14 • Hell(o)

It's early in the morning, just before four. Instead of waking up with the rest of the barracks, I was woken up separately to meet up with Dino. After quickly and quietly exiting the barracks, I made my way to the Locker Room, idly waving to some operatives I know. The few nods I get back are a huge victory, especially from Operative 27 of the Hunter Barracks.

Operative 27, from my understanding, has been working for Dino for over ten years now and is extremely loyal. It's hard to guess her age and background since she doesn't show her face much. If I had to guess, I would say early twenties to early thirties, definitely not someone in the teen range. But I could be wrong, we don't talk much but when we do it's mostly about different techniques to catch an enemy off guard.

I've found that the best way to catch the older operatives' attention was by showing my dedication to improvement. I'm no stranger to everyone, the pink hair makes that impossible. My record in the room also makes it difficult not to know me. It's that exact record that doesn't get the older operatives to like me since it shows and means disloyalty. The younger operatives have mixed feelings about my record. From eavesdropping, I know some find me stupid to try and resist submitting to Dino, while others find me fascinating for resisting for so long and that I'm still alive.

To each their own I suppose. It's slow progress but still progress. One can only do so much in three years. I theorize that my progress will increase once I build a reputation for myself through higher missions. The in-village ones are equivalent to a genin's D-ranks from what I've heard. I'm still debating what that means for my skills since this is technically ANBU.

Sighing silently, I quickly change into my all black standard uniform. Despite being a shady ass organization that kidnaps and trains child soldiers, ROOT has some damn good benefits. I don't have to shop for my clothes or accessories or food since it's provided for me. Devil knows that Kizashi wouldn't provide for me and I would have to resort to stealing more than a quick pocket or two since there's no doubt in my mind the money I pickpocket would be confiscated. Now that money is being handed off to Naruto to use.

Speaking of the little blonde, after being kicked out of the orphanage he's taken to staying over with Sasuke and his family. It only took a week before Hiruzen caught news of his sleepovers and confronted him about it. Now the little blonde has his own apartment complex since no one wants to be near him. The complex is alright, could be better but it's not the worst. No where near the red light district like I feared since Mikoto was with him during the confrontation and moving plans. I was busy getting chased through ROOT's private forest at the time so I couldn't be there for it.

Since getting his own apartment, Naruto has invited us to hang out with him there. So after playing in the park for half a day, we would make our way over to hang out. With our frequent visits, his apartment is kept fairly clean. Really, who would expect a clean apartment of a six-year-old? It helps that Shisui and Itachi always walk him home and Naruto wants to make a good impression on all of us with his new independence. Overall, things are looking very good for him. For him, Sasuke, Hinata, Itachi, Shisui - for everyone, things are looking good.

So now to wait for the other shoe to drop, I think while pulling my hair into a tight low bun. My hair has grown longer much to my annoyance. It now reaches past my shoulder blades instead of just touching my shoulders. Luckily, I've been taught during the flash course on formality and manners on what to do with my hair. Unprofessionalism isn't tolerated, especially in appearance.

Once done, I begin making my way towards the hall that holds the designated meeting room. Since I'm only six and still a trainee, I don't have access to the roof and vent system. It's been pointed out to me since I questioned where the hell the various operatives are falling / jumping down from. It makes so much fucking sense because no one uses the goddamn doors anymore and I don't see them body flicker away when leaving a room.

Standing in front of the door, I flash my chakra in the code that's been given to me for this exact meeting. It takes a moment but the answering code is flashed back, allowing me to enter the room. I let my gaze quickly flicker around the room as I open and close the door. Then I kneel on one knee and fist, head bowed, waiting to be acknowledged.

Danzō doesn't acknowledge me for a few minutes. It's a test of patience and discipline. I find it stupid because he called for this meeting and then he's going to put it off? What the fuck kind of logic is that? I have shit to do, you know. Today's an important day!

"AB Operative 86," he says suddenly, his raspy voice cutting through the silence. I don't move or answer him. "Today your targets will all be in one place." I resist the urge to bite my tongue, knowing he would see my jaw shift. "Mission parameters are for you to befriend the young clan heirs and find their weaknesses."

Well, if that isn't purposely vague then I don't know what is. But why bring up my long-term mission? He doesn't say anything for a long moment and I don't either, never moving from my position. I wasn't dismissed or directly acknowledged.

"Mission parameters have changed," he continues after several minutes. "You will be joining the Academy alongside them. Train and prepare the young clan heirs. Observe their strengths and weaknesses. Report everything to me at the end of each day."

