Hi!

I'm sorry for the looong delay, but here I am again. I don't have anything to say for myself, to be honest. Besides, I don't think you want to hear my excuses. 

I'm really grateful for all the nice comments and all of you who support this story and have waited for it.

I just hope it was worth the wait :)

-------------------------------------

How to put it? He felt...

Completely lost.

Attending the Academy turned out to be completely different than he had previously thought. His vision of the school of his dreams was replaced by that of the worst imaginings. 

Unfortunately, it was himself who was the problem.

He felt really uncomfortable the very moment he set his foot at the school. He didn't expect so many people in one place. There were over two hundred students themselves, and accompanying them were also their parents, relatives and all the ghosts. Naruto had never been in the presence of so many people at once. Children on the street and in the parks always shied away from him, and their parents quickly took them away from the places where he stayed. Usually, wherever he appeared, everyone around him dispersed, as if he were some kind of plague. That's why he didn't have a chance to spend time with his other peers.

That is why now, being in such a large group of people, it seemed to him that there was a terrible crowd surrounding him. The number of candidates for future shinobi was overwhelming, and this was just the beginning of what he was going to experience there.

Next were those looks. At one moment, the majority of adults' eyes turned to him, showing him their attitude towards him. Their eyes spoke for themselves; he was not welcome there. Hatred, rage, fear and anxiety were obvious. Wherever he looked, they were there. Wherever he went, the parents moved their children away from him, telling them to stay away from him. Whenever he bumped into someone, he was repelled, and people walked away from him a safe distance.

But the worst were the whispers.

"What is this thing doing here?"

"Is this the demon?"

"The Hokage allowed this monster to study here?"

"This thing doesn't even deserve to live."

"Stay away from this child, honey. He's dangerous."

Maybe they thought he couldn't hear it, or they intentionally spoke loud enough for him to understand what they were thinking about him; either way, it hurt the same. To be honest, he was afraid. He was terribly afraid that he wouldn't have the chance to find any friends because of the adult's gossip. And the worst part was, he didn't even know what they were all talking about.

He felt overwhelmed by all those present there, but at the same time he was lonely. Sounds silly and like it doesn't make sense, right? Naruto wanted to laugh bitterly when he realized what a hopeless situation he found himself in.

After the Hokage's welcome speech, during which the first class's composition was presented, Naruto went to the classroom where he was to meet his tutor and the rest of the students. He entered as one of the first people, so he quickly took his place by the window, in the penultimate row. He began to watch the other children as they entered the room. He associated several descendants of famous clans, such as the Akimichi and Nara, but there were many students from families he didn't know.

A girl with the unusual pink hair color immediately caught his eye. She seemed scared and immediately went to the back desks, tilting her head down so that he couldn't see her face. He watched her for a moment, hoping she would show herself, but eventually gave up. There was no point in waiting for something that probably wouldn't happen.

Soon after, another future kunoichi entered the class. She had short navy blue hair and white eyes without pupils. 'It's the Byakugan.' Naruto noticed 'So she must be from the Hyuuga clan'. When their eyes met, the girl blushed and looked away, sitting in the first bench. The blond, surprised by her behavior, looked at her for a while, but then focused on the next children entering the class.

As one of the last students entering the room appeared a black-haired boy with the same eye colour and an indifferent expression on his face. Kushina flinched at the sight of him. She touched her son's shoulder.

"It's him. He's Mikoto's son."

"That one boy I couldn't meet?" whispered the younger Uzumaki, so that no one else would hear him. The red-haired woman nodded.

"He comes from the Uchiha clan. If I remember correctly, his name is Sasuke."

Naruto listened carefully, looking at the said boy. At some point, their eyes met. The blond smiled in greeting, hoping to interest his peer, but the onyx-eyed just snorted, taking a seat on the other side of the room. Uzumaki felt a sense of superiority in the Uchiha's behaviour, which he definitely didn't like. They didn't even know each other yet, but he already thought he was better, probably only because of his origin. Minato's son decided that he would show the boy that he wasn't the only special person here.

