Hello! Guys, I started school yesterday and I can already tell that I have to manage my time better TT ^ TT It seems like such a boring life in America to expect the first twenty years of your life being stuck in education. Lectures. Classrooms. Homework. Ugh. But at the same time, I can appreciate the life of a student. It's pretty simple compared to adulting. I mean, I don't think I could 'adult'.
Enjoy the chapter!
x
"Guess what! Itachi's a big brother now!"
I didn't even pause writing and politely asked, "What's his name?"
"Sasuke," Itachi softly answered and Shisui patted his back.
If Uchihas could beam, Itachi would be beaming. However Uchihas couldn't and wouldn't, so instead there was a glow of satisfaction around his face.
I made a big show of flipping my worksheet to the other side and continued scribbling down answers. Shin shot a baleful face at me and frowned back at his own paper. Bato-sensei had given us class time to finish an assignment with group work. Shisui, Shin, and Itachi practically scuttled over to our table, dragging their chairs behind them. At first I wondered why they did, but one glance at the paper made me understand.
The worksheet was simple stuff. Volumes, areas, and word problems that integrated real life financial and political angles, requiring long, detailed answers. I loved playing out the situations in my head as though I were some sort of arbiter or diplomat. The word problems were all hypothetical environments and positions. Almost like practice problems for a budding politician who dabbled in the shinobi arts. Practice problems that required some sort of practical application of civilian and "common" emotional knowledge. It was something that a lot of jounin probably encountered often in their escort or diplomatic missions. I breezed through them, but I could tell that certain students were struggling to formulate answers.
Civilian and "common" emotional knowledge that Shin, Shisui, and Itachi lacked in varying degrees.
The three Academy students from two of Konoha's noble clans sitting in front of me were all social dunderheads at different levels.
Shisui was the least problematic of the three. He knew how to joke around and can play into the interests and good side of people. At the same time, Shisui tended to get on people's nerves unintentionally, or intentionally (I wouldn't know), and would spout things that go against social customs of civilians. Such as talking about sharpening kunai so razor sharp that he nearly sliced off a finger the other day and had to be rushed to the hospital to have a medic reattach it, and how it was so cool to see flesh hanging off the white finger bone, but "no harm done" in the end. Itachi didn't have that problem, however I think it's only because he was brought up a clan heir that he has some notion about what is allowed and not allowed to say in public. Itachi's sharp at pinpointing types of emotions and he even understands why humans had emotions and reactions. But. He also lacked the ability to interact with the people around him normally. The only friendship he has at the moment that can be considered "normal" is Shisui.
And Shin.
Ah, Hyuga Shin.
You social retard, I thought almost fondly while observing him burn holes at his paper.
Almost.
Shin's personality is borderline scathing. Arrogant. Pushy. Annoying. His compliments are backhanded compliments that are more on the insulting side than being actual compliments. Shin couldn't care less about how other people feel. It wasn't that he's selfish. Shin simply expects utmost professionalism in the shinobi arts and disregards anything else that doesn't seem as important, which includes social tact and 'unnecessary' feelings. Even though he gives perfect answers on shinobi mission and tactic calls, he's like a total dunce in social behaviors.
We still have a hate/love relationship, except much more hate involved than love.
I'd hate him, but hate is a strong word so it's more of a strongly dislike.
But the whole point that Shisui, Itachi, and Shin are not normal.
And I question my definition of 'normal' since I'm surrounded by deranged brainwashed children capable of bloodshed and conspiracies. If they're not sociopathic runts, then they're little psychopaths.
I scratched my head and rested my chin on a hand, elbow on desk.
What's better though, a psychopath or a sociopath? Wait, I should be asking which is worst, right? The lesser evil?
I debated the answer while listening to Shin's frustrations on a particular problem.
"I don't get why I have to 'respectfully' talk to a person, when clearly I could use threats instead," he seethed. I looked over at his paper to see what he was stuck on and sniggered.
"Shut up," he snarled and redirected his attention to the assignment. He copied Shisui and Itachi's hunched forms, scribbling words down, erasing often, and holding that mildly irritated expression on their faces.
"Haru, you're done already?"
I flinched. If the class hadn't been buzzing in-group discussions, Bato-sensei could have heard Kenta.
"Not so loud," I said.
"You're not going to turn it in?" Takeshi asked.
"Not yet," I corrected.
