It was early March, about nine months since I started studying medical ninjutsu. It was finally time for me to join the academy. The Hokage's introductory speech had just finished and mom was escorting me to the entrance with all the other parents. The problem with starting the academy was simple; I'm shy. I don't really interact with other kids much, I'm the one sitting off to the side reading. So being surrounded by hyperactive little terrors and being expected to interact with them was... daunting. Right now I was hiding in Kuromaru's fur, mom wouldn't let me hide behind her but her partner was more accommodating. "Okay brat, this is our stop." Her voice pulled me from my thoughts. Looking up, I found my mom's eyes staring straight into mine. "I expect you to pay attention, and follow the rules. Got it?" A meek nod from me drew a huff from the intimidating woman. Kuromaru moved out from in front of me just before mom gave me a firm slap on the back, pushing me forward. "And grow a spine while you're at it!" She said with a smirk, a bit louder than I would have liked. I mumbled a soft goodbye to her before bolting into the building, grumbling incoherently under my breath. This was the start, after all. The start of my shinobi life, from here on I'll be training and studying how to kill and how to not be killed.
Stepping into the classroom, I took stock of the state of it. Most of the room's occupants where civilian children, most of whom would never graduate. Sitting in the farthest corner was Aburame Shino, quietly reading what I'd wager to be a book on insects. I quietly made my way to a free seat, in the back row by the window. As I pulled my own book on medicine out, I noticed a few more notable people. First was Nara Shikamaru, already asleep as I expected. Sitting next to him was Akamichi Choji, munching away at his chips happily. I also noted the lack of dark, duck-like hair, meaning Sasuke wasn't here yet. The bright pink hair of Haruno Sakura was easy to spot though. Seems almost everyone is here. 'I wonder where Naruto is...' I thought to myself as I shifted in my seat. I was starting to get self-conscious, which was strange. I wasn't dressed really any different than the other kids, a plain blue long sleeved shirt under a light grey coat and grey pants with a white scarf. The only thing that marks me as different from the original Kiba, aside from the way I carry myself, was that my hair was longer than his, just barely brushing my shoulders. Shaking my head briefly to clear my thoughts, I lay my book down on the desk and start reading about herbal remedies.
That was my plan, at least. Mear moments after my book hit the desk I felt a presence to my right. Looking up, I was meet with soft, pupil-less lavender eyes. "U-um... M-may I s-sit here?" None other the Hyuga Hinata, the living cinnamon roll herself, was asking if she could sit next to me. I'm assuming that she wants a good view of Naruto who, come to think of it, didn't seem to be here yet. Casting my gaze briefly over the rest of the classroom, the only blond I could spot was Yamanaka Ino talking about who knows what with her friends. Quickly snapping my eyes back to the shy heiress, I give her a soft smile. "Sure. S'not like I was saving it." I scoot to the side a bit to give her more room and she sits with a quiet "T-thank you." Shifting my book in front of me, I turn to the side and offer my hand. "I'm Kiba. What's your name?" I'm hoping to get to know her early on so that I can help her confidence. She hesitantly takes my hand and gently shakes it. "M-my name is H-Hinata." I almost click my tongue at her stutter, but manage to hold back."It's nice to meet ya Hinata-chan." I say, somehow keeping my smile despite my annoyance, though she seemed a bit flustered at the honorific, her eyes darting about until they landed on my book. "W-what are you r-reading about, K-Kiba-san?" I almost corrected her on adding san to my name, but I figured I'd let her have that since she didn't complain about me adding chan to hers. Shifting my book over so she could get a better view, I motioned for her to shoot closer. "It's a book on medicine. Right now I'm reading about herbal remedies and other natural cures." That seemed to catch her interest, her earlier shyness seemed to fade slightly as she leaned in to get a closer look. Once again I beamed. Her shyness is bad, but at this stage I think I can salvage her confidence.
Somehow the two of us slipped into a long silence as we read from the book to ourselves. It should be awkward, but I for one found it comfortable and I think she did too. I did wonder, during a small lull when I was waiting for Hinata to finish reading the page, why she took an interest in it. While medical ninjutsu was amazing and I knew she would lean the Mystic Palm Jutsu later in life, this had nothing to do with ninjutsu. My eyes flicked over to the window, to the snowy environment outside. They locked onto a stump, probably once used for training, with a small cavity filled with snow. It looked a bit like... 'Oh! Ointment.' I thought, my gaze shifting back to the blushing heiress to my right. 'Don't the Hyuga have some sorta secret healing cream or somethin'?' Before I could ponder further on the topic, Iruka-sensei cleared his throat to begin our first lesson. Discreetly slipping my book back in my bag, a head of bright blond hair caught my eye. 'Did I really zone out long enough to miss Naruto's no doubt dramatic entrance?!' I bit back a groan at that realization. 'New goal, stop zoning out like an idiot.'
A/N. This is the first chapter with actual dialogue, I really hope I got it right. Hinata is simple enough, she's shy and polite. Tsume was harder, as was Hana last chapter. I don't have many opportunities to watch anime right now so I have to go off of a wiki's description of them, bare as that is. Next chapter will have even more dialogue from characters other than Kiba and Hinata, so it might take longer to write. If you have any thoughts, advice, or complaints please be sure to leave a review or send me a message, I'll read all of them. Thank you for reading and have a nice day.