After a few minutes the room was almost full, only several seats in the first row remained empty (hardly anyone wanted to sit directly in the teacher's sight). Happy conversations were heard everywhere, people were getting to know each other, the first groups of friends were beginning to form. Naruto tried to talk to others, but the children around him were doing everything they could to ignore him. The blond cursed the civilians' rumors and suddenly he felt even more lonely. He wondered whether to approach, for example, that navy blue- or pink-haired girl, because they both sat alone like him and didn't integrate. Maybe they would at least accept him and perhaps even want to become friends?

It was not given to him, though, because at that moment the teacher came into the classroom. He was dark-haired, with hair tied into a ponytail and black eyes. A long, horizontal scar ran above his nose. He wore a typical shinobi outfit and held a lesson diary in his hands.

"Good morning!" he called out. When he received no reply, his voice lost in the chatter, he repeated the greeting twice more. However, since many of the students still talked, apparently ignoring the older man, he headed for the desk and struck it with the held object. There was a bang and immediately everyone fell silent. The man smiled a bit viciously.

"Thank you for the silence. So, I suppose I should say it again; Good morning!"

"Good morning!" the class answered, a little scared. The teacher continued.

"My name is Umino Iruka and from today on, I will be your educator for four years. I look forward to your fruitful cooperation!"

"Haaai!"

"Well then, let us start by getting to know each other. When I call out your name, please stand up to make it easier for us to remember you. Aburame Shino!"

"Here," a boy in black glasses and a gray-green hooded vest rose from his desk. A tall gray turtleneck covered his mouth. After a while he sat back down.

"OK, moving on. Akimichi Chōji!"

They introduced themselves one after another - among others: Haruno Sakura, which turned out to be the pink-haired girl, Hyuuga Hinata, the owner of the Byakugan, Inuzuka Kiba and Nara Shikamaru. The teacher was approaching the end of the alphabet.

"Uchiha Sasuke!"

"Hn," the boy said only, getting up for a few seconds and immediately returning to his thoughtful position. At the sight of him almost all the girls in the class began to go crazy and started squeaking. Umino had to slam the lesson diary on his desk once again, because his requests for silence didn't work.

The Namikaze laughed silently at this situation, but immediately focused on the educator. Now that they have reached the letter 'U', he should be called out soon. However, Iruka, as if to test his patience, didn't read any further; he just stared at the list of students in shock. He looked up and flew through all the children who were surprised by his hesitation, then looked back at the list.

"U... Uzumaki... Naruto..." he stammered finally, sounding much less confident than before. Despite the brunet's puzzling behavior, the said boy smiled and stood up without hesitation, raised his hand, loudly announcing:

"That's me, dattebayo!"

However, unlike others, he didn't receive a smile from the teacher. The kids didn't comment on his appearance or clothing, as they did in other cases. There was a grave silence. The Namikaze was slowly losing confidence. His hand lowered, shakily, but he still stood. Whoever he gazed at, looked away or didn't even set eyes on him. He looked slightly scared at the teacher, seeking support in him, but what he saw deprived him of all the crumbs of confidence he still possessed. The man's gaze, the same as that of the inhabitants of Konoha - full of contempt, hatred and disgust - was directed straight at him. The boy sat down slowly at his desk, tilting his head down so that his hair covered his face and he didn't have to look at the sensei. Or at anyone else. He just wanted to sink into the ground at that moment.

***

He no longer listened to Iruka calling up names from the list. Besides that, however, the rest of the lessons were quite normal, except for the teacher ignoring him and the students who were constantly looking at him and whispering something to themselves. Umino discussed the rules of the Academy and their curriculum, and also told them some things about being a ninja. Then they were shown around the school. Finally, a brief test of their skills such as agility, dexterity, endurance and precision was carried out. They were to pass a small obstacle course in the shortest possible time, and then to throw some unsharpened beginner kunais to the aim.

