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"So, how'd it go?"

Kaiya wanted to smack the smirk right off Sasuke's stupid face. She folded her hands behind her head as she approached him leisurely, showing him a frown. She huffed.

"Hf. Stupid Iruka-sensei. I don't know why he gets so angry with me; it's not like my grades are bad or anything, so I don't know how he could say all those things," she complained, resting her back against one of the many trees littering the training grounds. She sighed, staring down at the ground as a line of tiny ants scurried past her sandals, wondering where they were off to. She was sure they were having a better day than her. She looked up at Sasuke, who paused his shuriken practice to listen to her. She almost felt honored.

"It was that bad, huh?" he figured, crossing his arms as he sat next to her on one of the large roots sticking out of the ground. Kaiya clenched her fists, her countenance wavering.

"He told me that if I keep being a disruption in class, I won't be able to graduate," she explained solemnly, kicking at the ants with her foot. Some of them lifted into the air and met a painful death when they hit the ground again; the rest of them were in disarray after their formation was disrupted. They scattered in all directions, and Kaiya reveled in their chaos. Sasuke glanced up at her in question but neglected to respond.

"He said that between me and that idiot Naruto, he's always having to stop his lesson and get onto us. I pointed out the fact that he just gets onto us because everyone else has labeled us troublemakers, and that he just likes picking on me because I wasn't as ambitious as my brother and sister, and then he yelled at me and said that I was a troublemaker, and I wasn't as ambitious as my siblings. I told him to prove it and told him he was full of crap, and then he told me I couldn't say another word or else he'd expel me, and I'd miss the graduation exam."

She closed her eyes, gritting her teeth in frustration. "Gah! I hate that stupid Academy, and I hate Iruka-sensei. I'd have a talk with the Old Man about it, but I'll be out of there soon anyway, so it doesn't really matter. Besides, he'd probably agree, since I'm always being sent to him. I had to bite my tongue so hard to keep from being stuck there for another term. I'm surprised it's still attached."

Sasuke chuckled lightly, making Kaiya frown. She turned to him heatedly; her nostrils flared. "And what's so funny, you asshole?!" she snapped, steam coming out of her ears. Sasuke stood to his feet, turning his back to her as he stared at his shuriken embedded into the post of one of the practice dummies. As expected, they were all within the middle circle of the target. Showoff.

"I warned you to keep your emotions in check," he stated matter-of-factly, shrugging. Kaiya scowled, her green irises glinting with ire. "If you show your weaknesses, others will exploit them. That's just how it is." He faced her, and Kaiya lowered her gaze to the ground to keep from meeting his dark, mysterious eyes. Unlike her, it was always difficult to tell what was on his mind. She hated that he had that edge over her.

Scoffing, she bit back. "What do you want me to do about it, Sasuke? I can't just hide everything behind a stupid passive expression like you, ya know." His eyes narrowed. He knew it wasn't her fault that she was so expressive and easy to read. It's just who she was. Still, as shinobi they had to go beyond the limitations and expectations of human nature and their own bodies.

"Learn some patience for one thing." His unusually snide remark didn't amuse her at all. "Think before you speak or move. I know that's not your style on a day-to-day basis, but you're going to have to learn how to do it if you want to live." He let out a slow breath as he took a step toward her coolly. They were only inches apart now; he stood over her like he was part of the canopy. "Kaiya…we'll be graduating at the end of the month," he reminded her. She glanced at him stubbornly.

"We'll be going on missions and making real enemies. You should learn to conceal your emotions now, before you face someone who knows how to use them against you in a real battle. I know you don't care what the others think of you, but if they can get to you so effortlessly, imagine a strong opponent who wants to do more than just hurt your feelings or spark your anger for their own amusement. With genjutsu or torture, or even just looking into your eyes, your weaknesses could be exposed in only a split second, and your life will be in danger. Not to mention what that will mean for the village."

Kaiya was clearly upset, but she regretted lashing out at him. She knew he was only trying to make a point, although he didn't have to do it so flashily. She ran her fingers through her dark, tangled hair thoughtfully. She stared straight ahead for what felt like a long time, contemplating her classmate's words. "Idiot," she mumbled irritably. "It's unlike you to talk so much, Sasuke. You're unsurprisingly annoying." The latter frowned, but there was no heat behind it. It quickly turned into a grin.

"Is that your way of saying I'm right?" Kaiya gritted her teeth, jumping in his face with a hand balled into a fist.