Woah, what? I mean, I know he told me to help Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata before but it was more like trying a new angle at befriending them. Now it's part of my mission? And prepare them for what? I have plenty of reasons to train them and what to prepare them for. What are his reasons?

"Your schedule has been changed to accommodate your absences in the Barracks. Your Barrack Officer will have everything you need," he informs, clearly closing this meeting. "Dismissed."

"Hai, Danzō-sama," I murmur, standing up straight to bow before leaving. Ugh, I think I just gagged a little in my mouth.

Once the door closes behind me, I start walking back to the Barracks. Accommodate my absences huh? That just means more intense training in less time. My mornings and nights will be taken up, along with my days off of school. The academy follows a six days of classes, so my Sundays will be my "make up" days in the Camp. Ah, 24 hour training sessions are the worst.

Then take in the training in the academy itself and training the Little Brat Squad. Looks like lecture time will be my nap and recovery time. Ah, but what sort of student am I supposed to be? I can't exactly be average, not when I'll be hanging around a bunch of clan kids. Wonder if Dino told my Barrack Officer or if that'll be saved for a later meeting. Probably later today, after the end of the "official" first day of school.

I'll likely be trained until half or an hour before the academy starts in the mornings. Which would mean...

I come to a stop in front of my Barrack Officer, Operative 2 of the Assassin Barracks, who's waiting next to the door leading to the sleeping quarters of our barracks. They have their white mask on but they're recognizable by the gray strip of cloth on their right arm, marking them as a Barrack Officer. To differentiate the Officers, there's a subtle stitching in the strip of a different color that represents the Barrack.

And what color represents assassins best?

"Operative 86 reporting and waiting for instruction," I state flatly, standing at attention.

"You will be joining the Trackers Barrack for morning training starting today," he commands flatly as I resist the urge to twitch. "Report to Training Room 5 in the next 10 minutes. Dismissed."

I bow slightly, acknowledging my dismissal, turn and immediately start making my way to the training room. I flex my hand carefully once out of immediate sight, the only show of my irritation. I was right to think that I wasn't woken up so early just for a mission debrief.

And to be joining the Trackers of all things for morning training...they have the earliest training hours of the whole facility! And as a member of the Assassin Barracks, I have the latest training hours! When the fuck am I supposed to sleep? In class?

...can I sleep in class? It's not like Danzō told me to be a model student or anything. Besides, isn't there someone that was constantly sleeping or lazing around? But wouldn't that catch attention? Wait, I'm supposed to be friends with all the heirs, I'll have attention on me either way.

I bite back a groan of frustration as I reach the training room. Opening the door, I quickly look over the whole room before settling my gaze on the person who looks to have the highest authority.

Trackers go hand in hand with the Hunters. Which means they have to be fast. Assassins have to be efficient and hidden. Which means we practice our techniques and stealth more than our speed or strength.

And Training Room 5 is built for speed training, so I haven't been in here often. But just from the few times I have been here and the quick look I took, I can already tell that I'll be dead on my feet once the Entrance Ceremony for the first day of school starts.

Fuck, I internally groan as I'm silently commanded to beginning my stretches and start running. I'm being started off with stamina training. They want to see how long I can last so I can be placed with the appropriate training group. I don't understand why they can't just stick me with the other kids my age. I may have more endurance than them but surely my stamina isn't better than theirs when I'm an assassin and they're hunters. Right?

ʕ •̀ o •́ ʔ

I'm being placed with the group just above those my age. Fuck. Of course I have more stamina! I train for two days straight then I have to go play with Uzumaki freaking Naruto who's a fucking stamina monster! Damn it!

I bite my tongue to hold off on cursing as I make my way towards the academy by myself. I no longer have a watcher. It was risky to begin with since I hung around Naruto who I'm pretty damn sure had his own watchers. But since I'm now going to be attending the academy, which is right next to the Hokage's Tower, it's just stupid to have one. I'll wait another year before deciding whether it's a good thing or not, it's too soon to tell if Danzō trusts or has faith in me.

Having to walk about a third length of the village isn't something I'd recommend if you'd just complete pretty extensive running exercises. As it is, I smile and wave to the various civilians I know to keep the grimace off my face. I may have a pretty damn high pain tolerance but there's just something different about the strain your muscles feel after a workout.

Is it because the pain is basically internal? I wonder as I seamlessly weave through the crowd even with my pink hair. External pain and Internal pain are different and I've had more than enough experience with external pain but I don't think I've sustained any internal injuries, besides that one time when Naruto was born. I think I was in shock at the sudden turn of behavior in Kizashi to actually notice, hmm.

