Obligatory Disclaimer: The series Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto; I only own the OCs, picture, and this story.

Chapter 8: Of Cliques and Fighting Fists

During our walk to the academy, the two civilians grilled me about clan life. I couldn't tell them much, but I told them about my training regime which they seemed to be intrigued by. Well, Akane was, Noburu…

"You're telling me that you study and train every day?" he asked with a deadpan expression on his face.

"Yes."

"And you have been doing this every day for two years?"

"Yep."

"How old are you again?" Akane smacked him on the arm with a quiet, 'that's rude', under her breath as I answered.

"Four."

His eyes widened before his face completely fell, as though done with the world. "Clan people are crazy."

The other girl smacked him again and Noburu rubbed his arm, shooting her a dirty look.

"I cannot argue with that," I shrugged as we made our way past the academy gates.

It was interesting to get another view of clan life. From the outside, it would certainly look strange. I wasn't sure how it went with other clans but the Hyūga held secrecy and privacy as one of their highest beliefs, which was why the compound was usually closed off to outsiders. And one couldn't forget about the cursed seal. It was a bit ironic with a kekkei genkai like the byakugan, but what could you do? This world was weird.

"Well, I think your discipline is admirable Junko-chan," the girl said, pushing her friend away so she could walk by my side.

"Thank you Akane-san."

"And you talk funny," Noburu interjected. Akane went to hit him but he dodged at the last minute. "Stop hitting me!"

"You're being rude Noburu!" Akane said, a blush spreading across her face. She must have felt embarrassed because of his actions. Poor girl.

"But she's really weird," the boy frowned, eyes narrowed as though trying to analyze me. "Like an adult in a baby's body."

The girl got him in the shoulder before he could dodge and I couldn't help the bark of laughter that escapes me. He was more right than he knew. The duo just stared at me for a moment before falling into laughter themselves. After all, it did seem ridiculous.

I let my giggles fade into a sigh. Being outside the borders of the clan made all the difference in the world. It was nice to laugh and breathe so easily; I had almost forgotten the last time I felt so free. The conversation flowed into different territory as Akane began telling me about herself and Noburu. I learned that the two were childhood friends, though I could've guessed that from their interactions.

Noburu's mother helped out at the orphanage that Akane grew up in when they were younger. He still helped out there every once in a while since his mother was too busy with her work in the genin corps due to the war. I made a mental note to check that out later. My memory of certain facts were blurry, but I knew some sketchy stuff happened at the orphanage in the series. If there was something I could do, I'd try to help. Hopefully nothing terrible has happened yet, and wouldn't until I at least gained some height.

We were making our way down the hallway to our classroom when a feeling of dread rose in my stomach. I didn't know what to do about Ikeda-sensei; on the one hand, she hadn't out right scolded me for my actions yesterday, but I didn't know how she felt about me. Ninja were an eccentric sort so I didn't really know what to expect. For all I knew, she was planning on terrorizing me for the next year. I fought the urge to shudder.

We entered the classroom which was inhabited by only a few other students. Satomi was sitting in her spot in the front row with Kenta and the Aburame from our class at her side, along with a few other students I didn't recognize. Their conversation faded away as we stepped inside, the entire group staring at us. I was the focus of their gaze so I gave a slight smile in response.

"Good morning everyone," I chipped lightly as I led the way. I heard a mumbling reply from them, though Satomi simply glared at me and Kenta returned the smile weakly.

I wasn't surprised when Akane and Noburu followed me up to my corner.

The blonde haired girl paused before entering the row. "Is it alright if we sit with you, Junko-chan?"

Noburu had no reservations about sliding in next to me with a plop.

"Why not? We're friends now." That was quite forward. I stared at him.

"Are we really now? I thought I was a strange adult-baby?" I kept my face blank even as those ridiculous words passed my lips. His face paled then turned red and he ran a hand through his longish bangs.

"A-ah, well…" he stuttered.

Akane seemed unsure from where she stood at the edge of the desk. The group at the front of the classroom went quiet at our exchange. How nosy.

"Just kidding." I can't help the conniving grin that spreads across my face at the constipated look on his own.

He let out a strangled noise, letting his head hit the desk with a grumble which causes me to laugh again. Akane sighed at our antics as she slid in next to Noburu but there was a smile on her face as our conversation returned to other topics. I couldn't help but think there was some ulterior motive for them befriending me, especially since I was a good four years younger than them, but I chalked it up to paranoia and enjoyed their company for what it was.

