Chapter Text
The first time he saw her was in the Academy.
He’d been staring out the window, completely ignoring everyone around him. Most of the girls were giggling and whispering (pretty loudly) about him. (How did any of them expect to be ninjas if they couldn’t even be discreet?) Some of the boys were glaring at him while others ignored him just as easily as he ignored them.
Sometimes he didn’t know why he bothered coming to the Academy. Due to the early start he’d gotten while still a toddler, he was already miles ahead of the other children intellectually and in ability. None of his lessons ever provided enough of a challenge for him. The teachers were more than aware that he was a genius so they usually left him to his own devices during class, especially since he never disturbed their lessons.
He had been intent on continuing to stare out the window, contemplating Itachi’s schedule and trying to determine whether or not his big brother would be too busy for him this afternoon. But Iruka-sensei had loudly cleared his throat to get the attention of everyone in the room. Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Sasuke had turned to face the front of the room. He had only intended to give Iruka a few seconds of his attention to placate the man, but Sasuke’s attention was immediately captured by small, blonde girl standing next to Iruka.
For an eight-year-old, she was shorter than average with the longest, brightest hair that he’d ever seen. He was sure that if she had taken it down from the messy pigtails she had on her head, it would have been long enough to touch her waist. She was grinning widely at everyone in the room, her white teeth on full display and her bright blue eyes sparkling. The orange hoodie with red swirl on the front and white shorts seemed the magnify the bright aura she had around her. Everything about her screamed bright, warm, and gentle.
“My name’s Uzumaki Naruko, dattebayo!” she shouted obnoxiously loud, her voice filling every corner of the room.
So, maybe two out of three wasn’t bad.
“Why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself, Naruko?” Iruka suggested with a sheepish smile in place. His class was a spirited bunch, but it was easy to tell that this girl held more energy and enthusiasm than all of them combined. There was nothing like an enthusiastic student to raise a teacher’s hopes.
“Sure! I like ramen, especially when my mom makes it. My favorite flavor of ramen is miso chashu pork. And I’m gonna be the first and greatest female Hokage!” Naruko declared proudly. Sasuke subtly raised a brow. This girl was just full of surprises.
“Well, why don’t you take a seat, Naruko? You can sit anywhere you like,” Iruka said and gestured to the class.
Sasuke felt his spine straighten subconsciously. The seat next to him was open, his bag holding the space to prevent anyone from sitting next to him. Frequently, he would arrive in class to see almost every girl in class sitting with the seat next to them open as they tried to get his attention and offered him the open seat. This usually meant that he had to claim an open seat next to a male classmate, an empty bench, or the sit next to Hinata. The small Hyuuga was the only girl in the class who was somewhat tolerable. She was so quiet that she never spoke to him and thankfully had no intention of asking him out.
Now, he tried to feign nonchalance as he silently observed Naruko scanning the room. For a second, he was sure that they had made eye contact just before she had smiled brightly. His expression remained neutral as he glanced at the bag resting innocently next to him. He would have to move it for her. Wait, why was he moving it? The last thing he wanted was some loud, obnoxious girl sitting next to him and trying to ask him out and beg for his-
“Can I sit next to you?” Naruko asked as she stopped at the bench in front of his. He paused as he watched the girl he’d been watching talk to Hinata. Hinata nodded her head shyly while scooting over to make room for the blonde girl. Once Naruko was seated, Iruka-sensei went about writing notes for the lesson on the chalkboard.
Sasuke had attempted to continue looking out the window, but every time he was even slightly absorbed in analyzing the shuriken jutsu that Itachi had showed him yesterday, he heard her again. She was attempting to whisper to Hinata about lunchtime, but Sasuke could hear every word as clear as day. He rolled his eyes.
He really should tell her to keep it down. She was so loud that he could barely hear Iruka-sensei (not that he had been listening in the first place, but that was irrelevant). He must have been staring at her too intently because she glanced back and caught his gaze. Her brows furrowed and she asked, “What?” in a barely whispered voice.
Sasuke rolled his eyes again. “You do realize that the point of whispering is so that others can’t hear you?” Sasuke hissed at her.
And just like that, the sun morphed into a volcano.
