Naruto put on the kunoichi dress. It was a standard academy uniform for girls: a short-sleeved top with a high collar, a knee-length skirt, and ninja sandals. The skirt felt foreign and awkward to her. Unfortunately, she did not have any other type of clothes in her wardrobe. Tugging at the fabric, she sighed. "This is so weird," she muttered to herself, trying to adjust to the new feel of the outfit.
The last few days had been incredibly challenging for her, adjusting to the differences between a teenage male body and a 10-year-old girl's body. She had to get used to peeing. Yikes. It was annoying as hell. Then there was changing clothes without blushing, maintaining her hair while moving, and all sorts of other stuff. Thankfully, her mother had been a tomboy, so there was no pressure for makeup.
But not everything was bad about this body. For instance, she had these badass chains now that she could conjure out of her body. Not just from her hands, but from her back, abdomen, face, chest… ears, nose, mouth… pretty much everywhere. The chainsp glowed with a soft, ethereal light, and they seemed to pulse with her chakra. Each link was detailed and intricate, like the finest metalwork, but they moved fluidly as if they were part of her body. They felt like an extension of herself, and she had already discovered just how versatile they could be.
Naruto looked at the mirror, taking in her reflection. She looked almost exactly like she had when she was…he in his childhood. She poked her cheeks, feeling the soft, round flesh under her fingers. "That's cute," she muttered. She began to pull her cheeks, stretching them out while muttering, "Kawai…Kawai…Kawai…"
Just then, someone spoke from the other side of the window. "You know, you really are cute. I seriously think your petite look will be kil—"
"Ugh!" Naruto cried out, covering herself with her arms. "You!" She pointed her finger at him. "You were peeping on me?!"
Jiraiya sheepishly grinned. "Now, now, I don't like little girls—"
"You… pervert! I am gonna kill you dattebane!" Before Jiraiya knew it, he was already entangled by…chains?
"Oops," Then, with a scream, he was pulled into the apartment by them.
"Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
"Kushina, le—"
"Kick his balls," the original ordered.
"Yosh!" The clones chorused.
oOo
It was ticklish to walk around without Naruto Junior. The friction between thighs was weird. The skirt did not help either. Every step was an awkward reminder of her new body's differences. She tried to walk with her legs a bit further apart to reduce the friction, but that just made her feel more awkward.
Naruto arrived at the Academy, trying to ignore the strange sensation and the swishing sound of her skirt. She entered her classroom and took a seat, the wooden chair cold against her legs. The teacher stood at the front, ready to start the roll call.
The teacher began to call out the students one by one by their names. Each name was a countdown to her own, and she could feel the anticipation building in the room.
She gazed at her father… eh, Minato, who was reading a book intently. He was so calm and focused, it almost made her forget her own nerves. He noticed her looking at him and tilted his head, giving a nervous wave.
She grinned. "Let's nail the exam, Minato!"
"Uh…yes, Miss Uzumaki," he replied with a blush.
The exchange didn't go unnoticed. Others looked at them with curious eyes, whispering amongst themselves.
"Minato Namikaze!" the teacher called out.
"That's my cue." Minato gave her a small smile and stood up, heading to the testing room with a determined stride.
A few minutes later, he came out with a headband resting on his forehead. Naruto felt a pang of pride and relief seeing her father pass, even though she knew he would.
Then, one after another, students went and came out of the testing room. Some came back without headbands, their faces downcast, while others returned with their brand new headbands, their smiles broad and proud.
She is to be called in the end. She…failed in the written test— the only reason she was allowed here today was because Jiraiya had recommended her.
She was dead last in the class. She wasn't supposed to be the loser, but these academy subjects were harder than those of her time. What the fuck is calculus anyway? Trigonometry? Matrix and Dynamics? Mechanics and Motion…what was that— Bye-o-ke-miss-tree, eh? Who even needs these abominations? She fought Zabuza, Nagato and Orochimaru—never once did they attack her with quadratic equations or launch a sneak attack using the Tobiramean theorem. If anything, she could picture Nagato holding up a chalkboard, screaming, "Solve for X!" as the ultimate attack.
