I WOKE UP TO A PEACE OFFERING WAITING AT MY DOOR.
A blushing Naruto had knocked on my front door, his Leaf headband gleaming on top of his forehead. "I-Iruka-sensei said I should apologize. I tried to meet you yesterday but…" Naruto stammered out his words, his eyes not meeting mine.
I remembered that I was out training with Sasuke yesterday, so I mustn't have been home when he tried to see me last time. Naruto flickered his gaze to me, his blue eyes peeking from his long lashes and his ears going pink. Then, he leaned out a hot, steaming cup of ramen noodles to my face. "I'm sorry. You can take one of my favourite ramen."
I didn't know what to say. Not only did he wake me up from a heinous dream about the Uchiha Massacre, but I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by the fact that someone actually took their time to go and make some food for me, and then try to apologize.
Before I can accept, "Whoa, there's nothing in here!" Naruto exclaims, staring at my apartment with wide eyes. Of course there isn't. I just moved in with almost little money. Without thinking, "I could say the same about your head." I deadpan at him. Naruto gawks at me and I pause. A horrifying silence is between us as I slap a hand on my mouth. Can you tell I've gotten in trouble before for not keeping my mouth shut?
"I am so sorry. I didn't mean it! I woke up from a nightmare and with a headache–"
"Oh, I know just how to fix that!" Naruto grins, his whiskers almost fluttering in happiness. He just… ignores what I said and moves past me to walk into my kitchen. I call his name, but he looks through my cabinets while balancing the microwaved ramen in his other hand. "Eat up with some extra spice!"
"Naruto."
"It always helps me! Believe it!"
"Naruto!"
"It's okay," he turns to me, his voice going tentative. "When I got ramen with Iruka-sensei, he told me that having a friend means accepting them for who they are."
I stare at him for a moment, and it was as if we made a silent promise to each other.
Friends. Actual friends. I like the sound of that.
I then glance at his ramen. "Are you going to eat too?" I ask, and Naruto looks up at me with a shake of his head. "Of course not! I just had some Miso Ramen with some milk!" He tells me as he rubs his hand on his stomach, "Ah, it was so good! I chugged it all in a minute!"
I pause, remembering that his milk is what caused him his toilet problems in one of the episodes. Although Naruto is drooling at the savoury breakfast this morning, I tell myself that I should teach him how to consume more than just ramen and expired milk.
I ended up eating Naruto's ramen as breakfast while congratulating him on his headband. With a grin, he told me the story of how he earned it. I happily listened to his story while tossing out the empty ramen cup and going off to my room to get ready. Naruto boasts loudly in my kitchen until I walked out of the room and his words die in his throat. I quirk my brow at him and glance at the mirror that's near my doorway.
Naruto silently walks next to me, his shoulder grazing my ear. From the mirror, I watch his dumbfounded face stare back. I have my hair tied up in my usual high ponytail with tendrils framing my face. Thankfully, it looked much smoother today and there was also nothing on my face. So, I wondered why Naruto was staring so hard if I looked so normal.
"You waited for me to pass to wear that headband." Naruto mutters, using his hand to snatch the headband on top of my scalp. Slowly, he pulls it on my forehead. I watch myself stare back with a Leaf headband on my forehead. Here we are. Both Naruto and I as the Leaf Ninja. I touch the Leaf emblem carved into the metal, a sigh escaping me.
"Now we're both ninjas now. Believe it." Naruto announces softly. Butterflies flutter in my stomach, and my lips crack into a smile. "Believe it." I echo.
The awe doesn't leave us as we head toward the academy. The day is as bright and warm as Naruto's voice when he hopes for me to be on the same team as him, conjuring up the ideas of how we can fight enemies together. We fuelled each others ideas; Naruto will be the sole smasher of the team by diving straight into the action, while I summon up justus at the sidelines to assist him; I rescue Naruto from enemy ninjas while he thanks me energetically; and obviously he becomes a Chunin before Sasuke does.
"You're mine, Naruto!" A voice interrupts us, and a little kid whips from the fences. The little boy was about to lunge at Naruto, but his feet trip over his camouflage blanket, causing him to land face-forward. "That was a slick move," Konohamaru groans as he gets up, "that's why I respect you as a rival." Naruto and I glance at each other as Konohamaru says that.