Both activities came to Naruto easily, thanks to which he scored the second highest result, right after Sasuke. In fact, their achievements were not very different. The Uchiha's "win" was only determined by the fact that his time was shorter by a few seconds and that he threw one kunai more in the center of the shield. However, the black-haired boy definitely seemed very happy about this, casting him a winning look. Uzumaki rolled his eyes. In his opinion, he did his best; he shouldn't be interested in the opinions of others. However, the Uchiha's approach to his peers, a clear exaltation over the others visible in his behaviour... Okay, maybe he was the best one at the moment, but that behaviour of his didn't testify well about himself and his character. Naruto couldn't understand why so many girls from his and, strangely enough, a year older class were falling for this selfish guy.

Apart from this little test, they didn't do anything else at the Academy because it was only their first lesson. Real learning was to start the next day. Umino instructed the children what they would need for lessons, and then said goodbye to them.

When Iruka released them from the class, Naruto decided to try again to talk to other members of his class. Everyone headed outside, but when the blond followed them, it turned out that parents came to pick up most of them. Knowing the attitude of adults towards him, he didn't approach and quickly passed them all. Still, he hadn't missed any more whispers. To drown them out, he began to whistle under his breath and put his hands behind his head.

"Are you in class with this boy?"

"Don't hang out with him."

"It's best to pretend he's not here."

Passing through the yard, Naruto noticed a large, lonely tree, on which a wooden swing was hung. He headed that way and, sitting on it, looked at happy children in the presence of their guardians. How they all hugged and kissed. He smiled sadly at the sight. He looked at Minato and Kushina, who were looking at him regretfully. They embraced him gently so as not to penetrate him, but it was not the same. Maybe they wanted to improve his mood, but he couldn't feel their warmth. If he cuddled up too much, he didn't find any resistance and the cold air was blowing over his body. He would give anything if he could really embrace them. Show them how much he loves them and that he is grateful that they are with him. 

He was about to go home so he could move his things to the new apartment when he heard the rustling of leaves above him. He looked up to see a gray-haired man in a fox mask waving his hand in greeting.

"Yo!"

"K-Kakashi-san?!"

"Shhh, don't shout or they'll discover me." He put a finger to his face. "Remember, we shouldn't know each other."

The blonde nodded.

"What is mister doing here, dattebayo?" he asked in a whisper.

"I told you not to call me 'mister'." Uzumaki scratched his neck, laughing awkwardly at this reminder.

"I came for you. I thought you might feel a little lonely, since all the parents came for everyone, and yours..." he paused, because Namikaze looked depressed at students holding their respective guardians by hand and heading towards their homes. Kushina looked at her husband's disciple rebukingly, although he obviously couldn't see her. Hatake looked away.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have mentioned it. If you want, I can go now. We will meet in the evening on the training field, as agreed."

He wanted to move away, but Naruto grabbed him by the red scarf hanging from his neck, which dangled over the boy's head.

"No... Stay." he asked, head down. "I... I just..."

"You have nothing to explain." the gray-haired interrupted him gently. "Come, I'll help you take your things to relocate. The Hokage is working, Asuma is on a mission, and Konohamaru is temporarily at Ebisu's, so the Third's apartment is free and no one will see us. Then, if you want, I can help you with your training."

Naruto smiled and nodded. Then, first looking around to see if anyone was watching, he grabbed the hand of a man who was reaching it out in his direction, who took him in his arms and quickly moved him through the Village.

Namikaze seemed to be slowly beginning to sympathize with his father's student. It was actually very funny. He finally went to the Academy to find friends his age, but they didn't want to think about him at all. Instead, someone much older, someone he'd never thought about in his life, sought his trust. It was just as senseless as his feelings about being at the Academy, but still it was absolutely true.

The only question was, was this feeling good?

***

"Ah, that's right, Mom, I have one question. Do you know anything about this one boy?" Sasuke started the topic when he finished setting the table.

A few minutes ago he returned from school and, after telling about his wonderful debut in the classroom, decided to learn something about a topic that still haunted him. He sat down at the table and watched his parent prepare dinner, waiting for her response.

"Hmm?" the woman was surprised. She stopped cutting vegetables for a moment and turned her face to her son with a smile. "What a surprise. You are rarely interested in other children, Sasuke. Who is this boy?"

Young Uchiha put his head on his hands and tried to remember more precisely the appearance of his contemporary.

