Over break, I played with Ginjiro in the parks and explored Konoha with my dad.
The village was big. It was full of merchants and visitors. Ginjiro told me Konoha was not always like this. People were coming only because Konoha got peaceful. Before, there was a war. His brother would tell him scary stories of these "lockdown-drills" in school.
I did not believe him. I had never seen a war. Ginjiro made a lot of stuff up. Like this big monster dog that attacked everyone three years ago.
Before we knew it, school started again. Ninja school started. My dad had said yes. But if I change my mind about ninja, my dad would put me in normal school. This was a "test trial".
I thought my relatives would be happy for us. They did not care at all. The auntie and uncle who owned the dessert shop were happy for me though. They gave me a treat to eat.
On the morning of the first day of school, I packed my backpack: one lunch, one notebook, one pencil and pencil case.
In the kitchen, I nibbled on toast like a mouse. I was nervous. Everything would be different. Even my Shisui-Itachi express rides were canceled. The clan thought I needed to start walking alone. They went on and on about independence and character. I think it was because I was embarrassing them because after their giant speech, my dad told me, "Honey, ignore them. They just think you're embarrassing them."
There was a knock at the door.
Shisui's head popped in. He sniffed the air. "Do I smell toast?"
"Shisui!" I jumped off my chair. "What are you doing here?"
Itachi was here too.
"We came to drop these off for you, squirt," Shisui said. From his backpack, he took out a scroll and tossed it to me.
"What is it?" I asked.
"School supplies."
"School supplies?" I frowned. "But I already packed my own."
Shisui raised an eyebrow. "Like what? A notebook and pencil?"
"And a pencil case!"
Shisui busted out laughing.
"I needed to pack a pen too, didn't I?" I deadpanned.
Shisui fell on the ground, rolling.
I tapped my foot.
Shisui calmed down. He put a hand on my shoulder. "Squirt, trust me, in the scroll is what you really need."
Wow, if a scroll was all I needed, then being a ninja was easy! No writing, no books, nothing!
"Thanks!"
"Don't look at me. Itachi prepared it for you."
"Itachi?" I looked at Itachi, confused. Didn't he think I would suck as a ninja? Why would he help me?
Suddenly, I grew hopeful that Itachi had a change of heart over break.
Itachi looked away. "We should go."
"Come on, squirt. You're going to be late."
I did not move. "You guys can't walk me there anymore," I said. "The clan said so."
A silence.
"There is a difference," Itachi said, "between an escort, and two independent parties coinciding on the paths to their respective destinations."
I blinked.
"In other words," Shisui said. "Who cares what the clan says!"
I beamed. I liked that.
I arrived at school early. The outside was crazy. Kids were scrambling everywhere. Some were practicing in the back fields. Parents were hushing crying first years.
The front doors were locked. I had no clue where to go.
I saw pigtails and ran. Tamaki was sitting next to Ayame under a tree. They had a box of desserts between them.
"Tamaki! Ayame!"
They waved. Ayame handed me a dango. Tamaki told me that the doors would not be open until school started. We were still early.
Since we had time, Tamaki told me how everything worked.
She told me that a long time ago, kids either went to the Ninja Academy or normal school. If you came from a ninja family, you would go to the Academy. Iif you came from a normal family, you would go to normal school.
But then, some of the normal schools got destroyed. Their classrooms could not fit all the kids from normal families anymore. So the Academy took the first and second year kids from normal schools and put them with the first and second year kids from the Academy. Everyone learned the same stuff anyway, like math and writing.
But after kids from normal families started hanging out with kids from ninja families, things got weird. Every now and then, a kid from a normal family could do ninja things better than a kid from a clan.
So the school decided to let people decide what to do in their third year. If they picked the normal track, they would leave for a normal school. If they picked the ninja track, they would stay at the Academy. Clan kids were always special, though, and got a "matriculation ceremony" before the start of their first year.
There came a loud sound.
"What's that!" I asked, covering my ears.
"School is starting! We have to go to those fields!" Tamaki yelled.
"Okay!'
"What!"
"I SAID OKAY!"
"GOOD! Follow me!" Tamaki beckoned us.
The third years gathered in the back fields. Older kids lined up in neat rows and columns. The younger kids stayed in the front.
