I hope you enjoyed the last chapter!

Here's another one!

. . .

Four months.

Four months until the fucking Genin exams.

I don't know if I'm ready.

My jutsus are really shitty, and the only thing that I really had that was worth much were my Taijutsu and my above average chakra control.

My jutsu limit was still three, and if I tried anymore, I risked burning out my coils.

And dying.

Yeah, sounds really peachy, right?

... anyway, getting back on track now.

As I was saying, the Genin exams are in only four months, and in another three, I'll be turning seven.

I'm scared.

I'm so fucking scared that something will go wrong: whether it be me going over my jutsu limit or not being able to fulfill the promise that Yashamaru and Karura had forced me into...

I'm just so scared.

And I hated it.

I hated it so much.

Not that there's much that I can do about it, anyway.

I sighed harshly, blinking away the irritating sting from the corner of my eyes.

I didn't know exactly how I felt anymore.

I wasn't sad.

Fuck no!

But that didn't mean that I was happy, either.

Hopeless.

I nearly flinched, but I blinked away the insistent flood of tears away.

Fucking hell, I was such a crybaby!

I angrily wiped the tears away and stood, storming to my bedroom door and snagging a hoody on the way out.

I approached the kitchen where I was sure my little brother would be.

Akito loved the kitchen, mostly because it was where all the food was prepared and Mum would always give him an extra because he was the "baby" and all.

"Akito-chan!" I called as I entered the kitchen, "do you want to go for a walk?"

Sure enough, as I entered the kitchen, my eyes immedoately found Akito curled up in his favourite chair.

His head bopped up as I entered.

He blinked sleepy black eyes at me and I resisted the urge to coo.

But I settled for simply ruffling the blood-red spikes of his hair.

The two year old scowled at me, wrenching his hair away from my grasp. I smirked at his fruitless attempts to dissuade me from the task of his most hated thing: the ruffling and messing of his hair.

"Yūyū," he whined, "stop!"

My smirk widened, and I cooed out, "I'll only stop messing with your hair if you come out on walk with me."

Akito shot me the best glare that he could muster- and it was so much Dad's customary frosty glare that an unwilling shiver ran down my spine.

Okay, this kid was a fucking replica of Dad.

It was kind of creepy, to be honest.

"Fine," said creepy-but-really-cute kid answered sullenly, he glare hardened, "but you hafta teach me about that catra stuff, okay, Yūyū?!"

My eye twitched, but I refused to let my displeasure show on my face, "You've got a deal, you little brat. And it's "chakra", not "catra"," I corrected.

A depessing black cloud hung over Akito's head, and he muttered, "Whatever."

My jaw dropped.

"Whatever happened to the sweet little baby that constantly followed me like a shadow?!" I exclaimed, "wait, he's not there anymore! He's been replaced by some emo spoilt brat that can't seem to keep his mouth shut!"

Akito was suspiciously silent my entire tirade, and that didn't make my bad mood any better.

"Well?!" I demanded, when no answer was forthcoming, I sighed, grabbing him by the wrist and hauling him out of the kitchen, all the while yelling, "Kaa-chan, Akito-chan and I are going for a walk!"

"Don't be gone too long!" Mum yelled back, "it will be dark soon!"

"Be back in an hour!" I called.

"Okay!"

Akito moaned and groaned the entire way to the park, and it got so bad that I had to literally hold him like a sack of potatoes and roof hop the rest of the way.

And it was really, really, really hard to roof hop while holding an emo two year old with a knack for squirming.

When I finally, finally reached the park, my neck and shoulder muscles were aching horribly, and I groaned softly as I gently set Akito on the ground upright.

The two year old red head glared at me from being handled so roughly, his black eyes glittering.

I sighed, here it comes...

"Yūyū!" He cried, "that hurt!"

"Well excuse me for carrying you the entire way here," I retorted, sending him my best glare, "and now that you're here, I suppose I'll have to uphold my end of the bargain, no matter how much I don't want to be teaching chakra to a two year old brat!"

"Don't teach me, then," said brat grumbled, crossing his arms over hia chest that was highly reminiscent I my own posture.

Ah, so my little brother was a moody little brat.

Interesting.

So, Akito was a spitting image of Dad, but his personality had been inherited directly from Mum.

Yeah, Akito was just peachy.

I decided to retaliate to his disrespectful statement by ruffling his hair.

Akito gave a moan of discomfort, and I responded by twisting the crimson spikes in unimaginably painful ways.

