Chapter Text
He wasn’t going to make it to Professor Uchiha’s class. He hit his head against the window of Shizune’s car—there were only ten minutes left before the class ended, and he was just now leaving his house.
"Hey, hey, careful with my window," Shizune said beside him.
"Sorry," he replied timidly, giving her an embarrassed smile.
The rest of the ride was silent. He hadn’t been able to leave early because he had spent the entire night preparing treatments and ideas for patients with his grandmother, as well as filing most of the cases.
Some of them were over ten years old—there was a little bit of everything, from car accidents to people falling from great heights, and even a case of someone who accidentally cut their leg with a chainsaw.
Naruto still didn’t know how his grandmother managed to handle everything, which was why he had spent the night helping her.
He had also asked her to wake him up when she left in the morning so he’d have time to cook his lunch, but she had forgotten—or at least, he had a sneaking suspicion that she had chosen not to wake him.
And now he was late, on the very day they were supposed to receive their project grades. A project he had barely managed to submit two days ago, and now, once again, he was running late.
"Ay, Naruto."
When he arrived at the school gate, the security guard raised an eyebrow but had an amused smile. It was obvious that he already knew him—Naruto was always, always late most days.
So the guard had gotten used to it, and with a chuckle, he let him through. In return, Naruto would bring him some baked goods or cookies whenever he made them, giving some to the guard, his wife, and their daughter.
He had seen them a few times at his grandmother’s clinic. That was where they had first met, and the little girl had grown fond of him during the days she was hospitalized for appendicitis.
As he got out of the car, he kissed Shizune’s cheek and entered the school grounds, where the guard was already waiting with a raised hand in greeting.
Naruto returned the gesture with a smile, shouted a quick "Thanks!" and started running to get to his next class—before he missed that one too.
He took a few seconds to calm his breathing after climbing those cursed stairs. He was an athlete, in good physical condition, and healthy—his grandmother gave him a full medical check-up every month—but those stairs were his downfall. They were horrible. No matter how strong or used to running and jumping he was, they always left him breathless.
He passed by most of the classrooms until he reached his own. There, he knocked on the door gently and was greeted by Professor Temari. She taught chemistry and was both beautiful and kind.
Although her temperament could sometimes be explosively unpredictable, when she saw him, she simply raised a bored, knowing eyebrow—clearly accustomed to this.
Naruto smiled at her in the most charming way he could muster. She sighed, already knowing his antics, and shook her head, but Naruto only grinned more excitedly when she opened the door.
“Come in, Naruto, come in,” she said, completely used to this.
“Thank you, Professor Temari. May I say, you look very beautiful today,” he said with a bright smile.
She let out an amused laugh and gave him a light push with her hand. Naruto walked in quickly and noticed Hinata’s empty seat. Shikamaru was nowhere in sight—probably asleep at the back of the classroom.
"I wish I were Shikamaru."
He shook his head at the thought and took a seat next to his best friend, who greeted him with a soft smile on her delicate features. The blond returned it while setting down his backpack and pulling out his notebook.
Minutes passed in class, with Naruto participating constantly, solving exercises, and answering questions. He was lucky to have a knack for chemistry—he understood the exercises easily and knew the periodic table like the back of his hand.
And yes, he was proud of that. He was smart, and he had to prove it. Although… maybe he was a little favored by Professor Temari. She let him slide without trouble and rarely graded his tests—she would just give him the highest mark without checking them.
By the time class ended, he was already walking to the next one with Shikamaru and Hinata by his side. Naruto let out a loud sigh—here it was, Hiruzen’s class.
He wanted to sigh, groan, maybe even cry a little. Dealing with that professor was impossible—Hiruzen always believed he was right about everything. There was no arguing with him because he was older and had absolute authority.
Naruto took a deep breath and stepped inside. He grabbed Shikamaru and made him sit beside him, because out of the three of them, Shikamaru was the best at history. Naruto still didn’t know how, but it was a blessing.
Hiruzen had a bad habit of always calling on him, and Shikamaru was kind enough to whisper the answers to him—allowing Naruto to save face. Otherwise, he would’ve been humiliated ages ago.
As soon as he took his seat, the classroom felt chaotic—so many voices speaking at once, desks scraping against the floor, creating an awful noise.
But the moment Hiruzen entered, everything went silent. The desks stopped moving, the chatter died down.
He greeted the class and began writing on the board. Today’s lesson was about key historical events.
And then, suddenly, the old man’s brown eyes landed on him.
“Mr. Uzumaki,” he called with a serious look.
"Oh no. Oh no."
Naruto sighed internally, bracing himself for the question that was about to come.
“In what year did the Eastern Roman Empire fall?”
There it was—the question. Luckily, Naruto knew the answer, so he took a calm breath and replied:
“It fell on May 29, 1453, when the Ottoman Turks conquered the city of Constantinople,” he answered in a neutral tone, a satisfied smile appearing on his face as he watched the man turn away with a frown.
When he turned back, he saw the proud smile Hinata was giving him.
“That’s it, blondie,” his best friend whispered beside him, one eye open and the other closed.
Naruto rolled his eyes playfully and smiled before whispering a quick thanks.
The hours of classes passed, and soon, it was lunchtime. Naruto walked with an amused grin.
Hiruzen: 0.
Naruto: 1.
