The feeling of being a zoo animal was as disconcerting as the sudden silence. Moments ago, my classmates had entered the room with the constant noise naturally produced by children. The roar had died down to a few scattered whispers as the group realized there was a new exhibit to gawk at.
Our momentary standoff ended with a sharp clap from the front of the classroom. Shigaki-sensei had slinked up to the chalkboard without any of us noticing. "Sit." The flurry of movement seemed choreographed with how quickly seats were filled. It was funny to see that even with the small number of seats, the class promptly divided into distinct cliques. Three Hyuga were parked on the left, two Uchiha on the right, and the rest of class settled into small groups between them.
I wasn't the only odd one out. A girl had settled down into the seat on my left. My natural charm must have pulled the poor thing into orbit already. She was a little older than me, but that wasn't saying much. I was into the diligent student thing she was working with. Her desk had colored pens aligned in neat rows and an open notebook ready for action. Her back was ramrod straight with eyes focused on the board. She seemed diligent and well-taken care of. Her clothing was fine enough to show that she was important to someone who was actually important. Unfortunately, I had no idea who the hell she was. Some of my other classmates looked vaguely familiar. They needed to age about 20 years in the next 20 minutes for me to start naming names. It was hard remembering these people when I had Google. Asking me to guess which of these kids would matter a decade from now was a task I couldn't accomplish.
Chalk scratching against the board stopped me from taking a closer look at anyone else. Ugly-sensei was drawing what looked like stacked boxes on the board. "As punishment for not graduating your rankings are reset and I'm reducing the available spots." The atmosphere in the room changed a moment after the announcement. Miss proper to my left started gripping her pencil like it owed her money. The rest of the class wasn't taking it any better. A sharp look from Sensei stopped the complaints before they could be uttered.
"Your chakra theory scores were poor. They will improve or you won't remain," Sensei said no more and began writing today's lesson on the board. Having to scramble through my bag to find a pencil and notebook reminded me why I hated school—learning the ins and outs of something as fascinating as chakra reminded me why I stuck through it anyways.
The first half of the day passed quickly and quietly. Shigaki reminded me of my mother during her lessons. A calm but menacing presence who demanded the best from his students. I've never appreciated my mother's crash course in chakra more than now. It was one-part spiritual junk, two-parts philosophy, and the rest was a mix of pseudoscientific mumbo jumbo. Chakra was influenced by genetics in some ways. Specific traits could be passed down family lines. But sometimes it just decided to go crazy.
Children of shinobi tend to have better beginning reserves and more potential for growth, yet a farmer's daughter could be born a powerhouse for seemingly no reason. A clan that has only produced shinobi with an affinity for fire could sprout twins aligned to lightning. Kekkei Genkai are even worse. Sometimes the universe just decides this family should start kicking ass. Some aspects had a backward logic to them that could kind of be understood. It was fun to learn about. Even if I found it frustrating to give it any serious thought. The best part of studying was doing the classic leaf-sticking exercise at the end.
I was relieved to find myself in the top quarter of the class in chakra control. I'd been nervous about not stacking up even to academy kids. Everyone could handle making a single leaf stick. A few could hold multiple leaves. Some of the dojustu club managed to move a couple around. I was working on making five of them slide around my body in different directions. But my neighbor was on another level from the rest of us. She was juggling three leaves in a circle around one hand and over to the next, all without moving or a single one touching her skin.
I was too impressed to be jealous. I could easily keep a leaf in place without it touching my skin. Each time I tried to move one from there, it created a leaf rocket that could poke an eye out.
Sensei walked around the class, scribbling on a little notebook at each person he passed. Sometimes he would speak a few words. Occasionally he'd just glance and keep walking. I might as well of gotten a pat on the rear for how much his grunt told me. The incredible leaf juggler got an entire nod!
The class was loud enough to be noticeable but not enough to be distracting. Sensei would allow us to talk at calculated times. I think the point is to drive up competition. The room was silent if he was speaking or someone was answering a question. If they got it wrong, he'd let the class make some quiet jeers at them or laugh if it was bad enough. During the leaf exercise, I saw kids making bets or bragging to one another about who was better. Sensei only demanded the class leave the person he was observing alone.
I was game for trash-talking preteens like any other reasonable person would be. But I wasn't sure how the girl next to me would take it. She'd glanced my way a few times during the day without a word. Not that I was doing much better. Shigaki-sensei had been watching me like a hawk all morning. Forgive me for not breaking the ice. I was afraid that breathing too loudly would get me kicked out of class.
