Okay all here's the next chapter. I hope you all enjoy it. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, I really appreciate it. I've also, now, officially started another year of University, so I will try as always to update as often as I can but I won't make promises about speedy updates.
To my anonymous reviewer, Devi (AKA Too Lazy To Log In), thanks for reviewing. I really appreciate it. Also I'm glad I was able to answer your question appropriately. LOL! I hope you enjoy this chappie.
Just a small note for my dear readers. I've placed a poll on my profile page along with some summaries of fics that I'm working on in my spare time (when I'm not working on the ones that are already up) I would love your opinions everyone. Vote for the fic you most want to see up next. Thanks for your time everyone, and now on with the chapter.
xXxXxXxXxXxXx
This Really, REALLY Sucks!
Chapter Eight – The School Hierarchy.
xXxXxXxXxXxXx
That week, Sakura and Ten Ten were introduced to Sasuke. Sakura thanked him for stopping Naruto, from beating Uroih to death. Not that the bastard hadn't deserved it of course, but Sakura didn't want her stepbrother to go to prison.
Now was the first day back at school. Sakura pulled on a blue t-shirt that said
"Do I dare disturb the universe?" on it and a pair of black, ripped jeans. She tied up her hair so it wouldn't get in her way at any point and then went to knock on Ten Ten's door. Ten Ten opened the door, with one side of her hair almost done, and the other side still waiting. She was wearing a baggy yellow jersey that slipped off of one shoulder, and white denim shorts. She smiled as Sakura grabbed a brush and started brushing out the other side of Ten Ten's hair. Ten Ten soon finished one side and Sakura allowed her to get on with the next side.
"How do you think school's going to be?" Ten Ten asked, as she expertly braided the loose side of her hair.
"I don't know. I just hope I don't even have to bother with that little creep." Sakura replied. Ten Ten grinned.
"Naruto will just beat him up." Ten Ten replied. Both girls giggled at that. It was still hard to think of Naruto beating anyone up. He was just so nice most of the time.
The girls went downstairs once Ten Ten's hair was finished. They saw Naruto with an orange back pack slung over one shoulder. He was wearing his famed orange and blue jacket, a black t-shirt and a pair of jeans. Sakura had her own pack slung over her shoulder, which was a black tie dye pattern with skulls all over. Ten Ten carried a grey messenger bag with three pink roses on the flap. The trio placed their bags near the front door and went into the kitchen to see Moegi and Konohamaru already eating breakfast.
"What are you two doing up so early?" Sakura asked.
"Dad's giving us a lift." Konohamaru replied. Konohamaru was wearing one of his various yellow t-shirts and another pair of grey shorts. Moegi wore dark pink dungarees and a pastel pink t-shirt. Both children were eating a bowl of cereal.
"Hanabi and Udon are coming with us." Moegi added. Sakura ruffled Moegi's hair gently and the teens allowed the younger children to chat about how they were hoping their day would go.
Soon enough, they'd finished their breakfast, and heard knocks at the door. Naruto went to answer it and found Gaara, Temari, Kankuro, Neji and Hinata waiting at the door.
"We're collecting Shikamaru five houses down." Temari stated.
"I know where Shikamaru lives Temari." Naruto quipped.
"We're also gonna go and get Sasuke. He lives right at the end of the road." Naruto stated.
"Why does his family own the largest house?" Kankuro griped.
"Because his family is the wealthiest one in Konoha. They're second only to the Senju family." Neji replied.
"So where do you guys come on the table Neji?" Naruto asked teasingly. Neji glared.
"We're the fourth wealthiest. The Sarutobi family are the third wealthiest." Neji supplied. Sakura and Ten Ten made no comments on the issue. The group left the house after saying goodbye to Iruka and Kimiko, along with Konohamaru and Moegi.
As they walked down the street, they saw a flash of blond running towards them.
"Ino?" Naruto called out.
"Wait up for me Naruto!" Ino called out. The group stopped until Ino caught up. She was wearing a purple hooded tracksuit top, a white t-shirt and stonewash crop jeans, along with her purple tennis shoes. She stopped in front of them and breathed deeply for a couple of seconds before she grinned at them.
"Sorry about that. Deidara ran off before I could ask him for directions to school." Ino stated. Everyone noticed Ino's angry pout.
