A/N: A short credit to new readers, returning readers, readers from other stories, favorite-rs and subscribers! Thanks for giving this story a chance. And a special thanks to StrawberriesAndCinnamonJAM for being first subscriber to the story :) This would have been updated earlier, by my laptop's keyboard broke so I had to use a wireless one which was synced with a mouse, so I had to use that too. It's got the page forward and back button on the side which has been driving me crazy since I kept accidentally pressing it and it would go back a page and loose all the text I had typed. I ended up getting frustrated after tenth time and kinda let myself cool down for a bit. But it's here now :)
Disclaimer: I would be too busy planning out the next chapters of the manga if I owned this now wouldn't I?
Chapter 1: Enter, Team Four!
"Ne ne, are you going to come to my graduation, Nii-san?" Dark grey eyes stared into darker, nearly black ones as the sunlight shone on two heads of silvery white hair.
The crease of a smile formed under the mask of the said "nii-san", a deep chuckle coming out from under. "Of course, Natsu."
The young girl pouted at the name. "It's Natsuka, not Natsu. And you better promise not to be late this time, like at orientation."
"Ha ha, alright." He said, sweatdropping. Last time he was late, it was to her orientation. She had taken his Icha-Icha books and hid them somewhere for a week, a feat he was both proud of and annoyed by. But Natsuka was a person who appreciated punctuality by nature, which was something he used to have, but currently lacked.
"Promise?" She held out a pinky.
"Promise." he said as he held out his. Satisfied, the girl gave him a peck of his cheek before pulling on her school bag and running out the door of the apartment they lived in, her long silver hair obscuring the image of two swords imprinted on the back of her dark blue kimono-style shirt, the long sleeves going past her wrists and ending just at her knuckles, making the eight-year-old look smaller than she should. He stood outside the apartment, watching her until he could see her no longer.
Three years, he thought. Three years since the Kyuubi attacked, three years since her clan was destroyed, three years since we've become family. He let his thoughts wander. One year in the Academy, and already she's graduating. Well, legally she is my sister after all. A chuckle escaped his mouth. "Well, I have some time before her graduation ceremony. I suppose I should visit Obito." He said to nobody in particular.
"Ami Fuyama."
"Here!" A young blonde girl raised her hand. The teacher nodded and continued down the attendance list.
"Takuya Kazeshiro."
"Osu!"
"Hibiki Haimoto."
"Here!"
"Natsuka Hatake."
"Over here." The girl raised her hand.
"Mami Shika."
"Haii!"
"Ushio Nara."
"I'm here!"
When will it end, she thought.
"Maiyuri Hyuuga."
"Here." replied the dark haired girl, her words short and clipped.
"Daisuke Kazuka."
"Here."
"Kouki Hiirotaka."
No response from the boy with the hawk on his head.
"Kouki Hiirotaka."
Natsuka nudged the sleeping boy. "Sensei's calling you." She hissed.
"Hiirotaka! Wake up!"
The bird seemed to have enough yelling for the day. It grabbed a talon-full of the boy's sandy brown hair and took to the air. The boy, startled, jumped from his seat into the air, grabbing his head and yelling, "THAT HURTS!" as only a fool would. The class burst into loud bouts of laughter. He fell, and Natsuka, who unluckily was in the seat next to the window, was met with the image of feet as he fell. His head landed in the lap of their quiet black-haired neighbor. He didn't speak to them often, so they usually forgot his name.
"Nice going, idiot." She hissed at the boy. "Props for the bird though." she added.
"Like it's my fault Kurohoshi is an early bird and I'm not." The boy said defensively as he straightened himself, calling out a rather pained "Here" to the teacher, who, now used to these antics, went on to the next person. "Oh and now look what you did. Kurohoshi's gotten arrogant now!" He exclaimed, his words holding a tinge of his unique Suna dialect.
The white-haired girl uttered a quiet "humph" and watched the midnight-black hawk settle itself onto his shoulder. The two chattered about current events until the clap of a pair of hands brought their attention to the podium. "Alright alright! Settle down! I understand Kouki's antics earlier were indeed amusing, but now let's get down to business shall we?"
The students leaned forward in their seats in anticipation. "Today, as you all know, is exam day; the day that determines whether or not you'll be promoted from an Academy Student to Genin." A small cheer was heard from the students. "Like usual, we'll be conducting the exams individually, and in alphabetical order. So that means you're first, Takeshi." A boy with slim black glasses looked up from the book he was reading. The Makings of a True Shinobi, Kouki noted.
"As for the rest of you, it's a free period. Come up to room 205 on the second floor when you're called. Class ends after the last person is finished with their test." With that, she conducted the necessary sign and disappeared in a poof, leaving Takeshi to wander up to the room on his own.
