Disclaimer: Naruto, character, names and related indicia are trademarks of and © Masashi Kishimoto and Weekly Shōnen Jump. Naruto Publishing Rights © Shueisha. I do not make any $$$ from the publishing of this story to any website.
Failure
April 21, 10 AK
In the early morning hours, with the soft light of the sun peeking itself above the tops of trees, a gentle breeze swirls through the warming morning air. The smell of age old dust and mold fill the nostrils of a small boy, awakened by the invading light against his closed eye-lids. A tug of the ratty woolen blanket partially covering his body is answered with a loud ripping sound as the material splits at a poorly mended seam. The small boy responds with a groan of his own as he opens his eyes and stares at the ceiling above . His bright cerulean eyes followed the lines of a newly forming crack, originating from the corner beside the head of his bed.
Tossing the ripped woolen blanket against the wall, he slid his feet across the stained mattress before setting them softly to a rough wooden floor. The boy yawned loudly and itched the back of his blonde head as he looked around the small room he called home. It didn't offer much more than 4 walls, a floor and a roof. The ceiling sported several cracks that all seemed to avoid colliding with each other and the walls were covered with thin wood and peeling white paint. Against the exterior wall along with his bed, a thin mattress on a metal coil frame, a beat-up wooden dresser sat just underneath an opened window. Sitting flush in the middle of the room is a small wooden table with a single wooden chair pushed underneath and a couple of unopened books resting atop of it. Against the opposite wall sits a small refrigerator atop a counter with simple ceramic basin and hot plate beside it.
To most, the room might be considered bare, but to the small boy it was his home, and he was immensely proud that he had managed to find it. The room itself was but one of eight similar sized apartments with a shared washroom within a two story dilapidated and abandoned building. When the boy had found the building only a few months prior, it had a large sign placed in front of it, condemning it for destruction. He had been careful at first, always watching over his shoulder in-case someone might catch him where he shouldn't be but after a couple of weeks, no one had returned. Over the following weeks, he had managed to furnish the small room and it wasn't long before it came to be a cozy place.
After a quick morning meal of stale noodles in a cup, the young boy changed out of his pajamas into a mostly clean black-shirt, a pair of white shorts and a pair of black sandals. Picking up the unopened books from the table, he was quick to exit the small room, locking the door behind him. The boy cautiously peeked over his shoulder to affirm that no one was watching him before he took off at a full sprint towards the stairs at the far end of the hallway. He kicked off at the first step and landed hard at the bottom of the stairway leading out into the street. With a swift pivot of his left foot, he managed to change his momentum and began heading in the direction of the school.
Normally, the young boy would not be enthusiastic about school but today was to be an important day. An announcement was to be made before lunch regarding which students would make the transition from the regular curriculum to a special one. This was the day that students would learn who would be allowed to attend the infamous Ninja Academy. He was really excited and could not wait to hear the announcement. It was only made once a year, so it was always turned out to be a very big celebration. The school would throw a big party with food and games for all of the students and the ones who were allowed to attend the Ninja Academy would get to stand on a large stage and shake the hands with the greatest Ninja of the entire village; The Hokage.
The boy wanted to be a Ninja more than anything in the world. To be a Ninja meant to be respected and liked. It meant that people would not mess with him anymore. Ninja's were allowed to leave the village, to go on awesome adventures. They were allowed to do amazing things and could do almost anything they wanted. Who would not want to be a Ninja?
It did not take very long for the young boy to make it to the gates of the large school yard. He had taken several short cuts on his way, which meant he had to go through places that most people would not normally go, he was able to save a lot of time. He was not even dirty this time and managed to avoid being jumped by a crowd of people. As the boy looked up at the large archway above the gates, he held up his small hand with his thumb pointed upwards.
"Alright, this is the day! Dattebayo~!" The boy almost shouted at the top of his lungs, earning him stares, glares and sideways glances from fellow students and numerous adults in turn. More than a few adults were sneering, mean words whispered under their hushed breath in response.
The blonde headed boy found his way to his small classroom of thirty students, a mixture of young boys and girls. The classroom was divided up in groups of children, excited and making attempts to talk over their friends and each other. The boy himself didn't have a group that he could join in on the discussion but that was alright. Things would change after today. He sat down at a small child size desk with his books and kicked his feet beneath him while he waited for the teacher to enter.
After several minutes, a small chime sounded over the small public address system situated over the door. Indication that class would begin proceeded the rush of children as they sat in their appropriate seats. The teacher, a short elderly woman walked into the classroom with a cane and addressed the students with a pleasant greeting. She made a general announcement regarding the schedule of the day as well as the lessons that would be taught until it was time for announcement. With as much excitement that was built up, this would prove very trying for the patients of the children as they struggled to sit through the daily lessons of arithmetic and language arts.
Just when the young boy thought he would be unable to remain seated, a tall young man entered the classroom with a sealed scroll in hand. He was a man of average height and slim build with black hair kept up in a ponytail, dark but friendly eyes and a scar that ran across the bridge of his nose. He wore a standard green flak jacket, which meant he was at least the rank of Chunin. Underneath the sleeveless jacket was the standard uniform of the Village Shinobi, blue pants and a blue shirt over mesh armor. He wore a blue Shinobi forehead protector with the symbol of the village stenciled into the metal plate.