"Yūyū!" Akito finally cried, "stop it!"

I chuckled, then ducked a swing to my face by my furious little brother.

He then tackled me to the ground, his little body pressing my larger one into the ground with all the weight it possessed.

Akito attacked my face with his fists in a series of blunt but admittedly painful strikes.

When he exhausted himself, I said calmly, "Are you done?"

Akito seemed to realise what he had done, and he collapsed on top of me, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"What's the matter?!" I demanded, not very alarmed because for his case, Akito was a cry baby.

"N-Nothing," he sniffled, his black eyes huge on his pale face, "I-I'm just... just..."

"Just what?" I asked curiously, I was aware that a few kids were gathering around us, "what's wrong, Akito-chan?"

"I don't know," he wailed sounding much like the two year old he really was.

I sighed, sitting up and pulling him into my lap, I patted his back and let him cry into my chest.

I felt an odd sense of dèjàvu at this position- it reminded me of the night that Takashi had held me after my nightmare so many years ago.

Akito cuddled further into my chest, and it was only a few minutes later that he finally pulled back.

His eyes were rimmed red from tears and his face was blotchy and pale.

His bangs shadowed his eyes as he stood up, and with a pang, away from me!

"Sorry for being a cry baby, Yūyū," he muttered, "it won't happen again."

I was about to reply, when, suddenly, a familiar voice sneered, "Yūyū? You must have some sort of fan club going if you have such an ugly nickname, Aka-chan."

I didn't even have to turn around to know who was speaking to me.

I growled.

Kame-chan...

I realised that right then and there, I hated her with a burning passion.

She was too full of herself and much too confident. She... she-

She didn't deserve to be a Shinobi.

"Who's that, Yūyū?" My sort-of-emo-but-not-really-emo brother asked innocently, "do you know her?"

"Unfortunately," I muttered under my breath.

My little brother suddenly grinned, "Her face looks like a turtle," he stated matter-of-factly, "it's so square!"

I gazed at Akito in amazement, my jaw dropping.

My little brother however, merely smiled innocently, and with his mess of red hair and big black eyes, I resisted the obsence urge to coo at how cute he was.

I slowly turned to Kame-chan, a somewhat evil smile lighting up my face, "Looks like you really are a sea turtle, Kame-chan."

Her round, squarish face flushed bright crimson, and I resisted the urge to snicker.

Kame-chan deserved everything she got.

Suddenly, she smirked, gazing down at me with those huge, dark eyes of hers, "I could say the same for you, Aka-chan. You look like a demon with that red hair of yours," she giggled, "not to mention your black eyes.

I was seeing red.

Is this what people mean when they get so angry that they can't discern reality from the thing that they're angry with?

I think it is.

So I probably wasn't thinking when I lunged for her.

But at that moment, I just hated her so much.

And in that moment, I kicked at her and pulled on her hair.

Kame-chan howled with pain, and in retribution, she pulled on my hair instead.

I hissed, pinning her to the ground by her wrists.

I wasn't really thinking, but never had I felt such rage.

Such hate.

I never noticed someone calling for my name until it was too late.

. . .

First Person's POV- Akito

I didn't know what was happening.

My feet seemed to stick to the ground like jelly, at least that's what my brain was telling me, not to mention that jelly is basically one of my most favourite foods.

But everything still happened anyway.

Yūyū still lunged at the square girl with the turtle face.

Why... why were they hitting each other?

I was confused.

Very confused.

I remember Kaa-chan telling me that fighting was very bad, and it was because of all this fighting that Tou-san was no longer with us.

I wish he was, though.

Tou-san, I mean.

I don't remember anything about him, because Kaa-chan told me that all he had time to do was name me, and then he was gone.

Just like that.

Does that mean that he didn't love us?

I don't know.

Kaa-chan always told me that Tou-san loved us very much, but he couldn't be with us anymore.

I also remember Kaa-chan always showing me a picture of Tou-san and our family before That.

Kaa-chan's stomach was big and huge, and she had said that I had been inside it. Around her shoulders was Tou-san's arm.

I found I liked Tou-san.

He was big and strong, and his hair was as red as the liquid that seeped out of my knees when I scraped them. His eyes were as dark as the night sky, and they twinkled like stars.

On Kaa-chan's left was Taka-chan, and I found that he looked really weird as a twelve year old.

His form was all long and his limbs seemed to big for his body. But his hair was the same colour as Tou-san's, and his eyes were as green as Kaa-chan's.