Twenty Minutes Later.
"Kouki Hiirotaka." The teacher said.
"Here here!" the spunky brunette replied.
"For the exam all there is to do is correctly perform Bunshin no Jutsu. You must successfully conjure three or more clones to pass."
"Yosh! Here I go!" He made a cross with his index and middle fingers. "Bunshin no Jutsu!" A cover of smoke landed around him, and both the teacher and a fellow Chuunin waited for it to clear. Once it did, they were met with five, identical clones of both Kouki and his hawk familiar, Kurohoshi. Each one moved, as if to test if it worked correctly or not. The teacher exchanged looks with her neighbor before returning her sharp, brown-eyed gaze back on him.
He dispelled the clones and awaited her answer, confident he passed with flying colors. "Kouki Hiirotaka,"
Here it comes, he thought.
"I hereby declare you a graduate of Konoha's Ninja Academy. You've earned your hitai-ate. Call in Tsuchiko will you?" She smiled as she gestured at the table in front of her, half of the forehead protectors already taken. He calmly walked over to the table and picked up a headband, thanking them before walking out. "Well, he seems to have-"
"YATTA! I PASSED! IN YOUR FACE NATSUKA! AHAH - OUCH! Kurohoshi that hurt!"
"On second thought, he's still the same fool from last year." She sighed, exasperated.
"Ha! I told you I'd pass!" The sandy blonde said outside. The last person in the class turned out to be the boy who usually sat next to them, so when he walked in with a blue hitai-ate around his forehead, everyone began packing. The teacher walked in after and said that they were to come tomorrow to start the necessary procedures of shinobi registration.
"Well, I distinctly remember saying 'it's so easy even you'd pass it', to you ya' know?" the white-haired girl retorted.
"So is your brother gonna be late again?"
"He better not be. I made him promise this morning before I left."
"But he's always like, super late!"
"And? Your point?"
"Ah, my family's here! C'mon let's go say hi!" He grabbed her arm and dragged the retorting figure of a girl towards his family. "Kaa-san! Nee-chan!"
"Heh, my cute little brother actually has a friend at school." his older sister, Kimiko, teased. On her shoulder sat a rather intimidating desert hawk. Her familiar, Akihoshi.
Grumbling, Natsuka straightened herself. "Konichiwa, Asuka-san, Kimiko."
Asuka Hiirotaka pinched the pale cheeks of the Hatake girl, causing blood to rush to that area and turn her cheeks slightly pink. "Such a polite young girl as always, Natsuka-chan. I see you also have a hitai-ate. Good job." The pigeon on her shoulder preened some loose strands of her hair.
"Arigato, Asuka-san. That tickles, Sorahoshi!"
"Ne ne, Kaa-san! It turns out the test was Bunshin no Jutsu."
"Oh, was it?"
"It was! And I made four clones of Kurohoshi and me."
"Ah, Natsu!"
He's actually not late today. The kunoichi thought as she turned and ran into the arms of her elder brother. "Nii-san! I already told you this morning, it's Natsuka, not Natsu."
"Haha, right right. Did you get your hitai-ate?" the male inquired.
She pulled away so he could see. "Of course! Who do you think you're talking to, Nii-san."
"Right." He said. "Oh yeah," He reached back into his pouch. "The Third asked that this be given to you once you graduated. He had it made specifically for today." He held out a small package. "This isn't to be opened just yet though." He warned.
"Then, when am I supposed to open it?" She pressed.
"Hm...Frankly I don't know." She almost fell over.
"D - Don't know?" By the tone of her voice he could tell what she was thinking
He grinned. "Well, I'm sure the Third will tell you when." He said as they walked home.
The next three days compromised of Genin registration and nervous anticipation. Kouki, for example, couldn't sleep with the excitement of becoming a shinobi of Konoha. Others continued on with their lives, excited but not to his extent. And a few others reviewed older lessons and such, not wanting to be left behind when things started kicking.
Kouki stood in front of his sink, drying his face with a towel. Today is the day, he thought as he picked up his grey hitai-ate. I'm now an official shinobi.
"Kouki! Hurry up or you'll be late!" His sister called.
"Haii!" He tightened the fabric around his forehead. "I'm coming!" He ran down the hall of the house, bolting out the entrance. "I'll see you later!"
Kimiko frowned as she handed their mother a plate of breakfast. "Mou, that kid. I even made breakfast this time and he leaves without eating." She huffed. Her familiar, Akihoshi flew circles around her.
Asuka gave a cheery chuckle as she pulled on her flak jacket. "Well dear, youaren't exactly the best at cooking."
