I want to thank MitsukiUmisako for her review. So far she's the first and only person to do that, so it was nice to know that someone actually took the time to tell me what they think.

Disclaimer: Plush does not own Naruto or any of it's characters. If she did, then Kakashi would realize his eternal love for her and they would get married and live happily ever after. Unfortunately the anime Naruto, all of it's characters, and the show's plot belong to Masashi Kishimoto.


~Chapter 2~

After class ended, everything seemed to quiet down in the village. People still occupied the streets, but there was a noticeable decrease in the hustle and bustle from that morning as people returned home to start making dinner for their families. The birds made more noise with their wings flapping than the people who were in the streets.

Akina soaked in the silence with a deep breath and let it out in a soft sigh. It was all so beautiful. She was seated on top of the Hokage Monument with her legs pulled up to chest and was taking in the breeze that smelled like freshly cut grass. Such moments were rare in such an active village unless she was reading her book. It would have been the perfect spot to relax, except the spot was polluted by the presence of two other people.

Iruka sat to Akina's right on the structure with his arms crossed and his legs dangling off the head of the First Hokage. He was quite a few feet away, and the funny thing was the top part of his body seemed even farther away. Not that it bothered her. I mean, who cares if a student's teacher tries to avoid being in close proximities with him or her? Who cares if every move that the student makes is drastically overanalyzed by said teacher out of groundless paranoia? Who cares if the teacher can't even look at the student without a knot tying itself in the teacher's stomach?

It most definitely didn't bother Akina one bit.

Down below, near the First's nose, Naruto stood on some scaffolding. He had a wet cloth in his hand and was mercilessly scrubbing away all of his anger. 'This is so unfair,' he thought, 'Does nobody in this village have any sense of humor? I mean they could at least send a few more people up to help me!' He grumbled and growled to himself and verbally expressed his anger in short phrases such as "This sucks" and "Loser."

Akina didn't feel any pity for the blonde. He was the one that desecrated the monument, so it was only fitting that he be the one to clean it all up. It was she who deserved pity. At least Naruto's punishment fit his crime. How does being late to class result in her being forced to look over tests? She inwardly scoffed at every red mark that she made on the papers. The stupidity of some of her classmates disgusted her. She resisted the urge to cringe every time she had to touch another filthy paper. They all reeked of idiocy.

"You're not going home until you've cleaned off every single drop of paint," said Iruka. It was the first full sentence spoken since they arrived at the monument.

"So what?" Naruto growled, "It's not like there's anyone waiting at home for me!"

That struck an emotional chord with Iruka. It was pretty common knowledge in the village that Naruto had no parents. Nobody really talked about it, but they were presumed dead.

A long silence followed Naruto's little outburst. The only noises that could be heard were the sounds of papers shuffling and a cloth scrubbing against granite. Akina, oblivious to the tense atmosphere, relished the return to the quiet.

Unfortunately, once again, the beautiful period of silence was disturbed by Iruka. It was a shame really. The silence was like a pool of water that was left undisturbed. It wasn't marred by tiny waves that distorted the land below the surface. Such perfection should be observed and admired, but Iruka was like that single pebble thrown into the pool that started a chain reaction of ripples. Such disregard for beauty was disgusting in Akina's eyes.

"Naruto," Iruka started. And thus, the pebble was tossed. Akina could feel the waves rush past her, and she placed her hand on the rock to prevent herself from being swept away.

Naruto apparently didn't feel the waves because he remained standing in the same spot as he had been for the past few hours, but he responded to his teacher with a hate-filled glare. "What do you want now, sensei?" he growled. Seriously, what was Iruka's problem? He was the one who ordered Naruto to clean up the faces, but how did he expect Naruto to ever be done if he didn't keep his big, stupid mouth shut? 'I swear I'm going to hold this over him for a long time. If he thinks that I'm just going to forgive him then he's so wrong.'

"Well, I was just thinking," Iruka began, "Maybe, after you clean this all up, I could take you out for some ramen; the good stuff. What do you think?" He tried to make his tone sound indifferent and even scratched his cheek as if what he was saying was no big deal. It was a good thing Iruka was a ninja and not an actor.

Akina set her mouth in a firm line. "Did you know that bribery is one of the major indicators of a corrupt society?" Not that she honestly cared what they did. As soon as she finished the last test, she would be long gone and rid of the pests.

"Corrupt, shmorrupt!" Naruto exclaimed, "Now that's some serious motivation. I'll have this clean in no time!" Maybe he could forgive Iruka this one time. He really was a swell guy, and what are a few child-labor-law-breaking punishments between friends?

