Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto! Why would I be writing this if I did?

I still feel gross from last chapter.

-emerald-

There was a knock on my door, I didn't want to answer it. Ayane was beautiful, she couldn't understand. She couldn't understand the racist slurs that got thrown my way, or the disgusted looks. She couldn't understand the hate people held for my eyes.

"Isamu, if you don't open the door, I'll pick the lock." Gai, not Ayane, called. I frowned, and curled up in my blankets.

"Okay, have it your way." He declared. I heard the doorknob wiggle, then heard it open. I burrowed deeper into the cocoon I had made, then gave a surprised grunt as I was lifted, blankets and all, into a pair of arms.

"We'll be back by morning, Ayane." Gai called, before using a Shunshin to get us out of the house.
He settled my cocoon down on the ground, then dropped something on my head. Whatever he dropped was heavy. I looked at them, and blinked in surprise. Black metal.

"My gauntlets?" I asked, confused.

"Put them on, your shoes too." He was stretching, and doing basic exercises. I did. I fastened the metal around my wrists, and then stared blankly at Gai. He smiled.

"Attack me, Isamu." I blinked. Attack him? Gai never agreed to spar against me. I mean, I knew why. He couldn't pull his punches. But, why now? Why was he telling me to fight now? I lifted myself off the ground, my blankets discarded a few feet behind me.
Gai gave me an expectant look, and I lunged. He easily caught the hit and threw me to the side. I got up and lunged again. This pattern continued for several minutes before I broke. I snapped, all of the stress, years worth, came to the forefront of my mind and I attacked. My fists weren't the only things I used, I kicked and kneed, elbowed and head butted. This time, he hit back, forcing me to dodge.
We fought for what felt like hours. At the end of it, I was breathing harshly and sweating, covered in bruises and cuts. He just stood there.

"Kunoichi classes are full of shit." I snarled.

"Some of it is useful, the flower arrangements and poison? That's fine. Disguises and manipulation? Also fine. I don't mind that. Suzume-sensei-" I growled and slammed my fist into the ground. I didn't notice the ground give away.

"A Kunoichi will only ever be support! If you're a woman, you are either support or eye candy. If a man hits you, it's only a problem if you're pregnant! Well, what about me?! I'm shit at support, shit at genjutsu, shit at chakra control and marksmanship. But, I'm good at taijutsu, I have a high amount of chakra.
I know I'm not beautiful, or gentle! I know that! That doesn't mean that I can't be a ninja! She teaches these girls to stand to the side, and I can't! I can't! I'm not the type who can just throw away everything if a man comes along. And I know that one won't, I do. My skin, my eyes, my scars... my body. I know that I'm not girly enough!" I was shaking, slamming my fists on the ground.

"Did she have to point it out? That no one would want me? I know that! That doesn't mean that I want to hear it!" Gai wrapped his arms around my heaving shoulders.
"I'm too angry, too gruff, too tall, too buff." I took a deep breath.

"But I'll live! Those girls won't! She trained them to die!" He kissed the top of my head and waited for me to calm down.

"You are beautiful, Isamu." I scoffed at him.

"You're right. You are not a traditional woman. You're taller, darker than those from Konoha. But you are not ugly. You're strong, and most Kunoichi are. They may not specialize where you do, they may not have the ability to become powerhouses, but if a man cannot respect you, they aren't worthy of you." I let out a broken sob.

"Now, tell me more about what this teacher has been teaching." He asked, hugging me tighter. I did.

-Tones-

A month later, I was sitting outside as Suzume-sensei droned on about something worthless.

"Isamu!" She barked. I tilted my head at her.

"Are you paying attention?" She asked.

"No." I told her, propping my chin up on my palms.

"You won't graduate at this rate, Isamu." I raised an eyebrow at her.

"I won't graduate because I don't pay attention in your class?" I questioned, an amused smirk tugging at my lips.

"If you know that, then why aren't you paying attention?" I grinned at her.

"Because your class holds no say in the exam, Sensei." I all but purred.

"This class will be looked over for future positions-"

"None of which I will be going into. I'm a combat specialist." I tapped my gauntlets for extra measure.

"Mainly in Taijutsu, if you didn't know." I finished. She scowled.

