Hi everyone! I hope you enjoy this first chapter. I went over it a lot, but knowing me I'm sure I missed a few errors or something. This is my first fanfiction so I'd greatly appreciate any constructive criticism that you have to offer! Summary is also subject to change by the way.

Left. Right. Keep going straight. There's the stairs! Up, up, up. Make a right. The door!

I made it!

I burst through the doors, instantly grabbing everyone's attention. Out of breath, I put a hand over my developing chest and headed towards my usual seat near the back in the center of the class.

Halfway there, Inuzuka made his daily comment. "Looking good, Hozuki!" He smirks. Damn that Kiba!

Kiba Inuzuka was probably the biggest jerk in the class, all he did was tease and instigate. I was really hoping he didn't pass. He was of the Inuzuka clan, a dog clan basically. His people all identify with dogs and always have a dog of their own who's usually trained for battle. Kiba himself had a cute little puppy named Akamaru. Most of them also had some form of fang painted on their faces. Kiba had two big red ones, one on each cheek. They added to his cuteness- I mean what!? Forget I ever said that! I did not just call Kiba Inuzuka cute! Sure his nice tanned skin and his matching brown hair with his matching brown eyes made a nice combination but...his jacket? Yeah, his jacket! It totally took away all cute from his being. He always had on this huge grey jacket with a fringed hood that was up constantly, it made him look like a... Grandma?

I sighed as I sat down, grunting and thought back on his earlier comment. Of course I did not look my best today. My alarm didn't wake me, and my mom didn't think about checking in on me until half an hour later after I explicitly told her the night before that the exam that determined whether I become a ninja or not was today! I tore my house apart trying to get myself together and ran out without eating anything. I didn't eat anything! How am I supposed to take a test on an empty stomach. I almost had a spasm until I felt shifting next to me. I looked over and there was my friend Hinata Hyuga. We were instant friends after a lot of prodding on my part when I arrived to the Leaf, it was a friendship that her father did not approve of but didn't care enough to end. She was twiddling her fingers like always with a faint blush over her cheeks. Naruto must be near. Indeed he was, his looks weren't hard to miss. Naruto Uzumaki had hair that was a bright yellow that went great with his bright cerulean eyes, he had a nice tan going on too but what really made him so attention-grabbing was his obnoxiously orange jumpsuit and those stupid goggles he wore at the top of his head. He was an idiot and just as annoying as Kiba but he was an orphan and constantly undermined so I felt for him. I knew what it felt like to be treated like an outsider, considering that I am one. Naruto looked anxious, that was for sure, but he probably had to take a deep shit. I wouldn't put it past him. I looked back at Hinata, ready to speak.

"I don't know why you can't talk to him, Hinata. He'll never you exist if you don't say anything." I teased her, watching her face get beet red,

"A-ah!" She exclaimed in her light voice. "Mi-Miu-chan please d-don't say s-such things." She looked away and kept messing with her fingers again. I chuckled lightly at her anyway. She's so cute and she doesn't even know it.

I surveyed the room, an anticipation building. Hopefully, they haven't gotten to my name yet. There were still a lot of people in the room though, indicating that I wasn't as late as I thought but I had definitely missed the introduction. Regardless, my nerves were trying to tell me otherwise. My eyes drifted towards the second door in the room where the most annoying shade of pink walked out with an irritating grin and a forehead protector in her hands. If that big forehead know-it-all Sakura Haruno can become a genin, then I can definitely walk out of that room just as happy as she did. Hopefully. I didn't know what the exam was and I wasn't going to ask Hinata, she was busy ogling Naruto and probably montaging in her head as well. Several names later, it was my turn.

"Shinobu-Miu Hozuki," Iruka-sensei called. I got up and followed him behind the door. My belly started making flips and my heart started beating faster. I guess my anxiety was obvious because Iruka-sensei gave me an encouraging smile and patted my back. He took his seat next to Mizuki-sensei and they traded a few words. Mizuki-sensei sent me a smile and began explaining the test.

