Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Title: Like a Boy

Author: HPFan126

Language: English

Genre: General

Rating: T

Summary: Even as a young child, Naruko had always believed that she will become one of the best shinobi that Konoha has produced. It was her dream to become one of the best but will she give up this dream when she sees just how badly people react to her dream. Originally from THfreak122.

Everyone felt loneliness. It was an emotion that a person experienced at least once in their life. They say there were many reasons why a person would feel lonely. It may be from being abused or from being rejected as well as being unable to fit in or from a broken heart. In Naruko's case, it was from being rejected from the other kids. She couldn't describe how painful it is but all she can say is that it was painful. In honesty, she had always been lonely and she couldn't remember not being alone.

When she had been younger, she had thought the loneliness would go away. It never did. It has gotten stronger and stronger especially, when she sees other kids playing with their parents. It was just a painful reminder of who she was. She was just some no-name orphan, whose parents had abandoned her.

Naruko blinked back the tears that were threatening to come out and chose to focus on the kids in front of her, who were playing. They all had huge beaming smiles as they played the game of ninja. The parents behind them were smiling as well, looking happy to see that their kids were happy. However, a couple of the parents were staring at her. No, staring at her was putting it mildly, in actual fact they were glaring at her.

The blonde gave them a fake smile, which caused the parents to glare at her. It seemed like her smile had made them intensify their glares, if that was even possible. Now, their glares reminded her of a cobra snake ready to attack. The description should tell you how horrible those glares were.

The worse thing wasn't the glares but the whispers. She can hear them talking about her, especially from the two women in front of her. They didn't bother to hide their dislike of her.

"I don't get why she's here!" One of the mother sneered. "It is a pity that the Hokage-"

"Do you want to get yourself killed? The Hokage forbidden anyone from talking about it!" The other woman hissed, glaring at the blonde. "He will chop our heads off if there is any mention of that horrid day."

Naruko frowned and looked at them in curiosity, before chuckling. It wasn't any of her business to know what they were talking about. The parents continued to glare at her but the blonde kept on with the fake smile. They faltered at the smile but continued on with the glaring.

"Well, you can't deny the fact that she's…strange." The mother whispered lowly for the other mother to hear. "Those smiles of hers are unnatural and those whiskers marks, well, how can we be certain that she isn't…?"

"We can't be certain but we can't take the chance." The other woman whispered harshly. "How can we be certain that she will not hurt them? For all we know, she may be…"

The blonde looked down at her lap, deciding that it was time for her to ignore their conversation. She tried her hardest to concentrate on the other kids and not to allow the parents' comment to affect her. Yet, it was hard not to allow it affect her. She touched the whisker marks and gritted. Were these whiskers marks the reason for her being an outcast? She couldn't control her appearance. It wasn't like she asked for it.

"I heard that she was also one of the survivors of that incident."

"It must have been her fault then."

Naruko gulped and looked down at her small hands, which was covered in scars. These ugly scars not only covered her hands but her back as well, reminding her of the past that she can't get away from. The scars were jagged and each one of them were different in lengths. Each scar that she has, have a story to tell.

She took several calming breaths and glared at the ladies. They didn't know anything about her. None of them did. It wasn't her fault that it happened. It wasn't. She was innocent just like the others. All the orphans knew it yet; these adults didn't want to believe it. Why? She hadn't planned anything. How was it her fault that those kids die? She could feel the tears threatening to come out, again.

"How can it be her fault? She is but a child!"

"She's no child…she's a murderer." The woman hissed, scowling at her.

The blonde smiled brightly at the woman and waved her hand. The woman was taken back but the surprise was soon replaced with a dirty look. It was ten minutes of intense staring before the lady turned her attention away from her, focusing it on her friend. Naruko sighed in relief.

She slumped against the swing and smiled bitterly. Why should she give a damn about what they think of her? She knows herself and she knew the adults were wrong about her. No way would she harm someone and she was no murderer. It wasn't her fault they died. It wasn't. She had only been four years old for Kami sake.

Naruko could feel the tears building up again as she thought about their accusation. It shouldn't affect her. She had been just a victim as the others…so why was she treated differently? The blonde shook her head and looked at the kids. They didn't notice her. None of them really did.

Putting her hands on her face, the blonde mulled over her last thought. Why would she want to be seen by them? It will only cause trouble and pain. These two always seemed to accompany her when someone notices her. She already had enough pain and trouble.

"I heard that your daughter is going to go to the Academy." The mother said to her friend. "You must be really proud of her."

