Chapter Two

- 3 Years Later -

"Ugh….hurts like hell" In the dim light of his bedroom, Naruto sat on his bed, trying to treat his wounds. He was bruised, as always. Just because he asked to play with some kids, they ganged up and beat him. Despite their parents being present, no one tried to stop their kids.

Naruto was applying some, expired cream on his wound, which was making it more painful. But he didn't know it was expired. No one had taught him that. No one cared to.

KNOCK! KNOCK!

Suddenly, the door of his small apartment was being knocked at. He was surprised. No one was there to visit him in general, let alone be at night.

He got up, holding a kitchen knife in his hand, hidden behind his back. He had a lot of cases where some kids tried to come to his house and beat him. So just to scare them, he had no other way but to use a lethal weapon, despite being scared himself.

He approached the door slowly, hoping the Knocking stops and the person goes away. But it didn't happen and he had arrived near the door.

Slowly and cautiously, he opened the door, ready to strike if it was someone there to harm him.

"Hey Naruto…." an old man stood at his door, greeting him with a warm smile. Naruto sighed of relief and smiled back.

"Old man, what are you doing here so late at night?" Naruto asked him as he slowly put the knife on the table behind. Sarutobi was surprised to see the knife, but did not question.

"I am here, to give you this months allowance." He said as Sarutobi entered the house.

"Why? You could have sent it with an Anbu like every time." Naruto said, a distaste in his mouth. Sarutobi had been taking care of him since he was 4, as he had ran out of the orphanage.

However, it had been less of parenting and more of Survival, as Sarutobi had to be at work most of the time. However, this was the only person who treated him like a human. He couldn't be anymore grateful.

"Come on Naruto, don't be angry. You know I can't make it to you all the time for giving allowance." Sarutobi tried to amend his mistake. However, there wasn't much of a care in his voice, whether Naruto forgave him or not.

"Oh, not at all. I am not angry. I meant that, you have other works so you didn't have to waste time to give me the Allowance."

"Ah, its not much. I can do this much for you." Sarutobi sat down on the sofa. He took out an envelope.

"Here you go." He gave the envelope to Naruto, who looked at it indifferently. Naruto took the envelope and put it on the table beside him.

"Hey, aren't you going to count it?" Sarutobi asked with a smile. Naruto looked at him, tilting his head, in confusion.

"Why? I know how much it is." But despite saying so, he counted the money. He couldn't afford to get less, since his grocery had ended.

"Oh! Its 2 thousand more!!" Naruto was surprised. He hadn't gotten a single ryo more as allowance before. Was his allowance increasing, finally?

"Of course. And here, this is a gift for you." Sarutobi handed him handed him a paper.

As Naruto read it, he couldn't believe his eyes. It was a recommendation letter of Hokage himself, for his approval in the Academy! That indeed was a gift.

"Old man!!" Naruto jumped on the Hokage, clutching him around his waist, sniffling and crying.

The Hokage patted his back, letting him be. After several minutes, Naruto calmed down. He stood there, holding the letter like it was the most precious thing in the world.

"This is the best thing I ever received!" Naruto told him with a huge grin.

After a few minutes, Sarutobi left. Naruto laid on his bed, looking at the Letter with a huge grin on his face.

'The Academy starts in a week! I have a week to get ready for it!'

'Will she be there? I…hope so'

The lights started to fade as his eyes got heavy and soon he fell asleep with the lights on.

- A Week Later -

Naruto got up early. He washed up and took out the clothes Sarutobi had given him. They were all orange and had a symbol of his clan, is what Sarutobi told him.

Naruto wore them without any hesitance and took some empty scrolls with him with a quill. He had decided to focus on his studies the best he could. If he had to be a Hokage, he would need as much help as possible.

Naruto locked the door, the empty milk carton still sitting on his dinning table. Of course, expired.

"Lets go, Uzumaki Naruto! Its your golden day!!" And saying so, Naruto ran from his apartment and did not stop till he reached the Academy.

He did not want anyones stares or their harsh words to ruin his day. It was his golden chance to start a new life and he did not want it to start with some curses or dirty stares.

Naruto walked into the Academy, holding his letter just in case anyone asked. He knew which class he was going to be in and who was his teacher. All he had to do was, go, sit and study.

He took a deep breathe and entered his allocated class.

And as soon as he did, a dead silence spread to the entire class. Naruto waited for a while, for the class to go back to being as before, but it did not happen. His head slowly started to lift up and what he saw broke his heart.

All the stares, but not one was filled with anything but Hate and Fear. He felt like crying. He wanted to shout, he wanted to hit something, someone.

Naruto walked fast to the end of the class and sat there, near the window, looking outside. He couldn't see the girl in his classroom. Was she in some other class?

'But what does it matter? Even if she is here, she is probably going to be the same.'

Heartbroken, Naruto let go of any hope of having new friends. Until, he saw the girl walking inside the Academy from the window.

As if she had heart his thoughts, she looked up at the Window and her face lit when she saw him. Her hand lifted and waved at him.

His heart raced and he lifted his hand to greet back. But before he could do so, the girl beside her put her hand down and stuck her tongue at Naruto. The blonde girl seemed the same as everyone.

But now he at least had a hope that someone would be his friend.