My classmates were strong. It made sense that clan kids would have a leg up, but I hadn't expected them to be equal to or better than me. Sure, I'd enrolled late, but I'd been training with my parents, two chunin, every opportunity I could, and worked on my own outside of that. Seriously, what were they putting in the milk around here?

In the academic disciplines, I was always at the top of the board with my cousin Ido behind me. I had graduated from college in my past life, so elementary mathematics was no sweat for me. Battle tactics and history were also easy for me due to my past life. I'd watched a lot of documentaries on medieval wars and battles and seen most of Naruto, so I knew who all the important figures were and what they did.

The athletic aspect of the class was a different matter entirely.

"Oof!" I grunted as I was knocked flat on my back for the third time in a row.

"That's enough!" Sensei called, sounding bored. "The winner is Akiko Uchiha. Make the seal of reconciliation."

I had a frown fixed on my face as I stood up and begrudgingly held my hand out to the smug Uchiha girl who'd handed me my ass. She completed the seal of reconciliation with an impassive look on her face, as if I was inconsequential, then went back to stand with her clanmates. Somehow, an Uchiha could look dismissive and arrogant at the same time. It must have been one of the abilities they gained from their bloodline.

I hung my head as I left the sparring ring.

I wasn't bad at sparring, but I wasn't good either. I hovered around the upper middle rankings of our class. I was similarly ranked in weapon disciplines and the foot races our class held at the end of every week. That would be good for a kid to show to their parents for them to be proud, but it wasn't enough to rise to be strong enough for me to bring my plan to fruition. I'd asked my parents for help training, but they were picking up missions again. Apparently, now that they didn't need to watch me, they wanted to get back out there. I neglected to mention they weren't there all that much to begin with, but that was just my bitterness at getting my ass beat by a little girl showing.

I sighed as I watched a Hyuga kid absolutely body one of my civilian classmates. The scrawny kid didn't have a chance.

"Winner Misaki Hyuga. Make the seal of reconciliation." Sensei called.

"What! No way, sensei! I can still fight!" the civilian kid said as he forced himself to his feet, his teeth grit in pain.

Sensei looked at him tiredly. "You're outside the circle, Jiro. Make the seal and get out of the way so the next pair can go."

The civilian, Jiro, had a nasty look on his face as he made the seal of reconciliation before stomping off to pout. It was really childish. His arms were crossed, his head was hung, his bottom lip was even stuck out. He almost looked like…

I looked down at myself. I was sitting exactly like him. I grunted and righted my posture. I refused to pout. I did not pout, I schemed. Yes. Scheming was much better than pouting. I was going to plot and scheme and figure out a way to beat the smug indifference off that Uchiha girl's face. I didn't know how indifference could be smug, but the Uchiha somehow managed it.

I took a deep breath to calm down. It was hard to properly plan when you let your emotions run rampant. My goal here was to improve my physical capabilities. How could I go about that?

The first thing that came to mind was trying to track down Might Guy and show him my youth, but I did away with that thought immediately. Might Guy was one of the strongest Jonin in Konoha. He didn't have time to train random Academy kids, and even if he did, I had other things I wanted to work on in addition to my physical capabilities. I wanted to work on jutsu.

I was a Nara, descended from a long line of ninja. As a result, my chakra capacity was well above average. I didn't have as much as an Uchiha or a Senju would, but even as an academy student, I already had equal or more than your typical genin. That was a lot. As a Nara, I would also likely be taught the clan's signature shadow-based ninjutsu, but I didn't want to be just another Nara. I wanted to excel. I wanted to have options other than holding my enemy in place for my team to kill them. Shadow imitation was incredibly useful, but relying on a single tool was a good way to wind up dead in the ninja world. I wanted to explore other ways to use my chakra.

But that was for the future, for now, I still needed to find a way to get better with taijutsu. My parents weren't around much, and bothering the other Nara clan members for lessons might make me into a nuisance, so I'd rather avoid that if possible. Still, what did that leave? It wasn't like I could walk up to an Uchiha and ask for help.

I looked around at my classmates as a thought occurred to me.

…Actually, why couldn't I? There were several students in my class that were all far ahead of me in taijutsu, likely due to their parent's and clan's teaching. Why couldn't I get one of them to help me? I'd need to have something they wanted to trade for lessons, but that wasn't too hard to work out. I was the top academic student in the class. I could barter tutoring in academics for tutoring in taijutsu and weapon training. But who to approach?

My eyes wandered back to Akiko, the Uchiha girl that had beaten me. I frowned and shook my head.

No. I could swallow my pride and ask her for help in the interest of getting strong, but closely associating with the Uchiha wasn't a good idea right now. From what I remembered of the plot, the Uchiha massacre would occur in the somewhat near future – I wasn't familiar enough with the series to know the exact timeline – and I didn't want to be seen as a traitor associated with them.

Now, I hear what you're saying. Why am I not trying to stop the Uchiha massacre? Am I heartless? Don't I care for my fellow villagers?

Let's see how that would go, shall we?

'Hokage-sama! Your best friend Danzo is totally a traitor that's going to get the Uchiha killed!'

