Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Chapter 1 – The inner workings of a teenager genius.
The new grey plastic chair creaked under my weight as I tried to glance inconspicuously at her and simultaneously listen to the instructor. This might be the worst possible outcome I could ever have imagined. I'm a genius. A prodigy. A god damn god-sent gift to shinobi. And I have plans. I'm going to become Hokage, and I'm going to be a good one. And as I shift my gaze to stare at the instructor's notes on the whiteboard on the other side of the huge room were every jounin worth his paycheck sits, I realize I'm going to make a fool of myself because I don't understand a thing he's saying. Why are we discussing Stone? Why did just five or so people just walk out of the room? Am I supposed to do something now?
Despite fifty reasons why I shouldn't I change my dinner plans. I change them just to get an indication of where she's going when we all fifteen minutes later exit the conference room. I so don't need this right now. I need to focus. Stay sharp. Prove myself. Develop myself. This can only end in disaster if only because she seems to be the type that I definitely can't get along with. I can see it now: us two, old and grey, praying that the other weakens first so that the good ol' assassination method smothering with a pillow can be performed smoothly….I've totally lost it.
"What are you doing?"
One quick glance at who is asking have me diving back into the book and muttering a "Reading." as sourly and unfriendly as my traitorous heart can allow me. The tree supporting me suddenly seems too thin to be comfortable leaning against. And why did I not think about grass stains before I sat down here in the middle of nowhere? I look stupid. And just HOW did she find me out here?
"Here?" she shifts her weight a bit. Probably looks around. There's not much to see. It's a very average looking meadow. Should I have chosen the library instead? Less probability of finding me there perhaps?
"…" I make a show of not listening to her hoping that she'll leave. But she has seemingly not ever met a person she didn't want to bother until they talked to her as she continued talking. About nothing important in particular. Making me absolutely certain that she was born to destroy me.
"Do you like to read? I don't read. Unless it's like…a matter of life or death… It's boring. Why read when you can experience it? There was once a person that said to me that you can't experience everything that's written in books. Like going to whatever place in whatever land. What use do I have of knowledge that I will never be able toUSE?! Such a waste of time…"
"Know what else is a waste of time…?"
A fiendish smirk and a slight turn of her head in my direction madee me realize I had lost some kind of game that had begun before I even had a chance to escape. Suddenly the summer air is not as smothering hot as before. It's closer to a hot that leaves a chilling effect on the skin. I'm cold and pined down, and does she know that?
"How so? Read about them have you?" she's enjoying it. And I can't think of a single way to get away with hitting her. Some genius I am.
"…Don't I know you from somewhere?"
"Perhaps. I used to be here a lot when I was younger. Though I don't remember meeting a bookworm back then. Are you a newly hatched one perhaps?"
"Wha-?" Her laughter interrupts me.
"Ah, I crack myself up sometimes…want to be friends?"
Nonono. It does not work like that. I need to focus on my studies. There are a lot of people expecting great things from me. I have to decline. Have to say no.
"I'm a genius…."
"So? What —"
As she keeps talking the part of me that have had a crush on her since when I first saw her half a day ago, when she entered the Hokage building to formally get her license as Konoha ninja, tells me it wouldn't be so bad to be close to her. Not so bad at all. The other part of me wonders if this will EVER amount to something good. But mostly, I just stare and listen to her ramblings about how great she is (I need to know what she thinks is cool so that I can impress her later.) Something tells me she's going to wear me out though.
"…I'm hungry." Is the only warning I get before she pull the scroll out of my hands and starts to walk towards the market streets. Leaving me no choice but to follow her. But only to get back my scroll of course. I'll go back later. I think.