I couldn't afford even to get a bad mark at this point. I needed to impress enough to catch the eye of a strong jonin. Getting a mediocre one could mean I lose years' worth of progress. Even thinking of failing the test and ending in the Genin Corps made my stomach turn in circles. I would manage to crawl my way to greatness even if that happened. I just didn't know if I could do it in time to change anything.
A clap from the front echoed through the room once again. "You have an hour. First rankings come after." It was like Shigaki-sensei lifted a spell with his words. The class turned back into schoolchildren instead of would-be-killers. I was so caught up with watching the kids laugh and talk again that I almost missed a tuft of dark hair slide out the door. My feet started moving that way before my mind had finished making its decision. I needed to start making connections now. Who better than a shy girl that was talented and very well-trained.
It didn't take long for me to find her. She'd taken up residence outside under the nearest unoccupied tree. She watched me silently as I approached. A little wary but not enough to deter me from walking right up to her and asking, "Is it okay if I eat with you?"
She only hesitated a moment before nodding and giving me some room to flop down. We sat there eating in silence few minutes. She would look my way between bites, and I'd flash her the patented 'friendship is magic' grin. She was bothered by me being there, but I got the sense it was because someone was near her and not me specifically. She was wary around people. I was curious but not enough to speak up first. I needed her to take a step in my direction if this was going to work out. Luckily the quiet wore her down enough to give me an opening, "Why did you want to eat with me?"
"Why did you decide to sit next to me?"
Her eyes were glued to the ground after I spoke. It reminded me of Hinata, just without the red face and complete inability to speak. But unlike Hinata, she quickly gained her courage and looked me in the eye, "You looked lonely. It felt like sitting there was the right thing to do."
Okay, that was the cutest thing I've ever seen. She said it so earnestly that even I felt bad for wanting to bully her. Instead of asking for forgiveness, I smiled at her and asked the next best thing. "My name is Ikeda Rinko. Would you like to be friends?" There was hesitation, but it didn't last long. She grabbed my outstretched hand with a surprisingly firm grip and unsurprisingly shy smile.
"My name is Kato Shizune. Please take care of me." Oh? Well, that makes things… interesting. My smile grew sharper as my mind raced through the implications. Shizune is a sweet girl. A sweet and very well-connected girl. Better me take advantage of that kindness than someone else. Who knows what would happen if someone else came along and befriended a young girl with intentions darker than mine.
We spent the rest of lunchtime talking about silly things, the village, food, what kind of shinobi we wanted to be, and most importantly, we talked about spending time together after school. I'm still planning on becoming the Goddess of Shinobi, but I wouldn't mind sneaking my way into being Tsunade's apprentice.
I kept from bouncing off the walls by the time we walked back to the classroom, but it was a close thing. I was already excited by the wonders of friendship. Shizune stoked the flames more by telling me what made this class special. Every class used the standard ranking system based on grades, practical work, and whatever else the academy thought was important. Shigaki-sensei thought most of it was useless. He was focused solely on students' practical abilities: Fighting, chakra use, physical capabilities, and survival skills.
Sensei couldn't just throw away the standard ranking system and everything else the school taught. It was built on the founders' work and decades of tradition. But he could incentivize students to focus on what he believed mattered. Thus, our class had its own little method. 3/5/7, the top 7 students in Shigaki's rankings would get a brand-new set of kunai and shuriken. The top 5 also get chakra paper and the most basic nature training connected to their element. The top 3 students would get all that and weekly one-on-one training from Shigaki-sensei.
It was more devious than what I thought the academy would allow. Sensei didn't get those scars by being a little goodie-two-shoes. The rankings got exactly what Sensei wanted in a way that let him skip teaching what he thought was useless. The best way to rank up was through sparring. You could still get some points through other practical exercises and tests, but you couldn't reach the top without being at least a decent fighter. The catch was that you couldn't spar if your grades weren't good enough with the regular academy teachings. Sensei would give students the lesson plan, and it was up to them to learn it on their own time.
It worked excellently for the right kind of person. Those who were ultra-competitive or had a fierce desire to succeed took to it like a fish in water. Students who didn't have it were shunted off to the other classes quickly. But the ones who graduated from his class had a higher survival rate during the war than any other, and he produced more chunin and jonin than three other classes combined.
People high up the food chain started noticing the discrepancy almost immediately. It was why he had mentioned pulling strings this morning. While some of the class was still randomly assigned, a decent majority were placed here intentionally. If you knew someone with enough influence or had enough favors to cash in, your kid could get into the honor class. Not that it mattered if they couldn't keep up. They would get booted to another class same as anyone else. But if they did handle it, the parents could rest easier knowing their kid had a better chance of making it back home.
