"I feel like a weight's been lifted from my shoulders now that Hina-chan is talking again!" Shisui hasn't stopped grinning since he first noticed Hinata was laughing. I don't think any of us have stopped smiling—Hinata was talking again and we were just so very, very happy…and relieved.
Relievedrelievedrelieved.
I haven't stopped hugging Hinata. I just…need a moment…
"Hey, hey, Itachi—are you ready?" Shisui suddenly asked Itachi.
"Are you?" Itachi directed his eyes on Shisui. "You weren't exactly subtle last night when you were packing your belongings in a hurry."
"Ooh, what were you doing up so late?" Shisui grinned at Itachi. "Huh? Huh?"
Itachi sighed. "I was trying to sleep."
"Nii-san!" Sasuke called out, curiosity having got the best of him. "What's going on?"
"Well…" Shisui began, his grin only growing even wider.
Do I even want to know?
…
We found out that Itachi and Shisui were leaving Konohagakure tomorrow morning to participate in the Chuunin exams being held in Amegakure. How long they were going to be gone, Shisui didn't know, but I might have had a rough estimate… If my shitty memory recalls correctly, Itachi was supposed to have made Chuunin at age ten (he's turning eleven next month). Assuming that a deviation hasn't occurred, Itachi should still be able to make Chuunin shortly before his eleventh birthday, so he and Shisui should be back in a month…hopefully.
This is also assuming that the exams in Ame go through a different procedure than Konoha's Chuunin Exams, but I really wouldn't know since I'm just speculating.
By the way, it turns out that Shisui and Itachi are on the same team. Who would've thought? I certainly wouldn't have, because I don't know shit. There are a lot of things I didn't know until now—like the fact that Itachi used to be part of different Genin team. How that happened—Itachi would rather not say.
"He doesn't like to talk about Team 2—it's best not to pry." Shisui left it at that as he followed after Itachi, who had left the room.
Some moments had passed before Sasuke suddenly said, "Nii-san awakened his Sharingan when he was eight…"
"Did he?" What the hell happened?
Sasuke frowned. "I don't know the details—but I do know that that was the day Team 2 was disbanded."
Oh…
"H-Hey—let's play ninja!" Naruto was quick to exclaim—most likely in an attempt to change the subject.
"You know what—why not?" I'm up for it.
"You're gonna have to let go of Hinata, though," Kiba brought up.
I stared at Kiba for a few moments, my arms still wrapped around Hinata in an embrace. I thought about it for a moment, before gently tightening my embrace.
"No," I simply said before sticking out my tongue.
Kiba sputtered, completely caught off-guard by my response. Hinata started to laugh (thatcutelaughthatcutelaugh), which caused everyone else to do the same.
Best. Birthday. Ever!
…
…
Come the next day, it turned out that Shisui and Itachi weren't the only people we knew who were going to Ame to participate in the Chuunin exams. Iruka-sensei, as we found out that day, was actually an assistant instructor. Should he be promoted to Chuunin during the exams in Ame, then Iruka-sensei would officially become an instructor.
I…have no idea how that works, but it does explain why Mizuki was never too far from Iruka-sensei. Speaking of whom, Mizuki was to be teaching us in Iruka-sensei's absence. Mizuki…well, there is a good reason why I usually omit the "-sensei" from his name and that is because Mizuki is a prick.
Mizuki keeps trying to isolate Naruto from us. It was subtle, but the intent was definitely there (and I certainly didn't appreciate it)… Mizuki just did not approve of our friendship with Naruto—nor did he even like Naruto (in other news, people die when they are killed). It probably didn't help that Naruto's pranking went off the charts during Iruka-sensei's absence. I'm guessing that Naruto doesn't want Mizuki to replace Iruka-sensei.
Not like he doesn't deserve it, anyways, for being such a prick…
Other than that, classes went on as usual…with the exception of Shikamaru, Chōji, Kiba, and Naruto skipping class. Because Mizuki was being boring and dear god, he does not shut up! It's times like these that I wish I wasn't so uptight about learning, because I would have followed Shikamaru, Chōji, Kiba, and Naruto, instead of staying in class with Hinata, Sasuke, and Shino. But I didn't.
Stupid fear of failure…
During this month, we were learning about weapons…as in, the how to handle them and the like—boring shit, basically (that Mizuki's boring ass made even worse). We weren't allowed to start training with weapons until we got this shit memorized (no one needs an inexperienced student handling weapons, after all). Speaking of weapons, when it came to weapon concealment in kunoichi classes, we actually used fake replicas of weapons. Next year is when we start using actual weapons.
