Naruto's POV (Leaf Academy - Hidden Leaf Village)
Naruto walked to the Academy the next morning with a prep. Yesterday had been a day of emotional highs and lows and Naruto's first taste of real combat. Yet everything had worked out better than he could've hoped. Firstly, the three of them had been unharmed. Choji had been the worst of them, having suffered a litany of bruises, cuts, and patches of minor burns. Lee had primarily been alright, mostly suffering from minor exhaustion. Naruto himself had been right as rain, his body was one of a Uzumaki and jinchuriki, the combination making him and his mother's bodies enigmas. The blonde rarely got sick or hurt; when he did, he was known to bounce back quickly. Even injuries were often slept off, exhaustion hard to reach and temporary. It was the one advantage he had, the positive side of things.
While they had been checked in his mother and several other important figures had met to discuss the result of the Remedials and how to go forward. Naruto was certain his mother had been on one side, her protective nature poking through. But luckily with or without her support the three of them had been promoted. Told to meet at the Academy with the others the next morning.
His mother had been conflicted. She hadn't openly shown such conflict that night or the next morning, but Naruto could tell she was deeply worried about him. She was doing her best to hide it to avoid another argument between the two. So Naruto pretended not to notice in return, he appreciated her effort and hoped she did the same. She even gave him another gift, a new outfit to match his new status.
So Naruto strolled within the courtyard of the Academy with a lazy swagger. Nothing seemed capable of dimming his mood. The glare and jeers of the occasional villager had been meant with friendly indifference. His jumpsuit was discarded (a shame considering the amount of orange it held, Naruto's favorite color), but the new outfit was more than fine to Naruto. He wore a pair of dark orange pants made of thicker material with large pockets at the hip. A black close-fit jacket zipped close up to his upper neck. An even black leaf headplate gifted to him by his mother, Naruto, was tied to his forehead.
When he entered the Academy's lobby, his good mood only grew. Manning the desk was Iruka himself, looking healthy despite yesterday's battle.
"Naruto," Iruka said with a friendly smile. "You nearly worried me, last to arrive for the day."
"Sorry, Sensei." Naruto apologized, rubbing the back of his head. Ma kind of is taking this hard. She was blubbering all morning, ya know?"
"It's fine," Iruka chuckled, standing up from the desk after signing Naruto in. Since you're the last to arrive, I can take you to the waiting room with the others. Are you feeling alright after yesterday?"
"Ha!" Naruto belted with a smile as the two walked down the halls of the Academy toward the back of the building. "You know how fast I recover!"
"I was thinking more mentally," Iruka said with a sigh. However, if you're still so lively, I suppose that is an answer in itself. I'm glad we have the chance to catch up anyway. I wanted to let you know personally that I'm proud of you."
Naruto was silent for a moment. It was rare for him to get complimented outside of his mother; he had never really known how to get it. Worse yet, the kindness of Iruka only cemented to Naruto how different his life was to become. He had spent most of his life preparing for the day he became a Genin. Spent those years mostly being looked after by Iruka. But those days were done; the time may very well come soon. Naruto was a Chunin himself. Iruka was among the few in the Academy who had always treated him fairly… Naruto decided to rely on humor. "Surprising, considering how much trouble I caused you over the years."
"To me as well." Iruka agreed in good humor. "But all the same, the two of us are more alike than you know. Things were so different when I was in the Academy; I was half your age before I went out into the world, and all the worse for it. But you all have been given the chance to grow, to mature, to become whole before facing the world before you. I've seen you go from a rambunctious knuckleheaded kid to much of the same but now an adult."
"Screw you," Naruto replied with a roll of his eyes.
"Seriously though, Naruto. You've come a long way over these years, and while I was often hard on you, it's only because I saw potential in you. The way someone did for me when I was younger. So allow me to offer some advice and encouragement. First, remember this world is full of danger, full of those who would oppose us and harm us, but it is also full of potential allies and friends. It is only through navigating life with an open mind and watchful eye we can encounter the best this world has to offer."
Naruto silently pondered the words before the two of them crossed cross sections of the hall, and Naruto was suddenly knocked from his feet as someone crashed into him from the side. Naruto instinctively shoved the person off him with a kick of his legs, and the person somehow landed on their feet. Iruka and a woman, apparently walking with his crashmate, stopped to check on them. Naruto took Iruka's hand and climbed to his feet, locking eyes.
Naruto knew the man he was looking at. Everyone within the Academy did; he was infamous. The dark hair and eyes revealed that it was him, though the disapproving glare would've done the same. Sasuke "The Ghost of the" Uchiha. The man was the heir to an even more infamous clan.
Even Naruto was aware of the fall of the Uchiha. The Clan had apparently betrayed the Leaf, intending a full-on rebellion against the Hokage. However, their plan had been discovered, and somehow, the Leaf had taken down the entire clan in a single night. The casualties and exact details were a secret held by the Leaf, but one thing had been made clear, the Uchiha, as they had been known, were gone. No longer the arguably most prestigious clan of the Leaf, but instead a fragmented and widely disdained group.
