Kakashi sighed as he lay in his bed.
His eye hurt.
Maybe Obito was trying to tell him something. Or maybe he was mourning the state of the world.
The eye he gave to Kakashi to protect is being used to kill. There really is no greater insult to Obito than that.
Hopefully, Obito will find it in his heart to forgive him the next time they meet.
Hinata kneeled in front of her father's grave.
She made sure to visit her family's grave at least one time a day, either in the morning or at night.
Normally, members of the main and Branch members were buried in different graveyards. Following the tragedy, all were placed to rest together. Her father was placed next to her mother on one side and her uncle on the other. Neji was right next to his father. Hanabi's was in the same row.
"Father, I bring news," Hinata reported formally. "We're at war."
It was unbelievable. They had just gotten peace at the cost of her clan. Family, she would never get back. And they weren't even going to war with the Hidden Cloud. No, they were going to war with the Hidden Stone at the behest of allies that wouldn't have their back if the situation was reversed.
"Naruto is excited. He thinks it's his chance to prove himself," The Hyuga princess explained without any emotion. "Sasuke believes he must serve as well to uphold the honor of the Uchiha clan."
Did she need to serve for the honor of the Hyuga?
She was going to do the graduation exam with Naruto and Sasuke. That was certain.
How could she live with herself if she stayed back while her friends fought and killed? What if they died while she was sleeping safely at home?
Hinata shuttered at the thought.
"I'm going to try my best as well," Hinata spoke to her father's grave again. There was no response.
She would never know what her father's response would be. She would never know anything more about him.
Hinata will never know if her father would approve of her. If he'd support or believe in her.
The Nara compound was as quiet as ever despite the war having been declared the previous night.
Lying on the ground in one of the compound's courtyards was the young clan heir.
Shikamaru lazily watched the clouds as they passed overhead. The Nara's eyes were completely glazed over, almost as if he was sleeping with his eyes open. He was so spaced out that he almost missed the sound of his father wandering over and sitting down on the ground next to him.
"See anything interesting?" Shikaku asked as his eyes looked up toward the cloudy sky. Lack of sleep was reflected in the shinobi's eyes. Though, for a Nara, lack of sleep meant only getting six hours of sleep instead of twelve.
Shikamaru blinked a single time before turning to look at his father. "No."
The clan heir then closed his eyes and did his damnedest to go to sleep. Talking with his father – with anyone – was always so bothersome.
"Right," Shikaku returned with a huff. "Anyway, there's something important we got to discuss, so let's get it over with now."
Shikamaru opened his eyes and sighed. He knew that if his father was calling something important, then it was. "I'm listening, old man."
"The war," Shikaku started. His expression was heavy and lacking in any humor. "Considering everything… it isn't just going to stay between the Stone, Sand, and Leaf. And it will probably last for years."
The Sand and Leaf together should be able to defeat the Hidden Stone, especially in a defensive war. The issue will come when the Hidden Cloud inevitably sides with the Stone.
Best case scenario, the Hidden Mist joins the Sand and Leaf, and they scrap by with a victory. The worst-case scenario wasn't something he wanted to dwell on.
"Troublesome. I guess I'm going to have to go fight in it?"
"Eventually, but it wouldn't be for a while. You're a clan heir. We can't have you dying in the field."
Shikaku obviously had other reasons to keep Shikamaru from the field. The lazy boy was his son, after all, and what kind of father would he be to send him off to war unprepared?
A bad one, that's what.
Plus, children of major clans are targeted in war. Especially those who are children of high-ranking shinobi. Attacking a ninja's family has been a time-honored tradition to weaken the other villages. It hurts their powerfully and eliminates their spawn before they can reach their potential.
Shikaku could still remember the faces of the children he killed in the last war. One of which's older brothers were close enough to see the deed.
His screams still sometimes appear in his nightmares.
So, the Nara clan head didn't feel too bad about keeping his son off the war front until he was 12 or 13 years old.
It was standard practice for clan kids, really. Civilian-borns graduated earlier and were used as cannon fodder to buy time for clan children.
"I'm not interested in fighting anyway," Shikamaru yawned. He knew perfectly well that he'd probably die if he marched off to war now. Or he'd have to put in a ton of work to survive, which he wasn't going to do. "Cloud watching is a better use of my time."
"If only more people understood that," Shikaku responded. His eyes darted to the clouds of pure white, even as his mind wandered back to strategies for the war.
Jiraiya took a sip of the expensive sake. The drink felt cold as it slid down his throat. He was about four hours into his current drinking session. Good thing he has a high resistance to getting drunk! He'll be able to enjoy his drinks all night without getting tipsy like a certain princess!
And he'd have plenty of time for his research. Oh, yes. The women of the nearby brothel probably had lots of important information to be researched.
He could probably spend one or two more days here before he has to go. It wouldn't be good if his sensei found where he was and tried to call him back to the village.
Jiraiya knew about the war and all that, but he had better things to do than get involved. He had to track down his teammate and continue his research.
And he's retiring once he's done with the former. He's going to spend his goldened years writing, not fighting in another stupid war.
After the deaths of all his students and the betrayal of his best friend, he was done.
Tsunade pulled down on the slot machine's lever.
Another pull. Another loss.
The casino was filled to the brim with countless people from countless walks of life. None of them mattered to the aging ninja, but she did pick up bits and pieces every once in a while.
Another stupid war was on. The Fire Daimyo's armies were rumored to be moving, and Shinobi apparently had been seen heading in the direction of the land of stone.
This Shinobi world never changes.
Old farts start wars for their greed, and everyone else suffers for it. How many more idiotic kids are going to be sent out to die? How many good men will die deaths they didn't deserve.
Tsunade shudders before throwing that thought away.
She'd done her time in that village and was now free. Nothing could drag her back to that place that stole everything from her. She couldn't face it. Them.
Gods, she needed some alcohol.
Iruka walked through the academy's front door a few minutes before class started. In his hands was a stack of grade tests for his class. The Chunin's attention wasn't focused on them but on his surroundings as he walked to class.
There were still a few minutes before class started, so there were still students lingering in the hallway. Some were doing things like getting water or getting things out of their lockers. Others were gossiping or doing some last-minute studying before classes started for the day – which was stupid. Craming right before a test means you didn't prepare properly, unbefitting a shinobi. And you wouldn't absorb all the information that way anything.