I need to ask mother how the heck she managed it when I got home. This whole time I thought we were nobodies. I'm going to be mad if I could've been abusing the family name this entire time and not know it.
Any thoughts of nepotism went away as we walked in on the class gathering around the sparring area. I could see the nervous energy building across the crowd. Lunch boxes and food were left half-eaten on desks in anticipation of what was to come. The first spar of the year wasn't any more important than the rest, but it had a buildup that was hard to ignore. Shizune told me that spars were held daily. Sometimes the whole class would participate. Other times only a couple of students would fight before moving on. The only consistent pattern was that everyone fought at least once a week. I was itching to start fighting some schoolchildren. I've been stomped into the dirt constantly for almost two years now. It was time to be someone else's teacher. The constant fidgeting told me the rest of the class didn't share my enthusiasm.
It was understandable though. There is nothing like the threat of getting your ass kicked in front of your peers to induce dread in a person. Even with how competitive shinobi children are, they're still just kids. None of them wanted to look foolish. Humiliation burned just as badly in this life as the last. But you don't dedicate your life to becoming a hardened killer without at least some fire in your gut. These kids were nervous, but all of them would be ready to let their fire out on someone else. Some more literally than others I thought glancing at the Uchiha.
Shigaki-sensei stood like a statue in the center of the sparring circle. His impassive gaze slowly turned over the group gathered around him. Finally, once the last straggler had arrived he spoke, "One vs. One. Taijutsu and bukijutsu only. Hide and Ebisu." The crowd let out a breath—some with relief, others disappointment. The two boys selected were oddly mirrored in their actions. Both calmly walked forward and stood opposite one another, giving a short nod of respect before preparing themselves.
Hide was an oddball of a Hyuga. He was taller than the others at his age but lacked the typical build. He was stocky, more like a young rugby player than a shinobi. Ebisu was more stereotypical in his looks. Average height and willowy enough that a slight breeze could threaten him. There wasn't anything else interesting about him besides glasses that were way too dark to be wearing inside. Seriously though, why the hell do so many shinobi dress like teen vampires? Cowls, capes, pale skin, and glasses glued to their faces. I missed Shigaki's starting call during my musing. The cheering and movement were the only indicators that the match had started.
The boys Ebisu sat with cheered his name as the match started. Ebisu retreated backward, brandishing a pair of kunai. The Hyuga watched impassively, never wavering from his relaxed position. Only once Ebisu had finished moving did Hide advance. Ebisu took a calming breath, then whipped a kunai forward once his opponent had crossed the halfway point, dashing behind it quickly as he could.
Shizune watched intently as the two boys began clashing back and forth across the arena. "Who do you think will win?" Her gaze didn't divert from the fight for a moment. A quick bite of her lip was the only indication she had heard me.
"Hide-san. Ebisu-san is skilled… but Hide-san doesn't lose to anyone unranked." I made a mental note of the interesting and seemingly prophetic nugget. Ebisu had yet to make a clear mistake during the fight, yet he was on the losing end of most engagements. His technique was textbook but nothing more. There wasn't enough force behind his blows or quickness in his actions to create an advantage. He looked like an actor going through rehearsal, and Hide had already seen the play.
It was a very un-Hyuga-like move that ended the match. A poorly handled feint had Ebisu reeling toward the arena's edge. Hide was primed to end the fight with a classic gentle fist strike. Ebisu panicked and did a perfect cross guard to try and weather the blow. It was a surprise to us both when Hide morphed the open palm strike into a brutal kick. Ebisu was lifted up and out of the circle, and the crowd winced as he landed.
I knew the Hyuga weren't robots and didn't have to use the Gentle Fist exclusively. It was just odd to see something so… unrefined from the otherwise stuffy-looking clan member. Credit to Hide, he didn't gloat about his victory. He lifted Ebisu up with the seal of reconciliation and gave a curt nod. Ebisu's friends were meaner than his opponent. Once Hide cleared out, they gathered around Ebisu, joking around and teasing him over the sound he made when kicked. I didn't spare them much attention. Something about the fight had bothered me besides its ending.
The tension in the room had lessened with the fight's conclusion. Or at least it had for most of the class. Hide's victory had uncovered a fissure between him and his two other clanmates. One went as far as sneering at him before schooling his face into blank indifference. It helped confirm my suspicion that something was off. Hide didn't react to it, simply returning to his place by his clanmates. I held back a snort at the little powerplay going on. These kids could perform miracles with a little bit of effort, yet some perceived slight had them acting like the children they were.