Three kids ran up to us. Ginjiro was up front. Dai and Setsu were behind. All of them were red-faced and out of breath.
Once Ginjiro reached us, he fell onto the grass. "Can't believe… finally… here."
The girls held each other, gasping. "We ran for one and a half blocks!" Setsu cried. "We heard the noise and thought we were so late!"
The teachers told us to line up. There was a scary man with a bandaged face. He had a clipboard and gave everyone the number of their classroom. I crossed my fingers. I hoped to be in the same class as my friends.
Dai and Setsu both got the same class, much to their joy. Ayame was put elsewhere. She looked disappointed until Tamaki got the same class as her. Now, our group was split into two.
"Name?"
"Uchiha."
The man glanced up from his paper to look at me. He went back to the clipboard.
I joined Ayame and Tamaki. Ginjiro got the same class as Dai and Setsu.
"It ain't that bad," Ginjiro grumbled. "We can still meet at lunch."
"Yeah guys! Cheer up. The classes meet each other a lot that it's like one huge class most of the time," Tamaki said.
The bell rang. The building unlocked. I followed Tamaki and Ayame. We found our room in no time.
Tamaki slid open the door.
My eyes went wide. The room was so different from our classroom last year. No round tables. No pull out chairs.
It looked like the room that I saw on my first day of school. There were long tables, rising up from front to back. Each table was so wide and tall that I could barely see above them. The seats were long benches that all faced front. Up front was a desk for the teacher. Scrolls with strange writing hung on the walls.
Tamaki led the way. She went for the table by the window. Ayame slid next to her. I slid next to Ayame.
The door slammed closed. The loud noise scared everyone.
The teacher who walked in was old. He looked even older than my last teacher. He did not look friendly. He dropped his books down on the desk with a loud bang.
"Arright! 'Nough talking! You there! Take a seat!" he yelled at a bunch of girls. They squeaked and jumped to the nearest seats. "NO! Three at a table! You! And you there too! No crowding! Three at a table, how many times yer make me say it? And take ones toward the front!" Squinting, he leaned in to stare at everybody.
After that, no one wanted to sit near the front. I shrunk in my seat. He had this lazy eye that eyeballed us.
To everyone's surprise, the door slid open again. A man, who was also carrying books, came through the door. He looked at the teacher like he was crazy.
"Pops! How many times do I have to tell you, you are not the teacher anymore! I am! Come on, old man."
Our real teacher pushed his dad out of the room.
The class sweat-dropped.
Once the door was shut, our teacher took his place. He had round cheeks and a triangle beard. He looked friendly.
"What a bunch of new faces! Hello! My name is Funeno Daikoku! Refer to me as Teacher Funeno. Now, let's crack open those books, shall we?"
.
Teacher Funeno read the last name off his list. "Uchiha Ayae."
I raised my hand. "Here."
"Uchiha? Did I read that right? My! Third Uchiha in two years!" he said, shaking his head. "Why don't you sit here, Ayae?" He pointed to the empty seat in the middle table.
I did not want to move but did.
Tamaki was annoyed by the arranged seats. She liked her seat by the window. Now, she was stuck in the front. But she was happy that I would be sitting behind her.
Next to me was a girl with a ponytail and black tank top. The girl nodded at me. I smiled. She would be my new desk partner. Next to her was a boy, who glanced my way.
The rest of the class was not as nice. As soon as the teacher called my name, everyone stared at me. It felt like the first day of second grade again.
I copied my desk partner and looked at the teacher.
The teacher was saying which books we needed to read.
"… and a copy of starter's edition of Konoha, the History. Oh, and this is not on the list, but I recommend telling your parents to get Weapons and Techniques as well. It's going to help us throughout the course. Now, show me which books each of your parents got, and I'll tell you if it's the right edition."
The class muttered. Backpacks unzipped and unbuckled.
I panicked. I did not bring any books. I did not know we had to bring books.
Next to me, the girl was stacking book after book on the table. Each was about four centimeters thick. She got out a sack and dumped out shuriken. Real ones.
I squirmed. I dug through my backpack too. I did not want to be awkwardly sitting there and looking stupid.
I saw the scroll.
The teacher walked around. He was telling Tamaki how she had the wrong book.
"Oh, my mom must have gotten it from a different town. The bookstores here were sold out," Tamaki said.