And right in the middle was Yūyū.

She looked smaller than I was used to.

But that was okay, because she was only two years older than what I am now.

Her hair was short, reaching to just her chin.

But her eyes were crinkled and she was smiling brightly.

She was smiling My Smile.

She was smiling the Smile that she only ever directed at me.

I wanted her to smile like that all the time.

But that wouldn't happen because she was always fighting.

And like Kaa-chan always says: Fighting is bad.

Finally, I couldn't take it anymore, and I ran foreward, screaming, "Yūyū" the entire time.

Using all the strength I could muster, I pulled Yūyū off of Turtle Face, and it was very hard because she was just way too heavy.

Yūyū grunted as she impacted softly with the ground, and I fell with her.

I cried out as the impact jarred my elbow, but I held strong, my arms wrappd around her waist, and my face nestled in the crook of her neck.

"Akito-chan?" Yūyū questioned softly.

I pulled away, feeling the tears drip down my cheeks at the sudden, painful sting of my newly aquired scrape.

"It hurts," I whimpered.

Yūyū pulled away from me, looking down at me with huge, dark eyes.

She pulled my arm to inspect it, and I cringed at the explosive pain that surged through my arm like a fiery heat.

I didn't like it.

It hurt.

"Fuck," Yūyū said so quietly that I barely caught the word.

I frowned, and grimace as terrible pain coursed up my arm, gritting my teeth, I muttered, "That's a very bad word to use, Yūyū."

Yūyū scoffed, but it was gentle, "You don't think I know that, Akito-chan?" She murmured, "trust me, I've heard a lot worse than that one little word."

"Like what, Yūyū?" I asked curiously, using her voice as a means to escape the pain, "did you hear them from all the fighting you do?"

Yūyū didn't even pause to think, and I was really happy when she seemed to completely forget about Turtle Face who had run off ages ago.

"No," Yūyū was smiling, though, however faint it was, "I first heard it from Onii-chan, and considering he's a jōnin, it's not very surprising."

Jōnin?

What's a jōnin?

"What's a jōnin, Yūyū?" I was very happy that I was asking all these questions because it kept my mind off the pain.

Speaking of the pain, wasn't Yūyū going to do anything about it?

It would make me very happy if the pain went away.

Yūyū began to speak, and as she did so, she gathered me into her arms.

"A jōnin is the top ninja of the village," Yūyū explained, "just under the ANBU and the Kazekage."

So, jōnin, huh?

I grinned, "I wanna be a jōnin, Yūyū!"

My response wasn't something that I expected.

But I coveted it as much as jelly.

Yūyū was smiling.

My Smile.

. . .

First Person's POV- Yūmaru

I winced as Akito squirmed in my arms, smearing his blood all over my shirt.

"Akito-chan," I hissed through clenched teeth, "can you please stop squirming? You're getting blood all over shirt."

To my annoyance, Akito didn't deign to give me a response. Instead, he merely buried his face into the crook of my neck.

It was in that moment that I noticed how heavy my little brother really was.

I could barely hold him now!

"You're... getting too heavy... to properly hold now, Akito-chan," I grunted.

Akito snickered in amusement, but it was muffled and tinged with the pain I knew he would be feeling.

The gash on his elbow was only a little scratch, but it weeped blood angrily, and I knew that it was better to be safer than sorry.

So that was how I found myself wondering around the park in search of someone who kew a bit of medical ninjutsu instead of doing the sensible and goung home where Mum could treat the cut.

From the corner of my eye, I saw a little kid fall to the ground, and she cried out as he knee scraped the harsh, unforgiving ground.

I winced.

Ouch.

Her mother was quickly onto her, pulling her to her feet and cooing sweet, mushy nonsense into her ears.

As she did so, she directed a hand coated with pale green chakra to the kid's knee. The tiny little scrape that had graced the kid's knee disappeared in a matter of moments, the chakra quickly knitting the skin back together.

I gaped.

I really needed to talk with that lady.

I approached her without much thought, and tapped her shoulder.

The woman spun around instantly, and though the look in her eyes was slightly cold, they considerably warmed upon seeing that I was only a little kid holding a toddler in her arms.

"Can I help you with something?" The women asked politely.

I hesitated, then seeing the bloodied mess that was Akito's elbow, I blurted, "CanyoupleasehealAkito'sarms?"

The women looked perplexed, and she said, "Could you please repeat that?"

I sighed, "I, uh, saw you using medical jutsu before. I was wondering if you could heal my little brother."

