Whoop, here we go! The rewritten version of '| 01 | I Signed Up For The Academy?! |'!
sdldkjg— I would really like to thank the people who have commented on the previous chapter — your compliments and words are really appreciated! u v u Thank you!
(On a side note, please ignore the bandanna thing in the picture above!!)
WARNING: Foul Language.
DISCLAIMER: I, LeTiffany, do not own the manga/anime Naruto or its characters. I only own the story plot and the Original Characters (OC) I create. All credits towards Naruto should go to Masashi Kishimoto.
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> Gemülichkeit: (German) a situation that induces a cheerful mood, peace of mind, with connotation of belonging and social acceptance, coziness and unhurry. <
| ⊰ ➴ ⊱ | Music: Naruto OST Album 2: Fooling Mode | Effects: No Effects For This Scene |
"Hey, Kakashi-san?"
"—Hm?"
"Could you move a little faster? I'm starting to have stomach pains and I think my brother's gonna puke."
"If he looks like he's going to puke, why should I go any faster?"
"So that his vomit can, like, get on everyone's faces! That would be flippin' hilarious."
"..."
"..."
"...You're strange, you know that?"
| ⊰ ➴ ⊱ | Opening Theme: Calling by FLOW | Music: No Current Music For This Scene | I Signed Up For The Academy? ; 私はアカデミーにサインアップ?! | Effects: Birds Chirping (Faintly) |
"Hmm..."
"..."
No longer able to put up with the older man's intent stare, you released an unnatural cough and unconsciously averted your eyes elsewhere for a second, but it wasn't a moment later before you hurriedly directed your meek gaze back to the Hokage's aged, wrinkled face (so as to not show weakness and, ultimately, save face). You strained to keep the ersatz smile plastered on your features from cracking or slipping whilst this happened, though you inwardly frowned upon finding that doing so was considerably harder than usual, for you were not particularly as confident as you wanted to be as of the moment. But then again, anyone would be rather apprehensive and anxious if they found themselves under the Lord Hokage's morbidly steady and scrutinising gaze.
"Hm. So, [Name], you're from another village?"
[E/c] hues flickered upwards for a brief moment as you mulled over the various, plausible-sounding answers you could give the other, the hands you had loosely wrapped around your brother's shoulders tightening in their grip ever so slightly as you did so, much in the same manner as the fingers clasping the hem of your shirt had.
"Uh...well, when you put it that way..."
A fleeting silence as you brought your eyes back to the Hokage's bemused countenance.
"—Yes...?" He began once he realised that you were most probably not going to continue from your last sentence without some urging or prompting.
"...Yeah, I suppose you could say I'm from another village."
"I see." A slow nod succeeded his two words, "And what is the reason behind your presence here, in Konohagakure?"
As soon as the curious query was issued from his mouth, you reflexively stiffened, held that still, rigid form for a few moments or so (though such short whiles really felt like hours), before finally, finally relaxing, releasing a breath you didn't know you were holding whilst you were at it. And though your actions were not overtly conspicuous or notable, the older men in the room had immediately detected your subtle movements and were thence able to discern your nervousness, and they speculated that you were going to, at some point in this conversation, most likely in the very near future, lie (like the goddamn skilled ninja they were).
"U-um, I don't even remember how we got here in the first place..." Okay, that was most definitely not a lie of any sort.
"Oh?"
"Yeeeah, I can't really remember anything right now, so I can't really explain how we, uh," a rather awkward pause, in which you presumed an equally as awkward stance, "got here."
Now, that —that was a lie. Albeit a very little one. Ack, you only hoped that a white lie like that sounded credible.
"Really, now?"
Goddamnit, he didn't believe you — you could recognise that disbelieving sort of tone anywhere, for you were one of those individuals who used such an amusing inflection a liiittle too much for your own good. "Yes, really."
Once those vocables of affirmation left your mouth, another very uncomfortable silence befell on the four of you, and you, upon casting your eyes down, suddenly found the sight of the ground below your feet a lot more pleasing— urk— soothing than that of the Hokage's frowning visage.
"Kakashi."
"Yes, Third Hokage?"
"You are dismissed. You may leave."
The addressed silverette nodded, performed a quick bow, before he speedily left the room with an audible 'poof!', leaving what seemed like a small cloud of smoke behind him as he did so.
'W-wow...' You tried your utmost best to not stare at the puff of grey smoke as it dissipated. 'This really is the Narutoworld...'
"[Name]."
"What? I mean— yeah? Wait, no—" An inhale, "Yes?" 'Wow, nice one, [Name].'
A look of light amusement and mirth overtook the other's features at your openly impromptu response, "I'm assuming you've never been to Konohagakure, before?"
You shook your head. "Unfortunately, no."
"Ah, good, good! This means that the escort I've prepared for you will not go to waste."
"—Escort...?"
"Yes," he chuckled, and you arched a brow at this, because this was the first time (well, since you had entered the room, anyway) you had ever heard him laugh or emit some form of laughter, "escort. He will guide you and your brother through and around the village, hopefully, without running into some trouble."
You blinked, and your raised eyebrow was quickly lowered. 'Trouble...?'
"His name is—"
"Oii, old man!"
