Hello! Well, I know I took my time to publish this chapter, but hopefully you are still interested in this.

Um, there were no reviews last time, so how would I know how to get better? Please, If you have the chance, review my chapter! =)

Chapter 1
Inheritance of Will

Children... are our legacy. Our responsibility. They are our destiny and we are theirs. The extent to which we fail as parents, we fail as God's children.
Dirk Benedict

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The birds flew low on the sky. The air was warm, hot even, and the sun had been unyielding for hours, as if it did not mind the fact that it was barely six in the morning, and if it wanted too, it could rest for one more hour, or at least a few more minutes.

A young boy ran along the road, red ninja sandals sinking on the gravel. The movement was almost desperate, as the loose surface caused him to slow down considerably.

It was not his fault that he was late. He actually hated being so, but his alarm clock had broken a few days ago, and though his parents said they would buy him a new one, they still hadn't done so. And so, he had asked his father to wake him, a bad idea, of course, seeing that his father did not mind being late to even meeting the Hokage, but his mother was on a mission and his brother had gone stay with a friend of his, so he had no option.

His chest ached by the time he reached the Academy's grounds, and he stopped for a second, coughing and wheezing. His ruby red eyes closed, feeling light-headed. He decided to walk from there, since his classroom was not that far away and things would not end up nicely if he kept running.

His short legs carried him up to the white sliding door, which he opened quietly. He first peeked in, his short and shaggy greyish white hair announcing him before he could even look inside.

Once he didn't see the teacher, the small boy was quick to get inside the room, wishing the kids that were on time would not notice him. He looked around until he caught sights of his two friends. He hurried over, though being careful about his speed.

"Hey Kushina, Minato." He greeted once he had slid into the seat next to them. Identical pairs of eyes looked at him. Childish faces greeting him with a smile.

"'sup, Takeshi?" The girl asked, as the boy smiled cheekily at him.

The twins both shared the same blond hair color, although Kushina's reached a little past her shoulders while Minato's was short and the back ended exactly where his neck did, leaving his whole face uncovered. Just the same, they owned the same pearly lavender eyes.

"I've been better." He replied, taking a deep breath as if to prove his point. "Sensei isn't here yet?"

The blond boy shook his head, yawning and propping his chin on his opened hand. "He's never late, though, he should be here soon."

"We've been waiting for almost two hours, dad wanted to drop us off, but he had to be in the office early." Kushina explained, wanting the excuse the behavior her brother was portraying. She elbowed him with a frown on her face.

Just then, the door opened loudly, and a dark-skinned man walked in. He wore the standard Konoha shinobi outfit, though the garments were visibly beaten up; the once black pants and shirt becoming gray with use, and the flak jacket had tears that had been roughly stitched up.

The man held his black hair up in a spiky ponytail, and had a scar across the bridge of his nose. He held up the list of names of the children in the room, an action that brought the room into an immediate revolution as everyone attempted to get back on their seats. Once the students were in their places, the man's dark eyes examined the students' faces carefully.

"My last ones" He thought, a nostalgic smile spreading on his face.

He allowed a few minutes to pass as he remembered. He could still see the shadows of all his students running around the classroom as he tried to explain something he considered of vital importance at the time. Iruka could still smell the sweat from which he could identify which students were growing up. He could still feel the pride and sadness when they went away.

"As you know," He began in a strong voice, "Yesterday you were given the results from your written test, which brought you here, meaning you were the only ones who passed." As Iruka looked around the room, he regretted the word 'only' as there were so many students that some were standing up due to the lack of seats. "Now, you will be called one by one, and you will head to the classroom next door, where the second half of the exam will take place, understood?"

The room filled with affirmative answers; excited and nervous, old and young, the voices mixing into one. Iruka nodded as he read the first name of the list.

"Abe, Chikako."

The movement of the old wood creaking underneath the weight of the girl as she moved to the front of the classroom was the only sound that could be heard. Everyone else was strangely quiet, their breathing kept in check as they stared at the first candidate.

