"Shikamaru, want some chips?" Choji asked as he held out a bag of crispy potato chips to his friend, who was leaning back lazily with his hands behind his head.
"Thanks, Choji," Shikamaru replied, taking one and crunching it slowly.
He let out a long sigh, his voice dripping with boredom. "Man, Dad, do I really have to go to this school? It sounds like such a drag."
His father, Shikaku, glanced at him with a flat expression. "If you don't want to go, then fine. You can go tell your mother yourself."
Shikamaru's face immediately stiffened. "Forget it. Mom's way too scary."
Choji chuckled between mouthfuls of chips. "Mm, I think going to school is kind of fun." He shoved another handful into his mouth before continuing, "You get to meet new people and train together."
"Exactly," Choza, Choji's father, added with a hearty laugh. "We all went through the same thing back in our day. Shikamaru, you've got to change that lazy attitude of yours."
Perched on the branch of a tree not far from the academy, Naruto watched the bustling scene below. The entrance ceremony for new students was in full swing. Parents and children gathered together, the air buzzing with excitement and chatter.
Naruto, however, sat alone. Guy-sensei had been sent away on a mission, leaving no one to accompany him to this important day.
A faint look of envy flashed in Naruto's eyes. If his parents had still been alive, they would've walked beside him too, smiling proudly as they brought him to the academy.
Just as his heart tightened with loneliness, a voice spoke behind him. "Naruto, it's time. You should head down and join the entrance ceremony."
Naruto spun around in shock. Kakashi was standing right there, so close that Naruto hadn't even sensed his arrival.
"Whoa! Kakashi-sensei, you scared me!" Naruto blurted out, then quickly broke into a wide grin. Kakashi had actually come to walk with him.
The envy he had felt a moment earlier melted away. He wasn't alone after all. He was just like the other kids someone important was here with him.
"Alright, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto replied eagerly. The two leapt down from the tree and made their way toward the academy together.
The moment Naruto appeared, eyes turned his way. Whispers rose, some curious, others mocking.
"Naruto, I thought you weren't coming," Sasuke muttered under his breath when he saw him. A flicker of joy passed through his eyes, but with his father standing beside him, he forced himself not to run over and greet Naruto.
Hinata, clutching her father's hand, spotted Naruto too. Her cheeks flushed pink, and she lowered her gaze with a shy but happy smile.
But not everyone's eyes were kind. More than a few villagers glared at Naruto, muttering under their breath with disdain and disgust.
That was until Kakashi's single visible eye hardened, sharp as a blade. His cold gaze swept across the crowd. The villagers froze as if a predator had fixed its sight on them. Their whispers died instantly, leaving only awkward silence behind.
The sight of Kakashi walking beside Naruto stirred complicated feelings among the clan leaders present.
Fugaku Uchiha, Sasuke's father, narrowed his eyes. A faint glow of crimson bled into his pupils, the Sharingan activating instinctively. His gaze flicked between Naruto and Kakashi, unreadable and dangerous.
Choza and Shikaku exchanged a quick glance as well. They, too, recognized what was happening.
The Third Hokage had strictly forbidden anyone with ties to the Fourth Hokage to interact with Naruto. That restriction had kept the clan leaders who all knew exactly who Naruto was at a cautious distance.
So why, they thought bitterly, was Kakashi allowed to stand at his side, hand on his shoulder, openly walking him into the academy?
Just because he had once been the Fourth's student?
Their chests tightened with a sense of unfairness that they dared not voice.
Shikamaru and Sasuke both noticed the strange tension radiating from their fathers.
"Dad, do you know that kid?" Sasuke asked curiously.
Fugaku quickly deactivated his Sharingan, his expression smoothing out. "No. I don't."
"Oh," Sasuke muttered, pursing his lips. He wanted to tell his father that Naruto was his friend, but the thought of embarrassing the Uchiha name by openly befriending a "nobody" made him hesitate.
Shikamaru, on the other hand, gave a lazy yawn and muttered under his breath, "What a drag."
Naruto, oblivious to the heavy thoughts swirling around the adults, noticed Sasuke and waved brightly. "Yo, Sasuke! You're here too!"
Their eyes met across the crowd, easy to spot since no one dared stand too close to either of them.
Sasuke almost smiled, but he caught sight of his father's watchful gaze. Straightening his back, he lifted his chin and gave Naruto only a curt nod of acknowledgment.
After all, Uchihas were Uchihas, and they had to carry themselves with dignity.
"You know him?" Fugaku asked, his deep voice cutting through the air.
Sasuke hesitated before nodding. "Sort of. We've met before."
Fugaku's reply surprised him. "Good. Stay on friendly terms."
Sasuke's eyes widened. His father the strict, unbending Fugaku was actually encouraging him to be friends with Naruto?
Was he serious?
Sasuke couldn't figure it out, but he didn't care. His lips curved into a small smile, and he answered eagerly, "Okay!"
The truth was, though he hadn't seen Naruto often over the past year, their bond was strangely strong. Other than his older brother Itachi, no one understood Sasuke as well as Naruto did.
Hearing Naruto's greeting, Kakashi guided him over to the group.
"Lord Fugaku," Kakashi greeted politely.
Fugaku's face darkened, his tone flat as steel. "Kakashi. Don't leave just yet. I need to speak with you after this."
Kakashi blinked in surprise. He couldn't recall doing anything to offend the leader of the Uchiha clan, but Fugaku's tone left no room for argument.
Ignoring Kakashi now, Fugaku turned to Naruto. His stern expression softened into something almost gentle. "Your name is Naruto, isn't it?"
"Yes, sir," Naruto said, tilting his head curiously. He guessed this must be Sasuke's father. He looked strict, but not unkind.
"Then I'll ask you to look after Sasuke once you're both in the academy," Fugaku said with a faint smile.
Sasuke's jaw dropped. "What? Father, I'm older than Naruto! If anything, I should be looking after him!"
Fugaku chuckled, an unusually warm sound. "True. You're about two and a half months older than Naruto. So yes, you're the older brother here."
Sasuke's chest swelled with pride. He turned to Naruto with a smirk. "Hear that? Call me big brother."
Naruto wrinkled his nose. "Hah? No way. I'm not calling you that. If anything, you should be calling me big brother!"
Still, a question tugged at the back of Naruto's mind. How did Sasuke's father know his birthday? He had never told anyone.
Unable to hold back, Naruto asked aloud, "Hey, how do you even know when I was born?"
For a split second, Fugaku's composure cracked. His brow furrowed ever so slightly. He knew the truth of course he had been a close friend to the Fourth Hokage, and his wife had been close friends with Kushina. Of course he knew the child's birthday.
But he couldn't admit it. The Uchiha clan's relationship with the village leadership was already strained. If word spread that he had even the slightest connection to Naruto, it would only make things worse.
Before the silence grew suspicious, Kakashi stepped in smoothly. "Lord Fugaku is the head of the Konoha Police Force. Knowing important details about villagers, like birthdays, isn't unusual at all."
Naruto tilted his head, still suspicious, but eventually shrugged. "Guess that makes sense."
Fugaku gave Kakashi a curt nod, silently thankful for the cover.
Sasuke, however, puffed out his chest again, smirking at Naruto. "Doesn't matter. You heard him, I'm older. So hurry up and call me big brother."
Naruto crossed his arms stubbornly. "In your dreams, Sasuke. No way that's happening."
Yet despite their playful bickering, both of them couldn't hide the small smiles tugging at their lips.