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Chapter 1: A New Beginning (Shouhei POV)
"Yamanaka Shiori."

"Present!"

"Nara Kyosuke."

"Here."

"Uzumaki Neji."

"Right here!"

"Uchiha Shouhei", The instructor calling my name brought me out of my trance. Although I was typically highly attentive in class, today my mind was preoccupied.

"Yeah..." I answered, with my usual uninterested tone of voice. I didn't intend to change my demeanor just because this was our last day.

"Come now Shouhei-kun, you could at least try to act a little enthusiastic! Today all of you will be graduating from this academy and taking your first steps on the road of being real shinobi! I remember when I was your age, I-" Sensing that this was about to become a long winded speech. I quickly toned him out, as I did whenever I was listening to anything that didn't particularly interest me. I already knew exactly what he was going to say anyway after all, he gave this same lecture about twice a week, religiously.

It always began the same way, with a story about when he was younger and serving more actively as a shinobi. Eventually he would lead up to the time of the Fourth Great Ninja War. He always sounded close to tears as he reached the part of the story where his two squad members were killed in action during the battle against Madara Uchiha aided by the Juubi.

Of course, everyone in the entire world knew this story. I suppose the fact that our village's very own Uzumaki Naruto, the seventh Hokage, played a key role in the victory of the war was why we had to hear about it so often.

"Ahem! Am I boring you Shouhei-kun?" I must not have been putting enough effort into looking un-bored since the instructor stopped his story-telling to call on me.

"Come on sensei, we've heard this a thousand time, give us a break already." A female student who's name was never important enough for me to remember complained. "They gave us our squad assignments last week, so can't we just go?"

"No you can not go! This is important, so you brats better listen up! Your generation doesn't appreciate the sacrifices of those who've come before you. To decide where you're going you must first understand where you came from. You there", the instructor made the mistake of pointing at the one person in class who was paying even less attention than I was, "Yuichi!What are your goals for the future?"

Yuichi, an orange haired boy with green eyes who sat two rows down and three tables to the right from the spot where I was currently seated. If I were to describe him in one word, that word would be moron. He was at the very bottom of our class and it was a mystery how he managed to make it to graduation. The fool was not even capable of doing more than three hand signs in succession to perform ninjutsu.

"Goal for the future? I'm gonna go to Ichiraku's, they're having a half off special today, but you have to be one of the first fifty customers after two pm!" A wave of varying reactions exploded throughout the classroom. Sighs of disappointment, nervous giggles, and other various murmurs filled the air.

"Is it really okay to let that guy become a ninja?" I heard one girl whispering to a boy sitting behind her. Two more people who's names didn't matter to me.

Another nameless male came up behind me and patted me on the shoulder. "Good luck Shouhei, having a guy like that on your squad will not be easy." As he said, I was paired up with that joker Yuichi. Some genius at some point decided that underachievers should be paired with someone capable of picking up their slack. Now I was being punished by this incredibly idiotic rule. I mean, why hinder the abilities of the elite by weighing them down with useless team mates?

Bringing the class back to attention, the instructor spoke once again. "As Yuichi has masterfully demonstrated, it is important to put thought into your goals. Picture the person you want to become, the things you wish to accomplish. A shinobi's goal is the driving force behind everything he, or she does. It may be the one thing that decides whether you'll give up in the face of despair, or whether you'll fight through it and come out victorious."

The class was quiet as the weight of his words sunk in. Even I had to give some thought to what he was saying. They had touched me for some reason.

As the graduation ceremony began, and one by one each person was called to receive their headband, the symbol of a true shinobi, the instructor's speech repeated itself in my mind.

My name is Shouhei Uchiha, fourteen years old. As of this day forth I am officially serving as an active shinobi. My goal, the driving force for my existence, the reason why I will fight through despair, is that I will one day destroy Konoha, the village hidden in the leaves.