Naruto's pov

I didn't speak to Sasuke for the rest of the year, almost five months. During that time, he tried talking to me a few times, but I ignored him. My attendance at school dropped significantly; I spent most of my time persuading my dad to assign me longer missions to avoid being home or in the village.

If Sasuke and his family had issues with me, that was their problem, not mine. What frustrated me was how much I cared about his opinion. Kurama called me stupid, but I was just protecting myself.

I poured myself into my missions, losing myself in the work. I tried to make sure all the ones I was given were as gruesome as possible but my dad might've figured out what I was doing because he started giving me easier ones. Each assignment took me farther from the village, and with every step, I felt a little more distance from the pain that had settled in my chest. The physical exhaustion from the missions was a welcome distraction from the shit that was going on.

Kurama, ever the blunt advisor, continued to chastise me for avoiding Sasuke, but I wasn't even avoiding him, I was... doing something other than avoiding him. "You're running away, kid," he'd say in that disappointed tone while clicking his teeth. "You're acting like a bitch, Naruto, and you're not one. You know this is just gonna bite you in the ass later on."

But what did Kurama know about heartache and friendship? I convinced myself that ignoring Sasuke was the best way to protect my heart from more pain. And yet, every time I saw him in the village or heard his name, I'd be brought back to every memory of him that I've been trying to get rid of.

More specifically how I heard him bawling his eyes out after I left and how puffy his eyes were at school for the next week. I wouldn't admit it, not any time soon at least, but I kinda missed our conversations, however short and stupid they were. I missed how he'd turn red every time I'd smile at him or how he'd smile every time I'd show interest in him.

One day, during a particularly grueling mission, I found myself deep in the forest, far from any sign of civilization. The silence around me was comforting, a stark contrast to the noise of my thoughts. I kept replaying everything in my head but every time I'd want to speak to Sasuke again, I'd hear those fucking voices of his family members talking about me. Not even just them, everyone over the years, they never shut up.

I tried to push those thoughts away, focusing instead on the task at hand. But no matter how hard I tried, Sasuke's face kept appearing in my mind. His smile, how he'd be so different around me compared to everyone else, every snarky remark he made about someone in class and how he'd laugh every time I made my own.

As the days turned into weeks and the missions continued, I realized that sadly, Kurama might be right. Running away wasn't solving anything. But I was not running away, or avoiding him, I was just... busy.

But that ends today, seeing as how we graduated, which I missed, and we would be getting assigned our teams. It wasn't my fault I missed graduation, I was being held up with a mission—they took longer than expected to fork over their information. But I'm here now.

I was sitting next to Sasuke, as per usual, but I noticed I was getting a few weird stares from people. I hate this village.

Sasuke slid a note in front of me. Can't he take a hint?

R u ok?

Am I okay? Shouldn't I be asking him that? He's the one who's been coming to class with eyes as red as the blood I've had to clean off my katana seventeen fucking times in the past week.

I took the note and stashed it in my pocket, nodding without looking at him. And he smiled. It was small and he covered with his hand but I seen it. He's not slick.

"I look forward to seeing everyone progress as shinobi. Having said that, it's time to assign teams!" Huh? Oh, is class almost over? Thank god, I wanna go home. I just need this to be over with and I'll never see Sasuke again. Hopefully I'm with Shikamaru and... who else? Shino. Yeah, hopefully I'm with them.

As he went through the teams, I didn't recognize a single person, have I really been in this class with these people this whole time? Well obviously I knew about them because I did background checks, but I forgot everything afterwards. I'm not a bad shinobi I swear. Why couldn't the twins be graduating and all of us coincidentally end up on the same team??

"–ven, Naruto Uzumaki–" I'm going to get that legally changed. I can't take this anymore. I hate it so much, it doesn't even sound right! Why can't they just say Naruto? That's another reason I prefer being an ANBU, just Kitsune. Nothing else. It's perfect unlike Naruto Uzumaki. One day, I'll kill that bitch as well.

"–ha. Team eight: Kiba Inuzuka, Hinat–" You're joking. Who the fuck is on my team? What team am I even on?? I glanced over at Sasuke but looked away. No way, I'm not folding just to ask him something stupid like this. I'll just wait to see who comes to me. "You're stubborn." 'Kiss my ass.'