The teacher told her to not worry. He moved to our table. He talked to the boy at the other end first. He did not bring much except for paper, and two out of the seven books. Then the girl. He pointed to the shuriken and said those would not be needed for now.
He went on about differences in book editions, since the girl had older editions. He then said something about meeting the girl's mother and needing to thank her for treating his dog.
I needed the extra time because my scroll would not open. I pried and pulled. I even banged it against my head.
I sighed and gave up. By accident, I brushed my finger against the end.
The scroll rolled wide open.
After the smoke cleared, my jaw dropped.
"Holy!" the teacher said, his hand going to his headband.
In front of me were… books.
On top of the scroll were textbooks, piled by edition and year. There were kunai and shuriken, new and shiny. There was paper bound together into a notebook. There were journals. There was writing stuff, including a brush and bottles of ink. There were scrolls wrapped in string, labeled 'chakra chart', 'elemental table', and 'jutsu variation', all done in Itachi's perfect handwriting.
I had no words.
The teacher was amazed. "My! My! This is outstanding! Remarkable! Someone came prepared!"
The teacher complimented me lots. He said how it was in my blood, to be so "exceptional" and "dedicated". By that point, I had shrunk in my seat, my whole face burning red. I could not tell him that Itachi did all this. Not when the whole class was listening. And glaring. Tamaki looked jealous.
The teacher told me to keep up the "outstanding job".
"Everyone should follow this fine example!" he told the class, arms wide.
Please kill me.
The teacher moved on. I rushed to get all this stuff out of my face. But I could not get the scroll to roll back up.
Then, I saw the note. 'After use, tap the base twice.'
Base? What was a "base"? I poked every part of the scroll like an idiot. Finally, I tried the ends. The scroll rolled up again. Everything was gone in a poof.
Someone behind me scowled. "Show off."
Turning around, I gave the boy the meanest look I had. Then I faced the front again and pretended I could not hear him.
"Excellent, excellent!" said the teacher. "The majority of you have done very well. For those who have forgotten this time, don't worry. We won't need anything today. In fact, we will begin with an exercise. To begin, give everyone at your table your name and two things about you. In ten minutes, your tablemates will introduce you to the class!"
With that, he let us go talk.
I turned to the girl and boy at my table.
"I'll start," said the girl. "My name is Hana. You are Minoji, and you are Ayae, right? As for two things about me, for one, I love dogs. Basically, my family is a clan of dog-lovers. You probably already know that. Also, my goal is to be a future vet."
The boy spoke up next. "Like you said, I'm Minoji. Two things about me... Well, my favorite animal is the squirrel because they are awesome. I don't really have a goal, but I think it'd be cool if I can become the first person to live only on nuts."
Both turned to me.
"I'm Ayae. I like cats! And um... I don't know about nuts, but I like ice cream a lot. Especially chocolate ice cream."
We got quiet after that.
In the back of the room, Ayame was befriending the girl and boy at her table. In front of me, Tamaki was talking about her summer.
The boy named Minoji spoke up again. "Hey, you mind telling me how you did that trick earlier?" he asked me.
"Trick?" I asked.
"With the scroll."
I was about to tell him that I did not know. The girl named Hana spoke up before I could.
"It's a summoning scroll," she said. "It's fairly easy. Just write down the right symbols on the paper, and then put in chakra to seal away the stuff you want. Then, when you want it back, open the scroll again and take out the chakra."
"That sounds cool. Can I buy one and do it?"
Hana frowned. "They cost a lot, and it's easy to mess up since you are writing in ink. And you must be able to use chakra well."
"I'm confused. What's chatora?" I asked.
"Cha…?"
"Tora…?"
My tablemates stared at me.
"What?" I asked.
"Oi," Hana said, scratching her head. "You mean chakra."
I blinked. "Yeah, that."
The teacher popped in. "Oh ho! Already discussing chakra? Never seen such enthusiastic students. Alright! Table three. Let's see what you learned about each other!"
The boy introduced the girl. The girl introduced me. And I told the class about the boy's thing with nuts.
The rest of the morning was question and answer.
"Teacher Funeno, are we ever going to learn the clone technique?" one kid asked.
"Ah, that question is always asked every year. I'm sorry to say not this year. The clone and the transformation technique are both advanced. They've been pushed back, so all of you won't learn it until two, maybe three years from now. It'll take practice!"