"Kaa-san!" She whined.
Kouki rushed over to the Academy doors, glad to see he wasn't late. Slowing down, he wandered up the stairs to where the second floor was and made a left into his classroom. All the students who had passed were chattering about team assignments, hoping to be with certain people and not wanting to be with others.
His forest green eyes scanned the seats until he spotted his silver haired friend and their usually quiet neighbor sitting next to each other in the back right of the room with him by the window and her in the middle. They didn't seem to be socializing with another, rather, they didn't even seem to notice each other. And as usual, the students were giving them looks Kouki recognized as respect and admiration.
For Natsuka he understood, with her written test scores ranked no. 1 (something he was secretly jealous of, despite refusing to accept her tutoring) and being the third best in the class at performing various jutsus (just below him of course). His written test scores were usually average from all the napping he normally did during a lesson.
For the boy though, he hadn't a clue why. Maybe Natsuka knew, but he doubted it. She hardly gave the teacher or class a second look unless her name was a part of the conversation, and she really only socialized with him. Perhaps if he started paying more attention during class he'd notice something, but again, he doubted it.
"Hey Natsuka." He said as he slid into the last open seat on the bench.
She stopped fiddling with the kunai in her hands and glanced up at him. "What's up, Kouki?"
"Nothing much. My sis made breakfast this morning so you could guess how the morning went." He made a face when his stomach growled. "I only regret not grabbing that apple that was sitting on the table before I left. What about you?"
"Same as usual, though I do wish everyone would be a bit quieter." She added. "I made an extra bento, so you can eat that later." She said, holding up a small bento wrapped in a dark jade green cloth, thin white stripes running diagonally down the the fabric. The boy eyed it hungrily before snatching it away. He unwrapped the cloth, his mouth watering at the sight of the crispy, deep fried pork cutlets, his favorite.
"I think I'll save this for lunch." He said as he covered it up, much to his stomach's regret. As he set it down he turned in time to see the boy who was usually their tablemate holding out a green apple. Natsuka seemed annoyed, the arm extending in front of her face was blocking her view of the people down in front, who were having a rather amusing arm-wrestling match.
"Here, eat this." He said. Short, sweet, and to-the-point, they noted. "Not many people like the sour taste, but it's all I have right now."
He has a decent personality, Natsuka thought. "Thanks, Kouki will appreciate it." She looked pointedly at her friend who took it, mumbling a "thanks" to the boy. He smiled back and returned to whatever he was doing.
The door slammed open, and in walked their sensei, Nana Fuji. "Okay, as you probably all know, today we will assign teams in three-man cells. All teams will consist of two males and one female." The class began murmuring. "Once I've called out your team I'd like for you to move seats so you can all sit three in a seat so that way you guys can start getting to know each other." She flipped a page on the clipboard and began calling out teams. "Team Four: Kouki Hiirotaka, Natsuka Hatake," the two high-fived. "And Itachi Uchiha." The two had surprised expressions as they saw the boy next to them look up at the mention of his name.
"So, you're Itachi Uchiha?" They said in a strange unison.
"You never knew?" He asked, his obsidian eyes glinting with slight amusement. Nearly everyone he met knew his name some how, some way, so this was a surprise.
"Well...I'm not one for gossip or socialization." She admitted. That's true, she does zone out quite a bit during classes unless she's called on, he thought.
Kouki recovered from choking on a piece of the apple. The actual Itachi Uchiha was really our classmate, and was our seatmate to boot! I can't believe I didn't recognize him all this time! Uwaa - I feel like an idiot! he mentally scolded himself. "To think that we didn't recognize you this entire time, now I think I can understand why everyone always looks at you like they're admiring you." He chuckled and nudged his friend. "Can you believe that we've been living under a rock this entire time?"
"My brother actually mentioned something about him a few times before, but I never really paid much attention to it. Besides, it isn't like I keep tabs on these things." She said. Nana-sensei clapped her hands.
"Now that everyone is assigned to a team we'll break for lunch. Make sure to be back in this room within an hour so you can meet the Jounin who will be your new sensei." They all dispersed.
Natsuka stood up, grabbing the bento she brought for herself. Kouki did the same, then turned toward their new teammate. "Hey, since we're all on the same team, you guys wanna have lunch together?" he said in his usual accent. The two exchanged looks and chuckled, following their energetic teammate out the sliding doors. "Now where should we sit~?" He hummed, and he scouted around for comfortable spots, finding few that suited his standards.
"We can eat at my house, my mother won't mind. She would have wanted to meet you two sooner or later anyway." Itachi said.
Natsuka looked doubtful. "Are you sure about that? I wouldn't want to intrude in on your house."