"I'll be confiscating those." She told me, a satisfied look in her eyes. I blinked at her. Gai had told me to carry them today. Did he know something like this would happen?

"Grounds?" I drawled.

"I'm sorry?" She looked surprised.

"On what grounds are you taking them?" I elaborated.

"They are a distraction."

"Not really. I mean, it's not like I'm fiddling with them. They're just there, connected to my outfit. Y'know, like most weapons outside of combat."

"They are a distraction to other students."

"Again, not really. Aside from when I first came in today, where my friends, neither of which are in this class, asked me about them."

"Hand them over!"

"No. you have no reason to take them."

"I will send you to the Hokage!"

"Go ahead. I'm sure that he will find your unnecessary hatred for your student just as distasteful as I do." Her face turned red with rage as she stepped toward me.

"I will take them, by force, if need be." I smirked at her.

"Is it not unladylike to fight, sensei? I mean, according to your own teachings, you're a woman, and that means that you're bad. Also according to you, I am not really a woman. Which would make me a man, which means that, according to your teachings, you shouldn't fight me." I smiled, and the woman snapped her hand out, a slap landing on my cheeks. Before I could retaliate, or she could hit me again, a purple haired woman was pinning her to the ground.

"Release me at once!" The woman howled. The purple haired woman, who was dressed as an ANBU, without the mask, snorted.

"Hitokiri Suzume? I was ordered by the Hokage to watch you teach today. I was supposed to stay silent, however watching you raise a hand against a student, just because you hate them? No. We are going to visit Hiruzen-sama." Well, that explained... absolutely nothing.

-emerald-

I may have done something stupid, I decided, gazing out at the mountain around me.

"Well, shit." I mumbled. Honestly speaking, I hadn't meant for this to happen. I had been watching Gai perform the summoning technique, then had practiced the hand seals. I had no possible way to know that something like this would happen.
From the surprised, and slightly panicked look I had caught Gai sporting, he hadn't either.
Wiping dust off my pants, I decided that just standing there would do nothing, and that I should find my way home. So, I started walking, grateful that I had disappeared with all of my gear.
After three hours, I was irritated. Where the actual hell was I? It had to be around Iwa or Kumo, with all of the rocks.

"Where the actual fuck am I?" I growled at a rock.

"The Stubborn Mountain and the Raging Forest." A voice answered. Surprised, I spun around. I hadn't even noticed anyone! I came face to, er, snout? I came face to snout with a ram. It looked amused when I jumped backwards.

"Uh... Hi?" I tried, thoroughly confused.

"Hello." He agreed, tossing his head.

"You, uh, wouldn't know how to get to Konoha from here, would you?" I asked. He thought about it, before shaking his head. His horns moved with the motion. They were big enough to send a redneck running for their shotgun. They were also gold. He was a summon, wasn't he? A look of realization fell over my face.

"Does the fact that I attempted the summoning technique have anything to do with why I'm here?" I asked, resigned. He laughed, and stomped the ground with a hoof. I realized that those were gold too.

"You figured it out. Well done, Calf." He hooted. I felt a blush rise to my cheeks.

"In my defense, I didn't expect it to reverse-summon me. Why rams?" He settled down to the ground, and motioned for me to do the same.

"If you perform a summon without a contract, you will be summoned. As for 'why rams', When you reverse-summon yourself, you go to wherever the summon that best compliments you exists. You're best suited for us, thus, you appeared here." I nodded, absorbing that.

"How do I get home?" He huffed.

"If you're accepted by us, we'll send you home. Or you could ask Mori-Sama, our leader, to send you home." I blinked.

"Where do I find Mori-sama? Not that I don't want a contract, but I'm not exactly strong." He snorted.

"You look strong." He informed me.

"I'm not even a Genin! I don't even know why I survived the summon! I shouldn't have the chakra for it!" I threw my hands up.

"You have to go through the trial anyway, Calf. Mori-Sama is at the end." I sighed.

"What's the trial?" I looked at him.

"You already passed phase one." Was this guy always amused?

"You have to make a friend who will help you through the trial. Congrats! We're friends now!" I looked at him.

"Of course. I'm Isamu." I introduced. He ducked his head.

"Shiki." He...smiled?