"...But I didn't do anything." Naruto points out.
"Whoa, who's that?" Konohamaru asks suddenly, his wide eyes looking up at me, "Oh... you are a beautiful lady! Will you be my girlfriend?"
"No."
Naruto laughs at us. "Haha, there's no way a girl like Juno would go out with a kid like you, Konahamaru!" He claims, tears brimming in his eyes. Konohamaru growls in anger. "Oh, yeah? Then fight me fair and square!" Konohamaru challenges.
"Sorry, we've got an orientation," Naruto responds simply.
"Orientation?"
"That's right, as of today, we're ninjas now. Believe it." Naruto points at his headband with a proud smile.
Konohamaru left us alone after that, right before giving me a long hug until Naruto pried him off me, calling him annoying and whatnot. Now, Naruto and I are finding a seat in the class, and I notice the strange looks we get from his classmates once more. I stared back at them this time, which only made them jump up and surprise and meekly look away. Naruto didn't notice, because of course, but he did stop dead in his tracks once he spots someone next to him and shoots knives at them from his eyes.
"What?" I ask, peeking over his shoulder.
Oh, of course.
"Sasuke." I greet with a smirk. Sasuke grumbles in reply.
"Huh? What are you doing here, Naruto, Juno? This isn't for dropouts; you can't be in here unless you graduate." I look to my right and find Shikamaru. He had complete knowledge we had graduated. The man isn't blind, and plus, he has the highest IQ in the class. He's only teasing us.
"I'm first!" I hear them say.
"Oh, great," I say under my breath, turning my head to look at the situation. "I win again, Sakura," Ino claims with a confident smirk on her face. "Give it up. I had to look back to see you. My toe was at least a tenth of an inch ahead." Sakura snaps back.
"Uh, Juno." I hear Shikamaru call behind me. I look over at him, watching him widen his eyes and gesture to the back of the classroom with a tilt of his head. I look back, watching Sakura's eyes avert towards us, or should I say the guy sitting next to Naruto and me. I look down at my spot and Naruto's, fearing for my life. Shikamaru was warning me. This was a bad situation to be in. I'm sitting in the seat that was desired by a room full of pre-teen fangirls. Bad idea.
As Sakura made her way towards us, I know there wasn't enough time to skitter through the gap between Naruto and the desk. Even if there was enough time, I would have been trampled by Sakura, just like what had happened to Naruto. Naruto stands up with a big grin on his face.
"Hey, Sakura, what's up?"
"Move it!"
I pull him down immediately, barely saving him from Sakura's pummelling. Naruto lands hard on his seat, not even bothering to question my actions. I think he may have realized I had saved him from a rough fall. I glare at Sakura, who smiles at Sasuke. "Uh, good morning Sasuke. Mind if I sit next to you?" she asks politely. Ino comes stomping in, grabbing Sakura's arm. "Back off forehead! I'm sitting next to Sasuke." Ino claims.
"I was here first!" Sakura hisses in response.
"I walked into the classroom before you did! Everybody saw it!" Ino argues.
"Dream on!" Sakura snaps back.
Slowly but surely, the girls in the classroom begin to crowd around us, claiming the spot Naruto and I are currently seated in. Annoyance overwhelms me to the point it physically hurt. I pinch the bridge of my nose. "I am surrounded by idiots," I mutter.
My ears perk up once I hear Sakura yell at Naruto. "Naruto! Hey, stop glaring at Sasuke!" she orders. I turn around, and a devious grin appears on my lips. Naruto is perched in front of Sasuke, looking behind me with a trace of hurt on his face. He frowns and looks back at Sasuke, continuing to silently feud with his rival.
"Oh, this is going to be good," I say aloud.
They glare at each other so hard I can see the two shooting lightning bolts at each other. There was no personal space at all. I lean in further, watching in amusement as they inch closer and closer each second. Maybe I can take a picture... Everyone's going to be too busy to question my iPod, so I think I may be able to have the opportunity.
Behind me, I can hear the girls encourage Sasuke to fight with Naruto. On the other hand, I don't say a word and pull out my iPod from my pocket. Naruto gets shoved by an elbow from behind him.
Click.
