Kirin and I walked side by side in the main street of Konoha, we were going up towards the academy. Our father was right behind us, holding the hand of two-year-old Fugaku.
We had grown up but see a difference between my sister and I was still complicated: our hair, tied in a loose tail, reached the middle of our back. Our eyes, our noses, our mouths and even our faces had the same shape. The only notable difference, which surely relieved our father of the hard task of differentiating us, was our clothes.
Kirin wore a red kimono. The cut had been made in order to allow movements for a Kunoichi, she was not entangled in dozens of layers of fabric, quite the contrary, it kept its elegance with the addition of a beautiful white obi. There was, obviously, on back of her kimono, the sign of the Uchiha.
I wore a much simpler outfit than my sister's, a simple black sweater that was marked by the symbol of the Uchiha in the back – an immense one that showed my important place in the clan, and black cropped trousers.
Kirin's hand caught mine: we had arrived. A lot of people waited already, the students were in rows, the parents in a group behind them, everyone seemed to wait for the good hour. Mechanically, we turned to our father – no matter what was in my brain at the time, Kirin's stress was beginning to invade me as well.
He took Fugaku in his arms and without a word, beckoned us to follow him. He stepped into the parent crowd and met a Shinobi with a green jacket, symbolising his rank as Chunin or Jonin.
"Uchiha-Sama." The Shinobi greeted our father before browsing his list of eyes. "Uchiha Suzaku, 4Th Class, this is the fourth row." I nodded and waited for him to announce my sister's class – which was crushing my hand. He looked at me a little longer before he glanced at my father "uh, you can join the ranks." I was staring at him, was he stupid or...?
"There is also my daughter of this year's registration: Uchiha Kirin." My father's voice broke the silence that had formed in our small group – I felt myself breathing, my sister was well enrolled! The Chunin looked at our father before looking down at me and then towards my sister. He seemed to want to say something, but he dared not, instead, he looked up to his list: "Uchiha Kirin, 4Th Class. "
Automatically, we turned to our father and bent our head in a perfect synchronisation "father, thank you very much!" Once that was done, we advanced to join our ranks, but Father call out for me "Suzaku." He had taken a step backwards and had probably returned to tell me one last thing: "Be observant." Ah. My father never said anything random, I nodded: "Hai!"
Observer huh? What was there to observe? We were very much, but it is normal, after the second war, the village would like to reform its ranks. Especially since there were still skirmishes between the village – Peace was not assured, no matter what the civilians thought. Speaking of civilians, there were strangely many of them. I had quickly recognized some members of clans – a Hyuuga, a Inuzuka, a Nara... And we both Uchiha. There were exactly twenty students per class, the clan children being grouped in the 4Th. We were a minority of five.
But it was not so surprising, we were like the civilians in a certain sense – in one family, there was no birth every year and even if there were, some preferred not to become Shinobi. More than that the girls were not very well... Girls. There were very few girls, despite the big boom in the male/female ratio with the advent of Tsunade Senju.
In our class, there was only the Inuzuka and Kirin, the female members of the other classes could be counted on the fingers of one hand. So the village was not so feminized that the world had wanted us to believe, I could deal with that.
My observation was cut off by the arrival of the Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, immediately, just by his presence the silence was made. The man overlooked us on a stage, he had a pipe in his hand and wore the official outfit.
He looked at us all, one by one, each pupil from the first class to our own, where his gaze did not stop longer on the clan children. "You only have one life. There is no need to choose an impossible path. It's good to live as long as you want and to die. However, protect a precious person. You should not forget it, no matter the way that you choose. * "He took a mouthful of smoke. "Now I'd like to recite a poem I wrote: When the tree is allowed to dance, we find flames. The shadow of the fire will illuminate the village and once again the leaves of the trees will grow back. * "
Then the man went away and the Chunin instructors took his place on the podium, ordering us to join our room. My hand was gently pulled by my twin "did you understand something about what he said, Suzaku?" That was a good question, and I was not sur of the answer "Let me think about it, Kirin." Protect someone? Yes, I thought I understood. I feel strong when I know that my training will protect Kirin and Fugaku. But live as long as we want? We could not choose, wasn't that to be a Shinobi? One day, when you least expect it, you die without being able to do anything about it. As mother, she had no choice – but she was not a Shinobi.
