It was another bothersome day, and we all walked into our classroom. I was more reserved than before but it seemed like nobody cared. It was Friday, every student wanted to go home and chill off the weekend, but I was scared of going anywhere. My mind was fixed on my notebooks left at Kakashi.

Naruto came in with a vicious grin and took a chair and a chalk eraser. He then put the chair in front of the door and climbed on it, he put the eraser up pinning it between the door frame and the door. After that he put the chair back, behind the teacher's desk and began grinning like a maniac.

I sighed. Wasn't that the same trap Kakashi had fallen for in the anime? But why did he do it? It wasn't like Kakashi was coming to class. Which I hoped was true, because if he came in I would have a panic attack for sure.

Then the door opened and the eraser fell to the ground. Iruka-sensei looked in the class and started in a cold voice.

"Who did this?" man, I've never heard him so cold. Naruto didn't bother though, he was standing and watching Iruka-sensei with a wide grin. "Of all the juvenile pranks!" Iruka-sensei faced Naruto, who chuckled. Man, that kid just didn't know when to back down. But then Iruka stepped over the eraser and he slipped, the next moment he was on the floor. When did Naruto set that trap on? Anyway, it was brilliant! I was badly cracking up inside of me, but nobody else dared to have a reaction, well, except Naruto.

"I've got you! That eraser was nothing than a decoy! And you totally fell for it too!" he pointed at Iruka-sensei, who was getting up and heck. I felt frightened by him, he had such an angry look, and all that pointed at Naruto.

"Naruto!" the man growled, Naruto's wide grin faded and there it was, I knew that Naruto was acting all the time, but there I knew that he realized that he went a little bit further than he hoped. "Naruto." Iruka said calmer.

"Yeah, I know, go stand in the hallway." Naruto smiled and began walking past Iruka like it was nothing new. Which was true, Naruto kept doing all kinds of crazy shit and even in the first year, he stayed more in the hall, than in class. You did it again, didn't you boy? You unnerved another teacher.

"No, go and take your seat." Naruto froze and his act fell apart for a moment, he was confused. He looked up at Iruka-sensei with wonder in his eyes.

"What a letdown, I was sure he'd get yelled at. I was gonna look forward to it, to tell you the truth." I heard Choji tell my brother and since I was sitting in front of Choji, I heard him. That bastard! He wanted others in trouble?! What kind of thinking was that!

Naruto growled. "This place is so boring!" but he walked to his seat, Iruka only stood and didn't look at any of us, not even at Naruto, but then he went to take his place at the teacher's desk.

"Good morning, everyone!" he greeted us all with his smile, like every single day. So the day began.


Later on, Iruka was teaching us about chakra.

"Therefore a person's chakra is greatly influenced by that person's mental energy." he saw Naruto sleeping during class and stopped, so he went next to Naruto and rose his hand, his book still in it. Was he going to slap him? For sleeping? I locked eyes with my brother, which meant we couldn't sleep in class anymore. Troublesome. But then like he remembered something, Iruka stopped and Naruto woke up.

"Hold on. Sensei? Isn't it already time for class to be over?" oh finally somebody noticed!

"What?" Iruka asked.

"Just look." Naruto pointed at the clock. "See for yourself."

"Oh, I didn't realize it was so late." Really?! That's your excuse?! "Well then, that's everything for today! I'll see you Monday. Have a nice weekend!" he told us and left the classroom. Naruto chuckled after Iruka left and began running from his seat to the desk, he climbed on it, and still chuckling he touched the clock hand.

"I knew he'd fall for that old trick! That makes prank number three!" he praised himself still chuckling, but then the door slid open and Naruto, caught by surprise fell. Hard. I was biting the inside of my mouth that was hilarious! Iruka-sensei walked in calmly and Naruto looked up. "Boy, that's smart. But how did you figure it out so quickly?" Iruka-sensei watched him with that intense and angry glare.

"Just return to your seat." I think I began liking the guy, I mean the show I was watching in front of my eyes, was so worth its money. "And we'll continue." Iruka-sensei straightened a little bit and I leaned forward, curiosity getting the best of me, I so wanted to see, what Naruto was planning for his next move. But the kid was looking with an open mouth at Iruka like he didn't believe his eyes. Well, Iruka wasn't acting like Mizuki, Suzume, or the other teachers that sometimes taught us, Iruka wasn't shouting, he was calm. That intrigued me, and I smirked to myself. Naruto's face dropped and walked sullenly to his seat.


Later on we had sparring outside and we were taking turns, Iruka-sensei was watching us.

"Next one, Shikanai, and Shikamaru." he put me against my brother? Weird, but I wouldn't complain. After all, I haven't sparred with Shikamaru for a long time, he was mostly around Choji, and I was around Ino. When we were at home we were training, but not sparring, father helped us perfect the clan jutsu and mother helped us perfect our aim. I was better than Shikamaru though. I got training from Kakashi sometimes, which he didn't. He gave up his weapon of choice and said he'd be better with only shadows. A wrong move in my book.

