Chapter 1: Class is in Session
The classroom was abuzz with chatter. Iruka sighed heavily as he stood at the front of the class.
"Alright everyone! I know that all of you are excited because it's the last day of school and graduation is only a few days away. Can we get this exam done and over with or what?"
A mixture of cheers and grumbles answered him. Smiling, Iruka picked up the class list from his desk.
"Now, this year's exam is based upon the ninja art of disguising one's self! I hope that all of you have been doing your homework and practicing your transformations."
Looking down at the class list, Iruka called down the first student.
"Rocky Lee!"
A small, slender boy in the back stood up and shouted, "Here Sensei!" The young boy wore a pair of forest green pants, a white t-shirt and a matching green vest. Rocky rushed up to the front, his large eyes focused, his thick brows furrowed with determination. Stopping next to the Iruka, he waited for further instructions.
"OK Rocky, I want you to disguise yourself as a civilian."
Nodding, Rocky did the appropriate hand signs and disappeared in a puff of smoke. A little girl in pigtails and a pink dress appeared in his place. The class erupted in laughter.
"Nice disguise Rocky!"
"Yeah, it suits you really well!"
Iruka hushed the kids and complimented Rocky's disguise. "Very well done Rocky. Not only did you disguise perfectly, but you chose a non-threatening form that wouldn't attract much attention. Pass!"
The little girl disappeared and a smiling Rocky emerged. "Thank you sensei!" Rocky bounded back to his seat.
Iruka read off the next name on the list. "Daichi Aburame!"
Another boy with short, spiky hair stood up silently and made his way to the front to stand beside Iruka. The collar of his coat was turned up to hide the bottom half of his face and his eyes were covered by a pair of round, dark glasses.
"Daichi, please demonstrate a transformation for the class."
Nodding, Daichi adjusted his round sunglasses and did a combination of hand signs. One moment he was there and the next moment a young man in his early twenties with blonde hair was standing where Daichi had been.
The class clapped along with Iruka. "Well done Daichi. Pass!"
Iruka continued to call kids up to demonstrate their skills. Each one did well, and few had some trouble but they managed to pull off a transformation in the end. Finally, Iruka reached the end of the list and called on the final student.
"Ashi Inuzuka!"
A tall girl stood up and made her way to the front. She shook her shaggy hair out of her eyes and looked at Iruka with dark brown orbs.
Iruka felt a small amount of pity for the girl before him. Unlike the other students, Ashi was tall for her age at 5 feet, while everyone else was under 4'5. She was often picked on for her height and the fact that she was quiet, shy and awkward around others didn't help.
Her bangs fell over her eyes, and the hair on the back of her head stood up in messy spikes and waves. However, despite her outward appearance, she was very bright and loyal to the few friends that she had. Iruka knew that she would be able to pass the exam without a problem.
Iruka motioned for her to transform and Ashi did the appropriate hand signs and transformed into a friendly looking old man. The old man smiled at the class, but that smile disappeared as a voice called out from the back of the room.
"Wow Ashi! It's not enough that you're already boring, but you have to show it in your transformation too?"
Sanosuke Uchiha smirked from his seat in the back as kids laughed at his comment. Iruka glanced to the side and saw the old man's eyes go sad and a second later, Ashi stepped out of a cloud of smoke and sat back in her seat.
Iruka hushed Sanosuke and gave Ashi a pass before letting the class go. As the kids left, Iruka reminded them that the graduation ceremony was in a couple of days and that afterward they would be assigned their squads.
He watched sadly as Ashi walked passed him with Daichi beside her. He sighed and thought, "You'll grow up to be a fine kunoichi Ashi. I just hope that you get the chance to show everyone what you can do."
Ashi walked down the street with Daichi. She glanced over at her silent friend and smiled. She and Daichi had been friends since before she could remember. They had spent a lot of time together as toddlers because her father and Daichi's father had been in the same ninja squad when they were younger and had remained friends, so their families spent a lot of time together.
"Are you excited for graduation?"
Daichi shrugged.
"Well, I am. Dad says that when I graduate, I'm going to be matched with the puppy that will be my partner, like Akamaru is for Dad and Ranna is for Nodo! And Dad also said that after my first mission, I can have clan tattoos put on!"