The mood around students varied and normally changed day by day, but one could almost sense the tension in some of the groups. It wasn't the tension that Iruka had come to expect from academy studies. That came from people being worried about little things like failing tests or going on a date. This one only appeared a few weeks ago when the war was declared.
A good portion of the older students who were graduating this year sometimes seemed like they were one bad thing away from trying to run. Yet, at the same time, they seemed resolute. A resolution that only got weaker the younger the class was.
The only one's not affected by the tension was the youngest class, who didn't quite understand what war was and what was going on. All they knew was that their instructors were suddenly stepping up their teaching efforts. Drilling them far harder than before.
Iruka himself completely redid his lesson plans as soon as he got home from the Hokage's speech. Before, he was training his students to meet the requirements for the academy exam and nothing more. Mizuki had convinced him to do that since it meant the children would have time to be kids. Something Iruka could agree with completely.
Now, he was dedicating himself to getting them as far as possible before they graduated. As disheartening as it was, their survival trumps their happiness.
Iruka reached the closed door to his classroom just as the bell to start the day rang. The teacher opened the door and made his way straight to his desk to put the test down. His eyes did a once over of the room. The children quieted down as he did so.
Everyone was here and seated where they normally sat. The civilian and clanless children were more spread out than the clan kid and more numerous. Most of the clan kids sat in a cluster on the left side of the room. A few strays were sporadically seated. Hinata and Sasuke were sitting with Naruto in their usual spot.
Throughout his brief teaching career, Iruka had come to understand that the divide between the different types of students was more significant than he could have imagined.
The clan children were almost universally at the top of the class and, by far, were the most advanced. They had the backing and resources of their families to grow strong and were naturally more gifted. It was almost impossible for the other civilians to keep up with those both more gifted and who not only trained more but had better training. Only Sakura Haruno seemed to be able to keep up – and exceed – with them among the civilian-born students.
Below them were the children from shinobi families without clans. Their parents were typically either low-ranking ninjas or retired, so they did worse than civilian-born and orphan students.
The civilians and orphans were almost all below the clan kids in grades. In fact, that's why each year's clan kids are almost all put into one class while the others are put into other classes. That way, they have some way to compete on equal ground with their peers. The unfortunate civilians and orphans put into this class were just the ones put in this class to fill space and make sure a teacher didn't end up teaching a half-empty classroom. Some rumors say they also do this so the clan kids can get a boost in confidence by crushing weaker kids, but Iruka doesn't believe that. The academy was better than that, even if Iruka would probably change the entire curriculum if he was put in charge.
Whatever the case, Iruka had his work cut out for him trying to address the various levels of competency between his students.
"Good morning, class," Iruka addressed the class as he stood behind his desk. The test papers sat on the desk.
"Good morning, Iruka-sensei," they all responded at once. Most of their eyes stayed on him, with only a few going back to whatever he was doing before he entered.
"I've got your last test graded, and the score was better than expected," Iruka told the students, who groaned in turn. Only Naruto seemed excited, with that confident smile on his face.
Iruka picked up the stack of papers again and began calling students to come forward and pick up their tests.
"Naruto Uzumaki," Iruka called out once he was halfway through the stack. The teacher suppressed a smile as the orange-loving boy jumped up and cheerfully ran up to get his test.
"Give me! Give me! Give me! I know I did good, Iruka-sensei!" Naruto quickly said as soon as he reached the teacher's desk. The boy leaned closer into Iruka's space with each 'give me.'
Now, Iruka was simultaneously suppressing a smile at Naruto's joy and the desire to scream at him for being too loud.
"Good job," the instructor congratulated Naruto while he handed the test over. The score, it wasn't particularly good or bad for an academy student. Average is the best way to describe it. So, Naruto treats it like he got the highest score in the class.
Iruka never pointed that out since Naruto started getting average scores instead of somehow getting almost everything wrong. The teacher was just happy to see Naruto so lively and engaged with the material instead of looking almost depressed like he did before.
A majority of his class didn't seem to feel the same way. Some of them seemed to try their hardest to ignore Naruto at all times and didn't care if he was happy or sad. Then, there were the students who got angry that he was doing better, even if they still did better than him. Finally, there were those who were afraid. They weren't scared because of his test scores but due to his vast improvement in practical tests.
It was sad to see. Naruto was trying so hard to succeed and be acknowledged, but it wasn't working. The hatred of Naruto passed down to the students by their parents was too engrained in most of them. Hopefully, Naruto will have better luck once he's out of the academy and everyone has time to mature.
Though, Iruka hoped he wouldn't be graduating too soon. In fact, he probably had about five seconds before Naruto shouted about the latest stupid idea he's gotten in his head.
"WooHoo! Another step towards graduation!" Naruto shouted before turning toward the rest of the class. "Just all you wait! I'm gonna graduate before y'all and go make a name for myself! Then I'll be Hokage! Believe it!"
It was actually two seconds before Naruto yelled about graduating early and going to war. He must've had something caffeinated this morning.
Iruka was fine with him getting a little loud when he got his test scores, but he wouldn't let the kid get away with yelling into the class. Something doubly true since Naruto shouted something that both scared and annoyed the teacher. It was like the kid either didn't understand or didn't care about how horrible war actually is.
The instructor took a breath to yell at his student like he always did, but this time something different happened. One of the students spoke before he did.
"Why don't you clam up or save everyone a headache and go die?" Shikamaru, of all people, shot back. His head raised off his desk where it once laid. An annoyed expression was on his face, one more intense than normal.
Iruka couldn't see Naruto's face, but he didn't miss the way the boy's shoulders trembled for a second. His hand went to the red scarf that had become a staple of his outfit recently. Getting told to essentially kill yourself was a step further than any verbal insult Iruka's heard his students send Naruto before. And it came from someone who didn't even hate the blond but didn't care about his feelings.
The only people in the room he seemed to have any problem with the statement were himself, Hinata, Sasuke, and, surprisingly, Sakura. A good portion of the class even seemed to agree with the Nara.
"Enough. Shikamaru, telling a comrade they should go die is too far. Detention for the rest of the week," Iruka scolded the black-haired boy before placing a hand on Naruto's shoulder. The Nara mumbled something that started with a 't' and put their head back on their desk. "Naruto, please quiet down and return to your seat."
"Yes, sensei," Naruto agreed a second too slow. The whiskered boy quickly made his way to his seat, but something was missing in his steps. Iruka could see Hinata take Naruto's hand while Sasuke was to be glaring at the entire room like he could set it on fire with his gaze alone.