"Okay Ino. Don't worry. Your brother is probably with Sasori." Temari quipped.
"Where's Sasori anyway?" Sakura asked curiously.
"With his friends. He and Deidara have the same friends here. I mean Deidara and Ino were always coming here to visit for every school holiday and all that jazz. So they made friends with all of us." Temari replied. Sakura and Ten Ten both wanted to ask why Sasori and Deidara didn't just travel with them to school and meet their friends there. But they kept their questions to themselves.
xXxXxXxXxXxXx
Knocking on Shikamaru's door proved to be a task for the morning. It took Shikamaru ages to get up and get dressed. Sometimes he was still half asleep when the group called for him (or so Naruto told Sakura and Ten Ten) and Shikamaru's mother was a frightening woman. At this moment, the group heard yelling all the way down the road as they approached Shikamaru's house.
"SHIKAMARU NARA! GET YOU LAZY BACKSIDE OUT OF BED RIGHT NOW OR I SWEAR TO GOD I'LL THROW COLD WATER OVER YOU!" Sakura and Ten Ten both stared in shock as everyone walked down the drive.
"Shikamaru never gets up on time." Naruto stated. That was when they heard a splash and some lazy curses. Then even louder female yelling, before, ten minutes later, Shikamaru was sent hurtling out of the door in his usual outfit and with a back pack in his arms. The lazy boy rubbed his eyes sleepily and tugged at his messy ponytail as he got up from where he'd landed.
"Now to go to Sasuke's house." Naruto stated, as Temari grabbed hold of Shikamaru and started dragging the half asleep boy down the street.
xXxXxXxXxXxXx
Sasuke answered the door straight away. He was dressed in a navy blue t-shirt, with the Uchiha family crest on the front, and a pair of black jeans. His hair stuck up at odd angles and Sakura was vaguely reminded of a duck's backside when she looked at the back of Sasuke's hair.
"So how's Itachi?" Naruto asked Sasuke. Sasuke shrugged.
"He drove to school with Sasori and Deidara in his car." Sasuke stated.
"Wait a minute! My brother ditched me, without even giving my directions to go to school, so he could catch a lift with your brother?" Ino yelled. Sasuke blinked.
"It's not my fault your brother ditched you. Besides, Naruto is your cousin and he knows the way." Sasuke replied. With that, the group set off, Ino was still pouting angrily.
xXxXxXxXxXxXx
When the whole group arrived at school, minus Lee, Shino and Kiba, they all found a tree to lounge around under while they waited. The group had called to grab Chouji on the way to school also. He lived two streets down from Naruto.
As they sat waiting, Sakura took note of Deidara and Sasori sitting with an older boy who looked remarkably like Sasuke, but he had exhaustion lines under his eyes and his dark hair was tied into a ponytail.
"That's Itachi, Sasuke's brother." Naruto explained. There were others around them also.
"The guy with the blue hair is Kisame, he's my older brother's best friend. The girl with blue hair next to him is Konan." Sasuke added.
"The guy with the white hair is Hidan. He's a bit crazy but once you get used to him you stop hearing his rants about religion." Temari put in.
"The guy with the weird head gear is Kakuzu, he's obsessed with money. The guy holding the Venus flytrap plant is Zetsu. Sometimes he talks to and answers himself. But you don't need to worry, he takes medication for it." Kankuro quipped.
"The guy with the orange mask on his face is Tobi, he's one of my cousins." Sasuke added.
"And the guy with the orange hair is called Pein. He's their leader." Naruto said.
"Leader of what?" Ten Ten asked.
"The leader of Akatsuki." Naruto replied.
"What the hell is Akatsuki?" Sakura asked.
"Akatsuki is the leading gang at school. Deidara and Sasori are already part of it. That's cos they're friends with Itachi. Nobody messes with Akatsuki, not even the Snakes. They're a bunch of creeps." Naruto said quietly.
"Wait a sec. There are gangs in a little school like this?" Ten Ten asked.
"Sure there are. There are gangs in every school. The gangs here have hung out since they were babies. That's the only difference." Naruto replied.
"So what's your gang called then?" Sakura asked. Naruto blinked in total confusion.
"We're not really a gang. At least not one with a name." Shikamaru answered.
"Who the hell are the snakes?" Ten Ten asked.