"It's a-OK with me." Kouki shrugged.
Itachi gave a gentle smile. "They won't mind it if I brought my teammates home for lunch. And besides, it's my father that is the stricter one, so if he is there try not to be too overly...Kouki." He finished. Kouki nodded before getting the real message behind it.
"Hey!" They all broke into laughter as they left the busier streets of Konoha and headed towards the Uchiha clan's neighborhood. They arrived in front of the walled neighborhood, the Uchiha symbol printed proudly on the walls and entrance gate of the community.
"My house is this way." He said, walking a bit faster. He was eager to return home and introduce his teammates to his family, mainly because he had a feeling they'd approve of them. Besides, he also noticed something familiar about the girl and wanted to know more about her before he confirmed his suspicion.
They sauntered over to the door of his home, slipping off their ninja sandals at the entry. "Okaa-san, I'm home." A pair of footsteps came from the kitchen area.
"Is that you Itachi?" Footsteps came from the doorway on their right. They belonged to a pretty lady, her soft black hair framing the sides of her face. "Arre? It's rare to see you bring friends home." She smiled at the two. "I'm Mikoto Uchiha, Itachi's mother. You'll have to excuse me, Itachi doesn't bring friends home too often."
"Actually we just started talking today. We're all teammates. I'm Kouki Hiirotaka and this is Kurohoshi, my partner. The kunoichi here is Natsuka Hatake." The boy cleared. Itachi looked around the house.
"Kaa-san," He started, "Where's Sasuke?" Mikoto noticed how Natsuka looked over at him in a mix of surprise, a small glint of recognition in her eyes.
"I sent him on some errands, he should be back soon. Did you eat yet?"
"We decided to come here for lunch actually."
"I see, then sit down. I'll make you something to eat Itachi." The front door opened, the sound of small footsteps headed towards the kitchen area.
"Kaa-san! I'm back!" A small figure appeared in the doorway, pausing at the sight of two unfamiliar people sitting at the table. Natsuka studied the small boy, noting how he looked like a younger version of Itachi. "Kaa-san, who are these people?" The boy asked with childish curiosity at strangers. He turned his head a bit to the right and saw Itachi. "Nii-san!" His face broke into a wide smile. "I thought you were at school today. What are you doing at home so early?" He asked as he moved over to the open seat, his back facing the doorway.
"We're only here for lunch. We have to be back at the Academy in another half hour." Mikoto set down a small plate of sandwiches in front of the two brothers. The other two had already started on their bentos. Kouki was easily heard happily munching on the crispy cutlets, his friend eating the same meal.
"Are these people your friends?"
"Sort of. We were assigned onto the same squad, but we haven't really spoken until now." He gestured at the two. "This is Natsuka and that one's Kouki."
The three regarded each other, one studying the other intently, one staring in shyness, and one glancing with a piece of pork cutlet sticking out of his mouth. "H-Hi. I'm Sasuke." He said, playing with his hands out of shyness.
Kouki swallowed his food. "My name's Kouki. The bird on my should is Kurohoshi, my partner."
"Natsuka..." She said a bit reluctantly. The air became awkward, as if there were secrets being hung over the heads of the children as they ate.
"So why don't you tell us a bit about yourselves?" Mikoto asked. There was a pause in Itachi's eating, but only for a moment.
The two exchanged looks. "We'd love too, but it's about time for us to return to the Academy. Maybe next time." Natsuka said.
"Oh, alright. Until next time then." She said. The three cleaned up and pulled on their shoes.
"Until next time." Kouki echoed, and they left.
"We've got about 10 minutes to make it back to the Academy, so you guys better pick up the pace." Natsuka said.
"Geez, I almost forgot that you could be a stick-in-the-mud when it comes to being on time." Kouki replied. "Let's think of this as training them! We'll get their, and we'll do it in style!" He yelled as he jumped up onto a roof, running along the shingles with Kurohoshi flying above him. "'Hurry up', you said!"
"Is he always like this?" Itachi asked as they followed him in pursuit.
"Only when it involves food and things that involve shinobi." She glanced at him. "If it's a problem take it up with him. When we catch him anyways." She added as the boy only got farther ahead. "Oi, Kouki!" She jumped ahead, kicking Kouki off a roof before yelling something about a race and continuing on ahead.
Itachi could only laugh at the look on their faces as he jumped past the both of them, making it there five minutes ahead of the appointed time. I think I'm going to like being with them.
They slid into an open bench, the last of the students that where to come back. Nana-sensei stood at her podium, a few ninja standing behind her. "I expect that all the teams are together?" She said mostly to her students, her eagle-like scanning the room. Some students moved around, sitting together with their teammates. "Alright then, let's get going. The shinobi you see behind me are of Jounin rank, and one of them will be your new sensei."
