in for good measure), but the fact was, he had GRADUATED! Iruka-sensei had acknowledged him and that... That meant more to him than anything else.
Naruto knew the truth now. He knew who and what he was. He knew... Why everyone hated him. He knew and understood, yet he could not reveal his knowledge to the rest of the village. As long as he remained himself, the same unpredictable prankster, he would raise no suspicions. If he showed any signs of intelligence, if he ever let the others know that HE knew of the demon fox inside of him... Well, it would very likely be the end of him. The adults knew of and feared the demon within him. They saw him as the demon, not as Naruto, and would not hesitate to kill him if they began to suspect that there was more to this boy than the carefree prankster that was the annoyance of the village, but his peers... They knew only that their elders hated Naruto. As long as the reason behind their hatred remained a secret, Naruto still stood a chance at a normal life. As normal as his life could ever be.
Nothing, not even this new insight into his past, could diminish this day for him. Today would mark a new chapter in his life, a new beginning. Today, he was officially a ninja. The leaf forehead protector which he had long coveted now rested snugly across his forehead as if it had always been there. He had finally taken the first major step towards his dream of becoming hokage, and life had never been brighter.
No one acknowledged his entrance into the classroom, but that was typical. Few ever noticed Naruto at all, and only then to yell at him for his antics or laugh at his failures. Only after he slid into his accustomed seat did anyone bother to greet him.
"Orientation is only for those who passed," a familiar male voice intoned.
Caught off guard, Naruto jumped, falling instantly into his accustomed idiot act. Grabbing his new leaf forehead protector and shoving it higher on his forehead, Naruto plastered a huge grin on his face. "See my protector? I'm a ninja starting today, too!"
Rolling his eyes, the other boy promptly turned and walked away as Naruto slumped forward in his seat. He knew now why he was so hated, but knowledge did not always ease the pain of loneliness. Just once, he would like to have someone see him for who he really was.
A sudden commotion at the door turned most heads in the room. Naruto looked with everyone else, his face lighting up as he recognized the cause of the noise: Sakura-chan, his unrequited love, stood shoulder to shoulder with Ino. Both were panting, scanning the room. As Sakura-chan saw Naruto, her eyes widened and she smiled, leaving Ino's side to run towards him.
Naruto could hardly believe his luck. Sakura-chan hated him and did little but tell him how annoying she found him. Eagerly, he started out of his chair to greet her-
-and was immediately shoved out of the way. "Sasuke-kun, can I sit next to you?" the pink haired girl squealed, clasping her hands together.
Narrowing his eyes, Naruto squinted at the object of his love's affection. Unconcerned, Sasuke stared straight ahead, his mouth resting lightly on folded hands. Quiet and mysterious, Uchiha Sasuke was more than this year's number one rookie; all of the girls loved him. His black hair and ivory skin, the black eyes which saw everything. His athleticism. His genius.
Naruto hated him. He was certain that the feeling was mutual.
Sasuke did not even acknowledge Sakura's presence. With a haughty air, he continued to stare ahead, ignoring the bickering girls to his right.
Naruto could not stand it any longer. What was so special about Sasuke anyway? He was a jerk who always treated people badly. Especially Sakura- chan.
Before he knew what he was doing, Naruto found himself crouching on the table in front of Sasuke, his face dangerously close to the other boy's. Ignoring the outraged cries of the clustered girls, he pushed his face even closer to Sasuke's. A spark of pure hatred hung between them although Sasuke's face remained unchanged.
Naruto wasn't sure just what he was looking for. Perhaps he just wanted to break through the boy's calm shell, to expose a different Sasuke, one who was displayed emotions. To find the boy that hid behind the icy exterior.
Several moments passed as they stared.
"Naruto, what do you think you are doing?" Sakura screeched, her voice rising above the unhappy murmur of the females surrounding her. Gritting his teeth, Naruto tried to think of an acceptable answer.