Twenty minutes later, a breeze caused one of the tests to go flying from the pile. It twirled gracefully in the air before it not so gracefully smacked into Iruka's face. He snatched the paper off of his eyes. "Hey Akina, I think you lost one. You really should keep better track of th-Akina?" he didn't want to turn and look at the girl, it was easier to talk to her if he couldn't see her staring back at him, but when he finally did turn to hand her back the test, he realized that he was alone atop the monument. In Akina's place there was a rock holding down a tiny piece of paper that flapped wildly in the breeze. Now why couldn't she have used he rock to weigh down the tests?

Iruka pushed the rock aside and picked up the note. In chicken-scratch there were two words written that made Iruka laugh to himself. "Punishment complete," he read aloud. Of course she'd be more concerned with her note blowing away than protecting the grades of her classmates. "Akina Yamoshi…what a weird girl.

Akina was walking down the dirt road when she suddenly let out a sneeze. "Someone," she mumbled, "Is talking about me." Even though the day was coming to an end, the sun beat down and caused her pale skin to feel tight and tingle. She didn't like it one bit. Why didn't the sky do her a favor and rain for once? Seriously, what was so wonderful about a flaming ball of gas that was approximately 149,597,887.5 kilometers (or 92955817.6765569 miles) away and gave people cancer on a daily basis? She gazed up at the sky, hoping to see some indication of dark clouds that were moving in from the horizon, but alas her dreams were crushed by the clear, blue sky that mocked her shamelessly.

'I suppose that it would be a wise choice to return home. Mother and father may be curious as to the reason behind my lack of presence after school, and it would be most unpleasant to have to explain myself to my idiot older brother. He is quite a handful.' That wasn't really a huge reason for her to go. Honestly, she didn't care much if she was missed at home or even if her brother made a mess. As long as the mess stayed out of her room of course, because then she would have to clean it later. What really made up her mind was the thought of the food that would go to waste if she stayed out too long. And so, she followed her tiny feet as they lead her towards the direction of her home.

The sky had been painted black for about an hour before Naruto and Iruka arrived at the Ichiraku Ramen Bar. It wasn't one of those fancy or high-class establishments. No, it was more like the type of place that a family would go when one of the kids got a good grade on a test and they wanted to celebrate. It just had one of those happy, homey vibes, you know?

The layout was pretty simple. Upstairs acted as a house while the bar was down below. The front didn't have any kind of door or even a wall set up to separate the bar from the outside. There was a long red counter with a line of about eight stools set up. The kitchen was located right behind the counter so the smell drifted right up into the customer's face and out into the street. It was a good way to attract hungry civilians that happened to walk by.

The owner was a guy by the name of Teuchi. He was a good guy I suppose. Not really all that young or attractive, probably mid-forties with a face that was wrinkled from years of smiling and laughing. I'm not kidding, the guy almost never frowned, and even if he did nobody would know because his face was most likely frozen like that. Have your parents ever told you not to pull the skin on the sides of your eyes out to stretch them out because they'll get stuck that way? Well it's pretty much the same thing. He was always wearing his chef's uniform too. Even outside of work, though not many people got to see him when he wasn't working.

He ran the whole place with his daughter, Ayame. Unlike her dad, she was a really pretty girl. She was only in her late teens, so she still had a youthful glow about her, but at the same time she wasn't immature like the awkward kids that laughed at the smallest mention of boobs. She had long, brown hair that she pulled out of her face with a small white bandana that fluttered as she moved about the bar. Her eyes were an even darker shade of brown that contrasted greatly against her soft, pale skin which glowed in the lights from overhead. Overall, both of them were pretty nice people and good cooks to boot which made them very popular with the customers.

On one of the stools Naruto sat and slurped his ramen right from the bowl. Well, it was more like he inhaled the ramen right from his bowl. But who could blame him? They were good noodles.

Iruka sat on the stool to Naruto's right and was much calmer while consuming his dinner. What was the rush? It wasn't like the ramen was going to get up and run away if he didn't eat it. Besides, he had things that he needed to talk with Naruto about. "Naruto."

"Hm?" That was all Naruto could manage with his mouth filled to the brim with ramen.

"Why would you do that to the Hokage faces? I mean you know who the Hokage are, don't you?" Did you ever notice that teachers are always the ones who ask the most questions? They always have to know the "How" and "Why" of every situation. It's never as easy as punishing someone and hoping that he or she learned a lesson. You know that if you do something wrong and a teacher punishes you then you're going to be asked all kinds of questions about your reasons behind what you did. Maybe teachers aren't spontaneous people.

