Toshira smiled at her brother when he came to visit her the next day with his team. "Guess what I'm doing next week?" she asked excitedly. "I don't really care, but you're going to tell us anyway, aren't you?" Naruto replied. "Naruto, shut it," Sasuke said, "I'm listening."
"I'm taking the graduation exams! I'm going to become a full fledged ninja and live out my dream, to become the best ninja ever!" Toshira exclaimed. "You'll have some competition, you know." Sakura said, jabbing a thumb in Naruto's direction.
"Him? Oh, I'll overtake him too!" Toshira said. "NO WAY, BRAT! I'M GOING TO BE THE BEST NINJA EVER AND I'LL BEAT YOU TOO! NO WAY ANYONE'S EVER GONNA OVERTAKE ME, BELIEVE IT!" Naruto declared, causing many heads to swivel in his direction.
"Ignoring the idiot-" Sasuke started.
"I'M NOT AN IDIOT!"
"Ignoring the idiot, do you want to buy anything to prepare?"
Toshira thought. "Maybe some scrolls…and I'm sure I'll have leftover money so you can buy some stuff too if you want." she said. "Scrolls? What a waste of money!" Naruto huffed. "Just because you don't like to read, doesn't mean other people don't." Sakura said.
They left later that day. The scroll shop was crowded. Toshira pulled out a couple about jutsus, chakra, and summoning. "These will be good for my graduation test. I really don't get a lot of stuff…like…Transformation Jutsu…" Toshira was saying. "You don't? Hahahahahaha…How can you become a great ninja without it?" Naruto laughed.
"You didn't either, if I remember correctly." Sakura said.
Sasuke was following his sister like a shadow. "How can she stand it? He's making me sick, following her, and I'm just watching!" Naruto gagged.
When they got back to Kea and Konjun's house, Toshira locked herself in her room to study. The hours seemed to slip by slowly.
Sasuke was in a room next to Toshira's, since he wanted to help her with the tests after missions tomorrow and for the rest of the week. He placed his ear to the wall. Sasuke could hear Toshira's muffled words from the other side.
"This'll never work. I'm gonna fail the graduation, and Sasuke will be so embarrassed. He'll disown me. I heard he graduated first in his class, and being his sister, I'm expected to be as good as him…" she was mumbling. Sasuke heard a pen shuffle across paper, and he figured she was reading over her diary and making grammar corrections. So, he reluctantly fell asleep, with one thing in mind.
The next day, before they headed to Toshira's house, took the time to tell the plan to his team. "Naruto, Sakura," he called. "Yeah, Sasuke-teme?" Naruto replied. "We're going on a mission, if you will," Sasuke said. "Let me guess. Prepping your sister for the graduation exams." said Sakura. Sasuke looked surprised. Was he that easy to read? "Yeah. Toshi doesn't know, so keep it that way for now." Sasuke instructed as they approached the house.
"Morning, nii-san!" Toshira cried. She was sprawled out on the grass, a scroll propped up on a stump. "Need help?" Sasuke asked, "Because Naruto and Sakura and I will be glad to help."
Naruto glared at the eleven year old looking up at them. "I'm not helping an Uchiha, Sasuke-teme. What about you, Sakura-chan?"
He must have been expecting the kunoichi to agree with him full on. Heck no. Instead, he got knocked to the ground, the poor, clueless idiot. "YOU KNOW WHAT, NARUTO? YOU ARE SOOOOO ANNOYING! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU WOULDN'T HELP TOSHIRA GRADUATE!" Sakura shouted.
"Urk…do they always do that?" Toshira asked, watching the two argue. "Not always. Most of the time, though." Sasuke sighed.
The morning passed by slowly. Each of the Genin tried to help Toshira in any way they could, except Naruto, who was getting evil glares from Sakura. Finally, the blonde gave in, and coached Toshira on her near-perfect shadow clone jutsu, Sasuke spending the most of the time with Toshira, filling her in on the Sharingan and trying to teach her Goukakyuu no Jutsu- the Great Fireball Technique, so she could wear the Uchiha clan symbol. Sakura helped in any way she could, like genjutsu, medical jutsus, and ect. All in all, Toshira was getting a well rounded education.
Until two days before the exam, everything was going great. Toshira still had to learn the Great Fireball Technique, but she was quickly grasping the concepts of the Sharingan and it's uses, she could perform the shadow clone jutsu almost better than Naruto could, and she was starting to get a better grasp on genjutsu, but was completely lost in the medical jutsus. "Just as well," Naruto said, "The last thing we need is another Sakura." But the day before the exam, no one could find Toshira. "Lemme find her," Sasuke suggested. But even though he tried, he couldn't find her anywhere.
Unknown to her family and friends, Toshira was perched on the small desk near the attic loft. She was holding her head and just breathing. Sasuke had climbed the ladder to the loft hundreds of times, but always stopped short of the ledge, not believing "Toshi-chan" would be there. Naruto had come up to the ledge and walked across it, but Toshira climbed up the side of the roof. She was depressed…and she had no idea if she could graduate with the name of "Uchiha" weighing on her so much. Her mentors were great and everyone tried to get her spirits up, especially Sakura. She understood most of the problems…but she didn't have the name "Uchiha" to live up to. Sasuke…he had the name, but he was so over-protective it was frustrating. The only one she tought would know her, was dogging her every move, trying to keep her safe. It was so annoying!
Toshira pounded the ledge. She didn't care if anyone heard her, she just wanted today to be over so she could face the exams like the person she was. Like an Uchiha…
Bye!!