As you registered the new voice, you unconsciously turned your head towards the door (which was seemingly the source of this other voice) just as it opened, your cute little brother imitating you in a manner that would have had you internally squealing if your gaze wasn't focussed on a pair of vibrant cerulean optics (optics that were very, very familiar to you). [E/c] hues widened and you actually had to purse your lips to stop yourself from blurting out his name / saying some other comment that would have given you away as the blond ninja-to-be strutted — no really, strutted — into the chamber. As he continued to walk towards the desk the Hokage was seated behind with his oddly funny gait, he glanced at you, and in that split second, where [e/c] met azure, you could have sworn you saw a flash of mixed surprise, interest, consternation, and embarrassment (what was up with that?) flicker through his uncannily bright eyes (but it was just that — a flash).
Returning his gaze to the amused Hokage, Naruto (at least, you assumed he was Naruto) forced a notably strained laugh out from his throat. "O-oh! A visitor! Ahahaha!" Then, toning his voice down a few octaves, he leaned in towards the old man, 'unobtrusively' pointed a trembling digit at you, and 'whispered': "W-who is this, old man?"
Even though his whisper was supposed to be just that — a whisper — you heard him loud and clear; it was as if he was asking you the question.
"Naruto," there was another silence, one of which the Hokage used to lift and gesture his wrinkly extremity at you, "this is [Name] and his brother, Rui. You are to take these two on a 'tour', of sorts, around the village and help them in whatever way you can."
Eyes lighting up, the hyperactive kid then pumped a fist into the air and released an elated: "Yes!" Which was then followed by a: "So I'm already getting a mission before I graduate, huh, old man?!"
"Yes."
"Hell yeah!"
A large bead of sweat appeared on the back of your head as you watched Naruto continue to excitedly fist pump the air, and that bead only grew in size once he began to jump about in complete and utter delight— wait. Bead of sweat?
'Huh. We really are in the anime...'
"W-w-wait. 'His'?"
'...ah.'
"Yes," the Hokage nodded, "'his'."
'Even these peeps can't tell I'm a girl? Wow.'
You released a quiet sigh upon spotting the crimson blush had that splashed itself across Naruto's cheeks, and it wasn't a moment later before you were shaking your head in incredulity and slight disappointment.
'Welp, better tell them the truth before the idea of me being a male sticks itself to their minds like glue.'
"Ahahaha, no." The last word was said in such a brusque manner that you weren't quite sure whether the Hokage's eyes were widening at the unconcealed curtness in your response or because you were actually denying the supposed 'fact' that you were a boy. "I'm a girl." A pause. "...But my little brother is definitely a boy."
"Wha—" The elderly man was cut off by the blond tweenager.
"Ahhh, what a relief!" The loud sigh Naruto released after these words merely accentuated the relief and sense of ease he felt at your vocables, which had probably eliminated any and all thoughts that he had of him possibly being homosexual (not that there was anything wrong with that, but he really didn't think he swung that way), and it wasn't a second later before he shot you a dazzling grin, "Yo! My name's Naruto Uzumaki, and I'm going to be the next Hokage, dattebayo!"
You couldn't help but reply to his grin with a wide smile of your own. (Damn, even his happiness was contagious...) "Pleased to meet you, Naruto! Haha, I'm sure you'll be able to reach your goal, someday!"
It was at this moment where a totally shocked, wide-eyed stare overtook his grin, and it was quite clear to see that he was completely taken aback from that encouraging comment you gave him. Upon noticing this, you drew a sharp breath and unconsciously skimmed your ivories over your bottom lip.
'Oh fuck, did I say something wrong—?'
You then opened your mouth to apologise to him, but your opened mouth was immediately closed when you caught sight of his grateful smile.
"Yeah...! Thanks, [Name]-chan!"
A blink, two blinks, before a bout of buoyant laughter.
"Not a problem, Naruto-kun!"
| ⊰ ➴ ⊱ | Music: Naruto OST Album 2: Afternoon of Konoha | Effects: Ramen Being Slurped |
Slurp. Sluurp. Sluuurp.
You smiled and sweatdropped at the same time as you watched Naruto practically inhale his ramen.
'Of course our first destination would be Ichiraku Ramen...goddamnit, just how much did I forget, about this anime?'
"[Name]-chan?"
"Hm?"
"Are you going to eat that?"
You glanced down at your bowl of untouched noodles.
"Uh...no, you can have it, Naruto-kun."
"Ahhh! Thank you so much, [Name]-chan! You're the best!"
You couldn't help but give an annoyed roll of your eyes at his easily given compliment. Pushing your bowl over to the hungry blond, you then decided that you would focus on helping your brother eat his bowl of ramen, since he was still a bit too short to fully reach the top of the table.
"Oi! Naruto!"
Though you thought it was a tad bit odd that the caller's voice was somewhat familiar to your ears, you did not bother to turn your head around to take a gander at him — after all, it wasn't you he called, but the blond next to you.
"Ow—!"
Blinking, you swivelled your head over to face the source of the verbal expression, that is, the aforementioned blond, only to find him lowly hissing whilst rubbing the back of his head with his hands and another boy — a brunet — who was standing behind (and glaring at) his seated form.
"What the hell was that for, Kiba?!"
You cocked your head to the left in light confusion. 'Kiba?' Awareness, though, soon followed your puzzlement, and your eyes lit up in recognition. 'Ah! That's right! Kiba Inuzuka!'
You continued to watch their conversation unfold with immense mirth, almost snorting when Kiba crossed his arms over his chest and exaggeratedly huffed at Naruto.
"For not introducing me to this pretty girl, here!"