"Huh?! Of course, someone as smug as you would think that!" she roared, using her other hand to grab his collar. Sasuke made no attempt to remove himself from her grip, placing his hands in his pockets calmly. His smirk remained, pissing her off further. "And wipe that grin off your face, bastard! I'm tired of seeing it! Your arrogance really ticks me off, ya know!" Sasuke closed his eyes, scoffing.

"Why don't we settle this, then?" he suggested, opening his eyes and staring right into hers. Her anger subsided for a moment as she processed his proposal. Suddenly, she smiled.

"Alright, you're on, Uchiha. But you sure you're up for it? I'm just gonna kick your ass again." Sasuke's brows creased.

"Tch. I won the last time, remember? Whoever bleeds first loses. I gave you a bloody nose before you busted my lip." Kaiya's eyes widened, then lowered.

"Whatever," she snapped, releasing her hold on him to take a few steps back. "I'm still gonna win." Sasuke pulled his hands from his pockets, holding up his fists.

"Talk all you want, but I'd like to see you try." He lunged at her, aiming for her torso. She dodged it by a hair and countered with a knee to his chest.

Neither one of them noticed the dark shadow in the trees above them, or the yellow eyes glaring down from the canopy.

…

"You're her guardian, so I wanted to discuss this with you personally." The Third pushed the list of potential graduates from Iruka's current class in Shikaku's direction, sliding the folder across the table they were sitting at. His eyebrows furrowed in interest, and he quickly picked it up and flipped through it until he found what he was looking for.

He blinked when he came to Kaiya's information sheet. On it was all her personal information given at the time she was inducted into the Academy, along with all her stats from the past seven years; notes and grades for every quarter added by Iruka and other teachers, potential teammates and Jonin sensei added by the Hokage, and progress reports on her improvement were organized neatly on the page.

"Hmm. Riichi, huh? I didn't know he was a sensei," Shikaku said, scanning the fellow Jonin's own file attached to Kaiya's. "To be honest, Lord Third, he doesn't seem like the teaching type. Especially not after recent events." The Hokage lifted a grey eyebrow in question at the statement.

"Well, Kaiya doesn't exactly classify as the teachable type, does she now? How many times has she sat in my office for failing to follow the rules?" he countered, chuckling lightly. A sweat drop slid down the back of Shikaku's head.

"I suppose you're right about that. I see your point." He had no other response, so he just dropped it and continued to look at the manila folder in his hand. His eyes lowered when he read the statement at the bottom of the page: Blacklisted until further notice. The younger man frowned. "So, that was the decision you made for his slip-up, eh?" He sighed, flipping the page back to Kaiya. That Riichi is always getting himself in trouble. Then again, so is Kaiya, so I can see where the Third is coming from. I just hope neither one of them screws up this time around.

Shikaku went over Kaiya's stats as an Academy student, and since there were only a few weeks until graduation, they could pretty much be considered complete. Her grades seemed just above average, which he was aware of. He knew Kaiya didn't apply herself as much as she should, but she wasn't a total slacker, either—like his own son—so how could he complain? (Although his wife always found a way).

Her ninjutsu was a 3, and her genjutsu was even lower—a 2. But her taijutsu was 5, which was great for her age. Her intelligence was a 3.2, strength 3.5, speed 5, and stamina 4. Her hand seals, however, were only a 2.5—which was to be expected with such a low ninjutsu score. Overall, her graduating score so far was 28.2, so she was doing exceptionally well. It was unlikely that the final outcome would change much from what they were now. But the stats weren't what concerned Shikaku; it was what he read underneath them:

Lacks teamwork skills. Resorts to physical violence when provoked. Has talked back to teacher and constantly disrupts class. Sometimes refuses to participate; lazy in the classroom. Silently stares into space often. Anger issues often prevents from getting along with most classmates. Has a hard time with chakra control and genjutsu, but doesn't want to work to improve. STUBBORN.

That last word made Shikaku chuckle. If he could choose only one word to describe Kaiya, STUBBORN would definitely be his first choice. His eyes scanned the paper further. In the corner of the report, there were good things written down as well, which he savored, since all he'd ever hear about her were the negative things:

Enthusiastic and competitive when doing physical workout. Loves to spar, and very good at taijutsu for her age. Will excel if continues to work hard. Improvement since entrance is astounding. Determined to succeed despite others' thoughts or comments against her. GREAT perseverance.

Shikaku lowered the folder for a moment when he read the last note Iruka made. He knew exactly what the Academy instructor had meant by it. He smiled, but it quickly faded.