The woman switched her gaze to Akito, amd she smiled kindly, "Of course. But you need to place him on the ground."

I di as I was told, setting Akito gently at my feet.

"Hey, Akito-chan," I murmured, "I need you to hold your injured arm out. This nice lady here will heal it for you."

Akito held his arm out as quick as a whip, and I noted on how enthused he seemed at the prospect of getting his arm healed.

The woman knelt down, her hand already coated with green healing chakra.

Akito's face relaxed from its grimace as the healing chakra made its course. Slowly but surely, the skin around the gash knitted itself back together.

It took a few minutes, but slowly, Akito's elbow was healed, though the area was still covered in dried blood.

My little brother gazed at his newly mended arm in awe, "I wanna learn how to do that!" He piped.

I smiled at him sadly, shaking his head, "You don't need to learn ninjutsu at this age, Akito-chan," I said gently, "you can wait until you've entered the academy."

My not-so-quite-emo brother poute, crossing his arms, but he didn't attempt to argue, and for that, I was grateful.

"What's your name?" The woman asked suddenly, "and how did your brother get such a nasty scrape?"

"Huh?" I flushed before replying quickly, "Oh, my name's Yū Kishi. And I kind of got into a fight and Akito-chan had to pull me out."

"Oh, very well then," the woman smiled thinly, "just so you know, Yū-chan, my name is Akane, and this is my my daughter, Hikari."

The little girl clinging to the woman's leg smiled up at me shyly.

She was tall for her age, I noticed, and she was clad in white robes. Her hair was sandy blonde and fell to er shoulders, her bangs shadowing her pretty blue eyes.

Akito practically bounced toward the other toddler, his eyes shining happily.

"I'm Akito, what's your name?" He demanded.

Hikari's face turned bright red, and she stumbled backwards, softly mumbling, "Hikari."

I smiled at he scene, despite myself.

Toddlers really were cute, I suppose.

. . .

Three months.

There were three months until the Genin exams, and I knew I wasn't ready.

I was mildly alright at the clone jutsu, and I had done my best with the transformation one, but the one that really stumped me was the substitution.

It stumped me a lot.

What do I do?

"Yes," I murmured, staring out of the classroom window, "what do I do?"

I spaced out and I didn't focus on the sound of Sensei's droning voice, instead choosing to gaze out at the empty playground outside the window.

My eyes began to steadily droop, and I sighed tiredly, fighting back a yawn.

"...-chan... Yūmaru-chan," Sensei's sharp, biting voice made me flinch from my pretense of sleep.

"Uh, yes, Sensei?" I said carefully, all traces of sleep gone.

My seemed to have "shit" on repeat as my classmates pissed themselves with laughter, the loudest one being Kame-chan herself.

I glared at Kame-chan, but that served to only make her laugh harder.

Meanwhile, Sensei was squinting his eyes at me in the angriest, frostiest glare that anyone, bar Takashi, has ever sent me.

"Yūmaru-chan," Sensei began, deadly serious and icily calm, "if you don't think that you're cut for this, then you may leave. The door is right there."

I stared at him, gaping, my jaw dropped.

Sensei gave us a level glance, "That goes for all of you," he said quietly, "and to say the truth, the majority of you won't make it to the Genin rank. I, myself, am a chūnin, and I don't think I will be going any higher, not with the crippling injuries I sustained in the Second Shinobi World War."

Everyone in the room flinched at the mention of the War, myself included. Though in the corner of the room, I noticed that Sasori's shoulders momentarily shook, before his face went suspiciously blank again.

I then gaze at Sensei firmly, "Sensei, while I admit that I'm the dead last, I'm not about to give up. I will become a Shinobi," in a quieter tone of voice, I added, "I owe that much to my father, at least."

Sensei's mouth was set in a thin line, his eyes harsh and unforgiving, "A Shinobi's life is not fun and games. And it is not an adventure. I hope the majority of you know what you're all getting into. If not, then as I said before, the door is right there."

Not ome person budged an inch, but it made a bitter taste well up in my mouth.

This isn't a joke.

I know it isn't.

A Shinobi's life is not fun and games.

"I already know that," I whispered, and from the seat next to me, Yashamaru sent me a funny look.

This place is hell.

I always knew Sunagakure could produce monsters, but I didn't want to dwell on the fact.

The pencil in my hand snapped.

Shards of wood and pencils shavings flew around my desk.

My jaw dropped as I realised something.