At best, the Hokage laughs me off as childish naivete. Most likely, I get severely reprimanded for questioning my elders and making up tall tales. At worst, I either get thrown in T&I or Danzo scoops me up and disappears me.

'Oh, I know! I'll become Itachi's friend and convince him to stop!'

Become the friend of a psychopath willing to murder his entire family on the orders of a bunch of controlling old coots? I don't care how good his intentions were. If my friend is willing to kill me because someone told them to, they aren't my friend. Besides, Itachi wasn't at the Academy. He'd likely already graduated and didn't want to put up with Academy kids talking to him when he's off doing actual combat stuff.

'I'll use my super reincarnated skills to fight off Itachi and stop the massacre myself!'

Hmm, what's wrong with this idea? It could definitely work. Oh right! Obito.

There is no Kami-damned way I could put up a farce of a fight against Itachi let alone Obito as I am right now. I've been training since my body was old enough to handle it, but I guess I wasn't drinking the same milk other self inserts were because I'm still just a kid. I haven't suddenly turned into an S-class toddler by the power of 'reasons'. As evidenced by my spar today, there are other children that can kick my ass. I'm not fighting Obito.

So, that means unless I think of something clever that will allow me to keep myself out of the firing line, I'm not doing anything to stop the Uchiha massacre. I like living, and I plan to stay alive this go around. I am not going to endanger myself for a bunch of strangers when I have no viable way of keeping everyone alive that doesn't rely on the Hokage buying the story of a kid. Even if he believed me, he would probably think I had unlocked some unknown bloodline and set me to breeding bull duty. No thank you.

Strength. Freedom. Life. That was my nindo, and I was going to stick to it.

So, that meant asking for help from the Uchiha was out. Who else could I try? The Akimichi were good in close quarters, but their style relied on their mass advantage. I was a comparatively scrawny Nara. If I tried to fight like an Akimichi, I'd end up way over my head.

I pursed my lips as I thought of another alternative.

"Alright, brats. We're done for the day. Go home or wherever it is you are when you aren't bothering me." Sensei said, pulling a flask out of her chunin jacket and taking a swig. I wasn't sure she was allowed to drink on school grounds, but she was off the clock and I wasn't going to pick a needless fight by asking her about it.

As the students began dispersing, I jogged after one of my classmates and said, "Excuse me, Hyuga-san? Could I have a moment of your time?"

The girl, Misaki Hyuga, looked over her shoulder at me and fixed me with a suspicious look. "What do you need, Nara-san?" she asked slowly, turning to face me, her hands held in front of her properly.

"Thank you, Hyuga-san. I want to improve my taijutsu, but I have been unable to find a sparring partner. I was wondering if you would be interested in helping me improve. In exchange, I would be willing to tutor you in the written portions of the class."

A small frown pulled at Misaki's lips. "You believe I am struggling in class?"

I shook my head. "Not at all. I just want to be the best ninja I can be. If I can help my fellow students be the best they can be at the same time, then I believe that is an avenue worth pursuing."

Her frown was still fixed in place as she mulled over my words. It was looking like she would refuse. If she did, I'd ask my other classmates. If that failed, I would need to–

"I will think about your proposal, Nara-san. I will let you know my decision after school tomorrow." Misaki said, pulling me from my thoughts.

I smiled wide and bowed shallowly. "Thank you for your consideration, Hyuga-san. And please, call me Shinto."

"You can call me Misaki, Shinto." Misaki spun around and walked away without another word.

It wasn't a yes, but it wasn't a no either. If I could get a Hyuga, a clan that specialized in all forms of taijutsu, as my sparring partner, I'd improve leaps and bounds. It would probably be a painful process, but the progress would be worth the pain.

I left the Academy, taking my time on my way back to the Nara compound. My parents were both out on a mission, so I was on my own for the time being, and I'd aged out of ninja daycare. That meant I had to keep myself occupied. I had an idea for that.

I walked to the public shinobi library and used a henge to turn myself into a young genin complete with a headband. I was taller than I was normally, and my black, unruly hair had turned brown.

"Hi, chunin-san!" I greeted the chunin attendant in a bubbly voice that no one would ever associate with a Nara.

The chunin looked over the top of his book at me lazily. "Don't burn anything down and don't bother me." he said tiredly, turning a page in his book as he lost interest in me.

Huh. I wasn't expecting this to be so easy.

I passed the chunin and started combing the shelves. Genin were only allowed on the first floor of the library. The first floor was mainly filled with history and battle tactics. Even the upper floors were more-or-less filled with chakra exercises. Jutsu scrolls and the like were stored elsewhere so they could be hoarded and protected, but there were some useful things in the library. I found a book that helped with the tree-walking exercise and a book about projecting chakra strings and took both of them. Apparently, both were low-level enough that pretty much every ninja worth their salt could pull them off, so Konoha had no issue with genin trying them out. Why none of the students in canon Naruto never thought to raid the library under henge was a mystery to me, but it had worked out pretty well.

"Bye, chunin-san!" I called as I was leaving.

