The Hebinomura (Sasuke x OC)

Teammates

"I'll see you later, Mamushimi. You know the way, right?"

She nodded, and followed Kakashi down to the street, glancing around at the village she now lived in, finding the plethora of buildings and myriad of people a little overwhelming. 

Her home hadn't been as big as this Village was.

"Mamushimi?"

She looked back, almost wanting to ask if he could walk her there, just to the school gates, but instead, she shook her head. 

It was better not to. He was busy. Being a shinobi was already tough work, much less a Jonin. And she knew he wouldn't want to accompany some outsider child to a gate.

Mamushimi hurriedly walked through the streets, her head bowed as some people stared at her. Her pale skin and odd hair—her entire, unwelcome outsider appearance.

She reached the school and walked through the halls until she found the door of the classroom she was supposed to be in. 

She knocked and the door slid open, a man with brown hair tied in a ponytail and a scar running across his tanned nose standing there, looking down at her with surprise before he smiled.

"You must be our new student. Come in, come in" he welcomed her inside and she followed behind him to the blackboard.

"Look at her hair!"

"That's some weird looking hair."

"She's got a headband, but I've never seen her before."

"Her eyes are kinda intense..."

"Yeah, but she's really cute!"

"Quiet down, everyone" the man said before smiling kindly down at her. "My name is Iruka, but you can call me Iruka Sensei. Go on and introduce yourself" he ushered her forward gently.

Mamushimi walked forward, per his orders and took a deep breath.

When had she felt this level of anxiety? It seemed to be crushing her lungs.

"My name is M-Mamushimi Hebinomura. I'm twelve years old. It's a p-pleasure to meet you all" she introduced herself formally, though her voice was marred by a stammer.

"You can go sit with Naruto—" Iruka Sensei said, but Mamushimi gave him a curious look. "The boy with the bright blonde hair" he clarified.

She nodded and walked up the stairs, feeling the plentiful gazes following her every move as she reached the bench with three students already sitting there.

"Is your hair real?"

It was the first thing the blonde boy named Naruto asked her.

"Yes" Mamushimi nodded.

He scooted over and Mamushimi sat down, holding onto her sleeve, where Dokuga was coiled. 

She didn't want everyone to know she had her snake with her. Currently the only friend she had.

"Wait, why aren't you with your—?"

"Anyways, let's continue with the lesson" Iruka interrupted, watching Mamushimi turn her head towards her lap, her pale eyes drifting away from Naruto.

"As of today, you are all ninjas. To get here, you have faced difficult trials and hardships, but that's nothing. What comes next will be far more difficult. Now, you are only genin, first level ninjas. All the genin will be grouped into three man squads—one with four—and led by a jonin, an elite ninja."

"Well someone's got to be in Sasuke's group. I wonder who?"

Mamushimi leaned forward a little, looking at the pink haired girl who stared up at a platinum blonde with a glare.

"I don't know" the pink haired girl responded sarcastically, her glare increasing.

Who was Sasuke?

"Hn."

Her pupiless gaze turned to the black haired boy who looked displeased at that.

"We want each squad to have balance, so that is how the groups will be set up" Iruka Sensei explained. "I will now announce the squads."

"Squad seven. Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno—"

"Yeah!" Naruto stood up with a grin.

The pink haired girl named Sakura hung her head.

"I'm doomed..." she muttered, looking depressed at the news.

"Sasuke Uchiha—"

"Ah!" Sakura jumped up, giddy at the news.

Why was she so excited? Were they friends?

It was Naruto's turn to hang his head, however.

"I'm doomed..." he repeated Sakura's previous statement with a slight groan to his voice.

"And Mamushimi Hebinomura."

Mamushimi turned her head, her two new teammates looking back at her and the black haired boy at the other side of the bench glanced at her, looking away once he got a glimpse that he hadn't bothered to catch before.

So...did that mean he was Sasuke?

Iruka finished calling out the squads and Naruto suddenly stood up.

"Iruka Sensei! Why does a great ninja like me have to be in the same squad with a slug like Sasuke?" He cried out, making Iruka look up at his outburst.

"Sasuke had the best score out of all the graduating students. Naruto, you had the worst scores. To create a balanced group, we put the best student with the worst student" Iruka bluntly replied.

"Just make sure you don't get in my way...loser."

Mamushimi looked to the black haired boy named Sasuke.

Was he always this foul? Or was it because he and Naruto were rivals? There were too many questions filling her head already.

"Hey, what did you say?!" Naruto snapped, making Mamushimi come out of her thoughts.

"Hard of hearing?" Sasuke retorted calmly.

Naruto growled and Sakura snapped for the blonde to stop.

Why just Naruto? Sasuke was adding fuel to the fire as well, wasn't he?

"Ahem! After lunch, you'll meet your new Jonin teachers" Iruka cut off the laughter of the class. "Until then, class dismissed."

Mamushimi left the class before anyone could talk to her.

It was just so...different. The bickering between everyone, the glares, the hateful talk between one another. Sure, there was always going to be rivalries, but why did this class seem to be filled with rivals rather than comrades? It didn't make sense. None of it did.

"Dokuga...I don't like this very much..."

She sat down beneath a tree, her sleeve falling past her elbows and revealing the snake, it's body nearly as thick as her wrist—-which was, in reality—thinner than other children's.

She nibbled on a rice ball, Dokuga slithering from her arm to the grass, taking part in the lunch and eating crickets from an open container the girl had brought.

Mamushimi watched the snake and sighed, looking back to her rice ball. 

"I miss everyone, Dokuga...I want mama."