"Which ones?"
Ashi touched her unblemished cheeks thoughtfully. Her older brother Nodo had gotten the Inuzuka tattoos shortly after his first mission almost two years ago. He was always going to get the Inuzuka tattoos because he was the first born son to the Inuzuka clan leader, who was their father. Being second born, Ashi was a different story.
Their mother, Mimi, wanted Ashi to get her clan tattoos, which would consist of a pair of wolf paw prints on the palms of her hands and the soles of her feet.
Her mother was from a clan similar to the Inuzuka's, except that the Okami clan was associated with wolves rather than dogs.
Ashi blew her bangs out of her eyes. She could certainly see why her mother believed that they were descended from wolves. With her thick hair, sharp canines and long nails that some would call claws, Ashi did look a bit wild for a twelve year old.
Her brother had been a bit luckier and had taken after their father, whose looks were far tamer than their mother's. He also shared the same temperament as their father. He had even gotten a puppy from Akamaru's own litter. Ashi would be so lucky to get a puppy from Akamaru's litter.
"I think that I'm going to get the Okami tattoos. My mom really wants me to get them instead of the Inuzuka ones."
"Does she want you to take over the Okami clan?"
Ashi shrugged. "I don't know. Grandma Kegawa is the Okami clan leader now, and she mentioned something about it to mom and dad last time she came to visit. I heard her talking to them about taking me to the mountains to train, but mom and dad said not until I'm older and only if decide for myself."
"So you're going to leave?"
Ashi smiled sadly. "Maybe I will. It's not like Dad's going to declare me his heir anytime soon, and it would be nice if I got the chance to be the leader of my own clan. But that won't be for a long time yet, so don't worry Daichi. I don't even know if that's what I really want. " She nudged him in the side playfully. "Can't get rid of me that easily."
Daichi gave her a small smile in return.
"Aww, isn't this sweet. What a perfect pair you two make, the flea and the dog."
Ashi looked up to see Sanosuke and a group of his friends standing in the middle of the street. She immediately ducked her head down, not wanting a fight. She knew that if she and Daichi just kept walking, Sanosuke and his friends would eventually give up.
She started to walk past Sanosuke with Daichi following behind her, but Sanosuke blocked her path.
"Where do you think you're going?" He sneered. Ashi kept her eyes downcast, not answering him.
"Don't ignore me dog breath." Sanosuke said and shoved Ashi back.
From the corner of her eye, Ashi saw Daichi's hand twitch. She raised a hand to stop whatever he was about to do when a voice rang out from behind her.
"Hey! What's your brother doing to my sister Yumi?"
Ashi turned her head to see her brother and his two team mates walking up to them. Nodo's dog partner Ranna ran up to her and planted her paws on her stomach. Smiling, Ashi scratched the dog behind the ear in greeting. Being Akamaru's daughter, Ranna was bound to grow as big as he was, but that wouldn't happen for another year or so.
Yumi Uchiha looked at her younger brother with disapproving green eyes. Sanosuke fidgeted under her gaze.
"You alright Ashi?"
Ashi looked up at her brother's best friend, and the Hokage's son, Minato Uzumaki. Ducking her head so that Minato wouldn't see her blush, Ashi nodded.
Minato was two years her senior, the same age as her brother and the oldest child of Hokage Naruto and his wife Hinata. With blond hair, blue eyes and a ready grin, Minato looked exactly like his father, minus the whisker markings.
Nodo growled at Sanosuke. "You need to leash your brother Yumi."
Yumi sighed and flicked her shoulder length black hair behind her ear. "Not everything can be solved by thinking like a dog Nodo. Get your brain out of the kennel."
Yumi Uchiha was a classic beauty with bright green eyes, jet black hair and smooth skin. As the second oldest of the Uchiha brood, she was on the same team as Nodo and Minato. Ashi never liked her though because she was always seemed distant and snobby. Adding the fact that Ashi also considered her a rival for the heart of Minato Uzumaki, it was safe to say that Ashi would never really like her.
Nodo snorted. "Whatever Ice Queen." He sniffed distastefully in Sanosuke's direction. "He's obviously too dumb to worry about anyway."