It would be annoying if I didn't find it so funny. Anyone in this class could be the only one standing between you and death. Especially for the Hyuga. They always get targeted in the field. If any of the three were part of the branch family they'd be targeted at home too. The three of them should be each other's closest allies. Not whatever schoolhouse drama they were dealing with. Not that it mattered. I didn't have much of an opinion on the Hyuga or the bird seal issue. It was unfortunate, but I had plans down the line to become favored by the main family. Maybe I could push things in a better direction eventually. I wasn't about to stick my neck out for someone else though.
Shigaki-sensei called for the next fight and I focused my attention on the other competition.
We were in the short lull between spars when the door flung open, and an out-of-breath boy exclaimed, "I'm here! I'm sorry for being late!" A harsh bow punctuated his breathy yells. I could hear Shigaki-sensei's hand smack against his face and the long sigh that came with it.
"This is the wrong room Obito. The classes changed location. I was there when you were told."
"Hehehe...Sorry Sensei."
I looked over Obito as Sensei told him where the right class was with exasperation. He looked similar to what he did in the anime. Maybe a little younger and much more real than a 2D screen could ever show. It bothered me to even be in his presence. How much death and destruction would he cause? I needed to do something with him or Kannabi Bridge, but what? I'd have to get closer to him no matter what I decided, even if it's only a little more than acquaintances.
My mother's voice repeated in my head, 'take every advantage.' Neither Obito nor Sensei were confident about the boy's ability to make it to the correct classroom. It was an opening I'd gladly take. "I went by class 304 this morning Sensei. I can take him." Sensei pounced on the opportunity to foist Obito on someone else. He told me to be quick and get on my way. I grabbed the confused boy and waved bye to Shizune as I pulled him out the door.
I didn't have time to think about breaking the silence before Obito started talking, "I didn't mean to be late or go to the wrong classroom. There was an old woman and a cat and… I panicked once I saw how late it was." He continued talking for a minute longer, explaining his misadventures to the first person who would listen. He trailed off and gave me a sad look. I hope he didn't ask me a question. I spotted a booger on his shirt, and I hadn't managed to pay attention since.
"You don't believe me do you?"
"Of course I do."
"I knew you wo—wait you do?"
"Yeah? I don't see why you would lie about it." Obito almost tripped over himself in surprise. It wasn't hard to imagine most people thinking his excuses were fake. He'd be better off lying than trying to pass off his insane daily life as normal. From the shocked look on his face, I'd guess that being honest hadn't always paid off. In another life, he'd learn that lesson by the time he became Tobi. I suppose I could throw the kid a bone in this one.
"You want to be a great shinobi right? You wouldn't miss training unless you had a good reason for it."
"Of course! I'm going to Hokage one day!"
"Well Mr. future Hokage. If you need a sparring partner let me know. Great shinobi need to help each other out right?" Especially when helping out involves learning the tendencies and weaknesses of someone who could be a deadly enemy. Obito seemed eager to agree, so I decided not to care about the duplicity.
I didn't care about stifling my laugh either. Obito had his mouth hanging open in shock at a stranger offering him some help. A sudden urge to bully him flooded my system. Luckily for him, the goggles and collar combo were cute enough that I'd give him a free pass for now. It was better to keep a bit of distance between us anyways. The plan was to stop Obito's tragedy before it happened. Not join in on it. The whole thing was too Shakespearean for my tastes. I was always more of a cheesy action movie kind of girl instead of love triangles… Unless I was home alone or it was a good book… or involved redheads.
Alright, maybe I have a bias against Uchihas. A reasonable person might use this as a learning moment. But a future badass ninja would see the parallels between them and Tobirama and stay the course. We reached the right classroom in time to save me from any more moral reflections.
Obito tried to say something a couple of times, but the words got caught in his throat. I laughed and waved goodbye. A small voice reached me just before I turned out of sight, "Thank you."
I spent the walk back to my class in silence, reviewing my memories of Obito and trying to figure out the best way to change things. There were too many things I had to deal with beyond just him. My list of problems to solve was growing more extensive than I could likely handle. People to save, people to kill, and people to decide on later. The walls pulled in close the more I thought about the future.
There were two more shinobi wars to come. Maybe more if I screwed the timeline up enough. I couldn't even start to care about the regular students in this school. I was surrounded by people who wouldn't live to see 20. The next war, the Kyuubi, and who knows what else would kill most of these people before Naruto was even born. I needed to get out of here as fast as I could. It was time to bump my training up from harsh to insane. Mother would be more than willing to accommodate it.
