(Noemi means beautiful one.)
Disclaimer: I own nothing of Naruto. I am by no means Masashi Kishimoto.
"Henge!"
"Yes, very good, Yuri. I'm impressed." Iruka paused to smile, but it quickly faded.
"I only wish Naruto preformed as well as you do. He misses half the lessons due to pulling pranks."
Yuri dispelled the henge, and then bowed her head, her face turning slightly pink. She was always held responsible for his actions.
"Naruto, stop!" A male voice called. Everyone's faces turned to the door, and a boy dressed in black rushed by the window, followed by two Chuunin.
"N-Naruto!" Yuri stammered, running to the window.
Iruka sighed, walking towards the door.
"I'll be back in a moment, class. Behave yourselves."
He left, and a blonde flipped her hair back. Yamanaka Ino.
"Yuri, your friend's such a baka! How do you put up with him?"
"H-he's not a baka... he's just misunderstood-"
"Misunderstood!" A boy named Nara Shikamaru interrupted.
"More like misintelligent."
The class laughed, and Yuri looked at Shikamaru as if to ask, 'why'd you even have say anything'?
She sank into the shadows, biting her bottom lip and staring at her feet as she listened to their jeers.
"How can she stick up for that idiot?"
"I'll bet she's just as stupid!"
"She's the one who's "misintelligent"!"
Iruka entered the academy with Naruto, who tied the blonde up and set him in the front of the class. Everyone took their seats.
"Listen, Naruto. You failed the last final exam and the exam before that. You shouldn't be fooling around like this," Iruka lectured Naruto.
Yuri gazed sympathetically at Naruto from her seat in the back of the room.
Iruka smiled deviously and pointed at the rest of the class.
"We're going to have a review test for the transformation technique! Those who have passed have to line up as well!"
The class groaned.
"What!"
As everyone lined up, Yuri rushed to be besides Naruto, hoping to give him confidence.
"Haruno Sakura going! Henge!"
"Okay," Iruka commented.
"I did it! Did you see that, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked, looking towards the raven haired boy.
"Next, Uchiha Sasuke."
Sasuke pulled his hands out of his pockets and preformed a henge even better than Sakura's.
"Next, Uzumaki Naruto."
"This sucks," Shikamaru commented from behind Naruto.
"This is all your fault," Ino agreed.
"Like I care," Naruto snapped, stepping forward.
Naruto stepped forward and preformed henge, but instead of transforming into Iruka, Naruto became a blonde girl, covered by nothing other than smoke.
Iruka flew back, blown away by a severe nose-bleed.
Yuri's face ran bright red as she recalled the events of the evening before last.
Yuri stepped out of the shower, turning the water off.
She had taken a shower after training with Naruto. Just as she finished wrapping a towel around her body, Naruto barged in, and headed towards the toilet, ready to pull his pants down.
Yuri shrieked on instinct, making the oblivious boy aware of her presence.
Naruto looked up at her in the nick of time, and he coughed, then laughed.
"Thanks! That's exactly the inspiration I needed!"
He gave her a thumbs up, hugged her, then ran from the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind him.
Yuri stood there, speechless.
She was in a towel. Her nearly saw her naked, and then he hugged her.
She tried her best to shake the thought off, and then dressed herself.
As Yuri stepped out of the bathroom, she saw Naruto practicing henge. She smiled, pleased that he was doing something constructive for once, and decided to get some food from the kitchen. When she stepped out of the kitchen, what she saw made her choke on her sandwich.
"Waddaya think, Yuri-kun? Like my new technique? I call it my Harem jutsu!"
Even if she wanted to answer, she couldn't have, because she was too busy trying not to get killed by the sandwich.
She quickly left and went back to her own home in the slums.
Naruto laughed hysterically and pointed at Iruka.
"How was that?" He grinned. "I call that the seduction technique."
"You idiot!" Iruka boomed, nearly blowing Naruto off of his feet. "Don't invent such a dumb technique!"