Iruka shook his head and sighed, resolved to leave Naruto to those two for now. At least the blond didn't look too bothered by Shikamaru's comment.
The teacher quickly handed out the rest of the class's tests and then started teaching for today.
Even if some part of Iruka's mind was still stuck on what happened at the beginning of class, he quickly got engrossed in today's lecture. Teaching the next generation was so much fun, even if it can be frustrating at times.
Lunchtime quickly comes, and Iruka dismisses the class to go eat. He'd also warn them about not eating anything that might be hard to digest since they would spend all afternoon in practical training. They needed to eat, but it wouldn't be good if they ended up throwing up.
It was slightly cold outside by the time they reconvened for the practical part of the day. The class walked together to a nearby training area meant specifically for the academy. For today's training, it would be better to work out here than in the small area beside the academy where they typically spar.
"Ok! First off, ten laps around the field," Iruka told the students. In his hand was a clipboard with several papers on it to record the students' scores and a stopwatch. Normally, he would have Mizuki or someone else to help him here, but they're working with the oldest year right now.
Iruka made a starting line with a nearby stick and had all the students stand behind it. With a shout of the word 'go' and a click of the stopwatch, the students began running. The chunin didn't doubt his ability to record all the students' times, but he did hope they didn't take too long. This training ground wasn't massive, so it hopefully shouldn't take too long. They still had a lot of things to do.
In the end, Naruto barely managed to beat Sasuke for first place. The latter had to stop to catch his breath by the time he was done, while the former barely looked winded. That boy's stamina is something else.
The other students completed their laps as well, though some of them were below acceptable expectations. Something would need to be done to improve those students' speed and stamina.
A similar process was used for a variety of other excess Iruka decided they would do today. By the time there was only an hour of class left, almost all the students looked worn out. Only the clan kids – minus Choji – and Naruto seemed relatively unbothered.
"Now for sparing," Iruka told his students.
"What?! But we've been doing stuff all afternoon! Don't we get a break?!" Ino indignantly shouted, causing several other students to shout in agreement. Why she shouted when she was the least tired out of the girls was beyond Iruka.
"No, you need to learn how to fight when exhausted," Iruka explained with a shake of his head. In war, the enemy wouldn't wait for you to take a nap and recuperate. They needed to be prepared for this.
After several more complaints from a less-than-pleased section of the class, sparing could finally start.
Mizuki decided on the matchups when they decided to do this training and wrote them down for Iruka. Some of the fights seemed a little off, but not enough to change them. He just needed to make sure the fighters didn't take things too far and kept their feelings out of the spar.
The first fight was Naruto versus Shino.
Iruka watched as the two of them stood across from each other. It would be hard for them to look more different if they tried. Shino was tall, stoic, and wore a simple jacket that covered his face. Naruto was short, dressed in bright orange, and probably couldn't be stoic if he tried.
"Hope you're ready to get your ass kicked, you know!" Naruto said while looking directly into Shino's eyes. Or his sunglasses, at least. There was a harshness in his voice.
"That wouldn't be happening. Why? Because you're the one out of your depth," Shino countered. It was hard to tell with his sunglasses, but Iruka was pretty sure he was staring back into Naruto's eyes. His crinkled forehead was more than enough to show he was pretty annoyed.
Why these two dislike each other in particular is beyond Iruka, but they've never seemed to get along.
Iruka started the match once the two were down talking and got into their taijutsu stances.
Naruto barely hesitated and attacked as soon as the match started. He went straight for a punch that Shino barely blocked with his forearm. Shino then countered with his own punch, only to be blocked and counterattacked.
Iruka took notes as the two began attacking each other. He wrote down times he saw issues in their fighting styles and the mistakes they made.
The boy with whiskers had the upper hand on the boy with sunglasses in the taijutsu department.
Naruto's strange blend of what Iruka thought was the academy style, gentle fist, and some of Sasuke's moves somehow worked. Iruka didn't know enough about taijutsu to know much about the latter two styles and their secrets. He could barely identify them! But it worked for the most part, and that's all that mattered.
Shino's taijutsu wasn't bad, either. It was at the top of the class, but it just wasn't enough to keep up. If he could use his insects, it might've been a different story, though.
It only took two minutes for Naruto to win the match and for Shino to be on the ground.
Iruka could've sworn that Shino was fuming for some reason, but it was impossible to tell with that kid.
The next match was between Ino and Sakura and resulted in the latter getting utterly beaten.
Sakura may be top of the class in theoretical things, but she needs more practical training and conditioning. She's far too physically weak right now.
Still, she lasted longer than Iruka thought she would have. There was a light in her eye, determination, that wasn't there before.
Sakura sat in her room alone, having just gotten cleaned up from her match with Ino earlier.
The pink-haired girl read off the same page of her history textbook for what felt like the millionth time.
Everything in her life has been changing, and at some points, it felt like she is just along for the ride, not able to do anything.
It all started when that annoying Naruto and his sidekick Hinata took Sasuke from her. Took Sasuke from her.
Normally, Sasuke didn't mind her sitting close to him. Everyone did it! The way he had everyone's attention but ignored them was part of his charm! That cool and mysterious charm!
Yet, he chose to sit by Naruto and Hinata rather than her. It didn't make sense!
Naruto was Naruto! He was a loud, obnoxious idiot that nobody liked! He was literally below the dirt in terms of social status. Like, one boy in their class literally stabbed themselves with practice kunai on multiple occasions, and he still gets more respect than Naruto. Why would a cool genius like Sasuke want to sit with someone like that?! So, beneath him?!
Then there was Hinata. She didn't like Sasuke, yet he chose her over Sakura.
And it wasn't a one-off thing. He started sitting around those two every day. All to avoid the people who he used to let sit with him. It worked since not a single person wants to ever sit next to Naruto, but it was still frustrating.
Sasuke was out of her life unless she went and sat with the dangerous kid everyone says should be avoided. Her crush just was worth the danger of associating with some like Naruto. Someone who has shown in spar after spar to be as close to equal with Sasuke as anyone ever could be. If he can take Sasuke on, then he can definitely kill Sakura with ease.
One night, Sakura even began wondering if Naruto was a murderer or something. That would explain why everyone was afraid of him, but the Hokage would've defeated Naruto if that was the case.
Whatever caused Naruto to be hated was grave enough for every shinobi and civilian in the village to fear him, yet somehow not bad enough to send him to jail or execute him. That unknown is scary once Sakura starts thinking about it. Even if some part of herself thinks Naruto is harmless and his treatment was wrong.
