Whoosh—
The shuriken flew through the air, its sharp edge whistling as it grazed, controlled with precision to draw a graceful arc before landing with a thud, accurately hitting the bullseye.
"Wow!"
"Sasuke is so amazing..."
'So cool-"
Standing among a group of children of the same age, Sasuke looked at the result of his throw a hundred meters away and relaxed slightly. However, the annoying chatter of the girls around him made him furrow his brows, and with a straight face, he silently walked to a corner of the group.
The teacher instructing on shuriken throwing kept nodding in approval, jotting down the scores in his register, and thought to himself: 'He's truly deserving of being an Uchiha genius.'
However, when he saw Sasuke's arrogant and indifferent attitude towards his classmates, he sighed, 'What a pity, such bad luck.'
When Sasuke first entered school, although he wasn't exactly friendly with the other students, he was still engaged in conversation. However, after the shocking massacre that wiped out his entire clan that night, the only surviving boy's demeanor turned cold.
"Next." The teacher shouted. Scanning the name on the register, he couldn't help but paused, "Uzumaki Naruto, it's your turn."
"Yosh!" A boy with golden hair similar to his father's popped up, causing the shuriken instructor to momentarily lose focus in the sunlight. Naruto adjusted his protective goggles with determination, picked up a shuriken used for teaching, while the aftermath of the female classmate's nymphomaniacal scream was not over yet.
Naruto glanced unconvincingly at Sasuke, who was pretending to be cool at the back. He looked at the target that turned into a small dot a hundred meters away, then took a deep breath, assumed his stance, and forcefully threw the shuriken.
Whoosh–
The shuriken throwing teacher came out of his recollection at this sound. The sound of the shuriken in the air was erratic, and there was a big problem with the strength... As expected, the shuriken missed the target completely, embedding itself straight into the ground.
"Miss the target." The teacher said helplessly. He was getting old. He realized that his few seconds of déjà vu were in vain, 'This child still has a long way to go.'
"Next... Hyuga Hinata."
Naruto shook his fist in frustration, 'Dammit, how could I have missed the target?' He had felt so confident at first, as if he could hit the bullseye...
Many of the children mocked and jeered at him for missing the target, making Naruto hung his head down as he walked to the back of the line. The boy, who was completely disturbed by this small setback, did not notice the quiet gaze of the white-eyed girl behind him.
"Hyuga Hinata? It's your turn."
"Yes!"
The afternoon sun began to set, marking the end of the small test, and the class at the Ninja Academy was also over for the day.
As the student with the lowest grades, Naruto had the unlucky task of picking up the scattered teaching tools.
This was not the first time this happened. Naruto kept picking up the heavy shurikens one after another, feeling out of breath. As he was about to finish, he wiped his sweat and happened to see a glimpse of the Uchiha Clan's emblem, a lone figure with a backpack leaving the school.
Naruto found it strange, 'Why did that arrogant Sasuke go home alone? I recalled that someone would come to pick him up not long ago.'
"Naruto, have you finished cleaning up?" A familiar voice called from the classroom. It was a man with a scar between his nose and eyes, with hands on his hips, and his gaze also looked unkind.
"Iruka-sensei, I'll be done soon!" Naruto's simple and childish mind immediately forgot about the arrogant Sasuke's matter. He shouted back, but he felt that Iruka's expression wasn't quite right.
"You came in last for shuriken throwing again?"
"It was just a mistake, I'll definitely come in first next time." Naruto pouted, and whispered with dissatisfaction.
"You said the same thing last time." Iruka approached and slapped Naruto on the head, "Stop fooling around all the time! Aunt Mishima from West Street complained to me again. Why do you always cause trouble? If you don't work hard and be careful, you'll always be at the bottom."
Naruto winced and held his head in pain, "Who said I didn't work hard..."
Iruka looked down at the murmuring golden-haired boy and chuckled silently, "Well, Sensei is off work too, so let's go home together."
"Yosha!" Naruto's spirits lifted as if he'd heard good news, completely forgetting his worries. "Iruka-sensei, can you treat me to ramen?"
A black line appeared on Iruka's forehead, 'Here you go again.'
Another not-so-gentle slap on the head followed.
And then, the two of them went to Ichiraku Ramen.
…
The evening sun's rays cast a glow upon the river, traversing through Konoha. The meandering river flowed slowly, half of the rope tying the boat was immersed in the water, swaying with the waves. From afar, one could see the boat rocking in the sunset.
Sasuke sat silently on the small dock, staring at the water without a word.
Occasionally, he would stop here, looking towards the deserted settlement on the way home. It was the same whether he returned early or late.
There is also a small dock like this in the clan's settlement, which is on the edge of a small lake. That is also the place where he first learned his Fire Release Ninjutsu.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
"Father, how was that?
"Mediocre. Compared to your brother, you still have a long way to go."
...
The fingers pressing against the board were so hard that they turned white. Sasuke thought of that man, "Not enough, not enough at all."
The overwhelming feeling of helplessness and lack of resistance from that night washed over him again.
He's still too weak now. What he learned at the Ninja Academy wasn't enough. Ranking first among a group of children of the same age, in Taijutsu, Ninjutsu, and Genjutsu, the natural joy in the eight-year-old's immature mind was immediately washed away the heavy burden of his reality.
He can complete the homework assigned every day immediately. And to achieve this goal, he continues to increase the amount of his training. However, even if he surpasses his classmates and receive praise from the teacher, he will not feel any sense of accomplishment. As the unbridgeable gap still loomed before him.
"I must become stronger." Sasuke clenched his fist, his gaze determined.
He had seen the training of powerful Ninjas from his clan before, but he didn't understand it at the time, so he just took a quick glance at it. But now, he regrets it. Trying to figure it out on his own, flipping through scrolls, wasn't a good method.
Sasuke thought of something, reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper.
'That Jonin who could use the Body Flicker Technique...'
Plop. The sound of a pebble dropping into the water.
Sasuke glanced at the ripples a few meters away.
Footsteps came from behind him. Sasuke glanced faintly and saw the orange clothes, goggles, golden hair... 'Wasn't he the last guy in the class? What was his name again? I forgot.'
Naruto absentmindedly tossed a small stone, and was startled when he turned to see someone facing him.
The clan emblem on the clothing made him realize who it was. He had a vivid impression of this guy, as he's always standing out.
"Tch," Subconsciously straightening his back and holding the back of his head with his hands, Naruto walked past coolly.
The warm light of dusk lingered, reflecting off the slope and the dock.
As he walked away, Naruto looked back unexpectedly and saw the fan-clan emblem still sitting there.
Sasuke looked at the blurry reflection at the surface of the river, and the golden-haired boy swaying down the road.
At this time, neither of them realized that deep within their hearts, the loneliness they desperately hid from others had found a resemblance.