TEN YEARS BEFORE THE SECOND GREAT SHINOBI WORLD WAR- NARA SHIKAHIME
"Troublesome," She thought to herself as she walked into the classroom and found the seat that she'd been forced to occupy for the past two years filled by someone else. She almost tripped over her feet in surprise when she entered and found the Kurama boy sitting next to her Senju cousin. She'd expected the boy to get bored of her eventually, but the fact that it had taken him two years to do so was just something else. By his right sat, Uchiha Izuku. The only polite member of the family in her generation.
She wasted no time in taking her seat blissfully far away from the spotlight that followed the Senju on every waking hour. She heard a sound from their place in the centre of the classroom and enjoyed observing from a distance, the melodious tones the Kurama boy produced with the flute he held in his hands. It was a beautiful thing, made of pale wood that was so white it looked to be ivory from certain angles. The holes were perfectly circular, just as the mouth opening was made perfectly suited for the boy's mouth. It was the work of a master craftsman, and the sheer cost of it would probably have bankrupted many a family.
"A lovely gift, Senju-san"
"Shorirama please, Kizuru. I've told you a dozen times, call me by my name"
Well, that answered one question. The gift had come from the Senju boy. Of course, he had. Hyuga blood on one side and Senju on the other. She doubted anyone would ever have access to the kind of wealth he did. The bulk of the village was built on Senju land, after all.
"Play me something else, please," He said after the Kurama boy said something to him. A melodic tune began to spread across the classroom. A haunting tone that both said everything and nothing at the same time. Shikahime would hesitate to call herself an expert in music- no Nara really could. But she did know what good music sounded like. She'd attended enough festivals and celebrations to make it clear to her what a master of their craft could produce. What she heard Kurama Kizuru produce was not at all far away from what those people could create. It made her wonder when he'd begun practising the instrument. It also made her wonder just how the Senju boy had been able to find out about it in time to procure such a gift for the other boy's birthday.
It didn't matter though. Spending her time basking in the privacy of not being the centre of attention should have been enough for her. She leaned backwards and hoped to drift off into sleep. She should have had twenty minutes until their Sensei showed up. Of course, the Universe decided to put all her expectations to shame.
Her desk exploded in sound as someone slammed a hand down on it. She opened her eyes and came face to face with orbs of smouldering coal that looked like they were permanently alight with fire. Uchiha Uzume. Her black hair fell down her face in ringlets that framed high cheekbones in perfect lighting.
"You're on my seat, Nara" She snarled, and It took Shikahime a second to parse the words and realise that the rude girl was indeed right. Somehow in her relief and haste to find a seat away from the centre of attention, she'd ended up on the seat that the Uchiha girl favoured. She cursed herself for it, knowing that she'd now have to stand up and move all the way across the classroom with everyone's eyes staring at her. Not once did the thought of resistance cross her mind. Only two people could match up with the Uchiha girl when it came to the Ninja arts, and she definitely wasn't one of them. She prepared to stand up, and the bad situation suddenly got much worse as she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"What are you doing, Uzume?" Her cousin said, staring down the Uchiha girl with his head tilted to the side.
"Your little cousin is on my seat", She said, stepping closer to the boy who had taken the space between them.
Shikahime wanted to roll up in about ball like a child and cry her feelings out. Because how had this gotten this bad? She knew that she should be thankful to her cousin for stepping up to defend her, but she wanted nothing more than to scream at him for standing up and involving himself in this. If she hadn't already been the centre of attention, then having the two best students in the class in a face-off over her choice of seating position would ensure it.
"I'm sure no seats have any names on them. The seats are first come, first served, Uzume. Sensei has made this clear more than once, I know. And so do you." He said simply, weathering the glare that she tossed at him with no discernible reaction.
"I've sat on the same chair for seventeen months, Senju. Don't play with me" Her voice rose now, making Shikahime shrink further in the chair. No longer a whisper that promised violence, her voice was now a snarl that assured it.
"Doesn't matter", He said, and in the blink of an eye, he caught a punch that had been sent flying at his head. Now, the entire class was on high alert. Uchiha Uzume proved to be deserving of her class ranking as the number one student by sweeping her leg forward and sending a high kick slamming for his head. Her cousin simply released the hand in his grip before moving his head backwards an inch to allow her foot to sail past his face with no effect before rushing at her.
