Changing Hearts

While everyone celebrated their graduation. A blonde just sat on a swing under a tree. The shadows covering his face.

'Out of all the Jutsus we were taught, why did it have to be the clone Jutsu?'

Naruto asked himself. He failed the exam all because of a single Jutsu… the only Jutsu he couldn't even scratch the surface of.

Tears ran down his face. His grip tightening on the rope. What has he done so wrong that he had to be punished like this? Why was life so unfair toward him?

Naruto heard and saw the cold words and gazes of the Villagers. Some looked happy… All of them looked happy.

'Do I really deserve this?'

He felt as if they were right, he felt that he was really a demon.

'Maybe... I should just disappear'

Before he even knew it, Naruto was already sitting on the balcony of his apartment.

"Naruto"

Naruto shifted is head toward the source. A tall, well-built man with Greyish-white hair split evenly on either sides stood before him.

"Mizuki Sensei?"

Mizuki sat down next to him with a warm smile. He looked at sunset with a peaceful atmosphere around him.

"Iruka is tough... But not against you"

Anger flared within Naruto heard that. Fortunately, he was able to suppress it.

"Then why? Why only me?"

Naruto was beyond discontent with Iruka's behavior. He would never be able to forgive that man for how he treated him.

"He wants you to be strong with all his heart... But that will never happen if he goes easy on you"

'Yeah right... He always goes easy on Sasuke and look at where he is. He can probably smack Iruka Sensei down with a flick of his wirst'

Although Naruto won't admit it out loud, he admired Sasuke. Naruto knew how hard the Uchiha trained, he often 'visited' to peek at his spars against Lee.

Unknown to Naruto's thoughts, Mizuki continued.

"He's like you, you know... No parents, No family"

'Just cuz he has a similar situation to mine, it doesn't make him any better'

"I really wanted to graduate this time"

Naruto mumbled under his breath, his thoughts on one side and his words on another.

His words didn't go unnoticed by Mizuki. The Academy sensei chuckled before speaking.

"Then I guess I have to tell you"

"Huh?"

"It's a secret, but~ I'm gonna let you in on it"

'A secret?'

***

Sasuke trained under the moonlight, inside the forest. Lee had told him that the leg weights were on the warehouse house to his right.

'That guy was always wearing weights when we sparred... It was a little surprising to day the least'

Suddenly, he felt a familiar Chakra signature near him. He looked at the trees and saw a blonde jumping down.

"S-Sasuke"

"What're you doing here, Naruto?"

Sasuke asked, a bit puzzled. He then noticed a gigantic scroll on his back.

"What kind of scroll is that?"

Sasuke was resting his body on the wall of the warehouse. He pointed his finger at the scroll.

"N-Nothing!"

Naruto defended, hugging the scroll.

"Okay...Still, in the middle of the night? Carrying a scroll, fully anxious... Tell me the truth"

Sasuke demanded, his voice a bit deep. Naruto gulped, he didn't want to get beaten.

He spilled the beans as he kept the scroll on the ground. Sasuke just looked at Naruto.

"So, let me get this straight... Mizuki said that you would pass the graduation exam if you learn a Jutsu from this scroll. So you stole it"

Naruto kept his head low, reluctant to meet Sasuke's eyes in embarrassment.

'Why did I even believe Muzuki Sensei's words... But, I was so happy finding out that I had a second chance, I couldn't stop myself'

Sasuke neared the scroll and opened it. His eyes narrowed seing the contents inside it.

Quickly activating his sharingan, he memorized everything in it.

'Forbidden Jutsus and Kinjutsu... How did Kinjutsu get in her-'

Sasuke's thoughts were cut off as Naruto snatched the scroll away from him.

"I don't have time! I have to learn a Jutsu from the scroll"

"Yeah, yeah"

Sasuke waved his hands in the air and went to his previous position. He saw Naruto practicing a Jutsu named 'The Shadow Clone Jutsu'

He watched as Naruto practiced the Jutsu for straight-up 2 hours. The kid had an immense Chakra pool.

An idea popped into Sasuke's mind. A childish smile spread across his face.

"Kurama"

Sasuke said aloud just when Naruto was going to perform the Jutsu, a bit of read Chakra leaked from Naruto's fingers which the blonde didn't notice.

*Puff*

Hundreds of clones spawned. Naruto was beyond surprised as to what took place.

And suddenly, a figure was sent flying in middle.

"Ahh!!"

Mizuki screamed as he hit the ground. One of Naruto's clone popped out of nowhere behind him and the instance it saw the teacher, the clone kicked him with all his might.

"W-What is this!?"

Mizuki's eyes widened from seeing the hundres of Naruto around. Snapping his head around, he saw Sasuke just sitting there, looking at him... Amused?

"Sasuke Uchiha! You also have a part in this theft!? Both of you stole the Scroll of Seali-"

His words were cut off short as Ten or twenty Naruto pounced on him, quite enraged.

"Theft!? You were tricking me!?"

Naruto's emotions were a bit out if controll as the demon fox's Chakra was leaked a bit early cuz of Sasuke.

Hundreds of Naruto brutally attacked Mizuki. The teacher's agonizing screams were to no avail.

"What's happening?"

Iruka emerged from the forest, taken aback by the scene. All the clones and along with the orginal stopped their merciless beating.

The clones popped one-by-one, slowly revealing the beaten-up body of Mizuki.

Iruka's eyes widened from witnessing such absurdity.

"Mizuki! No!!"

He ran forward to pick up Iruka, but his vision blanked out all of a sudden.

"I'm tired of hearing screams"

Sasuke sighed as he flickered his wrist left and right in the air, not really bothered by the corpse laying beside Naruto.

'I never expected he was that bold'

It was certainly a surprise as Naruto beat him to death. Unfortunately for Mizuki, the cliche 'beaten to death but not dead' scenario wasn't going to happen.

Sasuke felt his instincts flare from the familiar Chakra signature appear behind him. He turned his head to meet the eyes of the Hokage.

Hiruzen observed the area and sighed.

'Although I already knew the situation from the crystal ball... I wanna hear what exactly happened from their own mouth'

His eyes were fixated on the two kids, one was rock-hearted and the other just blooming into one.

"You boys have a lot of explaining to do"