"Don't damage the books or you have to pay for their replacements." he warned disinterestedly, turning another page in his book. He didn't even try to stop or look more closely at me. Was that guy really a chunin?

I let my henge fade a few blocks away from the library and made my way home. I waved to the sleeping guards at the gate and walked the short distance home. When I got inside, there was someone waiting for me.

"Sh-Shikaku-sama," I caught my curse and swiftly turned it into a greeting as I bowed to the Nara clan head, Shikamaru's father.

Shikaku was sitting at my family's dining room table with his arms crossed over his chest. "Eventful day at school?" he asked dryly. Why did he care? He was the clan head. I was practically a clan nobody.

"Yes, Shikaku-sama. Forgive my poor manners. Can I get you anything?"

"I don't need any food. My wife is cooking dinner. I just came by at the request of the jonin in charge of the library. Apparently, a student from the Academy used a henge to check out books as a genin. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?" Shikaku said, looking pointedly at the two books in my hand.

I swallowed heavily. I knew getting the books had been too easy. I could either deny when Shikaku was literally looking at me with the evidence in my hands, or I could come clean.

I bowed and held the books forward. "I apologize for my actions. It was not my intention to make the Nara clan be held responsible for my actions." He knew it was me. Denying it would just piss him off. Maybe this way, he wouldn't forbid me from going back to the Academy. If he banned me from learning for a stupid attempt to decieve professional ninja, I was royally screwed.

Shikaku snorted, leaning back in his chair. "You're one troublesome kid. If you weren't the spitting image of your parents, I'd wonder whether you were really a Nara." Shikaku sighed, slowly standing up and stretching. His hand flicked down, and I caught a glimmer as something shiny was flung towards me.

I nearly dropped my books trying to catch the small key Shikaku had thrown me. "Shikaku-sama, what is this?" I asked hesitantly.

Shikaku's shoulders slumped as he put his hands in his pockets. "Key to the Nara library. Don't worry about the guards. I already told them to let you in. Don't touch what they tell you not to touch, but everything else is fair. Feel free to stop in whenever. You can't take anything out of it, and don't try anything new without supervision, but feel free to drop in whenever. Bye now." He started walking towards the door.

"I'm not in trouble?" I barked out in surprise.

Shikaku stopped at the door, raising an eyebrow over his shoulder at me. "Are we going to punish you for trying to infiltrate a fortified location to extract information? No. Just don't get caught next time. They'll toss you out if they catch you again. And if you don't get caught, it isn't my problem. Return those books after school tomorrow or they'll take them back. Troublesome kid." Shikaku left, closing the door behind him as he continued mumbling about my 'troublesomeness'.

I blinked in shock as I stared at the door. It made sense a chunin could see through my very flawed henge, but they let me go and talked to Shikaku about it with enough time for him to be waiting in my house when I got back? Ninja were fast. I seriously needed to step up my training.

I clasped the bronze key in my hand tight as a wide smile spread across my lips. The Nara library would have jutsu scrolls, chakra exercises, taijutsu styles, everything I needed to get stronger fast.

I debated going to the library now, but I only had one night with the books from the library. I needed to make the most of it. I scampered up the stairs to my room and pulled out a notebook. I flipped through both books and took as many notes as I possibly could. I didn't get much sleep that night.

X

Today had been stressful for Shikaku Nara. A team of chunin they'd dispatched to the Land of Stone two months ago had finally returned. The reason they were so late was because two of them had been caught in an explosion that took off both of their legs. Their teammates had to carry them to Konoha on their backs.

Shikaku spent the entire day combing over reports of the success of the mission and the details about the nin his team encountered. Five experienced chunin were defeated by three fleeing men. They hadn't even been trying to fight his chunin. The unknown nin just wanted to get away. What he was trying to get away from, none of the chunin under him knew, but it was enough to scare a trio of nin who took out five experienced chunin at once.

Shikaku had to reorganize teams, arrange for medical discharges, talk to the Hokage…

Shikaku sighed as he sat down. And silently began eating the food his wife had left out for him. Yoshino was probably putting Shikamaru to bed. He was home too late to see his son again.

Shikaku's mind drifted to another young boy. Shinto Nara had been a point of gossip among the clan for a couple years now. The boy dragged his parents out to train almost everyday. He was the only Nara Shikaku had ever seen to be so enthusiastic about anything. It was producing scary results.

Shinto had apparently learned the henge while no one was looking, mastering it to the point where a chunin wasn't able to see through it. Granted, the chunin in question didn't pay much attention and was more interested in his book – Gojo had been irate about that and made sure to make it all Shikaku's problem – but Shinto still slipped by a chunin.

There was little Shikaku could do about Shinto. He could either punish him and stunt his growth, or encourage some antics and keep an eye on him. Even though it would be troublesome, Shikaku chose the latter. Shinto was motivated, and motivation was sorely lacking among the Nara clan. Maybe Shinto's attitude was what they needed to get them going again? Shinto was already showing potential. Who knew what he'd be like in ten years if he continued like he was.

Shikaku sighed, laying his head down on the table. He was going to have to do so much work.