Shikahime had very little doubts about how this would go. It was only her cousin's terrible shurikenjutsu marks that made him second place to the Uchiha girl. It was a testament to his skill that the gap between them was still so close when one considered that he was dead last in the class when it came to kunai and shuriken throwing. He stepped into the Uchiha girl's space before she could recover from the attack and released a duo of quick jabs at her face. The first hit. She used the momentum to send herself rolling backwards. She came up weaving hand seals, only for her hands to be caught in a solid grip before she could continue.
"A great fireball jutsu in a closed classroom is more stupid than anything I've ever seen any of you attempt", Uraraka-sensei's voice rang out. Shikahime absently checked the clock and noted that they still had about ten minutes until the bell was supposed to ring. That, at the very least, went a step in confirming her theory.
"Senju-san, Uchiha-san. Detention. You will both be staying behind after class today, and this incident will be going on both your records," He said, before moving back to the front of the class and picking up a stick of chalk.
"Today was supposed to mark the beginning of survival and camping training, but since you all clearly have too much energy, we'll be doing some endurance training instead", He said, the rest of the class predictably erupting in mutinous groans and whispers. Even her cousin winced at the announcement. Endurance training wasn't fun for anyone. Especially now that Uraraka-sensei had begun adding genjutsu detection training to the mix.
"Chop, chop. You should be at the lineup already. Last there gets to do an extra lap for good measure," Sensei said, and the class moved almost as one. Her cousin was, predictably, at the very front of the line with his unholy speed. She hastened to take off and join the others. She couldn't end up being the one to take the extra lap.
XXXX- SARUTOBI OMOIKANE
He lounged against the tree stump while taking a look around the gathering. He hadn't thought that this would be what the gatherings would look like when he'd first heard of them and pursued an invitation. He'd expected secret training of powerful ninjutsu or something like that but while Izuku-san and Shorirama-san did show off some ninjutsu on their own, it definitely was not the centre of the meetings. These were, and he still felt strange thinking it, almost like leisurely gatherings. The idea that the Senju heir, the Cousin to Uchiha Clanhead and so many other clan heirs would gather during the weekends to play music and games would have been ridiculous to him if he wasn't looking right at it.
"How's the grill coming along, Choni?" He heard the Inuzuka say from his position opposite him and turned his attention to the Akimichi who was expertly managing a large outdoor grill and flipping pieces of meat on it. Next to the grill was a platter of various fruits and vegetables that had been provided for the entire gathering but would only end up being touched by the Senju who refused to eat meat for whatever reason.
Speaking of the Senju, he was in the complete opposite end of the courtyard in front of a series of targets. Next to him stood Uchiha Izuku and they whispered between themselves for a bit before Senju walked backwards and primed the bow. In the space between seconds, the bulls eye of all three targets had arrows sticking out of them. How? He asked himself, suddenly sitting upright. He heard the Senju bark a laugh as the Uchiha boy seemingly shared his shock at the state of things.
"Play us something, Kizuru. Izuku owes us a song" The Senju said, walking away from the targets and dragging his Uchiha friend with him.
XXXX
"Senju Shorirama v Uchiha Izuku," Uraraka-sensei said, gesturing to the raised platform set aside for the sparring matches. The friendly duo wasted no time in marching to the platform and taking their places.
"Ready to kiss the ground?" Shorirama-san asked with a smile on his face.
"Yeah yeah. This isn't going to be anything like last time" Before Shorirama could offer a reply on his own, Uraraka-sensei interrupted, commanding them to form the seal of confrontation.
They executed it in unison, and once Sensei's hand fell, the Uchiha was on the move.
He ran forward in quick, long strides before kicking at his opponent's head. The boy with hair like silk weaved around the attack with ease before trying to step into his friend's guard. Izuku sent off two quick jabs. Both were dodged in succession. The Senju went on the attack, sending a knife hand at his friend's throat that forced him to flinch backwards. He wasted no time and took advantage of the hesitation, stomping on the other boy's foot and refusing to let up. Izuku's attempt to pull his foot out from under his friend was met with harsh resistance.
Shorirama unleashed three quick jabs into his friend's face before lifting his foot and allowing him to backpedal. Izuku stumbled backwards for a second before abandoning his training and diving right at his opponent. They landed on the floor with a harsh crash, the Uchiha on top. He scrambled to press his weight down on Shorirama before lifting his upper body a bit. He wailed into his opponent, punch after punch, hitting the Senju boy in the face even if they failed to do much damage on their own as Izuku couldn't get much force behind them. As Izuku pulled his hand back for another punch, Shori's head followed him, slamming into his friend's forehead and sending the boy reeling.