"Shall we?" He nodded, and lifted himself up. I followed suit.

-Tones-

The trial was a pain in the ass, and I was glad that it was finally over.
Five. Days.
Five days of tramping up a mountain without the proper supplies. Five days of being challenged by other rams. Six had almost thrown me off the damn mountain! I scowled as we made our way into a huge cave.

"You're the one who refused to give up." Shiki shrugged from his place at my side. I glared at the creature, and he received the full force of it.

"I lost my goggles and one shoe." I told him.

"You'll get them back, Calf." I sneered at him. He was unimpressed.

"Are... are we moving downwards?" I asked, eyebrows furrowing.

"Yeah. I told you that you could give up, right? Well, that was because there was another opening." I really wanted to punch him. I contemplated it, but decided not to. He looked like he knew that he'd dodged a Kunai.
After around two hours of walking, we came upon an opening in the already huge passages. As we continued, we saw more and more rams. Each of them getting larger as we continued. Finally, we came upon a chamber, immense in size. I realized that it was at least half of the mountain's overall size. I also realized why. A ram the size of several skyscrapers laid in the center of the room. His horns were silver, with black swirls climbing up toward the sharpened tip.
His eyeball was bigger than my body!

"Welcome, Calf." Mori-Sama chimed, his voice shaking the mountain, despite the fact that I could tell he was only whispering.

"You have passed the Trial of the Rams. You proved your strength in battle, but most importantly? You did not give up when offered an easier route. Call on us when you have need, and we shall answer. Give us good battles, and never stop seeking strength." With those words spoken, he closed his eye and fell asleep. I looked at Shiki, who just snickered.

"Yeah. That's Mori-Sama. The boss of the rams. Oh! Here comes my big sister, Hikari! She's older than me by a few hundred years, but she's my favorite." He sounded so happy that I couldn't stop myself from smiling.

"The things that you lost, as well as the contract scroll." The white ram intoned, her voice soft. I blinked when I saw something shine over her fur. Seals?

"Do you know how to sign?" I nodded, and pulled off one of my gauntlets. I bit into my palm, and wrote my name in blood, before pressing my hand, coated in chakra and blood, against it.

"No one else has signed your contract?" I questioned.

"You are the second person to appear here. The first failed the first part of the trial, and was thrown off the cliff as he had no one to catch him." I was impressed with how regal she managed to sound despite the younger ram cuddling into her side.

"You will be returned home now." I blinked, before pulling on my gauntlet, shoe, and goggles. Immediately afterward, I felt a tugging sensation, and found myself in training ground six. I groaned, and flopped onto the ground. Blinking, I focused on the four ANBU suddenly in front of me. One of them walked over to me and started healing the multitudes of bruises that had accumulated on my skin.

"Thank you, Hawk-Sama." I managed. I got a pat on the head in return. Not long after, I was dropped off at the hospital for malnutrition.

-emerald-

"-honestly! What were you thinking?!" Ayane yelled, arms crossed.

"We didn't know that it would do that!" I defended, holding my arms up in surrender.

"You're as stubborn as a ram!" She yelled, throwing her hands into the air. I burst into laughter, covering my face with my hands.

"Isamu, are you alright?" She asked, worried.

"She's perfectly fine, Ayane-chan. Something about your last sentence set her off." A slightly raspy voice reassured her.

"Hokage-Sama!" Ayane gasped, bowing. Somehow, I managed to calm myself down, and bowed from my hospital bed.

"Isamu-chan." He greeted, a smile tugging at his wrinkles.

"Hokage-Sama." I returned.

"Isamu! I'm so sorry, I wasn't aware-" Gai blathered on as he hugged me. I patted his arm in comfort.

"I'm fine, the worst part was when they tried to throw me off the side of the mountain." The Hokage turned to me.

"Did you make the contract? What animal?" I grinned.

"Rams, Hokage-Sama. I got the rams of the Raging Forest and Stubborn Mountain." He chuckled at my response.

"Well, that certainly explains why Ayane-chan's comment was so amusing to you." I nodded, and awkwardly pet Gai's hair as he continued with his apologies.

-Tones-

I tied my forehead protector around my head, and smirked at Gai, who had come to pick me up.

