Author's Note: I now have an account on Archive of Our Own under the same username, JJGrace42. Everything on this account is posted over there as well.

I've noticed a few people comment on how this seems to be a Hiruzen-bashing fic, and I'm sorry if it has come across that way. I'm actually a fan of Hiruzen in the anime/manga. The only person here to really dislike the Hokage is Mirai, and the reasoning for that becomes more clear as the story goes on, as well as Hiruzen's reasoning for treating her the way he does. They reach a kind of understanding in this chapter.

And whoops, apparently this is all I could fit in this chapter. Sorry. I'm trying to keep chapters from getting too big so I've been trying to keep this around 10k words max. This chapter right now is at 11k. I've gotten a few comments on how slow everything is moving. I'm aware that some people don't like the pace, but I'll be leaving it just about where it is now. Developing Mirai's skill set, among other things, is important and something I don't want to leave out. Besides, there's a lot of important interactions currently happening (Mirai with her older friends/makeshift family, such as Kakashi and Genma and Shisui, and Naruto's friendship with Sasuke) as well as interactions that will happen very soon (mostly referring to the twins and the rest of the Rookies). This story is slow paced. That's just how it's going to be.

In Response to a Guest Reviewer: I have actual reasoning behind Kakashi calling Mirai Pup and it ties in with my own personal lore for the Hatake Clan. Unfortunately, that's something I can't really get into with this fic since it's so far removed from the plot of this story. But there is another fic that will hopefully (eventually) be published that explores it.

DISCLAIMER: Um, seriously? We're still doing this? Naruto. Is. Not. Mine.

I give you the eighth installment of Samsaric.

Chapter Seven - Cynosure

[Cynosure - noun 1: something that strongly attracts attention by its brilliance, interest, etc. 2: something serving for guidance or direction]

"You need to focus. Stop letting your weak mind wander off."

"I'm trying," I muttered, gritting my teeth and squeezing my eyes shut.

"Try harder."

"What do you think I'm doing?" I snapped, digging my fingers into my thighs.

"Failing. Losing. Fucking over your future self by not doing anything right because you're a maggot-infested bag of meat with no skill, no talent, no intelligence, and not a single valuable bone in your body." Hot, burning air hissed across my dry skin and the floor trembled under me like a heavy, silent earthquake.

A chill—misplaced—crawled through sinew and tendons and slithered around my spine. I opened my eyes slowly and took a deep breath, meeting the angry orange of my literal inner demon. "Well good morning, grumpy. I haven't heard a threat like that from you in a while. What's the special occasion?" I rose from my seiza, smoothing out the knots in my muscles with my knuckles. "Because I'm getting pissed by this attitude of yours. We're supposed to be working together. Doesn't seem like you're that invested, now, does it?" I took a step forward, ignoring the warning huff that told me to stay away.

"I'm starting to doubt your ability. You're weak."

"I'm human."

"You're incapable."

"I'm stubborn." Another few steps and I reached out, touching my fingers against the iron bars. "I'm not going to take no for an answer. I'll get this. Really, I will. But guess what, working together takes a little thing called trust. Maybe you'll learn what that is at one point."

"Don't test me, scumbag."

"I'm not. I don't need to. You're not dumb, and you're certainly not so prideful that you would let an opportunity like this slip through your fingers."

"Opportunity?" Kurama leapt forward, slamming against the bars. I felt my spine lock straight but I refused to budge. "Don't put yourself on a pedestal. You're not precious, you're not special. You're a means to an ends."

"Fine. But you have to make these means work," I snarled. "Stop letting your damn ego get in the way! I'm trying, but you're just sitting there with that smug face of yours not doing anything. Cooperate!"

He pulled back and then lowed himself onto his paws. "Fine. If you want cooperation, then I'll give you cooperation. Sit your ass down and pull on your chakra. I'll give you some of mine and whatever happens, suck it up and deal with it instead of whining like a prissy bitch. No passing out, no hospital visits. If you want to do this, then we're doing it my way. You're going to bleed, and you're going to learn to love it." His lips curled back and he snapped his teeth at me, canines glaring.

I shifted my feet below me, listening to the rasp of my sandals on the concrete floor. Then I released the bars, rubbing my fingers in a feeble attempt to forget the feel of cold iron. "Alright. I've been willing to bleed, Kyuubi. I've been willing to give what it takes. Maybe now you'll just give me what I need to get there. We have an agreement; honor it."

He curled his claws against the ground and the sound that echoed around me was reminiscent of nails on a chalkboard. "Well, you don't lie when you say you're stubborn. You're going to need to learn how to keep from screaming."

"Are you ready for the Academy tomorrow?" I dodged the toy shuriken thrown my way. "Got everything?"

"Yep!" Sasuke pouted as one of my own throws made it mark and retaliated by landing one on Naruto. "And you're ready, Mirai? You look tired."

I frowned and was about to answer when a voice interrupted me. "He's correct, Mirai-chan. You have started to look more and more exhausted lately."

I glanced up. "I just didn't sleep well last night, that's all, Itachi." I leaned a bit to the side to look behind him. "Is Shisui here?"

"No. Shisui's on a mission." He barely tilted his head in what anyone else might have said was nothing significant, but I was slowly becoming an expert in Uchiha body language—which was practically another tongue altogether. "Why?"

I glanced towards Sasuke and Naruto and nodded to them. They grinned and scrambled away, shouting at each other about who could climb a tree better. I sighed and moved forward, collecting the fallen toy weapons. "I was hoping we could start working on henge."

Itachi sighed with more obvious emotion that I'd seen from him before. "Mirai, please don't misunderstand me, but you are, in fact, aware that there are other Uchiha who are shinobi here, correct?" He took the toy shuriken from me with steady hands and tucked them away in his kunai pouch.

In the back of my head, Kurama mumbled something obscene about getting help from yet another Uchiha. I arched an eyebrow. "Are you saying you'll help me train, Tachi-chan?"

"As long as you resist calling me that," he replied calmly, though there was a hint of snark. "Besides, it's obvious that you have no intention of halting this practice of yours. I can no longer attempt to dissuade you from pushing yourself so hard at such an early age by simply ignoring the fact that it is happening. I can only do my best to make sure that you do it correctly and take care of yourself. And, since you're so determined to prepare yourself for the future, I see it only right that I should do the same." He knelt down in the grass in a seiza. "Besides, Shisui seems to have taken quite a shine to you. He doesn't do that with just anyone. There's obviously a reason why he thinks you're worth teaching and why your overzealous training is worth encouraging. I have elected to trust him."

I wasn't sure how long it took me to realize I was staring, but then I cleared my throat. "Uh, wow. Arigato, Tachi-chan."

"Itachi," he corrected bluntly.

A grin cracked my face. "Itachi. Right. Well? What are you wanting to teach me, then?"

"What are you hoping to learn?"

I sank into a seiza as well, staring at him and tilting my head to the side. "Touché," I murmured, gaze flicking to Naruto and Sasuke as they hung upside down in the trees. "Taijutsu, please."

"Taijutsu?"

"Hai. I have the exercises Kakashi taught me, and Shisui has been teaching me some stances with my bo staff, but it's not the same."

"Do you have a specific style in mind?"

"I've looked at several," I said, shrugging. "But I think I'll end up learning from them all to form my own style."