The brunet's words elicited loud gagging noises from the blond, who was now wide-eyed to the point where he looked downright hilarious. And once you saw how blue his face had gotten and how hastily he was pounding his fists against his chest, you surmised that he was actually, for once, choking on his ramen (and that was saying something, for it was practically impossible for him to choke on his goddamn precious noodles). It was at this point in time where you slowly pointed a finger to yourself, optics widening in the same comical fashion Naruto's eyes had.
"—Me?" You hesitantly asked, raising both of your eyebrows to further accentuate your surprise.
Kiba gave you a wide grin, uncrossing the arms he had put over his chest to place his extremities on his hips, and it was clear to see that such actions were fueled by arrogance and hubris. "Yes, you! Do you see any other beautiful lady 'round here?"
'Huh. So the people in this village aren't as dumb as I thought they'd be.' "Well, thank you...?" 'Act dumb, act dumb. You can't lost your cover.'
"Kiba! Kiba Inuzuka. And this is my buddy, Akamaru," he curled his fingers into a partial fist and pointed and pushed his thumb towards the adorable puppy hanging out of the front of his zipped coat, and the vast amount of pride that was ingrained in the swift movement made you think he was introducing his kid or something, not his pet. "What's yours, cutie?"
"Uh, [Name]. Just [Name]." For now, that is. "And this is my brother, Rui." You directed his gaze towards your younger sibling with your finger, but it wasn't a moment later before his eyes trailed back up to look at your face. Noticing this, you shot him a small smile, nearly faltering in your expression when you spotted the light blush that arose to his painted-on cheeks as the grin that was already gracing his lips widened.
His upcurved lips then parted to impart another undoubtedly flirtatious message, but Naruto, who was finished with his noodles business, casually slung an arm over your shoulder and hurriedly cut him off.
"Hey, hey, [Name]-chan, wanna go somewhere else?"
"Oh." Well, that was rather unexpected. "Well, uh— sure thing, Naruto-kun." You forced yet another smile onto your features, inwardly groaning when you felt the sides of your mouth ache from the pain of having to use your stiff muscles again. "See you later then, Kiba."
You then proceeded to walk out of the tiny stall with the hyperactive kid's arm still splayed across your shoulders, your little brother (who was whining about how he "di'unt get to finish [his] ramen") in tow.
| ⊰ ➴ ⊱ | Music: Naruto OST Album 2: Fooling Mode | Effects: People Talking, Walking Sounds |
"Hey...hey, Naruto-kun."
"Hm?"
"I know this is sort of a really awkward thing for me to ask of you, especially since we just sort of met, but uh...mumble mumble..."
"What is it, [Name]-chan?"
"...Can my brother and I stay at your place?"
"...!"
"A-at least, just for now!"
A gulp. "W-what do you mean by that, [Name]-chan?"
A sheepish chuckle, "I mean, can we live with you in your apartment?"
"W-what?! N-no way—"
'Guess it's time to use...the look.' [1] "Pleeeease, Naruto-kun?"
Yet another gulp. "...U-uhm...sure...?"
"Ahh! Thank you so much, Naruto-kun~" Hug.
Pfft, he totally did not just blush or anything— I mean what.
| ⊰ ➴ ⊱ | Music: Naruto OST Album 1 // Song - Go Go Naruto! | Effects: Birds Chirping |
"Nnn—" With a quiet, discontent groan, you shifted in your spot on Naruto's bed, [e/c] slowly fluttering open as the mentioned blond's frantic voice invaded your ears. "Naru— Naruto...?"
"Crap! Crap, crap, crap, I'm late!"
Inhaling deeply, you raised an extremity to your left optic and hesitantly rubbed at it with a knuckle in a halfhearted attempt to rid it of its bleariness, releasing another disgruntled moan of sorts once the haze was lifted from your vision, a sound that was promptly followed by the lifting of your torso from the warm, comfy mattress.
"Mmm? But don't you always go to Ninja Academy late? You really have nothing to worry about."
"Well, yeah, but— wait...how'd you know that?"
You froze. "Oh! U-um..." You glanced at the little clock on the ninja-to-be's bedside table. "H-hey, Naruto-kun, aren't you late?"
"Ahh! That's right! Gotta hurry, hurry, hurry!"
Once the blue-eyed boy's attention was averted from your nervous self to his unzipped jacket, you tightly pursed your lips and breathed out a low, relieved exhale. Saved by the time. How ironic.
You then turned to face your younger brother, who was still sleeping so soundly and so comfortably that you, for a second there, almost thought the two of you were back on Earth.
'I don't think he'll be waking up anytime soon...and if I can fix him some breakfast now, he'll be fine when he does! I just— I really need to go out and buy something that's not ramen...'
You smiled at the notion of eating something that was not ramen for once, and promptly jumped out of bed upon doing so.
"Oi, Naruto-kun, wait for me!" The words 'I'll go with you' and 'I need to go out, too' popped into your mind, and you waited until his eyes were on yours again before speaking again, although the sentence that left your mouth came out a tad bit...garbled. "I need to go out with you."
It was during that split moment, ladies and gentlemen, where time came to a sudden stop.
"..."
"..."
And then, time, as abruptly as it had stopped, resumed.
"OH, FUCK—"
"—WHAT?!"
| ⊰ ➴ ⊱ | Music: No Current Music For This Scene | Effects: Rustle Of Plastic Bags And Footsteps |
You sighed and gave a small shudder as you placed the plastic bags full of various foods and drinks in your hands onto the wooden floorboards of Naruto's apartment, mouth twisting into a wry grimace as you heaved another longwinded sigh.
'Well, that wasawkward...'