"Well done, Isamu! Let's go to Mizusaka's for your gift, yes?!" I nodded, and returned his hug. I paused, then looked over a Naruto. He sat at the swings, dejected. I understood why he didn't pass the clone test, but not why he hadn't passed the written portion. This always happened, and I was pretty sure that someone had sabotaged him. Both myself and Shino had tutored him, he was good enough to pass, so why didn't he? Turning, I told Gai to give me a minute, then ran off toward my blonde.

"Hey, Naru." I smiled, crouching to look him in the eyes. He stared at me.

"Congratulations on passing, Isamu." He tried to be energetic about it, but he sounded sad.

"Come over to my place for dinner, okay?" I asked, ruffling his hair. He nodded, then stood up to leave.

"Naru." I spoke up. He turned to me.

"I know that you should have gotten enough points to pass the written exam. We'll talk about it with Iruka-sensei tomorrow." He nodded, but refused to meet my goggles. He ran off before I could say anything else.
I stared after him for a moment, before a hand landed on my shoulder. I looked up at Gai, and managed to smile.

"Let's go! I've been waiting for the real deal since my practice one broke last week!" He laughed.

"I'm aware. I must admit, you are quite youthful with it!"

-emerald-

I propped my feet up on my desk, arms crossed behind my head. A pleasant buzz filled my ears, and I smiled at Shino without looking up.

"Ready for your team?" I asked him. He shuffled a bit, before settling at my side.

"I have a notion as to who my teammates will be, while I know that I can get along with one of them, the other will be a challenge. I see that you've changed your wardrobe." After my hum of acknowledgement, we fell into silence.
As for my new wardrobe? Loose green pants tied at the top with a black sash. My gauntlets were attached to the sash at my hip, easily detachable in case of combat. My other weapon rested on the floor, it's size making it unwieldy in chairs like the academy's.
I wore a white crop-top that covered my quickly forming breasts and ran up, over my chest, to conceal my neck. My ninja sandals were black. I stretched, the movement not even jostling my new clothing, or the green holster on my back.

'Thank you, Mizusaka.' I thought for the twentieth time in the last two days. The man was a godsend, truly. My clothing may have looked like simple cloth, but most of it was reinforced with strong chakra threads. It still felt strange for my shoulders to be bare, but I needed a full range of movement for my second weapon, which was made out of the same black metal that my gloves were. The only reason I even knew how to use the monster was because of Mizusaka, who had trained me with it for over a year.
Iruka stepped into the classroom and I sat up straight. If nothing else, I knew that I could find someone to apprentice myself to. Mizusaka probably wouldn't mind taking me on as a formal apprentice, he was already teaching me a lot about blacksmithing.

"First, I would like to congratulate all of you on passing! You worked hard, and it paid off! Now, I'll be reading off your teams!" Everyone cheered. Shino and my badass self chose to clap politely. I smiled at Shino. I knew we wouldn't be on a team together, but that was okay. I had been prepared for that when I had befriended him.

"You and Naru should come for dinner tonight." I said quietly, absentmindedly paying attention to Iruka, and waiting for my name. Shino glanced at me, before nodding.

"I'll let mother know when I get home. She also would like to speak with you, perhaps you could join us for dinner tomorrow?" I nodded, agreeing easily.

"Team Seven will be Uzumaki Naruto!" Ah, the iconic team. Unfortunately, I had missed their kiss, I'm pretty sure Shino caught a picture with his mother's camera though, so I should get my blackmail anyway.
(I did, he gave me a photo the following week.)

"Uchiha Sasuke!" Naruto groaned and slammed his head into the desk. I smirked and thought along.

'Haruno Sakura!'

"Isamu!" Iruka yelled. I blinked, surprised, even as a few of the bolder fangirls glared at me and reached for their weapons.
'What?' I wondered.

"Huh?" I asked the air around me. From the shaking of his shoulders, Shino was laughing at me.

"You did not see it coming? Sasuke is Rookie of the Year, granted, that's only because you're terrible at hitting stationary targets. You are Kunoichi of the Year, and Naruto is the worst student, again, that's not really his fault as there have been many who sabotage his tests. You should have known this." I scowled at my friend, who suddenly seemed to find the walls entertaining.

"But I'm not important the way those two are." I hissed.