When had I started doubting Sunagakure?

. . .

Two months.

That's how long I had until I would undergo the Genin exams and probably fail them.

I had no doubt that I would fail them, either.

I was the dead last.

My ninjutsu was as shitty as when I'd begun, and he only thing redeemable about me, I suppose, would be my Taijutsu and my above average chakra control.

It would probably be good if I failed, then Sunagakure wouldn't have to put up with such a crappy ninja like me.

But then again, I wanted to pass.

And if I somehow managed to pass the exam, then I would get a sensei and everything.

Oh, but did I mention that I'd have to pass the second test, as well?

Well, there goes all my hopes spiralling down the drain.

And I mean that very seriously.

But what if I practise?

I could get Takashi to help me and everything!

I nodded to myself, happy with the plan.

Lucky for me, it was already after school, else I'd have to be at school.

I got to my feet, looking down at the ground.

All of my stupid theory homework was scattered in my floor and was unfinished.

Meh, I would probably half-fail it anyway.

That doesn't mean that I didn't try, though.

But the problem was, while I may be the dead last, I was pretty much average ninja-wise.

Average in Taijutsu.

Slightly above average in chakra control.

Under-average in ninjutsu.

Yeah, if I graduate, and I mean if, then I'd make a pretty bad ninja.

There's also the issue with my supposed "chakra sense".

It sort of "disappeared" after my chakra clonked out on me.

I don't think it's coming back, either

Sighing, I knelt down and gathered my books into my arms, and standing up, I proceeded to walk over to my futon and dump them on top of the covers.

I then got changed, replacing my robes with more appropriate attire.

After I did that, I walked out of the room and began to scour the house for my big brother.

I found him in the kitchen, stuffing his face with food.

He looked up when I entered, and offered me a razor-sharp smile, "'ey, 'ū-chan!"

I grimaced at the pieces of food sticking out of his mouth as he spoke.

Takashi, however, didn't seem to notice.

I shifted awkwardly under his gaze, "Uh, Onii-chan, can I ask you a question?"

Takashi swallowed his food, then proceeded to lick each of his fingers, "You just did, Yū-chan," he sounded amused.

"Another one, then?"

My brother smirked, "You might want to ask exactly one more, Yū-chan."

I snapped, "Will you help me with training, please, Takashi?!"

His smirk widened, and he kind of tsked, "What happened to the Onii-chan, Yūmaru? You always call me Onii-chan. Are you that pissed off?"

I scowled, "I'm pissed off that I might fail the test, which is in two months, by the way! So I really, really, really need your help!"

Takashi's facial expression turned contemplative, and he leaned back on his cushion, crossing his arms, "So you're hoping to become a Genin at seven, are you, Yūmaru?"

I swallowed; when Takashi used my given name instead of the one I preferred, it meant that he was deathly serious.

"Uh, yeah," I answered cautiously, "is that a problem, Onii-chan?"

His thoughtful expression turned scary, and he slammed his hands onto the table, and his voice was cold, "Yeah, Yūmaru, it's a fucking huge problem!"

I flinched at his voice, but I let him continue.

"I got promoted to Genin when I was eight!" Takashi snarled, "and then I was deployed to fight in the fucking Second Shinobi World War! So don't you understand, Yūmaru?" He half-begged, "Okaa-san doesn't want you to graduate so early, I don't want you to graduate so early!"

I was silent for a moment, then very quietly, I said, "I'm sorry, Takashi."

Takashi sighed harshly, and he said equally as quietly, "Come on, I'll help you train."

He got to his feet and quickly to his room, leaving his plate for me to clear away.

I snorted.

Thanks, Takashi.

I eyed his plate hesitantly, but my jaw dropped when I saw what was on his unfinished plate.

Riceballs.

But my shock and glee doubled when I realised what his drink was.

Tea.

I quickly picked the cup up and raised it to my lips, eagerly chugging down its contents.

When I was finished, I set the cup onto the table, wiped my lips, and started on the remaining riceballs.

By the time Takashi returned, the remainder of his meal was gone, and I was happily settled against the side of the table.

My big brother eyed me in amusement, and I noticed that he had changed his clothes.

He was now just wearing a mesh shirt, much like mine, and those weird pants that poofed out when you tied bandages around the ankles.

You ready, Yū-chan?" He asked casually.

I sighed happily, "Mmm."

"Are you going to get up anytime soon?" Takashi said in amusement.