Joy…
Everyone passed the weapon concealment test, with the students who had been stuck taking remedial lessons having also passed their retest. They were now behind us, as we moved onto cosmetics.
Make-up is just so interesting to me, despite the fact that I rarely ever used any in my past life. The different shades, colors, and effects it had on the face—everything about it was just so interesting. And then there are certain shades of lipsticks—I don't care if I don't wear it. If it looks pretty, I want it.
Just like certain shades of nail polish…
I was actually enjoying myself for once. Although, I could have enjoyed myself even more if it wasn't for one thing…my make-up game is hella weak. Like so weak, I don't even have any game. Anyone who can apply make-up immediately earns my respect because I can't do shit.
The most I can do now, after so much practice, is hide the markings on my cheeks. And that alone is something I consider a huge accomplishment. Everything after that is a hit or miss, because wearing glasses makes it harder to apply make-up when you actually need them on your face to see.
Curse you, hyperopia!
Suzume-sensei can sympathize, because she, too, also wears glasses. And while she means well, it was the last thing I needed because my classmates are picking on me again. I've been accused of making it as far as I have because of favoritism. As far as favoritism goes, when it comes to Suzume-sensei—pfft, okay, no. Sorry, but Mochizuki Suzume is the last person to ever have favorites, as she treats all of her students equally.
With the exception of Fuki and maybe a few other students, but that's only because Suzume-sensei accommodates her lessons so that everyone can follow along without any difficulties setting them back.
That's equal opportunity for you!
Though, thinking of it now, all that attention from Suzume-sensei doesn't just happen without a reason. She always seems to notice whenever I lose track of the lecture, because my listening skills aren't the best (neither is my memory). She is aware that I don't ask questions (because I have this irrational fear of being seen as stupid for asking a question that may very well have an obvious answer to everyone else, but me). It's why she just strikes up a conversation with me whenever she drops by to check up on me.
To anyone else, it would come off as rude to just give unwanted advice—except that advice is anything but unwanted to me. I need that advice. Because I otherwise wouldn't ask for it and Hinata could only help me for so long (she has her limits, too). Suzume-sensei knows exactly what she is doing as an instructor and I applaud her for that.
And it's because of that, that favoritism is the last thing I would ever expect from her. Suzume-sensei is not like that, and everyone else damn well knows it—but the accusations still pop up every now and then. Favoritism accusations aside, I still had fun with make-up, despite my crappy skills and nonexistent make-up game.
I managed to pass the make-up exam with a decent grade. I am quite content with this, though I feel I can do better (and I will try to do better).
…
A week after Itachi's birthday, Iruka-sensei, Shisui, and the aforementioned ten-year-old returned to Konohagakure in one piece—all three of them no longer Genin, but Chuunin. And as a Chuunin, that meant Iruka-sensei was officially an Academy instructor and through that extension, that also meant Mizuki's presence was no longer needed at all, whatsoever. You better believe that there was much rejoicing when the prick left from this circle of friends.
See ya never, Mizuki!
To start off his return, Iruka-sensei introduced us to real kunai and shuriken. He got us acquainted with them in a way books and lectures couldn't do. We're still not starting target practice until fall, however. So, for the most part, we're just learning how to physically handle kunai and shuriken (handle with care, because ouch!).
Of course, Shisui decided that waiting was for squares and thought we would benefit a whole lot from learning early. So visits to the Uchiha compound turned into target practice at the dojo.
"Now when you throw a shuriken or a kunai, you want to aim for the vital parts," Shisui explained in a rather casual manner that would have been disturbing, if I hadn't already become somewhat desensitized to the world I now live in (some things still catch me by surprise…). "Observe!"
It only took a split second after Shisui had thrown the shuriken for the weapon to embed itself perfectly into the bull's-eye of a face-less wooden target that was a distance away.
Holy shit!
"Now I want you guys to try—Itachi, I can see you trying to leave." Shisui placed his hands on his hips, his expression blank as he looked at Itachi, who stared back with an expression that was just as blank. "You still have a long ways to go before you can leave without me noticing…nice try, though. Now go be the best Nii-san ever and help out Sasuke with his position."