"Why not now?"
I waved a hand at the dojutsu clan kids in front of us.
"These guys haven't even turned theirs in. I'll wait until about half the class is done."
Takeshi gave me the stink eye.
"You faker."
I shrugged off the disapproval.
"Bato-sensei records the time and order of students who finish and turn in assignments, you know. I got to keep my average ranking."
Kenta gaped and leaned over the table, whispering as though he was scared of our sensei overhearing us.
"So the times when you finished classwork slowly were on purpose?"
I shrugged again and changed the subject.
"Itachi, when was your brother born?"
Itachi flicked his eyes upwards at me and back down.
"Last week on Thursday," he said. There was a tiny hint of pride in his voice. I violently squashed the urge to coo at the new older brother.
Last week on Thursday. That was...July 23rd.
….
Oh yeah, I literally have two months until October.
October 10th.
"Eff my life," I groaned quietly and brought my fingers to the temples of my head. There was a headache already coming.
To change or not to change?
I had been thinking of it ever since I first met the Fourth Hokage. He's real, I mentally told myself. He's real and alive in flesh and blood and has a wife who's pregnant with a son and oh my God I'm probably going to die on the night of the Kyuubi Attack and I just want to tell Minato everything.
To change or not to change, that is the question, you Hamlet wanna-be.
"Um, Haru? You don't look so good," Kenta said in a worried tone.
"You're pale," Takeshi commented. I swallowed.
"I'm fine," I breathed. "I just have a headache."
Shisui's head was still bent over his paper as he continued the conversation.
"Speaking of brothers, does anyone have siblings besides Itachi?"
Takeshi and Kenta shook their heads while Shin shortly said, "No."
"I have two younger brothers. They're four years younger than me," I commented.
"Haru, you're nine right?"
"Not yet, I'm turning nine in about a week."
Shisui's head snapped up.
"You're a year younger than all of us?" He hissed disbelievingly.
I tilted my head. It shouldn't matter that much.
"Yeah, so what? Itachi's six now," I said unconcerned.
"But," Shisui faltered. "You…"
"You…?" I prompted.
"Nothing," Shisui muttered and stood up, scraping his chair backwards.
"I'm turning my paper in," he declared. Itachi also stopped writing and followed Shisui to the front of the classroom, where Bato-sensei was grading papers at his desk. Shin frantically scratched more words on his paper before dashing to the front too. Takeshi was the fourth out of the group to turn in his paper and I waited for Kenta to complete his before going to Bato-sensei's desk.
Once the entire class was done, everyone went back to their desks and waited for further instructions. I had to admire the discipline Bato-sensei managed to drill in these kids.
Bato-sensei clapped his hands and made a short announcement.
"Tomorrow, the Academy's field will be open for our class to use. We'll be outside for the afternoon tomorrow, so be sure to wear comfortable clothes and good shoes," he said while pointedly looking at several girls in the room. They were wearing dresses and skirts.
And then in less than an hour we were dismissed from the Academy for the rest of the day. I took my time packing up. The other five had gone ahead of me, they had all said something about 'clan stuff' and just disappeared. I didn't mind their abandonment. I wasn't in the mood for hanging around people.
I didn't feel like going home right away either. If I went home then I'd have to put on a nice face on and say that I had a fine day at the Academy, which I did, but that was just one side of myself. A front that I put on to show the world. I didn't want to put on this front in front of my family, so no, I wasn't going home now.
I first headed to the local bookstore, thinking about killing some time while looking through the shelves. I liked reading. I didn't have to listen to my own thoughts when I read the thoughts of an author. Books were a good distraction.
A cover sitting on the stand in front of the bookstore made me pause before walking in. I picked it up and read the title silently.
How a Shinobi Should Die.
How morbid.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw a young teenager making his way towards the bookstore. The shinobi had spiky silver grey hair and a skintight cloth covering the bottom half of his face. A Konoha headband covered his left eye. It was Kakashi.
Uh, no. Leaving now.
I quickly put the book down and did a one eighty turn.
I was not going to let myself be near him.
