Etsuko hated adults.

Make no mistake about it, adults never knew how to fix anything. They all thought that they were smarter then her, that they knew better then she did, and why? Simply because they were older. Because they've had more experience then her. She seriously doubted that. Had they seen they're parents die? Had they're older brothers disappear, leaving them on they're own when they were only four? No, they didn't know anything at all. They knew absolutely nothing and it disgusted her when they acted like they did.

She trudged towards the academy door, ready to fight the lady at the front desk. She had made it quite clear to Etsuko that you couldn't enter the academy without a guardians signature, and Etusko was about to make it quite clear to her that she didn't care and that she was entering the academy no matter what. She had made it as far as the door when she felt her feet rising, and she was suddenly moving backwards.

" Hey lemme go!" She cried, twisting from the mans grip.

" I said lemme go you jerk! Lemme g- Oof!" She dropped to the floor, landing on her face. She scrambled to her feet, pushing her dark hair out of her face, spinning around to face the culprit. He was an extremely tall man, or maybe she was just short, with spiked long white hair and peculiar red markings near his eyes.

" You looked like you were about to kill someone so I decided I had better act before it happened." He mused raising an eyebrow at her. " What's got you so hyped up?"

She glared at him, dusting off her shirt.

" Why do you even care?" She scowled. " Who even are you?" She narrowed her eyes. " Are you a pedophile?"

He stared at her, blinking.

" What are you, three? How do you even know that word?"

" I'm four!" She snapped. " And you're not denying it."

He chuckled suddenly at the girls attitude.

" You're parents must be incredibly happy with you." He said sarcastically, but as soon as the words left his mouth he saw her stiffen, eyes blazing with rage.

" You have no idea what you're talking about." She snarled suddenly, spinning around and marching back towards the Academy. He didn't know anything! He didn't know what she had to go through! A small part of her knew that there was no way he could've known, but the larger part of her was to angry to care. Angry and hurt. Suddenly, once again, she felt her feet give from under her and she was on the man's shoulders, legs dangling aimlessly. She was too surprised to say anything and he grinned up to her.

" You really want to join the academy don't you?" He mused. " I'll tell you what, I'll sign the papers as you're guardian, and you can stop by Ichiraku's ramen every Friday after school. Deal?"

She hesitated, fingers curling in his hair as he bounded towards the academy.

" Okay." She said slowly.

" Alright!" He suddenly narrowed his eyes " If you don't come, I'll know. You better not break you're promise."

She looked at him curiously.

" Who...who are you?"

He grinned madly.

" I'm glad you asked." Suddenly there was a puff of smoke and she was almost thrown off his shoulders by his weird dance and she yelped, grabbing his hair tighter.

" I'm one of the legendery Sannin! Jiraya!"

She blinked slowly.

" I'm Etsuko Suzuki." She said blankly and he deadpanned at her dry reaction.

" Alright then, Etsuko, study hard okay?"

"Hai"

Etsuko started the Academy one week later. She had skipped the entrance ceremony, so she didn't recognize any of the students that sat in the class, chatting with their friends. Quietly, she slid into her seat, glaring at her fingertips. She had to excel, she had to graduate early. Her days were numbered and she planned to make them count. She didn't have time to make friends, nor did she need them. They were a hassle and completely unnecessary.

" Okay everyone listen up!" Their Sensei walked into the class, a clipboard and pen in his hands. He waited as the last murmurs where silenced then began again. " I'll be you're teacher from here on out and i'm to be addressed as Ichiro-Sensei,is that understood?"

" Hai!" The class chorused.

" When I call you're name, please indicate that you're here." He started. " Miriashi Anko."

" Hai."

" Sarutobi Asuma."

" Hai."

Ichiro rattled off more names and Etsuko found herself dozing off, before snapping up at the sound of her name.

"Suzuki Etsuko."

" Hai..."

She rested her head on her palm, aimlessly twirling her pencil.