"You already know about all of her disciplinary problems, and you know her work ethic," Lord Sarutobi informed the younger man, noticing his expression. "And you also know what most of the villagers—namely Kaiya's own classmates—think about her, ever since that incident six years ago." Shikaku looked at him and nodded, noticing a grin on the old man's face. "Kaiya takes out her anger and frustration on those in her class who voice their opinions, but there are two males in particular that she especially loathes."

Shikaku already knew where this was going. He picked up the folder again and flipped past Riichi's page. He glanced between the next two students' sheets: Hibachi and Unagi. Otherwise known as two of Kaiya's most hated classmates, aside from Ino Yamanaka and Sakura Haruno.

"I'm seeing a pattern here, Lord Third," Shikaku said, doing his best not to laugh. He scanned the two boys' stats briefly. Hibachi seemed to be average in ninjutsu and hand seals, and Unagi had high marks in genjutsu. He could see why the Third would logistically team them up, as they more-or-less balanced each other out in the three ninja tactics. But there was always more to it with him. The fact that Kaiya lacked teamwork skills and hated these two, plus the fact that Riichi—who was suspended from his regular duties as a Jonin—was now their sensei, added up to one thing: the Hokage wanted all of them to learn character from working out their differences, and how to function as a team. They each had something to benefit from by being together.

If they didn't kill each other first.

For the Hokage to have the nerve to make Kaiya's team a ticking time bomb… Almost anyone else would have told him he was crazy. But Shikaku was wise and could see the vision the Third was trying to create. He just hoped it didn't backfire.

"So, do you approve, Shikaku?" The latter was shocked the Hokage would ask him that question. He had no reason to receive his stamp of approval or permission to do anything with Kaiya, even if he was her temporary guardian. He was only the Jonin Commander. It was solely the Hokage who picked the teams, and even the sensei wouldn't be notified of their subordinates until after graduation.

"Of course." Shikaku nodded curtly and grinned, the scars on his face crinkling upward with the gesture. He closed the folder and crossed his arms. "I trust your judgment, Lord Hokage, so I'm not going to question it. Besides, I can't deny that Kaiya needs to shape up, especially concerning teamwork. She hasn't had much success working with others since the villagers stopped trusting her, despite her innocence in the situation. Which reminds me…when are you planning to tell her the truth?" he wondered. Sarutobi's eyes lowered.

"…" He took out his pipe and stuck it in his mouth as he pondered the question. "Do you really believe I should, Shikaku? You know what will happen if she discovers it." The deer herder stared out the window to his right, neglecting to confirm or deny the Hokage's claim. He sighed.

The Third Hokage had been resenting the day he would have to tell Kaiya the truth about her family's past—what they discovered that awful night six years prior—from the moment it all went down. He wanted to hold off as long as possible, until she was mature enough to accept the truth and move on with her life, but in Shikaku's opinion, prolonging it would only make matters worse. She'd see the few people she'd been able to trust up to that point as liars, just like everyone else.

The repercussions could be catastrophic, especially if she was strong enough at that point to oppose the authorities of the village. And if she kept getting stronger, as he anticipated, that day would come, sooner rather than later. Kaiya thought with her emotions more than anything else, and if she was angry about the secrets they were keeping from her, not even the Nara clan would be safe from her wrath.

Well, he hoped that circumstances would change one way or another: Either Kaiya would mature and understand the reasons they kept the past a secret, or the Third Hokage would change his mind and reveal everything to her now, so that she would have time to process it. She would most definitely be upset, and she may not trust anyone else for a long time, but she would cool down and eventually come to terms with everything.

But then again, even if she didn't lash out at them after hearing the truth, she was still the type to act recklessly without thinking, when it came to personal matters. No doubt she would do something completely foolish, neglecting to think about the consequences until it was already too late. This wasn't her normal behavior, as she had never done anything life-threatening, but when it came to matters involving her family, all rationality melted away.

"Kaiya can be unpredictable," Shikaku noted somberly, shaking his head. "But there's no doubt she wouldn't just sit and take the news quietly. And she wouldn't listen to reason; she might very well blame us and turn against the village, in an extreme case. Or even worse, she might go after them. But despite all of that, she still deserves to know the truth. We'd be no better than her family if we never told her. Besides, she promised she wouldn't turn out like her father, so I believe we should give her the benefit of the doubt." This time Hiruzen sighed, taking up the folder Shikaku slid back over to him. He tapped his bony fingers on the wooden table distractedly.

"You're right, Shikaku. In any case, we'll just have to read the situation and go from there. If, and when, the time comes for Kaiya to learn about the past, we'll find a way to explain things and go from there. We shouldn't fret about the timing or the place." The Jonin Commander nodded, rubbing the back of his neck tiredly.

