Ayakashi kept her head down, walking down the familiar roads of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. She pulled her hat down farther on her head, trying to block out the weird looks she received as she passed the inhabitants.
"Isn't that?"
"Yeah, I think so."
"She's just like that other kid!"
"Stay away from her, honey. She's no good."
Ayakashi stared down at herself, tears forming at the corner of her eyes. Having just arrived and already being made an outcast, news must travel fast through the lands. She clutched her sand ninja headband in her hand, feeling a twitch on her back. She picked up her pace, trying to get away from the judgeful eyes.
"I need to get away." Ayakashi said to herself, sprinting away from the Hokage's building, towards the ninja academy. She held onto her hat, jumping into a bush as a group of kids darted by, heading to the academy themselves. She sighed, her body relaxing as she sat in the leaves. "That was close."
Ayakashi stood up, stepping out of the bush and continuing her way to the academy. She walked slowly despite knowing that she would be late. She didn't want to meet the other students quite yet, but the Hokage had insisted she go today.
A child's laughter filled the air, interrupting Ayakashi's thoughts. She stopped walking, turning to see where it was coming from.
"Hey, get back here!"
"Naruto! Stop right there!"
"You'll never catch me!"
Ayakashi stood frozen as a blond headed boy with orange coloured clothing barreled straight for her, holding a bucket of paint. He opened an eye, staring right at her with a goofy smile as he sprinted past her. The Chunin ninja chasing the smaller boy darted past her, sending a large breeze over her and almost knocking her down. She clutched her hat to her head, terrified of what would happen if she lost it.
"I wonder who that was." Ayakashi said to herself, wide eyed as she continued on. She could see the academy roof as she drew closer, her heart racing faster with each step. Upon arriving at the academy doors, she could hear a faint yelling inside. She pushed open the door, peeking around to see if anyone was there. Deeming it safe, she stepped inside, heading towards her assigned classroom.
"Here it is." Ayakashi murmured, staring up at the classroom sign. The yelling had stopped after a collective groan. Ayakashi reached up, opening the door slowly. Every head in the room turned, every pair of eyes landed on the small girl as she stood, frozen, in the doorway.
"Ah! You must be our new student! I'm Iruka, your current sensei." the Chunin standing at the front of the class smiled brightly, holding a clipboard in his hand. "We were just getting ready to start practicing the transformation jutsu. Come in!"
Ayakashi stepped inside, closing the door behind her as she kept her eyes down, afraid of what the others might say. She stepped closer to Iruka, tugging at the hat on her head.
"Alright, tell the class your name!" Iruka waited patiently for the smaller girl to speak as she tried to keep herself reserved.
"My name's A-Ayakashi Mahato." the small girl said, feeling like she could disappear at any moment.
"Alright, Ayakashi." Iruka started, glancing around the classroom. "You can go sit next to Naruto."
Ayakashi lifted her head, her eyes landing on the orange-clad ninja, sitting in the middle of the room. Their gazes connected momentarily before she looked away with a small gasp.
"Well, go on. Go sit!" Iruka laughed softly, a cheerful sound despite the odd looks she got. Ayakashi headed towards her seat, keeping her eyes down as she did. She took her seat next to Naruto. "Oh! Could you please remove your hat for the remainder of class? It could be a distraction for the other students."
"N-No!" Ayakashi blurted out, causing the others to look at her. She hid her face for a moment.
"Ayakashi. I know you're new here but I am your sensei and I am a higher rank than you. Please, remove your hat." Iruka said, a stern tone in his voice despite the smile that remained on his face.
She hesitantly reached up, clutching the hat in her hand. She slowly pulled it off, releasing the secret she tried so hard to keep. Two powder blue wolf ears sprung up, alert and listening to every noise detectable. The class was silent as they stared. Shortly after, the class burst into laughter, causing Ayakashi's ears to flatten against her head as she pulled the hat back on.
"Okay, class. Settle down! No need to act like this! Hey, come on now!" Iruka tried to get the attention of the students as they continued to laugh.
"Hey!"
The class finally stopped laughing, staring at the boy that stood with his fists clenched.
"You all better stop laughing at her! She has done nothing to you!" Naruto said, slamming his hands onto the table. Ayakashi stared up at him, her eyes wide as her mouth fell open slightly.
"N-Naruto." Ayakashi murmured to herself. He sat back down, folding his arms across his chest as he huffed. The others stayed quiet, some of them turning back around to face the front of the class.
"Ahem. Now that I have your attention, we will start the transformation jutsu practice." Iruka said, holding his clipboard ready. "Form a line starting at the middle desk in this order. First will be…"
Ayakashi glanced over at Naruto, unable to say anything. He looked over to her, giving her a goofy grin with a small laugh and a thumbs up.
"Naruto! Ayakashi! Get in line!" Iruka exclaimed, tapping his pen against his clipboard. Naruto laughed louder and got up, grabbing Ayakashi's hand and pulling her along to their spots.
"Alright, now we'll get started." Iruka said. "Sakura Haruno."
"So, Kashi. Where are you from? I've never seen you around here before." Naruto said, glancing over at her from the corner of his eyes. She stared back, her different coloured eyes resting on him. He raised his eyebrows as they moved up in line.
"Sasuke Uchiha."
"I-I'm from the Village Hidden in the Sand." Ayakashi said softly, her eyes flickering to the dark-haired boy performing the transformation jutsu.
"Good!" Iruka said as Sasuke canceled his jutsu, returning to his normal form and walking back to his seat. "Next up, Naruto Uzumaki!"
"Looks like it's my turn." he grinned, giving Ayakashi a thumbs up before stepping forward.
"Alright, Naruto. No tricks this time!" Iruka said, sounding a little irritated. Naruto chuckled before making the hand-sign for the transformation jutsu.
"Transform!" Naruto exclaimed, a burst of wind surrounded him as he transformed. The smoke started to clear, leaving a clothless, female Naruto.
Iruka's eye twitched as he made a noise of surprise. "Naruto! I said no more of your games!"
Naruto frowned, transforming back to his original form as he hung his head slightly. There was a collective groan as some chuckled at his clownish antics. Iruka sighed, continuing with the students. Naruto walked back to his seat,, giving Ayakashi an encouraging nod.
"Ayakashi Mahato!"
The smaller girl stepped forward, her powder blue hair swishing with every step. The others started to whisper amongst themselves. Ayakashi raised her hands, closing her eyes and making the hand-sign for the jutsu.
"Transform!" a cloud of smoke surrounded her frail body as she changed form. The smoke cleared, leaving two Iruka's standing in front of each other.
"Great job, Ayakashi!" Iruka said as she transformed back. The other kids started laughing quietly, first a small chuckle, then a loud uproar. Ayakashi's eyes grew wide as she turned around, confused as to what they were laughing at. She felt a soft, furry object touch her arm as she did, causing her to look down.
Ayakashi yelped, turning around so no one could see. Her tail had slipped out from its holder she had made years ago after visiting another village in hopes of finding a new home.
"Look at that! Ears and a tail!" the boy with the red triangles on his cheeks exclaimed, causing his puppy to bark along with him.
"Kiba! You and Akamaru better stop!" Naruto yelled as Ayakashi teared up. She ran past them, throwing the door open and darting down the hallway, away from the laughter and the pain. Naruto groaned, throwing his hands up. "Look what you did! You guys are all jerks!"
Naruto ran out after Ayakashi, shouting her name as he burst through the front door, looking around for her. He ran along the pavement, trying to get help from the others who just turned their noses or told him to get away. Clenching his fists, he continued his search, determination engraved onto his face.