She glanced around, catching snippets of other students muttering to themselves. One kid was nervously reciting the periodic table, and another was scribbling equations in the air with his finger. These were the students who did not attend the written test three days ago— today they will be attending the written test.
When she becomes Hokage, the first thing she is going to do is remove these annoying things from the curriculum. "Why do I need to know how fast a rock falls when I can just Rasengan the damn thing, 'ttebane?" she muttered under her breath.
Because of these subjects and her sloppy taijutsu, she was now the dead last. Again.
"Kushina Uzumaki!" the teacher finally called.
As soon as she heard her name, she shot up from her seat and practically bolted to the testing room, her nerves jangling. There, in the room, the judge was…
"Hebi-teme!" she exclaimed, her eyes widening.
"My, my," Orochimaru said with an annoying look on his face. "So eager to fail? Well, if you wish—"
"Uh, no!" she yelled, realizing her mistake. "Okay, sorry, Orochim—"
"'Sir'," Orochimaru corrected, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
"Yeah, saaar," she rolled her eyes. "What do you want me to do?"
"Henge."
Naruto took a deep breath and transformed into Kakashi-sensei. She struck a casual pose, leaning slightly to one side.
"Who is this?" Orochimaru raised an eyebrow.
She shrugged. "Just seen him somewhere."
"Sakumo Hatake with a mask," Orochimaru narrowed his eyes. "The White Fang. Not your regular shinobi. Interesting choice. Next: Clone."
Naruto focused and conjured three shadow clones, each one giving a small salute before disappearing.
"Substitution."
She substituted herself with the chair, appearing in its place with a triumphant smile.
"One C-rank assault technique." Orochimaru's voice was calm, but there was a hint of challenge in it.
Wait, what? This was not in her time. No need to panic, your ninjutsu skills are top-tier. You have the Rasengan, Rasenshuriken, uh…oh shit.
"Will it be okay if I demonstrate a higher ranking technique?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady.
"No," Orochimaru raised an eyebrow. "You should know what kind of power is needed for what kind of situation. If you use a cannon where a hammer is enough, then you are not suitable for becoming a shinobi. Didn't the academy aught you to use a C rank technique according to your natural affinity?"
Oh, shit….
"But, as the Jinchuriki, I was told to go easy on you. Although you will not be sent on critical missions. Not until you are a bit older. So, I guess you can demonstrate a higher ranking technique."
"Oh yeah!" she grinned, relief washing over her. She created a shadow clone, and they began to help her form a Rasengan in her hand.
The shadow clone stood beside her, guiding her hand as the chakra swirled into existence. "Come on, you got this!" the clone encouraged. "Just a bit more chakra! Focus!"
Naruto's hand began to glow, the chakra swirling faster and faster, forming into a perfect sphere. The Rasengan was golden in color, pulsating with raw energy, making a high-pitched whizzing sound. She could feel the power surging through her palm, almost like holding a small sun.
Orochimaru watched with fascination, his eyes widening slightly as he saw the little girl with exceptional chakra control creating a swirling ball of chakra. Each rotation, each movement of the Rasengan was mesmerizing.
"Watch this!" As the clone popped out of existence, Kushina slammed the ball to a training log. "Rasengan!"
The log didn't stand a chance. It splintered and exploded, pieces flying in every direction. The force of the impact left a smoldering crater where the log had been.
Orochimaru inspected the remains of the log curiously. "This…is…"
"Badass, right?" She grinned. "My dad made it 'ttebane!"
"Interesting, very interesting." He said, clearly impressed. He took a headband from the box and extended his hand towards her. "Congratulations, you are now an 'official' shinobi of the Hidden Leaf."
"Hehe," she laughed as she took the headband from his hand and tied it to her forehead, the metal plate cold against her skin. The weight of it felt right, like she had finally reclaimed a piece of herself.
TBC
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