Solar Eclipse *Rewrite*

Chapter 3

Koinu has asked Naruto to tell her when Sasuke returned to school. To her surprise, a few weeks later he bumped into her and declared that the Uchiha had returned. A few weeks wasn't enough time to mourn a loved one, much less a whole clan. Yet she bit her tongue. During her brief intermission between missions, she would stop by the academy to observe them from the window. Naruto was the only one to notice her presence and would often offer a light smile. However, her attention was mostly on Sasuke. And she didn't like what she was seeing one bit.

Sasuke had started to withdraw, turning cold and bitter. No child should be that driven by vengeance. And yes, she was aware that Sasuke was older than both her and Naruto. But still, she knew what was going on was wrong, Sasuke needed help. Yet no one would willingly offer it.

"Hey, Ko?"

"Hm?" They had been watching the clouds at the top of the Hokage' Heads.

"Japanese isn't your first language, is it?"

She chuckled. "What gave it away?"

"You talk to everyone like you're talking to an elder. Even to me, and we're friends. You sometimes say things too literally, and don't use any slang."

"Yeah, Japanese isn't my first language. It's my second. My first language is the language of my people. I can teach if you want."

He sat up, looking at his friend with starry eyes. "Really?"

"Sure. You're a smart kid."

"Everyone at the academy doesn't say that."

"Cause they don't know you as I do."

"Hey, Ko?"

"Yeah?"

"Would you like to go with me to the academy?"

She considered it. Besides Naruto, she only knew Sasuke and she has never actually talked to the guy. Maybe getting to know more kids her age wasn’t such a bad idea. "Yeah, I would like that."

He let out a cry of excitement. "Awesome! Now, all I have to do is convince Iruka-sensei to let you come."

"Iruka? Like Umino, Iruka?"

"Yes. He's my sensei at the academy. Has a scar right here." He drew his thumb over the bridge of his nose. "You know him?"

"Bumped into him a few times. He smells nice."

"You say that about a lot of people."

"Some people smell nice. Not as nice as you." He rolled his eyes, folding his arms back under his head. “I’m being very serious at the moment.”

“I think what you’re trying to say is, ‘I’m being dead serious right now.”

“Are you teasing me?”

“Maybe…” There was a playful slur to his words. He let out a giggle when she playfully swatted at him. “But seriously, I’m going to have to teach you how to talk casually. You sound like a lord whenever you speak.”

“You are aware that I could easily punch you off this mountain and make it look like an accident, right?”

Naruto, the ever-sweet boy, found himself looking forward to the end of class more than usual. He was ferociously taking down notes but very little made its way to his little head. Iruka-sensei wasn’t a bad teacher, Naruto just struggled. School was hard, even harder when something as simple as asking a question or clarification of a topic ended with a light lector to pay better attention and the ever-cruel snickering of his classmates.

Soon the bell rang and the class was dismissed. The blond took his time, packing up his things. He wanted to be the last one to leave class and didn’t want to look too suspicious. Once everyone else had left, the boy inched closer to his teacher. “Iruka-sensei?”