Suddenly and smoothly, Shorirama used his footwork to grab a hold of Izuku's waist before rolling them over so he was the one on top. And when on top, he wasted no time. Three punches in and all of Izuku's resistance had faded. Shorirama landed two more punches before standing up and pulling his dazed friend upright to join him.
"Good show, boys. Now form the seal of reconciliation," Sensei said.
Izuku needed a second or two to get his wits about him, but once he did, he formed the seal in good faith, and they left the platform.
"Inuzuka Inukuro v Uchiha Uzume", Sensei said, making Omoikane sigh to himself. There was only one way this was going to go, and it wouldn't be fun for anyone watching. The Uchiha girl was way too aggressive and brutal, while the Inuzuka boy had much more pride than common sense. She'd beat him black and blue while he'd keep standing up to take more and more. He was a glutton for punishment.
Just like he'd predicted, the fight began with Inukuro running right at Uchiha-san. She weaved underneath both his swipes before punching him in the side. Kidney shot, he heard Shorirama wince to himself from behind him. Inukuro flinched but showed no more pain than that as he commanded his legs into a kick that Uchiha-san had an easy time bending underneath. She sprung up with an uppercut that he stepped away from. It was the beginning of a combo, however. Not one that Inukuro was well poised to deal with.
She punched at his solar plexus, forcing him to block before she kicked him in the shin. He stepped back, but she used that opportunity to tangle her feet with his and force him to the ground. She stepped backwards, allowing him ample time to stand up. He didn't take the display of sportsmanship well and dove right at her just like Izuku had done with Shorirama. The difference here was that he telegraphed every aspect of his dive, and Uchiha-san had ample time to react. She jumped upwards, stretching out a single foot that Inukuro's head slammed into. He fell to the ground, battered and unconscious.
XXXXX- KURAMA KIZURU- NINE YEARS BEFORE THE SECOND GREAT SHINOBI WORLD WAR
He watched his favourite classmate walk into the room with an easy smile on his face. He'd just finished with his assessment tests, and like exactly everyone expected, hr seemed to have had an easy time of it. Of course he did. None of the outs they'd asked Kizuru to do had been things Shori had had any difficulty with at all. After all, it had been him who'd helped Kizuru learn everything it would take to pass the exams. Especially the ninjutsu. For a family with a preternatural disposition for genjutsu, his family had an equally famous aversion to most forms of ninjutsu. The fact that the academy required to C-rank elemental jutsu of one's own element as a precondition for graduation would probably have ruined him if not for Shori.
"How was it?" He heard Izuku ask. Of course he would be the first to ask. Kizuru noted how the kind boy's cousin paid increased attention to the answer that Shori would give. At the beginning, he'd been very much against the friendship the boy was building with Shori, especially since his cousin was very publicly and openly doing her best to ensure that Shori lost the top spot at the academy. He'd thought the boy had been some form of trojan horse like Shori had told them about in that story. But three years together and he had to accept that the boy was mostly as genuine as he appeared to be. Even if Kizuru still thought he could see something sharp lurking behind the boy's eyes when he thought no one was looking.
"That was the hardest test I've faced in the academy" he said with a hearty laugh, forcing Kizuru to crack a smile. Looking around showed him that most of the class shared the sentiment. Shori was famous for never finding any of their exams or tests difficult in the slightest. Even when, six months ago, Uraraka-sensei had given them an inpassable test to teach them about failure and the dangers of arrogance, Shori was the only one who didn't have any difficulty with the questions. He'd even somehow managed to get a perfect score on mathematics problems that were so far out of the syllabus that even chunin would have had difficulty solving them.
"That's not a lot to go off of" Toshiro said, making him smile and shrug again before he walked in and took his seat in between Kizuru and Izuku while Toshiro himself was called in to take his test.
"Your test sounds very different from mine" He said, turning to his friend.
"You mean they didn't make you fight a chunin as well?" He asked with a laugh that rang hollow in the face of the class' sudden silence. He'd fought a chunin. A middle tier ninja. Sure, Chunin weren't necessarily the strongest of opponents since their strength could vary wildly. He could have fought a chunin from the Cryptoanalysis squad or something, but the fact that he'd fought one, taken shorter than everyone else had on their test, and still come out unscathed was a feat beyond feats.