"Typically, that is what happens."

That made sense, of course. Otherwise, it would be far too easy to predict an opponent's moves. I hadn't really thought about it before. "Where do you think I should start?"

"I know a few basic taijutsu styles," he responded. "That is, as long as you're willing to learn." Itachi straightened. "Are you?"

"Of course." I let my grin split my face and felt some of my weariness lift itself from my eyes. "What should I do?"

"Show me your stance."

I fell into my stance, which was a meld of what Kakashi had taught me and what I had learned in martial arts Before. I separated my feet more to give myself a wider base and bent my knees, dropping some of my weight to make myself steadier. I brought up both hands, my left slightly forward and higher than my right, and dragged my right foot back a few inches.

He reached out and gave my shoulder a strong shove. I stumbled back a few steps. "Good. Put less weight on your heels. Keep your knees over your feet."

I made those adjustments and he shoved me again. "Loosen up. Stiff muscles translate my hit to the rest of your body."

As I shifted again, the boys rejoined us. "Rai, whatcha doing, dattebayo?"

"Itachi is helping me with my training." Then I frowned, still in my stance. "Are you done, already?"

"Yeah, I'm hungry." As if to punctuate his statement, Naruto's stomach grumbled loudly. "Can we have dinner?"

I glanced at Itachi and relaxed from my stance. "Alright. Do you want Ichiraku?"

He lit up. "Ramen! Bye, Teme!" he yelled, already running off.

I smiled apologetically at the Uchiha. "Arigato, Itachi. I'll see you at the entrance ceremony tomorrow, Sasuke-kun. Bye." I snatched up our things and dashed after Naruto's retreating chakra. "Nato, that's the wrong way." I held out my hand.

His small fingers gripped mine. "I knew that," he mumbled.

"Uh-huh."

"I'm excited for tomorrow," he chirped. "Who do you think our sensei will be?"

Iruka came to mind, but I wasn't sure. "I don't know. I don't know any Academy chunin sensei. Ohayo, Teuchi-san."

"Good evening, Mirai-chan, Naruto-kun." The man smiled down at us kindly. "What can I get for you?"

"I'll take three salt. Five miso for Naruto." I pushed my brother towards a stool and then climbed onto the one next to him.

"Coming right up. Ayame, how are the noodles looking?" He moved off.

"Nato? Are you ready for tomorrow?"

He offered up a bemused look. "I thought you got everything ready."

A laugh fought its way out of my throat. "Of course I did. I have bento boxes done, our equipment, and our bags packed. I don't think I forgot anything."

"I doubt you did. Sounds like you're prepared." Someone sat down to my right and I looked up.

"Genma!" I beamed. "Hi!"

"Ohayo, kiddos. I'll take a pork ramen, Teuchi." He glanced towards us. "The real questions is, are you mentally ready to start the Academy? You're not scared, are you?"

Naruto scrunched up his nose and puffed out his chest. "Of course not! A Hokage is never scared!"

Teuchi returned, setting a bowl in front of each of us. "The other bowls will be ready as soon as you finish."

"Itadakimasu," I murmured, breaking apart my chopsticks and digging in. Naruto slurped loudly with his own noodles. I finished my bowl and thankfully took the next one Teuchi gave me. "Genma?"

"What is it, Pumpkin?" He glanced to the side but didn't pull himself away from his noodles.

"Do you think you could train me? With some kunai, shuriken, and senbon work?"

He paused and then slowly lowered his chopsticks to his bowl, turning to look at me. "Train you?"

"Hai." Something vaguely uncomfortable stirred in me at the disappointed look in his eyes. "I mean, if you don't want to—"

"No. I don't want to. You're a child, Pumpkin. You shouldn't be so worried about constantly training to become a shinobi." He leveled his gaze evenly at me. "You're just a kid. You should start acting like it."

"I was attacked a few weeks ago. I could have died. Even with all my training, I lost. That means I need to train more, not less."

"It was random, Mirai. It won't happen aga—"

"It was not random," I muttered. "It's going to happen again and I don't know when it'll stop, if ever. That's why I need to train. I just . . . thought I could ask you for help. Sorry. I get it."

He squinted at me, senbon and chopsticks alike abandoned on the counter. "It wasn't random?" he asked suspiciously.

A deep breath. "You know it wasn't."

"Aa," he agreed. Genma heaved a sigh. "Shit, I hate how smart you are sometimes."

"Whatcha talking about, dattebayo?"

"Training," I quipped. My gaze flicked towards Genma again. "Well?"

He picked up his senbon and spun it between his fingers. "Take a month. Then talk to me again."

The Hokage Tower had never really seemed daunting to me before. I suppose I'd never seen it from behind, having to stare at the Academy's full yard of new students and their parents and feeling incredibly scared and alone as I clung to Naruto's hand more than he clung to mine. "We should just go inside," I murmured. I didn't bother to see if he agreed with me. I moved forward, feeling his fingers tighten around mine as he followed. I tensed my shoulders against the burning chakra signatures as we stepped into the yard.

"Mirai-chan, Naruto-kun."

I stopped short and tugged on Naruto's hand to make him do the same. Then I glanced towards the familiar voice and lit up. "Tachi-chan."

He sighed heavily but didn't protest, glancing down at the boy standing next to him. "Sasuke seems to have forgotten to eat breakfast this morning in his excitement. I would appreciate it if you would ensure that he at least eats his next meal."

I arched an eyebrow at the boy, grinning. "Will do. Actually." I released Naruto and dug through my bag. "I have some onigiri if you're hungry now." At Sasuke's enthusiastic nod, I retrieved the rice ball from the bento box and held it out to him. "Are you staying for long, Tachi-chan?"

He stared at me for a moment too long and then shook his head. "No. I already attended the entrance ceremony—something I noticed the two of you weren't at."

"Oyaji had Kamano-san give us orientation instead," I murmured, taking Naruto's hand again. "A few weeks ago. He said something about there being lots of papers at the entrance ceremony that guardians need to sign."

"Ah." He didn't say anything else in response to that, reaching out to poke Sasuke in the forehead. "Shisui and I will be here once your class lets out, understand?"

"Hai, Aniki." Sasuke beamed up at him. The older Uchiha nodded to us respectfully and then vanished. I grit my teeth fiercely against the boiling chakra.

I held out my free hand to Sasuke. "Are you coming?"

He fumbled to switch his food to his other hand and then he grabbed my fingers with his sticky, rice-coated ones. "Yeah. I bet we're going to have a super cool sensei."

I pulled them both towards the door, shrugging. "Maybe. Do you remember which room is ours, Nato?"

He turned wide eyes to me. "Did you forget?"

"Of course not," I said, stopping in front of Room 5. "I just wanted to see if you remembered." I released them both and slid open the door. There were a few other kids already inside the room, but there was no chunin sensei. The boys shoved past each other to get inside first and I sighed, closing the door behind me. My first instinct was to take a seat front and center, but I paused at the end of the row. Chances were that the sensei wouldn't be to terribly fond of me. Better not to bring too much attention to myself.

I slipped into a seat in the middle row on the left side, next to the window, and Naruto and Sasuke squabbled for a moment over the seat next to me. Naruto won. So, today's the day, I mused to Kurama in boredom.