At the end of the day, Iruka had forced Naruto to clean the mess he made, which was painting on the Hokage's faces.
Yuri shook her head, and continued on her way.
She didn't feel like going home; it wasn't like she had anything to do there. Or anyone waiting at home. So, instead, she toured the less crowded streets of Konoha.
"Oi! Yuri, just the person I need."
Yuri froze. No one had ever told her that they needed her, so naturally, she whipped around to face the speaker. She saw Shikamaru Nara.
"What's he need from me?" Yuri pondered as he walked up to her.
"You... you need me?" She asked hopefully.
"Yeah," He replied. He shoved a small scroll into her hands. Yuri stared at it, perplexed.
"It's mom's shopping list. I've got better things to do than shop for her, so you can do it for me, can't you?"
"Oh... o-okay..." Yuri muttered.
Of course. Typical of someone who was so lazy.
"Good." With everything said and done, he shoved his hands into his pockets and walked off.
"And, don't tell my parents that I asked you to do that, ne?"
Yuri nodded, and then set off to fetch Shikamaru's mother's items.
"S-Shikamaru... I have your mother's groceries... Shikamaru?"
Yuri had thought that she had seen Shikamaru around here earlier, but he was nowhere to be found now.
"Hey... who's there?" A bored voice asked.
Yuri turned around in time to see a yawning Shikamaru sit up from the grass.
"Oh, it's just you," He responded, turning to see the girl with a bag of groceries in her hand.
He eyed the groceries, then her.
"About time. I was beginning to think I'd have to face my mom and tell her I gave the list to some girl who didn't come back." Shikamaru shuddered, as if horrified by the thought.
Yuri remained silent as Shikamaru stood up and lazily relieved her from the groceries.
"Some girl..." She repeated in her head.
"Is that all that I am... in everyone else's eyes?"
Shikamaru then walked home, without another word to her.
Yuri sat down in the grass and stared up at the setting sun. Tonight would be a cloudless night, the best night there is.
Yuri lay in the grass even after sunset, her hand in the air. Her hand cupped around the bigger stars, wishing that she could hold them in her hand.
"You're in my spot," Shikamaru griped, causing Yuri to jump.
She sat up and turned around to see a bored expression on his face. Nothing unusual.
"I'm sorry, Shikamaru," Yuri murmured, scooting over to make room for him.
Shikamaru didn't reply, only sat down. There was about two feet's space between the two, and Yuri still felt awkward in the presence of him.
"What was that you were doing?" He asked suddenly.
"Oh... n-nothing... I was trying to..." Yuri began. Shikamaru didn't seem to enthusiastic to find out by his tone, but she began to answer anyways.
"'Trying to...' what?" He inquired.
"Trying to... hold a star in my hand."
Shikamaru snickered. Exactly the reaction Yuri had anticipated.
"You can't hold a star in your hand. It's just simple logic."
Funny, hearing that come from someone who found it too bothersome to even pick a pencil up.
"I know I can't... but that's why I try. It gives me something to occupy my time. I have nothing better to do."
Shikamaru paused.
"Don't you have parents? Any family at all? What are you doing out this late?"
Yuri smiled inwardly. She had never seen the lazy boy ask so many questions, even in class. He always seemed to be the one who had all of the answers.
"No, I have no parents. My entire family are gone... somewhere, a place much better than here. And, I like star gazing. What about you?"
Shikamaru shrugged and lay down in the grass, folding his hands behind his head.
"My father doesn't care, and as long as my mother doesn't know I'm out after eight, she doesn't care either."
Yuri smiled again.
"So, in short, you snuck out?"
"Pretty much. Eight thirty as a bedtime is so bothersome."
"I see."
All was silent for a while. There was the faint sound of Shikamaru yawning. Then everything was silent again.
"So, you're Naruto's girlfriend, ne?"
"What!" Yuri blurted, sitting up.
"No! Naruto and I are just friends, and that's all we'll ever be. He's my only friend, and I wouldn't want to ruin our friendship over something as trivial as that."