"If you can just show us your proficiency with the clone technique and present at least five adequate clones, Hozuki-san, that'd be great." He smiled and I swear my face showed the shock I experienced.

"That's it?" I asked. If that's all there is to it then no wonder Haruno managed to pass.

"Sure is." Iruka-sensei confirmed. This is cake!

"Okay then..." I grinned and faced them, taking proper stance a few meters away from their desk. I gathered my chakra and evenly distributed it as best as I could...Poof!...and there they were, five almost perfect clones of me, side by side next to me. I grinned with pride as both sensei congratulated me.

"Here's your forehead protector Shinobu-san," Iruka sensei handed me my forehead protector with a smile. "You are now a proud genin of the Leaf, congratulations." I gave my thanks and left the room with a smile.

I walked towards Hinata, she was sure to be called soon. Hinata was a shy girl and also the heir to the Hyuga clan, which possessed the power of the Byakugan; one of the most powerful visual jutsu in the ninja world. Her hair was cut short at the nape of her neck and her bangs neatly led into a longer fringe, it was a shiny blue-black color that I envied and she had the prettiest colorless eyes I had ever seen, a trademark of her clan. She always wore a heavy white jacket that hid everything that was womanly about her. I made short conversation with her, wishing her good luck and saying that she didn't need it hoping it'd boost her confidence; her self esteem needed work. I rushed home soon after, I had to tell my mom about my new ninja status.

"Mom? Mom, I'm home!" I yelled for my mom as soon as I got home. I couldn't wait to tell her.

"In the kitchen dear!" I followed Mom's voice to the kitchen.

"Look mom, look!" I waved my headband in the air as I approached her.

"I'm a ninja! I'm a ninja! I'm finally a ninja, Mom!" I spun in a couple of circles and stopped right in front of her.

"Look!" I said one last time, grinning at her nonstop.

"That's great, honey! I'm so proud of you." She took me in her arms and squeezed, "I'm so proud."

I let go of her and flashed the headband at her once more. She took my forehead protector in her hand and looked at it, her smile faltering just enough for me to notice the break. I got the feeling that she wasn't as happy about it as she wanted me to believe. My heart cracked at the thought, I hated being lied to and I hated even more seeing my mother unhappy. My mother was a beautiful woman. She had amazingly soft light skin. Her pristine white hair was always tied in a loose ponytail and rested on her right shoulder on a daily basis. She had the most beautiful, clear-cut sapphires for eyes that always held a hot summer's day warmth.

"What's wrong?" I had to ask.

"Nothing, baby," she looked me in the eye. "It's just...I thought..." She couldn't finish.

"Mom?"

"Miu-chan," she smiled, "I hope you realize I'll be worrying about you even more now. Being a ninja can be so scary and is such a dangerous thing. The last thing I want is someone coming to my door and telling me that I've lost my baby." She was letting a few tears fall now.

"I won't die, Mom. I promise." I assured her as well as I could.

"I'm happy, though," she smiled. "Because you're a ninja of a great village of opportunity now and not of one so dark like the Mist." She kissed my cheek and brought me in for another tight hug. "The best decision we made was leaving that cursed village."

"I know Mom, I know." My eyes were downcast now, the last thing I wanted to think about was our old home and everything we left behind but I didn't say anything. I knew it meant a lot for my mother to get that out of her system.

We were from the Hozuki clan of the Village Hidden in the Mist, a village filled of deceit with a history of bloodbaths and dishonor. Our clan was a bit more refined than the rest of the village, due to the fact that the clan gave birth to the Second Mizukage, but it still played the same lying game with everyone else; just on a different level. We left a lot of close family and friends behind but after what my father put my mother through, my mom decided leaving was for the best. My father was a cheating bastard who humiliated my mom in the worst way possible a husband could, so now it's my mom and me. That was almost a year ago but it still feels like it was only yesterday that we were saying our goodbyes to anyone whoever mattered.

Thanks for reading all the way! :D Please review, it's the only way I'll know you like it!