"Do you have your ink and brush?" My Mother says with a worried tone as she helps fasten the sash of my clothes. She sounded off today. There was no song in her voice, no lilt in her tone. Just pure crumbling sternness.

"Yes Mother!" I say in a chipper voice that hid my fear and trepidation.

"What about the lunch you made?" My Mother says this as she tightens the sash's hold with a clip. Her voice was getting heavier with each question.

"Yes Mother!" I say this in attention as I look at myself in the mirror. I was a pretty girl with silvery gray eyes and straight black hair as opposed to my Mother's seafoam green eyes and wavy red locks. I was very grateful to have inherited her impossible beauty, even if I was only six. I even had a beauty mark under my left eye.

I was dressed in a cute blue outfit courtesy of a very pleasant seamstress who was friends with my Mother. I smiled happily at the wonderful clothes I was wearing. I always loved fashion, you see. It was a small moment of glee that I cherished, soon to be squashed by the impending doom of the academy.

"And what of your-" My Mother was cut off by the calm voice of the Matron.

"Enough coddling Yuriko-chan, she's going to be late if we continue dawdling." The Matron wasn't a hag like most of the others in the redlight district. She was a short old woman with a kind face. Even though she was basically a pimp, her personality was that of a kind and loving one. A true grandmother to the girls of the Okiya, but her punishments were quite hurtful. I have no idea how the old woman was able to slap so hard.

"Of course Hanami-sama." My Mother, Kawakami Yuriko, said this with an obedient if not worried tone. The look on her face did not betray her emotions, a true oiran indeed.

"Are you ready Tomie?" Matron Hanami asks this of me as motions for me to take her hand.

"Yes Hanami-sama." I say this with finality as I take her hand.

The Shinobi Academy of Kirigakure was literally a sad conglomeration of broken concrete buildings mashed together, shaped like an unfortunate pile of particularly bland tortoise shells. There were vines sprawling all over the outer walls and dewy cobwebs on the cracks.

I take a deep breath as I say my goodbye to Matron Hanami, walking through the dilapidated doorway. I was calm now, my internal panic subsiding as I whistled the whistle song from Kill Bill. I didn't know why I chose to add to the proverbial creepiness of the place, but regardless, the song helped me calm down.

There was absolutely no charm to this place at all, clearly the funds of Mizukage, if there were any at all, were being used for other prospects. I take my steps in a sort of strut as the footfalls of my shoes cause echoes throughout the hallway. Each step in dancing tune with the whistles of my voice. There was mist in the ruined halls of this so-called place of higher learning, it helped set the mood alongside the darkness and the sometimes flickering lights.

I wonder to myself as to who my classmates could possibly be. I didn't know of anyone of note from Kirigakure that was the same generation as Naruto. I continued my musings as I reached room 103, this was my stop.

I sighed as I resigned myself to the possibility of dying or worse, afterall there were fates worse than death in the Naruto World. Anyways, as I entered the classroom the door creaked loudly and I was met with many stares.

I stopped my whistling as I metaphorically waltzed into the room to find that there were dusty seats. There were long desks and a large chalkboard opposite to the seats. There were two windows stained with what looked to be dried blood. Hanging from the ceiling were bright lightbulbs that would flicker ever so often. The children were split into two semi-organized groups. The well-dressed clans kids to the left of the room while the lower caste kids wearing crimes against fashion were on the right.

The clan kids were socializing amongst themselves, throwing jokes and jabs about which of the lower caste kids wouldn't survive. Sometimes a clan kid would point at one of the lower caste and laugh, simply to get a reaction. Meanwhile the lower caste kids were scattered into smaller sects, most of them chose to glower and cuss at the clan kids while some just chose to play around. There was a definite tension in the air.

It was then that I saw him in all his blue-skinned glory. The sharkman himself, a man who would soon become an S-Rank Missing Nin. It was Kisame Hoshigaki, wearing his clan's signature gray and dark blue robes. He was sitting on his own and he looked ready to murder the next person that talked to him. Naturally I did the only smart thing and sat next to him.

Needless to say I garnered more than a few stares and whispers due to my actions, not that I paid them any mind. Well, except for one girl in deep blue robes. A girl that looked suspiciously like the child version Terumi Mei, the fifth Mizukage. She was giving me an odd look as I languidly looked towards the chunin instructors that entered the room.

The school day begins with different theories regarding the basics of ninja such as taijutsu, ninjutsu, and genjutsu. We were also taught about other forms of jutsu such as shuriken jutsu.

Then, we were taught hang signs and how they affected the chakra flow in our bodies. Were were also taught the rules of Shinobi and how they were paramount amongst the ninja of Kiri. Rules included but were not limited to:

Rule #01. "A shinobi must never show any weakness."

Rule #04. "A shinobi must always put the mission first."

Rule #13. "A shinobi must always watch their back."

Rule #25. "A shinobi must never show their tears during a mission"

The list goes one but I didn't have the time nor the leisure to list them all.

After class we were brought outside for target practice, running, and jumping drills. We learned how to throw different types of shuriken, senbon, and kunai. We were also taught how to properly handle poisoned weapons. We were then made to run laps around the misty field, with only the cloudy sun to light the way as we trudged through the mud.

Jumping drills were absolutely amazing. We were individually tested on our capabilities to provide a short burst of chakra on our feet. This would allow us to jump great heights and long distances across trees and what not. Though I wasn't the best at it, I wasn't the worst, and that in itself made me happy. Decidedly average jumping ability was better than no jumping ability at all.

Lunch comes rather swiftly after that and the beef buns I made are now cold due to the general mist and temperature of Kirigakure. I see Kisame eating alone in the misty courtyard and my heart pangs in sadness. The poorboy needed a friend. I understood his situation. I was also a bit of a loner in kirigakure. You don't get to meet many good kids in the redlight district of Kiri.

"Hello Hoshigaki-san." I say this with a kind smile as I hold my lunch pouch to my chest. We were forced to introduce ourselves in class. As such, I could use Kisame's name without the need to worry.

"Kawakami-san" He says this with a mouth full of tuna and rice. Secretly I was glad he remembered my name. Though maybe he just wanted to know the name of the weird girl that sat beside him.

"May I eat with you?" I say this question with a semi-pleading look on my features.

"...Hn..." He says this and nods once before returning to his meal.

"Thank you." I say this and I take a seat beside him on the bench. Hurray for progress!

We ate in silence after that, enjoying each other's company until the next class.

The day ends with sparring practice and oh boy was I terrified. It was basically a devious excuse to let minors beat the everloving shit out of each other and I saw these kids drawing blood. My class wasn't filled with normal children, it was filled with hungry chakra infused predators who were fostered to fight for the best spot or die trying. The worst spot was, I was up next!

"Kawakami Tomie versus Yuki Hakuryuu!" The chunin instructor shouts out as this clan boy with gorgeous features and spiky black hair moves to the ring at the same time as me. Lord help me, I was about to get my ass handed to me by an eight-year old.