The door closed behind her, and all the children let out a breath they didn't know were holding. It was just strange, because they wanted her to pass, or at least most of them did, but at the same time, they knew there was a limit in the Jonin, and, looking around, there were definitely more students than what the available teachers would be able to handle.

Tic-Tac Sounded the clock attached above the blackboard. Tic-Tac again and again. That was the only sound the students could hear, besides the rustling of paper coming from Iruka's desk.

"Aburame, Shuu."

Once again, the sound of the chair being moved caused the heads to turn towards the new candidate. The boy ignored them, however, which was easy to do thanks to the dark, aviator goggles that covered his eyes. He was wearing a dark blue jacket that went almost down to his knees, and his hair was covered by the hoodie of the coat.

Silently, the boy made his way down the stairs, feeling them creak beneath his weight as the other stared at him like he was some sort of experiment that had malfunctioned. He began moving his head in various angles, making the bones crack with a minimal effort on his part. This caused everyone to divert their glances somewhere else.

With a final crack of his neck, Shuu disappeared behind the sliding door of the classroom.

A collective breath seemed to escape the students, as they all slumped back in their chairs after being so tense. In reality, it was not the Aburame's fault, it was just the way he carried himself that seemed to throw everyone off-guard, though the boy had tried talking to several of them a few times, they had been too busy looking at him to pay attention to his words.

And now they felt he resented them. Somehow.

"That guy is really scary." Whispered a voice near them.

The two blonds and the red-eyed boy turned their heads just in time to see Inokku Inuzuka hug himself a little before placing his head on his arms to rest. The boy, with shaggy dark brown hair and bright blue eyes with pupils like slits, trembled in his seat. The small black dog on his lap, smaller than most of the dogs of the Inuzuka clan, at least, trembled along with its partner.

Though he wouldn't admit it, Minato had to agree. He didn't know why, but he just felt strangely cold when he was near Shuu.

"Akimichi, Chojiro"

And one by one, the classroom started to become empty, with half the people gone, no one was really aware of whether it was easier or harder to breathe by the minute. The children had stopped looking to the front, stiff with fear, and were now beginning to turn to look at the other candidates, sizing them up, trying to remember them for the classes and training to see if they were real competition for them.

Most of the students could now sit on the desks, and there were only three that were left standing up, which were the oldest kids who had surely failed the tests before, since they could have been easily sixteen years old.

Iruka looked at his list again, and wrote something on it, then searched through the faces of students until he found the person he needed.

"Hatake, Takeshi" He called, but made a gesture so that the boy would approach him rather than head to the door.

The boy slowly got up from his seat, the squeak of the chair against the floor breaking the silence that reigned in the room. Swallowing his own saliva, he approached the teacher. He frowned when he got there; sure, he knew he was short, but he had never noticed he was just as tall as Iruka's desk.

The adult whispered something to the child, making both sure none of the other students could hear him nor read his lips as he did so. He didn't wait much before pulling an official looking paper out a folder and place it in front of the red-eyed child.

Takeshi stood on his tip-toes and eyed the document. He read the lines, just like his parents and brother had told him to do many times before. He noticed that it was already signed by both of his parents and the Hokage, and one sole line stood for his own name to be written. Nodding, the boy took the pen that Iruka was offering him and signed before turning the paper back to the man.

Finally sighing nervously, the seven-year-old walked out of the class room, hearing the emptiness of the hallway fill his ears as he entered in the room the exam would take place in.

Two pairs of piercing eyes watched him closely, and though Takeshi kept his eyes trained on the floor, he could feel the stares holding him in place. He took a deep breath and finally dared to raise his ruby gaze to the couple of men behind the table.

"We will grade the first part of the physical exam. Are you ready, boy?" Called one of them, looking up and down his tiny frame.

Takeshi could feel his knees shaking in anticipation, but he nodded, the abnormal colored hair bouncing according to the movement.

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In the classroom, the atmosphere had gotten heavier, all worried about what exactly the Hatake boy had signed, wondering if they would be affected by such an event. Iruka did not seem to be paying any true attention to them, however, instead focusing on the various papers that had been spread across his desk.

