On the outskirts of Konoha, deep within the forest, a lone figure stood in silence. Black spiked hair shifted with the wind, a sword resting against his lower back, a dark cloak hanging from his shoulders. His right eye — a piercing purple Rinnegan with six tomoe — scanned the trees carefully. His left arm was gone. This was Sasuke Uchiha.
He frowned. "What happened… how did I get here?" The air felt familiar. Too familiar. He vanished in a blur and reappeared at the gates of the Hidden Leaf Village. When his eyes lifted to the Hokage Monument, his breath caught. Four faces. Only four. Hashirama. Tobirama. Hiruzen. Minato. No Tsunade. No Kakashi. No Naruto. His jaw tightened. "What is this…?" The village looked smaller, older, the buildings less advanced. This wasn't his time.
As he walked the streets, quietly observing, the scent of ramen drifted toward him. His eyes shifted toward Ichiraku, and there he saw it — blond hair and a loud voice. "ANOTHER BOWL, OLD MAN!" Sasuke froze. Naruto. Younger. Smaller. Ayame laughed behind the counter. "Naru-chan, that's your eighth bowl already!" "I DON'T CARE! RAMEN IS THE FOOD OF THE GODS!" Sasuke felt something tighten in his chest and stepped forward.
Ayame looked up and paused at the sight of the tall, sharp-eyed man before her. "H-hello… how can I help you?" Sasuke gave a controlled smile. "I'll have what he's having." He avoided saying Naruto's name. Naruto turned and squinted at him. "HEY! I'M NOT A KID! MY NAME'S NARUTO UZUMAKI! FUTURE HOKAGE OF THE LEAF! BELIEVE IT!" Sasuke internally sweat-dropped. Their ramen arrived. He took a bite and his eyes widened slightly. "…Amazing." Naruto's ears twitched. "Ohhh? So you understand greatness, huh, mister?" "I suppose I do," Sasuke replied calmly. "How old are you?" Naruto puffed his chest out. "I'm ten! And I'm not a kid!" Ten. Two years before graduation. "I see." "What's your name?" A brief pause. "…Kazuto Kirigaya." Naruto grinned. "Thanks, Mr. Kazuto!" Sasuke blinked. "For what?" Naruto looked down at his bowl. "For talking to me… for acknowledging me. I don't have many people to talk to. Just Jiji, Ayame-nee, Teuchi-jiji, and Iruka-sensei." Sasuke felt a sharp ache in his chest. "No problem… kid."
Naruto paid and left. Sasuke followed unseen, watching the glares and hearing the whispers. "Demon brat." "Monster." "Don't look at him." Sasuke's fists clenched inside his sleeves. You really had it this bad…
Naruto broke into a run toward Training Ground Five. Once there, he began punching a tree repeatedly, bark cracking as his knuckles split and bled. He raised his fist again but a firm hand stopped him. "That's enough, Naruto." Naruto looked up to see Mr. Kazuto.
Sasuke sighed softly. "Damn villagers…" He formed a hand sign. "Shadow Clone Jutsu." A clone appeared, nodded once, and vanished in a blur to prepare things. Sasuke turned back to Naruto. "Walk with me." Naruto nodded instantly. Sasuke grabbed his shoulder and used Shunshin. In a flash, they stood atop the Fourth Hokage's stone head overlooking the village as the sun dipped below the horizon. Naruto's eyes sparkled. "WHOA! THAT WAS AWESOME!" Sasuke allowed a faint smirk. After a moment of silence, he spoke. "Naruto… do you want to become strong?" Naruto turned sharply. "Yes! I wanna be strong enough to protect my precious people and become Hokage!" The conviction in his voice stunned Sasuke.
"Then become my student," Sasuke said quietly. Naruto stared at him, feeling something in his gut telling him to trust this man. He grinned widely. "ALRIGHT, KAZU-SENSEI!" Sasuke raised an eyebrow but let it slide. "There are rules. First, you tell no one about this until you graduate." Naruto nodded. "Second, even if you grow stronger, you remain the dead last of your class." Naruto's eyes widened. "B-But—" Sasuke's gaze sharpened. "When you graduate, then you reveal your true abilities." Naruto hesitated, then nodded slowly. "Third… no more orange after the academy." "WHAAAT?! BUT KAZU-SENSEI—" "Do you want your future team killed?" Sasuke asked calmly. Naruto froze. "…No." "Then no orange." Naruto slumped. "…Okay."
Sasuke looked over the village one last time. "After the academy, meet me at Training Ground Seven. Tell no one." Naruto nodded firmly. "I won't!" Sasuke gave one final glance at the boy who would one day become the strongest shinobi alive — then vanished to prepare his training.