writing is hard

also, if you're wondering, the Academy Arc is going to have several more chapters (around 5-10 in total, probably), because if things go well, this fic is gonna be *long* and is primarily about Rei finding a place in the world
soooooo
if you don't like major 'slow burn' (in a story sense, not a romantic one; i'm not even *considering* ships right now), this fic will probably not be for you
sorry ;,D


Rei watched Iruka tense as he stepped into the classroom, and wished that he could be anywhere but there.

His wish, unfortunately, was left ungranted, and he found himself locked in an impromptu staring contest with his new teacher.

"A-ah," Iruka let out with a strained-looking smile, and sparks flew from his crackling campfire. "I didn't think anyone would come so soon."

Rei simply blinked at him slowly, both because he was an asshole, and because he wasn't willing to admit that he'd lost patience after the fourth time a parent had shot him a wary look for taking a step anywhere near their child.

"...Rei Uzumaki, right?" Iruka asked after a moment, for formality's sake. Rei glanced at the clipboard he was holding in a white-knuckled grip before nodding. "Right… Go ahead and take a seat."

Rei offered another nod, then made his way up to a seat just a row down from the back, right next to the window. Only minutes later did he realize that he'd taken the typical protagonist seat.

Over half an hour of tense silence passed before the other kids started spilling in. Rei winced as the noise level doubled, both 'sounds' and voices clashing with one another, as if the new students were holding a competition to see who would be the one to pop his eardrums.

"Welcome, everyone," Iruka greeted with a nervous yet far more genuine smile once everyone had gotten themselves seated. Rei, perhaps unsurprisingly, was the only one who didn't share a desk with another student. "My name is Iruka Umino, if you didn't catch that, and um…" He scratched his nose, letting out an awkward laugh. "I'll be your teacher for the next few years. This first week will be an easy one, where we'll all be getting to know each other before the real lessons start."

Iruka - who wasn't even eighteen yet, absurdly enough - took in a breath and glanced down at his clipboard before smiling at the class. "We'll do this alphabetically," he decided. "Everyone, please get ready to introduce yourselves to the class."

Rei closed his eyes for a long, pained second and resisted the urge to groan.


"—ei. Rei Uzumaki ," a voice called out sharply, and Rei got major deja vu as his head snapped towards the source of the sound. Iruka, along with the rest of the class, stared at him as if waiting for a response.

He suddenly wished he'd actually been paying attention - at least to the beginning.

Iruka seemed to realize that he had no idea what he was supposed to be doing, if the way his eye twitched was any indication. "Please state your name, along with one of your likes, dislikes, and a dream you have for the future."

Rei's face scrunched up, and he briefly considered not saying a word. He quickly discarded the idea, though, upon realizing that he could end up with a detention that he would not be eager to attend.

"I'm Rei Uzumaki," he eventually said. "I like…" He blanked. "...Dogs. And I dislike…" icebreakers, so, somuch . "...cooking. And one dream I have…" is not a dream, because I will make it a reality. I'm going to die to one of three megalomaniac Uchihas, and destroy the universe by accident. "...is to graduate."

The entire class stared at him for a solid thirty seconds before someone coughed and broke Iruka from his reverie.

"...Right," the chunin said, looking almost pained. "Please pay attention next time, Uzumaki-kun."

Rei, with partially-reddened ears, forced himself to nod.

"Okay, next… uh…" Iruka glanced down at his clipboard yet again, as if he was begging the class to notice that he had no idea what he was doing, and could be ripped apart by thoughtless, childish comments with ease. "Okay," he said again, looking up, "We're going to play a game. First, I'll ask a question, and if it applies to you, you'll stand up. If it doesn't, stay in your seat." He offered a nervous smile. "Everyone understand?"

When no one raised their hand, Iruka's shoulders visibly loosened. "Alright," he began. "Stand up if you… like the color purple."

Nearly the entire class got to their feet, and Iruka's lip quirked upwards.

"It's a very nice color," he agreed, motioning for everyone to sit down. "What about… if you like fruits more than vegetables, stand up."