"Probably the gang that that creep is part of." Sakura replied. Naruto nodded to affirm Sakura's statement.
xXxXxXxXxXxXx
The group were sat in the school hall as the teachers were sat on the stage.
"What happens now?" Sakura whispered to Naruto.
"We get introduced to our teachers, and then they sort us in to form groups usually. When they call our name out we have to go with a teacher and they'll give us schedules, locker keys and other stuff." Naruto whispered back. They waited patiently for their head teacher to speak. Sakura was curious, after all, she'd been told that the head teacher was Naruto, Konohamaru, Deidara and Ino's grandfather. The old man stood up and the students stayed completely silent. Sakura had never heard a school hall be so silent before.
"I'm Hiruzen Sarutobi. I'm your head teacher. If any of you have any problems or worries my office door is always open to you all. I would like to introduce your teachers and announce your form groups. Try to concentrate on which teacher you are assigned to please." The old man stated kindly but firmly. Everyone listened closely. The first teacher to stand up was a busty, blond female. She seemed quite young and stern. She wore a long green jacket over her clothes.
"I'm Tsunade Senju and I will teach you all Food Technology and Child Development. I expect anyone in my classes to listen to what I say. If you are in my class it means you chose to be in one or the other so you'd better pay attention." Tsunade stated. Then she sat down. A tall, white haired male stood up next.
"I'm Jiraiya, Jiraiya-Sensei to all of you. I teach Creative Writing and Sex Education. Creative Writing is optional, but Sex Education is not. I expect to see my students attend their lessons." Jiraiya stated. Some of the older students cringed. Sakura, Ten Ten and Ino had no idea why that was. Another male stood up. He reminded Sakura of a snake. He had overly long black hair and skin that was a soft grey, like old newspaper.
"I am Orochimaru-Sensei. I will be teaching you Biology and Religious Studies. Biology is compulsory." Orochimaru stated. Then he sat down. Something about him made Sakura nervous. Of course when she looked at Ten Ten and Ino, she took note that they were also looking at Orochimaru nervously.
The next teacher to stand up was a silver haired male, with a mask. Sakura and Ten Ten recognised him as Iruka's friend who had attended the wedding.
"That's Kakashi right?" Ten Ten whispered to Sakura. She nodded as Kakashi spoke.
"I'm Kakashi Hatake. I teach English and Social Studies. English is not optional. Every student must complete it. Social Studies is optional. Feel free to not bother picking it." Kakashi stated, before sitting down. Sakura, Ten Ten and Ino all frowned.
"He's being lazy. If you pick his class it means that he has to teach it." Naruto whispered. The next teacher to stand up was a female with a spiky ponytail and chocolate brown eyes. She had stern looking eyes.
"Okay brats listen up! I'm Anko Mitarashi and I will be teaching you Chemistry and Physiology. Neither of these classes is optional, they are compulsory. If you do not turn up, I will hunt you down." Anko stated firmly.
The next teacher who stood up was a dark haired male with a cigarette hanging from his lips.
"I'm Asuma Sarutobi. I will be teaching you Media and Information Technology. Of course Media is an optional course, but Information Technology is not. However I will try to make sure the every student who comes into my class will understand the material." Asuma stated before sitting down. Another male stood up. He had scars all over his face and wore a bandanna.
"I'm Ibiki Morino. That's Morino-Sensei to you, kids. I will be teaching you Geography and Maths. If you do not turn up I will make your lives a living hell. These classes are not optional, so you have no choices. I expect diligent work, good listening skills and I expect an average of D and higher. If you get lower there will be consequences." Ibiki barked out.
"Is he serious?" Sakura asked Naruto. Naruto nodded.
"He's deadly serious. So don't ever turn up late to class unless you have a really good reason." Naruto whispered back. That was when a dark haired female stood up.
"I am Kurenai Yuuhi, I will be teaching Art and Dance, if you pick them. They are optional classes. I want every student to feel comfortable with being in my class. If you feel that you like Art or Dance but don't really feel able to take them as classes then there is an art club once a week on Wednesday evening, and a Dance club once a week on Monday after last period classes." Kurenai said kindly. Then she sat down. The next teacher to stand up was a male with dark brown hair and kind looking eyes.