Don't speak to me.

That drew a pout to my lips and I sighed. So much for that. After I raked my gaze across the empty tables in front of us, I turned to look at those sitting behind us. In the back row sat a boy I didn't recognize. A couple seats in front of him sat a girl with bright and curly orange hair, and I certainly didn't remember her. But the boy sitting directly behind Sasuke was unmistakable.

"Ohayo," I offered, giving up a grin and hoping that it was convincing and warm. "I'm Uzumaki Mirai."

His eyes widened and he looked around for a moment in absolute confusion. Then it seemed to register that yes, I really was speaking to him. "Konichiwa," he responded hesitantly. "Akimichi Choji." He paused awkwardly, crinkling the bag in his hand. And then, as if he didn't know what else to do, he held the food out. "Want a chip?"

I paused, desperately trying to think if there was something special about an Akimichi offering food. There had to be, right? I mean, food was practically what defined the Akimichi. But I couldn't think of anything, so I just smiled and reached into the bag. "Sure. Arigato." I shoved the whole thing in my mouth and salt burst across my tongue. "Yum," I murmured. "Ooo, garlic too?"

Choji's eyes widened. "You can taste that? Wow! A lot of people don't pay attention to that stuff."

"Hiya!"

Choji squeaked in surprise, crumpling his bag of chips a little as Naruto popped up right in front of him. "O-ohayo," he stuttered out.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto, dattebayo! And this teme," —here, he jerked a thumb towards the third member of our party— "is Uchiha Sasuke. What are those markings on your face? Did you forget breakfast like Teme too? Is that why you're eating?"

"Nato," I sighed, half fond and half exasperated. "He's part of the Akimichi clan. Those are his clan markings, and the Akimichi eat a lot because they need it for their jutsu." I turned at smile at the confused boy. "Right, Choji-san?"

"Umm." He nodded. "Yeah. Choji is fine, though."

"Right."

The sound of the door sliding open caught my attention and I glanced back around. Then I felt Choji's chakra perk up. "Shikamaru!" he called. "Over here!"

The brunet's lazy gaze dragged over to Choji and the boy nodded once. As he drew closer, taking the stairs slower than I'd ever seen anyone take them before, he murmured, "Mendokuse. Ohayo, Choji."

The rotund boy beamed at him. "Shikamaru, I met some of our classmates." He shoved an entire handful of chips in his mouth before pointing an oily finger at me. I smiled. "This is Mirai. And Naruto . . . ." He trailed off, pursing his lips. "Hey, are you two . . . ." He squinted at us.

I felt a grin curling is way across my lips. "We're twins." Then I motioned to the next person over. "And that's Sasuke. It's nice to meet you, Shikamaru."

"Are you an Akimichi too?" Naruto asked excitedly. "Where are your marks, dattebayo?"

I groaned, but before I could respond Shikamaru sniggered. "I'm a Nara, not an Akimichi. We don't have marks." He slouched into the chair next to Choji and then slumped forward, folding his arms on the desk and resting his head on them.

Choji's bag of chips crinkled as it tapped against Shikamaru's arm. "Chip?"

"No thanks," came the tired drawl.

The door opened again, but this time it was a flood. Babbling children—and it was such a blunt reminder of exactly where I was—rushed into the room in waves, quarreling over seats and shoving each other out of the way. The chairs in the row in front of us got knocked over as two six-year-olds argued loudly over who got the window seat. I flinched back at the fluctuating chakra around me, screwing my eyes shut and tapping my fingers rhythmically on the desk as I waded through all the energy in the room. It was getting easier, being around chakra.

And then a new energy smoldered against the edge of my senses, bigger and brighter than the others. This was an adult. I opened my eyes, glancing around the room to locate the source. When I found him, I frowned upon realizing I didn't recognize him. Naruto elbowed me furiously. "Rai! I think that's our sensei," he whispered poorly.

I nodded in agreement, studying the chunin as he walked to the desk and set down the large bag he was carrying. His face was squarish, with deep-set eyes an a broad nose. Part of me wondered it that made it easier for him to smell. The other part of me told it to shut up.

"Quiet."

The word somehow managed to ring throughout the entire room, but I could have sworn that he'd said it as barely more than a whisper. The room fell suddenly silent and I was left with nothing but the painful chakra grating itself on my senses.

"I'm Korudo Bekko. I'll be your chunin sensei. Please take out something to write with and something to write on. I will be going over this classroom's rules and I will not be repeating myself. The shinobi world moves quickly, and you are expected to do the same." He paused for just a moment, lips parted as if he was impatiently already forming his next few worlds while the sound of rustling paper fill the room. I slipped my brand new notebook out of my bag and clicked my pen.

Then, before the sound of kids searching in their bags stopped, Bekko continued. "While I am speaking, there will be no talking amongst yourselves." The sound of pens and pencils scratching against paper filled the room. "Class begins at precisely eight every morning. Tardiness of even a few seconds will result in some sort of punishment. The most common form of discipline in this classroom will take the form of more assigned work, whether written or physical, and detention. As your sensei, I expect to be treated with respect. You will call me Bekko-sensei and will raise your hand before I call on you to speak. Lastly, be aware that in this classroom, my word is law."

I scratched a general paraphrase of his words across the first page in my notebook. Then, seeing that he was done with the rules, I turned the page. Naruto glanced at me curiously and then did the same.

Bekko opened the bag on his desk and pulled out a couple small scrolls. Each one had a tag hanging from its end. He cleared his throat and then all the sounds of writing stopped. "I have here storage scrolls that are filled with the books, information, and supplies that the Academy has provided you for this year of schooling. When I call your name, I would like for you to come forward and claim your scroll. I will also check you off as in attendance." With that, he fell silent as he removed each scroll from the bag and set it out on his desk. By the time he had finished, I counted twenty-five scrolls.

I glanced around, trying to estimate how many of us there were. Sure enough, there were twenty-five. It really seemed like there had to have been more of us.

"Abe Kenichi."

The boy that got to his feet was rather short for a six-year-old. He ran a shaky hand across his buzzcut and shuffled forward, moving past our desk. I wrinkled my nose. He practically reeked of sweat. When he took the scroll from our sensei and walked back to his spot, I turned my head away to try to limit his assault on my senses.

"Aburame Shino."

Now there was a name I knew. I threw my gaze across the room to try to find the young boy I knew would grow up to be a terrifying shinobi. He rose from his spot in the front on the opposite of the room. "Arigato, Bekko-sensei," he murmured, taking the scroll and moving back to his seat in complete silence.

How the hell does he do that? I still can't figure out how to walk without making noise.

Unsurprisingly, Kurama didn't respond.

"Akimichi Choji."

Behind be, someone squeaked and a chip bag rustled loudly. A chair thumped and I glanced back to find Choji squeezing his way into the aisle. His face was red—from embarrassment or something else, I wasn't sure—as he shuffled down the stairs and held his hand out for the scroll. Bekko glanced at him absently and dropped the scroll into the boy's palm, already reading off the next name.

"Fujimoto Ryoichi."

I smiled at Choji as he climbed up the stairs again. He caught my gaze in surprise and then gave me a hesitant smile in return. He bumped loudly against Shikamaru's chair as he struggled to get back to his own.