Yumi glared at Nodo. "Easy Inuzuka. He's still my brother."
Nodo waved off her warning. "And he's bothering my sister."
"Not my fault she can't stick up for herself."
"What was that?"
Minato stepped in between the two. "Hey, take it easy. Now no one was hurt and everyone is fine. Just calm down you guys."
Nodo reluctantly backed off, as did Yumi. She walked over to Sanosuke and pulled him away, having a quiet word with him. Nodo clapped Ashi on the shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly.
"Don't worry sis, I'm here for you, but I can't keep coming to your rescue you know." The red triangles on his cheeks stretched as he smiled. Ashi smiled back at him good naturally.
"Hey, I just got back from the house and mom said that she wants you home as soon as possible. There's a special delivery waiting for you."
Ashi felt a spark of excitement. "Really? What is it?"
Chuckling, Nobo shook his head. "Sorry, but I can't tell you. You're going to have to see for yourself. Wish I could be there, but we have to meet up with Ayumi-sensei for a mission."
Ashi felt panicked for a moment but Nobo rushed, "But I'll be there for your graduation! We'll just be delivering a message, so I'll definitely be there."
Ashi smiled in relief. Even though her brother could be annoying at times, they were quite close to one another and if he had missed her graduation from the ninja academy, she wouldn't have been able to enjoy it fully.
"Now get going. Mom's waiting for you, and you know how she is at being patient. I'll see you in a few days."
Ashi hugged her brother goodbye and gave Minato a shy wave goodbye as well. She motioned for Daichi to follow, both of them walking past Yumi and Sanosuke. Ashi didn't miss the dirty look that Sanosuke threw at her, but she decided to ignore it. She parted ways with Daichi at his doorstep and then ran the rest of the way home.
Ashi opened the front door and hurriedly took off her shoes. It didn't seem like anyone was home, but when Ashi sniffed the air, she found a faint trace of her mother's scent. Her father's scent was also in the air, but it was old and stale. He was on a mission and promised to return by her graduation, but it was only a few days away and Ashi was afraid that he wouldn't be able to make it.
Sniffing the air once again, Ashi followed the trail of her mother's scent to the back door and figured that she must be working in the kennels.
The Inuzuka compound had a separate house of kennels for the ninja dogs that the clan trained. Her mother and father bred and trained all of the dogs that the ninja's of Konoha used, so naturally they needed a large enough facility to house all of them.
Ashi walked through the back door and was immediately welcomed by a chorus of happy barks. She smiled and greeted the dogs that came up to her. All of the dogs were trained not to run away at an early age, but there was still a fence around the compound to keep unwanted visitors out.
Ashi walked across the lawn to the building that acted as housing for the dogs and included a small medical wing where her mother acted as a vet to the furred residents.
Some of the younger dogs followed at her heels, nipping at her ankles and yapping for attention. Smiling, Ashi grabbed a few of the dog treats that she always carried around and threw them behind her. The dogs barked excitedly as they gave chase.
A few minutes later, Ashi found her mother in the examination room, wrapping up a pug's leg in bandages.
"Hey mom! Nodo said that you wanted to see me?"
Mimi smiled and Ashi caught a flash of fang. With dark wild hair, dark brown eyes, and standing at 5'10, Mimi always had a commanding presence despite her name. She had first come to Konoha with her mother to negotiate trading contracts, had fallen for a sharp toothed boy and never left.
"Hey pup, just let me finish with Nuttsy here and I'll be right with you."
Ashi leaned against the wall and watched her mom finish with Nuttsy. After Mimi had pinned the bandages and secured the plastic cone around the dog's neck, she picked Nuttsy up and disappeared behind the door marked 'Personnel Only'.
Mimi reappeared a minute later and ushered Ashi out of the examination room and into the housing wing where the dogs slept.
"So, how did the exam go?"
"It went alright I guess. I passed," Ashi said.
"That's great! Oh, and I got a letter from your father saying that he'll definitely be here to see you get your headband."
Ashi smiled, happy that her dad was coming home. Suddenly, Mimi stopped in front of a seemingly empty kennel. Mimi opened the fenced door and inclined her head, motioning Ashi to go inside.
