Finally, it was time to start school. Hitomi was nervous and impatient. She had spent the last two months getting used again to a sedentary lifestile, but also working on her chemistry. With Ensui, whom had held to his word and was staying around, she had designed several types of flash bombs with various ranges and blinding capacities, and smoke bombs that could be six different colours. He had also made her practise her accuracy with throwing weapons, arguing that if she was about to throw nasty things to her enemies' heads, she had to be accurate.
The fact that she was one year older than her classmates would either prove to be an asset or an inconvenience. Either children would think she was a lot more experienced than them — she remembered that one year older was virtually a whole life ahead at that age — either they would think she had started school later than them because she was less able than the other aspiring ninjas. It would all be decided in the first days of school, and she had to do her best to make good impressions. Her skin, still a little tanned from Suna's sun, would probably give a little adventurous strike to her person, but it would not be enough to convince the children.
The little girl's anxiety lowered a bit when she was her mother waiting for her down the stairs. Rubbing her sleepy eyes, Hitomi hugged Kurenai, and the latter sprung her around in a proud embrace. Oh, the child knew how proud the kunoichi was to see her daughter take her first steps towards her life as a ninja, even though Hitomi thought her first steps had been made with Ensui. The Will of Fire was all about being transmitted to the younger generation.
"Go and greet the sun, breakfast will be there when you'll come back. Uncle Shikaku will be here in an hour. We'll go to the Academy with him and Shikamaru. You want to share this big day with him, right?"
Hitomi nodded, feeling a warm softness rise in her under her mother's clear-sightedness and attentions. She sometimes didn't see herself as a child, as someone who needed parents, while hers had not been around in her first life, but sometimes, like in this moment, she had no difficulty to remember how Kurenai was precious to her, and how far she would go to protect her.
One hour later, Hitomi was walking in Konoha's streets in a determined gait, chatting with Shikaku and holding the Nara heir's arm. She had not given her cousin any choice in the matter, and he was doing his best to look like he was a torture victim. School was a lot of trouble 'for nothing', or so he liked to say. Truly, he wanted to become a ninja and protect his kin, just like her. His laziness was half because he wanted to fit in his clan, and half because of his intellect, which tended to exhaust him fairly quickly. When he closed his eyes for more than a minute, unless he was stressed, he fell asleep wherever he was.
Those last few weeks, to her own surprise, the little girl had found herself wanting to fit in among her generation's ninjas. Shikamaru would always be her friend and family, but she wanted more, and didn't want to be forced to drag her poor cousin around while executing her messed up plans. She wanted true friendship, be reassured by other people's presence, be part of the group she had discovered while reading the manga. She was tired of being lonely.
A stage had been set in the Academy's courtyard. People were already there, and they were a lot; at least a hundred future students were there, and it was much larger than Hitomi would have guessed. And yet, she knew that six years from now, only twenty-seven — or twenty-eight if she counted herself — would graduate. And in this small pool of people, only nine would be able to be promoted in classical military forces.
Kurenai bent over and took her daughter in her arms, putting her on her shoulders so she could see even in the midst of the crowd. She was a big too old for this kind of things, but her mother didn't seem bothered at all by the extra weight, and the child was grateful for the gesture. Thus she was able to see the Hokage on the stage, for the first time ever. He looked frail, especially in this huge white and red outfit, old and tired. Yet, when he began his speech, his face lit up with pride and energy, and Hitomi finally understood why he was called 'The Professer' as an honorific.
In a respectful silence, the young recruits listened to the leader of the village talk about the Will of Fire, about this hopeful day which showed it passed on to a new generation. Hitomi, her eyes trained on the stage, was taking in the faces of the professors aligned behind the Hokage, their backs held straight and chins high. She immediately noticed Iruka, who seemed so young, and Mizuki, against whom she couldn't do anything. Seeing him with his small smirk, she had to contain a violent urge. She had no chance against him right now, and even if she had any... She would never prevent Naruto from learning the Multiclonage.
The speech was short, but Hitomi had enough time to grasp its subtilities. When the Hokage was speeking, she saw the war chief in him, the prodigy in strength and control that could invoke Death itself and bend it to his will, and who would make every sacrifice required to achieve his plans. Compared to him, she could see how far she had yet to advance. Of course, his speech was full of propaganda; she had expected it from the school that trained the Land of Fire's warriors. Despite Konoha's timorous reputation, they weren't above filling their children's head with a doctrine that would make them put their life on the line to defend them.
Once the Hokage's speech was over — she wondered if he wrote a new one every year — another teacher took a few steps forwards, a list in his hand, and started making a call to divide children among three classes. Hitomi was surprised with the lack of equality in the classe's repartition. Clan children, and her, were all called in the first class. Civilians filled in until they were thirty pupils, but it couldn't be a coincidence.