All but two members of the class stood. Rei lifted himself, just barely.

Iruka looked over the crowd, then huffed out a laugh. "Okay, sit down please," he said, then hummed when the students followed his direction. "Now… if you prefer cats over dogs, stand up."

About half the class stood, and a boy with red fang tattoos(?) on his cheeks let out a dramatic gasp. "I can't believe you idiots think cats are better than dogs!"

A girl a few rows down scoffed. "They are ," she replied, almost snootily.

The boy - Kiba Inuzuka, from the looks of it - slammed his hand on his desk, scowling. "Dogs are waaaay better than cats!" He jerked his head towards Iruka. "Right, sensei?!"

The chunin suddenly looked flustered. "Well… um… Listen, I don't really think—"

"Of course Iruka-sensei doesn't think dogs are better than cats," the girl from before interrupted. "They're stinky and gross and get slobber eh-ver-ey-where!"

Kiba shot to his feet, looking as if he was ready to dropkick the girl. "Take that back right now!"

"Now, Kiba—"

"He's right!" a different girl spoke up, sniffing. "Dogs are way cuter than cats!"

"Nuh-uh!" someone else interjected, "Cats are nice! Dogs are mean and angry all the time!"

Iruka blanched, and despite himself, Rei felt his lips twitch upwards in amusement. "Everyone, please—"

"Maybe they just don't like you because you're a stupid jerk!"

"What did you say to me?!"

Iruka's expression crumpled as the class descended into chaos, a small whisper passing through his lips. "Oh dear."


Rei watched all of his classmates dig into their lunches and grimaced. I knew I forgot something.

An odd sound - something rolling through mud, he thought - made itself known from behind him, and he turned around, eyes falling upon a familiar-looking boy.

"Hey!" Kiba greeted with a fanged grin, "You're Rei, right?" Rei barely had time to blink before the boy continued. "You're weird, you know that? Like, your introduction was super awkward, and you smell real strange, too."

Rei wasn't sure if he was being insulted or if the Inuzuka was just horribly blunt.

Probably the latter, knowing his character.

"But you said you liked dogs, yeah?" he asked, leaning forwards. "You know, I'm gonna get a dog soon. A ninken, actually. Everyone in my clan gets one when they start at the Academy. My partner's name is Akamaru, and he's super awesome. He's a little too young to carry around, though. My mom said he's gotta live with his mom a little longer so he can get all healthy and strong and stuff, and then I can start training him, and after that I can finally bring him to school."

Kiba took a breath, and Rei found himself mildly impressed that he'd spoken so much without taking one before.

He did wonder, though, if the boy actually remembered he was there.

"I'm gonna teach him all sorts of neat stuff, and he'll be way stronger than all of my sister's ninken com— uh… cambi— er… together ." He puffed out his chest proudly. "Eventually, I bet he'll even be able to bet Kuromaru!"

After a moment, he turned his gaze back towards Rei, who'd only managed to get a few steps away from the boy before he was noticed. " Anyway ," Kiba said, clearly not recognizing his escape attempt for what it was, "Do you have a dog? If you don't, you should totally get one. My clan has tons of adoptable ones. They're not 'Inuzuka' ninken, though. Ours have different chalk-ra systems, and they're like… smarter, I think. They learn a lot faster, anyway. Isn't that cool?"

Rei could only blink in response, almost feeling dizzy after being bombarded by unwanted information.

"Oh, hey!" Kiba said suddenly, leaning forwards and pointing to the empty spot on Rei's desk. "Where's your lunch, huh? Didjer mom not make you anythin'?"

Despite himself, Rei pressed his lips together, feeling his gut twist.

Kiba froze then, nose twitching. "Um… are you okay?" he asked, then gave a sheepish laugh, suddenly looking awkward. "Uh, Inuzukas can smell real well, if you didn't know. For a second you just smelled really… sad, I think."

Rei had no idea how to respond to that.

"Well, anyway ," Kiba said quickly, "If you don't got any, you can have some of mine."