"Of course I am, I only want the best for her." The friend replied, smiling proudly at the woman, not noticing the change of subject. "I know that she will do well. I am planning to get her a tutor to help her with her studies."

Naruko smiled and gazed at the sky. The Academy was a school well known for training ninja, though it was the only school, which trains ninjas. It was also her new school and next week, will be her first week. Next week, she will learn what makes a ninja a ninja. Maybe, even learn a jutsu or two. Those jutsu will make her one of the strongest shinobi.

She has to become the strongest shinobi. It was the only way she can fulfill that promise.

The blonde remembered her only friend in the orphanage. The girl had dreamt to become one of the strongest shinobi that this village had seen. Unfortunately, she died before it could happen. That night, Naruko made a promise to her friend to fulfill her dream.

The blonde had no intention of breaking the promise.

"She will make me proud of course." The friend continued, returning the attention back to her. "My little Sakura-chan will be the first ninja in the family, of course she will. I hired an expensive tutor for her."

"Of course you did." The other woman muttered.

Naruko stared blankly at the two mothers before looking at the other kids. These kids may have people helping them to become proper ninjas. She had no one. She will need to work ten times harder than them, if she wishes to get a good mark. The blonde didn't want to be the dead last. It would be humiliating.

She had every intention in becoming one of the best of the class.

Naruko had been counting down the days in excitement as; she waited for the first day of school to school to come. However, she wasn't thrilled in meeting the other kids or the teachers. They would treat her like the others did. If not now than it will be later. It always happened.

The question was how long would it be before they prove her suspicion right? Naruko asked herself as she took a seat beside a blind-looking girl. Sighing, the blonde turned her head to look at her classmate. The girl looked nervous with her shifting eyes and poking fingers. She didn't look insincere. Maybe, this girl will be different from the others.

She sucked in her breath as she felt some of the kids glare at her backs. It was barely the first day of school and already they hated her. Wasn't she lucky today? Only the first day and she was an outcast. Sighing, Naruko shook her head and averted her gaze at the instructor, who stood in front of the blackboard.

He seemed to be excited and upbeat like the other kids in the class. He was grinning as he wrote down his name for them to read before, turning to introduce himself. Which was where they were now. There was nothing remarkable about him in appearance. The only think that stood out to her, was the scar.

"My name is Umino Iruka and I will be your sensei for the next couple of years." The instructor said, smiling at them. "For the next six years, I will be teaching you…"

Naruko could feel a yawn threatening to come out but luckily she surpassed the urge. The speech was just taking too long to her liking and it was boring. She slumped against her seat and tried her hardest to pay attention to him. Her eyelashes were heavy, making it tempting for her to close it. Luckily, she didn't do it. It will do her no good to sleep during class.

The other kids were getting bored too. They all seemed ready to fall asleep at the speech or were talking to their partners. Others had actually fallen asleep while a few other kids were playing a game. She quietly yawned and stared at their sensei.

"…Now I would like all of you to introduce yourselves to me and the rest of the class." Iruka said, returning the class attention on him. He gave them a kind smile before continuing. "Now, which one of you wish to introduce yourself to the class?"

Nobody raised their hands and each one of the students stared at each other expectantly. Naruko shifted in her seat as the other kids looked at her, silently daring her to raise her hand. She didn't rise for the bait. Instead, she fixed her stare at her neighbor, who didn't seem to have any intention to raise his hand.

Iruka frowned at them and asked. "None of you wish to introduce yourself?"

They all shook their head and waited in baited breath as their instructor rubbed his chin. Naruko tapped her feat impatiently and gaze at the scarred man, who was sighing. He didn't seem to be too happy now. She flexed her arms and stretched while her classmates looked at him anxiously.

"I guess I have no choice but to go by alphabetical order." Iruka said calmly, fixing each of the students with his stare. "Right when I call your name, I want you to stand up and say your name along with your likes, dislikes, hobbies and dreams."

The whole class groaned but their groans stopped as soon as the chunin glared at them. Each of the students grumbled about how boring it is and how they thought that they would be learning jutsus first. Naruko nodded her head in agreement with them but wisely decided to keep her mouth shut.

"Aburame Shino!" Iruka called out.

Everyone in the class kept quiet as they watched the boy stood up. He was strange in Naruko's opinion. He wore a jacket that not only covered half of his face but also hanged down to his knees. The hood that he wore covered his face even more. The sunglasses weren't helping him in appearance either.

The whole class listened as the boy told them about how his clan dealt with insects. She had found that oddly interesting to learn. It was odd to hear him admit that he collected insects. Most kids, she observed would never admit to such things. Perhaps it has to do with his clan.

