Age 7
Her first and second semester at the Academy was incredibly boring, but not boring enough for her to decline skipping a year. She's here to enjoy relaxation and training at her own pace before she's forced to do D-ranked missions and bond with her teammates and sensei.
The first semester was filled with theoretical knowledge, understanding chakra and where it came from, how to unlock and utilize it in the form of chakra control practices. She was a little glad that Sasori's journal detailed a few of these exercises and she was able to clear the sand grain test on the first day, giving herself a free period since they were supposed to focus on that for the whole semester.
Score!
In other news, she wasn't able to skip target practice despite hitting bullseye on the first day because practice ensured ones' skill didn't go dull but whatever. As for her after school activities, none of them looked too great, and she would rather train by herself.
Before she knew it, she blew past the first and second semester and it was August. Hot sticky August, when the sun was at its brightest, strongest and most deadliest. She found out that the break only lasted two weeks until they returned to school, which sucked a lot but whatever.
Tamako's usual training regimen was barely able to increase her stats these days, and her skills refused to budge after hitting the Level 60 mark.
Skill List
Gamer's Mind (Passive) Level: MAX
*Allows the user to calmly and logically solve problems in any situation. Enables a calm and tranquil sense of mind and is immune to psychological status effects.
*Provides an impenetrable mental shield against memory modification.
Gamer's Body (Passive) Level: MAX
*Grants the body to live in the real world like a game.
*Sleeping fully recovers HP, CP, and removes all negative status debuffs.
Observe (Active) Level: 72 EXP: 0.15%
-Enables [The Gamer] to see and read detailed information of an object, person, living being, and etc. he or she is looking at. The higher the level, the more information about your target is revealed.
*CP Cost: 0
[Manipulate Matter] Skill
*Related to Guren, the only known Shinobi to acquire the Crystal Kekkei Genkai
*Ties with Orochimaru, her Lord.
-You can now use any particles in the world except chakra to create crystal
-Focusing your chakra and directing it at a certain degree will sprout crystal and will be at your command
Cooking (Passive) Level: 15 EXP: 41.07%
-You can cook without burning water
-If succeeding in cooking, the food may grant buffs
Dishes (Passive) Level: 13 EXP: 28.47%
-You can clean and wash dishes without breaking them
-Dishes will be sparkly and clean once done
Crystal Release (Passive) Level: 61 EXP: 0.99%
*A gift from your mother
-You can now use any particles in the world except chakra to create crystal
-Focusing your chakra and directing it at a certain degree will spout crystal
Crystal Release: Trapping Needles (Passive) Level: 58 EXP: 57.06%
- Crystal shoots from the ground and traps the opponent by surrounding the opponent with sharp crystal
-If the opponent moves, the sharp crystal with piercing and start to grow, even more, causing more pain
-While growing, it creates a hook, so when someone tries to pull out the needle, it causes more damage
+5 DMG each second
*20 CP
Crystal Release: Crystal Senbon (Passive) Level: 65 EXP: 35.78%
-Crystal forms in thin air and chaces the victim, it won't stop until it is countered or hits the victim
-Once something hits the tip of the senbon, it either explode into small sharp shards or create a hook
+20 DMG on Hit
+5 DMG each second
*5 CP per 10 Needles
*.5 CP per second while use
Running (Passive) Level: 82 EXP: 0.45%
-How fast and far you can run
Ambidextrous (Passive) Level: 95 EXP: 4.00%
-You are able to wield items and perform various actions with both hands naturally
Manipulate (Passive) Level: 56 EXP: 31.65%
- You are able to influence a person in your favor
Rock Climbing (Passive) Level: 60 EXP: 52.66%
-You are now able to walk vertically on any object without any problem
Kenjutsu (Passive) Level: 58 EXP: 96.47%
-The art of sword fighting
Kunai Mastery (Passive) Level: 69 EXP: 95.84%
-You can wield a kunai effectively and efficiently in close and long range
+10% ATK DMG
+ 2.5% ATK Speed
Shuriken Mastery (Passive) Level: 62 EXP: 34.78%
-You can wield a shuriken effectively and efficiently in mid-long range
+8% ATK DMG
+ 1.5% ATK Speed
Block (Passive) Level: 54 EXP: 79.25%
- You can block with your hands effectively (ATK - DEF/LV X 1)
- You can block with a kunai effectively
- You can block with a tanto, Kodachi, katana etc. without taking any damage
Academy Taijutsu {SUNA} (Passive) Level: 75 EXP: 94.09%
-Sunagakure's style of Academy Taijutsu
-Backflips, somersaults, you can do all, following up with a kick or two.