"Of course I do," Naruto paused to take a long slurp and finish off the last contents of his ramen bowl, "Everybody knows. They were the greatest shinobi of their times, right? The best of the best? Undefeated ninja champs?" He paused for only a moment before he started up again. "And the Fourth Hokage is the one who saved the village from the Nine-Tailed-Fox. He was the most amazing."

"Then why did you-"

"Because I'm going to be greater than any of them," Naruto said proudly. "Me, Naruto, the next Hokage, a ninja legend. Then everyone will have to stop disrespecting me and look up to me, believe it!" Naruto was practically bursting now. He felt like if anyone would understand his dream it was Iruka.

Said man was looking at him with a very surprised look. Such an outburst was unexpected in such a public place. He was so out of it that he almost forgot to finish sucking up the noodle that hung limp between his slightly parted lips. He really couldn't think of a proper way to respond to what his pupil had just told him. How could he scold the kid for pursuing his dream? On the other hand he couldn't praise him for what he had done, and letting it go was definitely out of the question. Luckily, Naruto quickly changed the subject before he had time to say anything.

"Uh, by the way, I kinda wanted to ask a little favor, sensei."

"You want another bowl?" It was a logical assumption on Iruka's part; Naruto had gone through that last one relatively quickly.

But Naruto declined the offer. That wasn't at all what he was after, but was it really okay to ask? "I," he paused briefly, "Want to try on your headband. C'mon, please?" he begged.

Iruka blinked twice while his brain sifted through what he had just been asked before he let out a laugh. "Oh, this?" he asked while he grasped the metal part of the Hidden Leaf ninja forehead protector in between his thumb and index finger. Naruto whipped his head up and down. "No way," the boy's face turned glum, "You can only wear the Leaf Headband when you finally graduate from the academy and become a ninja. You've gotta pass the test tomorrow."

Oh yes, tomorrow was the day that could start the students' careers of being a ninja. It was a fairly simple idea for an exam. They would be asked to perform a jutsu in front of two chuunin and would be graded based on their performances. If a student did not pass, he or she would have to retake the class and try again the following year. Those who did pass would begin their lives as ninja, going on exciting missions and seeing all kinds of new places. It was no big deal.

"Aww man, that is so uncool," Naruto whined.

Iruka just laughed, "Hey is that why you took off your goggles?"

He saw right through Naruto's plan. Sure enough, the pair of goggles that Naruto usually kept perched atop his head had been shoved into his jacket pocket. He couldn't let Iruka know that he was right, and so he sneakily changed the subject, "Uh, I want another bowl!" Okay, so maybe it wasn't so sneaky.

While the whole dialogue at the ramen bar was going on, Akina was just arriving home. It was a pretty small house. It only had one floor, there were three bedrooms to fit all four occupants, and one bathroom was shared among the family. Of course there were still the other typical rooms like a kitchen and a living room, but there was no dining room. Instead, a table was set up in the living room where all the meals were eaten. When they bought it, Akina's parents had told her that it was "cute" and "quaint."

Akina preferred "cramped" and "over-crowded."

There was no privacy at all in such a small abode. Unfortunately for her, she did not pay for the house expenses and was thus stuck with the "cute" house. She tried to stay quiet as she turned the doorknob and stepped into the hallway. She sat down, pulled off her shoes, and began to rub her throbbing feet. Walking was such a pain, literally.

Apparently, she wasn't quiet enough when she came in because she soon found herself being suffocated by a gigantic bear. All the circulation in her arms was cut off as were her airways as the bear's arms lifted her off the ground and tightened painfully around her mid-section. It wasn't very pleasant to say the least.

With the last of her breath she managed two words, "Hello…Father…"

The bear, who was actually more man than bear, responded in his booming voice, "My little princess, where have you been? Are you okay? You're not hurt are you? Oh, Papa was so worried about you!" He blubbered and started to twirl around, Akina still in his grip.

Tomi Yamoshi was one of the over-zealous men Akina had ever known. When she was a child he would always pick her up, spin her around, hug her, and he would always call her his "little princess." He periodically bought her gifts for no apparent reason other than he saw something that he thought he would like. He was just that kind of person. The funny part about al of this is that he looked like he should be a commander for the army, not a teddy giving, bedtime story reading, softie. He towered over most of the people in the village, and his body looked like it had been chiseled out of a rock. The man had muscles everywhere. His face was scary enough to make small children cry. That actually happened once, and now Tomi isn't allowed to be Santa at the Yamoshi family Christmas party. It didn't really matter though, because everyone knew that deep down he was a good guy. His eyes proved that. They were often hidden behind shaggy, dirty blonde hair, but their bright blue color made them easy to spot even while hidden behind the waterfall of yellow. His eyes were always wide and excited, as if he had just learned something new that he wanted everyone else to know.