This went on for a while and Narutl hadn't bothered to listen to the others except for the girl beside her, whom she had soon learned was called Hyuga Hinata. The girl had stuttered as she informed them about herself, the quietness didn't help either. The boy beside Naruko snickered at the girl, making the blonde feel irritated with the boy.

Through it was funny to see that it bit him in the back later on, when he had to introduce himself.

It wasn't long before Naruko had to introduce herself to the whole class. Reluctantly, the girl stood up to introduce herself to them. She smiled at her classmates, making sure that they do not see how nervous she is. They were like wolves after all. One wrong move and she is dead.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruko." She said, smiling brightly at them. "I like to read and draw and I dislike liars, cheaters and people who can't take a joke. My dream is to be…" Her voice faltered as she remembered the last words of her only friend. She didn't want to speak anymore, in fear that she would break down.

"Your dream is…?" Iruka asked, prompting her to continue on with her introduction.

"I dream to become one of the best shinobi that Konoha has produced." Naruko finished lamely, smiling at him. The man pursed his lips and the blonde couldn't make out the emotion in his eyes. He was torn-over something that much she can be certain.

The other kids snickered at her words, not seeming to believe her dream. She gritted her teeth and reminded herself firmly that she didn't need their approval. It was her dream, not theirs. Let them think that she is a fool. At least, she had a worthwhile dream.

The last thirty minutes of the class had been spent learning about the history of Konoha. Iruka had told them that if they wanted to, they could take notes and nearly the whole class decided not to take notes but Naruko had chosen to copy notes.

She ignored the looks from her new classmates. Tightening her grip on the pencil, Naruko focused on Iruka droning. She will prove to them that she would become one of the best shinobis that the country. When this happens, they will have no choice but to accept the fact that she was right. She will make sure that dream will happen.

The blonde didn't drop her pencil until Hinata had gently tapped her on the back and informed her that it was time for them to go to taijutsu. Sighing, Naruko stood up to follow the girl to their lesson.

The silence between them was awkward since; neither of them knew anything about each other. Naruko stuffed her hands into her pockets and looked at the girl. Hinata was no doubt different from their female classmates, who were always giggling for no apparent reason. She was quiet, thank goodness and seemed to have a good head in her shoulder.

"I-I think t-that y-your dream is admirable."

Naruko blinked and stared at the girl in curiosity. The blue-haired girl flushed deep red and had a mortified expression, looking shock to admitting this. The cerulean-eyed girl smiled in amusement as Hinata bowed her head in embarrassment. Perhaps, this girl will be different from the others.

"Thank you, Hinata-san." Naruko said, smiling at her. "It means a lot for me to hear that someone supports my dream."

The two girls hesitantly smile at each other and walk towards the field where their taijutsu lesson was being held. The instructor had immediately gestured for all the students to take a seat in front of him and introduced himself as Mizuki. The man had thrown her icy looks and didn't bother to hide his hatred from her. Naruko didn't mind.

She liked him as much as he liked her.

The taijutsu instructor started to explain to them what taijutsu was before teaching the students the kata. When it came to her through, he taught her differently from the other students. Where the other students right hand will be position in front of the chest, hers will be below her stomach. It was suspicious and felt very much uncomfortable.

She glanced at the other students and mimicked their stance while Mizuki was busy helping the others. She didn't like this stance either but it was better than the one he had put her in.

When Mizuki came to her again. He seemed to be shock that she had changed position but the shock was soon replaced with anger. He seemed to be furious as to her change of kata. She gave him a confuse look, furrowing her eyebrows at him. What did she do wrong? His kata felt uncomfortable so it was only natural that she changed it.

"Why aren't you in the kata that I put you in?"

"It felt uncomfortable," Naruko answered truthfully, "I found it to be a painful position to be in and besides the other kids aren't doing the kata, you told them to do."

"That's because you're special." Mizuki said.

The blonde inwardly snorted at this. "It felt uncomfortable and wrong." She said calmly. "Explain to me how this kata will help me? If you can tell me the reason why, I will go back to that kata."

The sliver-haired chunin sweated at the sight of all the kids looking at him in curiosity and whispering at each other. They all looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to answer her question but the bell rang before he had the chance to answer the question.

They returned back to Iruka for lecture on Chakra and how to control it and this time, the students dutifully copied the notes that the scarred chunin wrote. Naruko had taken it to herself that she copied the lectures that he wrote, not wanting to be left behind by her classmates.

Naruko was determined to keep her promise.

Author Note: I forget to mention earlier to say thanks to THfreak122 for allowing me to rewrite her chapters and to continue it. Please review