"He was a blond, with blue eyes and three scars on the cheeks. I think his name was Nard or Nerdo or something."

Mikoto stiffened, which didn't escape the eight-year-old's attention.

"Naruto? Uzumaki Naruto?" she asked quietly.

"Oh, that's right. So you know something about him?" Sasuke concluded.

"Why is he so interesting to you?"

The boy shrugged.

"He was weird. The students avoided him, and our teacher seemed shocked at his sight in the classroom. Besides, are his whiskers a clan symbol or something? I've never seen anything like it."

Mikoto was silent for a moment, carefully choosing her words. In fact, she didn't know what she should be thinking at the moment. She was very happy that she could finally hear about her friend's child. The Shinobi Council and the Hokage didn't allow anyone from the Uchiha clan to meet the boy, as well as anyone who was close to his parents. So it was good to finally learn something. 

However, she didn't like the way her son described the blond's situation. Avoided, despised and not accepted -  even by his educator and peers, it appeared; this was not the fate Minato wanted for him. She could not comprehend the logic of the villagers of the Leaf Village who considered the child to be a demon who killed their loved ones and their beloved Hokage. She understood the situation of the jinchuuriki and the fact that he had no influence on his fate.

But thinking about it, wasn't it because she knew about the child's background? Would she think the same if she didn't have this information? She couldn't answer these questions.

At times she terribly regretted that she was a member of the Uchiha clan. Kushina and Minato were both her close friends, so they didn't keep secrets from her. They both had a feeling that something bad would happen on Naruto's birthday. That is why they asked her that if anything happened to them, she should take care of their child. They trusted her and she wanted to prove them she was worth that trust. That is why she agreed to take the Uzumaki in, if the worst case scenario happened.

So imagine her rage when after the whole event the Council forbade her to approach the boy.

In the Five Great Nations - in their respective Villages, to be exact - one of the Kages is in charge, along with the help of the elders. At least, that's what's widely believed. The truth was that the Council had more power than any of the Kages. For the leader's more important orders to be implemented, the Council (or, as Mikoto liked to call them, 'a bunch of stupid and selfish old men') had to accept them first.

Therefore, despite the decision of the Fourth Hokage himself and all the respect of the Leaf Village for him, no one would agree to his will that the Uchiha clan take Naruto. The Sharingan family was already widely recognized as a threat by then, and having a container for the Kyuubi among their ranks would make them the most powerful people in Konoha. Everyone in the Council was afraid of an uprising led by the black-eyed people, due to their already much limited rights. The fact that they were forbidden to fight the demon during its attack didn't help at all. Mikoto could bet that if they were allowed to join the battle instead of having to escort the inhabitants, the result would be completely different, and the Fourth and his wife wouldn't have to sacrifice themselves.

However, she could do nothing now. Most of the Uchiha clan, who advocated the idea of ​​Konoha's Yellow Flash (without even knowing that he was the father of Naruto), finally gave up their attempts to get along with the elders. Who was she to oppose them alone? So she lived on, hoping that the boy was brought up well by the Third who managed to take him in instead.

And yet, from what she heard just now, Naruto wasn't doing as well as she would have liked. She had to learn more about Kushina's child. And now she had the only person who could safely tell her about him in front of her.

"Well, I don't know much about him," she lied, finally answering her son's question. She couldn't tell him too much information about the boy. "From what I've heard, he's an orphan, raised by the Third Hokage-sama. And he has those whiskers since birth."

"Seriously?! Raised by Sandaime-sama?!" a small smile appeared on the face of the little Uchiha "So I am stronger than the pupil of the Hokage himself!"

"Oh really?" Mikoto became interested. "Did you get a better result on the test? Then how did he do?" she wanted to know when she received an affirmative answer to the first question.

Sasuke pouted, dissatisfied.

"Why are you so interested in it?"

"Why not? Can't I know how much better you are than him?"

"Better than who?" they heard a deep male voice. They turned towards the door to see the head of the Uchiha clan entering through it and, soon after, his older son.