When I didn't get up, Takashi hooked an arm around my middle (much to my chagrin), and held me like a sack.

He then poofed away in a puff of smoke, and my stomach churned wildly.

Just when I couldn't take it anymore, we reappeared in what I hoped was a training ground.

Takashi's arm was painfully tight against my stomach, pressing in without mercy.

"Onii-chan," I gasped, "please let go of me!"

Takashi dropped me unceremoneously to the ground, and I choked.

My brother chuckled in reply, and hauled me up by my shirt.

When I was steady on my feet, Takashi walked a few metres away, turning to face me.

It suddenly occured to me that this was my brother.

He was only fifteen, and yet he was already a jōnin.

But was he expecting me to fight him?

My fears were confirmed when he said, "I want to see if you can land a hit on me, Yū-chan," he smirked then, "and jutsu are allowed. But only the most basic."

"Sure," I mumbled, looking down at my feet.

Takashi gazed at me somewhat curiously, "What's your limit today?"

I didn't hesitate, "Two," I answered, "I already used the substitution jutsu today."

Takashi smirked, "Run at me, Yū-chan."

I did so, concentrating the tiniest thread of chakra to my feet to propel me, and I raised my fist to strike.

When my knuckles collided with Takashi's chest, I didn't believe it for a second.

And it was pretty hard to believe that I'd hit him when he exploded into sand.

I scowled as grains of sand showered onto my head, and I called, "That's cheating, Onii-chan!"

"It's not cheating if you can use it to your advantage," a voice whispered into my ear.

I spun around, instinctively lashing out with one of my hands.

Takashi wasn't even fazed, and my hand passed right through him, and to my annoyance, he once again exploded into sand.

"Really, Onii-chan?!" I glared around me, "how many sand clones can you use?!"

"As many as I want," and then, abruptly, a hand smashed into my cheek. I choked in surprise, and the hit sent me staggering.

I had to dig my feet into the ground and skid to keep my balance.

I spat out blood, and turned to glare at my assailant.

Takashi smirked, and lazily gestured me to come at him.

My glare turned murderous, and I didn't even think when I performed a jutsu.

A clone poofed into being next to me, and the illusion followed me as I once again ran toward my brother.

My scowl turned fierce and Takashi's smirk widened.

My clone discreetly ran behind him, and doing the correct signs, I whispered, "Substitution jutsu."

I felt a really weird sensation that sort of felt like I was being stretched and split apart at the same time.

A heartbeat later, I was facing Takashi's back.

My clone stared back at me, its large black eyes and creepy smile unnerving.

But I could tell that it was my clone due to its crimson coloured hair.

I grinned.

I had done it.

For the first time in my life, I had performed the substitution jutsu correctly!

All Takashi said to do was hit him once and then I'd win.

I raised my hand to strike.

But before I knew it, Takashi had spun around and his balled up fist had caught my stomach.

I gagged.

The gagging soon turned into coughing.

The coughing soon turned into hacking.

I didn't know how long I coughed for, but the entire ime, Takashi had me pulled close, resting my head against his chest.

And before I knew it, he had hoisted me onto his back.

As he walked the dusty streets of Sunagakure, Takashi whispered to me, "I think you just might be ready, Yū-chan."

. . .

One Month

I was seven.

And in a month, I would go through the academy graduation exam.

I was sure I was ready.

Takashi had said I was.

I wasn't supposed to doubt his word, either.

Either way, I don't know if I'll pass.

I glared down at my book, and from her place next to me, Kame-chan giggled.

I sighed harshly, filled with the urge to punch her.

Things never changed, I guess.

Like that fact that I really, really, really hate Kame-chan.

And I knew that she eagerly returned the sentiment.

"Alright, class," Sensei called, "we're going to go outside and I'm going to test you all in Taijutsu. Got it?"

The class groaned in unision, and quite sullenly, we followed him out into the training field.

When we arrived, Sensei barked, "Alright, you will all be assessed in pairs. And no, you will not be choosing your own pairs. I will choose for you."

Once again, the class groaned.

"Don't you dare keep that attitude," Sensei admonished harshly, "you were the ones who chose this, and I'm only here to train you."

I gulped softly, staring straight at the teacher.

Sensei smirked when he saw that he had seemed to gather all of our attention, "Good. Now that you're all finally listening, I'll put you in each of your pairs..."

I nearly dozed off as Sensei's voice droned on, but I was startled awake when I heard Kame-chan's name get called.