The classroom Iruka led them too was big, with huge patio doors as windows. It was quite common in Konoha, since ninjas often travelled to this height. In a few years, if Kurenai's word was to be trusted, the pupils would be able to use these windows in case of emergency. If not, they had to use the door like everyone else.
Hitomi immediately noticed two children that she knew were Shino Aburame and Hinata Hyūga, sat in the last row of the classroom. It was a sign of wisdom, and not laziness. What kind of ninja would have to sit in front of people, who would then be in their backs ? Clan children knew about those things. The little girl grabbed her cousin's hand, and he grabbed Chōji, and she went to sit next to Hinata. Together, they took almost every spot in the back row and could see clearly the rest of the classroom, which was built like an auditorium. The back row was thus the highest.
The day started peacefully... Too peacefully. Iruka-sensei's explanations were very classic; timetables, furnitures, compulsory classes, class rules... Hitomi got bored, and she couldn't stand being bored. She discreetly fished her notebook from her bag. It had become cold during the Hokage's speech, but she hadn't had the chance to open it yet.
Dear Hitomi,
Have your classes started already? They have here, and I'm bored. I'm alone in the back of the classroom and I feel like I shouldn't, but Ensui always told us to keep an eye on our surroundings, right? There's nobody in my class that I trust enough for that. They all look at me weirdly, as if I'd suddenly get angry and hurt them.
The worst thing is that a long time ago, it could have happened. Before I met you, I was so angry at them, all the time. I didn't understand why they left me on my own, why they didn't want to play with me. I've never wanted to hurt them, but sometimes my sand would accidentally... You know what I'm talking about.
I've tried to talk to Temari this morning when she took me to the Academy. She was alone, so... I don't know. It was easier, I guess. I asked her how she was doing and thanked her for taking me with her. She looked so surprised! But she didn't seem angry. I guess you're right about her.
My teacher is a bit weird, but I think I'll like him fine enough. Well, we're bored right now, but he doesn't seem too strict. The boy sitting in front of me is sleeping and he hasn't done anything to wake him up.
I can't wait to hear from you,
Gaara.
With a soft smile on her lips, she started writing her answer. She described Iruka-sensei, who was actually yelling on Kiba and Naruto. She explained the genjutsu of the over-sized head, that the teacher seemed to use as an intimidation method. To her, it made him look like a cartoon character, but she felt a shiver run in the front rows.
Shikamaru was not following the class either. He was asleep on the notebook his cousin had given him, relaxed. He was adorable like that. She looked to her right and caught Hinata's eyes. She tried to smile softly, but she knew deep down that the Hyūga heiress was far to shy to relax at the first sign of kindness.
At ten o'clock, children had a quarter hour of freedom before going back to class. Hitomi gathered her courage and took a deep breath, squaring her shoulders as if to make herself seem bigger. It couldn't be that hard.
"Hi! You're a Hyūga, right? What's your name? I'm Hitomi Yūhi!"
She probably sounded a bit weird, but tried to reassure herself by thinking it was just expected from Naras. Their reputation had been made decades ago, after all, and Hitomi had chosen a tunic with her clan's crest on it for her first day of school, like Shikamaru.
"Hi-Hinata."
"Nice to meet you! And you're an Aburame, right? What's your name?"
"My name is Shino. My father often works with your clan. Your woods have a lot of interesting insect colonies."
This didn't surprise the little girl in the slightest. Naras, Akimichis and Yamanakas often worked together, inside and outside the village, to recreate ecosystems that were good for plants growth, and they neded the plants to make the village's medicine. It was a big piece of work, in which a lot of civilians from the three clan specialized, but really precious to ninjas, and it attracted a lot of rare insects.
In the end, despite her panic, fears and anguish, it was as simple as that. The two children followed her when she went out of the classroom and they all talked about themselves a bit more until they reach the inner courtyard of the Academy. Shikamaru and Chōji were following a little farther back. Ino had drowned herself in the crowd at the very beginning of the day, and Hitomi knew her enough to know that she would soon be the little queen bee of this new world.
After the brief recess, of which the children took advantage to explore the courtyard and find some quiet corners, Iruka decided it was time for the pupils to introduct themselves to class. He started calling them in alphabetical order, starting with Shino Aburame, while Hitomi waited for her turn, anxiety making knots in her stomach. She would be among the last pupils to talk with her last name. Once she recovered from her fear, she listened to the others and stored the informations about them. Their name, their age, their hobbies, what they liked and disliked. Soon enough, a little bond-haired boy talked, and she recognized him immediately.
"...And one day, I'll be Hokage, you'll see!"
