Himeko's POV
A loud rumbling pulled me out of my dazed state, looking down the hallway for the source of the noise. My eyes widened and I was about to run but before I knew it I was getting dragged away by Shisui.
After a good five minutes of sprinting the two Uchihas and I stopped in an alleyway, huffing and puffing. The anime never showed me this! And by kami was it scary to be chased by young teen girls wishing to bury you six feet deep for being in light contact with an Uchiha.
When Shisui finally let go of my arm I whacked him around the head and he fell to the ground again, a rain cloud beginning to form over his head. "What the hell was that for!?" He questioned before I turned away and let out a "Hmph!" He made me leave Hana and Kaminari all alone, he's gonna get shit for the rest of the week. No, the month! I'll make him the laughing stock of the class.
With my cunning plan laid out in my head, I started simulating the results. This'll be good, I smiled as sweetly as I could and turned back to the Uchiha duo. "Why did you make me leave my Imouto and Kaminari behind?" I asked Shisui, my voice like syrup. His face turned pale, it looked like he was about to crap himself.
"Eheh, I didn't want you to get squished?" I felt one of the veins in my forehead throb in anger
I quickly exploded.
"Squish me? What about THE PUP AND THE SIX YEAR OLD CHILD!?" After I practically screamed my sentence at the boy I quickly ran off, going to look for my poor little sister.
For the next day or two I didn't say anything to Shisui. All part of my plan. Since I had joined the academy I was training day in, day out. I struggled making hand seals to begin with but now I feel that I'm proficient enough to easily defeat genin.
Tsume has been teaching me the unique Inuzuka style of Taijutsu: beast human taijutsu. So I could most likely take on Shisui and win. And that's how I'll humiliate him. Beaten by a girl. That'll show him! He'll be the laughing stock for sure.
As soon as I walked Hana to class I went to my own classroom and sitting in my usual seat. I watched as everyone walked in, I wasn't usually as early as I was. Eventually Shisui walked in and I gave him a small smile as he looked over to where I was sitting. He returned the smile before taking his usual seat across from me.
The day went on as normal, me sleeping while Kaminari took notes for me. Until it was break, as soon as the bell went I woke up and walked to the front of the class to get Mitsutomo-sensei's attention. He looked down at me and smiled "Hello Himeko." I smiled up to him before asking
"Sensei, could I spar Shisui after break please?" He was about to shake his head but I quickly gave him my best puppy dog eyes he finally relented, giving a quick nod of his head.
"Fine, but only this once." I nodded enthusiastically
"Alright! Arigatou sensei." I beamed at him before going back to my seat to grab Kaminari and my rucksack.
I left the class quickly and went to go and sit outside for the remaining time I had. Once I reached my usual area in the playground I spotted two Uchiha where I would normally sit. I narrowed my eyes.
What are they playing at now?
I stealthily moved towards the duo before standing as close to the older black haired boy and speaking loudly. "Hey." I jumped back in time for Shisui to flail wildly and he let out a girly scream as he did so.
I felt a bubble of laughter form in my throat as I crumpled to my knees, practically howling in laughter. I felt tears prick at my eyes from the sight of such a 'dignified' member of the Uchiha clan continue to flail around.
Once he had calmed down and realised that it was me who surprised him, he fell to his knees. The trademark rain cloud hovering over him in full force. I wiped my eyes and tried to calm myself down. "I see you enjoy surprises." I said playfully and in response I got a grin from Itachi and a grunt from Shisui.
"Bully." He said as he dragged himself to his feet and I smiled before replying.
"It's called character building and stop being so mopey. You'll lose your fangirls' attention." I stuck my tongue out and patted Kaminari on the head before pulling him onto my own head. "Now, to the point. What are you two doing in my spot?" I pointed an accusing finger at the both of them.
Shisui scoffed "It's hardly your spot." Itachi nodded but answered my question.
"We were waiting for you." Shisui turned away as I raised an eyebrow, for me?
"Why were you waiting for me?" I asked and Itachi just reverted back to his emotionless face while Shisui shrugged. "One of you must know. Otherwise you wouldn't be here."
"We came to say…" Shisui started but didn't finish. Just great.
"Say?" I asked, my head leaning towards the Uchiha children.
"Sorry." They said in unison, now that wasn't something I had come to expect from Shisui. He was as stubborn as a mule. Seriously. But now he was apologising to me? He must be after something, that's the only possible conclusion.