I slow down and shift to hide in the shadows once I reach the academy, staying in the back to observe the numerous people clustered in the yard. Immediately I spot Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata. They're all standing next to each other, talking idly, with their parents (some of them) behind them. Sasuke's mother, Housewife (I'm calling it as it is, the lady can be a mean bitch but let's be real, she stays out of the way most of the time), is standing next to him with a small smile. Itachi, aka Princess, is closer to the three brats. I hum under my breath, not at all surprised to find that Fu-chan isn't around.

Hinata's father, Prick as I have decided to nickname him, from what I can see, is staring in a sort of resigned and despaired fashion. Wonder what the three brats are discussing to make him look like that. And..oh, I raise a brow in curiosity. I haven't met them nor properly seen them whenever I attended Hinata's birthday ceremonies, but I'm pretty damn sure that's Destiny's Bitch and Prick's Twin: Dick.

The two of them are a little ways off from the three brats but I can see them send several glances at the trio's way. Dick, whose name I honestly don't know, looks as confused as a Hyūga could be. Destiny's Bitch, Neji?, seems, well, horrified for lack of a better word.

What are those brats talking about?

Moving my gaze, I begin to spot the other clan families. The Yamanaka, Nara, Akimichi are huddled together on the other side of the yard. Tilting my head, I can spot the three heirs together along with their fathers. It's a little surprising that there are other children standing by too, but I suppose the heirs couldn't have been the only child born around Naruto's time. It'd be good to keep an eye on them.

Not too far from them are the Inuzuka and Aburame. They're given a wide berth for the large dogs and bugs respectively. I spot the two heirs easily enough, with the Inuzuka Heir being held back by his mother and the Aburame Heir standing close to his father.

I observe for a while longer, never letting my gaze linger for more than a second on anyone, completely ignoring the entrance ceremony. It's pointless anyways, the children will be split off by prestige then given a test to properly place them in classes. Which is even more pointless, sort of, because all the heirs will automatically be placed in one class. And with Naruto being such an important figure he would be placed alongside them regardless of his test scores.

I'm not exactly concerned about the placement test. I'm basically a baby ANBU, I'd smoke all these little shits. So I stay back, watch and listen as names are called out to certain teachers. I'm only a little surprised to find that Scar Face, Iruka he introduced himself, is the heirs teacher from the start. He's young, likely having only taught or assisted in teaching for a few years. He certainly looks nervous and eager. Wonder what sort of teacher he'll be like.

As the last names being called out by teachers slowly reaches H, I start making my way through the crowd of children and adults to be closer to the front. No one pays attention to me, and I take a moment to wonder if it's due to my skill or them just being distracted.

"Haruno Sakura," some white-blue-grey haired teacher calls out and I step forward easily. He blinks down at me as I walk over to join the line of children standing in front of him.

I don't miss the bewildered and condescending look in his eyes before he smiles easily at me. I smile back reflexively from dealing with civilians on the way here. Ah, if only I could flip him off and hammer my personality down on the first day but alas, I still need to gather more information and receive orders before doing anything too bad.

"Sakura!"

And there goes my plan to lay low for the first day.

I turn around to see Naruto waving his arms at me, Hinata smiling, and Sasuke dips his head in greeting just after Itachi does. I snort, and without so much as a bye-your-leave, walk over with a smirk. I don't miss the glares and murmurs but I do ignore them, easily cataloging who to throw a ration at when I next see them.

"Brats," I greet, instinctively uncurling my chakra out slowly. I notice some heads turn to me in small interest and confusion. It's something I started doing once I got a proper hold of my chakra. Curling my chakra in and out of itself to not only help grow my reserves but also make those around me aware of a habit I'm cultivating.

I can't get people to notice anything off about me through my words due to Kizashi being a cunning bastard that told various stories about my language before releasing me from the basement, practically implementing the idea of being a broody, angry, confused, and vicious child in everyone's head. They expect me to act the way I do, easily batting aware any warning flags that may pop up because Kizashi has told various tales to explain it all away.

The fucker, he isn't getting off that easily.

So, I'll make them take notice. Every shinobi is a partial sensor, even if it's only to those right next to them. It wouldn't be hard to notice a child's chakra curling in itself around strangers and generally people they don't trust. I'll have to place myself in different situations to get people to make the connections but hopefully it'll pay off in the end and I can get Kizashi's ass arrested before I actually do murder him and get arrested instead.