"Teacher, what about the enshrouding technique?"
"Yes! The cloak of invisibility technique is one we will cover very soon! In fact, we'll try to start it at the end of next week! Yes?"
"Teacher! Teacher! What about hand signs?"
"We start that second curriculum!"
"Teacher, what is a makibishi?"
"A makibishi is a tack that you throw on the ground. It's an ingenious design. I mean, how are you going to chase after someone when the floor is littered with sharp spikes? Ah, we will talk more about those later this year as well!"
I did not know anything that the students were asking about, but it sounded amazing. Becoming invisible. Moving at super-fast speeds. Making clones.
I could not keep still in my seat. I could not believe I almost missed out on all this.
.
"How was it?" Itachi asked.
I knocked his head with the scroll. "Itachi! You did that on purpose!"
"Did what?" he asked.
"You know what! Your scroll embarrassed me in front of the class!" I said. I glared at Shisui, who was laughing. "You were in on this, weren't you?"
Shisui pushed air. "Hey, hey! We Uchiha have a reputation to uphold!"
I pouted.
I hated their prank. I thanked them too. Books cost a lot. I did not think my dad could buy them.
Ninja school turned out to be hard. I had no clue what the teacher was saying half the time. I had to ask Hana for help. Every night, the homework got heavier and heavier. There was a lot of writing and no coloring. I missed coloring.
Then I learned something unfair. I got the toughest of all the third year teachers. When I saw Ginjiro's homework, I saw it was way easier than mine. Lucky!
Second week in, it was time to open the textbooks. In my bedroom, I set Itachi's scroll on my desk and brushed the seal.
I noticed the kunai. Curious, I tried grabbing one. The scroll got mad and shocked my hand. It shocked me again every time I went close to any of the weapons. The books were safe to touch though. I picked up Beginner's Ninja Training: Grade One. We had to read four pages on our first ninja topic: stealth.
"Lesson One," I read. "Stealth. The key to being a ninja, and not a samurai, is stealth. To be stealthy is to hide so another person would not know the ninja is there. To become stealthy, one must get rid of all hints of the ninja being there, or to cover their pre-sence. Senses. To understand, one needs to know the five senses. They are to see, to hear, to touch, to smell, and to taste. When seeing…"
The words went on. The pictures were funny. There was one that showed a stick figure holding up a big blanket. Another showed pictures of clothing, some with a check mark and some with a big X over them. I flipped to the page at the end of the chapter and found scribbling.
'Disguise stimuli.'
I could tell that was not part of the textbook, since it was handwritten. I squinted and realized that I had no clue what the words meant. Or if they were words at all. The handwriting was Itachi's.
That was when I remembered I was using Itachi's old school supplies. So he must have once read this same textbook.
Flipping through more pages, I saw more scribbling. A whole chapter was crossed out.
'Discard. Properties supplemented by chakra suppression.'
Nope. No idea what it said.
I finished what I had to read and began Konoha, the History. This book was boring. Itachi had written in the history book even more than in the ninja book. My eye twitched. Still, beggars could not be choosers.
In class, we began our first technique of the year. It was cloaking. Teacher Funeno made us each stand next to a wall and cover ourselves with a cloth. The cloth had a picture of the wall, and tada! Invisible!
It sounded cooler when he said it.
My name was the first one called, since Teacher Funeno liked to pick me. He handed me the cloth. I tried to hold it up without shaking. I did a good job because he congratulated me on my "excellence".
Cloaking looked easy, but you could mess up. Some kids held the cloth the wrong way or had their hands and feet showing, so the class would snicker.
At the end of the month, we had a pop quiz. The quiz was bad. Only Tamaki, Hana, and the brat behind me passed. And they barely passed. When everyone complained, the teacher gave an excited speech on ninja lesson number 31! Expect the unexpected! The class groaned.
The only thing worse than the quizzes was the math. I hated the problem sets. I hated the drills. We had to answer what 315 times 21 is in a second flat. We were given pictures and had to know how many kilometers long the road is, or exactly how many people were in a crowd. After every math class, I was so embarrassed. I studied day and night to be better at math.