"I'm Yamato. You may call me Yamato-Sensei. I will be teaching Psychology and History. History is not optional. If you do not pay attention in History there will be pop quizzes at least once a week without warning. Anyone who fails them twice will NOT get the chance to explain themselves. It will mean immediate detention at lunch for a week." Yamato stated. As he made his points about history, his eyes looked evilly at the students. A lot of the students were terrified of Yamato.
The next teacher to stand up was female. She had bobbed dark hair and dark eyes. She seemed rather shy.
"I'm Shizune. I teach Drama and Singing. My classes are optional but to anyone who picks them I look forward to teaching you." She said kindly. Then she sat down. The next teacher to stand up was dressed in green spandex. Sakura, Ten Ten and Ino stared wide eyed as this man began to speak.
"Yosh! My youthful students! I am Gai Maito! I will be educating your youthful minds about Physical Education and the wonderful joys of music in your springtime of youth! Music is optional!" Gai yelled loudly. Then he pranced back to his seat and sat down. Another teacher stood up.
"My name is Baki Sabaku. You will call me Baki-Sensei if you choose to take my class. I will be teaching Judo. However I am at liberty to refuse or accept students as I see fit." The male sat down. "That's Gaara, Temari, Kankuro and Sasori's Uncle. Gai-Sensei is Lee's guardian." Naruto whispered to Sakura, Ten Ten and Ino. They nodded to show they had received the information and watched as the head teacher stood up again.
"This year, swimming classes will be conducted by Ibiki Morino and Anko Mitarashi. These classes are also not optional. Your swimming groups and days will be given to you by your form tutors." Sarutobi stated seriously. Then he started reading off names from his list. It seemed to take forever. Gaara, Temari, Sasori, Kankuro and Zetsu had Baki as their tutor. Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto, Itachi and Kisame were given Kakashi as their form tutor. Ino, Shikamaru, Chouji, Hidan and Kakuzu were in Asuma's form group. Hinata, Shino, Kiba, Deidara and Sai were in Kurenai's form group. Pein, Konan, Tobi, a boy named Suigetsu and Karin were placed in Jiraiya's form group. Ten Ten, Lee, Neji, A boy called Juugo and another boy called Haku, who looked rather girly, were given Gai as a form tutor. When everyone's names had been called, (Uroih's group having ended up with Ibiki as a tutor was apparently an irony in Naruto's eyes) the form groups left to get all their information and to pick their optional classes.
xXxXxXxXxXxXx
Sakura stared down at her form. This was something she hated. She hated having to make sure that she picked the right classes. Art was a given. She had picked it automatically. However she could only pick three other classes. In the end she decided to pick Media, Social Studies and Child development. She had no idea how the classes were divided up but she hoped she wouldn't feel overloaded. Once she finished her forms, she went to sit next to Naruto. He grinned at Sakura happily.
"I not only get to do Social Studies and Media but I can pick to do Creative Writing with Ero-Sennin and I can do Child Development with Tsunade Baa-Chan." Naruto stated happily. Sasuke was sat next to Naruto.
"I picked Social studies and Media. I also picked Child Development and Psychology." Sasuke quipped. The three discussed their choices together as things carried on around them. After all, they couldn't really discuss it with the others until lunch time.
xXxXxXxXxXxXx
At the end of the day, the group were travelling home. Ino proudly proclaimed that she was going to be doing Social Studies, Drama and Singing. Ten Ten stated that she was doing Psychology and Drama. Gaara, Temari and Kankuro were all doing Judo. Gaara was taking Psychology. Temari was taking Psychology. Kankuro was taking Drama. Shino was taking Psychology and Dance, Kiba was taking Media and Judo. Hinata was taking Art and Psychology. Shikamaru was taking Media and Art. Chouji was taking Media and Drama. Lee was taking Music and Drama. Neji was taking Drama and Psychology. The whole group had opted for Social Studies and Child Development. So the group would have two classes where they were all together. For some reason, Kakashi telling everyone not to take his class had become the sure fire way for everyone to sign up to it. As they went home that evening, they weren't surprised that their day hadn't been so bad. After all, the school was very laid back. However they knew some of their teachers were going to be hard to deal with. That was now their challenge. To keep doing well at school no matter what the problem.
xXxXxXxXxXxXx
Okay all that's the end of this chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it. Please R&R and let me know what you think. See you all next time I update.