At least until the rise of Sasuke Uchiha. One of two active Uchiha's within the Academy, the man, even as a child, had easily risen to the top rank of the Academy. Undefeated in spars and a genius in theory, Sasuke quickly gained respect and admiration from his alumni. So great had his hype been, he had somewhat redeemed the clan. His famous temper and defensiveness of them only helped matters along. However, it did make Sasuke widely known for his bad attitude.
None of that mattered to Naruto as he glared at the man. In many ways, Sasuke was a rival of sorts. To become Hokage, Naruto wasn't blind to the idea that others may seek the goal, and if anyone had the chance to take it from him, it would be Sasuke Uchiha. All the same, Naruto wasn't willing to look bad in front of Iruka, nor did he think it was solely Sasuke's fault they had crashed into one another. Best to apologize and let it go; it was his first day.
So, with an internal sigh, Naruto broke the ice. "Sorry for bumping into you like that, man. We both must be distracted, ya know?"
Sasuke ignored his icebreaker, staring intently into his eyes. "It is fine; be more aware of your surroundings next time."
"Excuse me?" Naruto asked with a raised brow. Iruka placed a hand on his shoulder, but Naruto shook it off. "Do you have no manners? You should apologize as well!"
"I would if I saw you as an equal or even a respectable shinobi," Sasuke replied with a roll of his eyes. I have memorized the ranking displayed, and from what I remember, you, Naruto Uzumaki, scored poorly. However, as you better, I should've been able to negate the situation."
"Are you trying to piss me off?" Naruto asked honestly, his brow twitching. Sasuke smiled as the two stepped closer; however, his companion suddenly broke in between the two with a disarming smile.
It was clear she was related to Sasuke, having the same color hair, eyes, and fair face. "Hey there, guys, let's take a breather here!" She forced a laugh as Naruto and Sasuke continued to glare. "My name is Yuno Uchiha, cousin to "Mr. Antisocial" there. Believe it or not, that's the best apology one can expect from him."
"If he has a problem, let him voice it," Sasuke said, gently shoving past his cousin. "It wouldn't be the first time someone picked a fight with the Uchiha."
"You think I care if you come from some badass clan! Or if the scores say you're better than me?!" Naruto shouted, shoving Iruka back again to get into Sasuke's face. "None of that matters on the battlefield, and I got promoted the same as you."
"You are nothing like me, Naruto Uzumaki. However, I see I may have misjudged you slightly," Sasuke said, suddenly turning around and shrugging. I hope we're on the same team. I'd love to show there are levels to this…"
As Naruto ground his teeth and Iruka held him back, Sasuke marched into the room without interest. Yuno paused, offering an apologetic smile and bow before doing the same.
"The hell is his issue?!" Naruto asked Iruka.
"Sasuke Uchiha is a complex person," Iruka defended with a heavy sigh. "I'm not defending his actions, but you should understand better than most keeping a shield up…"
Naruto sighed heavily but nodded to show Iruka he understood. As much as he didn't like it, there was a solid chance someone like that might end up on his own team. It would be wise for Naruto to do his best to make it work regardless.
The two of them stepped into the room. It was a large conference classroom full of long desks and a podium desk combo. Naruto walked to the back of the room, joining the friendliest faces he saw in the crowd. Iruka went to his desk and began attendance, ensuring each of them was present and having them present their headbands.
He joined Shikamaru, Choji, Lee, Ino, and two others. One was Shino Aburame, the heir of the Aburame Clan. The man was rumored to be skilled but quiet and hard to read. Despite this, Naruto had always liked the strange man; he had always been oddly accepting of him. So Naruto looked past his quiet demeanor and peculiar habit of wearing sunglasses indoors. Sakura Haruno was the other one. Naruto was nearly as familiar with the pink-headed woman but had heard of her incredible mind and had never had a negative interaction with each other. The group had obviously saved Naruto a seat, likely at the urging of certain members. So Naruto sat in the middle next to Lee and Shikamaru.
"Ah, Naruto." Shikamaru lazily drawled. "I had heard from Lee and Choji you passed, nearly thought you had realized how much of a pain this is and dipped out."
"Sounds more like you're projecting Shikamaru." Ino joked. "Good to see you made it anyway; Choji says you worked hard to keep him safe, so we owe you thanks."
"Eh, I didn't do much, Lee landed the final blow. But no worries, I'd never let some traitor carve up Choji or anyone." Naruto said with a shrug.
"Indeed, Naruto's youth matched my own!" Lee objected. "I can only hope I am lucky enough to be placed on a team with you, Naruto!"
"Here's to hoping Bushy Brows," Naruto said with a smile.
"Impressive that the three of you managed to defeat Mizuki." Shino complimented, getting a nod from Sakura.
"Three Genin hopefuls fighting off a Chunin?" Sakura said with a smile of her own. "Almost unheard of. Though, shockingly, Mizuki was a traitor…"