"Naruto..."
Within the lively classroom of the Ninja Academy, sprawled across his desk, Uzumaki Naruto was fast asleep until a gentle, pleasant voice suddenly stirred him. In a sleepy haze, he lifted his head and found himself looking at the face of the girl who was always on his mind.
The morning sun, perfectly angled, cast a soft radiance upon the girl's delicate and lovely features. A clip gently held back her pink hair, allowing her bangs to flutter softly, partially concealing her wide forehead. Her vibrant green eyes were narrowed into a gentle smile as she looked down at him.
"Sa... Sakura-chan?!"
A trickle of drool escaped from the corner of Uzumaki Naruto's mouth. He couldn't tell if it was from his nap or from gazing upon his longtime crush.
"Are you awake?" Sakura Haruno's voice remained soft and questioning.
Joy surged through Uzumaki Naruto. Why was Sakura being so kind to him today? Could it be... that she had finally noticed his undeniable charm and fallen for him?!
He nodded his head with enthusiastic speed. "I'm awake, Sakura-chan!"
A giggle escaped Sakura Haruno's lips. And then... she suddenly threw a powerful punch.
*Bang—*
A loud thud echoed as Uzumaki Naruto was sent flying, crashing through a row of desks and chairs before hitting the ground in a disheveled heap. The entire classroom turned to watch, then erupted into cheerful, mocking laughter. Nobody showed concern since this was a daily occurrence.
"Ah—"
Slightly dazed from the impact, Naruto covered his swelling cheek. He asked with a mix of hurt and total confusion, "Sakura-chan, why... why did you hit me!"
Planting her hands on her hips, Sakura Haruno huffed, "I tried to wake you many times since you were blocking my way to go near sasuke but you were sleeping like a log and you wouldn't wake up no matter how many times I called!" she exclaimed. "So don't you think you had that coming?!"
With that, she nimbly stepped over the wreckage of desks and chairs Naruto had created, approached Uchiha Sasuke, and her expression instantly transformed into a bright, sunny smile.
"Sasuke-kun!" she chirped. "I brought you some onigiri I made at home, would you like to have one? I put a lot of effort into them"
Uchiha Sasuke gave a cold snort, turning his head to gaze out the window, showing absolutely no sign of acknowledging her presence.
Watching this unfold, Uzumaki Naruto clenched his teeth and balled his hands into tight fists.
"Damn it!" he muttered. "That Sasuke... all he ever does is act cool and aloof! Why does Sakura even like a guy like him!"
He angrily pushed himself up, dusted off his pants, and directing his frustration away from Sakura, he strode toward Uchiha Sasuke with his sleeves rolled up. Immediately, all the girls in the classroom began to shout in protest.
"Naruto! Don't get close to Sasuke-kun!"
"Naruto baka, what do you think you're doing?!" Sakura yelled.
Naruto got right in Sasuke's face, their noses nearly touching. Uchiha Sasuke shot him a look of pure disgust.
"Last place, are you looking for a death wish?"
Hearing that nickname, Naruto's anger flared even hotter. "What was that, you jerk, Sasuke?! If you think you're so tough, then fight me!"
But before he could even make a move, Sakura Haruno couldn't restrain herself and threw another punch.
*Bang—*
It connected squarely with Naruto's forehead, sending him flying once more.
"What are you doing, Naruto!" she yelled. "Stay away from Sasuke!"
Crashing to the ground again, Uzumaki Naruto rubbed his throbbing forehead and stared at Sakura Haruno with a deeply wronged expression. "Sakura chaaan..."
The classroom erupted in laughter once more as the other students pointed and whispered, looking down mockingly at Naruto on the floor. Not a single person moved to approach him, much less offer a hand to help him up.
Fuming, Uzumaki Naruto got to his feet, the familiar sting of loneliness and pain washing over him. It seemed, however, that he had grown accustomed to it. Or perhaps, he just forced himself to pretend that he was.
