Those Hands - A Naruto SI

The day had finally come. The day Yuji had both dreaded and resignedly accepted. The first day at the Konoha Ninja Academy. To him, it felt like the first day of prison, only with a higher probability of getting shanked during lunch break.

He walked down the crowded hallway, a sea of excited six-year-olds, all chattering about jutsu and the adventures to come. Yuji, on the other hand, walked with the aura of a man about to undergo a medical procedure. He found his classroom and paused for a moment at the doorway, surveying the scene within.

It was organized chaos. Kids were running around, shouting, and comparing their new kunai pouches. And in the middle of it all, there was an epicenter of arrogant tranquility and a social phenomenon that made Yuji want to roll his eyes so hard he might see his own brain.

Sasuke Uchiha.

At this age, the tragic massacre of his clan was still a dark, unforeseen future. This Sasuke wasn't the brooding, vengeful Sasuke. No, this Sasuke was the pinnacle of Uchiha pride. He sat near the window, not moping in darkness, but radiating the confident aura of a prodigy who knew exactly how great he was. He wasn't aloof because of trauma; he was aloof because he was convinced everyone else was beneath him. And the girls in the class were eating it up.

"Sasuke-kun is so cool!" whispered Sakura Haruno to Ino Yamanaka.

"I know! He's definitely going to be the greatest ninja!" Ino replied, her eyes sparkling.

'Incredible,' Yuji thought with pure cynicism. 'They just met him five minutes ago. They don't know what his favorite food is or if he snores in his sleep. But they're already prepared to dedicate their entire existence to him. This isn't a crush, it's premature hero worship.'

He shook his head in disgust. He didn't need drama. He didn't need attention. He needed a dark corner where he could sleep undisturbed. His eyes scanned the room and found it: an empty seat in the very back row, tucked away in the corner. The perfect spot. A haven for slackers and people who wanted to avoid class participation.

With immense relief, Yuji made his way there, ignoring all the noise. He sat down, propped his chin on his palm, and began to plan his napping strategy for shinobi history lessons. Peace. Finally.

His peaceful plan was shattered into a million pieces.

CRASH!

The classroom door was thrown open with a force that made several kids jump in surprise. In the doorway stood Naruto Uzumaki, with a grin as wide as his face and blond hair that looked like it had just been electrocuted.

"I'VE ARRIVED FOR MY FIRST DAY, DATTEBAYO!" he roared to the entire class.

Several kids gave him strange looks. The Sasuke-admiring girls tutted at the disturbance. Yuji just sank deeper into his chair, trying to become one with the wooden furniture. 'Please don't see me, please don't see me, please don't see me.'

Naruto's blue eyes scanned the room with lightning speed. Yuji held his breath. Maybe, just maybe, Naruto wouldn't find him in his fortress of anonymity.

The hope was futile. Naruto's eyes locked onto him, and his face lit up even brighter.

"YUUUUJIIII!" Naruto yelled.

Instead of calling Yuji to the front, Naruto did something far worse. He began to plow his way through the classroom. He pushed past the front rows, knocking over a few bags, and ignoring the annoyed glares from the other kids. He made a beeline for the back, his destination clear. He was an orange missile programmed to destroy Yuji's tranquility.

He stopped next to Yuji's desk, panting with excitement. "I found you!" he exclaimed, then unceremoniously plopped himself down in the empty seat next to Yuji with a thud.

The entire class was now staring at the back corner. Thirty pairs of curious little eyes were fixed on Yuji and his noisy new companion. Yuji felt his cheeks heat up. A burning shame crept up his neck. He had chosen this corner precisely to avoid attention, and now, Naruto had turned it into the main stage.

"Why?" Yuji whispered desperately, covering his face with his hands. "Of all the empty seats in this room, why did you have to pick this one?"

"Of course I picked this one!" Naruto whispered back, in a voice that was still far too loud. "We're friends! Friends have to sit together! Besides, from here we can plan all our pranks without the teacher seeing!"

"I don't plan on pranking," Yuji grumbled. "I plan on being mentally absent for the next six years."

Just then, the door opened again, this time more calmly. A man with a scar across his nose and brown hair tied in a ponytail walked in. He wore the standard Chunin vest. Iruka Umino.

"Alright, everyone, settle down!" Iruka said, his voice firm yet friendly. "Welcome to your first day at the Ninja Academy. My name is Iruka Umino, and I'll be your instructor for the year."

The class slowly quieted down. Iruka smiled. "Good. Now, before we begin, let's get to know each other a little. We'll go around the room. State your name, and maybe something you like or your dream for the future."

Yuji sank even deeper. Introductions. The cliché exercise in forced awkwardness.

The boy with the pineapple-shaped hair looked at Iruka with half-lidded eyes. "Shikamaru Nara," he said, his voice bored. "I like watching clouds. My dream is to be an average guy, marry a woman who isn't too pretty but not too ugly either, have two kids, a boy and a girl, then retire and spend the rest of my life playing shogi. Everything's a drag."