"Hmm. This girl is a lot of trouble sometimes," he chuckled, bowing his head. "But she's not a bad kid…she's just searching for her place in the world. After what she went through, you can't blame her at all. But after four years of getting to know her, I'm confident she'll be able to handle the obstacles that she'll face in the future. Even if it will take some time for the wounds to heal. And she'll have us there to help her."

…

Kaiya pulled the Academy doors open so fervently that for a moment she thought she'd ripped them right off their hinges. She paid them no mind as she burst inside in a full sprint, the hallways just a blur as she ran through them, climbing up the stairs—three at a time—so fast it felt like she was flying, her sandals hardly touching the ground before leaping to the next step.

Her chestnut locks bounced all around her shoulders as she went, caught in a whirlwind, and she twirled and ducked to avoid colliding with people and objects alike. Any adults she came across yelled at her to slow down, but she laughed gleefully as she ignored them and kept going. She was too elated to think about taking it easy.

She finally skidded to a stop as she made it to the final hallway before she reached Iruka's classroom. She reminisced silently, surveying the pictures of past classes on the walls on either side of her as she walked to the door. Her face would be hung up on that wall next; everyone would see her up there. They could sneer and jab and curse her name, but she didn't give a damn. She wasn't in this for them, that was for sure.

Seven years ago, she entered the Academy in hopes of becoming a ninja who would prove herself to everyone, to prove that she could become a shinobi worthy of fighting for the sake of the village. Now, at age twelve, her ambition could finally become a reality. She had no doubt she would graduate today, and it was gonna be great to never have to step in this room again. She'd proudly parade her Leaf headband around for all the villagers to see, so they'd know that they couldn't keep her down. Not now, not ever.

Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, Kaiya slid the door to the room open, stepping inside. She was a little early, so Iruka hadn't yet arrived, and only a couple of other students were there so far: Sasuke (of course), Ino (who, undoubtedly, was only there early to try and seduce Sasuke, making Kaiya gag—which was nothing new), Sakura (who was arguing with Ino about seducing Sasuke while at the same time trying to seduce him herself, making Kaiya gag again—which was also old news), and Shino (who just sat there quietly, probably thinking about bugs or something equally as creepy—making Kaiya gag for a third time).

Sasuke saw her first, his annoyed expression switching to relief—only briefly, before returning to its previously agitated state—as Sakura and Ino pulled him back and forth without shame.

"No, Sasuke is mine, Ino-Pig!" Sakura shouted, waving a fist in the air. With the other, she gripped Sasuke's collar and pulled him towards her. Ino, who Kaiya swore had steam coming out of her ears, balled her hand into a fist threateningly, her nostrils flaring like a wild boar ready to charge. With her free hand, she pulled Sasuke in the opposite direction of her foe. It was their usual routine. Man, they have no shame at all. Poor guy. Kaiya shook her head, letting out a sigh, even though she wanted to laugh her ass off at that moment.

"You're out of your mind, Forehead!" Ino protested, gritting her teeth. Sakura's face flushed, and she made a growling noise from deep in her throat. She was very sensitive about her forehead's humongous size. Kaiya wondered if she would snap Ino's head off and use it as a chew toy.

Sasuke's eyes pleaded with her to intervene. As amusing as it was, Kaiya couldn't just let them rip him to shreds—not when she and Sasuke still hadn't settled their score from five years ago. (And he owed her fifty ryo).

Sasuke and Kaiya had grown to be acquaintances since that day, though she wouldn't exactly say they were friends. That was a foreign word to them both. They didn't hang out or anything of the sort outside of class and training. Still, she had to help the guy out, or he might lose an arm. That would make it even easier to beat him next time, and she didn't want to have that big of an advantage over him—or else it wouldn't be as fun.

Kaiya stifled a laugh as she approached her three classmates, squatting on the desk below them. She stared at them quietly until Ino and Sakura looked her way at last.

"What do you want, Beef Brains?" Ino screeched. Kaiya's eyes narrowed, but she didn't move a muscle. She was surprised that Ino would have the courage to talk to her in such a way after what happened a few weeks before. Then again, Kaiya had been avoiding most of her classmates more than usual, at Iruka's suggestion (more like threat) during their last meeting. As much as she wanted to beat them senseless, she wanted to graduate even more. Her classmates most likely realized this, so they figured they could speak to her however they wanted, and she couldn't lay a hand on them.

For one more day, that is. But there were other ways to deal with things besides using her fists (less enjoyable ways, in her eyes, but effective alternatives nonetheless).