Suddenly, a shape flew down the hallway and delivered a powerful blow right to Tomi's head. And so, just when she thought she was going to be rendered unconscious, she was released and fell to the floor with a thud. Her thud was completely covered up by an even bigger one that followed right after as her father's massive body came crashing down.

A loud, feminine voice rang out, "Stop your sniveling, you big baby! You can't start crying every time our daughter comes in a little late. Where is your pride as a man?" She then turned on the young girl who had recovered from her fall and was working on getting the blood and air flowing in her body again. "And you, young lady, where in the world have you been?" Her brown eyes were sharp, as if she was ready to cut Akina's mind open and find the answer herself if she wasn't supplied with one. How terrifying those beautiful eyes were.

Out of all the people that Akina knew, her mother was probably her favorite. Izanami Yamoshi, born Izanami Sato, was almost always there to save her daughter from close physical contact; something Akina was always grateful for. She wasn't the type of person that got worked up over sentimental stuff. In fact, she frowned on such frivolous things. She was great like that. You never had to worry about buying her things or offering petty compliments that were not at all genuine more often than not. You were expected to do what she asked when she asked it, and other than that you just had to stay out of her way. Akina adored that. There was no air about her mother; she was what she was and didn't take anything from anyone. Izanami Yamoshi was a real-life superwoman. Her dark brown hair was tied up in a bun that pulled her hair so tightly that it made her hair look like it was actually attached to her scalp. Her face had small wrinkles all over, something she didn't try to hide. "They're my laugh lines," she would often say, "I got them from being so darn happy all the time, and if anyone has anything to say about that then they can just go choke." She was really something.

Izanami wiped her hands on the apron, "Well? Are you going to answer me?"

Akina stood up slowly and brushed off some dirt from her pants. Stuff like that was so annoying. How could a person be expected to have a conversation with dirt on his or her pants? "Mother, there is dust on the floor, should I go and fetch the broom?"

"Stop changing the subject!" Izanami exclaimed, "But yes, that would be very nice, get to it. Now, are you going to tell me why you were so late getting home?"

Akina glided to the hall closet and grabbed along wooden broom. It was old and had splinters coming out like porcupine quills. She dragged it behind her as she made her way back to the doorway. "I was punished by Mr. Umino. I apologize for not being home sooner, but it took longer than I has initially expected," she said nonchalantly as she slowly swept away the dust. The broom made tiny swishing sounds against the wood as it slid from right to left. Akina followed the bristles with her eyes; right to left; right to left.

"You were what?" Tomi, who had finally decided to lift himself from his spot on the floor, screamed.

Akina flinched. Did he have to be so loud all of the time? She was standing right next to him, so why was he always shouting? He was such a pain. "I was punished, father. You know, an act of reprimanding inflicted on an offender for doing something that is considered wrong?"

"I know what punishment is Akina."

"Oh," she continued sweeping the hallway. All the dirt was gone, but the swishing sound was so peaceful that Akina wanted to hear it over and over.

"Akina, I don't think that was what your father was trying to ask."

"Oh? Then what was the topic of his inquiry?" asked Akina, though she really didn't sound at all curious.

"I think what he was trying to ask was why you were punished," Izanami sighed, exasperated.

"Was that what you meant, father?"

Tomi rapidly nodded his head, Akina readied herself incase she had to dodge it if it came lying off his shoulders. "Yes! Papa wants to know what my precious little princess could have possibly done to get in trouble." Were those tears in his eyes?

A loud smacking sound echoed throughout the house as Izanami's shoe collided with Tomi's face. "You idiot, don't go getting all emotional and crap." A large red mark formed on his cheek that fit the shape of the sandal perfectly.

"But Mama-"

"No buts! Man up you big wuss."

Akina was quickly getting tired of the noise. What was wrong with a quiet night where everyone minded their own business? She looked up at the ceiling and tried to tune out the racket her parents were making. She became caught up in a stream of light that came through the window. It looked like a bird that was spreading its wings towards the door, but its reach ended a foot before the wall. The poor bird would never reach the outside world. It was so sad that Akina had to look away from it.

Tomi and Izanami were so distracted by their own argument that neither of them noticed Akina as she placed the broom back in the closet and soundlessly ascended the staircase into her room.