The relationship between civilians and clans was something strange. Clan members didn't seem to think much of civilians and kept mostly to their own spheres of influence, while civilians either seemed to think of them as royalty or stuck up pricks, an opinion I got from Akane and Noburu respectively. It was classism at its finest and I wasn't all that surprised given how Konoha valued seats of power, though that could be said with any society. I wasn't sure of the Sandaime's background blood-wise, but he had been trained by the previous Hokages and the Sarutobi clan had been involved in the village since its founding as well, if I remembered correctly. There was a focus of tradition and lineage that spread to all that lived here.

It certainly wasn't bad, but it didn't give a lot of room for civilians to make it anywhere substantial.

I cleared my head of village politics as more students shuffled in, joined by Ikeda-sensei. I had my own problems to deal with.

As my first day had been cut short due to the opening ceremony, today was my first day of taijutsu class which I had mixed feelings about. I had only just started intense physical training in the time between my birthday and my enrollment, and mainly on the wooden posts that were in the backyard of my home. I practiced everything from standard punches and kicks to throwing kunai and shuriken, which had been a slightly terrifying ordeal.

By order of the elders, I was forced to start practicing with real kunai and shuriken after Hideyoshi informed me of my enrollment into the academy. I had been particularly clumsy Before, and I was glad that hadn't transferred over to my present body, as to avoid dropping any sharp objects onto my exposed toes. That was another thing I didn't understand about ninja wear. While the standard sandals most shinobi wore were well-fitting and all that, having exposed toes seemed very counterproductive to safety but maybe that was just me.

Anyways, I practiced the Gentle Fist with Mei and any other assortment of Hyūga that were available, but that was the extent of my sparring experience. I didn't really think it counted though since they never went all out.

I stood with Akane and Noburu outside on the training field as Ikeda-sensei went over the rules for the spars.

"We will be holding a traditional spar in order to get a feel for your strengths and weaknesses, and how you rank in the class as a whole."

Her eyes roved over us, pausing over me and Shisui who stood a few feet away with the pair from his clan.

"I look forward to seeing how well you all do." Her face split into a grin that sent a shudder throughout the entire class.

"There will be no limit to what you can or cannot do, but don't kill each other." She waved a hand in the air nonchalantly. "There aren't that many of you here to begin with."

There were ten of us in total. I had heard from my newfound friends that there had been more civilians in the previous years when they had first entered the academy but the number had dwindled as the years passed and the war got worse. Civilians were usually unprepared for ninja life, not having the same resources clans did. Unfortunate but it was what it was, and changes in the war effort had parents pulling their children from the academy in droves.

There was no reason for them to leave the children as fodder for the frontlines, and there were always other things, safer things, that could be done.

"Chou-chan and Kyou-chan, you're up!" Ikeda-sensei called, and the Akimichi and Aburame walked up and faced off in the middle of the area, bringing up the seal of confrontation.

"Begin!"

The Akimichi, for being pretty quiet and shy, was vicious as she attacked the Aburame with the bō she had attached to her back. The cloaked bug user was quick on her feet, driven to the defensive as she moved in between jabs of the weapon which grew in length with the Akimichi's chakra. The Aburame formed a hand seal and a torrent of bugs, condensed in a buzzing swarm so thick that it was just an angry indiscernible mass, formed around the girl.

It didn't take long for the match to end there. No matter how much the Akimichi swung, she couldn't disperse the hive that hissed and swarmed, forming a ring around her. From what I remembered from the series, the Aburame worked with insects that basically ate chakra. I could see its effect on the other girl as her attacks became slower and slower, until she fell to her knees tiredly. Tactically, it was a very smart move on the Aburame's part as the Akimichi used chakra for most of their techniques.

The Aburame recalled her insects and turned to Ikeda-sensei who was looking down at a clipboard. She waved a hand in the air.

"Winner Kyou-chan. Now form the seal of reconciliation and get off the field."

Chou rose shakily to her feet, while Kyou stood silently nearby. The two formed the seal and trudged back to where the rest of us waited. The Akimichi stumbled her way back to her friend, who I had once thought was a Nara but was actually a Yamanaka by the name of Minoru. He silently handed her a bag of chips which she happily dug into.

"Next, Noburu-kun and Satomi-chan."

The brunette squared his shoulders and walked to the field where my cousin was already waiting.

"Do your best, Noburu!" Akane cheered as the two formed the seal and got ready.