“Maybe you shouldn’t be listening!” Naruko shouted back, completely disregarding the classroom setting. She completely turned around in her seat while leaning against the back of her chair to glare at him.
Sasuke’s eyes narrowed. “Quiet down, dobe,” Sasuke responded in a level tone.
“What did you call me!?” Naruko shouted in an impossibly loud tone. She was standing on her seat now, looking ready to leap out of it and onto his desk.
Sasuke couldn’t explain it. He never bothered before with any of the girls in his class. They were never worth the effort and he just figured that if he ignored them, they would eventually get the hint and leave him alone. But there was something about that whiskered face that demanded his attention.
“Naruko, sit down. Open your books and take notes on what I’m telling you,” Iruka said with a deep frown.
Sasuke didn’t bother acknowledging Iruka. His onyx gaze remained focused on the bright blue pools in front of him. After a few seconds, Naruko huffed before turning back around and flopping down onto her seat with her arms folded in front of her. Sasuke glared at the back of her head for a few more seconds before he felt his shoulders relax and he released a tense breath that he hadn’t realized that he’d been holding. Idly, he realized that he had been clenching his hands. Glancing down at them, he was mildly surprised to see red, crescent moons dug into his palms. He frowned before tucking his hands under his desk.
~:~
Things didn’t improve after that.
Sasuke had been hell bent on ignoring Naruko with every fiber of his being. But she was so obnoxious and loud and bright. She had no sense of stealth whatsoever. She practically stomped around and commanded the attention of everyone in the room. Everywhere she went, she would loudly proclaim that she was going to be the Hokage dattebayo. Sasuke rolled his eyes. And she wore orange. What sort of ninja wears orange!? ‘A dead one,’ Sasuke reasoned.
“Okay class. Let’s begin our kunai throwing exercises. Sasuke, why don’t you go first?” Iruka asked and smiled down at the Uchiha.
Unfolding his arms from his chest, Sasuke walked over to where ten kunai were resting and grabbed one. He practiced throwing kunai all the time at the Uchiha training grounds. He wasn’t as good as Itachi, but he was more than skilled enough to meet the Academy standards.
Thunk, thunk, thunk.
With a blank expression, Sasuke watched as all ten kunai hit the target, most hitting the bullseye or inner most ring. Once finished, he slipped his hands into his pockets, trying to drown out the sounds of girls screeching.
“Very good, Sasuke. Why don’t you try next-” Iruka started, but was cut off.
“I want to go next, Iruka-sensei!”
Sasuke cracked an eye open to watch Naruko as she excitedly raised her hand and jumped onto her toes to get Iruka’s attention. Sasuke scoffed. He’d never seen her abilities outside of the class, but he was sure that they would be just as disappointing as they were inside the classroom.
“Sure, Naruko. Go ahead,” Iruka said with a patient smile. Naruko nodded once and retrieved the kunai from the target.
With a lidded gaze, Sasuke watched Naruko throw the first kunai. When the kunai sailed too far to the right and missed the target completely, he shut his eyes dismissively. He could hear the low noises of frustration that she made as she threw another kunai.
Thunk, thunk, thunk.
“It’s alright, Naruko. Just focus, breathe, and aim,” Iruka soothed.
Sasuke couldn’t help it. He scoffed. Just as he predicted, he felt the rush of wind hit him as Naruko pointed the kunai at him threateningly.
“Naruko!” Iruka objected.
“You think you’re so cool, teme!” Naruko shouted at him.
“No. But I know that I can at least throw a kunai properly,” Sasuke said with a scoff and folded his arms in front of him.
He heard the unfeminine growl just before he felt the gathering of chakra. What was that idiot doing this time? He looked over at her just in time to see Naruko randomly throw the last kunai off to the side and hit an unsuspecting tree in the middle of its trunk.
Thunk, CRACK.
Everyone in the class froze as they watched a crack spread up and down the tree, completely splitting the tree in the middle. Sasuke felt his arms unfold as his eyes shot to Naruko in surprise. One at a time, everyone stared silently at her as well.
With a nervous laugh, Naruko rubbed her hand behind her head and said, “I guess I don’t know my own strength! Sorry about the tree, Iruka-sensei.”
“T-that’s alright, Naruko.”
~:~
How had he missed it before?