Naruto's lips had successfully been planted on Sasuke's lips. There's a slight pause in the classroom, and all you can hear is my laugh bouncing off of the walls. Naruto and Sasuke pull apart, holding into their throats and spitting out their saliva in disgust.
"Naruto..." I hear Sakura say grimly, "you are so dead!"
Naruto raises his palms up in response, "Hey, whoa! It was an accident!" he defends himself. Little did he know... you don't make accidents near fangirls. No matter the universe.
࿊
"As of today, you are all ninja. Together, 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." Iruka says to the class.
I glanced at Naruto and sighed. Poor guy was sitting on the edge of the bench, resting his head on the desk. He sat beside Sakura, who could steal my seat after she landed a few hits on Naruto. I tried to rescue him, but Ino held me back, claiming that he deserved it.
"Calm down! That idiot needs to learn!" I remember her saying as she struggled to constrain my arms. After Sakura had managed her anger toward Naruto, she slipped right into my seat. There was a whooping of appreciation for her while she beat Naruto up, but it had transformed into angry protests. The fangirls fought for 'their' seat.
I frowned, taking my seat at the edge, next to Naruto, as everyone yells for a couple more minutes. The chaos ends when Iruka steps into the classroom and manages to calm everyone down.
"All Genin will be grouped into a three-man squad. Each squad will be led by a Jonin. An elite ninja. We want each squad to have a balance of strength and abilities. So that's how we set them up." Iruka told the class, "I will now announce the squads." The numbers and names passed by my ears as Iruka announced them to the class. My name wasn't called, fortunately. Of course, I wanted to be in Squad 7, but I tried not to get my hopes up.
"Squad Seven," I hear Iruka say. I nearly jump in my seat and stare intently at Iruka's mouth, waiting for words to form on his lips. Either my brain was processing everything slowly, or Iruka was trying to get me frustrated. "Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, and Sasuke Uchiha." Iruka finishes. This time it was vice-versa. Naruto fell to his seat, groaning in disappointment while it was Sakura's turn to exclaim in excitement. I sigh in disappointment. Why did I bring my hopes up anyway?
I place my head on my desk. Sending off goodbyes to the characters I could have met and befriended, or the places I could have explored and the missions I could have gone on. Will I even become Chunin? Figure out why the hell I am even here? I guess I will never find out. I need a plan to talk to the Hokage. Maybe he can do something. Perhaps if I become dramatic and cry-
"Iruka-sensei!" I hear Naruto call out loudly, breaking my train of thought. "Why does a great ninja like me have to be in the same group with a slug-like Sasuke?" He asks. I take a peep above my arm, staring up at Naruto, who was pointing at Sasuke.
"Sasuke had one of the best scores of all the graduating students. Naruto, you had the worst." Iruka replies flatly. Laughter arises from the students. "One of the best?" Sasuke mumbles, furrowing his brows. Hehe, yeah. It is one of the best now that I'm here.
"To create a balanced group, we put the best student with the worst student." Iruka finishes. Naruto balls his fists, grunting in frustration. "Just make sure you don't get in my way, loser," Sasuke tells Naruto. Naruto's fist trembles as he looks back at Sasuke.
"Hey, what did you say?!" Naruto shouts.
"Hard of hearing?" Sasuke responds. There's a chorus of laughter in the classroom once again. Are you kidding me? They find Sasuke's ridiculous one-liners funny, but not me? I feel Naruto's frustration in my soul.
"Knock it off, Naruto! Sit down!" Sakura commands. Naruto grumbles, flopping onto his seat.
"Speaking of top students... Juno, you haven't been placed in a team yet, correct?" Iruka asks from the front of the classrooms. My eyes look over at him. I could have thought he forgot about me. Usually, everyone does.
"Uhh... No." I answer. Iruka cups his chin, seeming as if he was trying to remember something. "Hm... Oh, right!" He says under his breath and walks over to his desk to shuffle the papers on his desk.
"Ah!" Iruka whispers, holding up a sheet of paper. "Oh... Juno. You have been personally placed by the Hokage!" Iruka announces, failing to hide his surprise. There were a few gasps and whispers of astonishment. I cross out the plan to be dramatic to the Hokage. "Juno Watanabe, you had been recommended to be placed in Squad Seven."
"YES! WHOOHOO!"
Oh, that wasn't me.
