I tossed my suitcase into the back of the car. I didn't care about anything anymore—I just needed to get away from that house.
Itachi didn't say a single word the whole ride. He just drove. After a while, we pulled up in front of a huge glass building.
Konoha Academy.
As I got out of the car, Itachi said, "I'll take your stuff home. I'll pick you up at sunset."
I just nodded and watched him drive away.
I slung my backpack over my shoulder and walked into the academy courtyard. A massive sign hung over the front entrance: Konoha Academy.
This place was three times the size of a regular university. The entire exterior was glass. People of all kinds passed by me as I made my way to the admin office.
The door was open, so I walked right in. The room smelled like coffee. Four desks were set up next to each other. Three were empty, but a man sat at the last one.
He had gray hair and wore a black mask. I didn't sense any scent from him. Probably a beta.
He looked up and said, "I'm Kakashi Hatake. You must be Sasuke Uchiha, right?"
"Yeah. I'm Sasuke. I need my class schedule."
He pulled a paper from a stack. "You're really late today. Hurry up."
He handed me the paper. "Go to Class A3. Don't be late."
I nodded, took the paper, and left the room without another glance.
The hallways were gray and quiet. I kept walking until I saw the sign: A3.
I opened the door and walked in.
A tall man stood at the front of the class. His golden hair caught the light, and as he turned, I met his bright blue eyes.
Right away, I caught the bitter scent of whiskey.
An alpha.
For a second, his jaw clenched and his brows pulled together. The students were all staring at me.
"I was at the admin office," I said.
He didn't reply. He looked away and glanced down at his books.
"That's fine. But before you sit, introduce yourself."
Why did his voice waver a little just now?
Was I imagining things, or did he really just hesitate?
The rest of the class watched me, curious.
I said flatly, "Sasuke Uchiha. Watch how you act."
Then I ignored their reactions and walked to the back of the class. I sat beside a red-haired guy and pulled out my economics book.
"What page are we on?" I asked.
"Page 3," he replied.
I flipped to the page, but something kept bugging me.
I could feel someone's eyes on me.
I looked around, and sure enough, my gaze locked with a pair of piercing blue eyes.
The alpha.
Why was he staring at me?
Was he pissed I came in late?
He quickly looked away and picked up a piece of chalk, starting to write on the board.
The guy next to me leaned over a little. "I'm Gaara."
His red hair was striking, but his eyes… they looked completely empty.
"I already introduced myself," I said.
He fumbled. "Yeah, yeah, I know. I was just introducing myself too."
There were a lot of scents in this classroom… Alpha scents always made me uncomfortable. But for some reason, that whiskey scent wasn't bothering me.
Which made it even more annoying.
The alpha was writing "supply and demand" on the board when I heard Gaara again.
"First time seeing Professor Uzumaki?"
Professor Uzumaki? But Uzumakis have red hair. This guy didn't look like one.
"You sure he's an Uzumaki?" I asked.
Gaara looked surprised. "You don't know about the foxes?"
Before he could explain, a loud voice cut through the class.
"Focus on the lesson and stop distracting others, Uchiha."
that Uzumaki said
The rest of the class passed without much excitement, until the bell rang.
The Uzumaki guy left first, turning around at the door to say with a smile, "See you all later."
I packed up my book and headed toward the cafeteria.
Then—bam.
I bumped into someone.
"Ah!" A soft voice cried out as a girl hit the ground.
Someone shouted from nearby, "Hinata!"
Another girl ran over and helped her up. "I'm so sorry, sir. It was my fault."
I didn't respond. I just kept walking until I got to the cafeteria.
I grabbed a tray and loaded some meat onto my plate. I sat alone and started eating.
But then… those two girls sat across from me.
"I'm Hinata Hyuga. Sorry again," the dark-haired girl said softly.
The pink-haired girl beside her rolled her eyes. "You already said that, Hinata. Anyway, I'm Sakura Haruno."
And just when I thought it couldn't get worse… Gaara sat next to me.
Sakura smiled. "So Gaara, how was class?"
"Economics today," he replied.
Hinata's cheeks turned red. "D-Did you see Naruto?"
Gaara nodded. "I heard your cousin Neji works at one of the fox companies."
Hinata's face turned serious.
"Why would he work there when your family has its own company?" Gaara asked.
Hinata sighed. "He's from a branch family. My father wouldn't let him work at Hyuga Corp."
She looked upset.
"How old is your cousin?" I asked.
She looked surprised. "Neji's 20. He's an alpha."
Sakura giggled. "Well, Sasuke-kun, since you're the only omega in the Uchiha clan, I'm sure you get a lot of attention."
Jealous, huh?
This girl's clueless. Life always looks prettier from the outside.
I ignored the beta and finished my food.
Gaara nudged my shoulder. "By the way, that guy earlier was Naruto Uzumaki. He's the son of Minato Namizake—the fox clan leader. He runs half the fox corporations now, but he's teaching here this year because he was forced to."
The foxes… they've got some weird traditions. Instead of keeping the Namizake surname, they go by Uzumaki.