"Oh, Fugaku, Itachi." Mikoto smiled at the ANBU member and then at her husband, who asked the previous question. She wanted to answer, but Sasuke was faster, immediately running up to his older brother and hugging him. 

"Nii-san! You won't guess what happened!"

"What?"

"I'm in class with the Hokage's pupil! And I also surpass him with my skills!" he exclaimed proudly.

The older sibling looked meaningfully at his father and mother. He knew something about the boy Sarutobi was taking care of.  As a member of ANBU, he had access to many, but not all, of Konoha's secrets. So he realized that his little brother was in the same class as Kyuubi no Kitsune's jinchuuriki. In addition, there was one other thing that connected the Uzumaki with the young genius of the Uchiha clan.

He didn't really know what he should think about this situation. He knew the Nine-Tailed Fox was dangerous, but he was now sealed. It shouldn't affect the life of its container for a long time, too. Also, when he was patrolling the Village from time to time, he had the chance to see Naruto himself and he seemed kind and clever. In addition, Itachi, as he found out the previous day, now had the chance to watch him longer. Thanks to this, he could assess the jinchuuriki more accurately. He actually thought that Naruto is a good candidate for a friend, if one only accepts who he is.

However, from what he had seen so far, the kid had little chance of it.

Finally, he stopped thinking and smiled at Sasuke.

"That's very good. Keep it up."

"You still haven't answered your mother, Sasuke," his father suddenly reminded him.

"Ah, yeah" the youngest member of the family frowned "He was a few seconds slower on the track and hit the center of the shield less times."

"But he hit a lot?" Mikoto inquired. The youngest nodded slowly.

"So he's talented too." Itachi summed up, much to his brother's dissatisfaction. "What result did he get?"

"Second best, right after me," muttered the Academy student. Fugaku laughed at this information and the reaction of his second son to it.

"You must be careful, Sasuke, looks like there's a new rival growing up there. Maybe he'll even beat you someday. I advise you to study, so as not to dishonor our family name." he instructed.

Sasuke listened to his father in disbelief. Did... did he really praise a boy he didn't even know? That damn blonde?! Anger began to gather in him. He went to the Academy to draw his parents' attention to himself, not to others! He wanted to gain the respect of his guardians so that they would finally recognize him as their child! Just like Itachi! And now this... this brat was to take this away from him?!

Oh no, he won't let anything go completely opposite to his plans. He would not let Uzumaki take away his parents' attention, which only HE deserved. Which HE needed. However, his family had already started talking about the Hokage's pupil, completely forgetting about his presence. Unable to stand it, the youngest Uchiha in the room loudly ran out of it, stamping his feet, announcing that he was going training.

"Wait, Sasuke, I will come with you!" Itachi wanted to offer himself, only now seeing that his brother is not satisfied with the lack of attention given to him. Sasuke stopped for a moment, looking hopefully at his eternal idol. However, this hope shattered like a soap bubble when Fugaku spoke up.

"Sorry, Sasuke, but Itachi can't go with you now." he turned to his older son . "We have to finish discussing the details of your next mission. You start tomorrow early in the morning so everything must be ready."

Sasuke's face darkened again. Itachi smiled apologetically and gestured to his brother to approach him. When he was close enough, he touched his forehead with his index and middle fingers, thus stopping him.

"Sorry, Sasuke. Maybe another time."

The boy said nothing. He only crossed his arms over his chest and walked away, internally commenting on how much he would have to wait for this 'next time'.

When his footsteps finally stopped, Itachi looked at his parents.

"You should pay more attention to him. Sasuke is at such an age that he needs it badly now. I can handle myself alone."

The clan leader shook his head.

"That's not the point. I know you can handle it, but your brother must learn that not everything is about him. We won't always have time for him; neither me nor you nor your mother. If he doesn't understand this, he'll never be a good ninja."

The man turned toward the door

"Come now. You must still read the Uzumaki's files. The Hokage ordered you to monitor how he will function and behave at the Academy from tomorrow on."

His wife was surprised at those news. She sent a curious look to her son, but he had already left with his father. The woman sighed and looked at the vegetables she had yet to cut and then at the almost ready soup.

"And who will eat dinner?" she asked herself.