Growing up | By : vermilioncream Category: Naruto AU/AR > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 3633 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 4 |
Disclaimer: I don’t own Naruto and I don’t make any profits from this work. |
Author’s note: Hello everybody. Here’s the second chapter. Dobe = loser Teme = bastard Baka = stupid Judo = type of modern martial art Warning: Solo action. Disclaimer: I don’t own Naruto and I don’t make any profits from this work. Chapter 2: Iruka’s concern Five years later… Naruto slammed the door to his room and flopped on his bed feeling both angry and defeated. He couldn’t believe it. Just a few minutes earlier, Mikoto got a phone call from Iruka-sensei, which of course could only mean bad news for him. The teacher complained to Mikoto about Naruto’s poor performance at school, especially at math and about the boy getting into fights ever so often. “Uchiha-san, I’m terribly sorry to disturb you with this news, but I found myself in the position where I couldn’t keep quiet about this any longer. If the problem would only be Naruto’s grades, that would be one thing, but for him to constantly pick fights with the other students, it’s simply unacceptable. Those fights most commonly end up in physical assaults, and since this is a private school, I’m sure you understand the kind of damage that does to our image. I mean, we can’t expect the parents to spend a lot of money on their children’s education, only to have their progenies come home from school covered in bruises and with thorn clothes.” “I am so sorry about all of this Iruka-san. I completely understand where you are coming from, however we must not forget that the poor boy has suffered a tragedy. Maybe that is his way of releasing some of the pent up frustration he must be feeling…” Mikoto tried to explain shyly. “Yes, I am aware of his situation, Uchiha-san and I, together with all of his teachers have taken that into account and tried to cut Naruto some slack whenever possible. But it has been 5 years since that most unfortunate event, so we hoped to see some improvement in the boy. And not only things haven’t improved, but they seem to get worse.” “I understand. Do you have any suggestions regarding what course of action we should take in order to correct Naruto’s behavior?” “Well, concerning the poor grades he is getting, I think the reason behind that is the fact that Naruto most likely lacks attention, rather than intelligence. So maybe just try to talk to him and explain the importance of discipline…” At that Mikoto gritted her teeth in order to keep quiet. She didn’t need that man telling her how to raise Naruto. She thought Naruto knew very well what discipline meant, especially considering how the boy was always tip-toeing around Fugaku. But she refrained from giving the teacher a piece of her mind and she simply let him continue without saying anything. “…of course some extra work done at home can’t hurt him, if you know what I mean.” Iruka said laughing a bit awkwardly. Mikoto agreed and laughed shortly, only to keep the appearances and image that the Uchiha name carried with it. “Concerning the fighting, I was thinking maybe we could find another way for Naruto to channel all his frustration and anger. Usually the children in similar situations as him choose to practice a sport that releases some of that tension. For example our school offers some extracurricular activities, such as judo. We have a great judo program and an excellent teacher. I think maybe that would help Naruto refrain from acting violently all the time.” “Hmm, I will have to discuss this with my husband…” “Of course,” Iruka interjected. “But I think you might be right, Iruka-san. Practicing a sport, especially one like judo might help solve this problem.” “I’m glad we are on the same page Uchiha-san.” “Yes. Well, if that is all…” Mikoto was rather annoyed with the man, so she just wanted to get off the phone. “Umm, don’t you want to ask about your other boy…Sasuke?” Iruka was a little surprised at the woman’s apparent lack of interest in her boys’ education. “Of course. How is Sasuke doing in school?” “Oh, here I would have to congratulate you, Uchiha-san. If all the students were like Sasuke, the teachers would have much lower stress levels. While he is not the most sociable person in the bunch, he is an excellent student, and never starts any ruckus. Of course he does sometimes get into trouble, but that is usually caused by the fact that he is trying to defend Naruto, or tries to stop one of his fights.” Mikoto had a wide smile on her face by the end of the phone call, proud that her son was a good and loyal child that stood up for his friend. She wanted to raise obedient and disciplined boys, of course, but what she wanted most was for them to be loyal to one another and to look after each other’s backs. After the conversation with Iruka, even though Mikoto was happy that her boys were indeed true friends, she knew she had to give Naruto a piece of her mind. She