He’d always thought that Naruko was hopeless and would never make it as a ninja. But he’d been noticing the little things about the girl. After the first incident with the tree, he’d spotted Naruko around the village. He wasn’t stalking her (he preferred to call it “tailing” and an exercise to improve his skills in stealth).
When she pulled pranks in the village, he’d seen her do little things like henge into someone else to avoid getting caught. She couldn’t even do the henge in class properly! When he saw her walking vertically on the Hokage monument and painting moustaches on the faces, his eyes had widened.
Obviously, the girl was hiding a secret. She was obviously farther along than she let on, but how did she get so good? She had to have a teacher, but who?
“Tadaima.”
Hearing the front door close, Sasuke sprang to his feet. Finally! Itachi had been gone all day, but he was finallyhome. Walking out into the entryway, he heard Itachi speaking.
“Would you like something to drink?”
Sasuke froze when he heard another familiar voice respond.
“Sure, Itachi-nii-san!”
Schooling his expression, Sasuke stood and waited for his older brother to turn the corner. Itachi didn’t react to seeing Sasuke waiting for him, but he didn’t need to. Naruko reacted enough for the both of them.
“What are you doing here!? Are you following me!?” Naruko shouted and pointed at Sasuke accusingly.
He was, but she didn’t need to know that. Sasuke narrowed his gaze at her and frowned. “I live here, dobe.”
“Teme,” Naruko growled as her jaw clenched and her hands fisted.
“I didn’t know that you knew my little brother, Naruko-chan,” Itachi interjected.
Like the flip of a switch, all of Naruko’s anger left her as she grinned happily up at Itachi. “We’re in the same class, but that’s it.”
Sasuke frowned. His eyes took in the sight of Itachi quietly observing Naruko and patting her head before heading towards the kitchen. Sasuke fully expected Naruko to shout at his face again, but he was surprised to see her quickly follow after his brother without hesitation. His frown took on a puzzled expression.
With slower movements, Sasuke moved to stand in the doorway of the kitchen and watched as Naruko spoke about a mile per minute while happily smiling up at Itachi. Itachi was quiet for the entire exchange, a small smile showing that he was listening to Naruko speak.
“You’re so good at shuriken jutsu, Itachi-nii-san. You have to show me how you did that last move!”
What?
“Maybe another time, Naruko-chan,” Itachi said as he poured hot water for the tea that he was preparing. “Sasuke, would you like some tea as well?”
Sasuke watched as Naruko spared him a glance before looking back at Itachi again. Sasuke frowned but remained silent. Itachi brought three cups to the table nonetheless, his eyes observing Sasuke for a few seconds. Sasuke almost told Itachi not to bother. Naruko doesn’t drink tea. But Sasuke was surprised yet again when he saw Naruko claim the seat next to Itachi at the table and bring the steaming cup to her lips.
She never drank tea.
“Sasuke?” Itachi beckoned.
With a narrowed gaze, Sasuke took the seat with the remaining cup of tea before it. “I thought you had a mission, today,” Sasuke pointed out to his brother.
“I said that I was busy. After my last mission, Naruko-chan stopped me and asked for help with her shuriken jutsu,” Itachi said while giving Sasuke an even gaze.
With a thoughtful hum, Sasuke focused on his tea. He could feel Itachi examining him, but he remained stoic. Itachi always did this. With only a few seconds of observation, Itachi could tell exactly what he was thinking. Sasuke wasn’t sure if it was just Itachi’s observational prowess or if he had a natural skill at picking his little brother apart. When Itachi smiled knowingly and placed his cup down, Sasuke felt his spine stiffen.
“Naruko-chan, I’m honored that you felt my skills were satisfactory enough for you to ask for my assistance,” Itachi spoke.
“Of course! Tou-chan is always talking about your skills. He says that you’re a genius just like Kakashi-nii-chan. I can’t ask Kakashi-nii-chan, though. He’s so lazy and barely pays attention when I’m training,” Naruko ranted.
“I think I understand why. You didn’t need much assistance.”
“That’s cause you’re the best teacher ever, Itachi-nii-san.”
Sasuke gripped his cup a bit too roughly when he reached for it and accidentally splashed the hot liquid on his hand. Hissing softly, Sasuke glared harshly down at the offending cup.