Ikeda-sensei gave the signal. Satomi immediately activated her byakugan and got into stance as Noburu rushed towards her, kunai in hand. It was a grave mistake on his part. She moved with a grace I didn't expect with her brash behavior, but we were Hyūga; it was to be expected. Her hand moved with an almost invisible swiftness to disable the offending appendage. His hand immediately went limp and he leapt back to avoid her second strike with a gasp.

Satomi grinned at his sound of pain.

"You'd think that after sparing for so long together you'd actually improve. Shame really."

Noburu growled in response and pulled out another kunai with his left hand. If I wasn't sure before, I was now that they had some sort of grudge against each other. It was probably where his distrust of clans came from. He threw the kunai near her feet which she dodged, leaping over it to get him until it exploded behind her. I let out a gasp though the others didn't seem alarmed. I knew sensei hadn't limited us, but damn!

These kids were crazy!

"Damn it Noburu!" One of the Uchiha snapped. "Cut it out with the smoke bombs!"

Ikeda-sensei performed a seal and a strong wind stopped the smoke from coming where we stood. That wasn't the smartest move for Noburu, especially since the byakugan allowed the user to see through almost anything, something he definitely should've known if they'd spared together before. A smoke screen wasn't going to help unless he threw it directly in her face, and I doubt even that would stop her.

It'd probably just make her angrier.

"As if that'll help you," Satomi taunted, but her voice sputtered into a cough as the smoke began to clear.

Noburu stood at the ready, another kunai in his working hand as he launched another assault on the girl. Satomi's reaction time was lower as she fended him off, managing to disable his other arm before delivering another blow to his collarbone. The boy was sent flying and landed with a dull thud onto the ground. Satomi was still coughing when Ikeda-sensei called the match in her favor.

"Winner Satomi-chan. Good try Noburu-kun; that was a nice touch with the coughing gas. If you hadn't let her disable you so quickly you might've won this time."

Noburu grumbled as he threw his upper body up into a sitting position. The chūnin grinned down at him, lifting him up by the back of his hoodie.

"Now kiss and make up you two, we got more matches to do."

The pair glared at each other but Satomi grabbed his limp hand in the seal before dropping it as though it was diseased.

She managed to have a haughty look on her face despite the fact she was still coughing.

"Better luck next time," she snorted- though it could've another cough- before walking to the sidelines.

Noburu let out a huff of anger before joining Akane and I. One of the older Uchiha boys snickered as he walked past him and the brunette sent a growl in his direction. It didn't look all that intimidating since his arms were swinging loosely from his shoulders like noodles. It had to be a normal thing between the Satomi and Noburu, especially since Ikeda-sensei didn't seem all that worried about the boy as she concentrated on her clipboard. Akane immediately came to his aid, her hands quickly moving to grab his.

"Noburu, you have to be more careful against Satomi-san," she scolded as she examined his arms. I looked on in awe as they glowed a pale green before fading. Noburu rubbed his wrists.

"She just makes me so mad," he grumbled underneath his breath.

"That's what you said last time."

"You know medical ninjutsu Akane-san?" I interrupted. Both looked at me.

"Ah, yes! One of the matrons at the orphanage taught me," she explained as Noburu sighed. How interesting.

I smiled at her. "You must be very skilled then. It takes a lot of practice to learn such intensive ninjutsu."

The other girl blushed lightly at the compliment, and my smile turned the slightest bit coy.

"You must've learned so you could heal Noburu-san, didn't you?"

Akane blushed a deeper red and sputtered an unintelligible reply while Noburu gave me a blank look. I turned to him.

"You must very accident prone." He glared at me, before turning his head and muttering something about Hyūga under his breath. They were so fun to mess with.

While we were talking, Ikeda-sensei had called one of the older Uchiha boys and the Yamanaka to the center of the arena. The lighter haired boy was dodging the Uchiha with some impressive maneuvers while heckling him.

"I had honestly thought you'd do better than this Katsuo-san." Minoru kept his voice smooth and polite even as he evaded a nasty looking punch from the enraged Uchiha.

"Will you shut up and fight you annoying-"

A loud whistle tore through the area causing me and the others to flinch and cover our ears in pain.

"Katsuo-kun, you stepped out of the arena," Ikeda-sensei chirped in a sing-song manner. "Minoru-kun wins."

The glare that Katsuo sent the Yamanaka would have surely set the boy aflame if he had the sharingan. But luckily for the boy, the coal colored eyes could only follow after him as he walked back to Chou who high-fived him when he sat down next to her.