couldn’t let the child know she wasn’t as angry as she appeared, because if not, the boy would never learn and would never listen to her. So she used a harsh tone and told Naruto his behavior made her feel ashamed and that from now on he was going to take judo lessons and he was going to study harder. It broke her heart to lecture and yell at either of the kids, and she was almost ready to drop the act when she saw the hurt in Naruto’s eyes, but she stood her ground, knowing that in the long run it would be better for him. After her rant about how Naruto should behave himself at school, the kid stormed off to his room, leaving the woman behind to feel guilty. She tried to reassure herself that she proceeded in the correct way. Teenagers needed a firm hand, and at the age of 13 you have to get them to listen at you any way you can. As Naruto was lying in bed, trying to calm his breathing he replayed in his head the fight that probably determined Iruka-sensei to call Mikoto. He threw a punch at Lee after he made fun of him for living with an adoptive family. The kids at that new private school all seemed so god damn perfect and adorable, but most of them were spoiled brats with insensitive hearts, Naruto thought. So of course he got into fights a lot at school. He didn’t like to take crap from anyone, and especially when they said something about his parents, he saw red. Luckily Sasuke was there to hold him back because otherwise he would have broken the guy’s nose. With that, his thoughts drifted to Sasuke and at how he always seemed to be there when he needed him. Naruto had found a good friend in Sasuke, and while the boys wouldn’t be caught dead admitting that to one another, they were both grateful they had each other. If you went by the way they spoke to each other or by the countless times they engaged in fist fights against each other, you would say they weren’t friends. You would probably say they were mortal enemies. However, their behavior was just a façade young boys usually put up because they are too proud to admit that they like and trust the other person. Ever since 5 years ago, when Naruto came to live with the Uchiha family, their friendship had gradually developed. During the first few days of Naruto’s stay, they barely spoke to one another. Naruto was too devastated over the death of his parents in order to be able to make any sort of bond with someone new. And besides, Sasuke was a rather shy boy who didn’t approach other people unless they came to him first. So he patiently waited for Naruto to come to him. And he did eventually. In the beginning their interactions consisted of going to school together, after Naruto was enrolled in Sasuke’s class, and playing different sports and games together. However, as time passed, they grew up and the barriers they put up between one another started to collapse, the boys started to learn more and more about each other. Granted Sasuke was able to figure out more about Naruto because of his observant and inquisitive nature. But that helped the black haired boy understand the other one when other people didn’t and blamed him for being stupid and annoying. Of course Sasuke also called Naruto stupid and annoying but he didn’t mean it whole heartedly and the other boy knew it, so that only allowed them more familiarity. Thinking about Sasuke calmed Naruto quite a bit. He was starting to feel better while he thought that maybe taking up judo wouldn’t be such a bad thing. But then the calmness that he felt went out the window when he wondered what Fugaku-san would say when he heard about Iruka-sensei’s complaints. Naruto had a sort of fear towards the head of the Uchiha family. It wasn’t as if Fugaku had ever done anything bad to him, or even treated him poorly for that matter. No, Naruto came to discover during the 5 years spent in the Uchiha family that Fugaku was not a bad man per se. He was just a quiet and reserved person, who set very high standards for himself and anyone else. He had high expectations from his sons and from the family business. That didn’t strike Naruto as particularly odd however, because he supposed that one had to be like that in order to be able to run a business like the one Fugaku was running. He found out about the family business a few years back, when he asked Mikoto-san how come he had never met anybody from the Uchiha family before, since she and Kushina were childhood friends. “But Mikoto-san, you told me that you had a deal with my mother and that’s how I ended up living with you, right?” “Yes…”, Mikoto answered, waiting for Naruto to push the matter further. “But why would she choose you to take care of me?” “Because Kushina and I were best friends since we were little girls.” “But if you were childhood friends, how come you never came to visit? Why don’t I know you?” “Well, Naruto-kun, I did come to visit. It’s just that your mother and I…we only visited each other privately. We never met each other’s children…”, Mikoto avoided giving away any more details. “But why? It