Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
I'm Not Weird!
I am alone. That sounds stupid living in a village as big as Konoha. But that is just how it is. It has been two full weeks since I was brought here. In those two weeks, nothing bad happened but nothing good has happened either. Like at the academy. Iruka-sensei is nice, but my father had already taught me a lot of the stuff that Iruka-sensei is teaching now. So it is hard to not daydream in class. But I think I understand what Father once said about teaching one person is faster than teaching a lot of people because my classmates do not seem to know much. A lot of them cannot even hit a target with a kunai if they are standing more than ten feet away from it. The other kids are not mean or anything but I never know what to say to them. Back when my mother, father, and brother were still alive, I only talked with them. I never had time to play with the kids from my home village because Father and I were always training. The kids at the academy are always doing things in groups. If I approach someone I will have to address all of their friends too. My palms get all sweaty whenever I think about it. Once, a red-haired girl from my class approached me during lunch by herself. Her name is Izumi. She did not let me introduce myself before she asked, "Why does Iruka-sensei never call your family name when he's taking attendance? Do you have a family name? Do you even have a family?" Izumi kind of reminds me of Shikamaru's mother because they both like to ask a lot of questions. But Izumi's questions made me want to disappear, and Shikamaru's mother's questions did not.
I forced myself to look her in the eye. She is as tall as I am, so for once I do not have to put my head back to make eye contact. "I do not know. At my old home, there were not enough people to need family names. And here no one will tell me if I have a family name on not", I said ignoring her first and third questions. It is none of her business. She pretty much asked the same thing in three different ways, and I do not want to talk about my family. They are not here, so why should I?
Izumi had blankly stared at me before calling me weird and then going back to her friends. If I ever make a friend at this school I do not think that it will be Izumi. It would be easier to make friends if my father was here with me. I could do anything if he was here.
The apartment that was given to me is another thing. For one person, it is a good size. I think. It has one bedroom, one bathroom, and a kitchen and living room that can be described as one room. It even came with furniture and bedsheets. But it is lonely here too. At my old house, when I came home someone was always there. Mother was usually in the kitchen making something that made our whole house smell of spices, and my brother was most likely to be found reading. My brother loved to read. When I was too little to read he used to read fairytales to me. I wish that it could be like that here. But my new apartment is just empty. It is worse here than it is at the academy. My apartment is on the second floor of its building. There is one other apartment on this floor, but I do not think anyone lives there because I have never seen a person go in or come out of it. But there is not a 'for rent' sign posted anywhere on this building. It probably would not change anything if someone were living in that apartment. It would probably be just like it is at the academy. No one wants to talk to a girl that does not know her surname name. According to Izumi, not knowing one's family's name is weird.
I have to do a lot of things by myself in Konoha. I had to buy my clothes by myself. But it was hard since I did not know what my size was. My mother always bought my clothes. I ended up buying a couple of green t-shirts, and black shorts so that I could be done as soon as possible. But at least I do not have to walk around in Shikamaru's old clothes anymore. I also do not have to worry about money. Apparently, since I do not have any parents Tsunade will give me a monthly allowance until I start work as a genin. The hardest thing is buying my own groceries and cooking. I never know what to get or how much to get, and I do not know how to cook. It is probably a miracle that I have not burned down the apartment yet. Before moving here, the only cooking I ever did was over a campfire.
Iruka-sensei is droning on and on about something. I do not know what because I stopped listening a few minutes after class started. Instead, I wonder about what I am going to attempt to make for dinner. Father never went on and on like this. He always said what he wanted to say once, before moving on. But Iruka-sensei seems to repeat everything he says at least twice. I put my head down on my desk and give up trying to act like I am actually paying attention. Iruka-sensei probably knows that I am not anyway. I have not listened to him all week. At first, I thought I would be in trouble for not paying attention. When Father was alive, if I did not focus one-hundred percent when we were training he would make me do fifty push-ups. But just like every person that seems to know what happened to me before I came here, Iruka-sensei acts like he is walking on eggshells around me. Is it because my family is dead? Or is it because of my mysterious clan name that no one will tell me about? Whatever it is I wish that he would stop. I want to be like everyone else. I do not want people to think that I am weird.
Iruka-sensei claps his hands, abruptly gaining my attention. "Okay everyone, we're going to run ten laps around the schoolyard. Let's go", He said before opening the classroom door. Everyone erupts in talk about how cool it is that we are going outside as they all head for the door. I stand up slowly and rub my eyes. At least I will get to do something for a change. I am the last one out of the door, and Iruka-sensei gives me the same smile that he gave me after Shikamaru enrolled me here. I am starting to not like that smile. He does not give it to any of the other kids. But they all have family names and at least one parent. "How are you liking Konoha, Manami?" Iruka-sensei asked. "Have you made any friends yet?"
I shrug. "No, not yet", I said as we follow the rest of the class down the hallway. I can feel his eyes on me, but I chose not to look at him. I do not want to see that smile anymore.
"How about Shikamaru? You two seemed to get along okay", He said as we reached the schoolyard.