Ninja school was tough. But I felt I was also learning too slowly. I peeked at the advanced books. The clone technique would not be taught until fifth or sixth grade. I would be so much older then. It was saddening when I thought of Itachi and Shisui. They could do those things now.
One day, I went to a ninja store. I put all my allowance on the counter and bought an invisibility cloak. I decided to prank my cousins with it the next morning. The cloak I bought looked like grass, so I lied in a field of grass and pulled the cloak over my body.
It did not work as I planned.
Shisui would not stop laughing. Itachi pointed out that I had the grass picture on the inside.
I slapped my face.
The next week, I tried something else to improve. I went to the training fields. I had to ask many people for directions, but I got there. I got super lucky because I found the person I was looking for.
"Kurenai!"
Kurenai was in the middle of a kick. She landed gracefully.
She wiped away her sweat. "Ayae! Nice to see you. How is Ms. Hyuuga doing?"
"Great! We've got three more dancers."
Kurenai took out a bottle of water. She sat down, her legs tucked in. "So, you said you have some questions to ask me. Come, sit," she said, patting the grass beside her.
I plopped down. I told her about the Academy.
She listened, nodding. "The Academy is hard, Ayae, but it seems you've got it down. You're doing your best. What's the problem, then?"
I fidgeted. "It isn't getting me far. I mean, I'm sitting inside all day multiplying numbers. I thought, I don't know, I thought that I would be doing the cool ninja stuff like... with swords and stuff."
Kurenai laughed. Shuffling her hair, she said, "I know it may seem like the things you're doing are pretty useless now, but I promise you they are the most important things any ninja will need."
I stared at her in disbelief. She added, "And it may seem like your progress is slow because you aren't seeing direct results. But you're moving faster than you know. The Academy is designed so that by the time you graduate, you will be able to do the cool ninja stuff."
At that, I grew hopeful.
Then she winked and said, "And to let you in on a secret, the normal school's math is even harder."
I gasped. "No way!"
She smiled. She gave me studying advice. Then, she let me watch her train. She even taught me how to do roundhouse kicks.
By the time I left, I was gasping and sweating and ready to face anything.
.
Itachi gave a soft hiss. I winced and lowered my textbook. Then I raised my textbook again to cover my eyes.
The living room had boxes of medicine all over the floor. It smelled like a hospital.
"Itachi dear, I am going to ask you again. What happened earlier today?" Aunt Mikoto asked.
No words.
Aunt Mikoto got impatient. "What happened?"
"Nothing, Mother."
Aunt Mikoto pressed a wet cotton ball against his wound. Hard. Itachi clenched his jaw.
There was something funny going on with Itachi. I had been catching him with more and more bruises and cuts. But whatever I saw, it would be gone the next day.
I had a bruise on my leg. It had been a week, but my bruise was still there. I wondered how Itachi got better so fast.
Aunt Mikoto seemed to know what was going on, but she did not say anything until today. Itachi got hurt really badly today.
"Tell me! What was it? Mission? Training? Was this your father's doing?"
"It is nothing, Mother."
"Nothing! You dare call this nothing?" Aunt Mikoto got louder.
Itachi would not talk.
Having enough, Aunt Mikoto grabbed his dirty shirt on the floor. She went upstairs to get a clean one. She told me to yell if he tried to leave.
I nodded.
My textbook was against my nose, so close that the writing was blurry. I was scared to look up. Looking at blood made my stomach queasy. So I kept my ears open. Itachi did not move.
Aunt Mikoto came back with a clean shirt for Itachi to wear. His wounds were hidden now, so it was safe to look.
I wanted to throw up. The floor was red, the bandages were red, and the water was red. I slammed the textbook back on my face.
Aunt Mikoto grabbed her bag. "I'm taking you to a hospital."
"That is not necessary."
She slapped him. "Itachi! Your back is torn open! I'm amazed you even thought of sneaking home and treating this yourself. Come, Ayae."
"What about Sasuke? He'd be home alone," Itachi said.
At this, Aunt Mikoto stopped. She could not leave Sasuke alone in the house.
"I can stay and watch him," I mumbled into the ink smudging my cheeks. I met Itachi's gaze and...
Daggers.
Aunt Mikoto agreed with me. "Okay. I'm sorry to leave you here like this, Ayae dear, but it's an emergency. Feel free to eat whatever is in the fridge, okay?"
"Okay."
