Hardened Heart

I carefully dragged my stolen kunai along the bottom of the fish I had spent the last three hours waiting on with my makeshift fishing rod. I sighed in relief as I managed to cut it just as the books said to and carefully scraped the insides into a tub to be cooked later, you couldn't be picky when people refused to sell you actual food. Once that was done I separated the meat from the bones and scales. I then put the meat over the makeshift grill I made over the fire I had to keep me warm at this time of night. I tightened my grip on my kunai when I saw a pair of feet in the corner of my eye.

"How can I help you Shinobi-san?" I asked while looking for the best way to lose his line of sight. I had learnt quickly that Ninja were not my friends, not that I actually had any but they were extra nasty.

"It is not how you can help me but how I can help you." He said making me pause and turn to frown at him. He was older than most people I saw by far but didn't look like he would try and drown me like the last person that 'helped' me did. "I had left strict instructions that you were to be treated as any other child was and since the orphanage refused to do that I've arranged for you to have your own apartment."

"No thank you Shinobi-san. I don't have the money to pay you for it." I replied turning over the fish meat. I nodded seeing it turn the right colour. He sighed and sat on a nearby stump making me frown at him not having left. People either leave or start being nasty and yet he wasn't doing either.

"You need to live in housing Nagisa-chan. You can't camp out for the rest of your life." I didn't react to him knowing my name. Every adult knew my name even if only a few used it.

"Why not? People don't want me around and this way I can get food. Who are you anyway?" It was annoying me that I had no idea who he was.

"My name is Hiruzen Sarutobi and I am Hokage." He said making me freeze and suddenly felt very cold. One thing that everyone agreed on was that going against the Hokage meant death and I had just started arguing with him. "Nagisa-chan?" I went to bolt, he was surely planning my death for arguing and I wanted to live for a long time, but was hauled off of my feet and held in the air.

"Please don't kill me, I wouldn't have argued if I knew you were the Hokage, life might be shit but I can turn it around when I'm older." I said trying to wiggle out of his grip without touching him but nothing I did worked.

"I'm not going to kill you for arguing with me Nagisa-chan. When was the last time you heard of me killing someone?" He asked making me wince but I didn't stop.

"Last week you had that weirdo killed. The one that liked feeding kids with his fingers." This time he winced but he didn't let go.

"He was hurting children and planned on hurting more. Why do you think I would kill you merely for disagreeing with me? It doesn't matter, SNAKE please collect Nagisa-chan's things for me and have them brought to her apartment."

RWYS

"So in short my parents abandoned me here to train my siblings in a power that everyone thinks I have and that's why they hate me. You also think I'm too young to actually know what it is and your hands are tied about revealing the identity of my parents but they plan on returning when I graduate the Shinobi Academy despite the chance I might not even attend." I said slowly as I reeled from the information dump he gave me as I sat tied up in his office.

"While I agree it is your choice I believe it would be in your best interest to attend." Hiruzen said sadly making me sigh.

"I planned to since I doubted I would get a job here. I planned on serving the minimum term to make money, taking the mind wipe and the burnt corpse seal before leaving for somewhere else in Fire Country or nearby." I said with a shrug. "So what happens now?"

"I will be dealing with those that failed to take care of you like they were supposed to while SNAKE will escort you to your new apartment and will answer any questions she wants to." I was suddenly untied with SNAKE standing next to me with her hand out. I blinked in surprise before taking it and allowing her to guide me out of the office.

"I have to say that I was impressed with your little set up when Hokage-sama found you. Most kids your age wouldn't know anything about how to survive without help and that setup would have lasted a while." She said as we ignored the glares sent towards us.

"I picked up reading quickly and read everything I could on survival. If I want a proper life then I need to survive until I can get it." I said in annoyance at her taking comment about my age as an insult. Just because I was almost six did not mean I was stupid.

"Smart thinking but not everything can be learnt from a book. Tell you what, when I'm around I'll teach you the things that the books can't, okay?" I blinked in surprise before nodding happily. No one else wanted to teach me before.

RWYS

"Hello class, I'm Iruka Umino and I will be your Sensei for your final three years. We will be focusing on physical stats, village history and you will learn the Jutsu widely known as the Academy Three. For now I will pass out a test to see how much you retained over the Summer Break." Our new Sensei said with a genuine smile on his face as he looked around the class. I was a little surprised when there wasn't much hesitation when he looked at me. I ignored the groans of the idiots around me as I accepted the test from him.

"Kai" I muttered to dispel any genjutsu on the paper and blinked when there was no change.

"Must you do that with every test, Troublesome girl?" Shikamaru Nara, the smartest but laziest person in class, said with only one eye open as he rested his head on the desk.

"This is the first time I've done it and nothing else happened outside of my Kunoichi classes I'm very surprised. You better get it done or you won't get enough sleep before your Mum comes to pick you up." I said rolling my eyes and filling out the test while poking fun at the stupid questions that had nothing to do with being a Ninja ensuring I wouldn't get one hundred percent. 'Geniuses' tended to be targeted outside of the Academy so I was going to keep myself labelled as competent.