What no one, not even Iruka-sensei realized was that Naruto's life was one grand act, a game of hiding his true self. Everyone knew him as the prankster, the troublemaker. The loudmouthed, annoying orphan. The village idiot. He had made an art of standing out as stupidly as possible. He was able to slide into his idiotic act at the drop of a hat. These unflattering images were impressions that Naruto was careful to cultivate, for it gave him a constant advantage over the rest of his peers. Because he was ignored and underestimated by everyone, he was free to study their strengths and weaknesses - yet they did not know his.
The silence stretched uncomfortably as even Naruto could not find a convincing answer to Sakura's demand until -
-with a gasp of surprise, Naruto felt himself falling forward. His momentum thrust him right into Sasuke and for a surprised moment, their lips touched.
Dead silence filled the room, broken only by the embarrassed apologies of the boy who had bumped Naruto. Sasuke and Naruto stared at each other, wide eyed, for a shocked moment before simultaneously turning away from each other, gagging and frantically wiping their mouths.
As if the reaction of the two boys was a signal, the rest of the class was abruptly released from their stunned paralysis. Most of the males began to laugh, but the girls... The girls advanced on Naruto with murderous intent.
Several minutes later, the class had settled down marginally. Sakura sat, smirking, between Sasuke and a bruised and bleeding Naruto.
As Iruka-sensei discussed the graduates' next steps towards becoming true ninjas, Naruto let his mind wander. Teams of three, huh? He hoped that he would be teamed up with Sakura-chan. As for his other teammate.. Well, anyone but Sasuke would be fine with him. He could take the hatred from the adults and from the children, but Sasuke's attitude got under his skin every time.
He could not suppress his triumphant cry when Iruka-sensei announced that Uzumaki Naruto and Haruno Sakura would be on the same team. Seconds later, however... Uchiha Sasuke. With a groan, Naruto's head fell to his chest as he listened to Sakura squeal beside him.
Disclaimer: As I'm sure you could have all guessed, Naruto's not mine, nor are any of the characters found therein.
...........
What a day! Naruto's ninja registration was complete, his confidence in himself renewed. He had graduated from the ninja academy through sheer determination and force of will (with a little bit of mischief added in for good measure), but the fact was, he had GRADUATED! Iruka-sensei had acknowledged him and that... That meant more to him than anything else.
Naruto knew the truth now. He knew who and what he was. He knew... Why everyone hated him. He knew and understood, yet he could not reveal his knowledge to the rest of the village. As long as he remained himself, the same unpredictable prankster, he would raise no suspicions. If he showed any signs of intelligence, if he ever let the others know that HE knew of the demon fox inside of him... Well, it would very likely be the end of him. The adults knew of and feared the demon within him. They saw him as the demon, not as Naruto, and would not hesitate to kill him if they began to suspect that there was more to this boy than the carefree prankster that was the annoyance of the village, but his peers... They knew only that their elders hated Naruto. As long as the reason behind their hatred remained a secret, Naruto still stood a chance at a normal life. As normal as his life could ever be.
Nothing, not even this new insight into his past, could diminish this day for him. Today would mark a new chapter in his life, a new beginning. Today, he was officially a ninja. The leaf forehead protector which he had long coveted now rested snugly across his forehead as if it had always been there. He had finally taken the first major step towards his dream of becoming hokage, and life had never been brighter.
No one acknowledged his entrance into the classroom, but that was typical. Few ever noticed Naruto at all, and only then to yell at him for his antics or laugh at his failures. Only after he slid into his accustomed seat did anyone bother to greet him.
"Orientation is only for those who passed," a familiar male voice intoned.
Caught off guard, Naruto jumped, falling instantly into his accustomed idiot act. Grabbing his new leaf forehead protector and shoving it higher on his forehead, Naruto plastered a huge grin on his face. "See my protector? I'm a ninja starting today, too!"
Rolling his eyes, the other boy promptly turned and walked away as Naruto slumped forward in his seat. He knew now why he was so hated, but knowledge did not always ease the pain of loneliness. Just once, he would like to have someone see him for who he really was.