That was Naruto.
I hear a slam on the desk, but in the corner of my eye, I see that it's only Sakura slamming her head on the desk. She should be more careful. She can get a concussion, like that. I hear yet another slam behind me. "WHAT?!" Ino's voice cries out. "Iruka-sensei, why do they have an extra teammate?!" She demands, pointing at me. There's a mummer of agreement in the classroom.
"As I said before, there were a varying amount of students. There weren't enough students to create a new squad." Iruka answers.
"Sensei, is there any specific reason why she's on our team?" Sakura speaks up, a line forming on her brow. "I'm not sure. The Hokage had made that decision personally." Iruka replies, seeming a bit interested himself.
"But why her?" Literally, all the girls in the classroom push. Sure I was curious too but what the hell did I do to them? Was the Sasuke Sisterhood that strong here?
"I'm sorry, girls, but I'm afraid I cannot answer that question. Now, let's move on." Iruka dismisses the subject, "After lunch, you will all meet your new Jonin teachers. Please sit wit your respective teams to make this more organized! Until then, you're dismissed."
I turned to ask Naruto to eat lunch with me until I realized he was following Sakura. "H-hey, Sakura! Wait up!" He called after her. I sighed, noticing that Sasuke and Sakura had left also. I guess I have to eat lunch all by myself, which I did not even pack. So what I did was plug in my earbuds, pull up my hoodie and walk around, taking a few pictures of my surroundings with my iPod. I still cannot even fathom I am in another world, so I had to. I kind of need to figure out how this place exists and what I need to do here.
While I was out on my walks, I had gotten lost very quickly. This goes to Rule #4, one of the most essential rules to surviving the Naruto world: Follow the other students. You are a shadow. Act like one. Yeah, it sounds like something a stalker would say, but if you want to get through the Naruto universe, you're going to have to step out of your comfort zone and do a few creepy things.
A few kids were loudly telling each other that if they want to make a good impression on their sensei, that they're going to have to arrive early. At that moment, I took out my earbuds and eavesdropped on them like a real ninja. Of course, I already knew my sensei would be late, but I had already forgotten where I was and how to get back to class. That led to my last resort, creepily trailing behind the rookie group.
Luckily, I was able to reach class without anybody noticing that I was following them. Barely anybody was in class. There were a few, including the people I had followed behind, but I knew nobody. I slid into an empty seat and decided its time for me to ponder why I even got placed in Squad Seven.
Yet, other people had other ideas.
Ino, finding my eyes, prances towards me with a firm demand. "Show me your hands."
"Why?" I huff, clutching them close to my chest. I immediately think about the frustration that boiled up in me during the self-study session yesterday. I remember that I had squeezed my hands so tight that my nails dug into my palms and bled out. The only person that noticed that was Choji. Anger bubbles me and I find Choji sitting across the room. Choji's brown eyes darted away from me, avoiding my death glare. Shikamaru is seated next to Choji, watching us with half-lidded eyes.
I wasn't aware Choji is the type to gossip! How embarrassing. He must have told his team about everything yesterday. Ino catches my wrists, forcing me to direct my glare to her. A frown drags on her pink lips.
"Come on, just show them to me!"
"Leave me alone!" I struggle with the Yamanaka, trying to push her away from my personal space.
"Just drop it, Ino." Shikamaru calls. Although Ino is stubbornly grasping at me, her grip immediately loosened at the sound of Shikamaru's voice. With a huff, Ino decided to explain. "Listen, everyone talking about what happened to you yesterday! I need to know if you cheated!"
I freeze. "Everyone thinks I cheated?"
Ino's blonde eyebrows furrow tightly together, she steps back and crosses her arms across her chest. "You're new, you were terrible at jutsu, you caused trouble in the class, cried about it, and then apparently passed as one of the best students in class! To top it off, you get a better mark than me." Ino drawls as if this were the most offensive thing that has happened to her. She speaks as if she's the best in the class, and there was no way I was supposed to surpass her. "Either it was sheer luck, or you cheated!"
"How did you see my grades? I didn't even see my grades."
"I don't know. My dad asked around."
"Your dad?!" My jaw drops. "He cares about your grades like that?"
"Of course he does! Don't you know who I am— whatever. Just show me your hands. I don't care if you cheated. Just show me how you did it."
