Chapter Text
Sasuke stands in the backyard of the orphanage, standing in the shadows of the tree with uncertainty. It’s warm outside, the sun beating down, and Sasuke was starting to feel the effects of it. Beads of sweat travel down the nape of his neck, strands of hair sticking to the exposed skin. He resists the urge to put it up- not that he could. He hadn't brought anything with him in hiss haste to follow his brother out on whatever sudden mission he had.
He wasn't supposed to be out here.
His brother had said so, said it firmly—no following him. But Sasuke is so small, so young, and when he started crying, his brother had folded—just for a moment—and Sasuke had been left in the orphanage's backyard while he went off on official business. Which is what led to him staring at a boy with spiky golden hair.
Sasuke stays hidden in the shadows of the trees, watching. The boy’s loud laughter echoes over the empty backyard, no other children outside practicing or playing despite the fact it was a nice day out here. Sasuke’s stomach twists at the sound, and he feels a sudden sharp ache in his chest. The boy doesn’t belong here, but not in the way Sasuke doesn’t. While Sasuke never cared much for how the other villagers looked at him- respect tinged with fear- it felt.. wrong, in a way his three year old mind couldn't begin to describe.
A gust of wind ruffles the boy’s hair, and he tilts his head, staring in Sasuke’s direction. For a moment, their eyes meet.
Sasuke quickly ducks behind a bush, heart racing. He hadn’t meant to be seen. But after a few seconds, he peeks back through the leaves. The boy hasn’t moved, but now he’s watching him with interest.
Sasuke’s fingers curl into the earth beneath him, dirt beneath his nails. He’s not supposed to be out here. He knows that. But the boy...
The boy gets up then, moving toward him with a curious bounce in his step. Sasuke’s first instinct is to hide, to run away. But for some reason, he doesn’t. His legs feel stiff, like something’s keeping him still.
When the boy gets close enough, he calls out in a loud, cheerful voice, “Hey! Who’re you?”
Sasuke flinches at the sound, a slight tremor passing through his small body. The boy’s eyes are wide, bright blue and filled with something Sasuke can’t quite read—something warm, something that feels wrong. There’s too much openness, too much light in those eyes. None of the kids of the village had ever said he wasn't aloud to be their friend or anything like that, but no one had looked at him like that before. Like they truly, genuinely wanted to. No parents pushing them to play with the lonely clan heir, no girls giggling and tripping over themselves.
Its only natural when he says his name, "Sasuke", whispering with his voice barely audible.
The boy’s grin widens, his teeth bright and sharp against his sun-kissed skin. They look like fangs. “Sasuke! I’m Naruto! Nice to meet you!” he says, almost too loudly, and Sasuke winces, the sound vibrating in his chest.
Naruto takes a step closer, eyes fixed on Sasuke with intense curiosity. Sasuke can’t look away, can’t move. His small chest rises and falls rapidly as he struggles to comprehend what he’s feeling. It’s strange—this overwhelming desire to be close to the boy, to know more. But there's a fear too, a gnawing uncertainty deep in his gut that makes his pulse quicken.
“Are you, like... alone?” Naruto asks, tilting his head, his sun-bleached hair bouncing with the motion. He’s still smiling, but there’s something more to his expression now, something softer, like he's trying to understand why someone like Sasuke is alone, little less alone with someone like him.
Sasuke doesn’t answer. He doesn’t know what to say.
Naruto pauses, his smile faltering for just a second, before he stands up straight again, all energy, all fire. “Ok! I've got it!” His words come out in a rush, full of a kind of wild determination Sasuke can’t quite grasp. He slams a fist into an empty palm, grinning widely. "Your under a ninjutsu so you cant talk a lot! But that's fine. I'm always told I talk too much, so you don't need to!"
Sasuke feels something strange stir in him—a confusing mixture of anger and admiration. He doesn’t know how to respond, doesn’t know how to feel about what this boy is saying. But he wants to. He wants to understand. He wants to be close to it, to him.
Naruto's voice breaks through his thoughts. “So are you gonna be my friend?”