Her crush on Sasuke wasn't worth having that constant unknown lingering over her head. It simply wasn't worth it.
Which lead her to where she is now. If her crush on Sasuke is so frail she'd forsake it because she thinks pursuing it might get her hurt, then was it worth basing her whole life around? And if she stopped trying to get Sasuke's attention, then what point is there in becoming a ninja?
She thought about that for months but didn't come to an answer today.
During her fight with Ino, there was no mercy, no anything. Ino just beat Sakura into the ground, and Sakura couldn't do anything. She was defenseless. Weak.
A boy wasn't worth losing her best friend. Sasuke wasn't worth her relationship with Ino reaching the point that they were enemies.
And she might have a new goal as a ninja: becoming strong enough to never be defenseless again. To be able to direct her life as she wants.
The nameless ROOT agent checked over their gear one last time. Their sword was sharpened. Their scroll was clean and ready to be drawn on. Plenty of Ink and three brushes, just to be sure.
They were ready for today's mission. The ROOT agent left their bare and sterile room and walked to Lord Danzo's office to receive it.
It took ten minutes to reach the destination. Not a single word was spoken between the ROOT agent and the comrades they passed on the way. They didn't even acknowledge the other's presence.
The ROOT agent entered his Lord's office and knelt in front of his desk without making a sound. The room was as empty as any member of ROOT's room, with the exception of the desk Lord Danzo was sitting behind. Several stacks of paper were on the desk, but they were placed, so they didn't obstruct the leader of ROOT's view of the door.
"You're on time," Lord Danzo said without any emotion. His eyes looked down at his agent as he stood up and walked around his desk. The leader of ROOT stopped when he was right in front of his agent, towering over them. "You are to be assigned a long-term mission starting in two months."
The ROOT agent's eyes widened ever so slightly in surprise. It was rare for someone as young as them to get a long-term mission. What might it be?
"I will convince the Third Hokage to assign you as a teammate to the Jinchuriki, Naruto Uzumaki. Surveillance on him has found he will be attempting the upcoming academy exam along with Sasuke Uchiha and Hinata Hyuga. Knowing Hiruzen and his bleeding heart, the latter is likely to be your third teammate."
The ROOT agent didn't react at all to the news of their assignment, nor did they question their lord's logic.
"You and Naruto Uzumaki are not only close in age. It will be your mission to befriend the jinchuriki and report back on its development and function as a weapon. You will also guard it with your life. The Legacy of the Fourth Hokage will be invaluable to winning this war."
The ROOT agent felt a brief flash of what might be called panic. They will need to increase their reading on human interactions if they're going to complete this mission. Especially expressions.
Lord Danzo lifted his cane and pointed it at the ROOT agent. "From this day forward, you shall be known as Sai. You will spend the next two months shadowing your potential teammates in preparation for your mission."
"Yes, sir," Sai acknowledged his orders with a straight emotionless face.
At that moment, he felt absolutely nothing when thinking about his future teammates. To him, they are nothing but targets. Objectives to be completed for the sake of the Leaf.
Two empty plates sat on the table in the Hyuga clan's dining area. There were an equal number of kids reading over their notes. The blond one was reading about the Shinobi rules while the black-haired one studied history.
"Hey, Hinata?" Naruto called out to his friend. His eyes strayed from his notebook to the person he'd just called out to. "Do you think we're going to be on the same team?"
It was something Naruto hadn't really thought about. Lots of people are going to be taking the academy exam and will pass. There's no way to know if he will be placed with somebody he knows, much less Hinata.
He really doesn't want to get on a team with somebody he doesn't know or who hates him. This basically means everyone outside of Hinata and Sasuke – which is insane to think about. How'd he end up hoping to be on the same team as the bastard?!
Those two don't hate him or refuse to acknowledge his existence. He's a person to them. Meanwhile, there's a good chance someone new will hate him. And Naruto really isn't looking forward to long missions trapped with someone who wants his head on a pike or something.
"I hope so," Hinata answered. "But we should focus on passing the exam first. There isn't much time left before we have to leave to take it."
Ugh, exams. At least the test is apparently easier this year since they want more people to graduate.
"Then I'll go do the dishes," Naruto stated, closing his notebook. He needed a break from all that reading he's been doing. And he might as well be useful while taking a break, you know!
"Ok, we can leave once you're finished."
Naruto nodded like a bobblehead. The boy got up and grabbed their used plates. He didn't say anything to Hinata as he slowly wandered over to the sink, which was in a different room for some reason. It must be a rich people thing or something.
"I wonder if there's some dishwasher jutsu," Naruto muttered to nobody as he reached the sink. The sound of running water filled the room as Naruto began cleaning the plates.
With a dishwasher jutsu, he could just instantly clean the plates with some hand seals. Just Bam! Clean plates!
There should be more jutsu for chores and stuff. Maybe he could get some off his future jonin instructor?! They're supposed to know a lot of jutsu, right? They got to have something!
Naruto quickly did the dishes and returned to Hinata, who packed her bag and was ready to leave.
The pair quickly left the Hyuga compound and made their way to the academy.
Naruto watched the other villagers as they walked.
Since the war started, everyone's mood has somehow gotten worse. It was starting to become almost unbearable, even for Naruto, who had sensed everyone's darkness since the day he was born.
How people could hold so much pain and hatred inside themselves was beyond Naruto.
The blond tugged on his red scarf absentmindedly. Pulling on his scarf had become a habit for Naruto when people were glaring at him or doing anything that might agitate him. For some reason, it made him feel comfortable. It calmed down the part of himself that wanted to lash out.
Honestly, Naruto was getting kind of frustrated at the other villagers. There's an entire war going on, and they somehow still find time and space in their hearts to hate him. But Naruto wasn't going to let them get to him!
He was finally going to graduate from the academy today. There's no reason he should be feeling down right now.
"Nervous?" Naruto questioned Hinata. They had just received reached the front door of the academy.
"Yes, maybe," Hinata responded as her eyes looked down at the floor. The blond understood that 'maybe' was just confirming the 'yes.' If she wasn't nervous, she wouldn't have added that in.
"Don't worry, Hinata! You'll do fine!" Naruto smiled at her. His smile only grew wider when Hinata nodded her head in agreement. The whiskered boy would continue to try to cheer up and support Hinata to the ends of time if necessary. He would be more than happy to do so as well.