"Oh." Shikamaru paused.
"Wait. You said Naruto is your only friend?"
Yuri suddenly found her feet interesting, brushing her fingers at imaginary dirt.
"You mean you couldn't tell?" She asked softly, draping her arms over her knees.
Shikamaru hesitated, unsure of how to reply to that.
"Everyone puts me down. Everyone disrespects me. Everyone but Naruto. You never noticed that before now?"
Shikamaru shrugged. He didn't care.
"I never paid any attention to it."
Yuri blinked. What Shikamaru failed to notice, was that he was one of those people who disrespected her and put her down all the time. His favorite was a word that wasn't even real. "Misintelligent".
She finally stood up, growing tired of the awkward silence, and the even more awkward conversation.
"I'm going home. I need to get some rest."
Shikamaru acted as if he hadn't heard anything, and didn't even give her a fleeting glance as she walked away.
Yuri woke up the next morning in her slum home, then after a shower and getting dressed, she headed towards the Ichiraku Ramen bar, where she met Naruto every morning.
To her surprise, Naruto wasn't there. She waited until seven thirty, half an hour, and still no Naruto.
"Strange," She mused aloud. "Naruto never misses out on ramen..."
"Naruto ditch you?"
Yuri turned to the speaker. The lackluster academy student hardly regarded her.
"Good morning, Shikamaru-kun."
Shikamaru waved her greeting off casually, then sat down on the stool beside of Yuri.
"No, I think it's most likely that Naruto slept in again. It's not like him to skip ramen, especially if I'm the one paying for it."
"So, you pay for his food too?"
"...Yeah..."
"Ha ha... and I thought women were troublesome. Naruto's no different."
"Naruto... is really a handful..."
"So, you watch over him like a mentor, too?" Shikamaru inquired, ordering a bowl of mackerel sushi.
"Well, he's more like a brother to me, an equal, not someone who is under me."
"But technically, you are over him. Naruto's an idiot, and you, on the other hand, have excellent chakra control and intelligence that surpasses even Sakura. As for your jutsu, I wouldn't know, I haven't seen it."
Shikamaru's words only complexed her.
"If you think that I'm intelligent, then why do you always call me "misintelligent"?"
"Do you overanalyze everything? How troublesome..." Shikamaru complained.
Yuri wondered what he could really mean by that. Soon Shikamaru's mackerel came, and she officially deemed the conversation over.
"We will now start the final exam," Iruka announced from the front of the classroom.
Yuri had found out that Naruto had indeed slept in, and was nearly late for class.
"If your name is called, come to the classroom next door. The subject will be the replication technique."
Yuri gasped and glanced over at Naruto. He was clutching the sides of his face.
"Oh no... This is bad on Naruto's part," She thought as she felt for Naruto. She knew that was his worst area in techniques.
"...Nara Shikamaru, you're up next!"
As Shikamaru passed Yuri's desk, she smiled at him.
"Good luck," She whispered.
Shikamaru acknowledged her remark with a glance, but nothing more.
He soon returned, and a smile graced even his lips, signaling that he had in fact passed.
"Next, Noemi Yuri!"
Yuri nodded, and then walked into the classroom.
"Alright, Yuri, all you have to do is create three usable clones, and you pass!"
Yuri nodded. She had no trouble creating clones, but she knew that Naruto would never be able to create three clones. She trained with him often, and he could barely produce one clone, let alone three. Naruto was sure to fail... With that in mind, she sacrificed for her friend.
"Henge!"
Smoke billowed around her body, and a limp, useless version lay beside her. This was the same outcome that Naruto always had.
Iruka looked shocked.
"Yuri, you're being pressured, aren't you? I know you can do better then that... you're one of my most talented students!"
"O-okay..." Yuri replied.
She thought about what others would say, about how they would react to finding out that she, when Shikamaru had said she was more talented than Sakura, had failed. She made up her mind, and bitterly stuck with her decision.
"Henge!"
Again, a vain clone laid there.
Iruka sighed.