Ino's explanation of her curiosity calmed me down. I understand her perspective a little bit more now. So I slowly reach out my arms to her and spread out my palms. Ino's steely eyes gaze down at my palms, and then they slowly widen at the crescent shapes on my skin.
"I didn't cheat." I answer, "I would have if I wanted to, but I didn't. I just got angry and made as many clones as possible. That's all it was."
"You didn't cheat…" Ino murmurs, blinking at my hands. "I guess you were studying that time before the exams. So… how many clones did you make to get the Hokage to place you in Sasuke's team?"
Oh of course, it's not just about me cheating. Rule #5 to survive the Naruto Universe: don't make fangirls angry. Never underestimate the power of tween girls, even if they're fascinated with a boy. Ino is worried about me being in Sasuke's team as well. I scoff at her. "Is that what this is about? Sasuke?"
"No. Yes. Partly! Just listen, new girl! You need to know that Sasuke's mine! I know you're trouble, so stay away from him!"
This is when I get prickles across my skin, signaling to me that someone's watching me. I glance around the room, realizing that the whole classroom is eerily quiet— and they are staring at our scene. I suck in my breath, uncomfortable at the attention.
As if she were summoned, Sakura's voice manifests from across the room. "Give it up, Ino-pig! Quit harassing others because of your jealousy!" Ino and I glance at her, and find the pink haired kunoichi striding towards us with fire in her eyes. The two girls come face to face with each other to shoot daggers from their eyes. Meanwhile, I'm sitting in the crossfire, awkwardly watching them mentally strangle each other. "Everyone's tired of you yapping about what a top ninja you are and your fake delusion of Sasuke! Besides…" Sakura glances at me, "We can both agree that she isn't a threat."
"Hey!" I squeal.
In just that moment, footsteps echo into the classroom. The tension in the room directs to the person that joins in our soap opera. Sasuke, raises a brow, glancing at all the faces that have turned to him. Quickly studying the seating, Sasuke dismisses the looks and wordlessly takes a seat next to me. Sakura hesitates but follows suit and sits next to him, while Ino departs from us.
Naruto waddles into the classroom, clenching onto his stomach. Of course, he is suffering from some bathroom trouble because he drank expired milk this morning. He stuffs himself next to Sakura, not saying a word. I make a tight line with my lips. And, of course, I'm stuck in the middle of the drama. Well, my stomach did add its two cents with its grumbling.
"Huh?" Everyone looks at me. Yeah, now you guys pay attention, huh? I think. I feel my cheeks warm up. It must have been deafening if they had noticed. "Hey, do you have to go to the bathroom too, Juno?" Naruto asks. I freeze at his comment. Could this get any more awkward? He thinks that I have the same bathroom problem as him. The thought makes me cringe.
"I'm just hungry." I answer. Naruto looks at Sasuke. "You hear that, Sasuke? She's hungry. Why don't you give her some of the extra lunch you had, huh?" Naruto says to Sasuke. "Tch, how am I supposed to do that when you made me drop all of it, idiot?" Sasuke replies.
"HUH? WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?"
"Naruto! Stop yelling at Sasuke!"
"You really are hard of hearing, huh?"
I settle my face onto the desk. Today is going to be a long day.
࿊
"It's nearly been an hour."
Well, it has felt like it's been 84 years...
"Why is it taking so long?" Sakura asks. I sigh and place my head on the desk. For half an hour, we've been sitting here, watching teams leave and listening to Naruto list his reasons for why our sensei must have been late. Suddenly Naruto stands up and walks towards the door to peek in the hallway. "He's late." He grumbles. "Yes, we've realized after the tenth time you pointed it out," I reply.
"Naruto! Just sit down!" I hear Sakura order.
"I don't want to. How come our teacher is the only one that's late? I'm ready to rule. Believe it!" Naruto snaps. "The other groups already met their teachers and took off on some adventure or something, Iruka-sensei's gone, and Juno looks like she's about to pass out anytime, too!"
"We know, okay," Sakura says.
Naruto steals an eraser from the chalkboard and skitters towards the stool in front of the doorway. "Hey! What are you doing? Naruto! " Sakura commands. Naruto steps on top of the stool, mischievously grinning to himself as he places the eraser between the wall and the door. Sakura walks up to Naruto, placing her hands on her hips.