"Hn…" Itachi wasn't exactly happy he had gotten caught by Shisui, but he still did as he was told (much to Sasuke's utter delight).
As much of a dork as Shisui is, he is quite the educator—an extremely good one, at that (if he wasn't a shinobi, he would have certainly done well as a teacher). It's certainly never a boring time whenever Shisui is teaching (unlike freaking Mizuki). And I owe it all to this guy for telling me how to utilize the advantages my hyperopia possessed. How exactly is my hyperopia useful, you ask? Well, despite the fact that I can't see for shit up close (I can still make out figures and colors), I can still make use of what I can see clearly from a far distance.
So to make a long story short, I had better aim than Sasuke. For someone Sasuke's age, he was doing far better than anyone else did and gave Neji a run for his money. You can certainly bet that Sasuke was quite proud of himself, because when it came to having better aim, right after Sasuke was Shisui and Itachi, with Itachi receiving quite a notable mention because he's a freaking expert (hot damn). Well…that had been the case.
Then Shisui removed my glasses and had me throw a few kunai at a random, faraway target. And when the kunai embedded themselves as close as possible to the target without exactly hitting the bull's-eye, it became clear how drastically my aim had improved. Because I can tell you right now, before Shisui had taken off my glasses, only one of those kunai had even gotten close to the target.
"Wow…" Shisui's eyes were wide in awe, a small grin tugging at the corner his lips. "Hey, Chō-chan…have you ever considered shurikenjutsu?"
I stared at Shisui for a few seconds, as best as I could with my piss-poor vision. I blinked a couple of times before bluntly asking, "What the hell is shurikenjutsu?"
"What are they teaching you at the Academy?" Shisui seemed absolutely appalled. "Okay, gather around, children—Shisui-sensei's got something to say!"
About an explanation later, we got a crash course in shurikenjutsu. Shurikenjutsu refers to techniques that entail the throwing of shuriken, kunai, senbon, or any other number of bladed, hand-held weapons. Itachi is an expert in shurikenjutsu, which certainly explains the notable mention he has received for his aim…but I digress. And I've been digressing, but it's thanks to Shisui that I started considering shurikenjutsu.
I mean, if you think about it, with my hyperopia, I could basically make myself into a kunoichi-version of Meirin from Kuroshitsuji. And I don't know about you, but that sounds absolutely bitchin' to me!
Hell yeah!
Meanwhile in kunoichi classes, we have moved onto hairstyling and it's honestly not that difficult? Ehh, in any case, the students who were a lesson behind us now had to deal with both make-up and hairstyling throughout the entire month in order to catch up with the rest of the class. It honestly doesn't seem that fair, at first glance—but make-up isn't that difficult to practice with and the same can be said about hairstyling. This is honestly the perfect opportunity for them to catch up.
Anyways, hairstyling—yeah, on one hand, it isn't that difficult of a task. But on the other hand, the most I can do with my own hair is tie it up in a ponytail. I've only recently figured out how to braid my own hair, and that's because it's gotten even longer than it was previously (long hair makes everything easier for me, despite the fact that maintenance is a pain in the ass). At this point in time, my hair goes down to my hips whenever it's out of its braid.
I'm still learning, though—so I'm sure I'll pick up on a few other hairstyles, if I pay enough attention… Okay, yeah, no, I might be a lost cause.
Might have to actually ask Suzume-sensei for help…
And the never-ending cycle of bullying continues, with all attention shifting away from me to poor Kasumi. Kasumi's naturally curly auburn hair has earned her quite some ridicule, for reasons I still couldn't figure out (her hair is adorable with the way it curls up and just—it's not fair, dammit). As with Fuki, Ami reacted the same way towards others picking on her friend.
Although, Ami might have gone a step further when she yanked out a clump of hair from a girl's scalp, as punishment for pulling on Kasumi's hair. This all happened within the first week the bullying had begun and it wasn't that much of a surprise that it ceased immediately after.
Holy crap…
Anyways, with everyone learning how to do their own hair (me included), I've noticed an increase in the number of girls who approach our circle of friends to talk to Sasuke. Each time they did it, their hair was always done up in a different hairstyle. Of course, Sasuke still had no tact and made a group of girls cry when he said their hair looked weird and ugly…because the girls were still learning.
Damn, Sasuke…
"Itachi-san isn't going to be happy when he finds out you've made those girls cry," Shikamaru remarked as he watched the group of girls run off, crying their eyes out.