As to the poem of the Hokage... The tree, the fire, the leaves. It was necessarily a metaphor, but of what?
We go into the classroom and everyone choose their place when the Chunin asked us "Before you sit down, I want you to introduce yourself to one of your comrades. Those who already know each other can not choose themselves." Kirin turned so quickly towards the instructor that I was afraid for her neck. She shook my hand even more strongly and before she totally crushed it, I gently pushed her towards the only girl – the Inuzuka. Kirin glanced at me, and I smiled at her, nodding: she fully understood what I was asking her. But the Inuzuka had captured our movements and before Kirin spoke, she was already present.
Now, for me, groups of two were timidly forming. I was looking around me, till I see him. A powerful path of light, as I had never seen before. Even Kirin and Hokage looked pale in comparison. I was approaching the blond boy. Everything seemed bright around him, it was dazzling. He smiled at me when he saw me approaching and he was already holding his hand for me to squeeze.
"I am Uchiha Suzaku, heir to the Uchiha clan." The boy smiled, it looked so sincere and bright once again. "I am Namikaze Minato. Uh... I'm an orphan. "Now he looked contrite "really? You are a lot of orphans at the academy?" I asked out of curiosity and especially because my father had asked me to observe. It was no wonder, Konoha had a lot of orphans because of the second war, Shinobi and civilians had left their lives and often children there. "Yes, just in this class, we're 10. It's pretty much the same in the other classes."
It was much more surprising because it meant that they were strongly encouraged to join the ranks. Which however was very contradictory, the village did not have so much money to give for scholarships to the academy. But without them, the classes would be cut in half – yet a small determination like money was not enough to become a good Shinobi. Cannon fodder. As I had thought rather, the skirmishes between villages were not over and a war could erupt from one moment to another: the village did not want few good shinobi, it wanted a lot of shinobi even poor. It counted on the clans and civilians the best rated to build the future heavy strike of Konoha.
"Nice to meet you, anyway." Minato smiled and nodded "shall we sit down." The others were beginning to sit, and I nodded in agreement, Kirin waved her hand towards me, having reserved a bench at the side of the Inuzuka "This is my twin sister, Uchiha Kirin. Kirin this is Namikaze Minato. We took a place next to her and she shook her head timidly at Minato – my sister oscillated between shyness and inflamed temperament. "Tsume this is my twin Uchiha Suzaku, heir to the Uchiha clan and Namikaze Minato. Brother, Minato, this is Inuzuka Tsume, heir to the Inuzuka clan."
The Chunin called for calm and conversations "very well, I am your sensei for your period at the academy, you will call me Morisada-Sensei. All right?" After a general "Hai", the Sensei nodded "Well, now you're going to introduce the person you met. Let's start at the bottom."
There were four tables of three at the bottom, the two in front were the only ones to hold four people. So we'd move on to the last ones. I listened quietly to everything there was to hear, observing the faces of everyone "it's Nara Kaiji." The Hyuuga presented then it was around Nara "it's Hyuuga Haru." The Sensei's eyes laid on Tsume "she is Uchiha Kirin." My sister "It's Inuzuka Tsume, the heir to the Inuzuka clan." It was customary to distinguish the heirs of clans, I wondered if Minato would think of it or not, although it was not so important. "It is Namikaze Minato." The blond was the last to pass, he smiled, he looked all the time smiling "he is Uchiha Suzaku, the heir of the Uchiha clan."
I felt a good number of looks on my back and in front of me, the Sensei had slightly enlarged eyes looking at me. The Uchiha was a known and renowned clan, I was going to be waited at the turn, especially as I was his heir. Although I am not the only heir present, the attention would be on me. I had nothing against Tsume, quite the contrary, but the Sensei's attitude would be mimed by his students – because Tsume was a girl. Maybe only Nara and Hyuuga will pay attention to both of us. And I also had the impression that Minato will surprise me.
