warnings: violence, mentions of bullying, & mentions of food

After that, we go over hiragana and katakana and even some kanji. The kids who could already read those are split up into a smaller group, and Miss Momoko has everyone get up from where they were sitting. The kids who don't know how to read go to one side of the room, and the other kids - a group that includes me - go to the other side.

Then Miss Momoko does something weird with her hands, and another Momoko appears with a burst of smoke. Everyone "oooh"s at that, and one kid is so excited he stands up.

"Please sit down, Inuzuka," Miss Momoko says dryly, staring at him until he flushes nearly as red as the marks on his cheeks.

"Sorry," he mutters, sitting down and looking away.

Miss Momoko - the first one - grabs some chalk and eraser and draws a line separating the board after erasing the name written there. Her side is soon filled with all the hiragana written in the fifty-sound order. "I expect you all to copy this down and memorize it," she says. "There will be a test over this on Friday, and that goes for everyone, not just those who are currently on my side of the classroom."

The other Momoko writes down ten kanji in a vertical line down the board, writing their readings next to them. While the rest of the class is scribbling down the hiragana chart, our Miss Momoko is saying the readings. "One, two, three..."

Later - before lunch, so I'm really hungry - we go outside to a small dirt track. Miss Momoko has a clipboard and pen in her hand, her clone holding a stopwatch. "We're going to run laps today, children! One kilometer in all. But first we're going to stretch. Everyone get in a circle!" The clone puts the stopwatch in a pocket and then, after we've all gathered around, holds her right arm directly out, other arm pressed against the other. We all follow her lead. "I'll count out the odds! One!"

"Two!" we shout back after a moment.

"Three!"

This continues until we've reached twenty, whereupon she switches arms. Everyone does the same. We run through other stretches - leg swings; placing our hands against the ground while keeping our feet flat; sitting down and trying to reach the tip of our shoes - before she has us line up on the track. I end up in the middle of the group, waiting for the Miss Momoko with the stopwatch to begin.

"Ready... set... go!" she cries, and we all shoot off. I try to run fast for the first lap, wanting to keep up with everyone near the front, but by the second lap, I'm having trouble. My side hurts, and I'm gasping for air. I'm not the only one, and I'm not the dead-last runner, but I've gone from the beginning of the pack to almost the end. I don't like it, but by the time the third lap comes around, I'm more shuffling than running.

I want to stop, but I can kind of hear Miss Momoko yelling at some kids behind me to start running again, and I don't want to be yelled at. I keep running.

Eventually I reach the finish line, and Miss Momoko #2 calls out my time. I almost immediately stop and move a few meters before falling on the ground, rolling over on my back and gasping for breath. The other Miss Momoko isn't having it, though.

"Up, up! Hands behind your head and walk around, Matsushita! You recover quicker that way!" I groan but get up, walking in circles as my breathing petters out, settling into its normal rhythm.

Once everyone is done and has cooled down, we go through the same stretches again. "It's important to stretch and cool down so you don't get injured," Miss Momoko lectures in between her clone shouting out numbers. After that, she dismisses us for lunch. "Be back in an hour!"

I grab my pack and then look around, not quite sure what to do. If I was at home, I'd sit at the table, but we're all outside and there aren't any tables in sight, just a few more trees, the track, and a wide field. I eventually decide to sit not next to, but several meters away from a group of girls, as I'm too nervous to introduce myself. Eventually one looks up and scrunches her nose at me. I flush and scootch away, turning my back and eating my boxed lunch in silence.

After ten minutes or so, I pack up my lunch into my bag and store it back in the classroom. Once I get back outside, everyone has gathered near a tree. "We're gonna play Tag!" a girl says loudly, and when no one objects, she touches the shoulder of someone with dark hair and dark glasses, proclaiming "you're the ogre!" to them.

Everyone scatters. "If the ogre touches you, you work for the ogre!" the original girl yells, and I throw myself into the game, giggling. The ogre comes after me first, and I shriek in laughter. I manage to avoid them and the other "ogres" for the rest of the game until Miss Momoko calls us back inside.

We go over math and history before Miss Momoko dismisses us. Dad and Yasumaru are waiting near the gates, and I run over to them.

"How was school, Setsuna?" Dad asks. Yasumaru burbles and makes some noise.