Most of them are pretty good compared to her peers, first years focus on academics, while the rest of the years have a mix of Academic and Physical. Second years finally apply physical lessons by throwing in the more occasional practices on kunai and timed practices like parkour much more often, but still at a slower rate than she'd like.
Fun.
Tamako blinked at her ceiling, rising into a 90 degree on her bed before groaning. She rolled out of bed, falling onto the floor with a painful crash before dragging herself to her bathroom.
That's right, her bathroom.
No longer had to share a bathroom with twenty other kids. By the end of June, the Kazekage had already leased an apartment for little ol' Tamako, finally saving her from the Orphanage. One bedroom, one bathroom and a small living room connecting the kitchen. The walls in the living room were slightly cracked, but hey, no one is complaining.
Her budget, much larger than other Academy hopefuls allowed her to splurge on items such as eggs, milk and other dairy products that were usually expensive. Protein, she needed protein if she wanted to be ahead of everyone else. So she opted for the one thing she could make, fluffy scrambled eggs.
Two eggs, a splash of milk and a few whisks to combine before slowly pouring it into a pan. That is how to make the best, most fluffiest eggs.
Well, unless you're bad.
She then brushed her teeth and shimmied on a dark yukata-styled outfit. It was loose and cut off at a few inches off her shoulder. The yukata was held up at her waist that was wrapped in a dark blue fabric and stopped at mid thigh. White bandages wrapped around her fingers all the way to elbows. She chose sandals that stopped just below her knees and the rest of her legs were wrapped with the same white bandages that stopped to meet her black shorts. This ensured she didn't have any exposed skin other than past her neck. It was airy enough where she wouldn't feel so stuffy, but just protective enough from the harsh Suna sun.
From then, she was ready. Tamako grabs her key and stuffs it into her pouch and continues her merry way, hopping on roofs like it was nobody's business and arrives at the Academy at record speed.
As usual, she was placed in the top class and she wouldn't have it any other way.
However, before she could take another step forward, an instructor singled her and a few more students and guided them to a different hallway. "I've been talking to Koshiro-sensei, and he indicated that you all are gifted." He slid open a door and gestured them inside. "It would be a waste if your talents and mind were not being challenged..." He trailed off, eyeing Tamako who gave him a quiet smile. "So we decided to hold a mock-exam to bypass your second year and enter the year above."
The kids around her gasped in surprise, noises jittering from their mouths in excitement as her eyes narrowed. Fucking Rasa. They agreed that train with her peers, but this fucker took it a whole 'nother meaning. He's making her graduate earlier by making her peers graduate too!
She eyed what was the cream of the top of her class last year. Hoki Nanami, Yamane Uta, Raidon to name a few. All top in both theoretical and physicals, but she noted that Enomoto Hitomi wasn't here. She ranked bottom half in physics despite consistently ranking top three in theoretical. At least Rasa was being reasonable.
"Sensei!" Someone called out, "What will we be tested on?"
Then, that man's face turned into an ugly grin. "Well kids. If we're gonna let you all skip your second year, you should already know all the material of second year, right?" He slammed a thick packet on the table. "This here covers all the material that you'll need to know. Afterwards, we'll be taking a physical." With one last nod he smiled. "Now, get to it."
In all honestly, Tamako didn't know fuck all what happened during the Third Kazekage's reign and how he upturned the battle against Iwa in the battle of Ishi Kara Tetsu e in the Second War, turning the war and ultimately earning them an armistice with Iwa. That wasn't covered in her first year textbook nor did she ever bother to try and get her hands on the second year text because she had more important things to do other than reading old musty textbooks and learning history (despite the fact she absolutely loved history). Sometimes throwing knives helped her envision and ensure that she'll live past thirteen rather than sticking her nose in scrolls.