I wandered to other parts of the streets until I found myself at the artisan section, my favorite spot in all of Konoha. Here, artists of every kind, of practical and impractical means, gathered and showed off their wares. The makers here ranged from regular ink painting and printing to masonry and weaponry for shinobi and civilians alike. I liked going inside the shops where they allowed visitors observe workers in action. I could spend an entire day in one shop. I don't think I could ever choose a favorite store in this place. Watching a potter's hands was mesmerizing, especially at the potter's wheel. The gloved hands of a blacksmith were full of power in every strike of hammer. The stained hands of a printer were quick and practiced in using the printing press. The colored hands of a painter were careful and vibrant in applying a vision on canvases.
In this street, there were only things to see and hear. There were no unnecessary sounds made in this district. Only the soft chatter of buying and selling. I could hear people working their professions, something they've done their whole lives.
I breathed in deeply while walking through the street. This was my kind of place, where people showed what they could do without needless words. These people only needed other humans to witness their skills. I had reached the end of the street when I noticed one shop that caught my eye. It was relatively small, but the size of a store didn't matter around in this area. Everyone here knew that what mattered was the skill of the worker.
I treaded inside and a small bell jingled when the door swung open. The entire studio was clean, I only saw dust in the air and the walls were polished wood. The ground was cobblestone, which was surprising. That meant this property had been built near the beginnings of Konoha. Only the very early-established places had cobblestone inlaid in the ground. Shinobi weapons and tools hung from the walls on racks and hooks and a number were in display cases. Even with the smallest of light, I could see the glint on each blade.
I liked the place immediately.
There wasn't anyone behind the counter, so I took the liberty of walking closer to one rack and inspected a kunai. It wasn't one from the standard set that you'd see on any genin or chunin. Instead of the symmetrical design, one side was curved inward. Such design would allow the shinobi use the knife more like a sickle, cutting through air faster than a straight blade.
"Wicked," I whispered and traced a chakra-coated finger along the curved edge, not close enough to cut myself. Where shinobi trained to walk on trees and water, performing precise chakra control through their feet, I had metal and conducted chakra in my hands. Metal was harder than wood in most cases and had a different approach than to water. Because of my constant exposure to different kinds of metalloids, I felt relatively comfortable handling any kind of solids. Just by laying a hand on an object, I could gauge density, the firmness, and sometimes even what it's made of.
This particular blade was epic. It was by far one of the hardest substance I had ever touched in this life and its geometry made it well balanced. I could tell there was hardly a hint of carbon in the outward metalwork, so it was of really good quality. The entire thing was unique. It wasn't something that should just be thrown around like a normal kunai.
But…
I furrowed my eyebrows slightly. The cutting edge wasn't as sharp as it could be and it didn't quite align to the tip. Working with metal has allowed me to sense these kinds of things.
If I could just..
I glanced over my shoulder at the counter. There still wasn't anyone there.
Biting the inside of my bottom lip, I lightly pinched my right thumb and forefinger together and with the other hand, reached for the handle of the strange kunai. My folded hand flickered light blue.
I'll be quick.
My fingers slid down the edge slowly, letting several layers of chakra, sharp and thin as possible, work against the metal. I concentrated only my chakra senses and watched the blade, but I was feeling more than seeing. All of my other senses dulled and my surroundings blurred because they didn't matter.
I wanted to sharpen this knife to perfection.
The faint sound of scraping and chakra whirring travelled through the store as I moved my chakra back and forth on the blade. I stopped and moved my hand away when I just knew it was finished. Carefully laying chakra coated finger on the edge, I made a satisfied nod after scrutinizing it for several more minutes.
Alright, now I just gotta put it ba-
"Haven't you been told not to take things that aren't yours?"
I jerked and nearly crashed into the wall. My hands fumbled with the knife and my face turned pink as I turned around the face the owner of the shop. I haven't been this flustered in a long time. People normally couldn't sneak up on me.
The owner was an old man, with head full of white hair, but his back was straight like a rod and the glasses that framed his eyes did nothing to block its clarity and brightness in the dim room. His voice had strength to it, further emphasizing that he was no elder to be trifled with.
He was also frowning disapprovingly at me.
I gulped.
I held out the knife with two hands, the tip facing the ground, and started stammering.
"I-I was just trying to, I mean, I-uh," I sputtered. The old man held out a hand to stop me from embarrassing myself further and took the knife from my hands. He examined it with experienced eyes and hummed.
"I know you meant no harm, child. I was watching you half the time, you know," he said.
I coughed. "You were?"
"Was about to give you a scolding," he went on. "But you were doing something with chakra, so I got curious." He peered at me over his glasses.