As much as I want to kill the bastard, I've ultimately come to the decision that he's an ant in the grand scheme of things and I can't risk being arrested or barred from being a shinobi because of him.

But if no one notices anything in at least two years then I'll officially just say fuck it and start practicing medical chakra on my own just so I can crudely kill the fucker and leave his corpse to rot in the basement.

Naruto shifts on his feet, bringing me away from my planning. He's staring at me and I stare back, slowly raising a brow in question. There are still murmurs circling around but that isn't something that Naruto would let bother him, not after the four of us (plus Sushi and Princess) went out and pelted several civilians with rations (Sushi happily placed a genjutsu over us to get away with it after eliciting a promise from us to stop using him as target practice, even as Itachi stared disapproving at him).

So why…, Naruto's arms twitch and shift like he's restraining himself from moving and I huff in understanding. I helpfully hold my arms out and raise a brow at him, waiting. He grins and dives in for a hug. Hinata giggles and Sasuke rolls his eyes.

"I've told you to just ask," I mutter exasperatedly, patting his back and petting his hair in return.

Little Blonde has taken to hugs ever since I held him that night he was kicked out and didn't push him away when he tackled me. I had to eventually tell him to stop tackling me because I almost elbowed him and threw him over my shoulder. I told him that he didn't need to tackle people to receive hugs without actually hugging people. He was really embarrassed and I reluctantly pulled everyone into a group hug when he looked ready to cry as everyone agreed with me.

Fuck children being such a huge weakness of mine.

He pulls away with a smile, happily bouncing on his toes. I huff, roll my eyes, and slouch back while placing my hands in my pockets.

"How come we didn't see you earlier?" Naruto asks with a slight pout. Hinata and Sasuke look over, waiting for my answer.

I shrug, "I was running late." Simple, to the point, and completely honest.

"Is your father nearby Sakura-Chan?" Mikoto's soft voice cuts through before Sasuke could start ranting about punctuality again.

I hide my grimace by tilting my head down in a shake, "Nope. On a mission."

She frowns slightly but Naruto starts speaking again. "Think we'll be in the same class?" His eyes are darting around, his shoulders hunching slightly.

"Probably? Even if we aren't, we should still have lunch together," I shrug again, shifting to look back at the classes being slowly lined up.

"Hyūga Hinata!"

We all turn to face the voice simultaneously. Scar Face is smiling slightly when he notices and Hinata smiles back politely. She turns to us first, leaning forward to say something. We all lean forward to listen.

"Iruka-san's class looks like it's going to have the clan heirs," she observes quietly. Sasuke and Naruto look over reflexively and I slap them upside the head to make them stop. "I expect to see you in class Sasuke-kun." He blinks but nods. "Sakura is in another class because you are a civilian, yes?" I nod with a slight shrug. "So where would Naruto-kun be?"

I look over at the classes once more, putting on a show of thinking. Already I can see that my class is all civilians — it's the only all civilian class. My lips pull back in a small sneer. To be written off from the start, psh, what a fucking joke.

"Your class," I easily answer back. "My class is all civilians. And the old monkey is fond of Little Blonde, he wouldn't put him in a class without a friend. That'd just be fucking cruel."

They all blink but nod and take my word for it. Should probably look into that. Instant trust is cool, yeah, very heartwarming and shit, but fuck, I'm technically their enemy even if they don't know it and the trust is the mission objective.

I yawn instead, "Should probably get back. Getting in trouble the first day would be shitty."

Hinata nods and smiles. "If we are not in the same class then I expect to see you all at lunch, okay?"

We all nod easily and she walks away with a wave. Ah, she didn't even tell her father goodbye. Harsh.

Whatever, not my problem.

I turn back to the two boys and straighten out of my slouch. They unconsciously follow my example, eyes immediately zeroing in on me and what I have to say.

"If you run into any sort of trouble, and I mean any trouble, you could be facing a bully or the damn bathroom is broken for some fucking reason or hell you have fangirls again, you come to me and I will help. If anyone is mean to you for some stupid ass reasons, tell me so I can kick their ass and send them crying back home because I don't have the damn patience for bullies in the academy. Got it?"

They blink. Naruto slowly grins and Sasuke looks away with a small embarrassed scowl. But they nod all the same even if Mikoto giggles quietly and Prick snorts softly.

"Make sure you tell Hinata too if you can," I add on before turning around and waving to head back to my own class.