A sudden commotion at the door turned most heads in the room. Naruto looked with everyone else, his face lighting up as he recognized the cause of the noise: Sakura-chan, his unrequited love, stood shoulder to shoulder with Ino. Both were panting, scanning the room. As Sakura-chan saw Naruto, her eyes widened and she smiled, leaving Ino's side to run towards him.
Naruto could hardly believe his luck. Sakura-chan hated him and did little but tell him how annoying she found him. Eagerly, he started out of his chair to greet her-
-and was immediately shoved out of the way. "Sasuke-kun, can I sit next to you?" the pink haired girl squealed, clasping her hands together.
Narrowing his eyes, Naruto squinted at the object of his love's affection. Unconcerned, Sasuke stared straight ahead, his mouth resting lightly on folded hands. Quiet and mysterious, Uchiha Sasuke was more than this year's number one rookie; all of the girls loved him. His black hair and ivory skin, the black eyes which saw everything. His athleticism. His genius.
Naruto hated him. He was certain that the feeling was mutual.
Sasuke did not even acknowledge Sakura's presence. With a haughty air, he continued to stare ahead, ignoring the bickering girls to his right.
Naruto could not stand it any longer. What was so special about Sasuke anyway? He was a jerk who always treated people badly. Especially Sakura- chan.
Before he knew what he was doing, Naruto found himself crouching on the table in front of Sasuke, his face dangerously close to the other boy's. Ignoring the outraged cries of the clustered girls, he pushed his face even closer to Sasuke's. A spark of pure hatred hung between them although Sasuke's face remained unchanged.
Naruto wasn't sure just what he was looking for. Perhaps he just wanted to break through the boy's calm shell, to expose a different Sasuke, one who was displayed emotions. To find the boy that hid behind the icy exterior.
Several moments passed as they stared.
"Naruto, what do you think you are doing?" Sakura screeched, her voice rising above the unhappy murmur of the females surrounding her. Gritting his teeth, Naruto tried to think of an acceptable answer.
What no one, not even Iruka-sensei realized was that Naruto's life was one grand act, a game of hiding his true self. Everyone knew him as the prankster, the troublemaker. The loudmouthed, annoying orphan. The village idiot. He had made an art of standing out as stupidly as possible. He was able to slide into his idiotic act at the drop of a hat. These unflattering images were impressions that Naruto was careful to cultivate, for it gave him a constant advantage over the rest of his peers. Because he was ignored and underestimated by everyone, he was free to study their strengths and weaknesses - yet they did not know his.
The silence stretched uncomfortably as even Naruto could not find a convincing answer to Sakura's demand until -
-with a gasp of surprise, Naruto felt himself falling forward. His momentum thrust him right into Sasuke and for a surprised moment, their lips touched.
Dead silence filled the room, broken only by the embarrassed apologies of the boy who had bumped Naruto. Sasuke and Naruto stared at each other, wide eyed, for a shocked moment before simultaneously turning away from each other, gagging and frantically wiping their mouths.
As if the reaction of the two boys was a signal, the rest of the class was abruptly released from their stunned paralysis. Most of the males began to laugh, but the girls... The girls advanced on Naruto with murderous intent.
Several minutes later, the class had settled down marginally. Sakura sat, smirking, between Sasuke and a bruised and bleeding Naruto.
As Iruka-sensei discussed the graduates' next steps towards becoming true ninjas, Naruto let his mind wander. Teams of three, huh? He hoped that he would be teamed up with Sakura-chan. As for his other teammate.. Well, anyone but Sasuke would be fine with him. He could take the hatred from the adults and from the children, but Sasuke's attitude got under his skin every time.
He could not suppress his triumphant cry when Iruka-sensei announced that Uzumaki Naruto and Haruno Sakura would be on the same team. Seconds later, however... Uchiha Sasuke. With a groan, Naruto's head fell to his chest as he listened to Sakura squeal beside him.