Naruto turned away from Hinata and saw his favorite teacher walking down the hall. "Iruka-sensei!"
The blond ran up to the scared instructor, dragging Hinata behind him. Naruto pointedly ignored the other students in the hall. Some glaring at Naruto. Others were trying to put as much distance between him and them as possible. A few of them were even looking at Hinata with pity in their eyes.
"Good morning, Naruto. Hinata," Iruka-sensei greeted with a slightly strained expression. Worry and concern were radiating off of the teacher like heat off a hot pocket. "You two will be taking the final exam today, correct?"
"Yep," Naruto popped the 'p' in his answer. "But I'm gonna ace it, ya know! Me and Hinata have been studying for weeks! Not just our notes, either! We went out and read some books from the older years, just in case something on the test wasn't covered in our year!"
Naruto's explanation was full of energy and excitement. In the privacy of his mind, he would admit that he was fishing for compliments from his sensei. He deserved them, though! He must've studied more in the last month than he did in his entire career as a student before then. At least it felt that way!
Iruka-sensei didn't complement Naruto, though. He just frowned and became filled with confusion. "Naruto, you do know there is no written test? You only need to be able to do the transformation, replacement, or clone jutsu to pass."
"But Hinata said –" Naruto turned and looked at his friend with a frown. "We needed to study for the test. We've been at it for weeks."
Hinata looked away. "If you knew there wasn't a written test, you wouldn't have studied."
A pout formed on Naruto's face. "What point is there in studying if there isn't a test on it?"
He wasn't even going to try and act like he would've studied if he didn't have to. Still, it was right to trick him like this. Well, at least she didn't make it seem like it was life or death and studied with him. Technically, her telling him the test would be easier this year wasn't a lie since there was no test. In other words, there was no chance of failure.
"The hokage needs to know these things," Hinata explained before slowly looking into his eyes. "I'm sorry for lying."
"It's ok," Naruto nodded. He didn't know if the hokage really needed to know some of the stuff they studied or whatever. But Hinata thought they did, so she was just looking out for the future hokage! And she apologized! Besides, he was the one who fell for the lie – probably because Hinata's negative emotions rarely come out – thus, he could only fault himself.
"The hokage does need to know more than jutsu," Iruka-sensei agreed with Hinata before switching topics. "I'm not proctoring the exams, but I think they are about to begin. This may be your last chance to pull out."
"Why would we do that?! We're more than ready to graduate! Plus, I said I was graduating today, and I'm going to stick to my words!"
Iruka-sensei just sighed. "Ok, Naruto. How about I take you and Hinata out for ramen tonight?"
"Awesome!" Naruto agreed without asking Hinata. "See you there at the same time as last time! But we got to get going now!"
"Good luck," Iruka-sensei said as Naruto and Hinata walked passed him and toward the classroom where the testing was being held.
Naruto and Hinata entered the testing room without incident and took a look around. Most of the students there were twelve years old, with a good portion of eleven-year-old and a few ten-year-olds. The only two people from the pair's class were Sasuke and Sakura.
The latter of which didn't even seem interested in Sasuke, despite him being alone and without Naruto around. Well, it was none of their business what she did, so the pair walked over to Sasuke. The Uchiha decided to sit in the back of the room.
The three of them barely had time to acknowledge each other before the instructor came in. It was Daikoku Funeno-sensei. Among the teachers, he was probably among the ones who ignored him the most. One time, Naruto even heard him tell other teachers to ignore him until he went away.
"The jutsu you will be tested for your final exam is transformation. When your name is called, come to the other room and transform yourself into a duplicate of me," Funeno-sensei explained before calling the first name.
Naruto didn't say anything once the teacher left the room. He was content to have a silent stare-off with Sasuke.
The blond was certain he could pull off a better transformation than Sasuke.
Hinata got called before them since her last name was higher in the alphabet. It only took her a few minutes to do the exam, and she came out with a Leaf headband. Instead of leaving the room like everyone else who passed did, she returned to her spot next to Naruto and Sasuke.
"Good job!" Naruto cheered with a smile. Sasuke hummed in agreement. Both boys looked at the Leaf symbol on Hinata's headband and couldn't help but feel excited!
"Thank you," Hinata accepted the two's congratulations as she tied her headband around her neck.
Sasuke went next and took just about as long as Hinata. He walked back to his friends just like Hinata did.
"Congratulations," Hinata quietly spoke, getting a thankful nod in response.
"Of course, the bastard passed," Naruto said playfully.
"I would die of embarrassment if I somehow failed while you passed, idiot," Sasuke shot back with the smallest of smiles. His hands were working to tie the headband to his forehead.
Naruto could feel the negative emotions in Sasuke's heart weaken as he finished tieing his headband. The blond didn't say anything about it, but he was secretly happy to feel his rival's pain lessening.
It didn't take long for Naruto to get called to the other room. He was so excited that he ended up running to a separate room.
Daikoku-sensei went and sat behind a desk with several rows of headbands on it. There was another instructor in the room, Mizuki-sensei. Unlike Daikoku-sensei, Mizuki was always nice to Naruto despite all the anger, bitterness, and jealousy in his heart. So, Naruto didn't have a problem with him.
"Get on with it," Daikoku-sensei said, obviously trying to get Naruto to go away as fast as possible. Naruto barely noticed the way Mizuki-sensei's hands were already heading toward the headbands.
The blond decided that had to be because Mizuki-sensei had faith in him instead of trying to get rid of him. If only because Mizuki was nice to him. Naruto was always willing to give someone nice to him the benefit of the doubt.
Naruto made the hand signs for transformation. A puff of smoke surrounded him as his body changed into a pretty good replica of Daikoku-sensei.
"You pass," Daikoku-sensei said immodestly without even bothering to get up and inspect the jutsu. In fact, he probably shouldn't have been sitting in the first place since he might need to be close by to grade some of the finer parts of the transformation.
"Congratulations," Mizuki-sensei said while picking up a headband.
Naruto undid his transformation just as Mizuki tossed his new headband to him. The blond caught it. "Thanks…"
The whiskered boy looked at the headband – his headband – for a moment and didn't feel anything. He wanted to earn it, but that was stolen from him since they didn't even try to judge him. It didn't matter if they weren't grading because they were trying to be kind or hated him. Either way, they made something he should be excited for feeling hollow. Unearned.
