Here is something new. I will continue Typical when I feel in the mood but now I want to try this. :)
Chapter One
The class chattered excitedly to each other with anticipation; today was the day of the graduation exam. Every few minutes, another name was called, and more than a few people squirmed. "Haruno Sakura!" a man called through the door. The pink-haired girl stood at attention before nervously heading toward the classroom door.
"Good luck," muttered a sarcastic voice; it came from a brunette girl, Suzume, who sat with her snickering friends at the front of the class. Her reddish eyes belittled Sakura with a sneer.
Sakura glared. "Oh shut up, bird brain." She exited the room. Suzume's eyes narrowed slightly as she leaned back on her chair, her vicious focus set on the classroom door. She no longer paid any attention to her friends' conversation as she waited impatiently. It wasn't long before Sakura walked back into the room, a headband held tightly in her left hand and a satisfied smirk. She gave a sardonic "ha" as she passed. Everyone eyed the band anxiously, their faces reflected in the shiny new metal. A small leaf was carved into the centre, the symbol of their village; it would be a great honour to wear that emblem.
"Iwate Suzume," called the man behind the door. Suzume stood confidently as her friends wished her luck, however, a feeling of nervousness washed over her as soon as she stepped through the door. Two instructors sat behind a long wooden desk in an otherwise empty room. The dark-haired man spoke first. He was tanned with a scar across the bridge of his nose and a ninja headband tied firmly on his forehead. They called him Iruka. "Hello, Suzume. You don't have to be nervous; all you have to do is make two clones of yourself and you pass." He got right to business.
She could only manage a curt nod before quietly forming the required hand-signs. When the cloud of smoke finally cleared, there stood on either side of her... herself. Her clones smiled sweetly and waved at the instructors. "Perfect," smiled the silver-haired man named Mizuki, "Come here and get your headband. You definitely passed." Suzume nodded again, doing as she as told and hurrying out of the exam room. Her head spun; she passed!
Upon entering the classroom, Suzume's friends swarmed her, asking all at once if she passed and whether or not the test was difficult. "Everyone, calm down!" she laughed, "I passed!" With a squeal of excitement, the girls marvelled at her headband but no one was in more disbelief than Suzume herself. At last, she might get the recognition she deserved.
"Where are you going to wear it?" Mai, a petite blonde girl, asked. She was the most attractive of the group, her first concerns almost always about what she (or her luscious locks) and her friends looked like.
"I'm not sure yet. What do you think?"
"Well, there are so many options..." added Ayame, a tall girl with sleek blonde hair. She was athletic with a heavy build, yet was always able grab the attention of all the boys.
"Maybe you could put it on your head, like an actual headband. If you put it on your forehead, it'd look too weird!" said Itsuko, a girl with dark green hair in pigtails. She was Suzume's closest friend; living close by since early childhood, the two would often play together.
"I think Sakura is going to wear it like that," Suzume cut in.
There was an outburst of disgusted noises. "You definitely can't wear it like that then!"
"You're right. I agree with it looking weird on my head too! Maybe I could wear it on my leg?"
"No, that would still look weird, wouldn't it? What about your waist?"Mai suggested, explaining the term "cinching". However, before anyone could respond, she began to speak once more, You could also put it just under your chest; it'll make your breasts look fuller." Suzume blushed but followed her suggestion anyway; Mai was always right about these sorts of things.
"Eh! Suzume, you're so cute. I've only got A cups," Itsuko chimed with a pout, eliciting a flurry of giggles from everyone.
"Ah, you're wrong! You're so much cuter!" Suzume retorted honestly without thinking. Everyone laughed again, harder this time. Suzume smiled awkwardly.
Suzume awoke the next morning when her three-year-old brother, Gen, landed on her, shrieking so loud that her eardrums almost burst. "Wake up, wake up, wake up!" he cried, jumping up and down.