A few kids giggled. Iruka just sighed, as if he had expected such an answer.

'This kid,' Yuji thought, 'I like him. He gets it.'

Next was the pink-haired girl. She stood up eagerly, glancing at Sasuke before speaking. "My name is Sakura Haruno! What I like is..." She glanced at Sasuke again, her cheeks turning red. "Well, the person I like is..." She giggled shyly. "And my dream for the future is..." She glanced at Sasuke a third time, this time with a meaningful look, before squealing and sitting back down, her face completely red.

'Incredible,' Yuji thought. 'Her entire personality revolves around a boy who doesn't even know she exists. This is pathetic.'

A few more kids introduced themselves. Then it was the turn of a boy with red triangular marks on his cheeks and a small white puppy peeking out of his jacket.

"I'm Kiba Inuzuka!" he barked, pointing at himself with his thumb. "And this is my partner, Akamaru! We like running around and we're gonna be Hokage someday!"

Next to Yuji, Naruto instantly tensed up. "WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" he yelled, jumping to his feet. "There's only one Hokage, and that's gonna be me!"

"Oh yeah?" Kiba retorted, not backing down. "You and what army? Me and Akamaru will take you on any day!"

"Just try it, you dog-breath!"

"At least I don't wear a tacky orange jumpsuit!"

"Alright, that's enough!" Iruka's voice cut through their argument. "Naruto, Kiba, sit down! You'll have plenty of time to compete later. For now, it's your turn." Iruka pointed to the chubby boy next to Shikamaru.

The boy swallowed a handful of potato chips before speaking. "I'm Choji Akimichi," he said with his mouth full. "I like... potato chips. And barbecue. And... all kinds of meat. My dream is to try all the food in the world." Crunch, crunch.

'Finally, someone with the right priorities,' Yuji thought.

Then, Iruka pointed towards Sasuke.

Sasuke stood with a fluid, confident movement. There was no hesitation in him. "My name is Sasuke Uchiha," he said, his voice clear and calm, but with an undeniable note of superiority. "I like things that make me stronger, and I dislike weakness. My dream is not merely a dream, it's a certainty. I will become a ninja strong enough that the Uchiha name will be respected more than ever before."

He sat back down, satisfied with his statement. The girls swooned internally.

'Of course,' Yuji thought. 'It's all about the name. Clan pride. I bet he even eats his morning cereal in a 'superior' way.'

Then, it was Naruto's turn. He leaped to his feet with gusto.

"MY NAME IS NARUTO UZUMAKI!" he announced. "I like ramen! What I hate is the three minutes you have to wait after you pour the hot water! And my dream for the future..." He paused, pointing to the Hokage carvings outside the window. "IS TO SURPASS ALL THE HOKAGE! AND THEN, HAVE EVERYONE IN THIS VILLAGE ACKNOWLEDGE MY EXISTENCE!"

A silence fell over the room. It was such a powerful declaration, so full of raw emotion. Sasuke shot him a brief, dismissive glance. Iruka just saw a loud kid with an oversized dream.

"Alright, Naruto," Iruka said, slightly taken aback. "That's... a big dream. Sit down."

Finally, Iruka's gaze landed on Yuji, in the now not-so-anonymous back corner.

"And you?"

Yuji felt all eyes turn back to him. He took a deep breath, mustering the energy to speak. He stood up slowly, with no enthusiasm whatsoever in his movements.

"Yuji Yamashita," he said, his voice flat and emotionless.

He paused. The silence was awkward.

"And...?" Iruka prompted gently. "Something you like? Your dream?"

Yuji thought for a moment. What did he like? Sleep. Quiet. Not being here. What was his dream? To survive to old age without losing any limbs or his sanity. He couldn't say any of that.

"I like..." he began, searching for an answer that wasn't too depressing. "...when things go according to plan. Which is rare."

He glanced at Naruto, who gave him an enthusiastic thumbs-up.

"And my dream..." he paused again. He needed something neutral, something boring, something that would make everyone immediately forget about him.

"...is to open a branch of the mask shop in another town someday," he said, the lie coming out easily. "Maybe somewhere with nice weather. And not too many bugs."

He sat down immediately, before Iruka could even respond. Mission accomplished. He had introduced himself in the most unmemorable way possible.

Iruka blinked, looking a little confused by such a... mundane answer. "Oh. Well. That's... a very practical dream, Yamashita."

As Iruka went on to explain the academy's curriculum, Yuji let his mind drift. He looked at his classmates. A genius slacker, a fangirl, an arrogant dog-lover, a foodie, a prideful Uchiha, and a loud-mouthed Jinchuriki who was now sitting next to him, trying to balance an eraser on his nose.

This was his generation. This was his circus. And he, somehow, had become one of the performers.

This was stupid. But it was a necessary stupid. It was the annoying first step on a long, even more annoying road he had chosen. And for now, all he could do was sit back and endure it.