My class doesn't stick around for long. Once all of his students are called together, Mizuki leads us into the building. I pause for only a second to look back at the various children still lining up.

Depending on how today goes, I might just have a plan.

Let's make the first day of school a memorable one, I grin.

ʕ •̀ o •́ ʔ

I stare at the paper blankly. Next I slowly stare at the pencil in my hand. Then I lift my head to stare at the teacher. He stares back at me, a raised brow to show his confusion and a slightly turned up chin to be condescending.

What the actual fuck am I doing taking a fucking written test on the first day of school. I turn my head to look at my fellow civilian classmates and already I can see a few pale and on the verge of tears. Yeah, no.

"Sensei," I call out into the silence, effectively turning all attention to me. He blinks but smiles and nods for me to continue. I smile back innocently. "What the fuck is this?"

Several children gasp while "sensei" gapes at me silently.

"This is a little unfair, don't you think sensei? What's the purpose of this?" I continue to ask, changing my pitch to seem like an honest-to-god curious child.

"Let's watch our language now, Haruno-chan," he chides with a gentle frown. Gross, honorific with my last name. "And let's get back to the test yeah? Then we can go outside."

"You're avoiding the questions," I snap back with a frown of my own, narrowing my eyes at him obviously.

"You're disrupting the class," he scolds, a little more serious now. Several children at the front hunch over a little and look back at me with wide eyes.

"Give me a perfectly good reason as to why we're doing this and I'll shut up," I compromise, opening my senses a little to feel the very miniscule killing intent he's giving off. I grin wider to hide my scowl. That is no way to scold or discipline children.

He smiles but I can see the annoyed twitch of his brow. "We have to see where everyone is, that way I can arrange our lessons to be the most helpful to you," he answers easily.

Not bad and not technically a lie either. Still super annoying.

"Oh that makes sense! Thanks, sensei!" I smile bashfully before turning back to my paper. I bite down the urge to scowl since my hair is pinned up and wouldn't be able to hide the expression.

He retracts the killing intent, quickly getting everyone else to go back to their tests. I finish mine easily enough, getting one or two of the "harder" questions wrong. It's all very basic, things children would learn from their parents. It's also super biased. Most civilian children don't know how to read or write until they're taught in the academy.

I wonder if the Brats are doing something similar. If so, I'm so fucking glad that Mikoto cracked down on giving Naruto the basic lessons of reading and writing. Though it's not like he would be moved from the class, not with Sasuke and Hinata in it. Ah, wait, that completely depends on if they were all put together.

Something to worry about later, preferably during lunch.

The test passes quickly and soon we're being escorted outside for the physical portion. I still call bullshit but smile and play along. It's also a nice opportunity to see where my classmates stand. It's common sense that through the years, the "weaker" students will be weeded out but it'll be useful to see who might stick it out through the years.

As it is, I'm ready to shove the knife hidden in my sleeve through someone's face.

"We'll just be running today, to see how long you last and how laps you can do," Mizuki explains calmly with a smile.

Running. He wants me to run. He wants me to do what I just fucking did this fucking morning. This has got to be a joke because my legs ache, I'm tired as fuck, and my pride refuses to let me get anything less than first.

I scowl slightly, easily placing myself in the middle of the crowd. Looking around, I frown slightly at the sight of just my class outside. If that isn't suspicious then I'm an ostrich.

I groan internally as Mizuki calls for us to start running. Just once, just once I want a normal day. I thought the academy would be somewhere I could relax but no, it just seems that it's covered in a conspiracy and my protectively suspicious instincts itch to uncover it because fuck knows if it'll affect the Brats.

"This is not the sort of memorable day I wanted," I complain under my breath as I start running, ignoring the ache my calves feel.

I wonder if the Brats are having a better day than I am. It's annoying enough that I'm not in the same class as them from the start so I can't threaten fangirls to keep away from Sasuke and the other kids from bullying Naruto. Hinata will be fine, she can perfectly handle her own problems but outward confrontation isn't her thing. She likes to be subtle in what she does and kids are too stupid to really realize the threat in that.

I huff a breath in irritation, blowing my bangs away from my face. Looking around, I can already spot the kids that started too fast and are getting tired faster. I can also see who's naturally slow and won't get far. Barely four laps in too. This class needs a lot of work.

But will the teachers get them into proper shape?

Mizuki sure as shit looks like bad news and incompetent. How the fuck is he a teacher with that display of discipline earlier? It's a little early to be showing his colors, so what gives?

Or am I being too paranoid?