"... then we'll have Yashamaru-kun and Kimiko-chan. And lastly, we'll have Sasori-kun and Yūmaru-chan."

My jaw dropped.

Me and Sasori?!

I swallowed that lump that had accummulated in my throat and slowly turned to try and find Sasori.

When I saw a familiar shock of blood-red hair, I knew that I had found him.

I approached him cautiously, completely sure that I didn't trust him.

I mean, how could I?

The longest conversation I'd had with him had been when I'd been half-delirious with fever.

And then a rather one-sided conversation with him when I'd crashed into him in the street.

When I reached him, I attempted to speak, but it only came out in half-assed stutters, "Uh, Sasori-san, you're my partner, aren't you-?

I nearly winced as his cold eyes snapped to mine with surprising clarity, "What do you think?" Even his voice sounded cold, but it was a bored drawl.

I twisted my fingers into the fabric of my shirt- a nervous habit that I had adopted in the past five years.

Sasori seemed perfectly content to ignore me, and I happily abided, keeping my gaze fixed on the ground beneath my feet.

One by one, Sensei called the sparring partners to come up and fight in front of everyone.

I didn't bothe watching, instead choosing to stare out into space, and I was like for a very long time.

So long, in fact, that I just barely heard my own name being called.

"Sasori-kun, Yūmaru-chan?" Sensei called, "Can you two please come up?"

Shit.

I had to fight Sasori!

I'm going to lose.

With that thought in mind, both Sasori and I levelled into into a fighting stance, and I was surprised to note that my stance was more polished than it had had been the day I had faced the dead last Genin, Aki.

"You may begin," Sensei droned.

Before Sasori could even think of striking, I had aken the initiative and dashed foreward.

He easily evaded my attack, and I was left entirely open.

Sasori didn't hesitate.

Just as I turned, his knee caught my stomach.

Or tried to.

I managed to twist my body at the last second, but unfortunately, I wasn't fast enough.

Sasori got me in the side, instead.

The force of his attack sent me rushing into some sort of awkward spin, and I used that to my advantage by thrusting my right arm sideways.

My elbow met with something kind of squishy and warm, and I knew that I had struck his face.

But before I could celebrate my semi-victory, a fisted hand abruptly smashed into my cheek, knocking me slightly off balance.

Metallic warmth filled my mouth, trailing from the corner of my lips.

I turned to face Sasori, and for a few moments we simply circled each other.

"A Shinobi should always be on their guard," Sasori said softly, and before I could comprehend what was happening, he lunged.

I raised my arm in a hasty block and was rewarded with the tell tale burn of a successful blow.

A hoarse, crackled hiss escaped from my tightly clenched lips.

I had to win.

This time it was me who lunged.

Sasori didn't look remotely surprised by that, either.

I swept my leg forewards, hooking it under his knee amd kicking my foot inwards in the hopes of tripping him.

I didn't succeed.

Why?

Because Sasori had already anticipated my move and moved forewards as I tugged inwards.

To my horror and mortification, he actually got close enough to hook his arms under my own.

With one swift tug and twist, my back was firmly pressed against Sasori's chest.

"You're done," Sasori said tonelessly, "yield."

His fingers inched toward my neck, and confused and somewhat flustered, I shrieked, "I-I yield!"

"Good," before he even finished the word, Sasori had released me.

I gaped at him, all the while Sensei droned, "That was a good battle."

That was one of the first Taijutsu spars I had lost against the other seven year olds.

But I thought puppeteers weren't supposed to be good at close-range attacks!

. . .

The Genin Exams

Today is the Genin Exams.

Holy shit.

Hopefully all the training I've done will allow me to pass, but who knows.

Maybe the exams will be just like Konoha's.

Dreadfully easy.

I suppose I'm about to find out in a few, short hours.

"Are you ready for the exams today, Yū-chan?" Mum asked while sipping a cup of tea.

I hungrily chugged my own down, all the while eating my riceballs just as quickly.

"Mmm," I mumbled, chewing on a riceball.

"Yūyū?" I looked over at Akito, my mouth full, "are you becoming a jōnin like Taka-chan?"

I snorted, "No, Akito-chan, I'll become a Genin. And later on, after I pass the Chūnin exams, I'll become a jōnin then."

Mum looked over at Takashi, frowning, "Takashi-chan, didn't you mention that you're becoming a jōnin instructer?"

I choked on my tea, "Onii-chan's going to become a sensei?!"

Takashi glowered at me, "Do you have a problem with that, Yū-chan?"