Bending over again, you wrapped your aching fingers around the bags' handles, reluctantly lifting them up before then proceeding to make your way to your 'landlord's' kitchen.
'Alright, so I'll just go put these away, and then I can— wait, what can I do? I already thoroughly cleaned this place up last night, so there's really nothing to do, now...'
And although there was a television and everything, was there actually anything you would enjoy watching? You supposed not, since most of the people in this world were ninjas and therefore had no time (or need, for that matter) for things like dramas and soap operas.
The notion of reading a book flashed through your mind as you eliminated the thought of watching some television, but then you remembered that Naruto wasn't really the type of person who would (or could) sit down and read something for more than five minutes. From this, you conjectured that books and such would not, unfortunately, be available in his home.
You looked up at the clock situated on the leftmost wall of the room for a second, before turning your head around to throw a very cursory glance over your shoulder, at the door to the bedroom.
'Would it be alright if I just...left...?' The slightly anxious pursing of lips.
You were sure that your brother, when awake, would do fine on his own — as long as he had some food, water, and something to entertain himself.
'Yeeeah, I'm pretty sure the only things on TV right now are some kiddy animes, so...'
Lips twitching, you hurriedly set about to stocking up Naruto's cupboards and fridge with the new foods and drinks you had recently bought (with the blond's money of course, hurhur), smile soon overtaking your features as you did so.
'Let's go visit Naruto then, shall we?'
| ⊰ ➴ ⊱ | Music: Naruto OST Album 2: Fooling Mode | Effects: No Current Effects |
If there was anything you hated about living, it would have to be putting up with people like this bitch—
"Oi, did you hear me?"
Jesus Christ, did the woman before you not get the meaning of 'monologue consistency', or something?? She could have at least let you finish with your thoughts—
"Strangers like you can go home. Only students and teachers are allowed to go beyond this point."
Yeeeep, and there she goes again—
"Actually, you look like a student. Are you... are you wagging?"
"W-wagging?! N-no, I'm just, uh, here to visit my friend!"
"...Hm."
At your response, the woman behind the counter stared at you skeptically, quite literally looking down her nose at you, and you refrained from rolling your eyes at her.
"You're here to visit your friend, huh?"
"Yeah." 'Got a problem with that?'
"Alright. I'll take you to your friend. But first, you need to answer some questions for me."
"Uh...sure."
"You're a male." It was really more of a statement than a question.
"W-wait—"
"Full name?"
'Well fuck you, too.' "[Name] [Last]— I mean, Akiyama. [Name] Akiyama."
It's not like you were some sort of murderer or anything, but you just...wanted to keep your real full name (or, in this case, your last name) a secret for now. What if one of your, uh, friends somehow made their godforsaken way here? Hey, it may not be entirely possible, but there was still a chance of it happening. Albeit a very small one.
"Age?"
"Twelve."
"You have a guardian, right?"
"H-hey—"
"So which class is your friend in?"
'STOP DOING THAT, HOLY FUCK—' "Um, I think his teacher's name is...Iruka...?"
A pause. "Alright, sign here."
You blinked as the piece of paper in her hands and a pen was suddenly shoved in your face, causing you to reflexively take a step back and release a quiet 'woah, shit'. You couldn't exactly read the letters inscribed on the thing since it was so close to your vision, but you didn't really mind...or care, to be quite honest.
'As long as it gets me into the Academy, I guess.'
Plucking both the pen and piece of paper the receptionist was presenting to you from her hold, you slammed the sheet down onto the counter and hastily (messily) scribbled your signature in the required space.
'Besides, it might be a pass, or something!'
You gave it back to the oh so very nice lady, smiling in satisfaction when you saw and heard her stamp the sheet with a loud 'thump'.
"Alright, here. Give this to Iruka — he'll understand."
She returned the slip of paper to you and used her right hand to gesture you towards the hallway leading to what you suspected were the classrooms. Nodding vehemently, you shot her a quick grin, stuffed the relatively small paper into your pocket, and hurriedly made your way to the corridor.
"Okay, turn left, then go straight, turn right, go straight again, and then turn left again. You're gonna be looking for the third classroom."
Grin widening, you bobbed your head up and down in another nod and excitedly raced down the corridor, making sure to follow her instructions whilst you were at it.
'Third classroom...ah! Here!'
You screeched to a halt upon arriving at your designated classroom's door, paused for a few moments to breathe and calm yourself down, before you hooked your fingers around the door's handle and slid it open, glowing beam still plastered on your features as you strode (no really, you strode) into the classroom. All became still and silent at your confident entrance, and you almost immediately felt everyone in the room's eyes and attention shift over to you upon effecting it. But your eyes were only on Naruto (whom you managed to find among the sea of heads quite easily), and when his surprised gaze met yours, a grin that could have easily outdone yours in terms of radiance rose to his lips.
"[Name]!" he yelled, rising from his seat and lifting both of his arms up to violently wave them at you.
"Oh—! [Name]!" Oh, now there was Kiba.
You raised your left hand and used it to, just as eagerly, return both of their waves, "Yo, Naruto-kun! Kiba-kun!"
Shooting them both one last smile, you then lowered your extremity and proceeded to walk up to Iruka, nearly snorting when you spotted the clueless look on his face (which was undoubtedly a result of a stranger, that is, you, barging into his class without any warning). You then fished the sheet of paper out of your pocket and handed it over to him, grin unconsciously faltering as you did so. A silence that lasted for a few seconds befell on the two of you, but once those seconds were over, you saw the corners of his lips twitch upwards in what seemed like...mirth?