"I can punch people really hard, but that's about it!" I continued, seething. Had that been the reason those three had been thrown together? That was stupid! All of their personalities had clashed! I was going to have to play the mediator! I didn't have the patience for that! Shino shrugged as his name was called. I sighed, and scowled when I realized who my sensei was going to be.

'Well, at the very least, I am capable of trolling the hell out of him.' The thought was humorous, and my vindictive side took pleasure.
Hatake Kakashi was not a good teacher. He was a good man, with good morals (for a ninja.) He was a good Shinobi, and a good Jonin. He imparted his morals to his students, and taught them how to tree-walk, which I had known how to do at the age of ten, along with water walking. He taught an emotionally wrecked, hormonal preteen an assassination technique. Granted, Gaara was a good reason, but still.
I wasn't looking forward to this.

-Tones-

"Let's introduce ourselves, shall we? Blondie, you go first." Kakashi clapped his hands. Naruto grinned, and started speaking.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto! I like Ichiraku Ramen, the Uzumaki clan, studying fuinjutsu, and my two friends, Shino and Isamu! Oh, Ji-Ji, and Iruka-Sensei too, 'ttebayo. I don't like how long it takes for ramen to cook, or the people that yell at me when I walk down the street! I also don't like it when Isamu is angry, 'cause I saw her throw a boulder at a Hyuga and it was terrifying.
My hobbies are helping Ayane-san at the bakery, fuinjutsu, training with my friends, and gardening, 'ttebayo.
My dreams for the future? I want to be Hokage! I'm going to work against discrimination!" He finished that with a huge smile.

'Oops. Looks like I changed him a bit.' Not like it could have been helped. With Shino and myself at his side, along with our families? He was bound to be a bit different.

"Okay, very solid introduction! Broody, you're next!" I raised an eyebrow, and Kakashi sighed. Pointedly, he looked at Sasuke.

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. I like tomatoes, and training. I dislike... many, many things. My hobbies are training, and reading in my clan library.
My dreams for the future? The revival of my clan, and the absolute annihilation of a certain man." Sasuke finished with a deadly aura. It was quiet for a moment.

"If you like tomatoes, you should try some of the ones that Naru grows. We gave him most of our yard, and a decent chunk of it is different tomato plants. My... Ayane makes really good crackers with them." I said, breaking the tension. Sasuke studied me, then Naruto, before nodding. I had known that Sasuke was different, he hadn't been as broody, or cruel. However, this much? Had I landed in an alternate timeline?

"Alright, you're last, Shades." I shrugged at Kakashi's nickname, and fought down a smirk. Time to commence the trolling.

"My name is Isamu, no last name. I like youthful training, Ayane, Mizusaka-sensei, Tenten-senpai, Shino, and Naruto. I also like reading. I dislike my birth-mother, people who treat my loved ones badly, and tardiness. My hobbies are youthful training, writing, singing, helping Ayane at the bakery, and making sure Naru won't die on his first mission outside the village.
My dreams? I want to become the first female in Konoha to gain S-rank in my specialization; which is combat, by the way." He stared at me for a moment.

"Alright! You're all very unique, that's good. Meet me tomorrow at seven, in training ground three for your first mission! We'll see if you're really ready to become Genin! Also, don't eat. You'll probably just throw it up!" With that, he disappeared in a puff of smoke. I ignored Naruto's yells of outrage.

"Uchiha, wanna come to dinner? We need to know each other a bit better before tomorrow, I've got a bad feeling." Sasuke looked surprised as Naruto suddenly closed his mouth. Turning toward me, the blonde locked eyes with my goggles.

"Like, one of your feelings?" He asked. I nodded. An itch in my gut, that made its way up to my throat. My instincts were strong, and I had learned to listen to them. So had Naruto.

"We should probably pack for heavy combat." I spoke, obeying the little voice in the back of my head. Sasuke looked between us.

"If you explain what's going on, I'll come for dinner." He grunted at me. I smirked.

"I'll tell you on the way." I agreed, easily lifting myself off the roof.

-emerald-

Whew! That chapter is done! I'll get started on the next one once I finish up this AN. Also, you people are awesome. Legit. Thanks.
Amazed at how many people are liking this story already,
-Tigressa.