"Hamasaki Sumiko."

My gaze tore from Choji to follow the dark-haired girl as she skipped to the front of the room. I didn't recognize her either. Just how many students were here that had just been background noise to the anime? Just how many of them had died—quick and silent—without being mentioned? How many had fallen into mediocrity? Was that what I had been Before?

"Haruno Sakura."

My vague existential crisis was interrupted as a bright blotch of pink at the front of the room moved. The girl kept her head bowed and her shoulders hunched as she moved. Her tiny voice squeaked out, "Arigato," before she rushed back to her seat. I watched her for a moment longer, trying to match her with the violent kunoichi in my memory. Two more names were called—Hisakawa Takahiro and then Himura Ami—but I ignored them, frowning at the way Sakura huddled in on herself. Well, that wouldn't do. I'd have to fix that.

Egotistical.

I won't argue with that.

"Hyuuga Hinata."

It took me a moment to find the girl as she stood up from her spot, secluded away at the back of the classroom. But she moved forward and—

Oh my Kami, she's so fucking cute!

That roused Kurama from his petulant anti-social state. Inari-sama above, do you ever wash that filthy mouth of yours?

But look at her, I cooed mentally, watching as the pink-faced chibi of a girl rushed back to her seat in hopes of shaking all the attention on her. I barely paid attention to the next name called—Ikeda Yuu—and instead stared at the empty seats around the girl. I certainly had my work cut out for me.

"Inuzuka Kiba."

"Hell yeah!" the boy yelled, jumping to his feet.

"Language," Bekko corrected, not seeming to really care as he handed the scroll off and called the next name. "Ishida Unagi."

Kiba grinned and, scroll in hand, jogged back to his seat. I frowned, tapping my fingers on my thigh. He didn't have Akamaru with him. That made sense, of course. Akamaru had been a puppy around graduation time, right? So he couldn't be alive just yet. But when would he be showing up, then?

"Kawaguchi Kasumi."

I didn't recognize that name either and I vaguely wondered if I should be trying to remember all these new people. The orange-haired girl bounced excitedly down the steps and took her scroll. "Arigato, Sensei!" she chirped, and I'd genuinely never heard such a low voice on a girl her age. Maybe she had a cold or something, but I wasn't sure if that was better.

"Nakano Tobio."

The boy that moved had a hairstyle reminiscent of Shikamaru's, but the spring in his step was the complete opposite of the other brunet's lazy saunter.

"Nara Shikamaru."

Speak of the devil. I fought back the smirk threatening to quirk my lips when I heard his heavy sigh. A chair scraped loudly and the classroom's atmosphere grew awkward as Shikamaru apparently decided to take as long as he could in walking down towards the front of the room. Apparently, it was getting on our sensei's nerves as well; Bekko grunted and half tossed, half threw the scroll to Shikamaru. It bounced off the boy's chest and rolled across the floor before coming to a stop. He stared at it, then up at our sensei, then down at the scroll again. Then he groaned like an old man and bent over to pick it up.

I snickered. Loudly.

Bekko's sharp gaze jumped to me and I found the sound choked off in my throat as I recognized that familiar disgust twisting the light in his eyes. I swallowed the rest of my laughter and it settled like hot rocks in my stomach. "I'd appreciate you showing more respect to your classmates, Uzumaki."

The tone of his voice almost made it sound like he was saying Kyuubi instead of my family's name. But I refused to be intimidated by someone like him. I met his gaze, even though I had to curl my hands into fists to stop their shaking. "My apologies, Sensei."

I got some satisfaction in seeing the way he flinched a bit at the address. I supposed he wasn't fond of the idea of teaching me. He cleared his throat. "Nogami Katsuo."

Shikamaru trudged lazily back up the stairs, catching my gaze for just a second. "Sorry," I murmured lowly. I wasn't even sure if he could hear me.

He shrugged in complete apathy and climbed into his seat.

"Sato Hibachi."

Naruto nudged me and I glanced at him. The worried look in his eyes set my teeth on edge. "What is it?" I whispered.

His gaze flicked towards Bekko and he gave a slight whine. I resisted the urge to bare my teeth. Instead, I took his hand in mine and offered a smile.

"Tachibana Chikako."

Naruto whined once more and Sasuke glanced over at us, frowning. He opened his mouth as if he was going to say something.

"Uchiha Sasuke."

He shot to his feet so quickly that his chair clattered backwards. He paused, face burning red as he glanced over at us. I released Naruto and waved at him to go. He nodded and then hurried down the stairs. I leaned out of my chair and rightened the furniture Sasuke had knocked over.

"Ueno Kota."

Sasuke shuffled back over to us and gave me a grateful glance. I smiled and settled back in my chair, only to have my name called with a level of disdain I wasn't sure I'd ever heard before.

"Uzumaki Mirai."

I got to my feet with deliberate slowness and nudged Naruto forward as I squeezed behind him. I patted Sasuke on the head as I passed him, messing up his hair. He squealed indignantly and I suppressed my grin, stepping down the stairs. I stopped in front of the desk and held out my hand. Bekko dropped the scroll into my palm as if he didn't want to touch me. I didn't move my hand. "I'll take Naruto's too."

He paused for just a second before obliging. I closed my hand as best as I could while holding both scrolls. I offered up a smile, letting my lips curl more than usual in order to make sure my unusually sharp canines showed. "Arigato, Bekko-sensei. I look forward to learning from you."

"Go back to your seat, Uzumaki. Yamada Fuki."

I turned and jumped back up the steps, passing the oddly masculine girl—that must be Fuki—that was walking towards the front of the room. "Excuse me," I murmured to Sasuke, grinning a little as I messed his hair up again. He shot me a look and scooted his chair forward to let me by. I sat down and set Naruto's scroll in front of him.

"Yamanaka Ino."

The girl was easy to find, her platinum blonde hair a stark contrast agains the sea of dark colors. Blond wasn't a common hair color in Konoha, after all. She practically skipped to the front of the room and offered up a chiming, "Thank you, Bekko-sensei!" as she plucked the scroll from his hands.

"Yamashita Matsuri."

I ripped my gaze from Ino to look at the new girl. I hadn't realized that dreads were a style in this universe as well, and I cringed internally. It was the sound of Bekko clearing his throat again that drew my attention.

"Attendance will be taken each day. Upon it being marked that you are here, you will receive one hundred points. Points will be docked during the day for various infractions: tardiness, failure to follow orders, and the like. Anyone at or below seventy-five points at the end of the day will be assigned detention. Anything at or below fifty points will result in three days of detention. Anything at or below twenty-five points will result in a week of detention. At the end of the week, anyone with a cumulation of points at or below three hundred fifty will be given a week to complete eight hours of community service."

I blinked, taking a moment to process that these rules were for six-year-olds. Of course, six-year-olds that were shinobi-in-training, but still. I bent my head and scratched this new information in my notebook. I glanced to the side and realized that Naruto and Sasuke weren't writing a thing, probably thinking they could just get the information from me later. Not that they were wrong, the jerks.

"Today is an assessment day. This both to supplement the Academy's records as well as to allow me to evaluate your skill and teach you appropriately. Please put away everything but a writing implement while I pass out the tests."