She moved away from the podium and stood off to the side, a rather hansome male Jounin stepped forward, his pearlescent eyes giving away the fact that he was of Hyuuga blood. His hitai-ate was tied around his forehead as it was normally word, his dark brown hair sticking up in a messy, but attractive way. Kouki frowned at how all the girls started fawning over him, while the boys looked interested in how strong he was. But his frown turned into a furious scowl when he realized that Natsuka's cheeks had a light dusting of pink on them. Well, she is a girl after all, he thought.
He cleared his throat. "My name is Kaede Hyuuga, one of the Jounin who will be supervising one of you ten teams. I hope that all of you Genin here understand what it means to graduate from the Academy, and that there is more to being a great shinobi than just being strong and skilled, and that we Jounin will not be easy on you just because you're newbies."
This guy...Perfect hair, perfect looks, that "cool & superior" attitude...tch, I pity the team that gets him as their Jounin, he thought, scowling.
"Now, if Team Four could come down, I'd appreciate it."
Wait...WHAT?
Everyone looked at the three in the back, the girls out of jealousy at the white-haired kunoichi, who merely kept on a mask of indifference. Kouki's eyes were a blaze, his mood easily read as "unhappy" as the trio walked down to meet their new teacher. He nodded and led the three out the classroom, the next Jounin stepping up to the podium single out his team. He led them to the roof of the Hokage's office. The stone faces of the past Hokage watching over them and the village. Kaede's eye watching their movements as they sat for hints for what kind of team they might be.
"Alright then, let's begin with some introductions." They looked up in question.
"What exactly do you want us to say?" Itachi asked.
"Your name, likes and/or dislikes, goals for the future, hobbies, and anything you feel I should know about you."
"I see. Then you should understand that," He began, leaning back into the shade of one of the four sun-heated pillars.
Natsuka leaned forward from the top of the same pillar, her legs dangling over the edge, elbows on knees, fingers interlaced. "Since you brought it up..."
"You should be the first one to start, as an example." Kouki finished, leaning on the stop where the guardrail and pillar met, his eyes scanning the Jounin warily.
Their thoughts seemed attuned to each other well enough. Nana had told me that the kunoichi and the brunette hardly spent time with anyone besides each other, and that hey hardly payed much attention during the lessons or students for that matter, he mused. And the other one, "an Uchiha prodigy" she said. Top of the class, while the girl ranked no. 1 test wise and no. 3 ability wise. And that boy, average test scores, but when it came to utilizing various jutsu, he had the breakdown of the technique after seeing it, making him no. 2 in that perspective, just below the Uchiha. This team...will be full of surprises, he cleared his throat.
"Very well, I'll start. My name is Kaede Hyuuga. I hail from the main branch of the clan. As for likes and dislikes, I enjoy watching over the young Mistress of the house, as well as the son of the main head's brother. As for my dislikes, I have a large dislike for anything overly spicy. My goals for the future were to originally to reach Jounin status, but seeing as that happened, I'm merely content with ensuring a peaceful future for the village. Lastly, my favorite hobby happens to be sketching."
The three looked from one another, exchanging looks from their three positions. A sigh, "I suppose I'll go next," the girl sighed. "My name is Natsuka Hatake. I like games, and I dislike a lot of things. My goal is something I don't want to tell you, and my hobbies...I like cooking and tasting different kinds of spicy foods."
Hatake...Kakashi's younger sister perhaps, he thought. "Alright. Next, the one with the bird."
Kouki made the smallest pout. "Fine. I'm Kouki Hiirotaka and this is Kurohoshi. I like sweet things like the rice cakes at the Amaguriama shop just outside the town, and Kurohoshi like to fly around Konoha. We both dislike dreary weather and moods. My goal for the future is to become the best shinobi i can alongside Kurohoshi. My hobby is taking care of the birds in the Aviary, and Kurohoshi...likes to hunt and preen his feathers."
A nod. Itachi went last. "I am Itachi Uchiha. I like the peace of Konoha, and I dislike war times. My goal for the future is actually a promise I made to my brother, and for my hobby, I like visiting traditional Japanese cafes."
Short, sweet, and we didn't learn much about him, Natsuka mused.
Man, that just made him cooler, Kouki thought.
An Uchiha on the team, this will be interesting, Kaede smirked. "Alright, then onto the next topic: A survival lesson." They three perked their heads up in interest. "Tomorrow morning at 4 am, meet at Training Area 6. And as a warning, you'd better come prepared for anything."