"It was fun!" I say as we walk home. "We had to run laps, though, and that was awful."

"Laps, huh? How'd you do?"

I purse my lips and look down. "Bad," I say after a moment. "It was really hard. I don't like running."

Dad says nothing for a moment before responding with: "But you see ninja run around all the time, right? If you're dedicated to this 'becoming a ninja' business, you're going to see it through. I didn't raise a quitter in this family."

"I'm not gonna quit!" I protest, scowling. After a moment, I begin to clap my hands in front of me and then behind me as I walk. Dad immediately stops me, though.

"Stop that," he commands, and I shrink back, letting my hands fall at my sides.

"Okay..."

"If you aren't going to quit, then you need to make sure you try your best everyday. I'm not going to be mad if you aren't the best in something, but I will be if you don't try your best. Do you understand, sweetie?" he asks. Yasumaru giggles and smacks Dad's shoulder while we're walking, and I stick out my tongue at him while Dad isn't watching.

"I guess," I say after a moment. "I just need to try my best?"

Dad smiles at me. "Yep."

The next six months are pretty much like the first day; we learn how to read and write, mathematics, history of Leaf and Fire Country, hand seals, and other stuff like that. I read as many books as I can get my hands on, especially fiction books. I learn kanji pretty quickly, I think. Memorization is easy for me, and Miss Momoko says I'm the best reader in the class and that my reading ability is almost near an adult's.

About two weeks after school begins, I start bringing books to read during lunch and recess - no one wants to play with me unless it's a big game, like Tag. I don't understand why people don't like me; I try to imitate what other kids do but I'm just called "creepy". Why are the others not creepy when they do that? I don't get it at all.

Mom and Dad don't really notice how I don't have friends, I guess, but I do end up using all my allowance on books so I don't have to spend time alone by myself. If I'm reading a book, I can engross myself in a story or in new information and ignore what's going on with the other kids.

It's a little lonely, but I concentrate more on learning what's taught to us. Math isn't as easy for me as reading is, but I like history almost as much as I like reading. Our physical techniques class is still just running and other exercises since we're young. I don't like to run around in an oval for the majority of the class period, but I make sure I try my best. My dad told me to do things seriously or not at all, and since I do want to become a ninja, I put forth my best effort.

I quickly end up at the top of the class in everything except the math and physical techniques classes. I just don't understand math, and I keep hitting this spot where I can't improve my time when running a kilometer. We do more running exercises besides running a kilometer, but they're still kind of boring.

Class is pretty much the same until six months in. Today, we're going to learn how to fight during the physical techniques class. I'm a little excited, actually. Miss Momoko and a few clones go through the basic fighting style we would be learning and then, thankfully, she decides our sparring partners for us. I hate it when we choose partners by ourselves because I'm always the last one to be picked, and it burns how people stare at me when that happens.

I walk up to the drawn circle on the ground where my partner, a dark-haired kid with light brown eyes, is standing. I don't know his name. He looks at me a little strangely.

"The rules for this are simple! We're just getting a baseline of what you'll need to focus on this year, so remember: the first one out of bounds loses. Once you've lost, head over to this area," here she points to a spot about ten meters away, "and run a few laps and then cool down," Miss Momoko announces. She forms the Tiger seal and a blackboard appears to the side, all of our match-ups written on there, tournament style. "If you know how to dispel illusion techniques, I'd recommend not to dispel this one, unless your memory is flawless," she says dryly. "Don't worry, once class is done, I'll dispel it myself."

Once we've all assembled in our many circles on the field, Miss Momoko whistles loudly for us to start.

I wait for my opponent to move first. After a few seconds, he launches himself at me, and I cleanly sidestep and then, using his own momentum, grab his arm and flip him out of bounds so he lands on his back. He gasps wildly at the sudden pain and the lack of air in his lungs. The other kids have paused for a moment, a little startled at how quickly my match went. I look at the boy in surprise and a little disappointment; it was over so quickly.

Miss Momoko is suddenly right next to us, and I jump, shocked. "Etou," she says, addressing the boy, "good try for a first time. Head on over." She turns to me and then the blackboard is changes - I'm moving on. I'll fight either Inuzuka Haruki or Hirose Mayu next. After a moment, she narrows her eyes at the rest of the class. "Well? Continue!"

