Sasuke flicked his hand lightly, as if brushing away something trivial.
"Hmph. That was nothing."
He turned to Naruto, a faint crease forming between his brows. "But tell me, why didn't you get angry back there?"
The memory of their classmates mocking Naruto still lingered in his mind. Even though Sasuke had been the one to slam the desk and silence the room, it wasn't his pride that was insulted. Yet just watching it had made his blood boil.
Naruto, the one who had been targeted, showed no trace of hurt or fury.
Naruto shrugged, his expression relaxed, almost careless. "Eh, stuff like that? I'm used to it. No big deal."
"Used to it?" Sasuke's eyes narrowed. That single word landed heavily in his heart.
How many times must Naruto have endured glares, whispers, and ridicule to say something like that so casually? For him to treat cruelty like background noise… Sasuke fell silent, his fists curling tightly at his side.
The first day of classes soon came to an end.
As they left the academy together, Sasuke hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Naruto, want to come over to my place?"
Naruto froze. "Huh?" His voice cracked in disbelief, and he scratched his head awkwardly. No one had ever invited him home before.
He had never really had friends, not in the way other kids did. His bond with Sasuke was real, but until recently, they had spent more time training separately than playing together.
"Is… is that really okay?" Naruto rubbed his palms together, torn between excitement and unease. He didn't want to embarrass Sasuke or make his family dislike him. Losing this new, precious friendship would be unbearable.
Sasuke caught the uncertainty in his eyes. He thought of the cold stares from their classmates earlier, and without thinking, clapped Naruto firmly on the shoulder. "Don't worry. My father actually told me to invite you. My mom's really kind too. She won't treat you badly."
In truth, "not treating him badly" was an understatement.
When they reached the Uchiha compound, Naruto had been welcomed in a way that even Sasuke himself found startling. His father, Fugaku normally a stern man who rarely cracked a smile had greeted Naruto with surprising warmth. His mother, Mikoto, had fussed over him, serving food with gentle smiles and speaking as though she'd known him forever.
Sasuke had watched the whole thing in disbelief. For a brief, ridiculous moment, he even wondered if Naruto might actually be his long-lost brother.
By the time he escorted Naruto out of the Uchiha compound, Sasuke's face still carried a trace of doubt. The thought lingered until logic finally won Naruto's bright blond hair and blue eyes couldn't have been further from the Uchiha line.
Walking through the village streets, Naruto grinned from ear to ear. "Your parents are amazing, Sasuke. If my mom and dad were still around, I think they would've been like that too."
"Oh," Sasuke replied flatly, his face stiffening. He didn't like the twinge of jealousy curling in his chest.
"What's with you?" Naruto tilted his head in confusion.
"It's nothing." Sasuke sighed, then added, "It's just too bad my brother Itachi isn't home. He's on a mission. Otherwise, I'd introduce you two."
Naruto's eyes lit up. "Itachi? You mean that cool guy I saw with you at Ichiraku's that one time?"
"Mm." At the mention of his brother, Sasuke's expression softened.
"Then I'll definitely meet him someday," Naruto said with an easy grin.
"Yeah. I'll make sure of it." Sasuke gave a small nod before they finally parted ways.
That night, Naruto washed up and lay down on his narrow bed. His thoughts drifted back to the warm welcome he'd received at Sasuke's home.
Fugaku and Mikoto had treated him with such familiarity, as though he weren't a stranger at all. If anything, they had treated him better than Sasuke himself. Naruto had noticed it, though he didn't quite understand why.
He was certain he had never met anyone from the Uchiha clan before. The only explanation was that it had something to do with his parents.
Who were they, really? For even the Uchiha clan head to act like he knew them…
Could his parents have been… Hokage?
Naruto shook his head at the thought. "Nah, no way. That's crazy."
Still, the questions gnawed at him. He remembered the times he had asked the Third Hokage about his family, only to be met with silence and a sorrowful expression.
"Maybe I'm still too weak," Naruto muttered to himself. "If I get stronger strong enough to cross the stars with my own body, strong enough to shatter worlds then Grandpa Third won't be able to dodge my questions anymore."
The dream of power burned in his chest.
But reality pulled him back with an annoying truth: the academy consumed far too much of his time. Half the day was wasted sitting in class, leaving him with little energy for his extreme training and ninjutsu practice.
"What a pain," Naruto grumbled, ruffling his messy hair. "Guess I'll ask Kakashi-sensei tomorrow. He's got experience. He'll know what to do."
With that, he sat cross-legged on the bed and began his nightly training.
Closing his eyes, he steadied his breathing. Without even forming hand seals, the air around him shifted.
The quiet of the room broke with a soft stir of wind. A breeze brushed his face, cool and tender, like the touch of a mother's hand. Dust rose from the floor, swirling gently as if dancing in midair before settling again.
The breeze grew sharper. Curtains flapped violently against the walls, and books rustled, their pages flipping rapidly as though caught in a storm.
The wind gathered in a corner of the room, spiraling into a small whirlwind that lifted loose scraps into its orbit.
Naruto's expression remained calm, untouched by the chaos.
Then, in an instant, the air transformed. The once-gentle currents became wild and ferocious, raging like a beast unchained.
Each gust collided with another, not soft air anymore but blades clashing in the dark. The sound was sharp and metallic, as though invisible swords were locked in battle all around him.
At last, Naruto's eyes snapped open. The chaotic storm halted, splitting in two.
On one side of the room, the wind calmed, returning to its soothing gentleness. On the other, the gale raged on, tearing at the walls and whirling with relentless force.
Two extremes peace and destruction coexisted side by side in perfect balance.
A small smile tugged at Naruto's lips. He had done it. He could now bend the wind to his will, shaping its nature and form at will.
Just as Kakashi had once told him, this mastery meant he had fully grasped the essence of Wind Release chakra.
"Next is fire," Naruto whispered. "Wind gives birth to flame. Once I master that, I'll move on to the next element."
His excitement dimmed slightly as another thought weighed on him.
"But I still don't have enough time."
He waved a hand casually, dispersing the storm. Silence returned to the room. Stretching out on his bed, he let sleep claim him.
The next day, Naruto sat across from Kakashi at a small table.
"You don't have enough time?" Kakashi repeated, lowering the little paperback novel in his hand. His single visible eye regarded Naruto with curiosity.
"Yeah!" Naruto leaned forward earnestly. "Ever since starting at the academy, I barely have time to train. Between classes and lectures, I can't push myself the way I used to. My extreme training, my jutsu practice it's all falling behind."
Kakashi tapped his chin thoughtfully. He knew exactly what Naruto meant. Back in his own academy days, he too had felt like every minute spent in the classroom was wasted.
In fact, it was that very frustration that had driven him to graduate early and prove himself on the battlefield.