At a quiet corner of the Ninja Academy.
"I can't shake the feeling that there's something off about you," Sasuke muttered, running his hands across Naruto's arms and shoulders as if searching for something.
"Hey, what the heck are you doing?!" Naruto jerked away, glaring as he shook Sasuke's hand off.
Sasuke frowned, rubbing his chin. Without warning, he suddenly threw a punch.
Naruto tilted his head, narrowly dodging. Even though he was only a shadow clone, beating Sasuke wasn't exactly difficult.
But Sasuke didn't relent. He followed up with a swift barrage of strikes, fast and sharp.
Naruto weaved around them, refusing to strike back.
"Why won't you fight me?" Sasuke pressed, his sharp gaze narrowing, his suspicion hardening.
For days now, Sasuke had noticed that Naruto had been… different. He seemed to avoid any kind of physical contact, slipping away whenever possible. At lunch, Naruto would vanish to eat in secret, or sometimes not eat at all.
At first, Sasuke thought maybe Naruto just hadn't brought food. After all, he was an orphan. Feeling bad, Sasuke had even asked his mother to prepare an extra bento, one for him and one for Naruto.
But every time he tried to hand it over, Naruto would wave it away, insisting he wasn't hungry.
Naruto couldn't exactly explain that he was just a clone. If he ate, when he eventually dispersed, the sensation of fullness would pass to his real body. And the original Naruto, who hadn't eaten, would suddenly find his stomach trying to reconcile meals he hadn't actually had. It was messy, confusing, and painful.
So he had to refuse, no matter how insistent Sasuke was.
"Come on. We're friends. Why would I ever fight you?" Naruto laughed nervously, brushing the challenge aside.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes. He was determined to get to the bottom of this.
"Then prove it. You just ate, right? Let's spar."
Naruto sighed. This was bad. Kakashi-sensei had told him that shadow clones had only a fraction of his real endurance. They could fight, sure, but any solid hit would make them poof out of existence. Even blocking Sasuke's kicks and punches risked destabilizing him.
Just then, another voice called out.
"Hey, you can dispel yourself now."
Another Naruto vaulted over the academy's wall, landing beside them.
Sasuke's eyes widened. "Two Narutos? A Clone Jutsu?"
That was the only explanation he knew. The Clone Jutsu was one of the most basic techniques taught at the Academy an illusion without substance.
But both Narutos were clearly solid. The second one's shadow fell across the ground, his sandals crunching the dirt.
"No, that can't be right," Sasuke muttered. "Illusion clones don't have physical form. You're both real."
"What's going on here? Why did you drag Sasuke along?" The newly arrived Naruto demanded, glaring at his duplicate.
"I didn't drag him anywhere! He followed me, alright? How was I supposed to know he'd sneak after me?" the first clone protested, throwing his hands up.
"So now he knows about the shadow clones?" The second Naruto's expression darkened.
"Well, he didn't… until you barged in like that." The first clone shot him a withering look, silently blaming him.
"Come on, I literally just got here and I'm already taking the blame?!" The second one shouted, scandalized.
"Too bad for you," the first clone smirked. "I'm done here. Guess you're the one who has to deal with him now." With a playful grin, his body burst into smoke, leaving the second clone standing face to face with Sasuke.
The silence that followed was awkward. Sasuke and the remaining Naruto clone just stared at each other.
Unbeknownst to them, a pair of small, curious eyes was watching from the shadows, taking in every detail.
By the time evening rolled around, the Academy day ended.
"Take me to the real you," Sasuke demanded, gripping Naruto's shirt tightly as the students filed out. His voice was low but sharp.
"Alright, alright, I get it," the clone muttered reluctantly.
They walked to a remote training field on the outskirts of the village. There, the original Naruto was already sprawled out on the ground, his body aching from the flood of pain and exhaustion caused by the hundred clones he'd just dispelled. The accumulated training memories and fatigue weighed heavily on him.
He lay still, his head throbbing, body screaming for rest. The only thing keeping him from blacking out was sheer stubbornness.
A familiar pair of footsteps approached. Naruto's ears twitched slightly. Two sets. One was his clone. The other was unmistakably Sasuke.
"Hey, boss. Sasuke followed me back," the clone called.
Naruto slowly pushed himself up, wincing as he sat upright. The clone was carrying a takeout box from Ichiraku's Ramen, the comforting smell of broth wafting through the air. Sasuke stood beside him, arms folded, his expression stormy.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Naruto asked, grabbing the ramen and dispelling the clone in one puff of smoke.
"You sneaky bastard," Sasuke snapped. "You've been training behind my back, haven't you?"
Naruto blinked at him. "What do you mean 'behind your back'? I've been training out in the open. You were just too busy brooding to notice."
He opened the box and slurped a mouthful of noodles. The broth had cooled during delivery, and while it was good, it lacked the magic of freshly served ramen. Still, it was food, and right now that was all that mattered.
"You use clones to sit through class while you train here," Sasuke accused. "That's not fair."
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "I asked if you wanted to train with me. You said no. You said you'd only train with your brother. So what's unfair about me working hard while you sit around waiting?"
Sasuke froze, guilt flashing across his face. It was true. He had brushed Naruto off, choosing to rely solely on Itachi. But lately, Itachi was always busy too busy. Home had become colder, his clan tenser. Sasuke could feel it, even if no one explained why.
For the first time, he slumped down beside Naruto. His voice dropped to a whisper. "Naruto… do you think adults carry around a lot of problems they don't share with us?"
Naruto paused, chopsticks halfway to his mouth.
"I mean, Itachi and my father… they always look weighed down, like they're hiding something. But no one ever tells me anything. Like I'm not even part of the family," Sasuke said bitterly.
Naruto swallowed his mouthful and set the box aside. "Maybe it's because we're not strong enough yet."
Sasuke turned to him, confused.
"If one day we get strong enough, like Hokage strong, then they won't have to keep secrets anymore. They'll trust us. They'll tell us everything." Naruto's voice was steady, but inside, his thoughts churned.
He thought of his parents. Of his mother, Kushina, the previous jinchūriki, who died when the Nine Tails was unleashed. Of his father, the Fourth Hokage, who sealed the beast into him.
Why did that happen? His mother should have been protected during childbirth. She should have been surrounded by trusted allies. Yet she wasn't. Someone had attacked. Someone powerful enough to threaten even the Hokage.
Naruto's gut told him that night was no accident.
And if there was someone out there capable of endangering his family, what did that mean for him now?
Maybe that was why the Third Hokage never told him the truth. Because he wasn't ready. Because he was still too weak.
Naruto clenched his fists, determination flaring in his eyes.
If strength was the answer, then he would get stronger. Strong enough that no one would ever dare hide the truth from him again.