A quick look over and I can see him marking some things on a clipboard. He just gives me bad vibes but I'm also really exhausted after this morning training. The current running doesn't help my mood either.

Humming quietly to myself, I focus back on the task at hand. Hopefully I can get a nap in during lunch. Unless the Brats have encountered any sort of trouble, then I'll have to take care of that first.

I frown when Mizuki calls my name, blinking only to realize I'm the only one still running. Ah, well then. I smile bashfully, slowing down to a stop. He only offers a sentence of reassurance before turning to the rest of the class to herd us all back to class.

My smile drops and my eyes narrow when his back is turned. He gives me bad vibes. I don't like it, especially when he works with children. The killing intent earlier this morning doesn't help his case either.

I cross my arms, keeping to the back of the class as we re-enter the school building. I'll give him a month to really form an opinion but it's already starting to look like a bad one.

Meh, if he doesn't do anything too bad then I won't bother him too much.

I'm totally getting him back for the killing intent though.

I wonder if he likes frogs, I ask myself while settling in my seat at the back of the class. Naruto would know just where to get them, so I'll bring him in on it.

I grin, mood improving at the thought despite the lecture I'm about to endure for the next two hours. Honestly, who gives a history lecture the first day of school? What happened to handing out a syllabus and lecture on the rules? To start with history of all things…

I hold back my irritation from showing on my face, lazily keeping notes as I continue to observe the class. No one is taking notes which is understandable since most probably don't even know how to read that well. It's...confusing.

I slowly stop writing notes, shifting a little to get a better look of the whole class from my seat at the back corner of the room. Several kids are fidgety, some are obviously panicked or confused, and some are down right bored out of their minds.

How...interesting.

I bite my lip to prevent myself from frowning, instead tilting my head and casually going back to my notes. Not that I need them, I learned the basics of all this shit when I was four. Reading the textbooks wouldn't take too much time either so I'm practically set academically. And physically too considering my illegalish occupation.

I am going to be so bored these following years. I groan at just the thought, already imagining the different ways I could possibly cope. Hopefully I won't murder one of the instructors but meh, no promises. I'm sure I could get away with it too...hm, now that's a thought.

"Haruno-chan, can you tell me who founded our village?"

I blink. I must really be exhausted if I've already planned murder so early in the day.

"The forbidden lovers, obviously," I roll my eyes, speaking in the most condescending voice I can muster.

Several heads turn towards me in confusion and intrigue, most the other females of the class. That'll be something to look into. Mizuki's expression twists, mouth opening to say something but I cut in before he could.

"Don't tell me you don't know sensei," I widen my eyes dramatically, leaning forward in shock.

"Know what?" A girl, sitting just a row and to the right below me, demands.

"Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama are allegedly rumored to have been lovers," I focus on her, dismissing Mizuki entirely. "But Hashirama was forced to marry a woman from another clan even though he and Madara have been together since they were teenagers!"

Her eyes widen, and she twists in her seat to listen better. Already I can see some of the other girls leaning towards me in interest, along with some of the boys though they look more reluctant. Not exactly how I expected this to turn out, I'll admit. I just really wanted to fuck with Mizuki's lesson plans.

"It's said that Hashirama's little brother, Tobirama the Second Hokage, was angry on his behalf and during one of the many fights between Uchiha and Senju, he struck a fatal blow on Madara's little brother, Izuna, because he was blinded my anger." Several small gasps and a little more interest from the male populace.

"Madara was enraged because family is everything to an Uchiha," I add on solemnly, intently watching their reactions. "He didn't forgive Tobirama and since Hashirama didn't show any remorse because they were on a battlefield, he didn't forgive Hashirama either! They got into a huge fight about it, especially when Izuna died from the injury Tobirama gave him."

Some more gasps, and even a few teary eyes — if there's one thing I know for certain, it's that children enjoy a nice bloody adventure story. The romance keeps the girls interested and the fighting keeps the boys engaged.

"They continued to fight for a while before Madara realized that he really missed Hashirama and couldn't kill him during a big battle, so he called for the fighting to stop. Hashirama quickly followed his example and soon, they were shaking hands to create a peace treaty! That's the start of Konoha basically, but that isn't important," I wave off with faux impatience.

"What is important is that when they all officially moved into the newly built village, and all the paperwork was done, Madara went to visit Hashirama but he ran into man's wife along the way! Hashirama never told Madara that he married!"

"No!" Someone gasps and I suddenly realize that Mizuki is silently staring at me, expression carefully blank but his eyes show pure confusion.