"Maybe if their hair was just as pretty as Chōko's, then I wouldn't have made them cry!" Sasuke huffed as he tried to steal a tomato from me. "I was just telling the truth."
"That makes no sense—you think I have pretty hair?" Priorities, Chōko, priorities—oh, who am I kidding. I think it's nice someone complimented me on my hair.
Yeah!
"Hinata has pretty hair, too…but yours is longer." Sasuke took a bite out of the tomato he had just stolen from me…the punk! After chewing a few times, he swallowed and then added, "Long hair looks nice."
Yes, yes, it does look nice—wait what?
Oh, you gotta be fucking kidding me!
Don't you dare tell me that this is how the rumor of Sasuke liking long hair gets out! No, I refuse to be the reason girls start growing out their hair because Sasuke likes long hair!
Fuck that shit—Sakura and Ino do not need this drama ruining their friendship!
Unfortunately, life seems to hate me as, a few days later, I started getting picked on for having such long hair (I currently have everyone beat for longest hair in Suzume-sensei's class). I was not happy…especially since these girls were mad that I was friends with Sasuke, even though Hinata was his friend as well, but she was overlooked for reasons that involved her short hair and no one really wanted to mess with a Hyuuga.
Seriously, is the concept of a boy and a girl being friends too difficult to comprehend?
It's not rocket science (which probably doesn't exist in this world). It's as simple as can be, just like asexuality (the lack of sexual attraction) and aromanticism (lack of romantic attraction)…
Then again…
Well, at least I'm more prepared to explain myself when it comes to my asexuality, now…
Moving on!
So yeah, long hair, getting picked on—throughout all of that, everyone seemed to have forgotten my door-breaking strength. It was only until someone tried breaking my glasses that said strength was brought into attention the hard way (I admit—I might have overreacted, but I just got so mad). Let's just say that a couple of my classmates (all girls, in this case) were taken to the Academy's infirmary after that.
Again, if I had done this in my past life, I would've gotten into some deep shit…but this is the world of Naruto and stuff like this is the norm… Well, the norm everywhere, except in civilian families.
I kinda figured…
The girls I sent to the infirmary all came from civilian families (that makes a lot of sense, now that I think about it) and their parents were pissed off that I had hurt their "precious angels".
Precious my ass!
Thankfully, Suzume-sensei came to my defense and put them in their place when she brought up that what I had done was in self-defense. And really, it was the girls' fault for messing with someone from the Akimichi clan (you just don't do that when you're supposed to learn how to pick your fights). Upon realizing that I was an Akimichi, the parents dropped the subject and left.
I felt oddly smug, for getting away with something because of my clan's name…
It's a little unsettling, the more I think about it, but I do appreciate the fact that Suzume-sensei was on my side. I'm still not happy that I was the reason that girls found out about Sasuke liking long hair.
What the fuck, Sasuke?! Why you gotta throw me under a bus?
Ooohhhh, please don't tell me Sakura and Ino are going to fight over Sasuke and end up damaging their friendship because of it…Please, those two girls were getting along so well—I mean, really!
They've been inseparable from the very start…
And yet, despite all of my concerns, I might have jumped far too quickly to conclusions. I managed to overhear a conversation between the two girls by accident. Sakura was helping Ino out with her long, blonde hair, when the Yamanaka mentioned that she was growing out her hair now, because of what she heard about Sasuke.
"I'm sure you're going to look so pretty!" Sakura smiled warmly as a light blush tinged her cheeks.
"What about you?" Ino wore a smile on her face as she asked her question. "I know you don't like Sasuke-kun, but I think you'd look just as pretty with long hair! It's such a pretty color, after all!"
Sakura just laughed. "That's very nice, but…I'm going to keep it short."
Ino frowned as she looked up at Sakura, who was in the middle of braiding her hair. "Why?"
"Because I like the way my short hair looks with the ribbon you gave me!" Sakura's smile was so genuine, as was her response.
Ino's face turned a brilliant shade of red as she sputtered for a few moments. She inhaled deeply, and then exhaled, before meekly responding with a quiet, "Thanks…"
I almost wanted to cry, because of how touching their friendship was to me. And also, because there was absolutely no sign for any disputes that could tear these two apart. Sakura had no interest in growing out her hair and Ino had already mentioned that Sakura didn't like Sasuke, meaning that the crush her canon counterpart had was nonexistent, here. Was this this the result of her being in a different class?