So instead of using her brain to somehow devise an answer to all of these questions, she carefully read through the entire packet several times, even after some of her classmates had handed in theirs, before restarted to her last save.
It was a scum save, but she honestly couldn't bear the thought that the Kazekage tricked her into graduating a little early, only for her to completely bomb the written test. That would honestly get Rasa to think she self-sabotage and that would ruin her reputation as a budding prodigy. She had some pride, alright?
She cracked open a scroll and sat down by the library with dozens of scrolls stacked to the side. If she was going to scum save, then she better get a perfect score.
. . .
Tamako handed her test packet within the first twenty minutes of the allotted one-hundred and twenty, earning a smirk from the instructor. "Tamako, huh?" He skimmed through the test, going through the harder questions with the same smirk. "Kazekage told me that you were different." He slapped the packet down with a hefty thunk, earning curious looks from her fellow peers. "Sit back down and wait for everyone else to finish, I'll grade your's in the meantime."
She silently nodded and headed back to her seat, now opting one in the back in the darkest corner. It took her four weeks and eight reloads to memorize all the material. She cursed Rasa in her head.
Fucking Rasa, that bastard!
The following physical exam was much easier, though she could tell that some of her classmates were struggling. Nearly half were cut off because they scored too low in the paper exam, another half would be cut after this.
They had to perform acrobatic maneuvers in the air and land all the hits, display an adequate understanding of Rock Climbing and Sand Walking, complete the race course within forty seconds and display an understanding in at least one Shinobi specialty.
That was asking a lot for students who've only been in the academy for a single year.
And despite it all, of course it was a member of the Hoki Family that easily passed it. Nanami's family were incredibly powerful within Suna, despite her being a lower ranking member, she still had more clout than a lot of the students here at the Academy.
The Hoki Family were known to produce skilled medics and spies, and they were a matrilineal clan. Nanami was very unlike the other kunoichi in-training in their class, she was prideful and skillful.
Nanami's aim was a little shaky, only landing seven out of ten bullseye with the rest around the center. She showed off her true skill in chakra manipulation by getting a perfect score on both Rocking Climbing, Sand Walking, race course and revealing her budding talent as a Medical Ninja.
She was good, and if Tamako wasn't here, she would be top of the class.
Another was Yamane Uta whose parents were successful Chunin. He scored perfectly in target practice, did alright in both Rock Climbing and Sand Walking, aced the race course and showed off the poison he had developed with a sensei in Toxicology Club. He had Jounin potential, in all honesty. Perhaps a budding ANBU hopeful if he played his cards right and won the sensei lottery.
The rest of what remained did alright, a few completely failing in either Sand Walking or unable to showcase an Shinobi Specialty. However, she did spot skillful use of puppet strings and eyed the dominant display of doton. This patch was very good.
Finally, it was her time. All eyes trained on her figure as she held kunai between her knuckles. She breathed out and jumped, twirling her body in the air and releasing the kunai, throwing out a few extra more to change their trajectory and fist bumping the air when they all landed bullseye.
The Instructor hummed in a pleased tone before gesturing at the large rock wall he had formed for the test. She ran towards the wall and easily scaled it, jumping back down and landing on the sand pit and glided through it easily, leaving no trace.
Next was the race course, and while she really wanted to perform a shunshin to skip it all, she decided to do it fairly and coursed chakra through her limbs, jumping high in the air, ducking low to fit through a small hole before landing softly and scaling another wall, gliding through the sand pit once more and pressing the back of her hand to the end of the room.
"Good" Her instructor spoke out, grining. He wrote a few things in his notebook before he crossed his arms. "Now, please state your specialty and demonstrate your capabilities within it."
"Ninjutsu." She spoke softly, feeling the eyes of her classmates forming holes on her back. Everyone knew she had a nearly dead Kekkei Genkai, and she had never used it in front of them before.