I remain in the circle when Miss Momoko raises a hand to me, telling me to stay put. I watch the rest of the class as I wait. A lot of the kids have ended up grappling with each other. Some are circling, not sure when to attack, and as I watch, a few lose their matches.

Eventually, Hirose Mayu stomps on the Inuzuka kid's foot and then pushes him out of bounds. He seems a little distraught at this, but heads over to the losers' area anyway. Hirose looks at me and nods. "Let's have a good match," she says, a small smirk forming on her face. I nod and repeat her words.

Our teacher is suddenly there and then just as quickly begins the match. Again, I wait for Hirose to move first. She seems to be trying for the same thing, but impatience wins, and she tries to kick at my legs. I kind of end up falling forward, grabbing her shoulders and then returning the favor. She grabs my arms, and I let go before quickly crouching down and then pushing myself at her, trying to force her out of the ring. She digs in and I let go again, backing up slightly.

She narrows her eyes at me. I pause for a moment and then move as if I'm about to try to grapple her again; instead, I abandon it as soon as my fingers touch her shoulders, sweeping my leg out to knock her own legs out from beneath her. She falls to the ground, surprised, and I use a leg to kind of kick her out of the ring. It's not a very hard kick, but it does the job. As I'm panting at the exertion, I realize my mouth is set in a smile.

I let it fall back to it's more neutral expression. "Good match," I say, not saying her name because I forgot it almost as instantly as I saw it on the blackboard. Hopefully she doesn't realize.

"Good match," she agrees with a sour expression, moving away. I glance back at the blackboard - now I'll be facing either Yamanaka Inohiro or Etou Hikari. I try to find them, but I don't really know anyone in my class, and I'm pretty bad at matching names to faces. I don't know if anyone realizes that, though.

I think I see Yamanaka over there. Ah. He just got thrown out of the ring. I don't move, though; if that isn't Yamanaka and Etou, I don't want to be embarrassed by going over there.

The winner of that match looks around, looking for their next opponent. After a few moments, Miss Momoko appears next to me suddenly. "Etou won her match," she says, nodding toward the girl with light-brown hair I had been looking at before. "Go on over."

"Okay," I say, and circle through the matches. There's actually only 10 people left on this field; everyone else is one the other one.

Etou looks up at me, pursing her lips. She gives me a look I don't really understand while I step into the circle. Miss Momoko begins the match after a moment.

She doesn't try to wait or anything like that; she just launches herself at me, knocking us both to the ground. It didn't really hurt, so I buck, kicking until I force her off me. We both get up at about the same time.

"What's your name, anyway?" she asks after a moment.

"Matsushita Setsuna. You're..."

"Etou Hikari," she answers, and then a punch is flying toward my face. I'm too distracted to react in time. The punch connects, but in my panic, I somehow force my chakra to my feet, so I don't fly out of the circle. My face really hurts, though; that was a strong punch. I immediately cut the chakra flow, taking advantage of the fact that because I didn't move back, her fist slid off my face and she's falling forward. I knee her in the stomach and then push her back.

She's gasping, the air knocked out of her, and then she stumbles back, right out of the ring. I wait for the board to update before stepping out of the ring to help her up.

"G-good fight," she says after she's gotten her breath back. I look away from her face, a little embarrassed at how I made her cry. Did I hit that hard?

"Good fight," I say.

Miss Momoko helps her up once it's clear she isn't getting up anytime soon. "This way, Etou," she says, and then waves me over to my next opponent. It's pretty clear to see who they are, because the only other people on this side of the field are fighting each other.

I look over at the board. Matsushita is on the top bracket while Aburame is on the bottom. The section on the right has the names Hyuuga and Uchiha. This is the semi-finals, then.

I study my opponent for a moment. She has dark brown hair in pigtails on the sides of her head and is wearing extremely dark sunglasses. She nods at me as I enter the ring. As soon as Miss Momoko begins the match, she bends her knees, hands a little bit away.