I gulped down the rest of my tea, "Since you're becoming a sensei, then you can take me to the academy!"

Takashi sighed, looking away, "Whatever."

I hurriedly finished my food and, after kissing Mum and Akito goodbye, Takashi body-flickered us both to the academy.

I stood at the entrance, and I was somewhat surprised when my fifteen year old jōnin brother leaned down and kissed the top of my head.

"You had better pass," Takashi murmured, "or else."

By his light-hearted tone, I could tell he was joking, so I pulled his head down and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

After that, I ventured inside and followed the other potential graduates.

I followed them into an unfamiliar room, and I looked around for any friendly faces.

I saw Kame-chan and completely disregarded her, and after a moment in which I was just going to give and sit anywhere, I spied Karura's grinning face.

She beckoned me over, and I was happy to see that it was her, Yashamaru, and Hiroshi.

I sat next to Hiroshi, and we both grinned at each other.

"Let's try and get on the same team," my best friend murmured.

"Yeah," and that was all I had to say.

The first test was a load of crap, and it was only a written one.

The qestions were abnormally easy, but due to my shitty reading and writing, I git more than a few wrong.

The second test was for accuracy, and that revoled around throwing a kunai at a target. We were given ten kunai each and were instructed to hit the target with the best of our abilities.

I managed to score one in the centre, but the rest hit in between and some were so off that they barely clipped the edge.

The third test was for Taijutsu, and we were paired up with one of the academy instructers and told to land a hit on them in under five minutes.

I managed to get mine in about three.

So yeah, even though I'm the dead last of my class, and possibly among thse potential graduates, I'm still pretty average.

There was one last test, and although it was supposed to be a mystery, I knew what it was.

I sat nervously beside Hiroshi, and one by one, each potential graduate disappeared.

It also didn't help that the names were called out in random.

"Hiroshi Akashi?" A Chūnin called, "could you please follow me?"

I swallowed, and my best friend gave me what he thought was a reassuring smile.

"I'll be back soon," he said, "and we'll both be on the same team, okay?"

I nodded mutely.

He smiled and left.

I sighed, leaning back in my seat.

All of my friends were gone now, and both Yashamaru and Karura had passed.

It was then that Sasori walked past my seat.

I cleared my throat.

He stopped.

"Uh, Sasori-san?" I began, "is the last exam easy?"

The red head turned to look at me, his expression that of boredom.

I noticed that he had tied his Sunagakure head band around his forehead.

"Very," he deadpanned.

I smiled somewhat sheepishly.

"Yūmaru Kishi?"

I jumped at the sound of my name, and I turned to see Hiroshi walking out calmly, his head band wrapped around his right arm.

The same Chūnin that had called him in was gazing at me quizzingly.

I took that as I sign to get up, and as I passed him, Hiroshi put a hand on my shoulder, "It's the easiest thing," he said into my ear.

I swallowed and followed the Chūnin into the testing room.

Once the Senseis' were seated, one of them spoke, "Yūmaru-chan, this is the final exam, if you pass this, then you will be promoted to Genin."

I nodded, my heart pounding.

"First of all, I want you to perform the clone jutsu," Sensei said, "can you do that, Yūmaru-chan?"

I nodded, forming the hand signs and pulling for a thread of chakra.

"Clone jutsu!"

Smoke poofed around me, and when it dissipated, a semi-perfect clone was standing next to me.

I studied it critically.

Red hair: check.

Black eyes: check.

Creepy grin: check.

Yep, it was the best replication of myself that I've done.

My limit is now two.

"Very good," Sensei said, "now, I want you to do the substitution jutsu."

By the time he had finished his sentence, I had already switched places with my clone.

"Now all that's left is the transformation jutsu," the other sensei said.

I didn't need to ask to know that I had to perform it.

So without any clear indication why, I transformed into my brother.

My jutsu limit is now zero.

Once the smoke dissipated, the senseis examined me critically.

My heart was pounding so heart that I was afraid it would stop.

I let the transformation ease away.

I was back to normal.

The senseis were silent for a long time, until finally, finally one spoke up.

"Yūmaru Kishi," Sensei began, and his voice was grim, that never was a good sign, "Sunagakure welcomes you as a Genin. Please come and collect your head band."

My jaw dropped, and as I approached the table, Sensei smirked.

He handed me a head band, and I felt its smooth cloth and cold metal against my fingers.

With one swift tug and tie, it was around my forehead.

I was now a Genin of Sunagakure.