Even if she had gone blind she would have known that she was in her bedroom because as soon as she opened the door she was hit with the smell of vanilla. She closed her eyes and inhaled to sooth her mind. Like the rest of her house, her room was incredibly small. The only things that she had in there were a twin sized bed, a hamper for dirty laundry, a bookshelf that was almost filled to capacity with scrolls and books on different types of jutsus, the history of ninjas, and chakra control, and an old wooden dresser. The dresser used to belong to her grandmother. It didn't hold a lot of sentimental value to Akina because she never met the woman, but it was still a good place to put all of her clothes. Other than those things the room was bare. The walls weren't decorated with pictures or cute posters, and there was no desk for homework (that was done on the bed). There was nothing anywhere to indicate that a twelve-year-old child, let alone a girl one, resided there. Even the floor was free of any kind of clutter. It was so clean, so plain, and so Akina.

Akina took her book out of her messenger bag and rested it on the bed. She was carful to not wrinkle the blue sheets. If there was one thing that Akina hated it was wrinkles in her bed. How was she expected to get ready to go to sleep if her covers were all wrinkled? She then made her way to the dresser and pulled out a pair of loose flannel pants and a white shirt that hung down to her knees. She stripped down and put her previous outfit in the hamper and changed into her sleepwear. It still had the lingering sickly sweet smell of laundry detergent.

She was brought out of her thoughts when her stomach growled at her. It was mad at her for not eating dinner no doubt, but she had seen the dishes in the sink and knew that she had missed the meal. She could have easily gone downstairs and reheated the food, but that would have been pointless because Akina never ate food that was warmed up. The very idea was repulsive to her. Food was meant to be eaten when it was fresh, not after being cooled and heated again. She also could have gone down and made herself something else to eat, but she didn't want to make the effort.

And so, Akina moved her book to the foot of her bed and climbed underneath the covers. She didn't fall asleep for about four hours, but she never moved once from her spot. After all, she didn't want any wrinkles in her covers.

The next day, Akina once again found herself sitting in the back of the classroom. Iruka was giving a speech from the front; not that she was really paying attention, but it wasn't her fault. Her book was just more interesting than anything that her teacher had to say. She hung on every letter as she made mental pictures of each scene. This alternate life was so captivating that looking up to listen to Iruka talk seemed like a sin.

"We will now begin the final exams," Iruka announced, "When your name is called, please proceed to the testing room." He looked down at the sheet that he held in his hand. It was a list of all the students in his class in alphabetical order. One by one he called students into the back where they were tested on their abilities. This test would determine their futures as ninja. If a student passed, he or she would start his or her career as ninja of the hidden leaf and go on exciting missions to faraway lands filled with adventure. Those who failed would be forced to sit in class taking notes until they were given another chance to take the exam the next year. This was the biggest test that any one of those students had ever taken.

Akina yawned and turned the page. She was still a little tired after not being able to get to sleep for so long. Plus being in class was much more boring than usual. It didn't matter if she failed. She would just take it again after a year. Besides, she would have less time to read if she was on missions, so passing wasn't looking like such a fabulous option. On the other hand, if se failed she would have to get a long lecture from her parents which she wasn't looking forward to either, so either way she was going to have to endure some kind of pain. Where was the justice in that?

"The final test will be on," Iruka paused, probably for dramatic effect, "The clone jutsu." Isn't it funny when someone pauses for dramatic effect, but it's not really all that dramatic? Not really, right? Yeah, I thought so.

'How terribly uninteresting,' Akina thought as she flipped another page. In her head she went over what one of her books on genjutsu had told her about the clone jutsu. 'The Clone Jutsu must be mastered by any ninja who has graduated from the shinobi academy. It's the most basic technique a Genin must know, since it can be a real lifesaver. This ninjutsu creates a simple illusion clone identical to the caster. Unfortunately, the clone has no physical properties and will disperse the moment it is touched. Clones aren't solid, so they can't hold or touch anything, which also means that they don't leave foot print. Unlike the Shadow Clone Jutsu, ordinary clones can not be used to transfer knowledge once they are dispelled. They can't perform any jutsus, nor are their weapons real. They produce no sound, but they do, however, produce a shadow. To perform this jutsu the hand sign combinations needed are the ram, boar, ox, dog or the ram, snake, tiger.' Ladies and gentlemen, this is proof of the wonderful benefits of studying.

Sadly, not everyone was as confident in their abilities as Akina. In the faraway land of the other side of the classroom, Naruto felt his stomach drop into his foot. He grabbed his head and let out a loud groan of despair. "Ugh! That's my worst technique. Great; now I'm never going to pass." Why was stuff like this always happening to him? Sometimes it seemed like he was a tiny ant scurrying in the dirt, and the universe was a big kid with a magnifying glass trying to burn him alive just to watch him squirm. What kind of cruel karma was this? What was worse was that they were going in alphabetical order. This meant that his mental anguish would be drawn out even longer. It took a whole hour and a half before Iruka finally popped his head back into the room and called Naruto down to face his fate.

