Naruto would have been bouncing up and down with excitement if he wasn't still floating. Instead he is tied to a chair eating breakfast with Grandma and Grandpa and Iruka niisan. Despite the fact that Grandma forcibly brushed his hair this morning, and despite the fact that he misses sharing a room with Iruka niisan (he really wants bunkbeds), Naruto is bursting with happiness.
Today Naruto is wearing his Gamabunta t shirt for the first time. Today, Naruto is going to start at the Academy. He can't wait. The only thing that could have dampened his excitement was the floating. Fortunately, his Grandparents figured out that they could just tie him to his chair. So Naruto is going to the Academy with his friends instead of waiting until he stops floating.
Once breakfast is over, Naruto squirms until Iruka niisan unties him and helps him get his backpack and shoes on. Naruto wraps his mum's scarf around his neck since it is cold outside, and waits for his grandparents. Finally, they come and walk him to the Academy inauguration with Iruka.
Sparky follows them to the Academy, flying beside Naruto, who has his arms out like birds' wings. When they arrive, Naruto scopes out the crowd. He quickly locates Hinata and her parents. Soon after he sees Choji and Shikamaru with their parents. Then Naruto sees the nice police chief arrive with a shy looking girl wearing a blue jacket, white pants and a big blue bow in her hair.
Naruto calls over to the police chief, "Hey, Mr. Policeman!"
The nice police chief sees him and waves, a smile on his face. The little girl next to him glares at Naruto and latches onto the policeman's arm. The nice police man looks down at her in surprise. Naruto thinks that that must be Sasuke. He grins at her, but Sasuke scowls at him and mouths my Daddy!
Naruto shrugs and yells, "Hey, Hinata! Over here!" waving like crazy to Hinata.
Hinata runs over, takes the leash from Iruka and drags him off to find Choji and Shikamaru. The four of them stand together in the lineup of Academy entrees. They do not have long to wait before the Hokage introduces the two senseis who will be teaching the new entrants. Naruto has the best view, floating up above the other kids. One of the senseis is a short, stocky man with fluffy black hair, and the second is a tall, graceful woman with short brown hair.
"This is the sensei for class 1A," says the Hokage, motioning to the woman. "Nezumi sensei, if you would read out the names of the children in your class?"
Nezumi sensei starts reading names, among them are Hinata and Choji. Hinata hands Naruto's leash to Shikamaru.
"This is so troublesome," mumbles Shikamaru, taking Naruto's leash. "Why couldn't we all be in the same class?"
"We can still play together during our breaks," says Hinata reassuringly.
"I guess," Naruto says, feeling a bit down. At least he is in the same class as Shikamaru.
"The rest of you are in Washi sensei's class," says the Hokage. "Washi sensei, please read out the names on your roll?"
Washi sensei reads out the names, and sure enough, Naruto and Shikamaru are in his class. The group of children splits up, each following their sensei to their classroom. Shikamaru pulls Naruto along by the leash. Once they are in their classroom, Shikamaru ties Naruto to his seat with the lead and slouches down beside him. This is going to be a long day.
Hinata and Choji stick together since they don't know anyone else. Nezumi sensei announces that they are going to play an ice breaking game, and Hinata inwardly groans. Whatever an ice breaking game is, it probably does NOT involve actual ice.
It does not. What it does involve is everyone being split into four groups of five and one group of six. Once the groups are spread around the room, Nezumi sensei hands out a floor puzzle to each group and tells them that each group has to put their puzzle together and find something they all have in common while they do so. Hinata thinks that sounds stupid. Why couldn't they just play tag or something? Hinata finds herself in the group of six. There are three other girls and two boys. They quickly get to making their giant ten piece puzzle, and soon discover they all LOVE ice cream.
Choji feels a little lost in his group, until the boy with the dog hat asks him what his favourite flavour of chips is. It turns out Choji and Kiba have the same favourite chip flavour as everyone else in their group except the blonde girl called Ino, who doesn't really like chips. Choji says that's fine, she doesn't have to like the same food as everyone else - after all there wouldn't be so many different kinds of food if everyone liked the same thing. Kiba just laughs and his puppy starts barking.