"Not many children know how to deal with metals, even less with chakra," he said.
"Um, I practice chakra with metals a lot," I confessed.
"Civilian?"
How'd he know?
I nodded. "I started the Academy this year."
"Hmm, at your age? You must have done something special then."
I held my hands out in defense, saying, "Oh no, nothing special, sir, it was nothing."
He chuckled and to the side, swung the knife expertly, making a whip sound with every swing.
"What's your name, child?" The owner asked while holding the blade back to his eye level.
"Haru." I gulped again. I was going to get in trouble. I mentally prepared myself for the lecture, however I didn't have to because the old man said the opposite.
"Well, Haru, you did an immensely impressive job on this blade," he said. My head snapped up and the old man continued.
"You must have very good chakra control because the edge is beautiful," he complimented and gave me a warm smile. I returned it with a grin. The owner placed the knife back to its rack and held out a hand for me.
"My name is Shimura Kenshin and I am the blacksmith here," he began. "And although this may seem sudden, I would like to offer you an apprenticeship here."
The throbbing in my head returned.
Ah, another headache.
"Shimura as in from the Shimura Clan?" I squeaked. Mr. Kenshin raised a brow.
"Yes," he said simply. "Are you familiar with it?"
I shook my head and refrained from bolting on the spot.
"No, sir, I was just wondering because I read about that clan somewhere," I replied and inched for the exit. "And I'm afraid I'll have to decline about the apprenticeship."
He sighed, "I'm afraid so too, it'll be shame with abilities like yours to go to waste, but I guess I have to let you go."
That sounds so much like Danzo, I can't even.
I bowed. "I'm sorry about touching your knife without permission and thank you very much for your offer."
Shimura Kenshin waved me off and graciously accepted the apology.
"No worries, child, you're welcome to the shop any time."
I bowed once more and walked out the door, holding my breath.
Going home sounds good now.
I might have sprinted.
"Akemi! Haruka! In the ring!"
Takeshi's hand patted my shoulder while I groaned.
"You'll do fine, Haru," Kenta assured me. His support didn't make me feel better, no matter how sincere it was because I just didn't. want. to. do. this.
We had started physical training a week ago and I didn't get any more comfortable with it every time.
I dragged my feet across the rope that formed a circle on the dirt and stood across my classmate in the ring.
Akemi, just like her namesake meaning "bright" and "beautiful", would grow to be the Madonna of her classes in the future. It was something that was predictable just by observing her bubbly personality and 'kawaii' looks. You could tell from her clothes that she had good family background. The youngest daughter of three, with a banker as a father and a trophy wife of decent lineage as a mother. All the girls wanted to be her friend and a lot of boys turned red every time she spoke to them. Bato-sensei doesn't show favoritism, but she was definitely on his good side. And apparently she was a star in kunoichi classes.
My mind was already flying off to a different place as we both made the seal of confrontation. I had nothing against her, although I'm sure she's said something about me once or twice behind my back. She was just a kid full of energy and child ignorance, so I wasn't too interested in our spar.
However...
If I won and had a one-sided fight, no doubt I'd be public enemy number one. Which means I'd draw attention to myself and I don't want that, but I don't want to lose either. And that's if I can even win and it'd be arrogant of me to assume so, but…
You can't help but think that if you can keep up with two prodigy Uchihas, a Hyuga, Nara, and Akimichi in mock training practices, you must be somewhat skilled, right?
Bato-sensei nodded and swiped a hand down, commanding, "Begin!"
I huffed.
How difficult.
I could save my pride for another time. I should prioritize on being average, I thought while looking at Akemi. She seemed confident and ready, with her legs slightly spread apart and elbows bent. She held a stance a child wouldn't adopt without having had some lessons in sparring.
I could pretend to match blow for blow and then trip or something at the last moment.
I nodded to myself.
Let's do that. Lose today, pride can come later.
"You're going down, pretty girl," Akemi crowed. "I took fighting lessons from an expert."
You know what, I change my mind.
I watched Akemi run towards, fists ready. I didn't like throwing the first punch so I simply dodged. And I watched.
I won't have to fight, I surmised. Having decided that, I took steps backwards while avoiding her fists. She wasn't even kicking, but she was trying her best. I kind of wanted to cheer her on.
Then she took a huge leap forward and I saw my chance. I stepped out of the way and let her run out of the ring.