Aburame moves suddenly, bringing up a leg toward my midsection. It connects, and I gasp at the hit, but I manage to grab her leg and twist until she's on the ground in a quick movement. I don't press my advantage, though, because I can't breathe, I can't breathe-

She jumps up and kicks again, but I see it coming this time, even with how I'm still getting my breath back, and I try to redirect the kick while I move out of the way. I'm pushed back nearly to the edge of the ring, but I'm smiling. This is the most fun I've had in weeks. I don't let her attack first this time; I bring my own leg up in a low kick, aiming for her legs. If I aim too high, she'll be able to do the same thing I did to her earlier. By now, I'm recovered from that kick; my breathing is no longer as desperate.

Aburame grunts, pushed back a little bit, and stumbles. We both fall to the ground, though; I didn't move my leg in time, so it got tangled between her ankles. I end up to the side of her, so I kick away, my feet connecting to her back and flipping her over. As soon as that happens, I scramble up and kick her again, managing to force her out of the ring.

I wait for the board to update, noting that Hyuuga and Uchiha still haven't finished their fight, and then I lean over, offering Aburame a hand. She takes it after a moment.

"Good fight," I say, smiling at her.

"Good fight," she answers in a quiet, quiet voice.

I stand awkwardly in the ring, tensely aware of how I'm the only one on this side of the field not fighting. I decide to ignore this and focus on the fight. Uchiha and Hyuuga are both really fast, and I'm excited to face off against one of them. Then, a quick jab from Hyuuga, and Uchiha slides out of the ring, disqualified.

The board immediately updates. I look to the side; most of the kids are running or stretching really slowly. They're probably watching. That makes me a little nervous, but then Miss Momoko is waving me over to Hyuuga.

I walk over to her, and as soon as I situate myself in the ring, the match begins. Hyuuga jabs my stomach, knocking the wind out of me, but I channel chakra to my feet, rooting myself to the ground. She seems a little surprised at that, but I push her back and let my chakra flow normally again. I try to kick her, but she sidesteps and then kicks me backwards so quickly that I don't react with my chakra in time. I move backwards in the air, skidding far enough that I'm definitely out of the ring. I groan, but quickly pick myself up.

"Good fight," I say. I'm a little sad that I lost, but even though it was short, the fight was pretty intense; I'm not too upset.

Hyuuga merely inclines her head at me. Miss Momoko instructs us both to go cool down and stretch.

Once everyone is done with that, she gathers us back in the classroom. Miss Momoko tells us that we need to write a short paragraph detailing our mistakes today in the matches and how to fix them for homework. I'm so tired, though. It's a struggle to stay awake. I keep nodding off, but I try to stay awake for the lesson.

I think we go over some events when the First Fire Shadow was in office, but I'm practically falling asleep where I'm sitting. Using chakra earlier really made me tired. Finally, class ends. I begin to pack up my things so I can walk back to my house, but a note flutters into my hands. I look around, but no one seems to have noticed.

"Please see me after class. -Kuba Momoko" is written in clear black, furigana over the kanji so I can read it. I'm nervous, but I slide back in my seat, getting out a notebook to write while I wait. I only manage to get two more sentences written down about Matsu Akira, high ranking ninja, before I realize the last person is leaving class for the day.

I gather my things back up, feeling my heart rate pick up a little bit. I approach Miss Momoko. "Um, excuse me..." I begin.

She looks up from her desk, scrutinizing me. "Matsushita," she says after a moment. "Yes, I wanted to talk to you."

"Um, about what?" I ask, looking at the edge of her desk (light brown wood with worls and a lacquer over it to prevent scratches, I note). I yawn almost immediately after speaking.

"If you work for it, you may be able to graduate early in three years, instead of four," she begins, and I gape at her words, totally surprised. "Don't let this go to your head. You aren't a genius, but you are a bright child, and it would be a waste to have you here longer than you need to."

"Really?" I ask, incredulous.

"Yes. You have good instincts for physical techniques, and the only real problem is your mathematics."

I grimace at the thought of math, but wait for her to continue. "The fact of the matter is, Matsushita, Leaf needs more ninja. We're at war. As an Academy student, it is your duty to study hard and become a ninja when you can, but I won't let an 8 year old graduate without being proficient enough. Bring up your math scores, and continue to impress me with your other grades, and perhaps I will let you." She hands me a light brown folder. "Give this to your parents. Dismissed."

I head out, clutching the folder to my chest, a little bewildered at the turn of events.