The man suddenly grabbed the list once more, and looked around the room, searching for the student that was next on his list.

"Hyuuga, Takumi." Called the sensei.

A boy, around ten years of age, with light brown hair that covered most his forehead and part of his eyes, and blank brown eyes got up from his seat. He looked thin, and the bruise located at the side of his face only made his skin look paler than what it naturally was.

He walked, though a little wobbly, to the front of the room, eyeing Iruka before walking out of the door.

"How does he know when the last one is done?" Kushina whispered to her twin brother in an attempt to make their waiting a little more bearable.

The boy simply shrugged his shoulders, and the girl could see how her brother passed a piece of folded paper to a girl sitting in the bench next to theirs; she had blond hair that could easily pass off as white, and dark green eyes; she was thin and three years older than them, which showed in her height when they were standing, if anything in her features was to be slightly unique, it would be the red marks that looked like fangs tattooed with red ink on her cheeks. In the desk in front of her, there was a small puppy, whose fur was different shades of brown.

Kushina rolled her eyes at Minato's attitude, and rested her had on her hand once more. There was no way the nerves would overcome her again. She hoped her friend had been able to control himself, too, as she knew the younger boy was quite shy and was often nervous.

Deciding to distract herself a little now that she could concentrate on something other than the tic-tac of the clock, she looked around the room. She could recognize various people from around the tables, all of them older than her by at least a year, but remaining close to her age group.

A pair of serious green eyes caught with hers. Kushina stared, and only looked away when the eyes closed for a second. Not too far away from her sat Naoko Uchiha, the oldest child of her father's teammates. The girl had pale skin, like both of her parents, and short black hair. In Kushina's honest opinion, she looked like a boy; with that old blue t-shirt and black shorts that were obviously not designed for females. Not that she could say much, she was pretty much a tomboy as well, which was probably the reason of the healthy rivalry both girls shared.

Next to her, sat a boy with the same black hair, peculiarly styled in such a way that would resemble his father's; his dark eyes, though focusing on the clock at the front of the room, were looking indiscreetly between the door and Iruka, as if he tried to figure when the next student would have to pass. If Kushina had to make a critical analysis, she would say that this boy, Ryuu, was way too proud of himself to be a true ninja, if what her dad had told her was true.

"Inuzuka, Inoue."

Kushina's head snapped back to the front of the classroom, just in time to see the girl her brother was talking to walk in front of her. Minato and the girl shared an encouraging smile, though Inoue's was clearly more forced than the boy's.

"I hope she does good." Whispered Minato one the door had closed behind the girl.

His twin rolled her eyes, but nodded, giving half a shrug. The girl was good, she had good skills and despite her girly appearance, Kushina was sure she was among the best in that ball of kids that wished to be Genin.

"Inuzuka, Inokku." Called Iruka a couple of minutes after the blonde had disappeared.

With a nervous gulp and a deep breath to calm down, the brown haired boy with the small black dog rose from his seat trembling. He steadied himself by grabbing the end of his table. The small dog in his arms licked his face a little, causing the boy to smile slightly.

With seemingly regained confidence, the boy walked down the stairs and out of the room., leaving behind a group of students that now, seeing his actions, were a tad more nervous about entering the exam room.

Because that is what happens when you don't know what to expect; the reaction of others makes you react the same way. They might know more than you. They might know what's coming. They might be your partners when in war. And you wanted to make sure people that were not able to prepare themselves correctly were left out of your way.

"Do you really think you'll pass the test?" Asked a much too familiar voice next to Minato.

The twins turned, frown already drawn on their faces as they saw Ryuu out of his seat and in the chair next to the Minato's.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I?" Came Minato's reply. Why? Why did you answer him? He told himself the moment the words had left his mouth. His father had insisted, day after day, that is was better to leave the fight without it being started.

"'Cause you're eight." The onyx eyed boy said, reaching for his shoulder to scratch it. "'sides, I think your little friend is already crying outside. He's seven; the Sensei aren't stupid."