Jingle. Click.
"Mother!"
"You thought I was going to take you outside of this house just like that?" Aunt Mikoto said. She pocketed the key to the handcuff. "Be careful, Ayae dear!"
She pulled her son by the cuff and led them out.
When they were gone, I peeled the textbook off of my face. I went to the kitchen. I saw leftover shrimp in the fridge. I snatched it and ate it cold.
I lied down on the couch and read more textbooks. Sasuke was asleep the whole time, so I did not have to do anything.
When Aunt Mikoto came back, she tossed Itachi to the couch. He was grounded. Itachi tried to change her mind. She did not listen.
"Torn tissue, excessive internal and external bleeding, possible fracture, and we will have to return for a second screening. There is no way you are leaving this house, young man!"
"But—"
"No talking back!"
Defeated, Itachi went quiet.
Aunt Mikoto cleaned up the living room. She washed the dishes, then went upstairs to check up on Sasuke.
I lied on the couch, reading my book upside down.
"What happened?" I asked Itachi.
Itachi did not answer me either. I was worried. A paper cut hurt. I could not imagine a trip to the hospital.
I put my book down. "Auntie is really worried," I said.
Itachi looked at the stairs. He lowered his gaze. He had nothing to say.
I decided to cheer him up. Grounded was not the worst thing. For me, it meant I could spend the day with him. I chatted about school. Itachi helped me with homework. He was a good tutor. He could teach things much better than my textbooks.
Aunt Mikoto was folding sheets when she saw us around a textbook. She had an idea. "Why not go with her to school tomorrow, Itachi?"
"I've graduated."
"Yeah, but you left so quickly, you missed the fun of it." She added, "That or you can stay home."
I liked Aunt Mikoto's idea. I begged him to come.
The next day, Itachi came with me to school. But when we entered my classroom, I saw only half the class. All the girls were gone.
I forgot seminars were starting today. The girls and the boys were split up for the seminars. The girls went with Teacher Suzume to talk about female ninjas. The boys went with Teacher Funeno to talk about male ninjas.
"Itachi, my boy! What are you doing back here?" Teacher Funeno asked.
Itachi bowed. "Teacher Funeno."
"My! And after all this time, you still remember me! Tell me, how have you been doing?"
"Well. My team is being considered for the Chuunin Exam this winter."
"Wonderful! I told you, didn't I? Brilliant student, just brilliant," Teacher Funeno said, shaking his head. "Well, since you're here, please join us for the shinobi seminar! You would be the perfect role model for me to present to the class."
Itachi looked uncomfortable. I saw classmates whispering. They did not look friendly.
"With no disrespect sir, I came to accompany my cousin. I intend to stay by her."
Disappointed, Teacher Funeno patted Itachi on the back. Itachi winced.
"Next time then!"
The girls would be in the fields. As we left the classroom, I whispered to Itachi, "You didn't have to come with me. Now you're going to be learning girly stuff."
He sighed. "It's fine. Teacher Funeno can get carried away at times."
I agreed.
In the fields, there was a teacher with curly hair and thick glasses. All the third year girls sat down around her. We were the last to arrive.
"Itachi? What are you doing here?" Tamaki asked, eyes wide.
Ayame was confused too. She blushed and looked away.
Dai and Setsu both turned around at the same time. They wrestled each other to move aside so he could sit between them.
Itachi got lots of attention.
"Hey, you can sit by me," a girl said, scooting over.
"Or here!"
"No, me!"
"Hey! That's Itachi, the kid who graduated," one girl whispered.
"He's cute," the second girl whispered back.
There was giggling.
"Still fine?" I mumbled to Itachi. He said nothing.
The teacher coughed and got everyone to hush down. "Okay, you two standing, what are your names?"
"Uchiha Ayae."
"Uchiha Itachi."
The girls squealed.
"It seems we have a guest," the teacher said, pushing up her glasses. "This was not planned, but I think this will help us greatly. Come here, you two."
I led Itachi to the teacher. We stood side by side. The teacher introduced everyone to the female ninja seminar. We were here to learn about female ninjas, or kunoichi.
"Everyone, as you know, there are several differences you should keep in mind when it comes to shinobi and kunoichi. For example, Itachi here is a shinobi, while Ayae here is a kunoichi. Can anyone spot differences between these two?" the teacher asked.
