Chapter 30 Graduation

The day had finally arrive. After years of waiting and training, the day of graduation was here. Because of the law, the third Hokage passed; The law required students to spend at least four years in the academy. Prodigies were advise to graduate with their peers after four years.

As a result of the law, the academy expanded its curriculum. The basics were expound upon, and we learned how to use them in combat. This, in theory, would lessen the burden placed on the jonin teaches, and better prepare the students for the shinobi world.

Neji graduated the year prior, and so it was our turn. The start of the story had officially begun, and everyone was excited.

"Sakura," mother called from the kitchen. "It's time to go!"

I ran the brush through my pink hair once more before placing it on the dresser.

"I'll be down in a minute!" I called back.

It had been 12 years since I reincarnated into the world of shinobi as Sakura Haruno. Since then, a lot of things have happened. If you asked me before I died where I would like to reincarnate, the shinobi world would not be on that list. However, the comic being that brought me to this world, with my memories intact, didn't ask my opinion.

I wasn't complaining, honest.

Since coming to this world, I have had experiences I wouldn't have otherwise.

A shinobi used my walls as a running platform shaking my walls. I looked out the window to see a squad of them leaping by. I opened the window as they passed and looked out, pink hair in the wind.

People leaping through the air was a regular sight for this village. Only children reacted to shinobis running by most days. Some shinobis would go unnoticed even if they bumped into someone.

I smiled as I gazed at the shinobis in the distance, my emerald eyes twinkling. Soon I too would be soaring through the sky with my comrades by my side. My face became flush as I thought of the cringy scene.

"Sakura!"

I looked down onto the street to find said comraded looked up at me.

Dressed in a blue high collar shirt, white shorts hand, and leg warmer, my Uchiha peer gave me a flat look. In contrast, my golden blond round race Uzumaki grinned at me as he waved his hands wildly. His orange and blue jacket with orange collar and orange pants made him look chubbier than he actually was.

"Let's go already!" Naruto called excited.

"Right!" I called back.

I rushed downstairs, where my parents sat eating breakfast. I kissed mother on the cheek, taking a sandwich, and walking over to father. His sakura-shaped hair was as impressive as ever as I kissed his forehead and sipped his tea.

I turned around and waved, "I'll be back a genin!" I declared.

They waved as I closed the door behind me.

I leaped over the stair railing, landing in a crouch.

"What took you so long?" Sasuke asked.

I stood, adjusting my waist-long pink hair and smoothing out my red qipao. My muscles flexed beneath my ankle tights as I walked to them. With nails polished pink with light eye shadow, I looked like the original Sakura Haruno.

I stood between them as I walked towards the academy, listening to naruto rant about not wanting to be late, while Sasuke reminded him he failed every exam until now.

"Finally," the voice inside my head said, "Let the bloodshed begin."

For some odd reason, I was being hunted by Madara Uchiha.

"Sasuke-kun!"

Ino Yamanaka tackled Sasuke in a hug as soon as we stepped through the door. I scowled at her shameless action. What was more frustrating was that Sasuke didn't throw her off. Thinking back, he was very tolerable of the girls fonding over him.

I gave the two a suspicious look.

"Sasuke, this Sasuke that," Naruto mumbled, rightfully pissed. "she never greets me in the morning."

"Even I feel left out," I said with a pout.

"We should ditch Sasuke when we become genins."

"You think so?"

"I can hear you two, you know," Sasuke grumbled.

"Alright, everyone settling down," Iruka said as he entered the room along with his silver-haired companion.

Mizuki. The first villain of the story.

In the original story of Naruto, after failing to graduate, Naruto was tricked into stealing the Scrolls of Seals by Mizuki. Shinobis, by order of the Hokage, went searching for Naruto. Iruka, his homeroom teacher, was the first to find him.

However, Mizuki soon arrived and attacked them. Iruka was injured trying to protect Naruto, who was then told a devastating truth. He was the host of the nine tails that killed Iruka's parents and nearly destroyed the village. The truth proved too much for Naruto, who ran away from both Mizuki and Iruka.

It wasn't until Naruto heard Iruka declare that he never hated him but saw him as another ninja, did Naruto regain his fighting spirit. He then used a superior version of the jutsu he previously failed to beat Mizuki to a pulp. Iruka gave Naruto his headband and passed him.

That was how the story went, but our reality wasn't the same.

Iruka and Naruto were awkward around each other; this was true for the original story as well, however; through a chance encounter, Iruka learned to accept Naruto. This chance encounter never happened. When Naruto went into the forest to rob corpses, he brought Sasuke and me along, which meant our "guardians" were also there.

Despite our goals being dishonorable on earth, they were widely accepted in the shinobi villages. Searching the corpses of fallen enemies could yield valuable information after all. There was a small battle in the forest of Konoha, and the area was restricted. Naturally, Naruto led the charge.

Our adventure doubled as training for Sasuke's Sharingan. With his eyes, we found the kunai of the enemy and promptly attacked. Before we could counter-attack, they were confined in wood, and we were being carried back to the village kunai in hand.