Yes. He's using an a apology to tug on my heart strings for money or something.
I let out a deep sigh "So, what do you want?"
"Eh?" Shisui muttered, giving me a look that said 'This chick on crack?'
"What do you mean Himeko-chan?"
"You're trying to get something from me right? It's the only reason you'd say sorry." Shisui looked… hurt.
"That's not true!" He said quickly.
"Why do you want to apologise then?" I asked, my interests clearly piqued.
He mumbled something even I couldn't hear. "What? I didn't hear that."
"I said…" He paused before speaking quietly again "I want to be friends."
I blinked, did I hear him right?
"Friends?" He nodded in response "Okay. We'll be friends." I paused "Right after we spar."
"Wait what!?" He exclaimed and shook me vigorously. "Whatdoyoumeanspar? Ican'tfightyou!" He screamed at me like his life depended on it.
"Shi-sui stop sha-sha-shaking me!" I dragged out. He didn't stop, and I could make out a grin on his face after a moment. "I… I said stop!" I snapped at him and to punctuate that I'd had enough Kaminari growled.
If there was one thing I hated the most, it was being shaken. I haven't got the slightest clue of how it had developed but it was there as soon as I came to stay with the Inuzukas.
Shisui quickly stopped after that. "Sorry." He said hurriedly before going to stand next to Itachi like a scolded child.
We stood in an awkward silence for a moment before the bell went to signal the end of break. I turned to Shisui and grinned "Don't sulk too much after the sparring 'kay?"
He gave me a pout - that had playful written all over it - before grinning at me "That's no fair! You haven't seen me fight properly yet."
"I could say the same thing." I gave him a smirk before running off to the class with him hot on my heels.
Soon enough, we were facing each other in a ring of students, Mitsutomo-sensei standing in between us. I put Kaminari down to one side and he barked in couragement at me. "Yeah, I know. I'll give him a whack for you." I grinned as I looked up to see Shisui pale slightly.
Inside, I was panicking as the adrenaline kicked in. I hadn't got a clue how tough Shisui really was. All I could do was hope that things went well.
We went through all of the rituals before starting a match. Bowing to the sensei, bowing to each other before taking our starting positions.
"Hajime!" I heard Mitsutomo-sensei shout out to let the match begin. I quickly moved down to all fours, quickly muttering "Four legs technique!" I could feel my nails sharpen and my canines growing.
Shisui looked at me surprised when looking into my eyes. That's right, be distracted. In the blink of an eye I was in front of him, launching my open hand to swipe at his chest. I met my mark, ripping his top open. My ears were filled with screams of delight from all of his fangirls. Which, severely hurt my ears.
I bounded past him and spun around quickly to launch an attack at his back but I was met with the Uchiha style: Interceptor Fist. All I felt was solid contact, a fist jammed right under my chin. Letting out a growl I shot backwards, not wanting to get hit again.
I sat back for a moment, analysing Shisui's stance. I then began to circle around him, before I snaked my way in behind him, leaving a clone to stay in one spot. I heard a fangirl scream out his name before jabbing my right fist at the back of his head, sending him sprawling forwards.
I heard him groan as I moved over to him, and sitting on his back I held a elongated nail to the back of his head. "I win."
Suddenly I was sitting on the almighty log of the ninja world. He got me… My vengeance had been ruined!
"Wrong." I heard him whisper in my ear. Then I felt the cold steel of a kunai knife held against my throat. "I win." He said, pulling away from me and place his kunai back in its pouch. I felt the adrenaline rush begin to wear off but I quickly got up and turned to Shisui, sprinting at him before launching a kick to his face.
He fell down again and I could see blood trickle down from his nose and I winced. Maybe I went a bit too hard… "Never turn your back on your opponent." I said, trying to sound as soft as I could.
"The winner is Himeko!" I heard Mitsutomo-sensei declared to the class. I bent down to help Shisui up and gave him a sympathetic smile. I mouthed a quick sorry before standing going back to my starting position and he did the same. We made the unison sign before stepping away from each other and going back to our respective places in the circle.
"You could've been a little softer with that kick Himeko." Shisui whined, while sounding nasally due to the paper towel jammed up his nose. I felt a bubble of laughter take over as I couldn't help but find the Uchiha prodigy looking so undignified.
"I'm sorry but I couldn't pull my kick back in time." I said before adding in a mocking tone "Maybe if you hadn't been so soft on me, then this" Waving a hand nonchalantly at his face "Wouldn't have happened." I smiled while I saw his jaw clench and I could practically see his teeth ready to shatter when he ground them together.