"[Name] Akiyama, huh?"
You blinked. 'Yeeeesss...?'
Flashing you a warm smile and quick thumbs-up, he then redirected his attention to his students, who were, by now, curious to find out as to who the hell you were and why you were in their class. Iruka, thankfully, did not disappoint them.
"Guys, I am most pleased to say that we, as of now, have a new student! Let's welcome [Name] to our class, everyone!"
"Yeah! That's right, I'm here to— wait—! WHAT?!" 'WHAT THE FUCK?!'
| ⊰ ➴ ⊱ | Music: Naruto OST Album 2: It's The Training | Effects: No Current Effects |
Iruka turned his head around to shoot you another friendly smile.
"Yep. Says so, right here," the curve on his features grew as he returned the piece of paper to you, as though he knew (and found amusing) exactly how you had gotten yourself into your current predicament, and how you had done so by accident (more like by stupidity).
You promptly snatched it out of his hands and perused it as fast as your brain could allow you to, hands shaking and optics narrowing in ire as you read over it.
'Son of a BITCH—'
It was official. You were, as of now, a new student of Konohagakure Academy. What sealed and established this fact was your messy, shambolic signature on the bottom of the small note, the signature that you had stupidly, carelessly, and mindlessly scrawled onto the thing, earlier.
'Frick FRACK.' You knew you shouldn't have trusted that damn hag of a receptionist.
"Ah yes, I see," you nodded, voice suddenly taking on a more formal inflection and anger masked by a pretence that made it seem like everything was going according to your plans, "An unfortunate thing, really, for I do not remember signing this—"
"So! Class, do you have any questions for [Name]?"
As if on cue, everyone in the class turned their eyes to you.
"Okay, wait just a moment, I'm not—"
And then, all hell broke loose.
"So what's your full name?"
"How old are you?"
"Hey, how tall are you?"
You sweatdropped and inwardly sighed. 'This is what I get for doing something stupid...'
"Which village did you come from?"
"Do you play sports—?"
"How do you like Konoha?"
"Hey, hey, what kind of girls do you like?"
"OKAY—" You lifted both of your hands up in a motion that said 'stop', "—lemme just answer these questions first, a'ight? Then you can continue sating your morbid...curiosity about me."
Why weren't you particularly surprised when you heard a certain ravenette male snicker (albeit quietly) at your words?
"Alright, let's start from question number one." The lowering and pocketing of raised extremities, the closing of eyes, and a sharp inhale, "[Name] Akiyama; twelve; last time I checked was two years ago; it's not any of your business; yes, I play sports; Konoha's been pretty cool and chill, so far; aaand I don't have a specific type." 'Why are you even asking that though??'
Silence.
Sweatdropping at the unexpected quietude, you opened your eyes and forced a crooked, almost sheepish, smile onto your lips, silently gulping when your gaze landed upon raised eyebrows and ajar mouths.
'Fuck, did I make a bad impression, or—'
You nearly fell over in shock when you suddenly heard someone squeal (quite loudly, at that).
"Kyaa!! He is so cool~!"
You had to stop yourself from releasing a very nonplussed shout and an: "Are you serious?!"
'Holy fuck, do I really look like a guy, or something?!'
"What the hell are you talking about?! [Name]'s a—"
"Actually," You started, canting your head to the left in a vague manner that oddly befitted you, successfully catching the students' attentions again with your low, almost epicene, voice, "I am..."
You couldn't help but let out a quiet snort when you saw your peers lean towards you in their seats with mild anticipation — it was as though ascertaining whether you were a boy or a girl was the greatest goddamn discovery in the whole world.
"...A girl, so try not to fall for me or anythin', ladies." The words that left your mouth were so unvarnished, and the sentence was issued from your lips so bluntly and so candidly, it made one think that, for a second there, such discourse was actually scripted, and not unplanned (and the bright smile that had just risen to your lips did nothing to help extinguish such a thought).
Once again, silence.
'...Is that a good silence, or—?'
That silence, however, was shattered as quickly as it came by a loud chorus of high-pitched laughter, and you nearly winced at the volume of such a sound.
"Good one, [Name]-kun!"
Your smile faltered. 'What??'
"He's cool and funny~!"
Fuck it, your smile was dropped altogether. 'Oh, you're so fucking kidding me, they think I'm joking.'
"I never knew you were a joker, [Name]-kun!"
'WE JUST FUCKING MET! OF COURSE YOU NEVER KNEW I WAS A FUCKING JOKER!'
Just as you were about to speak up and voice your 'done with this shit' thoughts, your [e/c] hues clashed with a certain ravenette's cobalt eyes, and you immediately shut your mouth upon having your optics do so. Did...did you just see a hint of interest in his—
"Ehh, really?" You heard someone — a male — sigh, "It sorta sucks that we don't have another guy in here..but...I guess we're pretty lucky to have another girl in school, too~"
Oh wait, that's right...
"MOTHERFUCKING—"
"[N-Name]?!"
'THAT BITCH SIGNED ME UP FOR SCHOOL!! I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS—'
| ⊰ ➴ ⊱ | Music: No Current Music For This Scene | Effects: Chalk On Blackboard, Talking |
"Ahaha! [N-Name], can you please take your seat, now?"
Your right eye twitched as you raised an extremity to roughly grab and pull Iruka's hand — which had been placed over your mouth to preclude you from swearing any further — away from your lips, snarling out a quiet 'frickin' hell' between gritted teeth as you did so. Then, obeying his orders, you angrily started to stalk towards the seated students, completely disregarding the cautious looks they were shooting at you when you placed your foot upon a stair (for they could practically see the steam coming out of your ears).
