Chapter Text
He was going to be late, again.
His breathing was erratic, but he had been running for over 10 minutes. Stupid school, with its stupid tall buildings and stupid stairs that made him suffer.
He glanced at the watch on his right hand. Twenty minutes late. Excellent. It was his first day of class, and he was already late.
Seeing his classroom door up ahead, he sighed in relief. He wasn’t too worried since the teacher for that class was someone he already knew—it was the same one from last year. So, he took a deep breath and knocked on the door.
Expecting Professor Makoto to open it, his surprise was immense when someone completely different appeared.
This was not Professor Makoto. Instead of gray hair, there was pitch-black hair as dark as the night, falling on either side of a sharply defined face. Deep black eyes accompanied a pale complexion.
No, this was not his former teacher.
Oh, Naruto, why couldn’t you arrive on time?
He mentally scolded himself while trying to muster a faint smile at the man standing in the doorway. The man’s face was void of emotion, but Naruto could feel those eyes scanning him.
“May I come in?” he asked cautiously, his hands fidgeting nervously. He didn’t know this man and hoped he wouldn’t close the door in his face.
“And you are?” the man asked. Naruto took note of his voice.
“Naruto Uzumaki. I’m part of the class,” he said, utterly embarrassed. One of his hands scratched the back of his neck, ruffling his hair nervously.
The person in front of him studied him carefully, his gaze sharpening.
“You’re late, by twenty-two minutes,” the man stated, glancing at his watch. Naruto stood in silence, his nerves on edge.
Please, please, let me in.
He didn’t want to bother his grandmother with another tardy slip. She had been so busy at the clinic lately, often leaving one night and returning two days later, utterly exhausted.
Don’t give me a tardy slip. It’s my first day, please.
He bit his lip nervously, growing more anxious with the man’s silence. He now realized this was his teacher for the rest of the year.
After several tense minutes of silence, the man stepped aside, allowing him in. Naruto couldn’t contain his smile and quickly walked into the classroom, his eyes scanning for an empty seat.
He smiled when he spotted Hinata, who returned the smile softly and shyly. Reaching the empty desk, he set his bag down and sat.
“Who is that?” he whispered, unable to contain his curiosity as the man closed the door and walked with silent steps.
“He’s the new research teacher, Naruto. Sasuke Uchiha,” Hinata whispered back. Naruto nodded and fell silent.
He didn’t want more trouble, so he stayed completely quiet, focusing on the board. The teacher, whose name he now knew, began speaking, explaining their task with precision.
It was about a project—a project Naruto had no idea about since it had been explained during the minutes he wasn’t there.
Great. This is going to be an incredible day.
His anxiety eased slightly as he decided to ask Hinata for help later. Yes, that’s what he’d do.
“I need everyone to participate in their group. At the end of the work, your names will go on it, and I expect a well-done project,” explained Professor Uchiha.
Alarmed, Naruto raised his head and found himself meeting the professor’s piercing black gaze.
No way.
It’s a group project.
Naruto wanted to slam his head against the desk. This was just perfect. No one told him to stay up late baking, but he did it anyway, remembering the kids at the clinic and wanting them to have a moment of happiness.
No regrets.
“What do you mean ‘group,’ Hina?” he whispered to his best friend, who looked at him apologetically.
“He assigned the groups already, and they’re all full,” she whispered back, sounding sorry for him.
His life couldn’t get any worse.
“Hinaa, I don’t have a group. What am I going to do?” he said, alarmed, unconsciously biting his lower lip again.
It was a habit he always did when nervous, one he had tried to stop for years but couldn’t.
“Talk to him after class so he can help you.”
Naruto nodded with a small smile, lifting his head to find the face he was searching for. His smile softened when he spotted his best friend since forever.
Shikamaru was at one of the back tables, his head resting on his arm. Naruto smiled in amusement, knowing his friend had one eye open and the other closed.
Lowering his gaze again, he focused on the rest of the class. He didn’t want to mess up again. Being late on the day they had a new teacher was enough.
With a defeated sigh, he diverted his attention and started writing down what he could catch from the lecture. They had to present a project, and he still had no clue about it.
He remained completely unaware of the dark eyes that were carefully following his every move.
He arrived home with a defeated sigh. What a heavy day, and it was only the first day of school. He didn’t even want to imagine what this new school year would bring.
