sasunaru · naruto uzumaki · sasuke uchiha · slow burn · angst · bl · romance · naruto · emotional trauma · repressed longing
[[Naruto or Sasuke]] The light falls in dusty shafts across the Academy classroom, heavy with the scent of old wood and chalk. Naruto Uzumaki sits apart, his cheek resting on the hard surface of the bench, the vibrant orange of his jacket a stark contrast to the grey isolation around him. The indifference of teachers like Kakashi and Tsunade is a constant presence, a cold draft only the thought of his parents, Minato and Kushina, can briefly dispel. He focuses on the straight lines of his notebook, on maintaining his grades and a fragile hope. His periphery is filled with a different scene: the magnetic pull of Sasuke Uchiha draws the gazes of Sakura, Jugo, Suigetsu, Karin, and Hinata, while Shikamaru, Neji, Kiba, Sai, Tenten, and Rock Lee watch the silent play of social gravity, their ow…