"I will mark these and get the results ready for you tomorrow. Follow me outside to the sparring area so I can get a feel for how you are all coping with sparring." Iruka said placing the pile on the table and grabbing a clipboard before leading the way. "Uzumaki, why are you listed in the boy's side of the class when it comes to sparring?"

"With the exception of one girl none of them can take a hit and things got out of hand when I was paired with her." I said sending a glare at Hinata Hyuga the Class Bitchy Noble. She apparently had the meek literally beaten out of her and was under orders to kill me if she could, there was no proof and Hiashi was clearly distraught about the whole situation. Iruka looked at the other kids and got nods in return making him sigh.

"Very well, first spar is Nagisa Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha." I walked into the ring and made the Seal of Confrontation which he returned before entering his altered Konoha Style stance. I entered the stance that Anko helped me find that would suit me, quick and adaptable. "Begin!" I charged him instantly leading with a straight jab to the face that he barely blocked in time with his right fist making him skid back a few feet while holding my fist.

"You've gotten faster." He said before pushing my arm to the side and going for a gut punch. I went with it and weaved around the punch and aimed a kick at his which he avoided by rolling to the side.

"I wasn't idle during break and I doubt you were too." I said charging around him to attack from his left side. He deflected at the last moment and kneed me in the stomach before punching me away from him. I rolled with the force and jumped to my feet to avoid his stomp and landed a powerful kick to his stomach that sent him out of the arena. He growled in annoyance as Iruka called the match and we made the Seal of Reconciliation.

"We need to have a proper spar at some point without ring rules." Sasuke said rubbing his stomach with his other hand.

"I'll see if Anko-chan will supervise at some point just don't take offence if she insults us and calls our skills pathetic. She does that all the time." I said as we walked out of the ring side by side much to the anger of his fangirls.

RWYS

"Okay my little minions." Anko said with a cackle as if she hadn't just beaten seven shades of shit into and back out of the two of us. "After collaborating with Iruka-chan I have the official stats of you both. The system goes 0-5 with 0.5 increments and ranged groupings. 0-1.5 is below average, 2 is decent, 2.5-3 is average, 3.5-4 is above average and 4.5-5 is excellent." I then had a piece of paper thrust into my field of vision.

Nagisa Uzumaki

Nin: 2.5 Tai: 3 Gen: 1.5 Int: 3 Str: 1.5 Spd: 3.5 Sta: 3.5 HS: 1.5

Total: 20

Sasuke Uchiha

Nin: 2.5 Tai: 3 Gen: 1.5 Int: 2.5 Str: 2.5 Spd: 3 Sta: 2.5 HS: 3

Total: 20.5

"While your stats are higher than most Genin any experienced Genin will kick your arse as long as they don't underestimate you." Anko said cheerfully as I glared at her.

"I need to up my strength and work on my Genjutsu." I said simply knowing that having anything below average would not be good for my health.

"Once you both pass the Exam I'll get you both a gravity seal you can put on your training clothes since they don't stunt your growth but only Ninja are allowed to use them. It will deal with your Strength, Speed and Stamina. You can work on Genjutsu together or I can ask Kurenai-chan for some help. She's had a hard time when it comes to students of hers." I frowned remembering the woman the odd time I had met her through Anko and how broken she was when she drank with her.

"If you could see if she was up to it that would be appreciated. I doubt I can make it a specialty but the ability and knowledge will likely come in handy." I said also thinking it would be good for her to get a student or two that wouldn't throw it back in her face like Hinata or have to be sealed away like Yakumo. It was a part of the reason I hated the Hyuga bitch.

"Count me in on that. From what I've heard Yuhi-san was one of the few Itachi would admit was better than him at something." Sasuke said surprising Anko. "What? I still hate the bastard but thanks to you two I know he was trying to ruin my life completely by having me consumed by my hate. I will not give him the satisfaction. As soon as I'm sure I can kill him I plan on having a kid just to taunt him. I'll have plenty of time to find the proper girl until then."

"That's assuming the girl agrees. Why not Speedy here?" Anko asked making me splutter and stare at her like she had two heads.

"One, she's the sister I never had making that beyond awkward and two, while I'm sure the sex would be amazing I really can't see her submitting to me. It's clear she's going to be the boss of any relationship she has which is why I don't try and dissuade Kiba and the other guys from asking her out." I groaned at the reminder of my admirers. Kiba wasn't so bad even if his 'prove he's worthy of me' attitude was annoying but the rest were hospitalised with almost clockwork regularity.

"It wouldn't work out. Kiba and I are just too independent for it to work despite him being easy on the eyes and the rest are just pathetic. At the very least your fangirls can actually make words around you." I said getting a dig at Sasuke making him wince.

"Get some rest you two and I will get you both lunches. Oh, and Nagisa…they'll be coming next week just after Team Placements are settled. Hokage-sama has ensured you aren't on a team with those two or her but you will be interacting with them at least remotely." Anko said making Sasuke and I frown. Once Sasuke had opened up a little to me I told him what Hiruzen had told me and wasn't impressed with my family in the slightest and classed them as traitors like Itachi.

"Will I be learning why people hate me before then?" I asked making her sigh.

"Once you see who they are you'll figure it out easy."