The first week of living in Konoha flew by for Nawaki. He soon discovered that there were a lot of setbacks as well as a lot of good things.
One disadvantage was the homesickness. He missed his mother terribly, and he also missed his home on Crescent Moon Island. Unknown to anyone, he had brought a photo along with him. It was a photo of him and his mother, sitting on a tree on the beach. He had just learnt how to climb trees with chakra, and his mother was giving him a hug.
If anyone from the Acadamy had seen him, they would have called him a Mama's Boy. But Nawaki didn't care. His mother was the person he was closest to in the world. But that was why he had come to Konoha-to make more bonds.
Unfortunately, that was easier said than done. He was five years younger than most people in his class, and out of the two people his age, one had decided that he was her rival.
Seriously, he didn't know what that girl's problem was. From the first day in the academy, she seemed to be annoyed that he had done better than her. For the past week she had gone out of her way to be better than him at everything. At first, he had just ignored it, and kept a grip on his pride. But losing to a tiny little girl over and over again was starting to irritate him, so he had begun to act as if they were rivals. The worst thing was, he was almost certain he was going to be put on a genin team with her.
However, there were some pretty good advantages to living in Konoha. One was the annoying girl's best friend. He had found out their names-Hisa Uzumaki and Oki Yamanaka. He had also found out that Hisa was the daughter of the Hokage, which amazed him. How could anyone as nice as the Hokage have such a jerk of a daughter? He didn't know who Oki's parents were yet, but he had a vague idea.
He didn't know why he liked Oki so much. He just did. Her skin was pale and her hair and eyes were the same shade of black. Her hair hung down her back, almost at her waist. She wore it up in a ponytail, with one strand hanging loose.
He had walked in the first day, and saw her laughing with Hisa. After that, he couldn't stop looking.
Maybe it was because she reminded him of Uncle Sai, the only person in Konoha who could possibly recognize him. He was wary of this, and made sure not to go near any ANBU he saw, in case Sai was behind one of the masks. He doubted Sai would actually recognize him. He had been three years old the last time Sai visited. He still remembered the smile of pure joy on his mother's face when she'd seen that ink bird coming towards them.
He was almost certain that Oki was Sai's daughter. Her surname was Yamanaka, and Nawaki knew Sai's wife was Ino Yamanaka, head of the clan. While he was excited he had a real link to Oki, he was also wary. He was almost certain he would be put on a genin team with Hisa and Oki. The closer he got to Oki, the more chance he had of bumping into Sai.
There was one other big advantage to living in Konoha, and that was meeting all his mother's old friends.
Naruto was the one who he had had the most expectations for. Everyone knew about Naruto. He was a legend in the shinobi world. But most people didn't know the personal side to him. His mother and father were probably two of the people who knew him best. He remembered hearing his mother's stories about the adventures they got up to, how Sasuke and Naruto used to save the day. Then, when Sasuke left, Naruto took the role of the hero fully.
One of his mother's favourite memories was the time she, Naruto and a boy named Rock Lee had spent on Crescent Moon Island. She would tell nawaki about the fun they had had together. But the best moments for her had been when she and Naruto had been alone. They hadn't done much except talk, but Nawaki could see how much his mother missed this man. It had made him even more curious to meet him.
After meeting him, Nawaki concluded that he was exactly like his mother said. He was bright, sunny, warm, and he made you feel safe and cheerful. Nawaki wanted to meet him again, just being near him made you happy. He still didn't understand how Hisa had turned out the way she did.
It certainly wasn't because of her mother. Hinata Hyuga was the best thing that had ever happened to the Hyugas, according to some branch family members. She took over as head of the family from her father. He was reluctant to give it to her, but the entire branch family had come together to support her, and he had given in. The last thing the village needed was another massacre.
She certainly matched the description his mother had given him. Kind, gentle, timid and he hadn't even met her yet! If the citizens had such a high opinion of her, there was no way she could be a horrible person. Apparently, she had abolished the caged bird seal seven years ago, which made her almost god-like to the branch family.
Nawaki had met lots of other people the past week. Shikamaru and Temari really did bicker like a middle-aged couple. (His mother's words, not his) and he had barely recognized Shino, even though his mom had described him.
He had caught a brief glimpse of Kiba and Akamaru (That was one huge dog) but he had yet to meet Tenten or Lee. But considering it was only his first week, he was pleased with himself. Much of his curiosity had been satisfied. But he was still curious about getting missions. His mom had described them as 'Exciting, terrifying and a huge amount of fun'.
Which was why Nawaki was practically bouncing in his seat as Iruka announced the teams.
"Team 7" he announced "Nawaki Hachino, Oki Yamanaka…"
Nawaki turned to smile at Oki. She gave him a small smile back.
"…and Hisa Uzumaki."
Nawaki sighed, he had been expecting this, but it didn't stop him from shooting the arrogant girl a glare. She ignored him, a slight smirk on her lips.