If Kizuru wasn't personally aware of his terrible lying skills, he'd have accused Shori of trying to pull their legs. He could see some of their classmates coming to that conclusion on their own, and he almost tsked in disappointment. Shori never smiled when he lied. He did it with a straight face. Sure, it was the perfect way to deliver something that one wanted to be taken seriously, but considering he'd not even been able to avoid cracking a smile when he had to break the news to Inukuro that he'd broken his puppy's leg in their friendly spar, Kizuru had concluded that he'd smile no matter what. Only when he lied did he manage to avoid it.
"What do you think our teams will be?" Izuku asked, making Kizuru slam back to attention. Team assignments. That was one thing that he'd been both thinking about and trying not to think about at the same time. After all, it could turn out very good or very bad for him. Uraraka-sensei hadn't given them much information on the matter. In fact, all he knew could be summed up in three points.
One, their scores in the final exams and throughout the academy would be taken into account. He didn't know precisely how they would be considered but it could range from putting the highest scoring students together or trying to balance it out by averaging a mix of the scores. He felt the latter would be less likely. Right from the beginning of their time in the academy, it had always been about putting the best of the best together. That was why he'd put so much effort into these exams. He'd studied his arse off, day after day and night after night. He'd punched posts until his fists bled and his aunt screamed at him for taking things too deeply. She never felt the pressure he did. The pressure to beat the best of the best that the strongest clans had to offer to make sure he ended up in the right team.
Two, their compatibility as people would matter. This was one of the places where he knew that he had the advantage over most of the others. He and Shori were friends. The best of friends, if he were being precise. The only one that could even vaguely be considered as close to Shori as he was was Izuku, and being on the same team with the both of them would be perfect. He'd take the Uchiha as a third over most others. Especially that Nara who thought that she could intrude on their friendship simply because of their familial relations.
Three, the balance of their abilities. Shori was good at everything. Everything that mattered, at least. But Kizuru was one of the few people in the class who could claim to be better than him at any particular ninja art. As the Kurama clan head, he was born for genjutsu. But he hadn't stopped there. He'd trained with his aunt until he'd gotten so skilled that he was even better than their chunin sensei. His aunt called his genjutsu potential the highest she'd ever seen. Hopefully, that would mean that he'd be put on the same team with Shori to make up for any genjutsu deficiencies that might exist in the team. He was sure of it.
He became even more sure when on the very next day, the class rankings were posted. As expected, everyone in class A had passed the final exams, but the rankings were beyond what most people could have foreseen. He walked to the board with a light feeling in his chest as he stared at his position on the list.
1. Senju Shorirama
2. Uchiha Uzume
3. Uchiha Izuku
4. Kurama Kizuru
No one would be insane enough to put Shori and angry Uchiha on the same team, so he was sure of it. The three of them. He, Izuku, and Shori would be on the same team. Perfection. Few things could ever be so glorious.
XXXXX- TOSHIRO TAKEHADA
The exams had been hard. The hardest thing he'd ever had to do. He'd trained his arsenal off for it but even with that, he'd just barely been able to last long enough in the ring for the chunin to count his taijutsu as a pass, and after doing and redoing the jutsu every day for weeks, he'd been able to execute all five jutsu required of him to graduate just without keeling over from chakra exhaustion. Shurinkenjutsu was easy enough, but the addition of the hourglass to make sure that he hit all the targets in such a small timeframe and moving targets to make it even harder had been one hell of a curve ball. He'd legitimately wondered how Shori passed that section of the test. Unless it was with that bow of his, the Senju boy had famously terrible aim.
All his work had paid off in the end. He'd been ranked last in class 3-A, but that was the wrong way to look at it. He was ranked 12 out of 50 students that graduated the Konoha Academy this year. Sure, some of them were holdovers from last year who'd been forced to retake the exams but that was how life worked sometimes. He, the son of a librarian, was going to have a jounin sensei and be placed in the same team as members of the best clans Konoha had to offer. He'd seen it- the looks that he got when he got home each day. It was even worse on Saturday, when everyone knew he'd be spending the entire day at the Senju clan complex. He was the only one he knew outside of the clan children at the Academy that had gotten to talk to Hokage-sama in person. He was special.
"How did you do?" Mom asked as he ran through the door, and he wasted no time to jump on top of her' He'd had a smile on his face from the moment he'd left the academy, and couldn't wait to share his joy with his mother.