"I'm sorry, Yuri, but I can't pass you... you fail."
Yuri nodded, and then walked out of the room.
"Hey, Yuri! You passed, right?" Naruto asked, a nervous expression on his face.
Yuri smiled sadly.
"I could have..."
Yuri laid in the grass like the day before, thoughts running through her head. Naruto had failed, just like she had predicted. Everyone else had passed. Many were shocked to find that Yuri had failed the exam, but quickly got over it, as they had their own success to gloat over.
"I can't believe you failed. Such a troublesome woman."
Yuri didn't need to look to know who it was. She had already familiarized herself with that bored voice. Shikamaru sat down beside her.
"There's no way you could have failed. Even the idiots passed. Well, besides Naruto, that is-" Shikamaru was cut off by his own thoughts.
"That's it, isn't it?" He demanded.
Yuri remained silent.
"It's because of Naruto. You were afraid of moving on without him. You did say that he was your only friend."
"I failed on purpose because I didn't want Naruto to be by himself. I'm his only friend, and I won't leave him behind me."
Shikamaru stared at her.
"Why do you care about him? Does he mean that much to you that you would fail?"
Yuri smiled sadly for the second time that day.
"He's the only thing that holds me together. Without any family, and only one friend, if I were to lose him... I would most likely lose myself."
"Lose yourself, huh... you're such a troublesome woman."
Everything was quiet, until Shikamaru spoke again.
"Maybe Iruka-sensei would give you and Naruto a second chance to graduate."
Yuri shook her head.
"Naruto cannot produce even one decent clone, let alone three..."
Shikamaru sighed.
"Why do you want to help me anyways, Shikamaru?"
"I don't," Shikamaru replied quickly.
Yuri grinned.
"I... really wanted to be a ninja... to be the perfect kunoichi..."
"Nobody's perfect."
"But I like to think there's something perfect out there... I'm just not one of those things..."
Shikamaru groaned.
"How troublesome..." He complained, standing up, dragging Yuri behind him.
"Where are we going?"
"Back to the academy. Iruka's going to pass you."
"But it's too late. I have to wait until next-"
"Just shut up and watch."
"Shika-kun..."
"Since when did you start giving out nicknames?" Shikamaru demanded.
"Since when did you start caring whether I pass or fail the academy exam?"
"Because I know you can do better. You're ignoring your own abilities, and it's really troublesome. Secondly, I don't like to see women hurt."
"I-I am not hurt!"
Shikamaru rolled his eyes.
"You're mentally depleted, then."
Arriving at the academy, Shikamaru groaned. The two were informed that Iruka wasn't there at the moment, and neither was Mizuki or the Hokage.
"Oh man... I walked all the way here, just to be sent back again? How troublesome..."
Shikamaru looked over at Yuri.
"Well, there's nothing more I can do. I'm going home."
"Okay... thank you, Shikamaru."
Yuri was asleep at home, until there was a knock at her door, followed by a thud and a cry of worry.
She leapt out of her bed and ran into the next room to find her door lying on the floor, and a stressed Iruka.
"Oh, sorry, Yuri, I didn't think it would fall in like that..."
Yuri smiled, honestly not bothered at all.
"It's okay. It always happens."
Iruka looked sympathetically at his student.
"I really wish you wouldn't live under these conditions," He lectured, scanning the peeling walls and carpetless concrete floors.
Yuri wanted to change the subject. It was embarrassing having her sensei come to her home and criticize it.
"Did you just come here to mock my living conditions, sensei?"
Iruka focused on the task at hand, and smiled.
"Oh, no, I came to ask you why you aren't at the explanatory meeting. It starts in half in hour."
Yuri's eyes widened in shock.
"Iruka-sensei... I didn't pass, remember?"
Iruka's smile widened.
"Naruto passed the exam. He was given a... second chance, so to speak, and, he passed."
Yuri took in the new information with wide eyes.
"Nara Shikamaru also informed me this morning that you failed on purpose, only because you knew Naruto would fail."