" Oi."

She turned to the sound of the voice. It was a boy,whose face was half covered with a mask, hair silver and spiked up, like a trolls, his eyes a dark shade of grey. His hair irritated her, for some reason, so did the superior way he was looking at her, and she found her stare turning into a hard glare.

" What?" She said coldly, regarding him without care.

" You weren't here at the entrance ceremony." He stated blandly, as if that were some kind of sin she should be already aware of. She was honestly surprised he had noticed, but then again, it didn't matter anyway.

" What of it?" She was beginning to find him annoying.

He raised an eyebrow, as if it should be obvious.

"If you're going to be a ninja, you have to follow the rules. Going to the entrance ceremony is a rule, everybody knows that."

She rolled her eyes, patience wearing thin.

" Does it look like I care about following the rules?"

" Hn."

Ichiro's voice broke through their conversation.

" Hatake Kakashi."

The boy seated next to her raised his palm.

" Hai."

The roll call ended with Yuhi Kureni and the class began. The first day was nothing special. Books were handed out, students reading about chakra and how it originated and how it was used. Class ended early, Ichiro allowing them to get to know each other, but not before giving them a homework assignment.

" You are to read through chapters one to three, and if anyone is able to preform the substitution jutsu, the steps are on page sixteen, by tomorrow, I will give them five extra points on the next test."

The class erupted into chatter once again, and Etsuko sighed. She hadn't fought so hard to get into the academy to make friends. This was a waste of time.

She glanced to her right, surprised to see Hatake surrounded by people, mainly girls. He seemed like a complete jerk, seemed pretty unbelivable that he was this popular. She turned her gaze skyward, giving an exsasperated sigh. She was about to return to reading her textbook, maybe make some progress when she found her vision blocked by a grinning boy with black hair and unusual orange goggles on his forehead. He wore the standard Uchiha symbol on the back of his outfit. She recognized him as Uchiha Obito. She didn't know much about the Uchiha, only that they had a pretty powerful power in their eyes. A kekki Genkai, it was called.

" I'm Obito Uchiha," He said, as if she cared about who he was. " I saw that you weren't talking to anyone so i decided to come talk to you. I didn't want you to be lonely."

She remained silent, turning the page for her textbook. She noticed Kakashi glance their way for a split second, before turning his eyes back ahead. Obito babbled on.

" I never saw you before, so you must be new to the village or something, so you probably don't have much friends, so I thought that I could be you're friend."

" Did you ever stop to think," She began, eyes still scanning the book in front of her, " That the reason I'm not talking to anyone is because I don't want to?"

Obito stilled, before laughing nervously.

" Everyone wants friends, right...?" His voice trailed off when she snapped her head up, glaring at him.

" Listen," She snapped. " Even if I wanted friends, you wouldn't be my first choice."

Slowly, Obito's cheeks reddened with incoming rage.

" Well, i'm sorry for trying to be nice-" He began but Etsuko cut him off.

" No one asked you to be nice. If you're going to be a shinobi, you won't go far by being nice. It's going to get you killed."

A girl with short brown hair with purple markings running down her face, gently put a hand on Obito's shoulder.

" You can't talk to Obito like that." She said to her." He's going to be the future Hokage, so you should respect him."

Again, Obito's cheeks became pink, but this time with happiness.

" Rin..." He muttered in shock.

Etsuko merely rolled her eyes again, and returned to her book.

Obito and Rin soon left, leaving her in soltitude, just as she was used to being, when Kakashi leaned to her.

" I don't see what you're parents were thinking when they named you. How ironic you're name means 'joy child'." He said matter of factly.

She regarded him coldly.

" I, on the other hand, could compeltly see how you're parent's named you, scarecrow." She replied and he scoffed before looking away.

" Alright you're dissmissed." Ichiro called, and Etsuko slung her bag over her shoulders, walking out the door. She was in for a long year.