And so Iruka and Naruto's "relationship" didn't blossom. Iruka saw Naruto as the Nine tail fox that killed his parents, and Naruto saw him as another villager that hated him. In a way, Yamato replaced Iruka as Naruto's mentor. He stayed hidden most times, but that never stopped naruto from draining his wallet to buy ramen.

The familiar scene of a shinobi and a blond boy at the ramen shop; was now Naruto and Yamato.

Iruka had already had his character moment in deciding to become an academy teacher. So I wasn't too worried.

We all took our seats Naruto, Sasuke, and I naturally sat together.

"Here begins the final exams," Iruka informed us. "Those that pass will graduate and become genins; those that fail will have another chance later this year." His eyes wandered to Naruto, who failed the exams up until now.

I fought the smug grin that threatened to mask my face.

"The exams will produce as follows…"

We had a written test that quizzed us on our lessons throughout the academy. The rule, "a shinobi should not cry," was also on the test. I mindlessly went through it all. Sasuke was also answering questions with ease. I wasn't worried about him as he was "rookie of the year" originally.

Naruto was different from his original design in the story. He wasn't smart are talented with the worst chakra control. He was a stark contrast to Sasuke, who was a prodigy. Here, however, he was friends with three of the most intelligent people in the academy.

There were standards to live up to if he wanted to stand beside us and not behind. He wasn't good at chakra control, his taijutsu wasn't the best, and he hated studying. He would rather play and pull pranks, and that was Naruto's nature. You couldn't change him. And so I worked around that.

Naruto disliked studying, but he liked to learn new and exciting things. And so I told him about the shinobi world, its messed up rules and history. I had to spin it in a way that would hold his interest and goad him into asking questions. "Knowledge sought is knowledge kept." If he tried to learn it, he was more likely to remember it.

And so Naruto wasn't utterly clueless.

He frowned at the paper, remembered something, and fill in the answer, surprised he knew it. My "schooling" wouldn't help him where he needed it most, however. Naruto's chakra was too vast. Without chakra control, he would not be able to perform the clone jutsu.

It was fine in the end as he acquired a superior version that became his signature move.

I yawned as they took our papers test papers away. Shikamaru had the right idea and was getting precious sleep in this moment of peace. Are was he asleep for the entire test? I searched my memory, curious if he really slept through the whole hour.

He hadn't, I concluded. He wrote something on the paper, yawned, and went to sleep. He passed the clone test, no doubt as he wasn't dead last. Naras were naturally intelligent and lazy. Born strategists, they were the brain of most teams and were capable leaders; if you can get them motivated.

They were also unrivaled when it came to medicine, having on outright elixir in their back yard, in the form of a magic dear. I was itching to get my hands on at least a fraction of their knowledge on medicine, but they were the last person I should be around. With their overpowered intellect, they would be able to unravel my secrets in seconds.

The last thing a suspicious person with a closet of secrets wanted was to become the target of their interest.

I could hear nothing; there was nothing to hear. I could see nothing; there was nothing to see. I could feel nothing; there was nothing there. I was heavy and light at the same time. Calm, devoid of emotions. The abyss called as I gazed into two brown odds.

Shikamaru was looking at me through narrowed eyes.

I fought my instinct to look away and stared back at him. Kunoichis were thought never to look away first as it was a sign of weakness and a guilty conscience. And so it became a staring match between the Nara heir and me.

"Troublesome."

Realizing that I wasn't going to look away first and deciding it wasn't worth the effort, Skikamaru closed his eyes and went back to snoozing. I didn't have time to celebrate my victory as Iruka returned to the room announcing the jutsu we needed to perform to pass.

"For the graduation exam, you will need to perform the clone jutsu," Iruka said. "When called, come to the next room."

Naruto's face slammed on the desk in defeat.

"Hmph, so it's no good this time either," Sasuke said, fully aware of Naruto's shortcomings.

"Now now, let's not give up on him just yet," I said, trying to comfort naruto, who burst into tears.

"I'm gonna be left behind," Naruto whined. I rubbed his back but didn't deny that he would fail. I already knew he was going to anyway, so there was no point in lying.

"It will work out," I said instead. "You just have to trust me."

Naruto sat on his swing with a face of defeat. Sasuke and I stood beside him with similar expressions. Sasuke refused to look at Naruto, and I was busy drawing a map in my mind.

Today was a joyous occasion. Our class became genins and recognized as adults. It was like getting your driver's license or becoming 16. Natural, the parents of graduates were present to congratulate their children. There was a crowd of them around the academy, all wearing their headbands and smiles.

Yet not one of them actually passes.

To those unfamiliar with us, it looked as though we were a group of failures. Sasuke and I weren't wearing our headbands. Our classmates were surprised by our lack of a headband. The rookie nine, however, knew better. Shikamaru looked our way as he left but said nothing.

We all stood in silence as the other academy students laughed and congratulated each other. I told my parents not to come to my "Graduation" and Itachi was busy. I stretched my chakra senses and found Kakashi absent but Yamato lurking nearby. That would be a problem.