"Well, you're ten, but you're still here." Kushina whispered angrily. "Guess we're just better than you."

Ryuu frowned deeply, but instead of fighting, he turned away from her.

"What? Too scared to fight with sister?" Taunted Minato, an uncharacteristic sarcastic smile spread on his face.

The Uchiha kicked his seat, moving it towards Kushina a few inches with the force. The blond was much less heavier than his classmate, and so couldn't do much to stop the movement.

"Don't be stupid. It's just not worth it to fight with a girl." He spat "If you lose, you lose to a girl, and if you win, you win to a girl. What's the point?"

With that, the boy got off from his seat hastily and went back to sit next to his sister, who rolled her eyes at something he whispered to her.

"Nara, Shikarou." Iruka said loudly, almost like he hadn't heard the commotion between the two boys just seconds before. The smile on his face, though, told otherwise.

A tiny boy, that could not be older than nine, got up from his seat, and ran a hand along his jet black hair as he slowly walked the steps down to the front of the room. He held a book in his right hand, and his dark green eyes had dark circles under them.

Although the twins knew him well, they didn't dare to interrupt the pace that the boy had acquired, fearing that he would fall and roll down the stairs in his zombie-like state.

Iruka got up from his seat when he noticed this and made his way towards the aspiring ninja. He kneeled in front of him, holding the boy by his shoulders. He whispered him a few questions, even reaching to touch his forehead in case the boy had a fever.

The sensei, though unconvinced with the answers the boy had given him, gently pried the book out of his hands and ruffled his hair before letting him continue walking towards the examination room.

"What do think is wrong?" Wondered Minato as he eyed the dark-skinned sensei make his way back to his desk.

The question was left without reply, as Kushina was now covering her face with her closed fists, her elbows propped on the desk in concentration. That seemed like something the girl did often, and Minato could swear he had never seen his sister so focused in his life.

The list kept moving on, each of the students accompanied by a face that, no matter the results, would end like just a name, whether it was in battle or a sign outside of a store.

It was hard for all the occupants of the room, knowing that each moment the war came closer and closer. Most tried not to think about it, and occupied themselves in childish games. But everyone could see. The desks were not as new as they looked when they first entered the academy, the gigantic chalkboards that were supposed to lead them to a greater knowledge had been replaced with small ones, the ANBU now walked through the streets without hiding, looking everywhere and remaining as alert as they could.

"Uchiha, Naoko."

Kushina rose her head, watching as the older girl walked down the stairs.

"Good luck." She whispered to her when the eleven-year-old passed next to her.

The Uchiha paused for a second turning back to look at the twins with a small, nervous smile on her face.

"You, too."

In reality, most of the students were not nervous about the test. They had been trained much harsher than the previous generations, after all. They were nervous for what would happen afterwards, going to war, or staying there and only watch as shinobi from their village died without being able to do anything. None were good choices.

Ryuu was next. And then was Kushina.

Minato was left alone in the room, with only Iruka to make him company. The man was no longer looking at papers, and was instead staring out the window, watching as gray clouds that were beginning to hide the sun behind them, seemingly lost in his thoughts.

"Sensei," said Minato hesitantly. The man, slightly taken aback by the sudden voice, glanced at him in question. "Have you ever been on a war?"

Why, yes! Two. "Ah, aren't you a little young to worry about war, Minato-kun?" The man retorted instead. He was not in the mood of talking of something like that, especially not with the son of the person who had the cause sealed inside him.

"Mom says that. But we'll be a part of it soon." Said the blond, resting his head on the palm of his hand. His expression was now one of curiosity.

"You pray for that not to happen."

"Huh?"

"N—Minato Uzumaki." The man smiled. "It's your turn."

The blond was up and running in a flash. Seriously, he was tired of people walking like the rest of the world could wait for them. He was going to be a ninja! And just like in that moment, no one would be able to discourage him.

Thank you for reading! and please, if you have any ideas or even a character tell me about it! I might me able to include it.

Question: Pencil or pen?