She formed several hand-signs in quick succession and cupped her hands to her mouth, spewing out water, "Suiton: Water Bullet!" They mercilessly destroyed the doton wall her Intructor formed earlier. Then she formed more hand signs and slapped them to the ground. "Doton: Stone Spikes!" The ground several meters ahead of her swamped up into large spikes, almost glinting in how sharp they are. With another pulse of her chakra, she flattened it like it was never there before she took a deep breath. There was no manual or shinobi she could spy on for crystal. It was all original from here on out.
"Shouton: Crystal Senbon!" At the clap of her hands, several dozen senbon began forming in the air before they splintered towards the wall, zooming around the indoor training field before lodging themselves in the nearby target practice completely pincushioning it.
She discreetly wiped the sweat from the back of her neck and peered back at her Instructor, who had that same evil grin as before. "Excellent." He jotted a few notes down. "B-ranked Suiton, C-ranked doton, and even Shouton." He patted her back. "As expected of someone under Kazekage-sama's tutelage."
Hey, Rasa didn't teach shit!
"If I call your name, please return to the original class you were assigned." He paused before checking off one last thing on his clipboard. "Ogata Ayano. Miyahara Mitsuru. Seto Kichiro..."
. . .
Skipping a year wasn't so bad, in actuality. She grew closer to those who survived the Incident, and Nanami was a fresh breath of air. The girl was smart, applicable and did not have the standard attitude that many other girls their age had. Uta was just a hidden bonus, apparently the two were diaper friends.
No, she did not befriend the two because of a damning quest.
It all began during lunch, as all things do when you're eight.
Tamako silently chewed on her kebab skewers she had made this morning, roasted lamb and peppers, paired with a water-lemon drink, chilled, thanks to her inventory. Then, she heard it.
"Hey hey..." One girl whispered to her friend, not so quietly. "I heard that we'll be starting spars soon!"
"Seriously?" The boy said, his voice muffled as he ate his falafel. He swallowed loudly, "You think that girl will do great, as usual?"
The girl huffed, "Just because she's a girl doesn't mean she doesn't deserve the position."
"She's a complete know-it-all. You see how early she handed that packet in? So what if she's first in kunai throwing and chakra theocraticals, real-life situations are totally different." He snickers, "I bet she's one of those, you know. Blank out mid fight."
"Shh, not so loud!"
Hey guys. I'm literally right behind you.
"So you think she's the type to get lost in the fight?" Tamako asks, chewing on the lamb. Damnit, she overcooked it! It was a little hard and stuck between her back teeth. She was going to have to floss later.
The boy nodded quickly, not even turning back to see who spoke. "Yeah yeah. I've never seen her stay after school before, always disappearing once the bell rings. Bet she's one of those awkward ones too." Then he turned around and grinned. "Right?" And just as quickly as he grinned, it dropped into horror.
Tamako swallowed her overcooked lamb and threw the pointy skewer across the class, not even blinking when it landed into the trash-can before leaning forward on her palm, watching the boy's face brighten red at the close proximity. "Hmm, maybe. I've done a few spars before, so I can't say for sure." She pauses, sipping at her water canteen. "You were talking about me, right?"
"N-no! That's—"
She offers him a shrug, "It's alright, its no biggie." Tamako couldn't be mad, even if this boy was talking smack about her. After all, he was just a boy, too young to be playing shinobi. And the fact that he was completely right about her. She practically hightailed it as soon as class ended.
Before she could clearly examine his features, a quest popped up.
[Quest Alert]
Don't be a Kakashi
Objective: Become Friends with Uta
Rewards: Slight chance on teaming with him and Nanami.
Failure: No friends
Character Status
Name: Tamako
Class: The Gamer
Age: 8 Years Old
Title: Momma's Little Gem
Status: Happy. Normal
Level: 25
HP: 850- HP Regen: 1 per 5 seconds
CP: 1,275- CP Regen: 1 per 5 seconds
Strength: 33
Vitality: 34
Wisdom: 32
Intelligence: 31
Dexterity: 38
Agility: 37
Luck: 26
Fame/Infamy: +20
Parents and Students whisper about you
Money: 45,290 ryo (4,529 USD)
Unspent Points: 28