The classroom's atmosphere slowly relaxed, while Iruka-sensei still seemed a bit tense. Several boys, with whom Naruto had played during recess, threw him friendly smiles. Hitomi's heart broke, since she knew that after today, it wouldn't happen again. Once the children would go home and their parents would repriment them about the demon-fox — Konoha's best kept secret, right? — they would never play with him again.
"Yūhi Hitomi!"
The little girl obediently stood up, doing her best to hold herself straight and proudly, both feet firmly planted on the floor, and with a relaxed shoulderline, as Ensui had taught her. It made her seem bigger, and hid her fear.
"Hello! My name is Hitomi Yūhi. I'm seven years old and my hobbies are reading and training. I like shōgi, my family and my clan, but I don't like red bean paste and staying stuck on a problem. My dream is to become a world-famous Seal Mistress. Nice to meet you all."
Most of the children didn't know anything about fūinjutsu, but Iruka knew the basics, as every graduated ninja did. He laid a surprised and searching look on the little girl, and she held his gaze before sitting down again. Shikamaru gently patted her thigh as comfort: he knew she didn't like to talk in front of a crowd, and according to their standards, thirty people were definitely a crowd.
The noon break came fast. Hitomi nudged gently Shikamaru to wake him up, careful not to hurt him, then turned to Hinata and Shino, that had fished their bentōs out of their backpacks.
"Hm, it was nice this morning. Would you like for us to eat together?"
While the two children accepted, she wondered how the other managed to socialize naturally. Weren't they anxious? One glance to Hinata, whose cheeks were reddening again, gave her an answer. They were anxious too. Well, at least she wasn't the only one. She turned to Shikamaru to offer him to come with them, but before she could say anything, he stratched his neck, embarrassed.
"Hm... Would you mind if I went with Chōji to see Ino? Our parents want us to become closer during the Academy... It's troublesome, but we should start right now or else my mum will get angry and..."
She interrupted him, nodding and smiling. She wouldn't be alone, after all. And even if she had been... She could take a little loneliness once in a while.
"Just write in your notebook if you need me."
She never parted with hers, and wasn't about to start today. Since she now had two penpals, she had dedicated a few pages to each, limiting their spaces with another seal. After getting her own bentō, she followed her two new friends to the outside courtyard this time. This one was bigger and had a lot more trees and hidden corners, but the pupils were only allowed to go there during their meals.
The children quickly found an isolated tree that could provide them with a large shadow. Hitomi sat on a root, her back against the trunk, and opened her bentō, watching her classmates do the same. Naras had taken over the Akimichi tradition that said to always make more food than what you need, and Kurenai had made a point to make a bentō that her daughter could share with her friends. In the end, they decided to share the three boxes and eat what they wanted to eat, while chatting lightly among themselves.
Shino, far more chatty now that the rest of the class wasn't around and listening, talked about his clan, their traditions and what civilians did. This kind of things was different among each clan, and the subject was fascinating to Hitomi. About ten minutes later, they talked about why the little girl had had to wait a whole year before starting the Academy.
"I have a disease that affects my chakra and it could have prevented me from being a ninja. Fortunately, a man from my clan who has the same disease, came back from a long mission in another country just in time to take me under his wing. He taught me how to control it... Actually, he taught me a bunch of things so I didn't feel sad because I had to start the Academy late."
"W-what kind of things?"
Hinata had not spoken much, and she had definitely not talked about herself. Knowing the Hyūgas, Hitomi knew that she had been scared into not revealing anything about the clan in school. Since she was clearly an introvert from the start, it probably didn't take much to force her to keep quiet. With a kind smile to try and soften the anxiety she perceived from her comrade, she answered her question.
"Taijutsu and kenjutsu basics, a lot of chakra control exercises, fūinjutsu... This kind of things."
She was voluntarily vague and didn't talk about any detail. Ensui had taught her about how good secrets were, especially concerning her own capacities. Only her strongest allies would be allowed to know them, so they could work properly together, but she had to say just enough to impress to the others, and to little to give away any weakness. Even though she doubted Hinata or Shino wanted to hurt her, it couldn't hurt to make a habit out of this.
They chatted until the end of the break. Hitomi had had enough time to talk to them about Suna and her friend Gaara — nobody knew that name in Konoha, and she purposely didn't say anything about his demon .She also talked about Ensui, immensely proud to see they knew him by reputation, even though they hadn't heard anything about her feud with the Hokage. Of course, people didn't talk much about that. They'd rather not share their leader's failures.
When they all came back to class, hidden sheets of paper had been put on their desks. A test, already? Hitomi shared a disillusioned look with Shikamaru. When she had wanted to start the Academy so much, she hadn't paid much thought to this kind of things, but it was so boring... Sighing sightly, she went back to her spot near the back of the classroom and listened to the instructions.