Giving her mom a suspicious look, Ashi stepped inside. A flutter of movement caught her eye in the opening of the small dog house in the corner. As she stepped closer, a small black nose poked out of the opening. Pretty soon the nose was followed by a little black face set with bright golden eyes.
Ashi stood completely still as the black wolf cub padded out of the dog house and yipped a greeting.
"Do you like him?"
Turning to look at Mimi, Ashi gaped at her. Choking past her bewilderment, Ashi said, "He's for me?"
Mimi nodded. "That's right. He's from a line of wolves that my clan has been breeding for centuries. He's the grandson of Yami, your grandmother's ninken."
"He's Yami's grandson?" Ashi remembered Yami from the last visit Grandma Kegawa paid to the Inuzuka house. Yami was a grey wolf that stood about as tall as Ashi was now at five feet, which was about six to eight inches taller than Akamaru. Grandma had once told her that Akamaru was probably related to Yami in some way, but since Akamaru was smaller and looked more like a dog then a wolf, she couldn't be sure.
Yami had the same golden eyes that the cub in front of her did, but while Yami's coat was steel grey, his grandson's coat was as black as night.
Ashi knelt beside the cub and extended her right hand for the young wolf to sniff. The black cub cautiously came closer and sniffed her fingertips, then licked her thumb. Smiling, Ashi picked the cub up and cuddled him to her chest. The young wolf settled into her arms almost immediately, relaxing and settling his head on her forearm.
"He seems to like you."
Ashi looked up at Mimi. She was smiling at the sight of her daughter holding the young wolf in her arms. She hadn't said anything, but the fact that the cub had accepted her so fast was a sure sign that Ashi was more Okami than Inuzuka. The wolves from Yami's line only bonded with direct descendants of the Okami family, which meant that if Ashi chose to, she could eventually lead the Okami clan.
"What are you going to call him?" Mimi asked.
Ashi scratched the top of the cub's head. She couldn't just give him any name. It would have to be something that meant something to both her and the cub in her arms. Looking down at him, Ashi took in his black fur, his large paws, his eyes that twinkled like stars in the night sky…
"Yozora. I'm going to call him Yozora because he reminds me of the night sky."
Mimi nodded in approval. "That's a good name. It suits him very well. Now, you're responsible for him from here on out. When you eat, he eats; when you sleep, he sleeps; when you train, he trains with you. You're partners now. You have to learn to take care of each other. Understand?"
Nodding, Ashi put Yozora down and stood up. She turned to Mimi and her face broke out in a huge grin. Throwing her arms around her mother, Ashi hugged her.
"Thank you thank you thank you thank you! I promise that I'll take care of him, and feed him and train with him every day! Thank you so much mom!"
Laughing, Mimi hugged Ashi back just as tightly. They stood like that for a few moments before Ashi finally stepped back and looked down at Yozora.
"Come on Yozora! I'm going to show you my room!"
Yozora yipped in excitement and followed Ashi out of the kennel, sticking close to her side.
"And then I'm going to show you where you're going to sleep, and where you're going to eat, and tomorrow we're going to visit Daichi, that's my best friend and…"
Mimi shook her head in amusement as she watched Ashi walk away with Yozora. Walking back to the examination room, Mimi's thoughts turned to the future.
"When Ashi is older, I certainly hope that she seriously considers taking over the Okami clan after Mama. She may not know it now, but she has a lot of potential and some day she's going to realize it. I just hope I'm there to see it."
Still smiling, Mimi went in search of her next patient.
As Yozora made himself comfortable on her bed, Ashi changed into her pajamas. After she had changed, she turned off the light and crawled in under the covers. As she settled down on her side, Yozora curled up against her belly, tucking his nose under his leg. Ashi smiled and rubbed his ear, making Yozora sigh in pleasure.
Closing her eyes, Ashi left herself drift off into sleep, happier then she'd been in a long time and excited for what the next day would bring.
Name Meanings
Yozora – night sky
Ashi – paw
Mimi – ear
Nodo – throat
Yami – darkness
Kegawa – fur
Kiba – fang
*All Inuzuka names have to do with some part of a canine's anatomy.