Without waiting for a response, he shoved his bento box across the table, and it slid to a stop right in front of Rei. "I already ate most of it, so you can have the rest. Mom always makes too much, anyway."

Rei stared at Kiba for several seconds, which he'd somehow interpreted as him being unsure of how to open the box, if the way he leant over to do so was any indication.

His eyes drifted downwards, flicking between a half-eaten pile of rice and a compartment that was entirely filled with vegetables, and his expression became deadpan.

"Are you gonna eat it?" Kiba asked. "It's not poisoned or anything."

That didn't even cross his mind, actually, but he supposed he might actually have to be wary about something like that, living in a world full of ninjas.

His stomach grumbles, and despite his reservations, sits back down with a sigh, only to promptly realize that he had no utensils to eat with.

"It's good, right?" Kiba asked cheerfully, just as Rei haphazardly dumped a handful of rice and one of the unidentifiable vegetables into his mouth. "My mom's a pretty good cook. Hana - that's my sister, by the way - kinda sucks at it though. It's hilarious."

Rei's mouth spasmed when unexpected sourness hit his tongue.

"You know, Hana's a genin already. She's pretty strong, an' she's learning medical stuff so she can help out at the clinic more. People say she's gonna be a great Clan Head, which is cool I guess, but I'm gonna be even cooler," he told Rei, oblivious to the fact that he was still struggling to get the pickled vegetable down, "Because I'm gonna be the Hokage!"

Dattebayo, a voice in his head tacked on mockingly, just as he swallowed.

"What about you, huh?" Kiba asked, grinning. "Are you gonna be my competition?"

The image of a loud, whiskered blond appeared in Rei's mind, and he promptly shoved another one of the vegetables in his mouth to distract the both of them.

"Dang, you really like those, huh? I think pickled vegetables are pretty nasty, but we have a lot of 'em because someone in the clan was experimenting or somethin'. Maybe I can ask her to make more for you."

Rei's expression fell, and just as he was contemplating throwing himself out the window, Iruka caught his attention.

"Alright, everyone!" he called out, "Please settle down!" When the chatter continued, Iruka shifted awkwardly before steeling himself. " EVERYONE !" he shouted, turning slightly pink when everyone's heads snapped towards him. "...Um. Lunch is over, so if you could ah… Return to your seats, please and thank you."

Praise Iruka .

"Awww, lunch is too short," Kiba complained, grabbing his bento box back before turning towards Rei. "But we'll talk later, yeah?" Rei's thoughts skidded to a stop, but before he could respond, Kiba ran off with a grin. "See you!"

Rei watched him leave with something like dread settling in his stomach.

Or maybe , he considered with a grimace, swallowing a mouthful of sour spit, it's the pickled vegetables .


"Hey, Rei!" Kiba called out, ignoring the annoyed shouts of everyone he pushed on his way over, "Before you go home, you should come meet my mom and sister! They're both waitin' outside, since it's my first day and all."

Rei blanched, and an oblivious Kiba grabbed his arm and started to lead him towards the classroom door.

Unfortunately, Rei - a partially-malnourished six-year-old with zero training at all - was easily overpowered by the weirdly-strong Inuzuka, and he found himself being dragged towards the combined sounds of clicking claws and a distant howling like some sort of reluctant puppy.

"Kiba," Hana said, sounding slightly pained as she watched her brother display Rei like a trophy, "You can't just drag people around like that."

Kiba blinked, tilting his head. "Why not?"

Hana closed her eyes, briefly, before turning towards Rei with an apologetic gaze that lingered for a moment too long. "I'm sorry, he can be a lot," she said, then promptly bonked Kiba on the head, causing him to yelp. "Don't be an idiot!"

"It's not my fault he was bein' all slow!" Kiba snapped back with a scowl, only to get bonked on the head again.

"Don't insult your friends, either!"

Rei glanced around warily, all-too-aware of the increasing amount of gazes that were being pointed in their direction.

Also: friends?!