I snapped my notebook shut and put it in my bag. Then I turned back and clicked my pen again. It would probably be smarter to use a pencil on a test, but I'd never been particularly fond of them. Bekko handed of a stack of paper to Sasuke. The Uchiha peeled out one stapled pack for himself and handed the other two off to us. I took my test and flipped through it. I reached the end and glanced at the bottom right corner. Page 78. With a sigh, I settled in for the long haul and wrote my name across the top of the exam in my perfect, practiced kanji.

When we got outside, Naruto cackled hysterically and collapsed, kissing the ground. "Free! We're free, dattebayo!"

I stopped short, staring at him flatly. "Nato, we still have three more hours of class. You do realize that, right?"

My brother groaned comically and rolled onto his back, blocking the pathway for the students still filtering out of the building and into the yard. I sighed. "Nato, get up. We need to eat."

"U-um. Do you want to eat with us?"

I blinked, the voice taking me off guard. I looked to the side to find Choji and Shikamaru standing there. The Akimichi shuffled nervously, crumpling the empty pretzel bag in his hands. I glanced back at the Academy doors. They were closed. Then I looked out at the yard. Everyone else was already sitting down and eating. I glanced directly to my left to find Sasuke staring at me in confusion. Yep, Choji had definitely been talking to me. That was when I realized I hadn't answered yet. "Oh, of course." I offered up a soothing smile. Keeping my gaze on Choji, I reached down and hauled Naruto to his feet. "Where would you like to sit, Choji-kun?"

He stuttered for a long moment and I wondered if I had severely underestimated how many of these kids had self-confidence issues. But then he forcibly cleared his throat and stuffed the pretzel bag into his pocket. "The tree," he mumbled, pointing at the oak at the other side of the yard and then ambling towards it.

I laced my fingers with Naruto's and then tucked my hand around Sasuke's elbow, following the Akimichi and the Nara that was lazily moving after him. "Thank you for the invitation, Choji-kun." I released my boys and sat seiza in the grass. "Catch, Nato," I murmured, tossing a bento box in my brother's direction. He fumbled with it. I withdrew my own bento box and then glanced at Sasuke, making sure he'd started on his own food before I began to eat.

"Mirai?" Sasuke asked around a mouthful of his lunch. "Do you and the Dobe want to come over after class? We could play Ninja."

I glanced at him, chewing slowly on my fish. Then I shrugged. "I'll have to see. I was planning on getting some training in and Shisui and I have been wanting to play another game."

Naruto pouted. "More shogi?" he whined. "But that's so boring, dattebayo!"

"It's not boring," I defended. "I'll teach it to you someday when you have the patience, Nato."

Shikamaru swung his lazy gaze over to me. "You play shogi?"

I nodded once, studying that calculating look in his eye. I had to resist the urge to look away, to stop the feeling that he was dissecting what he knew about me.

"Maybe you won't be as terrible to be around as I thought at first," he said, polishing off the last of his food—for someone so slow, he sure ate quickly—and then lying back. The Nara tucked his hands under his head. "We should play sometime."

I cocked my head at him. What an odd kid, I commented to Kurama.

You're one to talk.

I didn't suppress the giggle that bubbled between my lips. And then Naruto shot to his feet, pointing dramatically at Shikamaru. "Hey! Rai is never terrible to be around! No matter what! You take that back!"

I sighed. "Nato, relax."

"But—"

"Finish eating." I crossed my arms and waited until my brother sat down petulantly and began working on his meal again. Then I glanced towards the brunet who, for all appearances, looked asleep. But his still moving chakra said otherwise. "I would enjoy playing a game at one point. I could bring my board tomorrow."

He grunted his assent.

I polished off the rest of my food and then withdrew the scroll our sensei had given me. I unrolled it and studied the seal for a moment.

"It's a storage seal," Choji explained, not stuttering this time but still sounding uncertain. "I'll have my dad open mine for me when I get home."

I glanced up at him and gave him a broad smile. "Don't worry about it. I can open it for you." I touched my fingers against the seal and gave just a slight pulse of charka—about as much as I might put into the very beginning of my chakra light. With a small puff of smoke, a tall stack of books appeared, topped off with several folders of paper and a few smaller storage scrolls labeled with titles such as Training Kunai and Weights.

"Whoa," Choji breathed. "You can use chakra?"

I saw Naruto gearing up to response but before either of us could answer, Sasuke said, "Yeah. She can do jutsu too!"

Shikamaru popped an eye open and Choji gasped. "Wow! But the Academy just started. Are you going to graduate early, then?"

Graduate early? I cocked my head to the side. I honestly haven't thought about that. Honestly, it might be beneficial to— But then Naruto's squeak interrupted me. "E-early? She can do that?" he asked quietly, eyes wide. His baby blue gaze turned to me. "Are you gonna, dattebayo? Would you be leaving early?"

"Leaving?" I sighed heavily. "I'm not leaving, Nato. Don't worry about that, okay?" I leaned over and tapped his nose. He made a face but then nodded, seemingly relieved. I turned back to the supplies our sensei had given me. I took one of the books and flipped through it.

"Something wrong?"

I glanced up at the familiar voice and a grin cracked my lips. "Izumo!"

The shinobi grinned down at us. "Ohayo, Mirai-chan. How's my favorite little neighbor?"

Naruto pouted dramatically at that and I giggled. "I'm doing great. Izumo, this is Nara Shikamaru and Akimichi Choji, our new friends. Choji, Shikamaru, this is Kamizuki Izumo." After just a moment of thought, I added, "He's a chunin." I nodded seriously.

"Maa, you're going to make me blush, Mirai-chan. Besides, I'm not here to socialize." He leaned down and ruffled Naruto's hair. "Hokage-sama wants to speak to you." And then, as if seeing the question forming on my lips, he shook his head. "I'm not sure why. He told me to grab you after you were done eating." Then he offered me a crooked grin. "Don't worry, I'll try have you back before your class starts back up." He held out his hand.

I rose to my feet but something in me hesitated. I glanced down at Naruto. Whenever I went somewhere without him, he was either in the apartment or left with someone I knew I could trust, like the Uchiha or Genma. "But—"

"Naruto will be fine. We'll just be in the building. I promise. If you have to leave, I'll come out here and stay with him. Sound good?"

I dragged my gaze to my brother. "Nato, you'll be okay?"

When he nodded enthusiastically, I sealed the supplies back up and tucked the scroll into my kunai pouch. Then I packed the bento boxes into my backpack and slung it over one shoulder. I gripped Izumo's outstretched hand. He smiled and tugged me towards the stairs pressed against the wall of the building. "This shouldn't take too long, okay?"

I nodded wordlessly, climbing up the stairs after him and staunchly ignoring the feeling of Naruto's chakra getting farther and farther away. Then we reached the top and Izumo opened the door, ushering me inside with a hand on my back. The door closed behind me and I choked off a cry of alarm as Naruto's chakra disappeared completely. Then I glanced down one direction of the curving hallway and then the other. "Which?"

"This way." Izumo turned to the left and started walking. I rushed for a second to catch up with him. Then he stopped in front of the familiar double doors. "I'll be out here to take you back to your class, okay?"

"Thanks, Izumo." I smiled up at him and released his hand. Then, as he pushed the door open, I stepped inside. "You wanted to see me, Oyaji?"