Kiba, deciding to act bold, called out to you with a grin: "[Name]! You can sit by me!" He waved at you and pointed to the spot next to him.
You reluctantly obliged by walking over to him, incoherent grumbles leaving your mouth whilst the the stiff fists flanking your sides shook and trembled with concealed rage. Unceremoniously plopping yourself down onto the bench, you slid over to the spot next to him and scowled, thoughts still focussed on that stupid bitch— uh— woman who had put you in this hellhole. Upon noticing that Kiba's eyes were still on your form, you loured at him, glower only deepening when you saw his smile widen.
"If it makes you feel any better," he began, pausing for a moment to release a quiet laugh, "I'm actually willing and happy to come here, now."
"Oh, yeah? And why's that?" No, [Name], don't be rude, stop rolling your eyes at him—
Black locked onto [e/c]. "'Cause you're here!"
'!!!'
And just like that, any and all signs of displeasure and fury evaporated, only to be replaced by a small smile and what one could identify as happiness and gratitude. It did make you feel better, even if it was just by a little bit.
"Thanks, Kiba." A lighthearted chuckle, "I guess I'm pretty happy to be here with you, too!"
A faint blush rose to the boy's cheeks at your rather affectionate words. "O-oh—"
"Alright! Class is resumed!"
You quickly turned your attention from Kiba to Iruka once you heard his words, almost frowning when your eyes landed upon the sight of him writing something up on the blackboard. Something about transformation jutsus? Hey, it's not like you had the time to watch all the episodes, or something (actually, you did, you were just too lazy to do so)...
Sighing, you decided that watching Iruka do his thing was too boring and allowed your eyes to drift away from his form to wander around the classroom. Ino was twirling a piece of hair between her fingers, Hinata was poking her two pointer fingers together while stealing a few glances at Naruto, Shino was just...being Shino, and then you saw Sakura, who was paying very close attention to what Iruka was saying (something you applauded her on, because in your opinion, such a thing was impossible). You basically saw every main genin from the show — if you could remember correctly — doing something or another.
And then there was you. You, the one who had been ripped out of their dimension to be warped into another one. It wasn't really what you would call a 'nightmare', but it wasn't a 'dream come true', either. Maybe if you were actually a 'Narutard' or something, then your predicament could be labelled as such (a 'dream come true', that is).
But that wasn't the thing that really mattered. No matter how ideal your situation seemed, no matter how quixotic the idea of travelling between different worlds was, the fact was...you and your brother just didn't belong here.
That, again, made you think back to how you got here in the first place. Or, at least, attempt to, because you couldn't remember anything that happened before Kakashi woke you up in front of Konohagakure's gates. How did you get here? Why were you here? How would you get back? Was there even a way to get back? A plethora of questions flooded your mind as you sat there, questions that would, unfortunately, have to be left unanswered for now, for you had absolutely no idea how to respond to them.
"Okay, guys! Grab a partner and let's all go outside! We're going to do some Taijutsu training."
As if on cue, everyone immediately scrambled out of their seats and made their way to their friends to pair up, and it wasn't a moment later before the classroom erupted into a cacophony of laughs, giggles, screams, squeals, and shouts.
Naruto, upon arising from his seat, ran over to you. "Wow! I can't believe you're in my class! Anyway, wanna be my—"
"Be my partner, [Name]!" Kiba interjected before Naruto could complete his sentence, before he pushed himself into of your line of sight.
The shorter blond narrowed his eyes at the other. "Hey, no fair! I was going to ask her, first!"
"Yeah? Well, you snooze, you lose!"
"Hey, [Name]! Ditch Kiba and be my partner!"
You turned your head towards the source of the unfamiliar voice, sweatdropping when your gaze met the sight of a large group of males who were now starting to surround the three of you.
"No, be mine!" Another unrecognisable voice called out, and it wasn't a second later before all of the boys were arguing and quarrelling with each other, Kiba and Naruto included.
The bead of sweat on the back your head merely grew in size, at this. So this was what it was like to have a harem. Whoop-de-fuckin'-doo. Now you knew how Sasuke felt with all his fangirls and whatnot. Speaking of the ravenette and his followers, he was currently situated in the middle of a loud argument arranged by the said girls, all of whom were fighting each other over the issue of who was going to be his partner. You would have snickered if it wasn't for you being in the same set of circumstances (that would have been hypocritical, and you were no hypocrite). Iruka soon came over to the two of you, breaking apart the mass of fighting girls and boys with some shouting and words that made your eyes widen.
"Calm down, calm down! Geez! Since all of you are fighting against one another because you want to be partners with either [Name] or Sasuke, none of you are going to have the privilege of doing so! Instead, [Name] and Sasuke are going to be partners!"
"What?!" Came your indignant, horrified shriek.
Iruka then turned to smile at you, proud that he had just resolved a class problem and probably thinking that he had just helped you greatly. "Yep! [Name] and Sasuke are going to be partners, and that's that!"
Oh yeah, he helped you, alright. Helped you in nearly getting a fucking heart attack, thatis!
"Ugh, frick no!" You groaned, scrunching up your face in open discontent.
Why the fuck couldn't Iruka have paired you with Naruto or Kiba, or something? You at least wanted to be with someone you actually knew! Heck, he could have paired you with anyone but the duck-butt, and you still would have been happy with his choice! You really didn't like that little shit of a bishounen! He was such a dickhead in the anime, and you barely knew anything about him, except for the fact that he had fangirls (and was, by nature, a dickhead)! And that was clearly saying something, because you were pretty damn sure that he was shown in nearly every episode!