The testing room was nothing more than another classroom that had already been cleared out for summer. Naruto had never been in their before, but the layout was exactly the same as the room he was just in. There was a large blackboard that covered most of the wall at the front of the room, and the floor was made of wood as was the desk that sat right in front of the blackboard. Other than that the room was completely bare. There were absolutely no distractions which made it perfect for a testing location.

Naruto looked back at the two teaches behind the desk. Iruka was on Naruto's left while another teacher sat to Naruto's right. He wore the same uniform as Iruka, indentifying him as another Chunin. His hair was shoulder length, completely white, and swished gracefully with each turn of his head. His eyes were black and looked even darker when compared to his hair. His mouth was curled into a pleasant and encouraging smile that seemed to make the room just a little brighter. Despite how nice this man seemed, Naruto knew that he and Iruka were the only people preventing him from becoming a ninja, so he couldn't help but feel a little resentment towards the pair.

Naruto wouldn't let these two stand in his way. He needed to pass this test and become a ninja, so he could fulfill his lifelong dream of becoming the Fifth Hokage. He wasn't going to let fear get in the way of his future. Besides, Iruka knew how much this test meant to him, so he had to give him a little leniency, right? After all, Iruka was a pretty good guy deep down, so there wasn't anything to be nervous about, and it was already noted that the other teacher didn't seem too bad either, so maybe he did have a chance. 'Alright, get it together Naruto;' the blonde commanded himself, 'you can do this.' Isn't it funny how the brain can trick you into believing something that just isn't true?

Naruto's performance on the exam was close, but as a very wise man once said, "Close only counts in horseshoes and hand-grenades." He did the hand signs sloppily, his chakra was under mediocre control, and he was so nervous that he could barely focus on what he was doing. All of this was enough to complete the jutsu, but with such messy preparations it was no shock that the result would be just as messy.

Naruto's clone, not clones, stood next to him. Well, it didn't stand per say. The clone lay on the ground in a pitiful heap that reeked of failure. The thing was like a brainless zombie. It was so pale that it would have completely blended in with the bleached walls if it wasn't for the orange in the clone's jumpsuit (at least this jutsu was clothed, even if the clothes were faded as well), its eyes were void of all emotion and rolled to the back of its head, and it's tongue hung limp out of its mouth. It made the senseis sad just to have to look at it.

Naruto knew deep down the moment that he created such a monstrosity that he would not be passing this exam. After all, he wasn't a stupid kid; he just liked to do his own thing. It was a real shame that "his own thing" didn't usually involve studying.

"You fail!" And just like that, Naruto felt his stomach drop into his foot, out his shoe, and through the floor. Iruka's two words had no-handedly sealed his fate. The only thing that the blonde could think about was his dream of becoming the Fifth Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen! How could Naruto ever become the next Hokage if he couldn't even pass the ninja academy to become a Genin? He couldn't, that's how.

"Iruka-sensei," the other teacher cut in, "He's off, but his moves weren't bad, and he did hang in there and replicate. This is his third try so you know he really wants to become a ninja. We could cut him a break and pass him." Was this all really happening? Naruto felt his hope fly back into him all at once. He knew that this guy gave off a nice vibe, but he ever would have imagined anything like this to happen. Maybe he did something nice, and the karma fairies were finally rewarding him.

"Mizuki-sensei, the other students created at least three effective replications, but Naruto could only create one, and look at it, it's pitiful. I can't pass him."

The karma fairies did decide to pay Naruto a visit, but apparently it wasn't the good kind of karma fairies. They were the evil, sadistic fairies that enjoyed to watch poor children squirm as all their hopes and dreams were snatched away from them. This was just peachy.

Akina sat outside the school after her exam and fiddled with her new forehead protector. She didn't like it very much. It had reflected a beam of sunlight from the window in her eyes the moment she passed through the door into the testing room and gave her a headache that distracted her during her exam. She had passed despite the obstacle, but her head started to hurt again every time she looked at it. Why did Iruka have to give her this very one? She wanted to trade it in for another one, but she wasn't about to go back inside and ask to do so. First of all, she was already outside and didn't want to walk all the way back to the room, and secondly, it would have been very annoying to have to explain to Iruka why she wanted to trade her forehead protector for another one that was completely identical to the one she had received. She already suspected that he thought she was a little screwed up mentally and didn't need to further her reputation.

And so, Akina was stuck with the head aches. She wanted very badly to throw her forehead protector at a tree. That would show the stupid contraption who's boss, but then it might have gotten scratched, and she didn't want that at all. It was bad enough that her head throbbed; she didn't want to deal with scuffs on her new forehead protector as well. Her poor brain would probably explode.