The Hokage looked up from the papers he was studying and smiled. "Ah, Mirai-chan, come on in and close the door."

I stepped further inside and heard Izumo click the door closed behind me. My gaze flicked around the office for a moment before settling on the familiar figure standing behind and to the right of the Hokage. "Tobitake-san," I greeted, half surprised and half questioning.

"Uzumaki-san," he said in returning, bowing his head in greeting.

Hiruzen smiled. "Tonbo had told me that your previous meeting went well, but it's nice to see that you are in fact on friendly terms."

"Our previous—" I broke off and licked my lips, suddenly over-aware of how dry they were. "That was on purpose," I rasped. "Wasn't it?"

The Hokage sighed and removed his hat, setting it on the desk in front of him. "Mirai-chan, you have an . . . overwhelming amount of potential, accompanied by intelligence and determination that is not common to see in a child. Would you blame me for wanting to train you up as a strong defender of Konoha and its people?"

Resentment, familiar and strong, welled up in my chest and I opened my mouth to tell him as much. But then something stopped me and I paused, considering his words. I might dislike him for it. I might object to yet again having my life controlled by someone or something else. But could I really blame him for doing his job as Hokage and trying to protect his people?

"No," I murmured. "I wouldn't blame you."

His expression softened. "Thank you, child. You see, I have plans for you to train under shinobi of my choosing during your time in the Academy, beginning with thrice weekly sessions with Tonbo."

"Do I have a choice?" The words spilled out before I could stop them. I wouldn't exactly going to turn it down. The chance to train with highly skilled shinobi was not something anyone would turn away easily, especially me. But it was just a gut reaction to being told what to do—I'd never been fond of being controlled Before. Reincarnation dictated by the universe just made it worse.

"Are you going to say no?" he asked, lips quirking.

I quickly shook my head. "I'll do it. Um, so how are we doing to do this?"

The Hokage leaned back, glancing towards Tonbo. The bandaged and blind shinobi cleared his throat and said, "As the Academy ends at four, you'll be given time for dinner and then will meet me at Training Ground 6 at five thirty. We'll meet Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I will inform you when I will be on missions, during which times you'll continue normal sessions with a different shinobi instructing you in my place. Once my training with you concludes, I will be replaced by a different teacher."

"What will I be learning?" I glanced uncertainly between Tonbo and the Hokage, not sure which one I was addressing.

Hiruzen smiled. "As I'm sure you know, shinobi specialize in many different areas. Each of your instructors will focus on different skills that they know best or that they see as necessary or beneficial for you to learn. Any other questions?"

"Starting . . . today?"

"Hai. Tonbo would like to assess your skills. He will, of course, take into account what your scores are during your assessments today and he will stay close to watch the tests continue this afternoon. But there are several things he would like to test you on that the Academy will not be looking into at this time. If you would accompany him down to the Academy's training gym, please."

"Of course." I straightened as Tonbo came around the desk and moved towards the door.

"And Mirai-chan?"

"Hai," —and then my voice caught on my normal form of address for him because suddenly it didn't seem right— "Hokage-sama?"

He nodded to me and situated his hat back on his head. "I'm sure your parents would have been proud of you."

I kept his gaze for a moment, wondering at the spark there. Then I finally allowed myself to glance up at the picture of Namikaze Minato that sat on the wall behind him. "Thank you." I bowed my head and then turned to follow Tonbo from the room.

Izumo glanced up when we stepped out of the room and arched his visible eyebrow. "Tonbo, what are you doing here?"

"The Hokage has decided that it would be most beneficial for Mirai to receive structured training outside of the classroom. I'm her first teacher." The man's lips twitched into some semblance of a smile. "He'll probably ask you to do the same at some point. Uzumaki-san, go ahead and take the stairs to the bottom floor. I will be with you shortly."

I glanced at him and nodded. While nodding at a blind man normally was a stupid decision, something told me he could tell. Then I offered my neighbor a smile. "Sayonara, Izumo." Then I skipped past him towards the stair. As I approached the ground floor, Naruto's chakra appeared and grew stronger. It was still relatively distant, but I could feel my nerves smoothing out as I could feel him close again.

"Can I help you?"

The oddly-pitched voice made me turn and I glanced up at the desk chunin sitting there, wondering how in the world he fought with glasses that thick. "Ohayo. I'm just waiting for my sensei."

Those eyes—dark and magnified by his glasses—widened and then narrowed. "Uzumaki," he snarled. "What are you doing here?"

A sigh bubbled up in my chest and I crossed my arms. "I told you. I'm waiting for my sensei. I'll be out of your hair in a moment."

He started to rise from his seat. "It would be better if you le—"

"Yajirobee-san."

I glanced over my shoulder to find Tonbo standing at the bottom of the stairs. Then I stepped back until I stood beside him. He nodded down at me and then turned his bandaged eyes to the desk chunin. "In the future, I would appreciate it if you would leave my student alone."

The glasses man—Yajirobee, I assumed—paled and sat down. "Student? Um, of course, Tobitake-san."

Tonbo rest a hand on my should and steered me towards a door at the back of the room. It opened into a hallway and he took the last door on the right. We stepped into the large training gym and I glanced around, shoving my hands in my pockets. "So what are you wanting to test?" I dropped my backpack from my shoulder and set it on the floor.

"We'll begin with your chakra sensing." Then he held out a strip of black fabric, vaguely reminiscent of the one I wore around my wrist. It was longer, though, and much thicker. "Put on the blindfold. I will go to some area of the room. Then I will slowly raise my chakra. As soon as you can sense even a hint of it, let me known and I will leave it at that level. Your job will then be to approach me as quickly as you can using only your chakra sensitivity. Understand?"

I blinked at the blindfold and then nodded, tying it on and closing my eyes against the rough fabric. "Got it." I strained my ears for the sound of him moving, though I wasn't particularly surprised when I couldn't hear anything.

"Begin."

I reached out with my senses, straining to try to find that chilly energy that I had felt when I first met him. It was hard to focus with Naruto's blazing chakra dominating everything from close by and I struggled to ignore it. I took a deep, hissing breath and forced my muscles to relax. My senses brushed against ice ahead of me and to my left.

"There," I gasped, shivering.

He said nothing and I turned towards the cold energy. I moved confidently forward and then my knee slammed into something, knocking me sideways for a second. I hissed angrily and then reached out, brushing my fingers against the wooden post. Then I shifted to the side and moved slower, shuffling my feet as quietly as I could and reaching out so I would touch something with my hands before hitting it with my feet.

My fingers brushed against something else and I adjusted my direction accordingly. The chill was growing stronger and closer. Then my hand touched something else, different from the hard wood before.

"Congratulations. Your chakra sensing ability is far advanced for you age. Most chunin would have been hard pressed to sense that. Blindfold off."

I reached up with my free hand and tugged the cloth away. I blinked at the bright light and then uncurled my fingers from where they were gripping Tonbo's flak jacket. "That's . . . good, right?"

"Hai. You'll be an exceptional chakra sensor in the future. Stand in the center of the room, please. We're going to test your reaction time and ability."

I cocked my head at him as I moved to do what he said. "How?"