The rest of the morning, the only time of course for today, passed quickly. Sensei explained the program and distributed material: books and notebooks. I was quite advanced in everything we were going to do this year and in the years to come. I already mastered writing, history and Mathematics for the "civil" part of the academy, I had no doubt that the other clan children knew almost as much as I did. As for the Shinobi part, I already mastered the Chakra theory and I was very good in practice also. So I would have no difficulty.
However, while Tsume and Kirin also had to have the basics of the theoretical and practical part, they might have more trouble – Kirin did not match me in any of these areas after all. I was not sur that Nara and Hyuuga have already begun their training. Civilians could have the "civilian" part practically acquired, but I don't saw instructors teaching at the orphanage: moreover, it was not the job of the matron to educate their children.
A good number of students in the classroom seemed confused to the writing on the board and in the book – so I was not wrong. But Minato... Minato had no problem, he was browsing the books of the eyes and seemed to really decipher what he saw.
"How did you learn to read?" I asked before I understood that this could be wrongly received, but again, he smiled "I was interested in reading and I found one of the supervisors to read me from time to time." From time to time, huh? If not I forcing Kirin to read more than "from time to time", she would still have trouble. Minato was different: I knew it at that moment, my instinct was not mistaken and that bright path that I saw meant something. But I still had to know what.
Father and Fugaku were waiting for us at the exit of the school, we joined them after saying goodbye to Minato and Tsume. Kirin had immediately taken the other hand of Fugaku, so I walked on the other side of our father, listening to my sister summed up our day.
Father laid his hand on my shoulder, stopping my walking and that of my brothers and sisters. "Let's eat at the restaurant to celebrate your first day at the academy." He held out his hand to the left, inviting me to enter in the Restaurant Akimichi. So I was the first to enter, followed by Fugaku who had grabbed my sweater, my sister and father.
"Welcome, Uchiha-Sama, Uchiha-San!" One was greeted by the joyful greeting of the man standing at the entrance "a table for four?" My father nodded silently and I gently pulled Fugaku's hand so that he would follow me between the aisles until the waiter stopped. Knowing my father, I was installing Fugaku back at the door and beckoned Kirin to sit next to our younger brother while I was taking place in front of her with my father by my side.
We were the most responsive, so if a danger were to happen, we could protect them immediately. My father gave me a sign of the head: he had liked and understood my way of thinking.
"So, Suzaku, what did you think of the academy?" Ah, here's the test. Kirin was cooking the meat for the two of us, Fugaku ate vegetables, my father was watching his own lot of meat, but he was watching me from the corner of my eye. "I must first confess that I have not yet deciphered the message of the Hokage. I know what he means by saying to protect someone. I only think of protecting my brother and sister as well as the clan constantly. I don't understand when he said to choose when we're going to die, I don't understand his poem either."
Father shook his head and took a first bite of his dish: I imitated him. "When at the academy, we are five clan members including the heiress of the Inuzuka. As a result, there are two girls in our class, three in class one, two in class two and three." Kirin looked up at our father at that time and added "Inuzuka Tsume is very nice, I think that we will become good friends. " I nodded in agreement " there are 10 orphans in our class and roughly the same amount in the other classes. None of these orphans are girls." My conclusion was unsaid but my father understood it obviously: The village does not encourage girls to become Shinobi
"What do you get out of all this?" Father quietly asked, as if we were not in the middle of a restaurant filled with shinobi and that without an ounce of doubt, some indiscreet ears was listening. Ah. It was a test, once again. Was I going to speak without paying attention or was I going to choose my words carefully? "Namikaze Minato is an orphan, but he will become very strong. He's smart. He learned to read by himself. " Implied: The others don't. "I 'm going to be friends with him. I feel he will be important for later." What I did not say but that my father understood : The other orphans are useless.
Finally satisfied, my father concluded the conversation "very well, Suzaku."
The rest of the meal passed into a more playful atmosphere, created by Kirin and her first experience with the fact that yes, indeed, the fire burns and It hurts.
* Hiruzen Saruto lyrics are canon
next chapter: The biggest fear of Suzaku is revealed! And this idiot learns how to make a friend !