Because her last name started with a "Y," Akina was one of the last people to take the exam. There were a few people after her, like Akito, but for the most part everyone had gathered in a huge mob in front of the school building to show off their proof of graduation to their friends and families. Parents were telling their children how proud they were and how they know that they could do it all along. It was awful to have to listen to. If there was one thing Akina couldn't stand, it was a mass number of people all gathered in one place; especially when the people are all being disgustingly mushy. Couldn't they save that kind of stuff for at home where they weren't giving migraines to young brunette girls who just wanted some peace and quiet? She had to get away from them all, but where could she go?

It was at that moment that she set her eyes on a place in the shade of a huge tree near the fence of the school. It was perfect. She could sit behind the tree, and nobody would have been able to spot her. There was only one problem with her temporary hideout. Even though the ground wasn't occupied, the swing that hung from the tree was. Naruto brushed his feet on the ground sadly. Akina paused for a minute to weigh the pros and cons of going over to the tree. If she went, she would be able to get away from the crowd and all of its sickly sweet vibes, and she would be out of the sun which helped her by lowering her chance of melanoma and saving her from the glare of her forehead protector. On the other hand, if she went over there she would most likely have to make small talk with her blonde classmate, and worst case scenario she would have to listen to his tales of woe and pretend to care.

An accidental elbow in the ribs from one of the kids in the crowd helped her finalize her decision. Unfortunately, before she could move a foot from her spot, she felt her waist grabbed, and her body was pressed up against something soft and warm. It didn't feel bad, but it was unexpected, so Akina went to spin gracefully around to face her captor. What she ended up spinning into wasn't her captor's face, but his chest. All she could see was a mix of red and various shades of gray, but that was all she needed before she could identify the man with his hands dangerously close to her rear. She told him something calmly, but it was muffled by his shirt.

"Huh? What'd you say?" Akina felt his arms shift, allowing her to breath in some fresh air. She wasn't happy at all; hugs were not something that she looked forward to, and she tried to avoid them whenever possible.

"I said," she started, her face completely void, "Kyou, let me go." She said every word like it was a new sentence. She hoped that the pauses would allow the boy's mind to fully comprehend what she said.

"Aww that's not very nice. Aren't you happy to see me?" Kyou Miyagi was really something else. His outfit consisted of: a white poncho that only covered the top part of his chest and his shoulder (it was obviously more for fashion purposes than utility), a pair of beige shorts, and a t-shirt that was the color of blood. Underneath his clothes he wore fishnets that ended at his ankles and wrists. The clothes were weird to say the least, but the rest of him was pretty weird too. He had flaming red hair that danced around his face in the breeze, and bright green eyes that never seemed to stay still. They were always looking around for something fun to do. And then, there was his mouth. Akina believed that when he was little he stretched his mouth so much that it became stuck that way because Kyou never seemed to stop wearing that idiotic grin on his face, and she could never seem to make him shut up. Needless to say, he was a very annoying person. He was also overly affectionate. Seriously, it was as if every time Akina pushed him away he would come back twice as hard. The boy needed to learn some limits. That moment was a prime example.

"No, I am not," and before he could respond, Akina slipped out of his grasp.

Kyou just laughed, "You're so funny sometimes."

Akina's mouth set in a firm line. Did he think she was joking around with him? On top of being annoying, he was also a moron. Then again, he had been this way for as long as she could remember. "I'm leaving," she said, "Don't follow me." She spun around and headed towards the tree once again, but luck didn't seem to be on her side. Kyou grasped her wrist. His hand easily curled around the whole thing, preventing her from moving.

"Hey, I was just wondering, do you want to come over later for dinner? You could bring the whole family if you want."

There was a slight pause, as if she was thinking it over, but in reality, Akina knew her response right away, she was just thinking of the right words to say. The brunette finally settled on a simple, "No."

"Oh, okay then. I guess we can do it some other time." Kyou was still grinning like an imbecile as he released her wrist. Akina didn't spare him a second glance as she started walking again.

The shade under the tree was nice. It allowed Akina's eyes to relax, and the breeze cooled down her skin that had been warmed by the sun. Her fingers brushed the cover of the book that was peaking out of her pocket. She slid down the tree trunk and whipped it out, never once looking at the blonde ninja who sat in the swing. Of course, he was staring at her. If some strange girl just came right up and sat down next to you, and started reading without saying anything, you would probably stare too.

"Hey," Naruto said to get her attention. It wouldn't hurt to be friendly; she seemed like an okay person.

Akina flashed her eyes to him, but they didn't linger for more than a moment, "May I help you?"