"Um, he's hot? She's not?" said a girl with blue hair.
The girls giggled.
The teacher tried to be serious. "No," she said. "Yes?"
"He's taller."
"Very good!"
I pouted. I looked at Itachi. I did not think he was any taller.
"Typically, shinobi are taller than kunoichi. That gives them several advantages in combat, such as kicks and leverage," the teacher said. She pointed to our legs. "See here? In taijutsu, or hand to hand, if both were to do a cross-kick, who would hit who first? The shinobi, in most cases.
"But! The kunoichi, on the other hand, has a better dodging ability. Kunoichi are naturally more agile." The teacher pointed to my hips. "It is not noticeable now, but as you know, a grown woman will gain wider hips, thus allowing her a better degree of movement. So, back in combat, should she have lost the counter-kick, her ability to dodge and regain her footing is greater."
She talked more about our body, using us as dummies. She said boys got muscles easier because of bio-chem-mystery. Boys had more chakra. But girls had more endurance. Girls had better chakra control.
"Of course, these are all generalizations. There are exceptions. For example, have any of you studied the legendary Sannin?"
No one raised their hand.
"No one?"
"The snake, the slug, and the toad sages who studied under the third Hokage," Itachi said. "The exception referred to is Lady Tsunade, the slug tamer, who has the most power of the three in terms of brute force."
"Correct!"
The teacher went on. I stood awkwardly. I grew stiff. Itachi coughed and got the teacher's attention.
"Oh, you two may sit down now. Thank you very much for helping with my explanation."
Phew.
I took a seat next to Tamaki. Itachi sat next to me. A ring of girls sat around him.
I tried to pay attention to the teacher, and him or the girls. The teacher gave our first lecture: disguise and interrogation.
"Disguise is key when it comes to being a kunoichi. One must know how to pass off as a common civilian. This is perhaps the best way to obtain information. Instead of making a scene, you can make the target accidentally give it away instead, and without them realizing."
Teacher Suzume told us how to hide ninja gear. She told us about using wigs and contacts.
"But even then, it may be impossible to extract what you need. It depends on the target itself, and while some are open and talkative, others require further persuasion."
A hand shot up.
"Yes?"
"By persuasion, do you mean the art of seduction?"
The crowd giggled.
The teacher pushed up her glasses. "Err, yes. In some cases, ninjas can use their sex appeal to their advantage. However, that is straying from the point, and you kids will learn more about that as you get older."
Her words caused more giggling.
"Okay! So let's see what you have all learned. Partner up. I want each of you to take a slip, then extract the correct information from the other person. When the bell rings, switch to a different person."
The box passed around. I dug my hand in for a slip at the very bottom. I handed the box to Itachi. He took the top slip.
I unfolded my slip. 'Favorite color.'
Ha! Easy.
"Hey Ita—" He was gone, pulled away by a long haired girl. Guess he was not my partner. I turned the other way and paired up with Tamaki.
"Remember girls! You have to be inconspicuous. Do not give the other person any clue as to what you are trying to achieve. When you get your information, raise your hand."
Tamaki held out a hand. "Hi. What's your name?"
I blinked. "Tamaki, you already know my name."
"Well, we are just meeting each other for the first time. We are role-playing, remember?"
Going along with it, I shook her hand. "My name's Ayae. You?"
Tamaki's hand shot up. "I got your name!"
Oh, not fair! Lucky her, getting an easy one.
The bell dinged.
I partnered with a new girl.
"Hi!"
"Ello."
"Nice to meet you." I was careful this time. I should not give any more information than needed.
"Sure. Listen, I just came into town and I'm new. Do you know a good place to eat?"
"Um, not really. I don't eat out a lot." I mentally slapped myself. No more information than needed! I told myself.
"Oh. If you were to go somewhere, where would you go to eat?"
"I guess at Ichiraku's… or some dessert shops." I added the last part to keep her guessing.
"Really? You like salty foods like ramen? Or sweet things?"
I sweated. "Both?"
"What kind of ramen or sweets? I like sugary foods too, you know. Is it cake?"
Okay, she needed something about food.
"I like a lot of foods," I said, shrugging.
The girl frowned. "I like lemon cakes. Do you like those?"
"You like lemon cakes? Why?"