Is it because of me?
I'm concerned…but at the same time, relieved—because Sakura cares more about her friendship with Ino than some boy she doesn't even know. And I know she doesn't know Sasuke the way she did in canon, had she been in the same class as him. Maybe that's probably why the crush never developed…
…
Everyone did well on the hairstyling exam, with Kasumi getting honorable mention for being able to use her curly hair as a charm point for her hairstyle. Ami was absolutely smug as she looked down at those who had once picked on Kasumi. Fuki even managed to verbally congratulate Kasumi, despite the fact that Fuki would rather not speak at all.
I was just happy I could put up my hair in something other than a braid or a ponytail…or pigtails, braided or unbraided. The students who had been a lesson behind us had now officially caught up with the rest of the class. They were able to join us for the next lesson regarding tea ceremonies. I'm not going to enjoy this, because tea ceremonies mean wearing a kimono and because of how formal tea ceremonies are, that meant the seiza position was essential.
Fuck…my…life…
Visits to the Uchiha compound continued as Mikoto helped Hinata and I learn about tea ceremonies—both what it consisted of and how it was performed. Once she had started helping us practice, Itachi and Neji were dragged into it as our practice guests. The others hung out with Shisui, who continued being the best target practice teacher he could ever be.
That dorky bastard!
Shisui was supposed to have been helping, alongside Itachi, but he nominated Neji to take his place and Mikoto just went along with it. Let me just say…fuck you, Shisui. You have no idea how unnerving it was to have Neji as a practice guest.
Why am I so unnerved? While Neji isn't exactly that bad of a practice guest, he had a bad habit of watching my every movement. It just gave me a lot of uncomfortable pressure, even though I'm sure he doesn't mean it.
With Itachi, it's an entirely different story, although he does the exact same thing as Neji…
It's probably the eyes—yeah, it's the eyes.
That aside, everything was going well…then it happened.
Can't go through a consecutive amount of time without any bad happening, I fucking swear!
During a kunoichi class, Ami tripped as she was passing by Sakura's table and ended up knocking over the kettle full of hot water onto Sakura. It was a rather traumatizing day, considering how badly the water scalded Sakura's skin. It was not a pretty sight and her screams were just as bad.
They're gonna haunt my nightmares…
It was so distressing, seeing Sakura, of all people, getting hurt—and at such a young age! Although, out of everyone in Suzume-sensei's class, there was no one who was more distressed than Ami. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she hesitantly tried to reach out to Sakura. Her hands were shaking so badly while her body trembled. Her brown eyes were wide and filled with fear.
Ami was a blubbering mess by the time Suzume-sensei had dismissed class, in order to take Sakura to the hospital (it happened all too quickly). Seeing the usual headstrong girl who didn't take shit from anyone in such a state was just so…disconcerting. It's easy to forget that she's still a child sometimes…
We all are…
Just to clarify, it was all an accident—but the point still stands that Ami is the reason (albeit, accidentally) Sakura had to go to the hospital. And because of that accident, with many of our classmates holding grudges against Ami…it wasn't a surprise that they decided to start spreading rumors. Rumor has it that Ami had tripped on purpose because she had intended to hurt Sakura, never mind the fact that Ami was really just unfortunate enough to trip on her own kimono and cause such an accident.
Children can be so petty and cruel…
Sakura was fine, by the way. She came back from the hospital a couple of days later, looking quite fine, even though the water had scalded her skin rather badly at the time of the accident. She went on and on, nonstop, about how the medic-nin at the hospital. She had such a wide grin on her face, her eyes lit up with joy as she talked about how nice they were to her and what they did to help her.
"They're the reason I don't have any scars!" Sakura laughed as she showed off her unblemished skin.
It's amazing what medical ninjutsu can do in this world…
Meanwhile with Ami, after getting bullied by others for a change, she started growing rather irritated and short-tempered. After about a week, Ami decided to vent out her frustration at me during lunch break. Why me, out of everyone else, I have no clue—I mostly ignored her.
Then she made me drop the onigiri I had in my hands and I just snapped.
"What the hell is wrong with you?!" I yelled at Ami, my hands tightened into fists. "Why do you feel the need to take it out on me?!"
I didn't do shit to you!
"Wh-Wha?" Ami hadn't been expecting me to react that way, based on the expression she had on her face. She almost seemed scared—no, she was scared!