"I'm Naruto."

"Oh." A long pause followed, but Akina didn't mind. She could never tire of such beautiful silence. Naruto, on the other hand, found Akina's lack of contribution to the conversation irritating. Here he was, trying to be courteous to this weird girl, and she doesn't even make an effort to be the slightest bit nice to him. The brunette sensed his annoyance. Normally she would've just ignored him and kept reading, but his constant staring was making her lose her focus. How did anyone expect her to be able to read while being watched like some exotic animal at the zoo?

Naruto saw her eyes close slowly and then look up at him. They were empty as always, and it made him uneasy. He started kicking the dirt to keep himself occupied. Akina place a small, bony hand on the foot that was closest to her. She could have grabbed both, but then she would've had to move from her comfortable spot and would've been too much of a hassle. "I would appreciate it very much if you would cease shoving your shoes in the dirt."

At least she was talking to him. Maybe now he could have an actual conversation with her. "Why?"

She sighed, exasperatedly. Could he really be that dense? "You're getting your feet dirty, and if you stub your toe on a rock and cut it open, then you're opening yourself up to all kinds of diseases. Do you want to get your foot infected so that it had to be amputated? Personally, I am thoroughly against having any of my limbs hacked off. Think about it. Hospitals are filled with sick people, so if you get an operation there, then you expose yourself to a whole new set of germs that could make you even more sick, and then you could die. That is why you should stop." Akina didn't sound at all genuinely concerned for his well being. Her whole speech was said in that same monotone, haunting whisper that made his skin crawl. 'Honestly, how could you not come to that conclusion on your own?' she thought with disdain. He deserved to lose a foot.

Naruto was staring at her like she had just confessed she was an alien. He understood why most people avoided talking to her. It wasn't because she had an attitude problem, because she was antisocial, or because she was too shy. It was because she was completely insane. "No offense, but that's the weirdest thing that I have ever heard, and I've heard some really weird things in my life." Naruto looked down and let out a long breath to try and clear his head. In with the good air, and out with the crazy air.

Now that he had stopped dragging his feet and wasn't staring at her, Akina saw no reason she should not return to her book, and silence returned to the shade. Have you ever noticed that not talking makes it very easy to listen to what others are saying? Yeah, life's funny that way.

Out in the crowd, two women were talking to each other. Every once in a while they would motion towards the area where Naruto and Akina were sitting. Akina couldn't see them from behind her book, but Naruto easily saw the pair. He saw their hate-filled stares, their mouths that curled down in hatred, and their noses that turned up as if smelling something too foul for words to describe. The first woman turned to her companion and whispered, "There, you see him?"

"It's that boy. I heard he's the only one who failed."

The first woman let out a sneer. "Serves him right," she said.

"Just imagine what would happen if he became a ninja. I mean he's the boy who-" the second woman was interrupted before she could say any more.

"Shh, were not allowed to talk about that."

Naruto looked down. His eyes burned from tears that threatened to overflow, but he knew he couldn't let anyone see him in such a pitiful state. He pulled his goggles down to hide his eyes from the crowd. How could they be so cruel? He had never done anything that bad, so why did it seem like everyone was treating him like some kind of monster that deserved to die? Why was he always blamed for things? He wasn't a bad kid. Sure, from time to time he pulled a prank, but it was never anything serious enough to make him deserve to be hated by total strangers, did it?

The blonde was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of crunching leaves. His head whipped to the side and was met by a familiar white-haired chunin. Mizuki offered a kind and comforting smile. Naruto couldn't help being drawn to the older man's warmth.

"Hey Naruto, can I steal you away for a bit? I have something I want to talk to you about."

"O-Oh yeah sure, it's no problem. Akina, you're okay if I leave you here, right?" Naruto asked.

The brunette shooed him away with a flick of the wrist. She wasn't in the mood to be disturbed, and her classmate wasn't helping at all. The sooner he left, the quicker she could get back to her story.

On the other side of the crowd, the Hokage and Iruka stood against the school building and watched as the whole scene played out. Iruka's eyes were narrowed in suspicion, and the Hokage hid his face in the shadow of his hat. "Iruka," the older man began, "There's something we need to talk about. Back in the shade, the empty swing went back and forth wildly before gradually coming to a stop.


Hey guys, I really hope you like this chapter, but I would really appreciate some criticism because I'm still new to writing. If you give me some good advice, I will climb a mountain and sing your praises to the heavens. Okay, I won't really do that, but I would definitely do something nice for you. Maybe I could write a oneshot or drabble for you and give you lot of shoutouts in my stories. Also, if anyone is willing to beta for me that would be so wondeful!