"I just like lemon. That's not my favorite food, though!"
"I like lemons too. I like it because it's yellow."
"Me too! I like yellow."
"Really?"
"Yup! It's my favorite color."
I raised my hand.
The bell dinged.
It went on like that. I tried to fish out everyone's favorite color. I learned that if I talked about shoes or clothes, most girls would start talking.
"You think they're cute? Thank you! Me and my mom and sister went with me to the market and we saw them in the window and we all went oh my gosh, they would look so cute but my sister wanted them too and we didn't want to be wearing the same because that's stupid…"
And she went on, and on, and on.
I was about to walk away when she said, "And then, and then, we saw another pair, but it was white, not pink, so my sister got those since it had the shiny beads in them and—"
"You would have picked pink. Pink is a great color," I fished.
"I know! Don't tell her, but her loss. I LOVE pink. I have whole outfits—"
"Is it your favorite color?"
"No DUH!"
I raised my hand.
"Phooey. That was what you wanted to know, wasn't it? So, where was I? My sister got the white ones which I thought was just ew…"
I ran.
"Pst! Ayame! Save me!" I said, hiding behind her. The girl was still talking. She didn't even know I was gone.
Ding!
"Partner?" Ayame asked.
"Yes! Please!" I begged.
We just talked. I already knew she liked pink, so it would be unfair.
Ding!
"So, how was your vacation?" I asked a frilly girl.
"…"
"I don't think we've met."
"…"
"Okay. Well, now we meet. What's your name?"
"…"
"You know, you do have to talk," I told the girl, frustrated.
"Huh? Oh, sorry. I thought if I didn't talk, then you can't get any info from me."
I slapped my face. "Then how are you going to get your info from me?"
"Oh. Hadn't thought of that." She paused. "Keep talking."
"Hey!"
"…"
"Two can play at this game."
"…"
"…"
"…"
"Okay, one. This is stupid."
Ding!
It was the blue haired girl.
"How are you from the same clan? Tch, I'm sorry but he is just so much better looking than you. What a waste. I mean, come on! You look disgusting."
I jumped on her.
Our fight broke up when Tamaki pulled me away. I tried to reach out. I want to pull her blue hair. Must. Reach. And. Pull. Must!
"You crazy!" Blue Hair shrieked.
"Calm down, Ayae!" Tamaki said.
"Let go!" I squirmed.
"Come on. She's not worth it."
"Yeah, leave with her. None of you are pretty enough for Itachi anyway!" Blue Hair pulled down her lower eyelid.
Tamaki stopped. "Excuse me?" she asked politely.
"Yeah, you heard me!" Blue Hair said. "Only one person is pretty enough, and that's me."
"I don't have blue hair," Tamaki said.
"And I don't have an ugly face! Crazy and ugly, ugly and crazy," Blue Hair sang.
"And what makes you think Itachi finds you pretty?" Tamaki asked.
"Why wouldn't he?" Blue Hair said, hands on her hips. "But I know you, Tamaki, swooning all over him first grade. Him turning you down was hilarious."
Tamaki cracked her knuckles.
"Your face matched the color of your shirt!"
Another crack.
"I-Itachi, want to have lunch together?" Blue Hair copied Tamaki's voice.
Tamaki's chest rose. But then, she exhaled. She smiled politely. "Do you know I play the flute?"
"So? That's nothing special—"
Punch.
"Come on, Ayae. Let's go." Tamaki stomped away, her pigtails bouncing with every step.
Ding!
"Interesting."
"Eep!" I spun around to find Itachi. "What the— You were just over there!"
"Partner?"
I crossed my arms. "Thought you were busy."
"Not anymore," he said, pointing to Tamaki. All the girls had gone to crown Tamaki their new fanclub leader.
I pouted. "Miss your fans?"
"Some."
"Glad you are having fun," I grumbled.
I tried to fish out his favorite color. I got nowhere. He gave the stupidest answers. Yes. No. Sometimes. Depends. I prefer not to answer. Irrelevant. I gave up and just asked what his favorite color was.
He had none.
I wasted five minutes of my life.
The bell dinged. I was surrounded by girls again. No, Itachi was surrounded by girls again.
"Looks like the boy is the one doing the seducing here," the teacher muttered. "Got these poor girls in the palm of his hand."
I sweatdropped.