Kaiya stared at the girls for a few more seconds before replying. "You know, Ino, maybe you could help me out with something." She frowned in question as Kaiya studied the callouses on her hands casually. "I'm looking for a new workout routine, and I heard the other day that screaming burned a lot of calories. I figured you could confirm that, since you're always screaming, and you're so skinny, so it must be working for you…" The blonde's eyebrows lifted, and her grip on Sasuke's collar went slack.

"What was that?!" Her breathing got heavier with every word. In the same way Sakura was sensitive about her forehead, Ino was sensitive about her weight. For whatever reason, she dieted all the time, even though she was the thinnest girl Kaiya had ever met. She was also one of the loudest, aside from Sakura. "Just because you have the body of a man doesn't mean—"

"Of course, I'm sure that you just want to have a figure that will attract boys, right?" Kaiya continued, cutting Ino off. "Since, you know, your personality is lacking." She shrugged. "But if you think about it…what kind of guy wants a noisy, bratty, irritating girl that he could snap like a twig if he's not careful? That doesn't seem logical to me. Could you please explain?"

Kaiya grinned knowingly as Ino hurled herself at her (presumably her throat), fangs and claws bearing, like a wild animal desperate for a meal. Kaiya launched herself into the air with her legs, landing on the other side of Sakura nonchalantly. Ino, unable to catch herself, flew over the desk and toppled into the chairs of the bottom row, her arms flailing to catch her balance, but failing. Shino turned his attention towards them, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Girls," he muttered, shaking his head. Bugs are far less complicated. That's because they don't like drama.

Sakura stared at Kaiya, daring her to do the same to her. Kaiya lifted an eyebrow, staring at her fixedly. Honestly, she was tempted to just throw her down herself, but agitating her was much more fun. Like Kaiya, she was like a ticking paper bomb, just waiting to explode. Besides, if she laid even one finger on her, she wouldn't be able to graduate. And there was no way in hell that she was going to mess up on the day of the graduation exam. Kaiya grinned.

"I wonder if Iruka-sensei ever thought about using your forehead instead of the chalkboard," she chided curiously, poking her own to compare sizes. "He'd have a lot more room to write notes on."

Sakura's blood instantly boiled, turning her face a deep shade of red; Kaiya could feel the heat radiating from her body as she screamed and tried to tackle her to the ground. Apparently, she didn't learn from Ino's mistake. Kaiya was too fast, and she missed, almost falling down the stairs. Luckily for her she caught her balance (despite her giant forehead weighing as much as the rest of her body), but her spot had already been taken.

By the time Sakura looked up, Kaiya was sitting next to Sasuke, who had scooted over to the seat next to the wall while the girls had been distracted. Sakura was about to retaliate, but at that moment Iruka walked in. She growled, promising Kaiya that one day she would get revenge as she moved to another seat.

I'll keep that in mind, the brunette thought, sticking her tongue out at her classmate while her back was turned. Ino had gotten herself up and stalked to the other side of the room, near Sakura. She sent Kaiya plenty of death glares on the way. Kaiya grinned, pretending not to notice. There's no way they'd have the guts to tell Iruka what she'd done. Not when she was free from his control after the graduation exam.

Sasuke showed her a small grin. "Thanks," he said. "That was a little harsh though, don't you think?" Kaiya scoffed, leaning back in her seat with her hands folded behind her head—her usual posture in the classroom. She propped her feet on the desk.

"Hey, the next time you're being viciously attacked by girls, I'll just look the other way." Kaiya held her hands up in defense before returning them to their previous comfortable position. Sasuke frowned. "Oh, and you owe me for that—that's sixty ryo by now. It was all I could do not to choke them both until they passed out. That took a lot of self-control, ya know—and a lot of creativity to keep my hands to myself. You almost cost me graduating. I think I'll up the debt to seventy-five." Sasuke shook his head, internally rolling her eyes.

"Forget it. I guess you're right," he decided, shrugging. He purposely didn't address the amount of money he owed her. His grin widened. "Good luck on the exam today. I know you'll pass, but I hope you don't get stuck with that loser, Naruto—if he even graduates, that is. Being teammates with him would be disastrous." Kaiya raised an eyebrow at his comment. Sometimes he could be a real asshole. Then again, so could she. She laughed.

"Careful, Sasuke," she warned. "Karma has a funny way of messing with people. You might just find yourself on his team. Or even worse…Sakura's." Kaiya glanced at their pink-haired classmate, who was still steaming on the other side of the room, arms crossed as she sat slumped in her seat. Sasuke paled, and she giggled at the thought. Imagine if he had both Naruto and Sakura on his team…now that would be disastrous.