Smiling, he sat at one of the cafeteria tables while Shikamaru went to get his food. Hinata was beside him, talking on the phone. Her little sister had gone on a trip, and she called constantly to check on her.
“How is she?” he asked, referring to the sister on the other end of the call.
Hinata smiled as she hung up.
“She’s doing great! She’s having a good time,” she replied, warmth in her eyes.
“I’m really happy for her,” he said, genuinely pleased.
“Thanks. Oh, by the way, Naru, they already posted the project grades.”
Naruto broke into a cold sweat, expecting the worst. But he took comfort in knowing he had done his best. If he got a bad grade, he could always make up for it later.
“Tell me, Hina, just hit me with it,” he said nervously. His best friend’s serious expression wasn’t helping—it only made him more anxious.
“You got…” Just before she could finish, her blessed boyfriend arrived and kissed her on the cheek.
Naruto glared at him as Kiba gently cupped Hinata’s face and gave her a long, affectionate kiss—at least, that’s how it looked to Naruto.
“Ahem, ahem,” Naruto coughed pointedly in their direction. “We were in the middle of a conversation.”
When they finally pulled apart, Kiba looked at him with amusement, while Hinata, though blushing, had a satisfied smile on her lovely face.
They adored each other. They had been dating for almost a year now, and Naruto could see how much his best friend already loved him—and how much Kiba loved her back.
“Uzumaki,” Kiba greeted with a grin before sitting beside Hinata and pulling her onto his lap by the waist.
She let out an embarrassed squeal, but the blond knew she was being dramatic—no one could wipe that satisfied smile off her face. Naruto rolled his eyes.
“Hinaa, just tell me the grade already. You can kiss your beast of a boyfriend later,” he said, exasperated. He wanted to know, and she was letting the suspense eat him alive.
“You got the highest grade, blondie.”
Naruto jolted at the sudden voice beside him. His best friend had returned, carrying two trays. Each had a sandwich, a juice box, and an apple.
“What?! No way,” he exclaimed in shock. That couldn’t be right. He highly doubted he had gotten the highest grade—maybe an average score, but the highest?
“Yes, Naruto, it’s true,” Hinata confirmed with a serious look while eating her grapes. Meanwhile, her boyfriend was completely focused on braiding her hair.
“Incredible,” Naruto said with an excited smile. Beside him, Shikamaru set the tray down in front of him. Naruto glanced at his sandwich—chicken and tomato.
His favorite.
And the red apple, also his favorite. He smiled at Shikamaru in pure gratitude and leaned in to give him a thankful kiss on the cheek.
His best friend hummed in acknowledgment and took a bite of his own beef sandwich. The four of them then settled into a very comfortable silence.
Naruto was leaving school—he was late, and it was already raining.
"That's what you get for being nosy."
He couldn't be blamed, though. Coach Guy had been telling him about the couple who had moved in next door, and Naruto had been laughing at the stories his P.E. teacher and coach shared with him.
The poor couple had recently moved in and were just trying to survive. A lot had happened to them—one of the worst incidents was when their electrical wiring burned out, cutting off all their power.
And then, one morning, the guy had been chased by a dog.
Naruto had laughed out loud at that but then felt sorry for them.
And now, here he was, walking in the rain because he had forgotten that Shizune had a full shift today. On top of that, Shikamaru had to leave early because his dad wanted him home.
Luckily, he had brought his sweater, which he was now using to cover his backpack. Not that it really mattered—he was only carrying a notebook and a few things.
He shook his head but kept walking with a smile. He watched the trees being bathed by the rain, saw the dark clouds, and listened to the sound of the downpour. Everything looked so beautiful—the cool atmosphere, the raindrops rolling from his hair onto his face.
He knew he would probably get sick, but he enjoyed the moment. Once he got home, he'd deal with the consequences. For now, he just wanted to be happy and spend a little time alone.
Simply being happy like this.
He started humming a tune, moving his head to his own rhythm, not caring about the looks people gave him.
This was him, and he was fine the way he was.
Stares were just that—stares. Fleeting, meaningless, and easily forgotten.
He kept walking, switching songs in his head whenever he forgot the lyrics. A few minutes later, he spotted his apartment complex. There it was—his home. A two-story brick house, filled with flowers. He smiled proudly; his garden looked beautiful and well-kept.
As soon as he opened the door, he took off his shoes, showered with warm water, and went downstairs to eat and prepare dinner while waiting for his grandmother to arrive.
He finished his homework, tossed his jacket into the laundry basket, tidied up the living room, and then sat down with a cup of chamomile tea with honey.
Because he had already sneezed. Not just once.
More than four times, actually.
It was clear—he was going to get sick, and not even a day had passed.
Immune system: 1.
Naruto: 0.
He sighed and grabbed his phone, opening his chat with his teacher. He hesitated before typing.
Professor Uchiha
He:
"Professor, I couldn't make it to your class today. Hinata said I got the highest grade—thank you!"
He sent the message and continued scrolling through his phone while waiting for a reply. A few seconds later, he smiled at the notification.
Professor Uchiha:
"No need to thank me. You deserved it.
And stop messaging me. I am neither your friend nor your acquaintance, Mr. Uzumaki."
He:
"I just wanted to thank you.
I promise I won't message you again.
Good night, professor."
That was that.
He finished his tea and went to wash the disheshe had used, hoping his sneezes weren’t what he feared they were.