"I apologize for interrupting, Chuo-Sensei. It is time for the announcement," The young man held up the small sealed scroll for the elderly woman to see.
"Ah, yes, of course Iruka-Kun. Oh, but it is Iruka-Sensei now, is it not? My, I remember when you were just a little one yourself. Well then, yes, I suppose it is time, isn't it?" The elderly woman looked fondly at the young man before her. After all, she had been his teacher once before as well. Turning back to the students, she cleared her throat and gained the full attention of young children in class. "Now then, children. Iruka-Sensei has an announcement to make. I want you to show him respect, as he is not only a Teacher, but a Shinobi of the Village as well."
"Thank you, Chuo-Sensei. Now then, the following announcement is regarding which of you will be allowed to proceed to the special curriculum and be allowed to attend the village's Ninja Academy following next week's holiday break. When I read your name, please gather your belongings and proceed to the classroom exit. Your parents are awaiting you outside. If your name is not called, please do not be discouraged. It only means that you did not make it this year but there is always next year," The young man smiled at the children before him, watching them as they tried to remain in their individual seats and pay attention to what it is being said. Iruka could swear that he was heavily scrutinized by 31 pairs of eyes.
"Shikamaru Nara, Kiba Inuzuka, and Shino Aburame," Iruka smiled down at the three boys as they gathered their bags and collected their books. He recognized their family names as the children of those on the Ninja Council and the next generation of their respected clans. With dejected looks from the remaining students though, he felt a pang of remorse that more students could not be admitted this year.
Following the incident less than a decade ago, there had been a boom in population as families recovered. This meant that there were more children than there were available openings in the Ninja Academy. Perhaps the following year, there would be the opportunity to promote more children to the Ninja Academy from the general educational schools. Iruka Umino hoped there would be, as it would mean more opportunity for the village to grow.
"Now then, for those of you remaining, please do not look at this as something to be depressed over. Due to a limited class size, we were unable to accept more of you. There will be more chances in the future. Remember, you are all still young enough to enter the Ninja Academy. On another note, I do believe it is nearing lunch time, so I will let Chuo-Sensei dismiss you for lunch," Iruka bowed before the students and Chuo-Sensei before left the classroom behind the three boys he had called on. He knew that he would be needed back at the Academy following lunch, to resume his own lesson plans.
"Children, Congratulations are in order for Shikamaru-kun, Kiba-kun, and Shino-kun. So when you see them later, I expect you to congratulate them accordingly and politely. As Iruka-Sensei said, just because you were not picked this year, it does not mean you will not be picked next year or the following. Now, it is indeed time for lunch so I will dismiss you from your lessons. Enjoy the festivities and have a pleasant Holiday."
As the children each collected their books and bags, the young blonde boy remained in his seat. He was not sure how to react. His name had not been called. He had wanted to hear his name called more than anything. It would have meant the world to him. He wasn't a horrible student, although he was not the best by far. He never missed a class either, so it did not really make sense why some children were picked over others. As he stood up and collected his books, he ran his arm across his eyes. He knew that there was always next year or as Chuo-Sensei said, the following year. Yet it just wasn't the same.
The last to leave from the classroom, the young boy almost ran into a small unfamiliar girl. She must be from another classroom, maybe from a higher grade than him since she was nearly a head taller than he was. The girl wore a loose pink collared shirt with two yellow pins near the collar and loose brown pants. She had dark black hair, fashioned into two small buns on either side of her head and she had piercing steel-gray eyes. In her hands was a small stuffed black and white bear. Behind the girl stood a large man with a thick black beard and thin beady eyes. He seemed to wear a perpetual scowl as he looked down at the little blonde boy, which intimidated the child.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going." The boy nearly shouted before he quickly turned around and ran before either the girl or the man behind her could say anything. They had both been startled by the young boy and neither knew quite what to say as they watched the boy disappear down a flight of stairs at the end of the hallway.
The girl herself has been called on a few minutes prior and found her dad waiting for her. She was super excited because it meant that she would be starting Ninja Academy following the Holiday. The rest of the day was meant for festivities and games before she would get the chance to shake hands with the Hokage and hear the speech he gave every year.
The young blonde boy came to an abrupt stop just outside of the school gates. He could feel the tears start to form in the corner of his eyes and he wanted nothing more in the world than to be back in his room at this very moment. He felt like all of the energy that welled up inside of him had just vanished, replaced by an empty feeling deep in the pit of his stomach. Not even the thought of food and festival games was enough to cheer him up. With that, he slowly began to drag his feet back to the empty room he called home.
A/N: Well, here is chapter two. Possibly a little dry, but not all that bad of a start if I say so myself. I wanted this chapter to be more of an introduction than anything, and I think I was able to accomplish just that. Now, I have read other stories in the community, and I can assure you that Naruto won't just become insanely over-powerful right at the start, if ever. I want to build up to it, much like the Manga did. I also do not have any solid pairings in mind. I know who I would like to include in this and who I would like to avoid. That being said, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and look forward to reading the next one.