Naruto tied his headband, so the symbol of the leaf was proudly displayed on his forehead. It felt kind of uncomfortable for some reason. He walked out of the room and to his friends, ignoring the glares from the other students. The Uzumaki could feel how most of the people in the classroom were reacting to his graduation. Which isn't good when you only sense negative emotions. One of his hands instinctually began messing with his scarf.
"I knew you could do it," Hinata congratulated him with a rare smile.
"Naruto is far too hardhead to fail after all that yelling about passing," Sasuke added with a smirk.
A smile graced Naruto's face. Normally, Naruto would get into a shouting match, but he was too happy having people on his side to bother with that.
Danzo walked into the Hokage's office as soon as he got the reports of who passed the academy exam. The old shinobi made a note of the ANBU hiding in the room. One or two of them were his, and all of them had high enough clearance for his upcoming talk with his old friend.
"Hiruzen," the old man with bandages over one eye acknowledged the Hokage.
"What do I owe the pleasure of this visit, Danzo," Hirzuen responded. A fake smile on his face that even the most oblivious Shinobi could identify as fake.
"The team selections," Danzo explained, his eyes wandering to look at the photos of the previous hokages. The naïve first. The brilliant second. The spineless third. The genius fourth.
Obviously, he only respected half of the hokages.
The Second was a brilliant man who guided Danzo down the path he's walked his entire life. The man only made one mistake in his life, and that was not choosing him to be Hokage.
The Fourth, Minato Namikaze, was just talented as the second. Unlike his predecessor, Minato was willing to make tough decisions and was willing to sacrifice anything for the sake of the Hidden Leaf and the Land of Fire. Danzo was sure he would've been a better hokage, but Minato was who he would've chosen to be his successor if he had been in Hiruzen's shoes.
Either one of those two was better than their respective predecessors. The Second would never go along with the short-sighted, naïve, and foolish plan of arming the Hidden Leaf's strongest rivals with super weapons. And The Fourth wouldn't hesitate or drown in his own pity party like Hiruzen.
"I was just thinking about that," Hiruzen responded. His eyes went down to his desk with a list of the new genin.
"I have a suggestion," Danzo told his old friend. The old pair's ears could pick up the almost inaudible sound of the bandaged man's cane pushing against the floor.
"Does it have anything to do with young Sai?" Hiruzen asked as his eyes looked into Danzo's. "I already agreed to let him be assigned to a team after he proved his skills."
"Of course it does," Danzo admitted. He wasn't going to waste time talking in circles when they both already knew the truth. "I would like for him to be assigned as a teammate to Naruto Uzumaki."
"Why?" Hiruzen questioned, his elbows ending up on his desk. The old shinobi's hands were linked together just in front of his face. He looked like a tired old man, resigned to the world around him.
Danzo held back a smile. It seems like this might be easier than he thought.
"Naruto Uzumaki is an important asset to the village – the first jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails not designed for containment but power – we can't risk losing him before he can fulfill his purpose," Danzo unflinchingly explained. "Sai is powerful for his age and will only grow stronger in time. He is the best candidate to be the jinchuriki's teammate and protector."
He didn't need to bring up the fact that Sai would run surveillance. That was a given.
Danzo fully believed in what he told Hiruzen.
The seals placed on Kushina and Mito were only meant to contain their beast's power. It was impossible for them to access its power. To steal the creature's power for their own.
The seal on Naruto was meant to create a weapon. It naturally increases how much chakra Naruto has to the point that he already has more energy than many jonin. And from what they could tell from the examination of the seal all those years ago, Naruto would eventually be able to access a portion of the Nine-Tails' chakra at will.
In time, Naruto will become a proper tool of the Leaf. A weapon capable of wiping away a hundred shinobi with ease. But the jinchuriki must reach that potential first.
"I see," Hiruzen said, closing his eyes and sighing. "I was going to put him on a team with his friends Sasuke Uchiha and Hinata Hyuga under Kakashi. "
Danzo frowned – more so than he usually did. He expected the answer, but a small part of him hoped his old friend hadn't been so foolish as to consider friendships when deciding on teams.
Hinata is the more expendable of the two. Danzo has already managed to create enough Hyuga children to not worry about the bloodline dying out, though he has to make sure the other clans with bloodlines don't find out about that.
Sasuke was more valiuable and dangerious. It would be foolish to put an Uchiha on the same team as a jinchuriki. Those fools couldn't even be trusted to walk down the street without succumbing to the desire to burn everything in the area to ash. It is only a matter of time before Sasuke snaps. Giving him easy access to a weapon that could burn the Leaf to the ground would be foolish.
And there is the deal with Itachi. Danzo planned on furthering the jinchuriki's growth by giving him dangerous missions. It wouldn't do for Sasuke to end up dead on one of those missions and assume it was because Danzo was going back on his deal.
"The team should be Sai, Naruto Uzumaki, and Hinata Hyuga," Danzo told Hiruzen.
The Third Hokage sat in silence for a moment. "If we weren't at war, I would've thrown you out of my office for even thinking I'd let one of your agents be placed on the jinchuriki's team. Unfortunately, that isn't the reality we live in. We're at war, and I can't let personal feelings get in the way of defending the Leaf."
Danzo lowered his head ever so slightly. Of course, Hiruzen has to start off talking about some ideal fantasy instead of the reality they lived in. At least it sounds like Hiruzen isn't going to fight him on this.
"Sai's scores place him above Sasuke in every category except speed and chakra reserves. His versatile skill set and power make him a better fit for Team 7 than Sasuke. I will agree to your suggestion but do keep this in mind," Hiruzen's chakra flared for a brief moment. "They are all members of the Hidden Leaf, including your apprentice Sai. You will not treat their lives like you would a pawn piece, understood."
Danzo lets a small smile grace his face as he lowers his head in agreement. This isn't the first time he's heard Hiruzen give this speech, and it probably wouldn't be the last, either. Hearing it almost makes Danzo feel nostalgic.
Not one to let such sentimentalities fester, Danzo instantly crushed that feeling and continued on to the second reason he came here tonight.
"Will you finally be informing Naruto of his jinchuriki status?" Danzo questioned.
The fact that he didn't get a response was telling.
A part of Danzo was somewhat proud that the secret of Naruto's jinchuriki status hadn't leaked and nobody had broken Hiruzen's gag order. Not even the civilians.
When the Shinobi of Darkness leaked Naruto's jinchuriki status to turn him into a symbol of hatred that united the village against him, Danzo was sure he'd have to deal with foreign assassination squads. Yet, not a single one has come for the boy.