Nawaki almost laughed. Curse of Hatred? He doubted he would bother saving Hisa in the first place., much less try to avenge her. Too much hassle.
"Team 10. Inori Yamanaka, Shikai Nara and Chouko Akimichi."
Of course they'd go with the Ino-Shika-Cho trio. Nawaki thought I'll have to watch out for them in the Chunnin exams.
Iruka finished off the role.
"Team 12. Hizashi Hyuga, Ning and Lu Ten."
A Hyuga? Nawaki thought glancing over at the boy. He wore the caged-bird seal openly on his forehead, and his face was completely unreadable. She felt sorry for the boy. If he had been born five years later, he wouldn't have to bear the seal at all.
"Okay class!" Iruka announced. "Today you can get to know your team! Tomorrow, you'll meet your sensei! Class dismissed."
The minute Iruka was finished, Hisa was out the door in a flash.
"I guess she doesn't want to get to know her team." Nawaki muttered
Oki shrugged. "She already knows me, and… I don't think she likes you very much."
"Really? I never would have guessed." Nawaki said sarcastically.
Oki giggled.
"She's probably going to spend the whole day training. So, do you want to come out for lunch with me?"
Nawaki's eyes widened.
"I'm a bit too young to be dating." he said regretfully.
Oki facepalmed.
"I meant as teammates."
"Oh. In that case, sure!"
They ended up eating in a traditional Japanese café. The type Nawaki loved. He ordered cabbage and onigiri with seaweed in it. Oki ordered hijiki and genmaicha.
As they waited for the food to arrive, Nawaki took his time to observe what Oki was wearing. Her clothes were very simple, which Nawaki liked. A pale yellow shirt and a pair of dark brown pant complete with the standard black shinobi sandals. He wondered what she would wear on missions. Come to think of it, what would he wear.
"Is it normal that your about to start your career as a shinobi and the thing your most worried about is what outfit you'll wear?"
Oki smiled.
"It's just nerves." she assured him. "I got them before the graduation exam, all I could think about was the new jutsu Uncle Naruto promised to teach me if I passed."
"You're close with the Hokage?" he asked.
She nodded.
"My dad was on the same team as him."
Nawaki was now completely sure that this was Sai's daughter. With that information secure, he relaxed, and as their food arrived, they made light conversation, getting to know each other. Nawaki found out that Oki had an older sister that she didn't get on with.
"Do I know her?" he asked
She nodded. "She graduated with us. Inori Yamanaka."
Nawaki vaguely remembered a girl with short blond hair.
"She's on the Ino-Shika-Cho team." he realised
Oki looked at him in surprise.
"How do you now about that?" she asked
He realised his mistake and searched quickly for an excuse.
"Word of the Fourth Shinobi War reached our small village as well." he lied smoothly. "The Ino-Shika-Cho trio were a legend in my household."
"Really." she said in amazement.
He could see she would ask more questions about his village and he quickly changed the subject. Lying to her was far more uncomfortable than lying to anyone else, even Naruto.
"We're finished our food. Let's go for a walk." he said
The two of them got up and exited the restaurant. As they walked away, they heard yelling. They turned around and saw the shop owner pointing at them.
"Someone catch those kids!" he yelled
Oki's eyes widened. She grabbed Nawaki's hand (Why were there butterflies in his stomach?) and started running.
"What's going on?" Nawaki asked, running alongside her.
"I don't know." Oki gasped "But if we get caught they'll send us to the police station straight away."
"Have you been there before?" he asked.
"Once," she replied, shuddering slightly "Trust me, it's not a nice place."
They ran for a few more minutes, weaving through the bustling streets. Nawaki wished he could stop and take in the sights, but Oki was still running. He tried to figure out what they had done wrong, but he couldn't think of anything.
Finally, they reached the edge of the village. Oki stopped running and sat down heavily on a stone bench. Nawaki realised where he was. This was where the old Team 7 had met as teammates for the first time. He recognised it well enough from his mother's description. This was also where Sasuke Uchiha had tried to kiss her. His mother had never understood why he had done that. Nawaki's guess was drugs.
They rested on the bench for a few minutes, trying to catch their breath. Oki looked worried about something.
"Sorry about all this." she said quietly. "The meal was a bit of a disaster."
Nawaki smiled and resisted the urge to take her hand.
"It's okay." he said "This was the most fun I had all day."
She laughed at that, then shivered slightly. The wind was very cold for Konoha. She moved slightly closer to Nawaki, unaware that his heart began beating twice as fast.
"This is nice." she said thoughtfully "I don't care what Hisa thinks, you're a really nice person."
Nawaki blushed.
"So are you." he mumbled
She looked up at him, and for a second Nawaki thought she was going to kiss him.
"Care to explain why I have a warrant for you're arrest?"
Nawaki jumped, startled.
He turned around and froze. The pale skin, the ANBU uniform, the emotionless voice…
Oki grinned sheepishly.
"Hi Dad."