“Are you alright, Sasuke?”
“Geez. Don’t you know how to drink tea properly, teme?”
Sasuke felt his shoulders tense and his hackles rise as he shot Naruko a glare. Naruko frowned at him and said, “Don’t get mad at me just because you can’t hold a teacup. You look like a cat that got its tail stepped on.”
“Usuratonkachi,” Sasuke warned.
“Teme!” Naruko shouted and slammed her hands down onto the table.
“Now, let’s calm down. You both shouldn’t treat your friends so poorly,” Itachi chastised gently. Immediately, both children turned stunned and slightly disgusted looks on him.
“He’s not my friend!”
“I would never be friends with her!”
Sasuke immediately turned his fierce gaze onto Naruko only for her to sneer at him and stick out her tongue. Sasuke couldn’t help but clench his fists even tighter as his entire body shook. Before Sasuke could do anything (he wasn’t exactly sure what he’d do, but he wasn’t about to let her get away with the disrespect), a hand came down to break the eye contact between the two children. Sasuke huffed once before sitting back down on his seat (when had he gotten up?). He crossed his arms over his chest and pointedly looked away from Naruko.
“There’s no way you two are related. You’re way too nice to be Sasuke’s big brother, Itachi-nii-san,” Naruko proclaimed and crossed her arms over her chest.
“While I appreciate the compliment, Naruko-chan. I assure you that Sasuke is normally very well behaved,” Itachi said and shot his little brother a look out of the corner of his eyes. Sasuke pouted and moved his gaze down onto the table.
~:~
Itachi was convinced that no one understood his little brother better than he did. It was quite a conceited belief to harbor, but he was only acknowledging fact. People were relatively simple. Itachi had always been able to observe and understand others. He wasn’t blind. That’s why he was confident in his belief that Sasuke had a crush on the Yondaime’s daughter.
Sasuke wasn’t an outgoing or friendly child by any means. His little brother just about tolerated other children. Not once had Sasuke ever invited another child over or asked to play at the park with other children. Itachi had always tried to subtly push Sasuke into being more outgoing and building bonds outside of the clan, but he’d never been very successful. But to see Sasuke willingly engaging with Naruko...
Granted, his adorable little brother was turning red in the face and shouting at the girl. But it was the most reaction that another child had ever been able to get out of Sasuke. Sasuke would normally ignore most children or lash out with biting words that ensured that Sasuke wouldn’t be making friends any time soon. But it would appear that Naruko-chan was determined to push back even harder against his little brother.
Moving over to the sink to wash the used teacups, Itachi kept an ear on the children and side eyed them every few seconds. They were once again arguing- this time about food preferences- and Itachi had to fight to keep a small smile from rising up onto his face. Eventually, they would have to learn to speak to each other with inside voices and without insults. But for now...
“Naruko-chan, if you would like, I could walk you home,” Itachi suggested. Although he was looking down at the blonde, his focus was on his younger brother. Immediately, Naruko stopped glaring at Sasuke long enough to give Itachi a bright smile. Itachi nearly chuckled at the sight of Sasuke looking put out at being ignored.
“Thanks, Itachi-nii-san!” she exclaimed.
“She probably needs the help so she doesn’t get lost,” Sasuke said with a scoff. Predictably, Naruko turned to glare at him, her mouth already opened to start their shouting match all over again. Instead, Itachi placed a hand onto her head and guided her out of the kitchen. A small part of him felt bad seeing Sasuke’s tiniest of pouts, but Itachi did his best to ignore it.
“Teme’s just mad cause I’m gonna to be better than him at shuriken jutsu now,” Naruko proclaimed while slipping on her sandals. Itachi felt himself silently shake with laughter at the quick flush of anger that lit his brother’s cheeks and eyes.
“You have to actually beat me first, Usuratonkachi,” Sasuke reminded and glared down at Naruko. Her gaze narrowed as she finished slipping on her shoes and stood. With both children on equal ground, they did their best to incinerate the other with only their gazes. Itachi hid a smile under the guise of putting on his shoes.
“Duck butt!” Naruko suddenly shouted. It was a rather low blow to go after physical appearances, but it proved to be super effective as Sasuke stepped back in surprise.