He withdrew a storage scroll and unseal a heavy bag. "I took the liberty of gathering up some stones before meeting with the Hokage earlier today. I suggest you move quickly, because bruises might get in the way of your other training." Then he dipped his hand in the bag and withdrew three rocks. I squinted at them. They were smooth and small—not any bigger than my six-year-old fist. "Ready?"

I sank into my stance, eying the stones in his hand. "Hai."

The first stone flew faster than I realized it could, digging itself into my shoulder. I whipped belatedly to the side, blinking as the rock fell to the ground. "Oh," I rasped. "Ouch." Then I glanced up just in time to see Tonbo lift his hand again. The moment he released the rock this time I dropped down into a crouch, listening as it whistled by above my head. Another one came rocketing towards me and I rolled to the side. Pain flared across my forehead as one stone hit me. Pain exploded and something wet slicked itself down my skin, trailing down my nose and leaving red in my vision. I jumped to avoid the next rock aimed at my feet. For the next one I leaned so far to the side that I felt my spine pop. I did an awkward spin and a pattern of complicated footwork to avoid the next few. One rock clipped my ear and another bashed its way into my knee. I struggled to dodge as many as I could. My body may be trained, but it was still the body of a child.

"Good."

I couldn't remember exactly when I had started panting or sweating, but I looked up at Tonbo from where I was, collapsed on my knees. His hands and the bag was empty and there was a faint smile playing about his features. "Is that it?" I asked, feeling heat build up in my forehead as my chakra rushed to heal the wound there. When I dragged the heel of my hand across my forehead it came back covered in flakes of dried blood. I wrinkled my nose and then rubbed the rest of my face to get all the crusted blood off.

"Fifty rocks and you managed to dodge about half of them."

A groan tore at my lips. It felt like I hadn't managed to dodge any of them and my entire body ached as I pulled myself to my feet. "Wh-what else?" A frown tugged at my lips with the way my voice broke and I cleared my throat forcefully. "What else?"

"That's all for now. Training Ground 6 at five thirty after the Academy, Uzumaki-san. I will meet you there. You can return to your class now."

And then he disappeared and the feeling that washed over me was a crisp one, as if ice cubes had gathered in my stomach. I took a shaky breath and then rubbed my hands over my face again, doing my best to clear away any residual blood. Am I all healed up?

As if that tiny cut wasn't easy to deal with.

Nodding in satisfaction, I rubbed my face one more time, snatched up my backpack, and then headed outside. I circled a quarter of the building and reached the Academy entrance. My stomach dropped. The yard was empty.

Did class start already? Shit.

Language.

I ignored his snarky chiding and stalked forward into the building. I reached Room 5 and slide aside the door.

"Uzumaki." And Kami, this man needed to learn how to say my name without snarling. "I'm glad you could grace us with your presence." The amount of venom in Bekko's voice was ridiculous. "You're late. That's five points."

I blinked. Before I could say anything, someone squawked indignantly. My gaze snapped to Naruto as he jerked to his feet. "We didn't even start yet! We all just got inside, dattebayo!"

"Nato," I soothed quietly, a little surprised my voice carried that well across the classroom. He glanced at me and I shook my head. He snapped his jaw shut and then sat back down. "Bekko-sensei," —he still flinched when I said that— "the Hokage had asked to speak with me. I was late from meeting with him."

His beady eyes darkened. "Insubordination. Five points."

Something boiling started in my chest and I stared at him. But then I grit my teeth and forced out, "Of course, Bekko-sensei." Then I moved back to my seat in front of the empty seat to Shikamaru's left. Naruto glanced at me worriedly and I placated him with a gentle smile.

The chunin at the front of the room nodded. "In a moment we will be heading outside to the west Academy training ground. There, you will one-by-one run through the obstacle course set up there. Afterwards, we will run through physical drills to assess your fitness level. Then we will conclude with spars to figure out where you all currently rank in relation to taijutsu skill. You will wait to do anything until I call your name, understand?"

"Hai, Bekko-sensei!" echoed around the room and my voice was drowned out in the cacophony.

"Good. Stand and follow me."

Sasuke and Naruto were already on their feet by the time I stood. After I stepped out into the aisle, Choji and Shikamaru followed me. "Mirai?"

I glanced back. "Hai, Choji-kun?"

He looked nervous, gaze continually flicking to the side. "Is . . . is your ear okay? You've got blood on it."

I blinked and reached up, dancing my fingers along the flaking blood on my ear. "Oh. Thanks." I shuffled forward and rubbed it away. "I didn't notice that I hadn't gotten it all."

"There was more?" the boy squeaked out, digging a new bag of chips out from his backpack. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, it's just from training."

"Uzumaki! Stop distracting your classmates! This is a warning!"

I snapped my gaze back around at Bekko's sharp voice, tensing my jaw and following the rest of the class to the training area. "I will call your names one by one and you will go through the obstacle course. Abe Kenichi."

I watched with hooded eyes as the boy shuffled forward, smelling just as sweaty as he had earlier. He wiped his hands on his pants, his palms leaving behind dark spots of sweat. I frowned. Greasy hands wouldn't do him any good on a course like this. I was proven right as he stumbled and slipped his way through the course with no small amount of trouble or skinned knees.

"Aburame Shino."

I narrowed my eyes at the boy as he moved forward, determined to focus on what he did well and implement it into my own attempt.

Human.

I blinked in distraction for a moment before realizing who had spoken. Kyuubi. Finally speaking to me, then?

What are you going to do about your new . . . training situation?

I will simply add it on my other training. There's no reason not to.

And today?

After training with Tonbo I'll do some individual training.

Going forward with our plan?

I've looked and there are no rules against it. It's dangerous, but it's the best location for us to get some semblance of privacy while training. Not many people go there.

If you get eaten by a mutated tree-crawled I swear I will kill you.

"Uzumaki!"

I snapped to attention to find everyone staring at my. I focused in on Bekko's angry face. "Uh, hai?"

"Five points!"

Another blink. "Wait, what?"

"For not paying attention. It's your turn. Move!"

I straightened. "Right! My apologies, Sensei." I moved forward to stand in front of the obstacle course. I eyed it for a moment, contemplating how to go about completing it. And then I nodded. Wish me luck?

Screw you.

With that, I dashed forward up the steep wooden incline. My legs burned and I could feel the momentum failing so I shoved chakra out to my limbs and spread it among my hands and feet. My right food slipped and I gripped the wooden surface tightly with the chakra in my hands. When I dragged myself to the top of the steep fifteen foot triangle, I glanced down. Obviously the intent was for me to slide down the structure and face the next obstacle from the ground, but I frowned at the rope wall and decided I wasn't particularly interested. I crouched low and dropped my weight for just a second before springing forward.

Someone behind me let out a cry of surprise and I vaguely registered that it was probably Naruto before I hit the top of the rope wall and snatched for a good hold. I pulled myself up the last foot and then jumped. I hit the ground in a roll to soften the fall and then dropped down to my stomach in a commando crawl. I squinted at the barbed wire area for a moment to assess whether I was low enough. And then I moved, careful to keep myself as flat against the ground as possible. Near the end I felt something catch on my pants and I realized that I had risen during my trek. I ducked down again and scrambled out the rest of the way.

Two obstacles left. I rubbed my hands together for a second and then jumped up, gripping the monkey bars and swinging myself forward. How do you think I'm doing?