That had ended quickly. As the Uchiha walked back to join his clansmen, Ikeda-sensei called the next pair.

"Akane-chan and Yasu-kun, you're up."

The girl gave us a nervous smile before heading to the center of the field where the other older Uchiha was waiting.

"Kick his butt Akane!" Noburu cheered as the two formed the seal of confrontation.

"Begin!" At Ikeda-sensei's signal, the Uchiha's hands flew into a flurry of hand seals before bringing them to his mouth.

"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"

A large bloom of fire erupted from his mouth and I gasped again, taken aback by the sheer viciousness of the attack. These kids pulled out all the stops. Just for a training match?

The great fireball was dispersed by a sudden gust of wind that came from nowhere, Akane's hands separating from a seal as they moved to her weapon pouch. The girl threw a handful of shuriken at the boy who deflected them with a kunai, though several managed to slightly cut his bare arms as they flew past. Just like the Akimichi, it was strange to see the shy girl look so focused as she made her way towards the Uchiha.

But I could see the insecurity in her step as she got into close combat with Yasu. She was put on the defensive as the boy came back with a fury of strikes and kicks which she managed to block just barely. She was weak in taijutsu that was certain, and probably should've remained attacking from long range as the Uchiha excelled in that department.

Soon he was standing over her, having knocked her to the ground.

"Winner, Yasu-kun," Ikeda-sensei declared, making another mark on her clipboard.

I was slightly surprised when the Uchiha offered a hand to pull her up which Akane took with a wince. They formed the seal of reconciliation and walked back to the sidelines. Akane looked reserved, as though she had expected the results of the battle.

"You'll get him next time Akane," Noburu consoled the somber girl as she sat next to us. She didn't look too convinced by the way she was tugging at her pigtails. I nodded, letting my eyes trail after Yasu whose open cuts were being tended to by Ikeda-sensei.

"I think you could've won Akane-san if you had kept your distance."

She stopped tugging her hair at my words and looked at me.

"Why do you say that?"

"You utilized your wind jutsu quite well and you seem to have a weakness in taijutsu." She nodded at my observations and so I continued. "I'm sure you could have tired him out or figured out a way to send him out of bounds. Maybe you should look into more long range jutsu and weapons if you're uncomfortable getting close."

Akane and Noburu looked surprised at my advice. Was it really that surprising of a concept?

"Really?" I nodded. Noburu gave me a poke.

"What about me?" I gave him a flat look.

"Never have a taijutsu battle against a Hyūga." He deflated. "We are masters in taijutsu after all."

"Geez thanks." I gave him a smile.

"Your coughing gas seemed effective. You should work that angle; if you are able to get your opponent handicapped before they can get an attack in, the battle would obviously be in your favor. Your timing is good; all you need is to utilize your traps better."

He gave a 'hmm' of thought before Ikeda-sensei called for attention.

She was grinning at me when I looked up.

"Junko-chan and Shisui-kun, you're next," she chuckled. "This is going to be interesting."

Author's Notes

Posted/Edited: September 15th, 2016

Minor editing: January 30th, 2017

...

Thanks to all those who have favorited or followed this story.

Reviews

Thanks to babypanda468, Mari, starthedetective, 372259, k123, UniCryin, and Mina Luriya for reviewing on the last or previous chapters. I appreciate the feedback!

I hope this chapter didn't seem too rushed with all the back to back fighting. Also, I've never written a fighting scene before so let me know what you guys think. Though I am sort proud of the scene between Junko and Shisui I wrote for next chapter since it demonstrates her way of thinking.

In regards to the chapter length, and keeping all of your suggestions in mind, I'm going to try to have longer chapters, about 4.5k as suggested by starthedetective as that seems possible. Though the rest of the chapters for this pre-genin arc might remain between 3.5k and 4k since I like the way I structured them and don't want to break from that. But the next arc will definitely have longer chapters, so I hope you look forward to it.

Also, for the other characters' perspectives, I think I'll include their interludes between time skips as a way of giving an outward view of our little protagonist and to include scenes outside of the main narrative I have written. Also, I have made a deviantart to post character art for this story (and others perhaps). I'll add it to my bio and let you guys know the username next chapter since I have nothing on it yet.

Next time on For a Chance at Happiness

Chapter 9: Of Eyes and Bloodlines

{in which our protagonist fights and gives peptalks (or at least tries to)}