It only took a few seconds for anger to replace the surprise. “I’m not a-"
“Are too! You probably use gel or whatever to get your hair to stick up that way!”
Itachi held back a snort of laughter.
“Duck butt! Duck butt! Duck butt!” Naruko teased and punctuated each shout with a finger pointed right at Sasuke’s nose. As Sasuke positively shook in barely suppressed frustration, Naruko pulled down an eyelid, stuck out her tongue, turned on her heel and stomped out of the house.
“Usuratonkachi!”
“Teme!”
~:~
He had to be on the same team as her!?
If he had come from a lesser clan or lacked any proper upbringing, Sasuke might have slammed his head onto his desk. Maybe he was cursed? That would explain why he had been stuck with the last, two people he would ever want for teammates. As Sakura cheered loudly next to him, Sasuke heard a loud thud. Turns out Naruko felt no shame banging her head against the desk. Not like she could lose any more brain cells anyways...
There was no need to panic or worry. All he would have to do is get promoted to Chuunin as soon as possible. Once he was a Chuunin, he wouldn’t be forced to remain on the same team as Naruko.
But how could they put them on the same team!? It was obvious to anyone that looked that they didn’t get along (no matter what Itachi believed). Naruko was just a loud-mouthed idiot who would only hold him back. Sure, she excelled outside of the classroom, but she was still an idiot! Maybe if he could combine Sakura’s book smarts with Naruko’s skill he could get a half-way decent teammate...
“Teme!”
Sasuke refused to admit that Naruko had managed to catch him off-guard when she suddenly appeared in front of him. She was crouched onto his desk and glaring at him with bright blue eyes. Her eyes were piercing, her blonde pigtails were practically shining, and her orange jumpsuit was making him go blind. He glared back.
“Get out of my face, Dobe.”
Her cheeks quickly flushed red and her jaw clenched, but she didn’t immediately start screaming. If anything, she looked to be trying to hold back.
“If we have to be on the same team together, we should at least try to get along.”
Sasuke was floored. He didn’t show it, but her words left him floundering. It was as if someone had pulled the rug out from under him and a trap door was revealed. He narrowed his gaze.
“Tou-chan says that teams are like family,” Naruko explained. She offered a hand in truce. “We don’t have to be friends... just teammates.”
Sasuke couldn’t do anything but blink in shock. Not fight with Naruko? She’d always managed to get on his nerves, frustrate, aggravate, and push him. She consistently got under his skin and now she wanted to stop? It sounded weird, but maybe if she spent less time distracting him, he could get stronger faster...
Sasuke was about to shake her hand when he noticed her moving in too close. He wasn’t sure how it had happened, but she’d managed to blind-side him again. It felt like everything was in slow motion. He could see the surprise bloom on her face as she fell towards him. The hand that she had offered pushed against his chest but it did nothing to stop her lips from crashing onto his.
His first kiss was with Naruko. Itachi would tease him for the rest of his life.
No matter how many times he blinked in shock, he couldn’t stop staring at the sky. He could see Naruko blinking furiously just before she pulled away with a shout. She fell backwards off his desk, but Sasuke couldn’t bring himself to move out of his seat. His entire body felt frozen in place.
It was less of a kiss and more of an aggressive clash of teeth and lips, but he could taste salty broth on his tongue. He was sure that his face was red, he couldn’t get his body under control. His heart was starting to pound and his lips were tingling.
He was snapped out of his daze by Naruko picking herself up off the ground and glaring at him as if he had been the one to instigate the kiss. He glared back at her.
“Naruko...”
A chill went down his spine. Sasuke spotted the murderous gazes most of the girls were shooting Naruko.
“I-it was an accident! Wait a second! I wouldn’t want to kiss the Teme!” Naruko shouted, red in the face. Sasuke felt slightly offended but couldn’t find a reason for it. He wouldn’t want to kiss her either.
~:~
Why had he done it?
He told her that his body just moved on its own, but that was a lie. It was easier to lie. Then he could avoid having to deal with the fallout. But no matter how much he lied and to who he lied, he still found himself in one hell of a mess.