"Hmph, what's so special about him anyway!" he declared to no one. "One day, I will become Hokage, and then every single one of you will have to respect me!"
If there was one thing he excelled at, it was probably his ability to console himself... otherwise, he might not have made it through a single day. He was by no means a genius, but he was certainly no fool either. He could sense the strange, cold shoulder the entire Village seemed to give him. It felt like more than just dislike... it was closer to pure hatred.
But what could he have possibly done to deserve it? He simply could not understand.
Even Sakura Haruno, the girl he admired most, treated him roughly, but at least she acknowledged his presence and would talk to him. For Naruto, after suffering through years of neglect and icy glares, even this was a luxury, a form of kindness... when most others refused to even be near him.
Right now, not just Sakura Haruno, but also Ino Yamanaka and several others, were all gathered around Sasuke, chattering and laughing, each desperately trying to get attention from sasuke. Meanwhile, the other boys in the class had broken off into their own small groups, laughing and joking amongst themselves.
And only Uzumaki Naruto remained completely by himself.
He lowered his gaze, a flicker of sadness passing through his eyes. But he swiftly pushed the ache from his heart, clasped his hands behind his head, and strode through the boisterous crowd, kicking the classroom door open and heading out of the academy. The lively crowd felt like it belonged to an entirely different world from his own.
*Why doesn't anyone care about me...* Uzumaki Naruto clenched his fists tightly and furiously kicked a small pebble across the playground.
*Bang—*
The pebble struck a distant wooden barrel, which sat next to some scattered painting supplies. Uzumaki Naruto stared at the brushes and cans of paint, and suddenly his eyes lit up. He slapped his right fist into his open left palm.
"That's it!"
...
"The Fourth Hokage, a true hero who sacrificed himself and protected the Village with his very life..."
"Hehe, what do you think of this!"
Atop the Hokage Rock in Konoha Village, Uzumaki Naruto was enthusiastically wielding his brush, freely applying colorful paint to the stone faces of the past Hokages. He contentedly added two small whiskers to the face of the Fourth Hokage, then stepped back a few feet to admire his handiwork from a distance, feeling quite proud.
It was at that moment. A sudden chill ran down Naruto's spine, as if he sensed a terrifying presence nearby. He slowly, hesitantly turned his head.
"Uzu! Ma! Ki! Na! Ru! To!"
A voice boomed out, startling him so much that he nearly jumped off the ledge. He barely managed to regain his footing, and when he turned to look, he saw it was Iruka-sensei.
"Iruka-sensei, you nearly scared me to death!"
Iruka Umino huffed angrily, "It's the middle of class! What on earth are you doing up here!"
Startled, Uzumaki Naruto just scratched the back of his head and laughed sheepishly. "I'm making art, Iruka-sensei, don't you think i have a talent for it? Especially the additions to the Fourth Hokage, that's my absolute masterpiece!"
Iruka's face was a mask of fury. "You will clean every drop of this up immediately! Then you will come back to class with me without another word!"
Naruto: "...Oh."
He pouted with a flash of defiance, but ultimately, he obediently began to clean off his painted graffiti.
During the walk back to the Ninja Academy, Iruka couldn't stop himself from asking, "Naruto, why would you do something like that?"
Uzumaki Naruto just chuckled. "Because I'm the only one who can! Nobody else would ever dare to do this, right? Only someone like me, Uzumaki Naruto, has that kind of courage!"
Iruka, of course, understood the boy's true thoughts and recognized his profound loneliness and pain. He let out a sigh. "Naruto, I understand that you want to get attention and earn recognition from everyone, but you cannot achieve it through these kinds of pranks. You should be focusing on studying and training rather than doing these pointless things?"
Uzumaki Naruto quickly replied, "But I am already trying as hard as I can, Iruka-sensei! But, but... there are so many things I just can't seem to learn. And compared to that jerk Sasuke, I feel like I'm not even as good as any of my other classmates..."