If only the Hidden Leaf treated other matters as competently as they did the order to not speak of the Nine-Tails sealed inside Naruto. They might have already won the war if that was the case.
"Hiruzen! We are sending the jinchuriki to war! It must know what it is," Danzo broke the silence.
"I know. I've simply been dreading this talk for a long time," Hiruzen agreed solemnly. The Third Hokage called one of his ANBU out of the shadows with a single hand gesture. "Bring Naruto Uzumaki to me."
The ANBU nodded and then disappeared.
"Now, if that will be all, Danzo. I've got work to do before Naruto arrives."
"Of course," Danzo turned and left. He was more than satisfied that he'd gotten everything he wanted with only a fraction of the effort he thought it'd take.
Naruto nervously walked into the Hokage's office.
His bright blue eyes instantly fell on the old man behind the desk. It's been a long time since he'd been this close to the Hokage.
Weariness. Tiredness. Sadness. Hopelessness. Helplessness.
Those were the words that came to mind as he felt the Hokage's emotions. For a moment, Naruto almost found himself swept away in the old man's emotions, but he shook his head and steadied himself. He interacted with Sasuke daily, and the bastard was far worse than this when they first started hanging out. His own emotions are worse than this. This was nothing for the future hokage!
"Whatever happened, I didn't do it! Believe it!" Naruto shouted. "I haven't pranked nobody – badenoughtogetcalledbyyou – in a long time!"
The blond wasn't an idiot. He was a genin now, a real ninja! A real adult! But that didn't mean he'd suddenly get called into the Hokage's office. The only reason he's ever been in here before was that he was in trouble! So, he had to be in trouble for something, but he hadn't done anything wrong.
Did someone frame him or something?!
The bug boy, maybe. He was definitely the shifty type to do something like this. And he's had it out for Naruto since he told Shino his bugs gave him a headache. It isn't his fault he can sense all the insects inside the Aburame. Seriously, feeling thousands of different tiny bug emotions felt like needles pricking his brain. Total sensory overload, ya know!
"Naruto, you're not in trouble," the old man gently tried to calm him down.
"Oh... good, ya know!" Naruto sighed in relief.
"Congratulations on making genin," the Hokage hesitantly praised. "You've done it at a young age. All your hard work paid off."
"You know it!" Naruto smiled and pointed at his headband. "It wouldn't be long till I'm taking that hat off your head!"
"Maybe," the old man agreed with a shake of his head. Outwardly, he looked amused, and that's all most people can see. Naruto could look beyond that and into the old man's heart. He could tell that the Hokage didn't really believe he could do it. But Naruto knew that the first time he told the old man about his dream. "I have something to tell you."
The old man's voice completely shifted when he spoke that last sentence. It sounded like he was about to tell someone their puppy had died. His body instantly went from relaxed to serious, causing Naruto to awkwardly stand up as straight as possible.
"You and I both know that you've been treated… unfairly by the village. But you were never told why."
Naruto frowned. Any trace of happiness wiped off his face like an ice cube in the Land of Wind. He kind of didn't want to talk about this with the old man, especially not without one of his friends or Iruka-sensei nearby.
"Iruka-sensei told me. He said my whiskers reminded them of the Nine-Tails, and they hate me because of that," Naruto commented.
"Sadly, that isn't true. He gave you a reason adjacent to why you're hated, as I forbade the true reason from being spoken under the threat of death."
What?!
Naruto felt his stomach begin to hurt. Iruka-sensei wouldn't lie, would he? And Naruto would know. He should've sensed it… unless the guilt he sensed back then was because he was lying.
Not knowing what to think, Naruto just glared at the Hokage. He would wait to react until the old man was done talking before making any judgments.
"On the day you were born, the Nine-Tailed Fox spirit attacked this village," the Third Hokage explained. His eyes drifted away from Naruto as he slowly stood up from his desk chair. "The Tailed Beasts are monstrous calamities capable of wiping entire nations off the map, and Nine-Tails is by far the strongest of them."
The old man's eyes still hadn't returned to Naruto. Instead, they were focused on the picture of the Fourth Hokage on the nearby wall. The Third Hokage seemed to be slowly moving toward it as he talked.
"The Tailed Beasts are impossible to kill. Their destructive powers are so great that even I would lose to one if I didn't have something to give me an edge," the Third Hokage was now right in front of the picture of the Fourth. "Sealing jutsu is what gave my successor the edge needed to defeat the Nine-Tails."
Sealing? Wasn't that like storage scrolls or something? How'd something so lame let the Fourth beat the strongest demon?
"In order to defeat the Nine-Tails, he sealed it inside a newborn baby – you," the old man said as he slowly turned toward Naruto. "It was the only way to save the village. He made you the hero that saved the village.."
Naruto's mind froze. The stupid old man's statement just didn't make sense to him.
Yet, while his mind was frozen, his heart wasn't. An ocean of feelings welled up inside him. A dark sea full of waves that were somehow all going in different directions and crashing into each other.
"You've had a great burden placed on your shoulders," the old man walked over to him and put a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "But it can also be a great boon. The seal the Fouth placed on you has caused the fox's chakra to merge with your own, greatly increasing your chakra, among other things. In time, I'm sure you will live up to the Fourth's expectation – as he trusted controlling the power of the Nine-Tails to you."
"I need to get some fresh air, ya know," Naruto said shakily. He took two steps back before the old man even said anything.
"Ok, Naruto. Just remember not to share this secret with anyone who doesn't already know," the Third Hokage warned, but Naruto didn't care. He simply turned and left the office as fast as he could.
He needed to talk to someone. He might go crazy if he doesn't.
But who could he talk to?
The only people he trusted to really talk about things were Hinata, Sasuke, and Iruka-sensei. It had to be one of those three.
It couldn't be Hinata. He didn't want her to know about this. Hell, Naruto didn't want Sasuke to know about this. He doesn't know why, but the idea of telling either of those two about the Nine-Taiils fills him with dread. It made him scared. Vulnerable.
Naruto couldn't tell them. Every fiber of his being was yelling at him not to.
That left Iruka-sensei. He already knew, so he should be safe to talk to. And he needs to answer for lying to him anyway. Believe it!
The blond robotically ran to his favorite ramen restaurant. If he's lucky, Iruka-sensei will be there early, and his two friends will be absent.
Naruto ran on the rooftops until he reached the restaurant, where he was fortunate enough to find Iruka-sensei standing in front of it. The whiskered boy jumped down to the street right next to Iruka-sensei.