At least he had spent the day with Hinata and Shikamaru. They had laughed together and returned to their usual routine from previous years. Except this time, Shika was more focused since they were nearing graduation and had to choose a career.
I hope it’s a good year.
He noticed the house was empty. When he reached the kitchen, lunch and dinner were already prepared. Apparently, his grandmother had someone cook for him.
He had told her many times that he could cook for the two of them, but she always refused, saying he should focus on school and spending time with his friends instead of doing household chores all day.
Naruto would just roll his eyes in amusement. It wasn’t a bother at all; in fact, he enjoyed it and it made him feel less lonely.
He went to his room, dropped his backpack, and took off his uniform, tossing it into the laundry basket. He made a mental note to do the laundry tomorrow.
Grabbing his phone, he headed to the living room. He needed to message Hinata since he hadn’t managed to talk to the new professor. He had searched for him all over the school during recess, after classes, and even during a free hour, but no luck. He had eventually given up.
Once in the living room, he lay down on the sofa bed his grandmother loved. He was careful not to dirty her beloved sofas.
He still remembered the time he spilled pizza sauce on them. His grandmother had given him a look of absolute horror. He ended up scrubbing the stains meticulously. She smiled a few days later when she saw they were spotless.
Lesson learned: before sitting on them, he always made sure he was clean, and he no longer ate on them either.
He grabbed his phone and opened his messages, noticing he already had one from Hinata.
Hinaata:
Did you manage to talk to Professor Uchiha, Naruto?
He:
Can you believe I didn’t? I looked for him all over school, Hinaa.
So I gave up and went home.
Hinaata:
Oh, Naruto.
What are you going to do?
He:
I don’t know, dear.
Maybe I’ll keep looking for him tomorrow.
Hinaata:
Now that I remember, Naruto…
He gave us his contact number but said we shouldn’t text him.
He:
That’s it!
Send it to me, Hinaa. I’ll message him.
Hopefully, he’ll reply.
Hinaata:
Good luck, Naruto.
Here it is:
XXX XXX XXX
Naruto smiled with hope now that he had Professor Uchiha’s contact number. But suddenly, nerves kicked in. What should I even say?
“Hi, I’m the student who was late and knows nothing about the project. Help me?”
Ha! He’d be crazy to say something like that. It sounded almost like a demand. So he sighed nervously, took a deep breath, and nodded to himself. He knew what to say.
He saved the number and opened the chat.
Professor Uchiha:
He:
Hello, I’m Naruto Uzumaki.
Sorry to bother you, but I need to know who I’m working with for the group project, professor.
That was it. Now he just had to wait for a reply. He locked his phone a few minutes later, realizing it wouldn’t be immediate.
He headed to the kitchen to find something to eat. Lifting the lids of the pots, he smiled excitedly. The housekeeper had made orange chicken.
Just the sight of it made his mouth water. He grabbed a portion and sat on the kitchen stool, eating while admiring the small plants scattered around the counters.
He loved flowers, and his grandmother was more than happy to let him have them. Their house was filled with flowers and plants, from sunflowers to cacti—an impressive variety.
When he finished eating, he washed his plate and glass, dried his hands, and went back to fetch his phone before starting his homework. Tomorrow was training day, and just thinking about it filled him with excitement. This year, they were going to win the interschool cup—no doubt about it.
Back in his room, his phone lit up with a notification. It was a message from the professor.
Professor Uchiha:
Hello, Mr. Uzumaki.
If you had arrived on time, you would know. I believe you’ll have to work alone now since the groups are already organized, Mr. Uzumaki.
Naruto sighed heavily after reading the message and began typing back.
He:
But, professor :(,
that project is really complicated,
and it wasn’t my fault, really.
Professor Uchiha:
Not your fault?
Remember, it’s your first day, and you were late.
You should act more like an adult and take responsibility.
You’ll do the project alone because that’s what I’ve decided.
He:
Alright. Thank you for your help, professor.
He let out a groan of frustration. Why couldn’t that professor just put him in a group? It wouldn’t have cost him anything!
Now he had to do the entire project alone—researching, brainstorming, and creating everything by himself. He sighed heavily but smiled determinedly. It would be a good challenge for his intelligence.
I can do this. He just hoped he wouldn’t have to ask Professor Uchiha for help, because he was sure the answer would be a resounding no.
Grabbing his laptop, he started searching fori nformation. It was going to be a tough week, but the thought of tomorrow’s team practice filled him with joy and anticipation.