Team 9: Rewritten

Prologue

Chapter 1: (Naruto's Voice) Enter! Raitoningu Furasshu!

We see The Village Hidden in the Leaves, Konoha, and focus on the Shinobi Academy. The students had all just been let out. We focus on a white haired kid and walking alongside a blonde one. The blonde everyone could recognize as the rather (in)famous Uzumaki Naruto, while the pale kid beside him was the only son of the Furasshu family, Furasshu Raitoningu.

Raitoningu was a boy tall for his age, slender, and pale skinned, with blue eyes as well as spiky white hair combed upwards. He wore a light gray colored, sleeveless shirt, a pair of dark grey pants, as well as black ninja boots that reached under his knees, and a long pair of black fingerless gloves that reached past his elbows. Unlike his blonde companion, he had a Konoha forehead protector tied around his forehead.

Raitoningu was currently doing his best to cheer his friend up after the blonde failed the early graduation exam for the second year in a row.

"Look at it this way, at least you won't have to be with shinobi older than you!" the white haired kid said

"Yeah, but if I fail next year that'll mean I won't even be with shinobi my age!" exclaimed the distressed blonde "And also...I really wanted to be on your team! Who would I even want as teammates from my class?! Sasuke?!"

Raitoningu frowned, understanding at least some of his friends feelings

"I know man, but there has to be someone that could be a friend to you." seeing the blonde open his mouth, Rai quickly continued "And don't say Sakura. We've been over this, hitting you as a form of acknowledgement makes her no better than the other villagers."

This made Naruto actually pause to think his answer through.

"Well...I guess there's Shikamaru, Choji and Kiba...we sometimes sneak out of class and hang out at the village, but it's not like they invite me to hang out any other time. Shikamaru and Choji mostly stick with each other and Kiba always runs off somewhere with Akamaru after class."

"Have you tried inviting them yourself? If you get along during your escapades they would probably say yes if you approach them." Rai gave his two cents on the matter

Naruto actually froze at his words...before promptly face-palming.

"I didn't think about that..." he muttered

'Doesn't surprise me,' Rai thought sadly 'you're so used to being ostracized and rejected that somewhere along the line you stopped making the effort to actually form connections'

The Furasshu knew it well, after all, it had been him who approached his kohai during a lunch break of the blonde's second week at the academy. The Uzumaki kid would just retreat to the lonely swing in the academy's yard, not making an effort to approach anyone despite always keeping up his smiling and boisterous facade.

Raitoningu had always been observant though, he had soon noticed how the villagers would shoot him glares whenever he walked past them after lessons ended, and how the other kids at the academy, mainly the civilian kids, would steer clear from him.

He had voiced his concern to his parents and, although he had a feeling they were hiding something from him, they had both encouraged him to approach the blonde.

Their friendship was born pretty soon afterwards.

"And even if it doesn't work" Rai continued, "what about that girl that's always watching you train?"

"Girl? What girl?" asked a confused Naruto

"You mean you haven't noticed? The Hyuga girl in your class, you know...short, dark blue hair, lavender eyes...ring a bell?"