Naruto and the others moaned and complained, as well.
"But I asked her first!" Kiba protested, but was retorted to with an, 'I did!' and a, 'no, I did!' (and thus, the argument began again).
Thinking that you were going to get squished between the boys, you hastily squirmed your way out of the crowd and walked on over to Mr. Moody-Ass, eyes rolling in their sockets whilst you did so. Hey, you didn't mean to be judgemental or anything, but he just— he looked so sullen and just— he just really looked like an ass (no pun intended)! You shoved your hands into your pockets once you reached his still seated figure, blinking in light surprise when he actually lifted his head up to look at you. Shrugging, you then gestured his gaze towards the door with a flick of your head.
"You coming, or do you not know how to walk?"
"Hn."
(Your right eye gave a involuntary twitch at this one-worded response.)
Pushing himself up from his seat, he shot you one last look before he walked past you nonchalantly, eyes closing in a manner that would have had all the girls in the room squealing if they weren't still fighting amongst each other all the while.
You scoffed and rolled your eyes at his actions, before 'quietly' mumbling: "What's so goddamn good about you, anyway? I don't get why all the girls like you."
Stopping in his steps, he pocketed his hands and turned around to throw a smirk over his shoulder at you, before replying with something you were most certainly not expecting from someone as untalkative as him. "You should know." As soon as the sentence left his lips, he immediately resumed his casual walk to the door, and it was as though he had not just stopped and insulted you.
Your right eye gave another twitch. 'Cleverbastard—'
"Oh, yeah?" You speedily followed after him, "Well, just so you know, Mr. Know-It-All, it's 'you would know', not 'you should know', assbutt!"
"..."
"..."
"...Really? Assbutt?"
"Sh-shut up!"
| ⊰ ➴ ⊱ | Music: No Current Music For This Scene | Effects: Birds Chirping, Children Laughing And Yelling |
Shwiit. Shwiit. Shwiit.
You watched as the three shuriken Sasuke had thrown at the wooden stump a few metres away from the both of you lodged themselves into the stump's bark in a straight line that ran down the middle of the thing, and while you had an impassive, unimpressed expression on your face, on the inside, you were panicking like there was no tomorrow.
'Frick frack diddly dack, I don't even know how to properly use a kunai, let alone throw some shuriken!'
He straightened up from the stance he had previously assumed before turning to look at you expectantly...almost...tauntingly.
'Yeah, well FRICK YOU TOO, YOU SON OF A BITCH—'
With a quiet growl (one that made you wince inwardly because Jesus Christ, why was it so easy for you to get exasperated with everyone, in this world??), you rolled your eyes before you tramped towards him and took over his place as he moved away from his spot to observe you and see what you would do next. Shooting him one last glare, you pulled your right hand out of your pocket and slowly reached into your weapon pouch to grab the set of shuriken kept within the bag — two very important things that every ninja needed that you had bought at the last minute (you literally had to spend ten minutes convincing Sasuke to start training without you before he, like the trash he was, actually took your pleas to do so seriously) with what was left of Naruto's money. Money which you had...stolen. Mmm— you diiiid sort of regret it, but hey, desperate times call for desperate measures, am I right? Besides, it wasn't like Naruto minded or anything...right?
Fishing out about a quarter of the number of shuriken stored away in your small receptacle, you then removed your left hand from your pant pocket and picked up one of the throwing stars placed in your other extremity with the same hand. However, instead of positioning it in between the cracks of your fingers in the same style that Sasuke had, you positted it between your pointer finger and thumb in such a manner that one would have thought it was an exceptionally small dart, not a shuriken. Lips twitching, you assumed the proper dart-throwing position, flicked your hand towards the wooden stump, and simultaneously threw the throwing star at the target, eyes lighting up in mirth when it landed next to one of the duck-butt's shuriken with an audible 'thump!'.
'Yooooooo—!!'
You couldn't help but grin when you felt Sasuke's bemused, yet at the same time, amused stare on your figure. Sure, your throwing form wasn't exactly what one would call 'usual', but it wasn't like it was any less effective or powerful! If anything, such a stance allowed you more power and control, for you were throwing it with your arm coming down vertically, not horizontally! Sending the ravnette a smirk over your shoulder, you threw the last of your shuriken into the air and let them fall into your awaiting hands at random, unprecedented times. You still threw your shuriken like they were darts, but this time it was more efficient, since they were falling into your hands one after the other. It wasn't soon before all your throwing stars were lodged into the stump beside Sasuke's line of stars, some of his even loosening and falling down from the force at which you threw your weapons at! If duck-trash over there could gape, he would now. Well, at least that's what you thought.
"Heh." Tch, there was his stupid smirk, again, "You're pretty good...for a girl."
You merely grunted in response, taking no notice of the throbbing vein that had appeared on your forehead. "Oh, yeah?"
Talking to you was actually a very interesting experience for Sasuke, for you were most probably the first girl who hadn't become obssessed or infatuated with him.
"Well, you've got a damn ugly attitude...for a pretty boy."
Ah, then again, it would also be very annoying. As the other narrowed his eyes at you, your smirk widened and you suddenly found it in your best interests to place one of your hands on your hip in an 'I totally got you beat' fashion. Clicking his tongue, he swiftly turned his head away from your smug face.
"Hn."