Why are you scared?
Ami was covering her face, as if she was waiting for me to hit her—even though I wasn't.
"I'm not going to hit you…" And not even seconds after I had said that, I noticed the dark bruise on Ami's left cheek. Without even thinking, I found myself asking, "Where did you get that?"
That's all it took—that's all it really took for Ami to start crying. Kasumi and Fuki were quick at trying their best to console their distressed friend. I stared at the scene before me, my heart beginning to pound within my chest. I was a little anxious, so I looked back at my friends, who all were just so confused.
What do I do?
I turned back to Ami and her friends, swallowing hard as I tried to figure out what to say. I ended up saying the first word that popped into my head. "Food?"
…
…
I found out that day, while Ami was on the verge of an anxiety attack, that this little girl (littlegirllittlegirllittlegirl) comes from a dysfunctional civilian family. A family that she goes to at the end of each day, knowing that part of the reason her parents keep arguing is because she exists.
"Because I'm an accident," the violet-haired girl explained with such a forced smile as tears streamed down her cheeks. "And accidents aren't wanted…"
She's only six years old, repeating a phrase she's heard so often. She shouldn't have to put up with this—no one should.
But that's her life.
That's the life Ami returns to at the end of each day. It's a life she hopes to escape by becoming a Genin. That's why she's here at the Academy—because it's her safe zone.
It was her safe zone…
Ami wasn't the only with issues, however. Fuki had her own share as well, regarding her hearing disability and her own parents. Fuki isn't exactly the first Academy student of her specific situation with her disability (nor is she the last), but to civilians…she'd be treated with some skepticism. And while Fuki isn't from a civilian family, both of her parents are and the upbringing that comes from such a background tends to show itself at what the worst of times. In Fuki's case, she is constantly pressured by her own parents to become a medic-nin, like them, so she can work with them at the hospital.
"It's…safe…" Fuki says as if she's repeating a phrase she has heard quite often. "You don't…have to worry. You can…read if you can't…listen."
But Fuki doesn't want that—she wants to choose. She wants to choose like her parents did when they decided to take up medical ninjutsu. And Fuki doesn't want their life—she wants her own life, even if her parents feel she can't accomplish it too well because of her disability.
And Kasumi…Kasumi doesn't have a family—she's an orphan. Just one of the many attending the Academy—it's not that uncommon of a sight. But it is somewhat uncommon to come across an orphan with a surname. Nanashi Kasumi just happens to stand out enough at the orphanage for the other orphans to pick on her.
With her curly hair and peculiar surname, Kasumi is known as "No-Name Kasumi" amongst the other orphans. To any orphan attending the Academy, becoming a Genin is their one-way ticket to crafting an identity they can call their own, after being known as just an orphan for so long.
"I want to exist…" Kasumi simply proclaims as she continues to comfort Ami, who is now hiccupping.
Ami, Fuki, and Kasumi…they might have been minor characters in the Naruto series, but here—they're actual people. They are children with problems (problems they shouldn't have—but do)…and I'm just someone who was probably never meant to exist.
But I'm here…
I exist.
It's rather sobering, just looking at these three children with such specific goals. They're barely six-years-old, and they're already thinking of the future.
But you're not.
I don't want to.
But you should.
My head hurts…
"P-Please…don't tell…" Fuki almost begs as she looks at us with such pleading eyes.
It hurts…
"No one else knows…" Kasumi frowns.
It hurts it hurts.
"They're not supposed to know…" Ami sniffs as she continues to wipe away her tears. "Not now—not when I'm still living with them…"
Hurtshurtshurtshurtsithurts.
"We won't tell…" I managed to say, my eyes somewhat moist with tears. "Ahh…we won't tell…please stop crying."
…
…
Ami, Fuki, and Kasumi didn't join our circle of friends after that incident. At best, Ami, Fuki, and Kasumi were acquaintances. But we still kept our word and didn't tell anyone of what we now knew. Initially, the three girls were all anxious that we all knew, because of the slight chance we might tell someone. But as the days went by, they eased up. It really takes a lot off your shoulders when you talk to someone about your problems… That's how it was for these girls.
Kasumi and Fuki had Ami's back the entire time everyone else was picking on her. Of course, those days didn't last too long, once the rumors had come to Sakura's attention. Sakura was quite quick to debunk the rumors, being quite harsh to her classmates for even doing something so petty when it came to an incident that had sent her to the hospital.