I scrunch my nose up. How could I be friends with Shikamaru? He is a chunin, and I am stuck in this academy. And he is old. I shake my head no. I have seen Shikamaru around the village a couple of times. He is always with some blonde woman who wears her hair in four ponytails and has a giant fan strapped to her back. He will raise a hand in acknowledgment when he sees me, but that is it. I have seen Chouji, Ino, and Asuma a few times as well. Asuma generally ignores me, but Ino will ask me how I am, and Chouji will give me a piece of candy if he has any on him. All four of them work a lot; being shinobi and all. So it makes sense that I do not see them a lot. I wish that I could see them more. They are the only people that I know in this whole village. Besides Iruka-sensei.
"Well don't give up", Iruka-sensei encourages. "You'll meet someone eventually".
I nod in response and he gestures for me to join the rest of the class. Seeing as they have already started to run laps. After sprinting a few strides I easily catch up with the others but chose to stay at the back. It feels nice to fall into a mindless rhythm that running can give you. Maybe I should do some more running after the academy lets out for the day. Since I have been here all I have really done is go to class and then go back to the apartment. Maybe it is time to start training again. What will training be like without Father?
From up ahead, I see Izumi with her friends as the class finishes one lap. She is turning her head around but stops when she spots me. I watch as she says something to her group before she starts to slow down. This cannot be good. She does not stop slowing down until we are running shoulder to shoulder. "Is this as fast as you can go?" She asked, not sounding out of breath at all. She must run a lot. I do not answer her. Maybe if I do not say anything she will go away.
"My mom works for the Hokage, and last night she told me a very interesting story about what she had to do a couple of weeks ago". When say nothing Izumi continues. "She said that the Hokage asked her to set up an apartment for an orphan named Manami". I start to run faster. So does Izumi. The rest of our classmates are just starting the third lap. Iruka-sensei is waving them on. "That's why you don't have a family name. You don't have a family", Izumi says smugly. Her last sentence rings in my ears. I do not have a family. They all died. Nobody has said that to me before. I do not have a family. "And that's why you're so weird and don't talk to anyone, or do anything in class", Izumi states like she knows everything. My hands roll into fists. She knows nothing. "You probably wouldn't be weird if you had a mom and dad. Because every normal person has parents".
I am moving before I can think. I stop running and spin my body to face Izumi. My right arm swings out and my fist makes contact with her face before she runs out of reach. Izumi howls as she falls to the ground. Blood is flowing from her nose, and she quickly covers it with her hands. "I am not Weird!" I scream at her as I hear a pair of feet running towards us. Izumi is crying and staring up at me with big eyes. I can feel my body shaking. I am not weird.
"Manami! What did you do?" Iruka-sensei yelled as soon as he reaches us. He crouches down next to Izumi and tries to remove her hands so that he could see her nose.
I do not answer. Stiffly, I look around. The rest of the class has stopped running. They are watching the three of us; whispering to each other.
"She hit me", Izumi wails. She deserved it. Did she not?
"Manami", Iruka-sensei said. I look down at him. His face is red, and his eyes have narrowed. "Go wait for me outside of the staff room. Go!" He added when I do not move right away.
As I am walking to the staff room I raise the hand that I punched Izumi with. I have never hit anything that hard before. My knuckles ache slightly and they are stained by Izumi's blood. I let it drop down to my side. She was asking for it. Was she not?
I ended up standing by the staff room for what felt like hours before Iruka-sensei came. The school day had already ended. One look from him makes me look down at my feet. He does not look as livid as he did before, but there is a frown etched onto his face. "Follow Me", He said, his voice is a lot deeper than normal.
He takes me to the classroom, and closes the door behind us, before gesturing for me to take a sit in one of the desks in the first row. I oblige, What is going to happen? Iruka-sensei Leans his back against his teacher's desk and looks at me. I gulp. "Why did you hit Izumi, Manami?"
I look away from him. "She said that I am weird".
"That's no reason to hit her. You're lucky that you didn't break her nose", Iruka-sensei scolded.
I face him again and shake my head. He does not get it. "She says I am weird because I do not have any parents or a family name. I am not weird. Izumi is stupid". I said, trying to keep my voice even. I fail.
Iruka-sensei takes a while before he sighs, and said, "What Izumi said wasn't right, but you're not off the hook. It is not okay to hit others". He lectured; looking at me right in the eyes.
"That is a funny thing to say in a ninja academy".
Iruka-sensei gives me a pointed look. "Are you even sorry that you hit her?"
I shake my head no, and his face instantly turns red. But I stop him before he can scold me again. "I am not sorry that I hit her, but I am sorry that her nose got bloody. I did not mean to hit her that hard. I just wanted her to stop talking to me".
His face softens a little before he goes over to his desk, opens a draw, and pulls out a squirt bottle filled with water and a rag. "You'll stay here until you have wiped down every desk and chair in this room", he said as he came back over to give me the supplies.
I bow my head. "Yes, sensei".
It is dark by the time I get back to the apartment. I do not do anything for diner. I just drop down on the bed. It squeaks as it is forced to take my weight. If Mother was here, she would probably be mad that I got into a fight. But would my father be mad too? After all, he was the one who taught me how to throw punches. A signal tear falls from my left eye, and I rub it away. I guess I will never know. More tears come, and I leave them alone.