There was a pause of silence because no one knew what to do if someone overstepped the boundaries. And then one of Akemi's friends, Kaori, giggled out loud.
"Akemi! You fell out of the circle, silly!" Kaori shouted and was joined in by many of our other classmates. They laughed out of good humor and not out of spite, so even Bato-sensei cracked a smile.
Akemi stuck out her tongue in what would be generally considered 'cute' and put a hand behind her head to show her slight embarrassment.
"Teehee, oops," she said. We both returned to the center of the ring and made the seal of reconciliation.
"You got off this time, pretty girl," Akemi pronounced, loud enough for everyone to hear. I showed nothing on my face and walked back to where Takeshi and Kenta had been watching. If I had stayed in that ring any longer, I would've tackled her. I stood next to the boys and made sure no one was close enough to listen to me vent.
"You got off this time, pretty girl," I mimicked in a high-pitched voice. Kenta muffled his laugh, but Takeshi held a sharp grin.
"You don't like being called pretty?" He prodded.
"Acting like she was so good," I muttered.
"But, Haru, she's kinda right," Kenta said. I looked sharply at him and bristled.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
I'm not that horrible at spars, am I?
Kenta's face quickly paled when he realized what I thought he meant and held his hands up to placate me.
"No, no, Haru, I didn't mean your sparring, I was talking about the 'pretty girl' thing," he yelped. My shoulders lowered and I tilted my head. Now I was confused.
"What?"
Takeshi sighed and looked away.
"Drop it, Kenta, she wouldn't get it," he advised.
If Takeshi sighed, then it meant something was hopeless, so I let the topic fall. Even though I was irritated by Akemi, I had to grudgingly accept that the outcome of the match was favorable. The attention had been all on Akemi, not me, and I didn't have to throw a single punch. It was for the best, but her loud verbalization at the end of our round had gotten under my skin. People who boasted things about themselves, ignorantly, was something that was like a red flag for me. I just knew that I could've grinded her face against the dirt...but I didn't.
Casting my petty feelings aside, I turned my attention back to the ring. My eyes lit up in interest.
"Shisui and Shin are up next!"
Our entire class watched the match in fascination. Bato-sensei's eyebrows raised at certain moments and the spar went on for several minutes.
Shin clearly didn't want to lose against Shisui, an Uchiha, of all people.
Our class oohhed and ahhhed when Shisui and Shin performed complicated and risky maneuvers, twisting and turning. They were edging so closely to the boundary lines, but not quite, teasing the crowd in predicting who was going to get knocked out. It was like watching a sporting event, they were making a fun show.
Shisui was already displaying some skill in his speed, something that I was envious in. Sure, being fast is cool, but it would be useless if you couldn't think as fast as you were moving. Making split-second decisions should be just as easy as moving at high speeds. That's why Minato was called the Yellow Flash. He moved at the speed of light, however what was even more impressive was what he did with that speed:
He wiped out 1,000 Rock shinobi in a single battle.
I shook my head.
Did I just say that the ability to kill 1,000 lives was impressive?
My mind must have been infected by the Academy.
On the other hand, Shin wasn't showing any signs of the dojutsu his clan was famed for. Bato-sensei did forbid us from attacking vital spots and using ninjutsu. Shisui probably had his sharingan, if not, will get it soon.
Come to think of it, I mused. Shin doesn't have the caged bird seal. His forehead is bare. Is that because branch members of the clan receive it when the heir turns three? So they'll get it when Hinata turns three, right? Wait, is she even born yet? Or is Shin actually a part of the main family? Shin never told us about his family circumstances, so I wouldn't know.
"Haru, I'm afraid you have to take kunoichi classes."
I slouched further in the chair in front of the Hokage's desk.
"Unless…," Minato hesitated.
"What? Unless what?"
I wanted an excuse. Turn into a boy? I'm all up for that. Girls have monthly periods anyways and I am not looking forward to when puberty strikes.
"Unless," Minato repeated. "You want to take an alternative."
Alternative.
"Alternative," I said slowly.
"Yes."
"Is this 'alternative' something that you and Kushina came up with after the dinner at Ichiraku Ramen?"
Minato grinned slyly at me. For some reason, his canine and incisor teeth seemed a tad sharper than usual.
I was either going to love the alternative, or hate it.
Probably both.
x
Predictions? Questions? Thoughts? Comments? Leave a review to let me know!
Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