It is a while before they discover they all have the same favourite movie.
Sasuke Uchiha is the only girl in her group. How did that happen? The quiet boy named Shino seems nice, but two of the others are bullying the pink haired boy called Madoka Haruno.
"You have girly hair!" one boy is saying. "And your forehead is the size of a house! You're so ugly you make my grandma look pretty and she has a mustache!"
Madoka is crying now, trying to cover his cherry blossom coloured hair with his hands.
Filled with sudden burst of boldness, Sasuke blurts out, "Leave him alone or I'll punch you in the face!" then she blushes and tries to hide behind Shino.
Shino adjusts his sunglasses and says, "My grandma has a mustache too."
Madoka's hair and forehead forgotten, the group soon discovers that they all have a close relative with a mustache. Sasuke does not like seeing other kids cry, which is really the only reason she stood up for Madoka. But now Madoka keeps staring at Sasuke, and Sasuke is starting to wish she had kept her mouth shut.
Washi sensei smiles around at the class. "Now that everyone is settled in, let's all get to know each other," he says. "I would like each of you to stand up and tell the class your name and three things about yourself. Let's start with you." He points to a boy sitting in the front row.
The boy stands up. "My name is Sai," he says, smiling. "I like to draw and I am from Root. I think you are funny looking."
"Okaay," Washi sensei sounds a bit put out. "Next kid. You sitting next to him."
The pale haired boy sitting next to Sai stand up. "My name is Shin," he says seriously. "I am also from Root. I am Sai's brother. I could easily kill you in your sleep." He smiles cheerfully and sits back down.
"Ummm…" Washi looks mildly horrified. "I am so glad only half of you Root kids are in my class. Anyway...moving on!"
"How about you with the blonde hair?" he asks, pointing directly at Naruto.
"Um…" Naruto blushes. "I can't stand up, I'm tied to my chair."
Washi sensei facepalms. "Then untie yourself."
Giggling, Naruto undoes Shikamaru's knots. A soon as the leash is untied, Naruto floats up to the ceiling.
The whole class stares at him.
Washi sensei makes a noise that sounds like a cross between a sigh and a growl.
Sparky flies up and sits on Naruto's foot.
Naruto grins down at everyone. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki, dattebayo! I love ramen, and this is my pet Sparky! Oh, and I accidently turned off my personal gravity, so now I float."
"Excuse me for a moment," says Washi sensei and goes out of the classroom. A few moments later, they hear the sound of muffled screaming.
Much later, while Hinata's class is practicing their hiragana together, the boy sitting directly behind Hinata leans forward and whispers, "Hey, Freaky-Eyes, why are you hanging out with Fatty?"
Hinata feels an ice cold river of anger run through her. Turning around to look the boy directly in the eye, Hinata activates her byakugan and says, "You can make fun of me, but NO ONE makes fun of my friends."
"Oh, yeah?" the kid sniggers. "You're just a girl, and everyone knows girls only come to the ninja academy because that's where all the cool boys are. I bet you don't even know what a kunai is."
Hinata grabs the front of the boy's shirt and pulls him onto her desk. Then she whips out a kunai and points it straight at the boys groin. Smiling very, very sweetly, Hinata says, "I think this is a kunai, but it's hard to tell. I guess we'll know if it can cut you."
"Woah!" Nezumi sensei pulls Hinata and the boy apart. "What's going on here?"
"I thought he wanted to cross kunai," says Hinata sweetly. "I guess I got mine out faster."
"This is not the time or place for fighting," says Nezumi sensei. "There will be plenty of opportunities to fight when we have sparring practice."
Hinata smiles at the boy and says, "I look forward to it."
The boy starts crying and runs out of the classroom. "I want my mummy!" he screams. "I'm not coming back here, you're all crazy!"
Hinata smiles. "My work here is done," she says, dusting off her hands.