Alright, time to answer your questions:

1.) Yes, both boys are very much in character. If they seem older, it's LOGICAL because of the experiences they have been through. They have both been forced to grow up in a way that makes them stand out from other 8-year-olds, so it makes perfect sense for them to act in the way you are having them act!

2.) Sasuke's reactions make PERFECT sense! It's obvious that he would want a distraction from having to deal with the pain, and having Naruto as that scape-goat is brilliant!

3.) Considering Sasuke's reliance on Naruto as a distraction, it's not a huge leap for him to start observing Naruto more and start realizing that Naruto has been treated badly. The pace so far has been great, though I think Sasuke should do more observation instead of actually intervening at this point. I feel like the little things should start adding up in his mind and eventually he will be forced to take action and figure out what is going on!

I really love this story! I hope you continue it! Congratulations on your pregnancy - I wish you the best with it!

Love these sentences:

"Feeling detached and taking comfort in this strange mantle of apathy and unreality, he drifted unnoticed across the spaces between the school gates and his morning classroom, noiseless as a ghost."

"And Hinata appeared to have developed the ability to withdraw into her coat in a manner highly reminiscent of a threatened tortoise." Haha, what a perfect description! You are able to write these phrases so accurately that I know EXACTLY what is happening so I can picture it in my head!

Again, fantastic job! I look forward to reading more, so update soon! )

At first, I was like "Naruto, why are you ALREADY calling him 'teme'? Don't you want to make a good first impression?" But then I realized that that is exactly how Naruto WOULD act to cover his fears and cope with this new living situation. Oh, you are characterizing them PERFECTLY! You definitely must continue this story (though technically you have, seeing as there's one more chapter) - I am absolutely loving this!

This was a hilarious line: "WHAT'S TAKING SO LONG, YOU SLOW-POKE-TEME? I MADE RAMEN BUT YOU'RE SO SLOW, YOUR NOODLES STARTED GETTING SOGGY SO I HAD TO EAT THEM AND NOW I'M MAKING MORE BUT IF YOU DON'T GET HERE BEFORE IT STARTS GOING BAD I'LL HAVE TO EAT THAT TOO, AND-" It's SO Naruto!

"and I almost died from how delicious it was" Again, I love Naruto!

These next two lines make me so happy!

"Maybe they could even be friends. One friend would be enough. He would be happy forever if Sasuke would be his friend."

"You snore like a pig," the little blonde lied abruptly. "Learn to sleep more quietly, Sasuke-teme."

They are bonding already! )

Awww Naruto! I ADORED his characterization in this chapter! You've really captured the essence of who he is - crazy mood swings and all! I love that Iruka's supportive of him and I am looking forward to him and Sasuke becoming friends!

Your writing style, as previously mentioned, is fantastic! The way you convey the characters' body language is just superb and so wonderfully worded! Here are a few sentences that I just loved because of their tone and what they described:

"Naruto acted as though his chair was actively and constantly repelling him."

"He chose almost nothing material to accompany his march into exile"

Awesome again!

You absolutely did NOT fail when it came to this chapter's entertaining value! I could tell from the first chapter that this was going to be a great story - I love the way you characterized Sasuke, and your writing style is fantastic! This chapter was equally amazing! I've always had to vaguely imagine what the Council was like, and who would contribute what, but you have provided an actual situation and dialogue that resonates perfectly! I love all of the characters involved here (Go Ino-Shika-Cho!) and I absolutely LOVE how in-character they are! This was extremely well-written and completely believable. I'm looking forward to reading more! Awesome job!

I may not be the best judge, but I believe that your portrayal of Naruto and Sasuke are accurate. The only negative remark I can think of is that the pace is perhaps a little too fast...but I have no objection to the pace as it is now, as I can understand how Sasuke's unstable temperament due to recent events would results in so much unusual behavior in one day. You shouldn't worry about how well you wrote, you're doing very well. Focus on the future (although I'm certain I don't need to tell you that).

You are one seriously brilliant writer.

The pace, the story, the details all work so wonderfully together. You asked if you were correctly portraying normal eight year olds: No. But you are portraying Naruto and Sasuke as eight year olds very well. They're portrayed as so much older than their years, so I think that they are just right cognitive development and maturity wise.

Sasuke's reactions do seem a little bit off the wall sometimes. He's so vocal about them, and I never saw them as particularly vocal. But at the same time, he's going through a lot of junk, so a lot of his reactions do make sense.

Okay, that was really long, but I'm almost done. Just one more thing...

You're having a baby! Ahhhhhh! That's so awesome! Congratulations! I'm glad the morning sickness is over. :)

~Rayne

Hm, I think you're doing well enough with their characterizations. They seem like eight year olds that have chosen a ninja career(slightly mature, though not too much) and I absolutely love how Sasuke still has some faith in authority, but seems to be losing it on behalf of Naruto.

I think, in a way, that the pace could either stay like this or go a bit slower. Don't leave out too many scenes and so on, and it's way too early for a significant timejump.

Cool story. I look forward to the next chapter

Loved the chapter although a bit late and congratulations -

I commands you to update this story of pure awesomes!

i have reviewed your story and you have therefore (according to previous chapter) received it's chocolatey goodness!

So update.

Toodles and Love

Oky Verlo

I LIKE this chapter.

By the way, forgot to mention this earlier, but CONGRATULATIONS! Maybe consider enrolling your kid into karate classes. Y'know, when he's born... and can walk and stuff...

"How am I doing with portraying a couple of 8 year old boys? Do they seem too old? Too intuitive? Are they spiraling out of character?"

Nah, Naruto and Sasuke are fine; caconically, Sasuke noticed wierdness about Itachi very early, so he's most definately more intuitive then most children already. For example, when he was but /three/ he noticed that his father was more interested in Itachi's clone jutsu then the fact that he so totally cheated in hide and seek.

"Do Sasuke's reactions make sense?"

That works too; Sasuke strikes me as being rather codependent anyway, so him ... I hate to say 'using' Naruto for this is very likely.

"Are things developing at a good pace? Too slow, or maybe too fast?"

It's a decent pace; it's not slow enough to make me bored, and it's not fast enough to burn out your story.

"Anything else that stuck out at you as out of place/not really believable?"

Mizuki. In canon, he tries to present himself as a reasonable caring adult in the face of failing to pass the exam. He comes across to Naruto as a nice guy who actually wants to help him out, and Iruka's the meanie who wouldn't give him a break, so at the very least, I'd expect him to try and do some major damage control with Naruto considering what Sasuke has just done.

Great chapter!

And yes to all of your questions but the last one. I think that you are doing a great job.

-Ray

"If he'd known any swear words, Sasuke would have used them".

That is such a typical eight-year-old-sheltered-clan-boy thing to say. :)

The pace of the story is good and the gradual introduction of the other characters is also good. it's good, man. *thumbs up*