My pace picked up into something halfway between a walk and a jog. Even now, I was wasting precious time. I should be scouting the competition and trying to learn what I can from their fights. From the few I've seen today, I would have a chance to win against anyone. But it wouldn't be certain. That wasn't good enough. I needed to dominate everyone here, physically, mentally, and especially with chakra. I should be taking advantage of every waking moment. Why aren't I working on a leaf exercise right now? Why haven't I been walking up walls or on water at this point? I'd gotten too comfortable in a world with death lurking around every corner. Obito was a good reminder of the kind of place I found myself in. It was time to start treating it with the seriousness it required.
The rest of school passed by in a haze of brainstorming training methods and note-taking on the competition. Everyone else in the class had at least a year's head start on me. Most of them had more than that. I needed to leave them all in the dirt before long. Even if there weren't any extra rewards for it, my goal would still be to get into the top 3. The chance to learn ninjutsu directly under Shigaki-sensei made it a necessity.
Befriending Shizune was already proving to be well worth the little effort it took. She was great for bouncing ideas off of and had agreed to come over this weekend to help me work on the academy three. I found myself liking the girl already.
It hadn't been a day, and she had already shown a steely spine underneath a soft interior. The girl was ambitious, competitive, and willing to work. Her only problem was this haze of hesitancy that surrounded her actions. She had sparred against one of the Uchiha. A sickeningly sweet girl who I immediately distrusted due to the quality of her earrings. I'd given up on wearing any about the 4th time mother had sent me rolling in the dirt. Maybe an overreaction for my first ever spar, but I didn't want to deal with bloody ears and a bruised ego.
Shizune didn't even try to rip one of them out. She was cautious to a fault throughout the spar. It wasn't a problem with technique or an inability to hurt someone. The few attacks she made were fast and vicious. She just wouldn't attack unless her opponent handed her a perfect opportunity. Even then, she would never follow up an attack. The better ninja lost the match before either had stepped into the ring.
Her mentality was going to change if she was to associate with me. This isn't like my old life where little girls must be prim and proper. We were in a brutal time and a brutal place. It wasn't worth pretending that we were good people. Taking the high road would make for a nice speech at your gravestone and a lot of people who missed you. I'd rather live until I was a bitter old woman that no one liked. To get there, I'd have to become what people cursed at during funerals and feared at night. Shizune would have to accept that if she was to become more than Tsunade's second-best apprentice.
It wasn't like I'd abandon her if she couldn't change. She was so sweet that I'd have to keep her around, even if it was just for dessert. Fine, maybe a little bit of it was because she was directly tied to multiple Hokage and would be the most realistic way for me to learn Tsunade's seal. But even friendly relationships have some give and take. Shizune gets a friend who pushes her to excel. I get a friend whose loved ones could propel me into being one of the strongest people alive.
What? I never said the give and take had to be even. As if Shizune could ever repay the gift of my friendship.
We hugged goodbye at the road and split off with a "see you soon." I even skipped all the way home, strictly for leaf training purposes I assure you.
"I'm home!" Came my shout over the noise of the door being thrown open. The house was lit surprisingly well. Mother had opened the curtains and turned on the lights instead of just using candles. It actually looked nice inside when it wasn't lit up like a horror movie set. A whiff of my favorite food led me into the kitchen and an even bigger surprise. There were gifts piled haphazardly around a still-warm bowl of tempura.
The gifts were practical and unwrapped, precisely what I preferred. Clothes my size and ones to grow into. Kunai, shuriken, and senbon. Sharper and more well-made than any I've ever owned. The biggest prizes were hidden behind the others. A katana and the wooden practice sword thingy immediately caught my eye. They came with small handwritten instructions detailing basic kata. But the one I wanted most was a few unassuming scraps of paper. Five weight seals for training. They weren't anything crazy. Each could only go up to a hundred pounds. But it was something I could always be training with.
I peeled a note off that was stuck to the back of them. 'I love you. Sorry for missing your first day. Keep up your training until I return.' I couldn't argue with that. One quickly eaten dinner later and I was out back swinging a wooden sword with a leaf stuck to my head. I hoped mother would be back soon so I could start swinging it at her.
I didn't start getting worried until she'd been gone for a week without a word.
A month after she left the 2nd Shinobi War ended. An ANBU can by that same day with her forehead protector. The funeral was held the next day.
AN:
I went back and fixed some wording in the first couple of chapters.
This isn't going to be a strict rehash of canon. Some broad strokes will be the same some will have significant differences. Going to be a pain in the butt to work out, but what is the point of doing a self-insert if nothing changes?
It's harder to lay down hints of the future than I thought. Doing this gives me way more appreciation for authors with long book series.
As always, give me any constructive you can think of.