Word Count: 1,700
Completed/Revised: Jan. 9, 2015
Summary: Two years extra in the academy, how would that change the original rookie 9? Blood, violence, sweat, and tears, what has the world turned into?
Recap: "No I think I want to stay here for a while", Sakura said.
"Ok", Kakashi said understanding that she needed some alone time.
"Tomorrow we will be meeting up at the previous training ground for survival training", Kakashi said before ruffling her hair and then walking away.
After Kakashi left, Sakura sat there for a while at the stone and gazed at the name, Ryuuji Haruno.
"What do you think I should do, Onii-san?"
Chapter 4: Someone who cares
Two Years Later
"Hell yeah", a voice cried out, "we finally get to graduate."
Around the same time a blob of orange was seen running throughout the village dodging through citizens with precision. The blob seemed to have only one destination as he ran towards the academy. Ignoring all the screams signaling him to slow down, he ran through the main entrance, up two flights of stairs, and into a classroom at the end of the hall.
"Ohayo everyone", he yelled with enthusiasm. The class then got deathly quiet.
"Troublesome" someone mumbled from the back, along with "Dobe" in the same direction.
"You're late again Naruto", majority of the class said in unison.
"Well you see… As I was on my way here I saw an old woman who looked like she needed help carrying her bags so I decided to help her. She told me that she lived in another village and that I didn't need to help her because then I would be late. But being the good samaritan that I am I decided to carry it anyway and then we were att…"
"Give it a break BAKA", a person calmly said as she punched the so called baka on the head.
"Oww, Sakura-chan that hurt, why?", he said with a whiny voice.
"Because you're wasting our time", the girl declared as Sakura then turned on her heel and walked away. "Don't worry Naruto-kun I'm sure you have a real good reason why you were late", the soft voice of a ravenette told him.
"Naa Hinata-chan, I just slept in", Naruto confessed and almost everyone sweat-dropped.
"I 'oughta cut you up and feed you to Akamaru, you ass", the gruff voice of Kiba called out. "Or let my insects digest you", a slightly creepier voice of Shino followed.
"Crap. Hinata-chan save me from your teammates!"
As Naruto hid behind Hinata, the door behind him opened and in walked a man in his mid-twenties with a scar on his nose. "I see you decided to grace us with your presence Naruto", the man said with a stern yet soft voice. "Ito, well see Iruka-sensei, I was…".
"Save it Naruto, I know that you slept in."
'Busted', Naruto thought.
"Okay, everyone back to your seats", Iruka said. With that everyone made their way to their seats and Naruto ran to the back to sit with the group back there. "I just visited the Hokage and he will be here to talk to you shortly so I want you on your best behavior", Iruka continued.
'Sigh, this is boring', a girl thought playing with her dark coral pink hair. 'I should've brought a book to read', she thought. "Psssss, Sakura", a voice whispered behind her, not turning since she already knew who it was she answer, "what is it, Ino?". "Did you wanna go shopping for new battle gear after this?", Ino replied. Sakura thought about it for a while because her normal red dress was getting small and too bright to go on real missions.
Making up her mind, she answered "sure, I have nothing better to do anyway".
Ino was about to say something when the door opened and the Hokage stepped in.
Third Person POV
The class quieted down when the Hokage and some Anbu stepped into the room.
The Hokage then surveyed the room, half ignoring Naruto's persistent waving at him. He then made it to the center of the front and began to speak.
"First, and foremost I want to say that I am proud of each and everyone of you all for graduating", the Hokage started.
"It has been a rough many years, especially the last two years. We have reconstructed the whole academy system and even the academy itself. We added better instructors and extracurricular activities. We split up the curriculum into different subcategories: interrogation, research, tactics, intelligence, seals, medicine, and tracking. Along with the base knowledge of taijutsu, ninjutsu, and genjutsu. I believe you guys are more than ready to progress to the new level. Some of you guys will search for a job assisting inside the village while the rest will continue with jobs travelling outside the village. The choice is up to you. Just know that regardless, you are ninja of Konoha. The Haiti-ate that you wear declares that you have an obligation to protect this village no matter how little you think your position matter.
"We need you younger generation to take over eventually and improve the village. We need the research team to research new information to invent new jutsu's and other inventions, we need the tactical team to come up with battle plans, we need intelligence to spy on our enemies and keep eyes and ears open for any useful information. We need our sealing groups to keep in times of emergencies as well as medicine too, our tracking team in case we need to find someone. In essence wall of the jobs from now on plays an important role in the security and safety of the village.
"I wish I could say that it will get easier as of now, but that would be a horrid lie. You are now expected to protect this village and its' will of fire with your life."
With that the Hokage left, however not before giving everybody one last reassuring smile.
The classroom was quiet for a long time. The atmosphere made it almost impossible to talk and everybody seemed to be in thought of what will happen next. This was the first time in two years that the hokage actually had a serious talk with them. The last time was when they first got a glimpse of the shinobi world which was consequently the time when one-third of the class quit the academy.
Flashback: 2 years ago
Word traveled fast, and within three days everyone knew what happened. Today was the day that the Hokage choose to talk about the horrible incident that seemed like a nightmare to all the parents, especially the one's who had their child stolen from them.
Around noon, the sky considerably darkened with the clouds blocking the sun. Everyone gathered in front of the Hokage tower clothed in all black for mourning, and all had a white rose in their hands. The only sounds that could be heard was the countless sobbings and even those were muffled because of the heavy tension that was present.
Then the Hokage stepped out of his balcony in an all-black robe.
"These last couple of days have been a nightmare to the friends and family of the young lives taken prematurely. It is a curious thing, the death of a loved one. We all know that our times in this world is limited and that eventually all of us will end up underneath some sheet, never to wake up. And yeti is always a surprise when it happens to someone we know. It is the equivalent of walking up the stairs in your home, and thinking theres is one more stair than there is. Your foot falls down, through air, and there is a sickening moment of dark surprise as you try and read just the way you thought of things.
"The will of fire is something that this village lives by. The entire village is like a large family unit and every Konoha shinobi with the Will of Fire loves, believes, cherishes, and fights to protect the village, as previous generations had done before them. This is what gives Konohagakure shinobi the strength to continue fighting against all odds, building willpower and strength of character. It is also symbolic of the hopes and dreams of the previous generation being passed to the next.
"All generations will remember this day. They will remember the sadness, anger, and regret. However, we should remember the will of fire. Their lives were shortened, but it was not meaningless. They taught us important lessons in what really matters in life, and also the mistakes that have been past down through generations. And like every lesson, we will adjust accordingly. This day is a day of mourning, for lost futures, and lost lives. But would not want us to mourn forever because we need to remember the important things, and protect them. As long as the will of fire still burns there is hope."
Despite the encouraging speech it did not keep many parents from pulling their children from the academy the following day, and it certainly didn't stop some civilians to relocate to another village, the thought of staying in a place that was responsible for their loved ones deaths was too upsetting.
Back to the Present
The silence continued to stretch over the classroom.
They all knew that now the risks were higher, they were now putting their lives on the line, and the lives of their loved ones.
It was a very serious moment until...
"Don't worry everyone. When I become Hokage I will protect everyone", Naruto started jolting everyone out of their thoughts.
"The only payment I require is constant praise and tons of ramen. Not just any Ramen but the golden noodles that only comes from Konoha's be...". Naruto however was not able to finish his declaration as he was roundhouse kicked out of the window.
"Idiot", the class pinkette said while brushing imaginary dirt off of her shoulder.
R & R Please