"Argh... Gen, get off of me!" she snarled, trying to shove him off. He smiled mischievously before he leapt from her bed and out the door, laughing all the way. She only groaned, too tired to even yell back at her little brother; yelling at him would only get her into trouble anyway The clock glared at her; 7:30 already. "Crap..." she muttered, realizing that there wasn't enough time for bathing. She sighed, the blankets falling to the floor as she finally rose out of bed. The sun illuminated the quiet room, a small morning comfort. Her room was the only room in the house that Suzume was able to relax in. It almost felt nice to wake up... almost. Dressing quickly, Suzume pulled her long brown hair up and out of her bare face. It wasn't often that she wore any make up despite urging from her friends; she always thought it would seem attention-seeking. The girl in the mirror smiled prettily enough anyway. After securing her ninja head band around her torso (blushing into the mirror, no doubt), Suzume left her room.
In the uncomfortably white kitchen, she met her father, a handsome man in his early forties with dark hair and muddy green eyes. His skin, almost as white as the counter, made Suzume flinch. "Good morning, Father," she greeted politely before continuing in silence.
After breakfast, Suzume's younger sister Hidemi, entered the kitchen. Like her father, she had jet black hair and paper white skin, but her eyes were much brighter green. "Did you have a good rest, Father?" she asked.
Their father raised his eyes from his newspaper and smiled at the young girl. "Ah, it was a good night. Feeling well, I hope?" he responded. Hidemi nodded without looking at him. "That's great. You think you might have a mission today?"
"I'm not sure. I think I'm going to try to get one but if not then I'll be home for dinner," she explained with a smile on her face. Their father nodded and began to read once more."Good morning, Sister."
Suzume stood abruptly, muttering a goodbye before exiting the house as fast as she could. She knew she's get in trouble for ignoring Hidemi but it had seemed worth it at the time. Their relationship had on the rocks since Hidemi graduated from the academy years ago. Now, although she was only ten years old, Hidemi greatly outranked Suzume in the ninja world. Jealousy was ugly.
A calm breeze blew through green leaves and brown hair. Suzume breathed it in. The lilting bird songs carried throughout the streets, putting a smile on the villagers' faces as they went about their business. She found her pace slowing to an easy stroll. Sometimes, Suzume would watch the pretty birds glide on the air, and all inhibitions would lift with them and fly away. Bird-watching brought her a peace that she thought no one could understand; the birds were the lucky ones, she thought. She couldn't help but smile along with every one else.
A jarring voice burst through the day's tranquil music. Suzume struggled to hide the annoyed twitch as she turned to face the culprit, Itsuko. Did she even know the definition of peace? The small girl ran to catch up with Suzume. From them on, they walked, chatting absent-mindedly about what was going to happen at the academy next. "I can't believe we're finally ninja. That was way too easy!" Itsuko shouted emphatically.
The comment caught Suzume's attention; she'd lost sleep over the thought that they had become full-fledged ninja by executing one simple technique. Practically the entire class had passed. It couldn't have been that easy, she thought. "Itsuko, do you think that maybe we're missing something?"
"You mean love?!" her friend exclaimed foolishly, with gaping mouth and dramatic arm motions.
Suzume actually stumbled. "That's not exactly-"
"Speak for yourself," Itsuko announced proudly, holding her head high.
"What? Did you finally confess?!" Suzume spluttered incredulously.
Itsuko laughed at the reaction. "Calm down! I confessed to Toshi on the way home after we left the academy and he accepted my feelings!" She smiled warmly, losing herself in thought.
"Wow, I'm really happy for you, Itsuko. You've worked really hard to get him to notice you." Suzume smiled at her friend, happy that she had finally achieved her goal. "Toshiro graduated too, didn't he?"
"Yes, it's great isn't it? We could become the most amazing tag team," she giggled.
"Did everyone graduate?"
"Naruto didn't," she said plainly, with a thoughtful expression.
"Really?" It was no wonder he didn't look too cheery yesterday. Suzume felt bad for him.
"Yeah, but it figures. He spends more time designing new pranks than he does studying. If he tried a little harder in school, he might have been able to make it." Itsuko frowned as she spoke, contemplating Naruto's situation. Suzume said nothing.