The fight began and none of us attacked. I only watched my brother, trying do decipher what was he planning. We were forbidden to show that we knew the clan jutsu, so that was out of question. It was a taijutsu match. No weapons, no ninjutsu, no genjutsu.

Then I got impatient and I moved. I knew I was fast for my age – thank Kakashi for that -, but I knew I made many miscalculations when engaging in combat. I was holding myself back, I knew I was against a child genius. And so we danced with the moves and I heard gasps all around us, no normal child should think like we did, we knew we had to plan ahead, we knew that if the plan failed we had to have a backup plan. Father drilled that thinking into us.

So when Shikamaru tried to kick me in the stomach, I rolled on my feet and in the next moment I was in front of him, with a punch directed at his head, he rose his hands, to defend himself, and put his foot down, gaining balance, but I knew that if he was blocking me at his upper body, he would not see me if I kicked. So, I kicked him, in the back of his knees, making his leg buckle and he fell to the ground. Man, how many times I had been on the receiving end of that move in my past life, bullies loved getting me unprepared and down in front of them. Shikamaru was down and I pinned him there.

Iruka-sensei told us the spar was over and that we did well. I nodded at him and helped my brother up, who shook his head and muttered 'troublesome girl'.

It was time for Naruto to spar with Sasuke. Sasuke won and Naruto began throwing a tantrum, that he had only been unprepared and he wanted a rematch. Every girl except me and Hinata were gawking over Sasuke 'Sasuke is so strong!' 'Sasuke is so hot!' geez. But then the others began having enough of Naruto's tantrum and began bullying him, dude, children could be harsh.

At a moment Naruto's anger began showing and he wanted to fight some classmates, but Iruka intervened. I let out a breath, I didn't like people bullying others so I wanted to intervene, but better leave that to the adult in the room. Or well, adult in the court. Iruka placed both his hands on Naruto and turned to the others.

"Listen up!" he began with a commanding tone. "Stop ganging up on Naruto!" I smirked to myself, I really liked the guy. Naruto looked up at him with hope in his eyes and I realized, Iruka-sensei was the first adult to help Naruto out of a bad situation.

"Sensei?" he asked with such happiness in his tone, that took me off guard. Good job, Iruka-sensei! But then Iruka turned with a grim expression.

"Leave him alone." he told us. "Just ignore him." WHAT. I was shocked to the core and I looked at Naruto, the guy was frozen, his entire face screaming just how hurt he was.

"Huh?" he watched the man and I watched Iruka with wide eyes, wanting him to say something to make the situation better. But he turned away.

I really began hating the guy, right there, on the spot.

Naruto lowered his head and he looked at the brink of tearing up.

"Alright, everyone!" Iruka-sensei clapped his hands. "We still have a class to finish." everyone except me and Naruto began leaving. They muttered a half-hearted 'yes sensei', but I didn't even hear them that well, my eyes were locked on Naruto. Everyone began chatting and going to the classroom, but I was still there, leaning against a close wall and watching Naruto.

Naruto was shaking, his fists clenched.

"Hey, Naruto." I began slowly, but he didn't speak. "I... believe in you." I told him, but before he could turn and tell me anything or react in any way, I began turning away, with my hands in my pant's pockets and began walking away in a slouched way. When I turned the corner I saw the Third Hokage, I looked at him and he nodded at me, but he didn't say any words, so I left.


And we're moving the story into canon. Do you recognize the episode? And of course, this episode takes part after the Pain Arc, so Shikanai doesn't remember it. And we're getting a little bit of canon, we're moving slowly. And we're getting Shikanai as a background character.

I still don't own Naruto.

And oh my... More and more people are reading the story and you have no idea how grateful I am for that. Thank you! (and I mean it)

Happy New Year to everyone!

...and have a nice read!

ILikeFoxes828: Finally somebody asked! I sooooo waited for this question. The stuff with Danzo is quite simple. As you can see we see the story from Shikanai's perspective, we don't get glimpses of others that much, everything we see is from her eyes. You must know from watching Naruto, that Danzo is acting in the shadows. So, that's why he's 'not' in the picture. He's there, but he's in the shadows, watching and waiting. We don't know that though from Shikanai's perspective, because she doesn't know that she's being watched. When I wrote this story I was thinking a little. You know, that civilians are perceived differently in the Shinobi World aaand academy students are in fact civilians. But keep in mind that Shikanai has shinobi parents, but here we're focusing on her father. Shikaku is the one who's stopping Danzo, as seen as in the previous chapters, and that means she's protected until she becomes a shinobi. From that point on she's an adult and Shikaku has little to no restrains over her decisions and... Over Danzo. So just wait and see ;) (oh and those little mentions of Danzo, why are they there? Well, in a subconscious way she actually knows she's being watched)