"That's what he gets for coming late! Surprise!" Naruto says proudly, hopping off of his stool. Sakura observes his little prank before shooting Naruto a dirty look. "You're asking for trouble! You know you shouldn't do that." She scolds. "Come on! It's funny! Right, Juno?" Naruto asks, looking at me.
"That's dumb, Naruto," I answer. Naruto gawks at me as Sakura smirks in victory. "Use the dirty eraser, not the clean one!" I give him a toothy smile, earning a loud laugh from Naruto. "Oh, you're right! What was I thinking?!" he asks himself, skittering to replace the erasers.
"Juno! You're just as bad as Naruto!" Sakura scolds.
After falling from the tree because of the spider, Kakashi used every mistake I made as an excuse to go harder on me. He made me run laps around the village one time until I passed out from the heat… in front of everyone! Kakashi only carried me out because he thought everyone was looking at him and me. I shiver at the thought.
"Whatever. It's deserved." I smirk sadistically to myself. "Hmph. Our teacher's a Jonin; and an elite ninja. You think he'd fall for that?" Sasuke says. "Watch and learn." I tell him. Sakura frowns at me as I roll my eyes at Sasuke. "Sasuke's right. You two are so clueless!" she tells me.
"He's here!" Naruto announces. A sly smile makes its way on my face, and everyone's gazes snap towards the gloved hand, pushing the sliding door open.
Bonk!
A cloud of smoke appears on Kakashi's head as the eraser topples onto the ground. There was a brief moment of silence for the disbelief to set in before Naruto's laugh erupts in the air. "Hahahaha! Got him! He totally fell for it! Hahahahaha!" he laughs, pointing at Kakashi. I hid my snicker by pretending to cough.
"I'm sorry, sensei. I told him not to do it, but he wouldn't listen! I'd never do anything like that!" Sakura says as Kakashi picks up the eraser. I cringe at her.
Kakashi studies at it the eraser, "Hm… how can I put this?" he says as he places a hand on his chin. "My first impression of this group… You're a bunch of idiots." He states bluntly. The three deadpan at his words as I give myself a proud smirk.
"Ah, Juno. Don't think I don't see you." Kakashi calls. My smirk withers. Oh, no. I'm in trouble, aren't I? My stomach rumbles loudly once more. I look at Kakashi, bracing myself for his lecture. "You know better. And to think I was going to give you some pocky." He scolds. I hang my head in shame, feeling a boulder of disappointment on top of my head.
"Did you forget to make your lunch again?" Kakashi asks, scratching his headband, a sweat drop appearing on his forehead. He's used to this. I always forgot to bring lunch when we were training, and sometimes Kakashi would notice and take me out for food. Kakashi sighs before tossing two boxes in front of me. "You're lucky. It's only going to be this one time." He tells me. My eyes sparkle as I stare at the boxes on my desk. I snatch them eagerly, ripping a box open to stuff the pocky in my mouth.
"Okay. Now what we're done with that… Meet me on the roof when you're all set." Kakashi says, "And don't take too long." He orders before poofing away. "He tells us not to take long, but he took an hour to get here!" Naruto shouts, pointing at the door.
"Hey, can I ask how you're familiar with him?" I hear Sakura ask. I look back at her, chewing the pocky in my mouth. "Huh? Oh, I've trained with him before graduation." I answer. Everyone freezes. "H-how is that possible?" Sakura stutters. "What?! That's so not fair! you got trained by a Jonin before any of us!?" Naruto claims as he points at me.
"Well, to make it fair, I only had two weeks to train with him."
"Huh, why?" the two ask. "I'm new, remember. I wasn't a ninja at all before I graduated." I explain. The two frown slightly as they stare at me. I guess they gave him because they were no longer arguing. "That explains a lot," Sasuke speaks up. I look over at him, unsure if I should be offended. He stands up and walks outside the room before I can even respond. Sakura calls after him and runs behind him.
Naruto and I glance at each other. "What did that mean?" I whimper. Naruto frowns and shakes his head. "Nothing. He's just a jerk!" Naruto tells me angrily before looking down at my pocky. Gingerly, he points at it and mutters, "Um, can I have some of that?"