Sasuke doesn’t know what that means. He doesn’t know what it’s like to have a friend, to have someone like this... someone who looks at him with that kind of light in their eyes. Sasuke feels small, so small, beneath that gaze. He can’t speak, can’t move. The weight of something heavy presses against his chest.
But something deep inside him also aches with the need to be seen, to be remembered by this boy who is everything Sasuke isn’t—who doesn’t feel the weight of his family’s eyes like a weight in his skull. Naruto’s carefree nature, his loudness, his ambition—it makes Sasuke want to follow him. To be with him. Even if it scares him.
Naruto leans in closer, his grin widening. “I’ll be your friend, okay? I’ll talk for you, Sasuke! I'll protect you and everyone in this village because one day I'm going to be hokage!”
The words are too much for Sasuke, too much to understand, but they settle in his heart like a strange warmth. He doesn’t know how to answer. He’s only three, but he feels like he’s already grown too far apart from everyone else. Still, when Naruto looks at him like that, something inside him stirs—a desire to be seen, to be important, to matter.
It came as no surprise to anyone that Naruto and Sasuke clung to each other like two halves of a whole. The Uchiha clan, perhaps more than anyone else in the Hidden Leaf Village, understood the kind of isolation that came from being shunned by a village as a whole, from watching wariness harden into cold fear and rejection. So when the young boy with golden hair and bright blue eyes started appearing daily in the Uchiha compound—darting through the halls, bounding over the smooth stone paths, and laughing without a hint of restraint—the adults shared quiet glances, acknowledging him with quiet nods. Some even exchanged knowing smiles.
Naruto moved through the compound like a burst of light in a dark hallway, waving to every Uchiha member he passed. He didn’t know most of their names, but that didn’t matter to him. He greeted each of them with the same unfiltered enthusiasm, his voice echoing against the compound’s stone walls, breaking through the usual silence with ease.
“Good afternoon!” he chirped at an elderly woman who was sweeping the steps of her home, flashing her a wide grin that made her pause, her eyes softening as she watched him. When he rushed off again, she shook her head, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
Further along, a few other Uchiha elders gave Naruto the kind of restrained nods usually reserved for those familiar but not family, though even their gazes softened as he went by. There was a quiet, resigned acceptance in their looks, mingling with exasperated amusement as Naruto scanned the area, clearly seeking someone specific. He eventually found him, of course, spotting the familiar dark-haired figure standing by the koi pond with his arms crossed, trying to look disinterested.
Naruto’s face lit up, and he skidded to a halt right in front of Sasuke, nearly tripping in his excitement. “Sasuke!” he blurted out, breathless from his run. “You wouldn’t believe what happened on my way here!”
Sasuke raised an eyebrow, his expression as neutral as the five year old could make it. “Another squirrel?”
“No!” Naruto shot back, then hesitated. “...Okay, maybe, but this one was bigger! And it looked right at me!”
Sasuke’s lips quirked slightly, betraying a hint of a smile as he tried to keep his tone serious. “Naruto, you can’t keep coming here every day just to tell me about squirrels.”
Naruto shrugged, unfazed. “Well, it’s not just the squirrels! You’re here, too. And besides”—he grinned, jabbing his thumb toward himself—“who else is gonna drag you out of this boring place?”
A few of the clan members passing by overheard and stifled small laughs or gave Naruto small, approving smiles. Sasuke, who normally would’ve felt a stab of embarrassment, found himself strangely comforted by Naruto’s words. His days were quieter without Naruto, but quieter wasn’t always better. Not anymore.
With a resigned sigh, Sasuke turned and began to walk, motioning for Naruto to follow. “Fine. But we’re sparring today. You’ve been lazy since Itachi left on his last mission.”
“Lazy?!” Naruto squawked, trailing him eagerly."I’m not lazy! You’re the lazy one! I’ve been training super hard! You’ll see, I’ll beat you today—before Itachi even gets back!"
The two of them walked- or ran, in Narutos case- toward the training grounds, the sound of their small footsteps echoing off the dirt roads. Despite the fact it was mid-afternoon, the compound was quiet, most of the other kids at the academy or training with their parents off-grounds. Naruto and Sasuke were a little young to be out training alone, but neither of them worked all that well with anyone else. They preferred to practice with only each other, even if it meant the occasional kunai in the thigh or bump in the head.