The two reached the academy with some time so into the classroom, they saw a blonde boy crouched on a desk in front of a boy with black hair; the blonde was Uzumaki Naruto, so-called failure and the other was Uchiha Sasuke, so-called genius; neither of them even attempted to get along with the other. Beside the desk was a large crowd of jeering girls determined to bother Naruto away from their 'prince'. Most of Suzume's friends were also in this group. Suzume and Itsuko moved closer to find out what the argument was about this time. Both boys glared intensely, the electric tension mounting... when the person sitting in the seat in front of Sasuke's leaned backward, bumping Naruto.
There was a moment of pure silence.
Sasuke and Naruto were caught in a lip-lock.
The girls' horrified expressions reflected perfectly on the boys' faces. Suzume's eyes widened considerably. She had to clap a hand to her mouth to cover her smile; Itsuko didn't even bother to stop her giggling. As if they had kissed poison, Sasuke and Naruto threw themselves apart, coughing and spitting. A heavy aura filled the room, the girls slowly advancing on poor Naruto; even he could sense their malice. "Na-ru-to..." they growled.
After the commotion, Iruka entered the room and everyone scrambled to their seats. "Okay, everyone, you're ninja now but only genin, the lowest of low..." his voice trailed off. Suzume furtively glanced at Naruto, secretly pleased to see the band on his forehead. She didn't know him well, or at all, but she knew what it was to be an underdog; she was glad it wouldn't be him this time.
Itsuko's voice brought her back to herself. "Suzu, did you hear that? We're going to be on three-man teams and one group is going to have four! Wouldn't it be awesome if it was you, me, Mai, and Ayame?" Everyone around her chattered excitedly while Iruka-sensei tried to get their attention again. Suzume tried to look as attentive as possible now; this was it.
"Okay, I'm going to be calling out the teams now. Pay attention! Team one: Higurashi Kagome, Hayashi Tatsuru, and Kobayashi Isa." They heard a high-five in the background. A few more teams were called. "Team Five: Suzushi Ayame, Shiroru Mai and Kimura Itsumi." Ayame and Mai smiled at each other; Itsuko looked disappointed. "Team Six: Minami Itsuko, Fujimoto Toshiro, and Kawaguchi Hitoshi." Her mood picked up immediately at the mention of her new sweetheart.
"Congratulations," Suzume whispered with a grin.
"Oh sorry, Suzu..." she replied apologetically. Suzume didn't say anything; she didn't want to make anybody feel bad about something they couldn't control.
"Team Seven: Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke, and Iwate Suzume."
An eruption of complaints came from across the room. "Iruka-sensei! Why does a genius like me have to be put on the same team as an idiot like him?" Naruto screamed, gesturing to Sasuke. The Uchiha ignored him.
Iruka sighed. "Be quiet, Naruto! I created the teams for balance: Sasuke had the best scores in the class while you had the worst!" The class snickered.
"Don't slow me down... dead-last," Sasuke sneered. Again, everyone snickered.
"Hey, why is Suzume on the team?" Sakura added scornfully.
"Yes, why am I on that team? I could just as easily be moved," Suzume snapped back, more at Sakura than at their instructor.
Iruka rubbed his temples. "Again, balance... In order for me to balance the teams, you two must be on the same team. Maybe then you can learn to co-operate! The same goes for you, boys." The finality in his words stopped any more arguments from anyone. Suzume refused to even look toward that side of the classroom for the rest of the team-naming; it would be a mission not to lose her head with Sakura around. Exchanging a helpless look with Itsuko, Suzume only hoped for the best.
Hour after hour, Team Seven waited for their new instructor; not even Iruka staying behind to wait with them. Suzume sat on one of the desks at the front of the room, fiddling with her fingers, attempting to stay calm. Naruto continued complaining about how late their instructor was, while only Sakura told him to be quiet repeatedly. Sasuke remained still and silent.
"Why don't you be quiet, Sakura?"