I locked on to Mizuki's chakra signature and sent a cat after him. He wouldn't approach Naruto with us around him, so we needed to move. I pushed off the tree trunk and stood in front of Naruto.

"There a cabin in the forest just west of here. It's in a large clearing, so it's perfect for training." With that, Sasuke and I, body flicked away.

As expected, Mizuki approached Naruto the minute we were away from him. I felt pleased that something was going according to the origin story as I sat on Yamato's shoulder. Sasuke sat on a tree branch above us as we remained hidden. Yamato seemed frustrated that he was detected but otherwise said nothing.

"When do you intend to tell me your grand plan?" Sasuke asked, getting impatient. I failed to inform anyone of my genius plot; even him. Even Naruto didn't know his role. Oddly I could hear Fugaku telling me my plan was stupid, but I ignored him.

"In good time," I said, watching as Naruto and Mizuki ran off somewhere. I looked at the Hokage and Iruka, who were busy congratulating students and speaking with parents. The events of the story would no begin until sunset, before then.

"Remain hidden," I said to Yamato as I jumped from his shoulder. "Don't interfere; your rescue will not be necessary." I looked into his black eyes, ensuring my words reached him. He nodded. I couldn't read him, and his chakra was as messy as a jungle. Was he pleased to be bossed around or frustrated? Just what the hell do veins ensnaring you mean!?

He disappeared in a flutter of leaves going after Naruto and Mizuki. Hopefully, prayed he listened to me.

"Right, Sasuke," I grinned up at him. "It's time to train your stealth."

He frowned down at me. "You plan to drag me around, don't you?"

I continued to smile at him. He sighed in defeat, falling to stand beside me, facing the other way.

"Where?"

"The Hokage Residence."

The Hokage Residence, was as it sounds, the home of the Hokage. Every Hokage to take office lived in this mansion. It was much like earth's "white house." Like the White House, it was near impossible to infiltrate. When the Hokage was home, there are many ANBUs stationed around the property. The number didn't change much when the Hokage was out either.

Sadly, Naruto was able to get in and out of this mansion with a stolen scroll while the Hokage was home, so I wasn't impressed in the slightest.

Because it was the home of previous Hokages', it had items they lifted behind and was the "one-piece" for power-hungry shinobi. There were ANBUs that guarded the mansion, and not just the Hokage. Again. Naruto was able to steal a precious scroll from this place while the Hokage was home!

ANBUs hid by suppressing their chakra and presence, forming a void around them that made them unnoticeable even by sensors. However, in an attempt to hide, they stood out to my senses. There was a nothingness where they stood, a void. Like a glass cup turned upside down and placed in water. There was air underwater and a transparent but definitely solid object in the clear water. That's how it felt when I sensed them.

With all this in mind, I was disappointed at how easy it was to infiltrate. Sasuke looked around, confused at how easy it was to enter the building.

"Pitiful."

Indeed

With a sigh, I walked the halls in no real hurry. The endless corridors reminded me of a Labyrinth. How Naruto was able to navigate through this place was beyond me. Surely he didn't try every door until he found the right one, right?

As I wasn't Naruto, I brought along Sasuke and his Sharingan. They were no Byakugan but, they would have to do as there was no way I could talk Neji or Hinata into this. Sasuke was only going along with my plan because it would help Naruto; as much as he calls him annoying, the Uchiha had a soft spot for the blond Uzumaki.

With the help of Sasuke, we found the room filled with scrolls that belonged to the second Hokage. Tobirama was said to be the creator of must jutsus, and near all of them were forbidden. If someone unqualified tried to perform his jutsus, they would surely die. As a Senju, he had a chakra reserve that rivaled the Uzumaki. Making jutsus that caused a ridiculous amount of chakra didn't even dent his reserves.

I looked at the troublesome scroll that contained the deadly jutsus of Tobirama. I opened it and scanned the first page, inwardly wondering why it didn't have more security if it was forbidden.

"Shadow clone jutsu," I muttered, looking over the first jutsu. Naruto didn't make it past this page as he was busy trying to learn the jutsu, so I only needed to copy this one. I unsealed a large scroll the same size and color with the kanji, "Scroll of Seals." I copied the first jutsu and switched the original with mine.

Sasuke gasped, and I placed my finger to my lips.

"Shh."

"You're insane," he hissed, looking around despite us being alone. Someone like Sasuke couldn't imagine stealing something labeled as forbidden from their leader with the title "God of Shinobi." He was justly scared. Naruto got spared on the count of being tricked. I knowingly did this; if caught, it was off with my head.

"I'm not going to keep it," I assured him, putting the scroll on my back. You couldn't put a sealed object in a scroll. You ran the risk of undoing the seal on the object when taking it from the scroll. And I didn't know if there were sealed objects in the scroll.

I walked by him, scanning my surroundings to find the ANBUs where I left them. I stretched my senses even further and found the Hokage still at the academy. A message from the cat told me that Naruto was still with Mizuki. Good, we were still in the clear.

"Come on, let's go before our luck runs out," I told Sasuke. I cast a genjutsu around myself to hide the scroll as we left.

It has begun.