The training grounds were mostly empty, save for a few older shinobi practicing in the distance. Naruto had no idea what they were doing, but he could tell it was way harder than anything he could do. Sasuke, on the other hand, walked with purpose, his eyes scanning the field as he mentally prepared himself for the spar.
Sasuke stopped at a small clearing in the grass and turned to face Naruto, falling back into a starting stance he'd seen older kids do. “Alright, Naruto,” Sasuke said, his voice more serious now. “If you’ve really been training, let’s see what you’ve got.”
Without a word, Naruto crouched down, mirroring Sasuke’s stance as best as he could. His legs bent slightly, weight shifting awkwardly between his feet as he tried to match Sasuke’s near-perfect (as much as Naruto could tell) alignment. His hands instinctively dropped into position, but his movements were a little more hesitant, a little less polished. He’d seen Sasuke take this stance countless times, watched him move through it with the precision and grace of someone who had spent months relentlessly perfecting it.
His brow furrowed in concentration, and Naruto shifted his weight again, adjusting his foot positioning, his legs, his torso, trying to feel the balance in the way Sasuke did. He was determined to get it right, but the more he tried to imitate Sasuke’s form, the more it felt like something was off. His stance was too wide, his feet weren’t placed exactly the same way, and he could feel the strain in his muscles where they didn’t belong. Frustration bubbled up inside him.
No, no, I can do this. I have to do this, he thought, gritting his teeth. His fingers twitched with impatience, and his jaw tightened as he fought against the growing sense of doubt. It was hard to focus when Sasuke was watching him so closely, eyes narrowed in impatience, but he couldn’t afford to falter now. He knew that Sasuke would never make fun of him like the other kids did, but it didn't stop the tinge of fear from racing up his spine at the thought of Sasuke getting annoyed with him- his slow progress, inability to get things right where Sasuke never seemed to falter.
“Come on, Naruto. Focus or we'll never get started,” Sasuke said, his voice tinged with impatience, though his body language didn't reveal anything beyond the calm exterior he had seemingly by default.
Naruto’s brow furrowed even deeper, and he muttered under his breath as he continued adjusting. He twisted his body slightly to realign himself, trying to imitate Sasuke’s centered balance, but every time he thought he had it right, something felt off. His legs were supposed to be more bent, his weight distributed differently—but no matter how many times he repositioned himself, his body didn’t quite feel in sync.
Sasuke’s gaze didn’t waver. He remained silent for a moment, watching, observing, as Naruto fumbled through the stances and tried to steady himself. It was clear that Naruto was trying, but that wasn’t enough. Sasuke had high expectations, and he wasn’t one to coddle those he saw as on his level.
Finally, Sasuke spoke, his voice no more cold even now. “You’re rushing it.” He didn’t say it as an insult, but as a simple observation—one that hit Naruto hard. “Slow down. Find your center.”
Naruto swallowed hard, taking a deep breath to push down the rush of anxiety. His eyes closed. He could hear the wind rustling through the trees and the faint sound of his own heartbeat pounding in his chest. It was on a rhythm; in sync, pulse singing with the rush of blood circling through his body, chakra freely flowing with each beat.
Sasuke observed him for a moment, his expression unreadable, but he gave a small, approving nod. “Better,” he said quietly, his gaze sharp and focused. “Now don’t lose it.”
Naruto’s face split into a grin, confidence creeping back into his expression. “Don’t worry. I’ve got it this time,” he replied, dropping into a defensive position, feet planted firmly on the ground.
Without further warning, Sasuke lunged forward, his movements fast and precise, testing Naruto’s new stance with a quick, controlled strike. Naruto dodged, his movements smoother this time, his posture steady as he countered with a punch aimed at Sasuke’s side. Sasuke deflected it easily, sidestepping with practiced fluidity.