"Yes!" I crow, standing up and slamming my hands against the desk. "Madara felt betrayed. The man he's loved since he was child, married! And didn't even tell him! Madara was angry! To be led on like a fool, his pride and trust was deeply wounded!"

"But it gets worse than that," I frown, shaking my head. "Hashirama had the gall to try and justify himself, tried to get Madara to forgive him."

"Unbelievable!"

"Indeed!" I shout, slamming my fist on the desk once more. "Madara was enraged. To have his trust broken and betrayed so cruelly then expected to forgive the other man? Unbelievable! Madara could no longer stand it, he left the village carrying only anger and heartache," I sigh sadly, sitting back down in a slump.

"What happened next can only be described as an Idiot's Choice. Hashirama ran after Madara as another attempt to have the man forgive him. It was quick to turn into an argument, then a fight. Hashirama and Madara have always been equal in power, always fighting each other on the battlefield instead of others. This fight was different from those however. In this fight, they fought to kill."

"No way!"

"What!?"

"But why!?"

I sigh, shaking my head, "I can not say for certain, no one truly knows why they began fighting with no restraint. Some believe it's because Madara's anger got the best of him and he didn't want to see Hashirama's face any longer. Others believe it's because Hashirama couldn't deal with his first lover hating him so much, so he sought to kill him."

"And you?" The girl that first demanded I tell the story asks. I blink at her, head tilting. "What do you think?"

Oh. Well. Hello opportunity.

"Me? I say that Madara had every right to kill Hashirama. The First Hokage was completely in the wrong! To marry and not tell his childhood lover, then expect to be forgiven for such a betrayal? Ha, yeah fucking right!" I scoff, leaning forward to impart some more words of wisdom. "It's worse still, because no one but those really close to Hashirama and Madara knew of their love. A cover story needed to be made when people began questioning Madara's leaving. Unfortunately, those that weren't fond of Madara came up with the cover story and I bet it's in our history books even now."

"The only reason I know of the true story, is because it was passed down the main line of the Senju and Uchiha lines and as the Senju clans began dwindling, one heiress passed the story on, and then it continued being passed around," I finish, leaning back into my seat to pick up and wave around the history book that was passed out before the lecture began.

The reaction is immediate, children scrambling to rip open their books and find what the "cover story" is. I smirk to myself, head tilted down while opening up my own history book. Looking up through pink bangs, it's easy to see Mizuki at the front of the class gobsmacked and silent.

Smirk widening, I skim through the history book. If the Wash Out thinks he can simply control this class, these children, he's dead fucking wrong. I deal with enough controlled children, I am not about to deal with more or allow them to become as such.

Now, I wonder if Housewife packed Little Duck with two extra bentos today like usual. I'm starving.

ʕ •̀ o •́ ʔ

It's lunch, fucking finally, and I was bombarded by my classmates as soon as the bell rang. They wanted to know more about the "truth" on Madara and Hashirama, clearly annoyed with what they found and could understand in the textbooks. Wash Out really didn't help in that regard, using their sudden interest to continue the lecture which only served to annoy the little ones more because my version was much more interesting.

I only escaped the throes of the children by innocently stating I needed to ask my guardian so I could have the story fresh in mind. After nagging a promise out of me to tell them the whole "truth" tomorrow, they left me alone. It was annoying, and I missed a good five minutes of lunch which could have been used to nap damnit!

It didn't take long to find where the Brats were, stationed underneath the tree by the wall and in the back, further away from all the children. I was ready to simply walk up and drop dead in sleep but stopped when I noticed something.

The Brats aren't alone. Which, really, I should have seen coming. If given the chance, Naruto can make friends with literally anyone. No, that's not the surprising thing. The surprising thing is who their new friends are. I am not lucky enough to be given the perfect chance of meeting the Nara, Akimichi, and Aburame clan heirs.

Ah, but meeting, knowing, and being friends are all different things. I take a moment, trying and failing to muster up the energy to be somewhat polite and pleasant. Being surrounding by so many innocent and naive children, plus the incompetent teacher, on top of my early training has really drained me.

"Fuck it," I mutter as I begin making my way over.

Naruto spots me first, quickly waving his arm and smiling at me. Hinata and Sasuke and the other three all look over. The three new Brats look curious - or at least, I assume so since the Aburame Heir is wearing goggles and the Nara Heir looks ready to doze off at any moment.

"I sure as hell hope your day is better than mine," I begin as soon as I'm close enough, falling on my ass in front of them.