"Naruto – what's wrong?" Iruka-sensei asked with a voice full of concern. Hearing it made Naruto feel right in his choice to choose Iruka-sensei. He may have lied to Naruto, but he still cares despite knowing.
"We need to talk somewhere else, you know," Naruto answered sullenly. He didn't bother waiting for a response. The blond just grabbed his sensei's arm and began pulling him in a random direction. If they run in one direction, they have to find someplace where no one is around.
"Ok," Iruka-sensei said calmly after a moment of being dragged. Naruto could only blink as he felt himself being picked up by his sensei, "You want to talk alone, right? It will be faster if you let me carry you."
Naruto didn't try to get out of his sensei's warm embrace as he was carried to an apartment – Iruka-sensei's. His teacher entered his home and didn't stop moving until he sat Naruto down on his couch.
"We're alone here, Naruto. It's safe to talk about whatever is bothering you," Iruka softly explained to Naruto. He knelt down so that he was at eye level with Naruto.
"The old man told me the truth about the Nine-Tails," Naruto explained in as few words as possible.
A guilt-stricken expression appeared on Iruka-sensei's face. He took a breath as his shoulder sagged down. "I'm sorry for lying to you."
"You better be, ya know!" Naruto complained before launching himself at Iruka-sensei like a cannonball out of cannon. He wrapped his arms around his sensei. He just needed to hug someone just this once.
Naruto didn't know why, but he started to feel tears well up in his eyes.
People hate him because the Nine-Tails is in him. It doesn't change the fact that people hate him for something out of his control, like the whiskers story Iruka-sensei told him. But it hurt worse knowing that he's hated because of some dead person's actions. Someone consciously decided to sacrifice him as a baby. He could have had a normal life if the Fourth hadn't decided to sacrifice him of all people.
It almost felt like a betrayal. Naruto has looked up to the Fourth Hokage for years now. Wanted to be like him. And it turns out that person was the one responsible for his suffering.
He doesn't know how he should feel about this. He doesn't even know what he is feeling. So, he just spent a long time crying in Iruka-sensei's embrace. Tears fell until there were no more to fall.
"Naruto," Iruka-sensei gently called out his name while one of his arms rubbed his back. "It is going to be ok."
"I have a demon inside me, sensei. How is anything going to be ok," Naruto quietly asked.
"You've had the fox inside of you for years, Naruto. Knowing is going to change who you are. It isn't going to change your friend. It isn't going to take away the fact you're a shinobi of the Leaf and my favorite student."
Naruto didn't say anything. He just absorbed his sensei's words like a sponge. It took him over a minute to finally say anything. "Do you really mean that? I'm your favorite student?"
"Yes, you're my favorite student. I think you'll do great things someday. I even think you can fulfill your dream and become a hokage."
Naruto stifled as he pulled his hands away from his hug on Iruka-sensei and wiped his azure eyes. He barely managed a smile. "Thanks, sensei… really."
The sea of darkness, of negative emotions that welled up inside him a little while ago, was slowly calming down. Returning to where it originally came from, yet was changed. He could sense it, all his negative emotions even more than before. Some of them felt darker and stronger.
Naruto took several deep breaths. Helping to further calm himself. "Sorry for dragging you into my freakout, Sensei."
"It's alright. I'm always here for you," Iruka-sensei said as he took the hand that was stroking his back and placed it on Naruto's head. "And there wouldn't be any more lies from here on out, ok?"
"There better not be," Naruto muttered. "You already owe me a lot of ramen for the whiskers lie, ya know."
"I already pay for your ramen when we eat out," Iruka-sensei jokingly responded.
"Then I guess we'll have to eat together more. It's the only way you'll pay off your debt," Naruto nodded.
"I guess I can do that," Iruka-sensei sounded happier than he ever had before when he said that. The guilt in Iruka-sensei's heart had almost completely disappeared. If only Naruto could sense what replaced it.
AN:
Hello! And thanks for reading another chapter.
My fics are primarily posted on FFN, and the ANs are included here. I'm not going to include them on AO3 because I realized it doesn't look good when you use the 'entire work option.' I'm cross-posting this story on AO3 because why not.
The chapter:
Sakura honestly isn't going to be that big of a character here, so I wanted to set her up so she can go through off-screen growth and be an awesome shinobi despite not being on this fic's main team. I'll talk about the fear/worry about Naruto later.
Jiraiya: In chapter 91, Jiraiya talks about how he doesn't seek out trouble, and it also states that The Third had been looking for Jiraiya. And in 366, Jiraiya mentions how he can focus on his novels now that he doesn't have to look for Orochimaru. So, I decided to use those details (among others) to have him pretty detached from everything around him due to his teammate's betrayal and the death of all his students. Basically, indulging in vices to run away from the world. In the same way, Tsunade is with gambling and alcohol.
Naruto: for him, this chapter ended up showcasing how life is getting to him and how he's getting support from those around him. To go into the major ways, he's treated in this chapter. Sakura is a civilian who has been told to stay away from Naruto because he's dangerous but never told why. Then he becomes far stronger, and that basically makes her want to stay away from him until she knows what his deal is. Shikamaru's apathy and disregard for Naruto resulted in him saying something really cruel to the blond because he thought Naruto was really annoying. The idea for what he said is lifted straight from chapter 39, where Team 7 is just minding their own business, and he wanders over and tells Team 7 to save themselves from embarrassment via the method of, "go die, okay." Mizuki was used the way he was because I thought it would really showcase Naruto's desire for people to be nice to him by having him completely ignore all the messed-up emotions inside him because he acted kind.
Naruto having a negative response to having the Kurama sealed inside of him made sense. And given all the other things that happened before then, a crying session to let out some of his emotions and getting some praise fit the character.
Hiruzen: He is a tired leader who feels helpless since he can't make the world accept peace and has been forced to spend his life-fighting. I thought it made sense he wouldn't put too much of a struggle against Danzo in this situation. He's tired, old, and has to fight a nation in war. It would be too much effort to fight against Danzo and Sai's competent enough to justify replacing Sasuke. So, pick your battles.
Random tidbit:
It was shocking to learn that in canon, all you need to do is learn a single jutsu to pass the academy. The only thing is that you don't know which one they'll test you on, so you got to get lucky. Still, from what I can tell, you can fail everything else but still become a genin by knowing a single jutsu. Pretty insane.
Have a great day!