Yuri's face flushed.
"I didn't want to leave him behind-"
"Yes, I understand completely. It's alright. I thought it strange that you would fail, Yuri, of all people. You are one of my most promising students, a real stand-out among the kunoichi. I'm giving you a second chance as well."
Iruka held up a hitaiate, the one that would be hers.
Yuri beamed and preformed the jutsu. In her happiness, she created six clones.
"Is that alright, Iruka-sensei?" They all exclaimed.
Iruka laughed.
"Of course it is! Over-achievers won't be punished, Yuri!"
"Yes!" The original cheered, the clones diminished.
Iruka laughed again as he ask her where she would tie it.
"I'm putting it around my arm!" She piped, doing just that.
"Copying after Shikamaru, are you?"
When she stepped in with Iruka, Yuri saw Naruto and ran over to him.
"Iruka-sensei was right! You did pass, Naruto!"
"That's right I did! Believe it!"
Shikamaru passed by, and looked stunned.
"Why are you here?" He asked, his question directed towards Naruto. "Today's explanatory meeting is only for those who graduated."
"Hey, can't you see my forehead protector? Starting today, I'm also a ninja!"
Shikamaru's gaze lingered on Yuri, and then he continued on his way.
"I owe you, Shikamaru..."
"Starting today, you are all official ninjas, but you are still new Genin," Iruka lectured from the front of the room.
"It will only get harder from here. You all will be sorted into groups of three, where you will accomplish missions under the instruction of a Jounin sensei."
"Groups of three?" Yuri pondered. "In that case, I hope I'm in Naruto's team..."
"The team will be arranged by overall abilities, and will be sorted evenly. I will now announce them."
"...Next, the 7th group. Uzumaki Naruto."
"Noemi Yuri!" Yuri chanted in her mind.
"... Haruno Sakura..."
"Noemi Yuri! Please!"
"...And Uchiha Sasuke."
Yuri groaned, then banged her head on her table. It was all over for her! No matter who her other two team mates were, they wouldn't respect her.
"Next, eighth group. Huuyga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba, and Aburame Shino."
"Why do girls like such a guy anyways?" Shikamaru asked dully.
Ino glared at him.
"Don't you know? That's why you're not popular. I'd hate to team up with a guy like you."
"...Tenth group. Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, Akamichi Chouji..."
"Heh! Didn't you say something about hating to have to team up with me?" Shikamaru taunted. Ino growled.
"...and, Noemi Yuri."
Yuri's head perked up.
"Hey!" Ino yelled.
"Didn't you say groups of three? You just named off four!"
"Yes, I did," Iruka explained. "However, there are an uneven number of students, so I had to have one group of four. Yuri will be with you, Chouji, and Shikamaru, Ino."
Yuri sighed.
"Well, I am here only because Shikamaru told Iruka-sensei..." Yuri mused. "I guess this is my chance to pay him back, since we're on the same team..."
"That's it for the groups," Iruka stated.
"Listen up! As long as we're in the same group, you three are going to follow what I say!" Ino barked.
Team 10 was sitting on the balcony of the Ninja Academy, waiting for their sensei to arrive.
"Want a rice ball, Shikamaru?" Chouji offered from the pile in his arms, completely ignoring Ino.
"Yeah, sure."
Chouji tossed him one, and Yuri sat on the railing across from Shikamaru, deep in thought.
"Give one to the troublesome woman," Shikamaru added, gesturing to Yuri.
Chouji tossed her one, and she almost dropped it, not expecting to be given one.
"Hey!" Ino yelled.
"That's no fair! Give me one!"
She didn't wait for an answer as she went ahead and stole one from Chouji anyways.
"Hey! Over Here, kiddies!" A male's voice called.
A cigarette dangled from his mouth and he had dark eyes.
"Are you our Jounin sensei?" Shikamaru drawled in a bored tone.
"Well, don't get too enthused, now," The man scoffed sarcastically.
"The name's Sarutobi Asuma, and you guys are my soldiers now."