Terribly.

Aw, thanks, Kyuubi-chan. I grunted as I swung from the last bar and landed on the small platform before the tightrope. I hesitated for just a moment before putting one foot on the rope. It trembled beneath me and I sucked in my next breath, taking a step. I wobbled dangerously and pinwheeled my arms to get my balance back. The off-putting ringing in my ears stopped and I took another step. Then another.

And then the world tilted and my stomach dropped.

An undignified squeak escaped my lips as I fell and I tucked in on myself into a roll as I slammed against the ground. My lungs protested roughly and I heaved a cough as I dragged myself to my feet.

"You're done, Uzumaki. Get back in line."

For just a moment I considered insisting on finishing the tightrope.

"Now."

The sharp edge to his tone made the decision for me and I rejoined the group as Naruto made his way to the front of the course. Childish fingers gripped my hand. "Mirai, are you okay?"

I glanced at the boy next to me and offered up a wide grin. "Of course I am!"

"Oh, okay. You just were . . . not here," Sasuke said, frowning as if he couldn't figure out how to phrase what he wanted to say.

"Sorry, I was just a bit distracted."

"Uzumaki! Five points for distracting your classmates!"

Bekko's loud voice made Naruto squeak in surprise and tumble down from the opposite side of the rope wall instead of climbing down smoothly like he had intended. I winced as he hit the ground and steeled myself against the urge to run and check him over for bruises. So instead I glanced towards our sensei. That happened to be a mistake because I met his look of intense loathing and instantly regretted it. I took a deep breath, letting my eyes flutter closed. I focused the rest of my time on calming my breaths.

Naruto's charka moved back close to me and I didn't open my eyes, just holding out my free hand and feeling him grip it tightly. I keep focusing on my breathing—focusing on keeping my emotions in check.

"We're going to shift to the east training ground for exercises and spars. Follow me."

I opened my eyes, holding my boys' hands and following everyone else as they headed after Bekko. "Rai," Naruto murmured. "I don't think he likes you."

"That's okay," I murmured, making sure to keep my voice low. So low that my brother shuffled closer to hear me. "I don't like him either."

"Spread out!" Bekko ordered the moment we reached the other training area. "Give yourself room. Even rows, now."

We all split apart and moved to do as he said.

"Down. We'll begin with pushups."

We all dropped down and I straightened, taking a deep breath.

"We'll do fifty pushups. This is to see who keeps up. One!"

I went down, listening to the grumbles of the students around me. But at least this was familiar and I could almost forget the harsh grating of my sensei's voice as I lost myself to the exercise's rhythm. If someone Before had told me that someday I would find working out to be comforting, I would have laughed and promptly put them in a mental institution. But now? I allowed myself a sigh.

"Forty-eight. Forty-nine. Fifty! Relax."

I took a deep breath and sat back in a seiza glancing side to side at the tired Academy students around me. Even the clan kids seemed worn out from that and I frowned. Surely their parents would have been training them, right?

"Sit-up position! We'll do fifty. One!"

By the time we finished all six exercise assessments the man had planned, my classmates were groaning and rubbing their sore muscles. I rose to my feet and cocked my head at them. Surely I wasn't that far ahead of them, was I?

"Fifteen minute break for water and rest. Then we will begin spars." The chunin stepped aside to wave at the water bottles lined up along the wall of the building.

The class surged forward I found myself shoved into two familiar people. "Sorry, Choji-kun, Shikamaru-kun."

"It's fine, Mirai," Choji said, offering me a giant smile as he selected a water bottle.

"Are you even human?"

I blinked and glanced at the Nara. His face was flushed from the unfamiliar physical exertion and the few wisps of hair that had escaped from his ponytail were plastered against his skin from sweat. "Sorry?" I asked, picking up a water bottle and unscrewing the top. "What do you mean?"

He fought back a yawn and waved a hand to the area where we'd just been working out. "You're not even tired. Half the class couldn't even do them all and you just breezed through them."

A smirk quirked my lips and I took a sip of the water. It wasn't cold, but at least it wasn't hot. Then I shrugged. "I train a lot."

"Mendokuse," he muttered. "I don't know why I even care."

"Rai!" Naruto bounced over to me, energy buzzing as if he hadn't just been given the workout of his life. "You're so cool! You did all of them!"

I giggled and reached out to bop him on the nose. "Of course I did, Nato. Did you think I wouldn't?"

He wrinkled his nose in response and then lit up. "Oh, oh, oh!" And then, to Choji and Shikamaru's immense confusion, he began babbling on about Sasuke and Itachi and having dinner with them that afternoon. Then he took a bunny trail to the side and started talking about how cool Itachi was and how he could definitely have done all of the exercises easy.

I laughed. "Nato, dinner with them sounds great."

His eyes widened. "Really? Cool, dattebayo!"

"Circle up!" And then, before we had finished doing so, Bekko-sensei continued. "See this circle here?" He pointed at the fresh, chalk-drawn shape. "I will call two names and you will step inside the circle and face each other. You will bow and then, when I say begin, you will spar. The fight lasts until one opponent leaves the circle, is incapacitated, forfeits, or I end the spar at my own discretion. No chakra or jutsu, not that I have to worry about those with your age. Only old-fashioned taijutsu. You will conclude each spar with the seal of reconciliation. Remember, we're all comrades here. Do you understand?"

"Hai, Sensei!"

He nodded. "Good. Abe Kenichi and Inuzuka Kiba."

The two boys stepped into the ring, one a shaking and sweaty mess while the other one grinned confidently. At Bekko's prompting, they bowed to each other. Then they straightened and Kiba settled into a stance I didn't recognize. I studied it for a moment. That was probably the Inuzuka's own personal taijutsu, right? Then my gaze flicked to the boy's opponent and I blinked. The other boy had adopted some sort of unrefined amateur stance with his feet spread too wide apart and his entire body facing directly forward and his fists held too tightly with his thumbs tucked in.

"Hajime!"

It was hands down one of the quickest matches I'd ever seen, and that was counting my dojo experience from Before. Kiba shot forward like a rocket with his hand cocked back. His form was crude and a little too wild, but that didn't matter because Kenichi let out a squeal of alarm and stumbled back until he tripped out of the arena.

Bekko called the fight and Kiba tumbled to the ground in his attempt to stop his momentum. "Winner: Inuzuka Kiba!"

The clan kid climbed to his feet and bowed dramatically to his audience. Kenichi scrambled up, sniffling. And then, without having to be told, Kiba stepped forward and offered the smaller boy his hand. Kenichi blinked and then nodded, reaching out and curling his fingers around Kiba's in the seal of reconciliation. The chunin nodded and waved them off. "Good, good." Then he glanced down at the paper he was holding. He frowned a little. "Next spar!"

My classmates buzzed excitedly at the possibility of their names being called. Naruto bounced on his feet.

"Aburame Shino and Uzumaki Mirai."

Chapter End

Answer: Naruto. Hands down. If you haven't noticed, I'm a little obsessed with the Naruto World and the idea of chakra and shinobi and the ability to walk on water. I genuinely don't care how dangerous it is. I want in!

Question: What's a recent fandom that you've fallen into?

Today's suggested fanfic: This Transient, Floating World by blackcatgirl.