'Check-fucking-mate~'
No sooner had that thought been formulated though, an awkward sort of slience befell on the two of you, and it was during these moments of uncomfortable silence that you reverted back to your normal, impassive self.
"So...wanna spar?" You shrugged.
"..."
You raised an eyebrow at his quietude and crossed your arms over your chest. You were pretty damn sure you hadn't made a bad impression this time, so why wasn't he answering you? Oh wait, that was right, it was in his nature to be a silent asshat. You watched as his ebony eyes slowly shifted over to you, before he opened his mouth to say something.
"I—"
"Class! Training session is over!"
You immediately turned your head to the right and placed all your attention on Iruka, completely disregarding the fact that he had cut Sasuke off (because honestly, you weren't all that interested in hearing what he had to say). Uncrossing your arms and allowing them to fall to your sides, you moved to follow the others back to class, not at all noticing the steely gaze fixed on the back of your retreating form.
| ⊰ ➴ ⊱ | Music: Naruto OST Album 1: Go Go Naruto! | Effects: No Current Effects |
"Okay! Class dismiss—"
"Yes!" You cheered as you shot up from your half-prostrate posture. Jumping out of your seat, you hopped down the steps and raced towards the door, opened it, sent the class and your teacher a 'so long, suckers!', before finally exiting the room (whilst slamming the door on the way out).
Holy Mother of God, that was possibly the worst four hours of your entire life. Listening to Iruka ramble and prattle on about ninja-like things, doing that meaningless training with Sasuke (okay, okay, so you did learn something, but it was still pretty meaningless), then once again listening to Iruka drone on and on and on about...stuff...yeeah, they were pretty much the same things you did when you were back at your old school.
You excitedly burst out of the Academy with a speed that would have made even the most experienced of ninja sweatdrop, but not before giving that woman the deadliest glare you could muster. That had to leave her shaking in her socks before you set about to getting her. You quietly hummed as you patiently waited for Naruto to appear at your side, grinning when you saw that he was one of the first to rush out the doors of Konohagakure Academy.
"[Name]-chan!"
Your beam widened as you watched him dash over to you.
"It was so funny when you interrupted Iruka-sensei! You shoulda seen his face!" He burst into what you suspected was another fit of laughter at the mere thought of the teacher's shocked and possibly angered countenance.
"Hah! He deserved it! I didn't want to be paired up with that emo-ass!"
Naruto only laughed harder when he heard your nickname for Sasuke, a fact that you yourself couldn't help but laugh at. Once the both of you calmed down, though, you suddenly became very aware of the boutiques and clothes shops the two of you were passing.
'The only things I actually have to wear in this world are a pair of black pants, a shirt, some gloves, and converse shoes. That's...really sad.'
Latching onto Naruto's wrist, you pulled him towards the entrance of one of the boutiques, laughing again when he gave you a bewildered look.
"[N-Name]-chan?"
You flicked your head towards the clothes exhibited on the shop's front display, much to the poor blond's chagrin. Hearing him groan in protest, you rolled your eyes.
"Oh, come on, Naruto! I need some clothes, here!" You pointed a finger at your clothes, which were stained with soil and dirt (and blood, sweat, and tears).
He averted his eyes from yours, before deciding that he was going to completely ignore your appeals in the hope that you would cease urging and pleading him to go shopping with you.
| Music: Naruto OST Album 2 // Song - Afternoon of Konoha | Effects: No Current Effects |
His attempts at making you stop, however, were completely foiled when you suddenly let go of his hand to 'innocently' clasp your extremities together under your chin.
"Hey, Naruto-kun?"
His eyes couldn't help but drift back to your form at your voice — which finally sounded pleasantly feminal, for once — and he immediately regretted allowing them to do so when they landed upon your face. You, [Name] Akiyama, were currently flashing him the cutest pose a manipulative tomboy like you could manage. You. [Name] Akiyama. Were giving him a cute pose. You. A cute pose.
Okay, now he could really see how desperate you were for him to buy you some clothes.
"Naruto-kun, can you pleeeeaaaase buy me an outfit?" You asked in a dulcet, almost angelic, tone.
Gulping, he anxiously tugged at his collar. "U-um..." Face reddening, he looked around for a second before he turned his gaze back to your pleading [e/c] hues. "A-alright..."
"Yay! Thanks, Naruto-kun~"
Cue the darker blush and the even more oblivious [Name].
| ⊰ ➴ ⊱ | Ending Theme: The Love Song by LM.C | Music: Naruto OST Album 1: Naruto Main Theme | Effects: No Effects For This Scene |
"Oh, it looks like [Name] has gotten herself into yet another troublesome situation! What will happen next?!"
"I actually graduated! I did it!"
"—Mizuki?!"
"Well then, I suppose I should kill you first before I kill the others."
"NO!"
"Join us next time in: 'Dérive': | 03 | K'velen |!"
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[1] = [Name] has a very persuasive facial expression that she can use to her advantage to manipulate any poor unfortunate soul who has been sucked into her gaze to, uh, follow her instructions.
sldkgj— so here it finally is! The rewritten chapter of '| 01 | I Signed Up For The Academy?! |': done!
Hhhh, I would really like to thank all of those who have been kind and patient enough to silently wait for this update! I hope this chapter meets your expectations!
Also, that picture to the right of this story is what I imagine [Name] would look like (with orange hair, but such a colour are interchangeable depending on the reader! Which means that orange is not her canon hair colour)! Haha, hopefully my art doesn't suck too much;;;