It took her about ten minutes to finish the test, while they had two hours to finish it. Most questions were simply to assess their skills in writing and reading, and their general knowledge. All those matters had been taken in capable hands by her mother, and Ensui. From the corner of her eye, the little girl saw her cousin answer exactly the right amount of questions to have an average note, then answer wrongly to everything else. Simultaneously, they put their pens down, crossed their arms on their tables and rested their heads on them.
While Shikamaru napped again, Hitomi went through her plans concerning this era of her life. The next day, if everything went according to plan, she would talk to Naruto and convince him to be her friend. She would easily convince Shikamaru, Ino and Chōji to do the same thing. She would probably have a bit more trouble with Hinata and Shino, because both of them always respected what their parents told them. That said, she wasn't resourceless, and maybe she would be able to convince them despite that... Yes, she had to think about it.
When the bell rung, signifying the end of classes for the day, she opened her eyes and woke up Shikamaru by pressing his shoulder. She watched him stretch carefully before putting his belongings in his bag. They left their tests on Iruka-sensei's desk as they left and Hitomi said goodbye to Shino and Hinata before following her cousin to the way out.
In front of the Academy's gate, she was surprised to see that her mother wasn't alone: Shikamaru's, Ino's and Chōji's parents were waiting for them too. They were probably there to take them to one of the clan parties the children had learned about. They had only been to the actual parties once or twice in their lives. After all, four children of the Three Clan Alliance, as they were sometimes called, going for the first time to the Academy together, was a rare occurrence.
As Hitomi had suspected, there was a party brewing. She had to obey to Kurenai, who decided that the day was important enough to deserve traditionnal kimono, and taught her daughter how to wear it. Her long, black hair was held in a bun, a few strands of hair softly curling on her neck and shoulders. Looking at herself in the mirror, Hitomi couldn't see the kunoichi she intended to become... Which was perfect. A good ninja was a ninja who was able to be undeteceted in any situation.
The Akimichi clan had a chain of restaurants that could be found on the whole continent, but the oldest of them was in the main street of Konoha. One couldn't get a table unless they had reserved it for weeks, and even if they had, they still had to pay a lot of money. Unsurprisingly, that was where the party took place. The whole restaurant had been closed for the night, to welcome the three clan's members that wanted to be there to pay their respect to the new generation.
Ensui was among them. Hitomi saw him often, but it wasn't the same thing since it wasn't just the two of them, and she missed him. Delighted to see him in his Jōnin uniform — he only wore the jacket for special occaisons — she rushed to hug him, a bright smile on her lips. With a small, low laugh, he closed his arms around her and held tight.
The next few minutes were dedicated to a description of her first day. Her attentive master listened to everything she had to say, from the test, the introductions, her new friends, to Naruto. He already knew how her apprentice felt about the way the village treated the jinchūriki. He also thought that the old generation was incredibly stupid. How could they expect the young boy to want to find for them, and his village, if everything he had from them was coldness and indifference?
Then, the guests and the kings and queen of the party took their seats. For the first time, the children were seated at the honour table, next to their parents. It was weird to them, and they commented about it among themselves with small giggles. The food was delicious, of course, and there was plenty of it; it was an Akimichi restaurant, after all. There was a lot of rice wine for the adults, while the children obediently drank juice.
A bit later, it was time for the presents. The informal atmosphere was also reigning in this little ceremony. Every child had to sit in a chair, in the middle of the room, and the four of them waited for the adults to give them things. Hitomi got a calligraphy set from her mother, a chemistry kit from Ensui so she could do experiments without having to steal anything from Konoha's labs, and she got several rare-looking fūinjutsu books from Shikaku. Other people gave them presents, mostly clothes and weapons, but none of them held as much value as the first three gifts, not even the bun pin set with rubies that you could transform in a deadly weapon with a slight pressure.
She went to bed late that evening, a delighted smile on her lips, and slept until the morning without interruption. It was rare enough for her to notice. Her sleep had always been very light, since she spent her nights in her Library and she could go out of it instantly. It was as if a part of her mind never really rested.
That night was no exception; she spent most of the night wandering around the shelves, opening one book or another to browse through. And yet, when she woke up, she felt rested and ready to tackle on the day, which could be harder even than the previous day. After all, she had a jinchūriki to approach, and that couldn't be very easy.
So, um. Hi! Haven't been there for a month. I should probably get rid of the dust that's settled here. What can I say for myself? Well, for one, I'm a dreadful person. So, there's that. Also, I'm terrible at following schedules of any kind. And I have a very small child quarantined here with me, and guess what? I got Covid-19! It was slightly unpleasant to say the least but fortunately everybody is well in my household, as I very sincerely hope you are, too.
Cheers!
