A/N: Sept 3! Hope everyone enjoyed Labour Day :V I've gone back and begun prefacing chapters with relevant 'universe-historic' quotes. Do you think it adds to the story, or is it clutter?

"Normal Speech"
'Normal Thought'
'"Talking within mindscape"'

"Tenant Speech"
'Tenant Thought (rare?)'
*"Tenant Outside Speech (probably never, just setting precedent)"*

Peace will only be an option when it's the only option, and I intend to remove all the others. Starting with you!

-Madara Uchiha

Once all the children's introductions had finished, the class was led into a larger lecture hall. "Everyone find the seat with your name on it, and we'll get right into your first and most important lesson - don't take too long, and don't be afraid to ask for help." Some children indeed had to ask for help reading their name plates, something Naruto was proud he didn't need.

When everyone was seated, Iruka assumed his position at a podium, located at the front of the class where everyone could see him. Using the seals set upon it, he channeled his voice to each desk using his own Chakra. To the kids, it seemed as if the Chunin was speaking directly in front of them. "Let's get settled in then, everyone. The first lesson is simple, you should all be able to get it on the first try. Listen to what I am saying, and do what I tell you. If you can do that, raise one of your hands, high in the air like this."

Naruto groaned as he raised his hand 'Aw man, Iruka-sensei's got his lecture mode on. There's no way my mind can stand up to this kind of punishment for long.' Unfortunately for Naruto, there was no escape from the Chunin's oratory. "When I speak here, I expect each of you to listen to me. Do not talk, do not day dream, and don't even think of trying to sleep, Naruto. This room is the lecture hall. We meet here after physical training every day. Now everyone, where do we meet after physical training?"

Iruka cleared his throat and took a sip from his water bottle. Keeping children interested in what he was saying was the hardest part - any actual content wouldn't be hammered into their heads until later, when they were further divided into specializations to work on their strengths. For now, it was his job to make sure they learned obedience. Simple exercises with plenty of chances for reward were key - punishment was reserved only for failure, backtalk, and violence. And punishment was swift and terrible.

"For the next three months, you will learn patience and discipline here. If anyone can guess why you need patience and discipline in order to be a ninja, raise your hand and I'll call on you." The hands of every Uchiha, and most of the other majour clan children, all shot up. Naruto's hand was in the air as well. Very few civilians knew, but a brave few ventured their own assumptions, as Iruka went through and offered feedback on their ideas.

"I can see that this is going to be a class of very dedicated students, you've all done good! Now, the one thing all Ninja have in common is our Chakra. While some people use Chakra to find enlightenment, entertain civilians, or create weapons and tools - we use it to move faster, silence our actions, and defeat our opponents when our cover gets blown. For those of you who don't know how to use it, we will be learning the basic exercises and techniques here."

Iruka's voice deepened as he tried to force meaning into his words. "There are no special tricks, no gimmicks, and no work-arounds for these exercises. If you want to improve as a ninja, these are the exercises to do it. If you don't understand what you're trying to accomplish with them, ask your friends, or a teacher." He spent the next few minutes displaying a series of extremely detailed and picture-filled slides using a projector. There was enough visual information to show even the densest child the basics of calling upon their Chakra.

"I'll be coming around with my assistant, Mizuki, in order to help anyone who has any troubles." The children who knew how to channel their Chakra already looked smug in their superiority, while those who didn't looked excited to take their first steps in becoming real ninjas. Mizuki came in from a side door, to break up the monotony, and after a brief introduction, continued the lecture.

"For those of you who can already do so, channel your Chakra into the desk in front of you. Do not stop until your desk beeps. Once we've finished this exercise, Iruka and I will explain more about what you need to do to pass the year." There were many groans at this - using Chakra was exhausting, but listening to someone speak about goals and expectations was supposed to be for civilians. "After that, we'll have lunch!" Suddenly, the lecture seemed more bearable. Desks began to light up, to varying degrees, as Chakra poured into them. Some beeps were heard after a few seconds, and the two Chunin winced. Their thoughts were simultaneous - 'There goes this year's pass rate.'

They came around to those students having trouble channeling, or those whose desks had beeped early on. All were civilians - no clan sent their children to the Academy before they knew the basics.

'Come on, Sakura, you can do this!' The pinkette was distraught, on the verge of tears. She'd been able to channel her Chakra since the age of four, had worked so hard to nurture her meager natural abilities, until she felt confident she could join the Academy. She'd survived bullying, starving, and disapproving parents in order to get here, and she wasn't going to let this damn desk stand in her way.

Mustering the entirety of her tiny reserves, she forced it all into the desk, causing it to glow slightly, before beeping. She quickly reigned in her Chakra, taking it back from the device and refilling her tiny reserves, when her eyes widened. "IRUKA-SENSEI!" She held her arm high in the air, waving it frantically. "Help! The desk stole some of my Chakra!" The Chunin was about to explain that that had simply been her Chakra leaving her, when she demonstrated for him.

"Look, I put it in..." The desk glowed, not even registering enough energy to emit a beep, "And when I take it out, some is missing!" Iruka stopped in his tracks, and Mizuki quickly came to stand by Sakura's desk. Being more knowledgeable on Chakra theory than his scarred teammate, he was the first to speak up. "You... can take your Chakra out of the desk? Hold on a minute." He checked the desk's record, showing a fluctuating reserve.

"Alright, Sakura, was it?" He carried on after her nod. "I want you to fill the desk, now." She did so, and he disengaged the Chakra battery after it peaked. "Your Chakra is in this battery - normally, most people can't reclaim their Chakra after using it. However, your control seems to be exceptional, even for someone with civilian reserves." He explained, in simple terms, about how Chakra begins to evaporate once it leaves the body - and how reclaiming even small portions of it was an important, and advanced, ability.