"Stay out of this, bird brain!"
Suzume scoffed but said nothing. She gave Naruto a little smile when she noticed his bemused face staring at her. It felt good to stand up to that girl for him, knowing that he would never say anything about it. Another long silence passed... Then the door slid open. They all looked up in anticipation.
Hidemi stood in the doorway. Suzume stood, surprised that her sister would appear so suddenly. "Hello, Sister. Father said that he wants you to come straight home after you're done with your team for a little talk," she explained, her gaze sweeping across the people in the room. "Hi everyone. I'm Hidemi, Suzume's younger sister. It's a pleasure to meet you all." She bowed than smiled a brilliant kitchen-white.
"Ah. Younger sister? But you have a forehead protector," Naruto noticed, pointing to Hidemi's forehead.
"Yes, I graduated from here a few years ago; I'm a jounin now." She wasn't bragging.
"Eh! That's so cool! Isn't that cool, Sakura?" He was practically bouncing. Both Sakura and Sasuke looked interested."You must be really talented to be able to do that!"
Hidemi only smiled again. "Thank you."
"Of course! My name is Uzumaki Naruto and I'm going to be your Hokage one day, so you'd better remember me!" Naruto flashed Hidemi a toothy grin and a thumbs up, earning himself a good-natured laugh.
"Is that so? Then I will remember you, definitely."
"Don't you have somewhere to be?" Suzume cut in.
"Oh yes, I almost forgot: I've got a mission so I won't be home for dinner tonight. Give the message to Father and Mother, please." Hidemi nodded toward her sister than to Naruto and the others, before taking her leave. Suzume just looked away from the door, feeling unpleasant once again.
Ever since she was little, Suzume had always wanted a sister or brother. She had always asked her parents every day to bring her someone to play with; the other children in the clan didn't play with her. It was because she was different from them, the other members. The Iwate clan had a special bloodline technique that bound them to protect the village.
A long time ago, there was a small village. Every day and every night, a demon called an 'oni' would harass and harm the villagers. Frightened of this demon, the villagers all pleaded the Gods to stop the demon and to protect them from it. In time, the Gods answered their prayers. The Gods chained the demon to three holy rock just outside the village, forcing it to promise to never again harm the villagers. To show proof of this promise, the demon imprinted on the left rock his hand.
The Iwate clan were descendants of this promise, and of this demon, which is why they all had green eyes and black hair. They were unnaturally pale, all tall and strong, and if one examined their palms, the kanji for 'promise' would seemingly be burned into their skin. Each and every Iwate was born with this seal; it was in their blood and it was the source of their power. However, Suzume did not have this mark, nor was her body the same, or her eyes, hair, strength. A child whom does not resemble her parents is supposedly the child of a demon and yet, it was not possible. Suzume was born with another seal: the fox, a demon's sworn enemy, seemingly burned to her back. The fox would undo the clan, they said. She would try to kill them all, like Uchiha Itachi did to his clan, they said.
Hidemi was the clan's prodigy, claiming the title at birth, when her mark glowed deep red and she did not cry. Initially, Suzume had been proud to have such an amazing younger sister, and had tried her best to encourage her, however, Hidemi had never been able to spend much time with other children, training extensively in solitude. When Hidemi began to consider herself superior to Suzume, their already strained relationship broke. Suzume had never been able to pick up the pieces, and eventually began to resent Hidemi.
Suzume became independent, learning to care for herself while her parents busied themselves with her siblings. She developed her own persona, and grew to be a well-liked girl with many friends outside of the clan. She always thought that she had risen above the slander and had become a better person for it; she liked to believe that the situation had matured her more than crippled her. She held tightly onto that thought.
The classroom door opened, triggering a chalk eraser to fall on to the head of a silver-haired man in a mask. Suzume's eyes widened, knowing instinctively that Naruto had just insulted their new instructor.
"My first impression is... I hate you all."
I edited this heavily. Hopefully, it's a bit better than it was before.
Reviews are much appreciated!