His scent was… calming. Is that how all foxes smell?
Or is it just him?
Hesitantly, I asked, "Are there other foxes at this academy?"
Gaara was about to answer, but Sakura cut in excitedly.
"They never come to Konoha Academy! They have their own—Nine-Tails Academy."
Then with more excitement, she added, "It's way bigger than here. They've got the most advanced tech and everything!"
It was the first time I had lunch in such a noisy, chaotic place.
And Sakura wouldn't stop talking.
Next time, I better sit somewhere else.
^^^
Next class was math… with Tobirama Senju. I'd heard from Itachi that he hated the Uchiha. Just a bitter beta, ready to take any chance to break us down.
The door opened. He walked in with that same stiff posture and a scowl on his face. His steps were quiet, deliberate. He stopped behind his desk and picked up the paper lying on it.
He started calling names. Then he got to mine.
"Sasuke Uchiha."
He said my name like he was reading off the name of his father's killer.
I smirked and raised my hand.
But he didn't look at me. Like he was saying, "You're nothing to me."
When the list ended, he slammed the book down onto the desk, grabbed a piece of chalk, and wrote a complicated equation on the board.
"This is not a place for idiots. If you can't keep up… the door's right there."
I didn't wait for him to finish.
"The answer is twelve point fifty-six."
His hand froze mid-air. Chalk still raised.
For a second, his eyes locked with mine.
Then he straightened up quickly.
"I didn't give you permission to speak, Uchiha."
My smile widened.
"If you didn't want an answer, why'd you write the question? Or were you just hoping to humiliate someone weaker than you?"
His brows tightened. I could feel the pressure in the room.
"Next time you interrupt me, make sure what you say is worth hearing. Not something even a calculator can spit out."
I didn't even pause.
"Don't worry, Professor Senju. You still have time to come up with a question I don't know the answer to. No rush."
The whole class went dead silent. Everyone was holding their breath, eyes darting between us.
He opened his mouth to say something—
But I beat him to it.
"Of course… like you said, this isn't a place for dumb students…"
I paused, then smiled.
"It's not for dumb teachers either."
I turned away, flipping through my book like he didn't exist. Didn't look at him again.
And he didn't say a word.
Heh… I thought this academy was going to be boring.
But looks like… I was wrong
~~~
Naruto's POV
[Fox Corporation]
The second I got into my office, I slammed the door shut behind me
and dropped myself onto the white couch.
Then it hit me again...
That omega—Sasuke Uchiha.
I was losing it.
It was the first time my instincts ever got that wild.
My orange ears and tail were out in the open.
Inside my head, they were screaming:
"Mark him."
"He has to be ours."
"He is ours."
"He's the one who should carry your pups."
I yelled out loud,
"Shut up, Kurama—just shut up!"
My canines were aching...
And just thinking about him made them hurt even more.
That damn scent—sandalwood and jasmine—
still stuck in my head.
No, no... I gotta pull myself together.
I haven't even talked to Sasuke Uchiha once.
I can't be thinking like this.
But still...
those dark eyes
that pale skin
keep flashing in my mind.
I opened my jaw, my fangs popped out again,
and my pheromones filled the whole room.
I yanked off my tie and tossed it to the corner of the couch,
undid the top button of my shirt,
and started panting.
My heart was pounding.
Click. The door opened.
I looked up—
Shikamaru was standing there.
With my fangs still showing, I said,
"Come in, Shikamaru."
He walked in slowly and closed the door behind him.
"Naruto... are you going into rut?"
"It's not rut."
I took a deep breath and forced my pheromones down.
My fangs retracted.
He sat down next to me.
"What's going on, Naruto?"
When my ears and tail finally faded,
I let out a long breath.
"What did my dad tell you?"
He raised an eyebrow.
"He said we shouldn't make any moves for now."
Good... I figured as much.
If we act too soon, it might raise suspicions.
I stood up, walked to the desk,
opened the drawer, and grabbed the contract.
Then held it out to Shikamaru.
"Take it. I already signed it.
I knew Dad would think the same."
He took the file, stood up in front of me.
"You still not gonna tell me what happened?"
I walked away from him and looked out the window.
From here, I could see all of Konoha—
the whole city was under my feet...
and still, that damn face stayed in my mind.
"Shikamaru…
Have you ever felt like...
like a really strong possessive urge toward an omega?"
I turned to him.
Shikamaru's face, usually blank,
now looked shocked.
"Which omega?"
"Please…
don't ask me that."
He looked confused.
"Well… I've felt possessive before, sure,
but not like that—not that strong."
He rubbed his temple.
"I mean, there was someone…
but it wasn't as intense as what you're describing."
I gave a small smile.
"Thanks, Shikamaru.
I need to be alone for a bit."
I went back behind my desk,
started going through the documents that came in today.
Shikamaru left without another word.
I tried to focus on the papers.
Damn it.
I couldn't get that omega's face outta my head.
Then I heard Kurama whisper in my mind:
"He's not your omega."
I smiled
"…He's not mine…But he will be