"Can I take my Chakra back, now?" she asked, nervously. The Chunin nodded, and marked her down as 'Desperately in need of reserves expansion.' She wouldn't be able to perform a single Bunshin, even if she tripled her reserves - but her control was promising. Astounding, even. 'The girl will probably be contacted by the medical corps before the semester ends, once they get wind of today's report.' He just wished some others could do as well.

Nearby, Naruto was still pumping Chakra away. The exercise had been designed for children, and even with as much of his energy sealed away as safely allowable, the blonde still had more than all of his classmates combined. The desk beeped when its battery was full, rather than when his reserves were low, and Naruto finally relaxed. Channeling Chakra outside my body is super hard! I thought jiji said that the first year was supposed to be easy, dattebayo.'

It looked like the class had been waiting on him, for the beep broke a pregnant silence. Mizuki followed up. "Lunch time! Everyone follow me to the cafeteria." Iruka stayed behind to sort out the paperwork on each student. For many, the desk exercise would be as far as they got during the semester. A few students, mostly of clan standing, would be able to move onto more difficult exercises if they hadn't already.

Naruto sat alone at a long plastic table in the lunch room, sadly reminiscent of his time in the orphanage. The cafeteria was filled with students - some from his class, others from second or third year classes. Fourth year students took their lunches at the training grounds, and were rarely seen by the others. Around him, the tables were filled by clan or social clique. Alliances were made and betrayed in the lunch room, and almost everyone knew where the standings were - at least where Naruto was involved.

He was about to finish the surprisingly tasty food - served to him by a nondescript lunchlady who'd scooped a 'balanced meal' onto his plate with a blank stare - when Sasuke broke off from the Uchiha's table and sauntered toward him. Sauntering was another skill the Uchiha scion was proud to have mastered at his age.

"Dead. Last. For all your bragging, you're just the dobe." He hadn't meant to sound like a bully, but from the way he stood behind Naruto, above him with his arms crossed, Naruto couldn't help but regard him as such. The blonde was short even for his age group, his feet dangling down from the stretch seat - they came to a stop as this raven-haired intruder confronted him. Sasuke waited for a response. A tic formed on the jinchuriki's head, as he put down his spoon and stood face to face with Sasuke. A small staring match ensued.

"You've got a booger in your nose." The Uchiha's upturned nose and smirk were quickly covered by his hands, as Naruto had to support himself using the table while he laughed. "If you go around with your schnozz up in the air, it's gonna catch flies! Hey, let's be friends?" The blonde held out his hand with a wide grin across his face. Angry and embarrassed, Sasuke poked his finger into Naruto's chest, causing Naruto to frown and drop the proffered shake.

"I'm watching you, dobe. I'm an Uchiha, my family is the ultimate police force of Konoha. We make Anbu while the rest of you are trying for Chunin." He advanced on Naruto, his steely glare meeting the blonde's cerulean orbs. 'I'll see what makes you tic, find your breaking point, dobe. We'll see if I can better myself with you.' He pushed Naruto. The blonde held his ground, barely budging. "Fight me! We'll see if you're all talk!"

His outburst was followed by silence as the rest of the children on break took notice of the two. Naruto's scowl turned into a smirk, which deepened into a smile as he looked around at his audience. "Your fly's undone, teme. If you don't zip it up, everyone will see if you're all talk!" Naruto collapsed as Sasuke's face went tomato-red. The Uchiha sneered and stalked off, but not before doing up his zipper. He hadn't even noticed when Naruto had pulled it down, but he knew the runt had done it.

The rest of Naruto's lunch wasn't nearly as eventful, but he savoured the sneers, and red flashing glares from the older Uchiha students across the room. Bull, Sarutobi, Tsume, Iruka, and Mizuki had all had warned him about getting caught in a fight with any of the other students. Luckily for Naruto - and his unwilling teachers - pranking came before punching. His experiences had taught him that bullies never roamed alone, and a fight with Sasuke would have had them joined by a large number of relatives, if the Uchiha seemed hurt.

The rest of the day passed in a blur of activity. Naruto wasn't expected to remember everything, nor were any of the other children. Exercises and lessons would be reviewed frequently and thoroughly over the next three months; the only goal of the teachers for now was to gauge the children's respective cognizant and physical abilities, and instill prompt obedience to the rigid command structure that was reflected both in the Academy and the ninja world.

"Naruto, you stay after class. The rest of you can go home!" Iruka was finally satisfied with the day's cleanup, and was looking forward to the rest of his evening off... once he finished the jinchuriki's special training. "We're meeting Bull at the grounds, Naruto. But first, you've got a detention."

"What? What's a detention? Is it dangeorus" Naruto checked himself over, lifting his arms and trying to crane his neck around to spot anything that might be on his back. "A detention... you're going to be detai... it's Time Out, but in school. Your ruckus in the lunchroom today was the talk of the staff - what were you thinking, trying to beat up Sasuke? I thought you wanted to be friends."

Naruto tried to get a word out in his defense, but Iruka wasn't having any of it. "There's no talking in detention, Naruto - sit at your desk until I come and get you. Don't fidget, don't use Chakra, and just try to think about what you did." The blonde had begun silently crying as he followed the Chunin's instructions. "And don't fall asleep!"

Satisfied that Naruto wasn't going to be any trouble, Iruka started in on the day's paperwork. Hopefully he'd get through it in one go.