They circled each other, the clearing falling into a tense, focused quiet as they fell into the rhythm of sparring. Sasuke’s strikes were sharp and calculated, his eyes never leaving Naruto as he blocked each hit with a quiet, methodical efficiency. Naruto’s moves were wilder, but he matched Sasuke’s intensity, each dodge and counter more controlled than before.
Sasuke smirked, finally noticing the improvement. “You’re finally getting it,” he muttered, pushing forward with a rapid flurry of strikes. Naruto blocked the first few, but he was already starting to lose his footing. Sasuke’s moves became faster, his hits harder, until Naruto stumbled, barely managing to dodge the last punch as he tripped backward with a loud yelp.
Sasuke took a step back, crossing his arms. “See? When you focus, you’re not as hopeless as you look,” he said, his tone teasing.
Naruto scowled, quickly pushing himself back to his feet. “Oh yeah? You only got lucky because I slipped!” he retorted, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. His grin returned, his eyes alight with defiance. “Come on, Sasuke! Is that all you got?”
Sasuke smirked, catching his breath as he adjusted his stance, his gaze sharpening with newfound focus. “I’m just getting started,” he replied, lunging forward with a quick, precise jab, and they both dove back into the sparring match, the clearing alive with their energy, the only sounds their laughter and the impact of their movements.
Naruto barely dodged, his laughter breaking out as he scrambled to block Sasuke’s next strike. “Oh yeah? Let’s see you keep up!” He tried to counter, throwing his own punch, but Sasuke dodged it easily, shifting to the side with a confidence that only made Naruto want to push harder.
Just as Sasuke ducked to avoid another wild swing from Naruto, a familiar, quiet voice spoke from the edge of the clearing.
“Not bad, Sasuke,” Itachi’s voice rang out, soft and steady.
Both boys stopped, turning to see Itachi standing by the trees, his arms crossed. He looked as calm and collected as always, but Naruto noticed something strange in his expression—a hint of sadness, or maybe just tiredness, that made Itachi seem quieter than usual. Naruto blinked, trying to understand it, but the thought slipped away as he turned to Sasuke.
Sasuke’s face lit up instantly, his stoic expression breaking into a rare, genuine smile as he ran toward his brother. “Itachi! I didn’t know you were back!” he said, excitement lacing his voice. He came to a stop in front of his brother, practically vibrating with happiness.
Itachi gave him a soft smile, reaching out to ruffle Sasuke’s hair. “I finished the mission early,” he explained, his voice gentle. “Thought I’d check in on your training.”
Naruto jogged over to join them, grinning up at Itachi. “Hey, Itachi! Did you see me? I almost got Sasuke this time!”
Itachi’s gaze shifted to Naruto, his smile faint but kind. “Almost,” he said, a hint of amusement in his eyes. “You’re getting quicker.”
Naruto beamed, glancing at Sasuke with a triumphant look. “See? Told you I’d beat you someday.”
Sasuke rolled his eyes, but he couldn’t keep the small smile from his face. “Keep dreaming.”
Itachi’s eyes softened as he watched them, though Naruto caught that strange, heavy look in his gaze again. Itachi’s smile seemed smaller, a little sad, but Naruto didn’t understand why. He didn’t think much of it—Itachi was quiet and serious most of the time anyway. Instead, Naruto nudged Sasuke, a grin tugging at his lips.
“Since your brother’s here, why don’t you show him that new move you’ve been working on?” Naruto said, half-teasing, half-encouraging.
Sasuke hesitated, looking up at Itachi, then nodded, a determined gleam in his eyes. “Yeah, alright,” he said, stepping back into a fighting stance.
Itachi watched with calm interest as Sasuke took a deep breath, concentrating as he performed the new move he’d been struggling with for weeks. It was an overall easy one- a lunge forward, kunai in hand, and your supposed to feint low before slashing upward across the opponent’s guard; as they flinch, you go behind behind, blade angled for maximum impact. When he finished the demonstration, he turned to Itachi with hopeful eyes, waiting for his brother’s reaction.
Itachi’s expression softened, pride flickering in his gaze. “Well done, Sasuke. You’ve improved a lot.”
Sasuke’s face lit up with pride, and Naruto clapped him on the back, grinning widely. “See? I told you that move was cool!”