"What did you do?" The Brats immediately ask at once - Sasuke with a narrowly curious gaze, Naruto with a grin, and Hinata in exasperation. Little shits. It catches the other three's attention - prompting the Nara to open one eye, the Akimichi to slow his eating, and the Aburame to tilt his head.

I glare at the three little shits half-heartedly. "It wasn't my fault," I don't deny. Little Duck rolls his eyes, Little Blonde and Bunny laugh a little. "The teacher was being an asshole so I decided to take matters into my own hands."

"Oh?" Hinata encourages, brows furrowing a little.

"He gave us a test to do for fucks sake! Us, a class full of civilian children - half of which I know for damn fact barely know how to write their own fucking names. Then he had us go outside to run, stating that he needed to know where we are starting from, which okay, I can see the logic in that but then he starts giving us a fucking History lecture! It's bullshit! He should be teaching us reading and writing so we could actually take notes and read the fucking textbook!" Granted, I already can read and write, at least better than my year mates, but the other children most certainly cannot.

"That's weird," Sasuke murmurs, absently handing over a bento. "What did you do then?"

"Indirectly told him to go fuck himself and rethink his choice of being a teacher," I open the bento, not even pausing to see what's inside before ripping apart a pair of chopsticks and eating. "He asked me about Konoha's founders and I told him some bullshit story about Forbidden Lovers."

The Nara snorts, having sat up some time during my complaining. I look over, raising a brow curiously while nodding in slight greeting, "I'm Sakura."

He blinks lazily, yawning just a little, "I'm Shikamaru." He points to the Akimichi next to him, who waves shyly. "This is Choji." Then he points to Aburame who dips his chin in greeting. "That's Shino."

I hum, tapping my chopsticks against my bento. I look over the three of them, obviously thinking. I nod to myself and point my chopsticks to each of them individually while firmly stating, "Little Deer, Little Butterfly, and Little Beetle."

They blink and the Brats laugh in their own way. Hinata is the one to speak up and explain, "Sakura likes to give people she meets, and interacts with a lot, nicknames."

"I'm Little Blonde," Naruto says enthusiastically.

"I'm Little Duck," Sasuke grumbles, glaring defensively.

"And I'm Little Bunny," Hinata giggles.

"How troublesome," Shikamaru mutters over another yawn.

"I think it's nice," Choji smiles shyly.

"That is acceptable. Why? Because it shows the start of a friendship," Shino offers.

It could be worse, I reflect while returning to my food. At least I'll have something to report to Dino. Though, I wonder if he knows about me being in the all civilian class.

"So, you're all in the same class then?" They nod. "Is your teacher an asshole like mine or is he actually good at his job?"

"I think Iraka-sensei is nice," Hinara offers. "He had everyone introduce themselves, then went over what we would be doing this year and what to expect."

"So, completely better than my teacher, good to know," I nod. It makes sense since they're the Heir Class - composed of the heirs to either ninja clans or high status civilian clans. Makes sense as to why I'm not in it, but it does make me wonder. Wasn't Canon Sakura in their class since they were really young?

"He's fair too," Naruto pipes up and I immediately turn to him.

"Not like everyone else then?" I question casually. "Not someone I need to threaten?"

He shrugs as Sasuke offers his own opinion, "More like he's indifferent. He paused when it was Naruto's turn but he stayed...professional?" He stumbles over the last word and I nod in understanding. I don't bother to acknowledge the way the other three are leaning forward in interest and confusion.

"Why would you need to threaten a teacher?" Shikamaru asks, eyes sharp.

"Because most adults are assholes that can't get their head out of their asses and for some dumb ass reason don't like Little Blonde. It's stupid bullshit and really fucking annoying."

He frowns but leans back in thought. I'll have to keep an eye on him and see where his thoughts go. Nara are notorious for their intellect. I don't doubt that this conversation will get back to his father. I already know that the Hokage will hear about it. Naruto's watchers are never far.

"Say, want to help me with the Forbidden Lovers story?" I grin, switching the topic. "My classmates believe my bullshit over the teacher's and made me promise to tell them more tomorrow."

Two grin, two roll their eyes, and the other two nod hesitantly.

What better way to start this new friendship off then with a stupid, bullshit romance story that makes the teacher's life more difficult?

Can't wait to see Dino's face when I report this. Just because I'm more "compliant" now doesn't mean I still can't be a little shit. The monotone reporting certainly makes it all the better.

ʕ •̀ o •́ ʔ

I know a lot of you wanted sakura getting detention but i decided that chessy bullshit romance was a better start to the academy.