Their mission to Wave had been a disaster, but at least they’d completed the mission and all survived. But the Yondaime didn’t look too pleased. The Yondaime stared at Sasuke with a slightly narrowed gaze, his fingers bridged in front of his face. Sasuke could feel a cold sweat break out on his back, but he did his best to ignore it. Instead, he focused on the sharp pain in his ankle. Manifesting the Sharigan had been a highlight of the mission, but the sprained ankle he’d gotten while trying to fight with it for the first time put a slight damper on his pride.
“Teme,” Naruko scoffed and pulled his arm around her shoulders. “Trying to act all cool in front of Tou-chan when you know you hurt yourself.”
Sasuke froze when he saw the Yondaime’s gaze narrow even further. Naruko was teasing him, but he couldn’t get his mouth to work to tell her off for it. He tried to push her away when he noticed that even Kakashi was watching them now, but Naruko held on.
“Maybe you should go to the hospital, Sasuke. Get your ankle looked at,” Kakashi suggested. Although their Jounin sensei’s posture was relaxed as ever, Sasuke could see a spark of amusement in his grey eye. “Naruko, why don’t you help Sasuke get to the hospital?”
“Teme’ll need all the help he can get,” Naruko proclaimed with a laugh and started tugging Sasuke away. He tried to push her away with a few stuttered objections, but that only resulted in her pulling him onto her back. Sasuke was sure that he felt some light Killing Intent starting to rise as they left the room.
Naruko didn’t feel any sort of shame as she chatted loudly at him. Sasuke did his best to avoid the amused and knowing looks they were receiving, but he could still feel a small blush rise. “Naruko! Put me down. I don’t need-"
“Yeah, yeah! You don’t need help. Give it up, Sasuke. We’re teammates, aren’t we? We gotta help each other,” Naruko brushed him off. “Besides, I owe you.”
He suddenly stopped his somewhat lackluster attempts at escaping when she said that. For once, Naruko seemed to go quiet as she stared down at the ground. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“You...saved me. This isn’t the same, but it’s the least I can do. I just wanna pay you back as soon as possible. That’s all,” she said and looked back at him over her shoulder. Sasuke frowned at her but didn’t continue trying to escape. “Besides, it was either let me help or Sakura-chan. Kakashi-nii-chan sure wasn’t going to do it. He knows that if he goes to the hospital, they’re gonna make him stay and get examined, too.”
Sasuke remained quiet after that. Naruko had the forethought to take the roofs instead of parading him through the village on her back, but anyone would just have to look up when they heard her loud voice telling him about the time her Kaa-chan had to drag Kakashi back to the hospital after he broke out for the third time in a month.
The trek to the hospital had almost ended too soon for Sasuke’s liking. He hadn’t realized how relaxed he’d been on the ride over and he was a little reluctant to pull away from Naruko’s warmth. It was when he heard a very familiar voice that he froze up before quickly disentangling himself from Naruko.
“Ne, Sasuke-chan. Did you get hurt on your mission?” Shisui’s teasing voice called out as he smirked down at Sasuke.
Sasuke glared up at Shisui but refused to answer. When he heard his brother’s soft, “Sasuke?” however, Sasuke averted his eyes to the ground.
“He hurt his ankle. Kakashi-sensei told me to bring him to the hospital,” Naruko explained. Sasuke barely refrained from throttling her.
“Thank you, Naruko-chan for looking after my brother,” Itachi said with a small smile.
“It’s the least I could do! Teme only hurt himself when he risked his life to save me,” Naruko said. Shisui’s smirk grew and even Itachi looked pleased. “He tried to act all cool about it though.”
“Naruko,” Sasuke warned. He wasn’t sure if it was the anger or the embarrassment that had his entire body shaking.
“Well, don’t let us keep you,” Shisui said brightly.
“I’ll see you when you get home, Otouto. Naruko-chan, can I count on you to help my brother get home safely?” Itachi asked with a serious voice. But he didn’t fool Sasuke. Sasuke could see the mirth hiding in his older brother’s eyes.
Naruko saluted. “Osu!”
Sasuke wanted to scream. He nearly did. But Naruko was quick to slip her arm around his and tug him towards the hospital doors. She was mindful to provide support to his injured ankle as she led the way with a bright hum. His face flamed again when he heard Shisui call out, “Don’t stay out too late, Sasuke-chan!”
Sometimes, family was more trouble than they were worth.