The Path of an Uchiha - A Naruto Fanfiction

Chapter 4

The Boy Who Was Called a Monster

It's been about a week and a half since they started living on their own. Kotomi was noticing a drastic change in Sasuke's behavior. He was always quiet to begin with, but he became even more quieter than usual. He shut more people out than usual, keeping his distance and not associating with them whatsoever. The only one who he was open with was his sister. Though at times he gave her the cold shoulder as well, but not too often.

This was worrying Kotomi. She completely understood why her brother was acting like this. The hatred for their brother was growing within each day. There were times when he came home really late or not at all. But despite that, she didn't want her brother to be a shutout. He needed to be more open to people than just her.

Waiting for her brother by the academy, Kotomi saw older children starting to come out. She was expecting to see her brother walk among the crowd, but she didn't see him anywhere.

A pink hair girl with green eyes noticed that she was there. "You're Sasuke-kun's little sister. I remember seeing you that time when you stopped by to give him his lunch."

Kotomi shyly nodded. "Y-Yes. I came to pick him up. Have you seen him?"

The girl shook her head. "He usually disappears during this time. I don't know where he goes."

Lowering her eyes, Kotomi swallowed. "That's ok. I'll go look for him. Thank you." Taking a slight bow, she started to walk away.

The girl extended her hand, the words wouldn't come out. She blinked at Kotomi's back, softly smiling. "They look alike, but they're really different."

It's been hours since Kotomi has been wandering around the village. The sun was setting, turning the entire scenery orange. At this point, her stomach was growling loudly.

Panting as she walked, Kotomi continued to search for Sasuke. "Onii-san!" It felt like she searched everywhere in the village, but no luck.

Kotomi stopped, looking towards the direction of a playground. She saw many parents leaving the park with their children. The only thing was, there was one child left by himself. He was smiling as he watched them go, his face soon dropped as they walked further away.

From a distance, Kotomi saw him walking towards the swings. There was nobody around him anymore, she could feel the loneliness in the air. Should she go over to him or let him be?

Kotomi knew in the back of her head that many people either ignored him or said such awful remarks to him. He had always caused trouble in the village, getting under everyone's skin. Maybe that was his way of getting attention, even if it was in a negative way. Making her decision, Kotomi started walking towards him.

Hearing footsteps drawing close, the boy looked up, seeing Kotomi there. The words were stuck in her throat. He needed someone, a friend. The look in his eyes yearned for someone to be there for him.

Softly smiling at him, Kotomi started to speak up. "Hello. You're Naruto, right?"

Grunting in surprise, Naruto nodded. "Yeah. Who are you?" He squinted his eyes, seeming like he was trying to remember where he saw her. "Wait... Aren't you that jerk's sister everyone was talking about that time?"

Kotomi just blinked. "Jerk? Are you talking about Sasuke?"

Irritation was written all over Naruto's face. "Yeah! He always thinks he's better than me! But one day I'll be stronger than him!"

Kotomi giggled. "I can see that happening."

Even though she genuinely meant that, Naruto saw it as her way of mocking him. "You're just like him and everyone else! Always making fun of me! I don't want the jerk's sister to bring me down like he has!"