"You just don't do that!" Sakura yelled as she clenched her tiny fists. "Shannaro!"
Ami was the last person that anyone would have ever expected Sakura to defend. Even Ami knew that herself, due to how surprised she looked when she watched the pink-haired girl yell at their classmates. It goes to show that Sakura wasn't holding any grudges.
Since that day, Ami took to stamping out any bullying attempts that caught her eye. She no longer just gave a damn whenever others targeted her friends—she was watching out for everyone, with the help of her friends.
…
It took some time, but the Academy life eventually slipped back into its usual routine. The tea ceremony was still a bitch to do (but not too difficult of a task to accomplish), I was everyone's hated opponent in sparring, Sakura was absolutely obsessed with medic-nin…
Wait, what?
So like, remember how Sakura talked non-stop about medic-nin on the day she returned, all healed up? Well, her enthusiasm about medic-nin had all but died down, days after her return. Soon, she could be seen reading books about medic-nin during lunchtime and even be heard bouncing off random trivia to Ino during kunoichi classes.
At this rate, Sakura might just end up becoming a medic-nin—it'd be a damn surprise if she didn't, after all of that. Ino was certainly rather supportive of her friend's new interest, as was Suzume-sensei.
I'm honestly amazed at how this all had happened. Again, despite the deviations that have occurred, they even out in some ways. I'm honestly scared that deviations can even regulate themselves in the first place, because it just makes me question… How far can a deviation go before it normalizes?
I don't know…
…
…
…
A/N 4-18-16 So like, more editing and a bigger expansion as well. I'm gonna say it right now, the thing with Ami, Fuki, and Kasumi is there for a reason. You get some world building as well, because equal opportunity is a thing, which, as of now, is actually canon. So yeah, if you think that whatever I'm doing with these three is pointless, as a reviewer had once said…you might want to think again…
Despite the changes that happen, in some way or form, they will even out. What makes it scarier is that things can deviate…but it'll normalize itself eventually in some way. What the point of normalization is exactly…it is a mystery. It can be from anything, from Naruto's hobby of water plants and pulling pranks, to Sakura's initiative to become a medic-nin.
As for Ami, Fuki, and Kasumi…they're very minor characters who have only showed up a few times in the Naruto series, but just because they're minor characters doesn't mean they're two-dimensional. Ami comes from a dysfunctional civilian family, Fuki's parents underestimate her because of her hearing disability, and Kasumi is an orphan who deals with issues back at the orphanage.
Sakura has not developed a crush on Sasuke because, due to being in a different class than him, Sakura doesn't know Sasuke the same way she would have, had she been in his class. The crush had no room for development, so Sakura stays friends with Ino.
Also, because I failed to do the math, I had to create an explanation as to why a fourteen going on fifteen-year-old GENIN Iruka would be teaching at the Academy, even though he is not a Chuunin…yet. So I talked it out with ChibiFoxAI and Iruka being an assistant instructor was what came out of it. Thing about instructors is they don't have to be Chuunin to be an instructor…they just have to be a Chuunin to be an official instructor. Take it or leave it, all I know is that I don't feel as stupid anymore for not knowing how to math…bluh.
Itachi still became a Chuunin at age ten…he just happened to be eleven years old when he returned to Konoha. And Iruka's birthday is May 26, so he became a Chuunin just shortly after he turned sixteen. I don't know why I picked Amegakure as the location where they took their Chuunin exams. I was just talking to ChibiFoxAI and I just randomly suggested the name and yeah… Thinking about it now, it could be my subconscious wishing for rain because we kinda need it here in California, what with this drought we have…
And if you guys weren't aware how slow I could be, I didn't make the Meirin from Kuroshitsuji correlation to Chōko until recently. The plan was for Chōko to go into shurikenjutsu and taijutsu (might as well use advantage of that speed and strength). Keep in mind that Chōko was not originally a glasses-wearing girl. And the thing with hyperopia is that it is rarer than uncommon myopia (nearsightedness), which is the most common reason for vision correction.
That aside, shout-out goes to Shadow demon Kitsune for being reviewer #30! Thank you guys so much for taking the time to review!
Oh man, I have one more week to go until I'm out of school for winter break and just…ugh, I am mentally drained…I haven't even started any of my final exams, so just…eeugh, college. Anyways, that's it for now. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Until next time, everyone! KD out! XD