"You can be really irritating sometimes, you know that?" Shisui bit out while waving away a playful Kaminari, who was sitting on his lap. We were sitting on a bench, just a little bit away from the main academy grounds. It was a cloudless day and I revelled in seeing the open blue sky.
"Of course I do. It's why I do it." I poked my tongue out at him and I could feel a grin tug at my lips. He returned with a smile of his own before prompting Kaminari to jump off of him. I watched as my trusty partner bounded across to me, before scratching at my leg. I quickly pampered him as best I could before placing him on my head.
I stood up, Shisui soon following suit. "Where are we off to now?" He asked me. I looked back before nodding towards the academy. "We're going to see Mitsutomo-sensei."
"Uhh, what for exactly?" For an Uchiha prodigy he was pretty dense.
"To graduate early, silly." I retorted
"Huh!?" His eyes practically bulged out of their sockets. "But, I'm not even twelve yet! Sure I can fight and all but I'm nowhere near as smart as you." He pleaded me with his eyes. Don't go. "You could've passed the Genin exam at age nine." I said blankly.
"All you need is to be able to use the clone, transform and replacement techniques. Then you're home free. The written exam is a formality at best. Even you could pass it without batting an eyelid." I reassured the older boy.
"Why do you know all this stuff?" He asked while I shrugged.
"Tsume-chan's partner teaches me stuff while we train."
"Her partner? As in Shinobi or?" The open question made me smirk, at least he's learning.
"Yes, he's her ninja hound. Kuromaru."
After that we walked in silence, once back inside the academy building we made our way to our classroom.
I watched as Shisui knocked on the door politely. Rolling my eyes at him I opened the door.
"Hello? Sensei?" I called out as my eyes searched across the empty room.
"Yo." An unknown voice said from behind me. I jumped forwards, spinning while doing so and taking up a defensive stance. I saw a full head of pure white hair - which defied all laws of gravity.
"Karasumaru?" I asked, I could hear the confusion in my own voice. The shinobi in front of me was an older version of my first friend that was my age. And it confused the heck out of me!
I knew that voice from somewhere… Did I hear it from around the village? "You must be…" He trailed off, eyes narrowing in my form. "Himeko. I've heard much about you from my nephew."
My eyes widened with understanding "Oh, you're Karasu's uncle. I thought you'd be his older brother or father. He looks exactly like you!" With that said the white haired man grinned through the black fabric that covered the lower half of his face.
A uncomfortable moment passed before Karasu's uncle piped up. "So, what are you doing in class? It's lunch break." He raised a brow.
"I was going to ask my sensei if I could take the genin exam early." I replied nonchalantly.
"Ooh, Karasumaru did that last month, maybe you'll end up on the same team!" He cooed out, much to my disdain.
"Shouldn't he already be in a team?" I asked, wondering if I'll have to wait for a month before starting my ninja career.
"Well, yes but he isn't gelling with his teammates. I'm going to ask the Hokage to move him into a new team."
"We need to find Mitsutomo-sensei before lunch ends, but it was nice to meet you… what was your name, sir?" I said politely.
"Sakumo Hatake." He answered with a light chuckle. "I won't keep you any longer, farewell Himeko-san."
"Goodbye Sakumo-san." I retorted, bowing to my waist before leaving.
We went to the staff room where we found our sensei. "Mitsutomo-sensei!" I called out to him.
"What is it Himeko-chan?" He asked, raising a brow at my sudden appearance.
"I'd like to take the genin exam as soon as possible. I feel that I am strong enough and smart enough to pass it." I said, an aura of confidence surrounding me to punctuate my sentence.
He smiled widely at me. "Well, okay. I'll ask the Hokage to come and oversee the exam as soon as possible." He paused and looked to Shisui, who was standing behind me. "Would you also like to take the genin exam early?" He asked and I could hear Shisui's hesitation "Well… yes."
"You can do your exam together then. I'll inform you if the date when it is finalised." Mitsutomo-sensei said and I gave him a wide smile.
"Okay!" I exclaimed, grabbing Shisui's forearm before leaving rather quickly. I could feel excitement bubble in my stomach as a grin formed on my face.
"No more boring lectures!" Both Kaminari and I leaped into the air in joy while Shisui deadpanned.
"That's what you're excited about?" He looked at me as if he couldn't believe it.