Sooner or later, everyone cleared out and the only people were left were me, some girl with pink hair, Sasuke, and a couple other people who had yet to go.

The girl with pink hair walked over to Sasuke and stood in front of our desk. Who the fuck is she? "My name is Sakura Haruno, it's nice to meet you guys..." she smiled a little before looking away. You guys? What does she mean by that? "Sasuke Uchiha," he mumbled, his eyes glued to his desk.

Then they both looked at me expectingly.

Why am I getting that sense of dread like I did in my dads office before he forced me to come here...? What's going on.

"What?", I asked, but it came out a little harsher than I intended.

"Well, Sasuke and I already introduced ourselves so we're waiting on you," the pink haired girl told me. I narrowed my eyes, "Why?"

"Call it a team building experience, I don't care, just introduce yourself." This sassy little bitch, who is she talking to like that?? But anyways, team building?? What the fuck does she mean team building? "You two are on my team?", I asked in disbelief. Please be joking. Please, someone come out with the cameras. Please!

They both nodded. I looked at Sasuke and noticed how he was looking away. Fuck me, you're so fucking joking. I exhaled, trying to stop my eyes from rolling.

"My name is Naruto and I'm going home." I stood up and walked out of the room, leaving behind a stunned Sasuke and an indignant Sakura. My ears rang as I made my way through the academy halls, the weight of the situation crashing down on me.

So, I was stuck on a team with Sasuke and some girl I didn't even know. This was a nightmare. I can't believe my piss poor luck. But there is no escaping it now. The mission, the school, everything had conspired to force me into this corner, but I'm not one to just sit there and take it lying down anymore. "Pun intended." 'I hate you.' Me and my dad are going to have a very serious conversation about honesty.

Outside, the village was bustling with activity. Children were playing, shopkeepers were tending to their stalls, and ninjas were going about their business. I want to disappear into the crowd, to blend in and forget about the team I'd just been assigned to. So I did what I always do, I went to the forest and fought Kurama until we were both too tired to throw another punch. So I started throwing rocks at him.

"Fuck you, Naruto," he laughed when one hit him.

I laid down and screamed, "I can't fucking take this!!"

He ignored my cries. "Sun's almost down, you know your dad's gonna withhold missions from you again if you're not home."

I groaned, rolling over and kicking my feet and hitting the ground.

"Naruto, you're about to be thirteen this year and you're still throwing tantrums. This is not a good look for you," he joked.

"I don't care! This isn't fair!! I just keep getting fucked over by the universe for whatever fucking reason!" Maybe I'm cursed? Everyone did call me cursed growing up but that was only because of.. I turned my head in Kurama's direction, my eye twitching.

I jumped over and tackled him, "This is your fault!!" He just laughed as he tried to push me off him, "No, it's not. It's karma because you did that to Sasuke."

He pushed me off and I landed next to him, panting and trying to catch my breath.

"Come on, kid, we gotta get you home."

I opened the door and took off my shoes, noticing that the house was quieter than usual. My dad was in the kitchen about to start dinner. I followed the normal routine: letting him know I was home, hearing his customary greeting and dinner plans, and then heading to shower. But just as I was about to go upstairs, he stopped me.

"Oh, Naruto, you weren't here, but someone came to visit you. It seemed important, so I told him to wait in your room. He got here around the same time as me, so... about thirty minutes ago. He should still be there. I told you I'd meet your friends one day," he teased.

"Dad, you just let some stranger in my room??" Is he out of his mind?? He's the Hokage and this is how he acts. "He's not a stranger. Now go, he's been waiting long enough," he shooed me away. Who in the fuck did my dad let in my damn room???!

I left and practically ran up the stairs, I swear to god, me and my dad are going to fight one day. I don't deserve this. I'm such a good kid, I don't deserve this.

"You made a little boy cry because you got your feelings hurt and you kill people every other week."

"Shut up Kurama," I said under my breath as I closed the first door behind me, walking up the steps.

I put my hand on the knob and paused. Who the fuck actually visits me?? Who would? What the fuck? I opened the door and Kurama instantly started laughing at me.

Sasuke fucking Uchiha sitting on my bed. I have to have the worst luck in fucking history.

Rahhhh, what do you guys think?