The howling sound grew closer - though remained firmly in the background - and Kiba's mom appeared to push her children apart. "As amusing as this is," she said with a huff, "I believe Kiba was introducing us to someone." Her eyes flicked in Rei's direction, and there was a brief flash of recognition before she gave him a pat on the head - what - and took a step backwards.

While Rei was rebooting, Kiba pulled him to his side and grinned. "This is Rei! He's gonna be my assistant when I become Hokage!"

A strangled noise escaped Rei's throat, because he most certainly did not remember agreeing to that .

"Your assistant?" Hana echoed, then raised her brow. "Did he actually agree to that, or did you just decide that for him?"

Kiba paused, briefly, before waving her off. "I'm sure it's fine," he said, as if Rei wasn't right there . "He didn't say no ."

His mom's lip quirked up, and she looked distinctly amused. "Right, well, future assistant or otherwise," she said, offering Rei a crooked grin, "Nice to meet ya, kid. Just call me Tsume; I'm not one for formalities."

"And you can call me Hana!" Kiba's sister decided, offering Rei a far less sharp - but equally as worrying - smile.

"Hey, hey!" Kiba shouted, grabbing Rei by the shoulders and forcibly turning him around, "Then you gotta just call me Kiba, you hear?!"

Rei suppressed a grimace when spit flew into his face. Yeah. Too well, actually.

…Actually, he wasn't sure why he was still listening to Kiba. Half of his classmates had already left while he'd been stuck talking to the Inuzukas, which was honestly a mystery in itself, considering he didn't think he did anything to warrant capturing Kiba's attention.

Did all he have to do is mention dogs to make Kiba like him? Did that mean he could say he liked flowers and become best friends with Ino?

…God, he hoped not. He didn't want anything to do with anyone - much less canon characters .

" Heyyyy ," Kiba whined, "Are you listening to me?"

Not really , Rei decided not to say. Instead, he met his gaze, narrowed his eyes, and flicked Kiba on the nose.

The Inuzuka actually reeled back at that, blinking at him with wide eyes, and Rei gave a short nod before turning around and walking in the opposite direction.

"Wh— hey, where are you going?!"

"Home," Rei responded easily, and when it seemed like Kiba might follow him, he added, "I have to walk my goldfish."

"Oh," Kiba let out from behind him. It wasn't until half a minute later, when he was already turning the corner, that he heard an indignant, " Wait a minute… You can't walk goldfish!"


I think the funniest part about this fic is that I never intended to do anything with Kiba at all, and not only is he now an important enough character to be featured in the tags, but now I love his character despite being mildly annoyed by him in canon
though it does take up the majority of the chapter, I feel like Rei's exasperated reactions to an overenthusiastic Inuzuka are far more interesting than him just like, moping around and acting like post-Massacre Sasuke

I'd also like to mention, quickly, that Rei is *not* currently wearing his mask regularly like Kakashi - he still just carries it around on his person

and as a side note, because hey, why not make this end note excessively long?:
my favorite parts to write are probably the little background things
like, I was far more amused than I should've been when, while Kiba was rambling, I had Rei only half-paying attention because he was focused on his food

anyway
CH3:
Rei goes to the Academy for the first time after a brief timeskip, and Kiba comes to talk to Rei after learning that he likes dogs in a class icebreaker. Rei is more bewildered than anything, and doesn't exactly have anywhere to go (or a way to escape), so he tries to ignore him, but it doesn't go so well and he's bullied into eating Kiba's leftover lunch. After class, Kiba drags him over to meet Hana and Tsume because he figures, 'hey, we have something in common and shared a lunch, we're best friends now.' After a few minutes of standing by awkwardly, he tells Kiba that he has to go walk his goldfish and leaves before he can process what he said.

uuuuh
hopefully this version is better than the last one? it's not quite as edgy, and there's a bit more humor added in
so basically... Rei's still horribly depressed, but trying to cope by stubbornly ignoring his problems instead of *only* drowning (hah) in his emo-ness
if you have any suggestions, feel free to lmk, or just comment for funsies because those are nice to read

woo

sorry for this long-as-heck note, but thanks for reading!