doesn’t make any sense.” Naruto wasn’t satisfied with her answer and he wasn’t going to let the issue rest until he got a response he was pleased with. Mikoto knew that, so she decided it was futile to try to hide this from Naruto any further. He had to learn of this someday anyhow, so it might just as well be now. “You see Naruto, things between your mother and I were easy when we were young and not married. However I got married to Fugaku and she got married to Minato, your father, and that’s when things got complicated…you see…Fugaku is the heir of Uchiha Corporation. This company has been in his family for generations, so of course, when the time came, he stepped up as the CEO. And as you might already know, Uchiha Corporation is an oil company. Now, your mother married Minato, who as you well know was an environmental lawyer. So, Fugaku and Minato didn’t see eye to eye, having met many times in court, being on opposing sides. And this was well before either of us married them. So, as you can imagine, after Fugaku learned that my best friend married his worst enemy, he forbade me to see her anymore…” “But you did…” “Yes I did, but it wasn’t easy. I had to compromise with my husband that we would continue our friendship, but keep it just between the two of us. So that’s the reason why I’ve never met you before.” “I see…” “But, Naruto, please don’t think badly of Fugaku. I know he may come off as a harsh man at times, but he is just doing what he has to in order to protect his family. Any respectable man would do the same…your father would have done the same. So please, try to understand him and forgive him if he might do wrong by you at times…” After that particular conversation with Mikoto-san, Naruto warmed up little by little to the man of the house. Of course their relationship didn’t grow to be personal and warm, like the relationship Naruto came to have with Mikoto, but at least the boy trusted that Fugaku didn’t despise or hold any personal grudge against him. The sound of his phone buzzing yanked Naruto out of his musing. He looked over to the phone and saw he had a text message from Sasuke. The black haired boy was off to violin lessons and would be home soon. The text read: ‘Be home in 20. Want to get your ass kicked at mortal kombat, dobe?’ Naruto let out an annoyed sigh as he read the message. During their free time they would also play a video game called Mortal Kombat, which they both enjoyed. Naruto usually got his ass handed to him by Sasuke, but he still hoped that someday, he would show Sasuke what he is made off. He just needed to get better at it. Naruto really wanted to say “yes” to the other boy, but after the fight with Mikoto about his school grades he knew it would be impossible. So he just settled for answering with: ‘Can’t. Got to study, ‘cause your mom chewed me out about my grades.’ While he got out of bed and moved on to open his math books, he got another text from Sasuke: ‘Hm, you really are a dobe.’ ‘Fuck you, teme!’ was Naruto’s reply. After that, Naruto decided there was no way in hell he was going to manage doing his math homework on his own, so he went looking for Itachi to help him out. Naruto had a very high regard for Sasuke’s older brother. The guy was cooler then Naruto ever hoped to be. He did great in school and next year after he got his bachelor degree he would start working with Fugaku. Besides this, he had a great car, a hotter-than-hell girlfriend and tones of cool friends. But despite all of this, Naruto often noticed that Itachi actually preferred being alone, or merely in the company of his brother. It was as if he had this amazing life that most people could only dream of, but something about it didn’t seem to make him happy. The young man often looked depressed or sad, and refused the countless invites he got, to go out and party with his friends. Naruto suspected that Itachi wanted a different life than the one handed to him by his dad. Naruto could have bet that Itachi would trade it all in an instant if he had the chance. The boy never truly got to figure Sasuke’s brother out, but ever since he moved here, he enjoyed a very good relationship with him. Itachi always treated him with kindness and helped him whenever the younger boy asked. Naruto thought that the Itachi was seeing him as a younger brother. Thinking about this, Naruto walked down the hall to Itachi’s room. He figured it was most likely that the black haired boy was there rather than out with his friends. Knocking on the door, he asked, “Itachi, are you here?” “Come in, Naruto-kun.” He opened the door and was greeted by a smiling face. As he thought, Itachi was indeed in his room, reading a book. “How can I help you?” “Oh, well, you see, I have this stupid math homework which I could really use some help with.” Naruto said scratching the back of his head, dreading expression on his face. Laughing and moving to get up, Itachi said: “Sure, no problem. Let’s see what’s torturing you…”
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