The Shadow's Fox

Chapter 1

He listened and watched as a few more kids called out they were there, finding a few more kids to keep in mind, like Shikamaru Nara, Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame, and Choji Akimichi. They were kids that seemed like they kept more to themselves, so maybe they wouldn't mind hanging out with him.

"Naruto Uzumaki," Iruka called out.

Naruto's eyes went wide and he quickly stood up, hitting his knee on the top of the desk. "Oww. Here." The kids laughed at him and he rubbed the back of his head with an embarrassed smile. They weren't glaring at him. Sure they were laughing at him, but there wasn't a single glare. His smile got wider. He knew how he was going to make friends. If he could make them laugh and completely forget about what the adults might have told him, then he could make friends.

He sat back down as Iruka called out the last few names and then turned to the blackboard to begin his lesson. Naruto pulled out the notebook that he saw was provided in the desk and began writing, but not notes about the lesson. What he wrote was plans, ideas that would get him some attention and possibly make people laugh. This was going to be the start of a new chapter in his life.

NNNNNNNNNN

Three weeks had passed and Naruto slumped into his chair and rested his chin on his desk. Nothing. Not one person wanted to be his friend. He had joked and made a fool of himself, and while the kids did laugh, not one of them wanted to be his friend. They all did the exact same thing they did on the first day, pushed him away and called him names.

His eyes drifted over the kids in front of him sadly. 'Why won't they give me a chance? Do they really hate me just like the adults do? Why? What did I do to make everyone hate me?' His eyes landed on the boy with dark hair up in a spiky ponytail, Shikamaru. He sat up, just staring at the boy. 'He's one I haven't actually approached. Maybe he'd be my friend. Him and that fat boy... Choji?... They don't seem to have very many people around them. Maybe they wouldn't mind...'

A loud bang made him jump and he looked up to see Sasuke glaring down at him. "Hey, loser, why are you even here?"

Naruto blinked up at the boy. "Huh? What do you mean? I'm just waiting for Iruka Sensei like the rest of you."

Sasuke's glare intensified and he leaned in closer to the blonde, making said blonde back up in his seat a bit. "I meant, why are you even alive? No one likes you, and you'll never become a shinobi." Sasuke stood back up and crossed his arms. "Just go die," he said, then turned and walked away.

The two boys that always seemed to follow Sasuke around laughed, calling out "Yeah, just go die, fox boy," or "You don't deserve to live after what you did."

Tears welled up in Naruto's eyes, but he glared at the three boys. "Jerk!" He glanced around and saw that some of the kids were looking at him, most with their own glares, but then he locked eyes with Shikamaru. He stared into those brown eyes, lost for a moment, but then turned his head and smacked his forehead on his desk, eyes closed, and tears dripping onto the smooth surface.

He sat there, the boys' words going through his head, and felt the pain of all these years overwhelming him again, but then suddenly opened his eyes. 'Wait. One of the boys called me fox boy.' He looked up and scanned the room until he found the boy next to Sasuke, wiping his eyes on the sleeve of his shirt. 'What did he mean by that?' He looked down and tried to think if anyone else had said something similar.

"Get out of here. No one wants a demon fox like you around."

"That boy, why would the Hokage ever let a demon like him live?"

"Stupid fox. Why does he think he belongs here?"

He blinked. That boy wasn't the only one that's called him a fox before. He wasn't a fox, so why would people call him that?