"I passed" He said, wincing as his mother winced from the loudness of his voice.
"I'm sorry" He whispered, but couldn't keep his joy down as she picked him up and twirled him in the air.
"Don't be. It's good to be excited. My boy, you're going to be a ninja. My baby boy is going to be a ninja" She sang as she took him in the air. Years of training meant he didn't feel any of the dizziness that would have been par for the course, but he still had a good time, smiling as she smiled and laughing as she laughed. Toshiro loved to see how like this. It made it clear to him just how young his mother was. She'd given birth to him when she wasn't even ten years older than he was now. She was younger than all his classmates' parents, but she looked older than most of them. Not when she smiled, though. When she smiled, her blonde hair came to life. Everything about her came to life at once.
"I'll be the best ninja in the whole world" He told her, making her laugh _and then I'll find the bastard that put me in you and tear his intestines from his body_ he said next, but not out loud. Not to her.
XXXXX
He sat at his regular seat. Far at the back. He liked it for a million and one reasons. For one, it gave him a very good view of his role model in the class, Senju Shorirama. For another, it put him a fair distance away from the Class' most volatile elements- Uchiha Uzume and Inuzuka Inukuro. The boy from the Inuzuka clan was much less likely to attack him than the angry Uchiha girl, but what he considered play time could lead to serious injury if one wasn't careful. That dog of his was dangerous, as well, and Toshiro had learned from a young age to avoid animals. Dangerous creature, he thought to himself, unsure if he was referring to the creature himself or its owner. Sometimes, Toshiro felt there was no difference between them. Shori disagreed, but he had a habit of seeing nothing but the best in people. The Inuzuka boy was a beast, and so Toshiro would never keep his eyes away from him for long.
It was only a few minutes until class started, and he watched Shori laugh as he spoke to the other Uchiha- Izuku. Their conversations were always on a variety of topics, so unless he went closer or focused chakra into his eats to eavesdrop then he was clueless as to what the conversation could be about. That was one skill Shori had. He could talk to anyone about anything. Toshiro had considered himself the most well-read person in his age group, but that was only until he discovered just how much time Shori dedicated to reading on a daily basis. He'd have thought that the heir to the premier ninja clan would have all his time set aside for training, but finding out that he scheduled every resting minute for reading had been a wake up call for him. Even when Shori stopped training his body, he never stopped training his mind.
Even now, he was still training. Most people wouldn't have noticed it- especially with how baggy his kimono tended to be- but Toshiro had better eyes than most. He was a stickler for detail. And when the wind moved through his clothing, one could spot, for a few seconds, the weights that he wore across every limb. Sitting down, standing, every movement was a form of training when one made use of ninja weights. Toshiro had considered doing it as well, but when he'd noticed the prices on his visit to the supply store, all his enthusaism had dried out. Especially when the helpful lady at the store told him that it wouldn't be very useful for someone that was his age unless they had a medical ninja checking up on them on a nearly daily basis to heal the damage they were doing to themselves the right way and make sure they didn't accidentally get crippled. For the Heir of the Senju, that kind of expense would make sense. Not for him. Not when mom worked extra hours at the Archive to make sure they had enough for rent and his ninja supplies.
"Quiet down." Uraraka-sensei said as he appeared in front of them.
"As I told you when I gave you these..." He pointed at the headbands on their heads- most of their heads, he amended to himself. Shori's headband was worn around his neck, and crazy Uchiha girl wore hers on her bicep in the same position as Nara-san.
"You are shinobi of the village hidden in the leaves now. That means you are to be the best of the best. You are now carriers of the will of fire and must be trusted to uphold both the will, and the ideals of the village in all your dealings" He continued in a serious tone before suddenly pulling out a clipboard from nowhere.
"You already know that as members of Class A, you will be sent out in teams of three with specially chosen Jounin sensei. This is a special opportunity that you must be grateful for" He said, pinning them all with his stare. Uraraka-sensei was something else. He'd been like a father to most of them in their time in the academy, and Toshiro knew that he'd be far from the only one who'd miss their sensei after leaving.
"Here are the teams. Once I call your names, your Jounin-sensei will walk in and take you with them." He said before taking an audible breath.
"Team 1 will be made up of Hyuga Uraume, Inuzuka Inukuro, and Aburame Shiba and you will be under the tutelage of Jounin Shimura Danzo." At his words, a man appeared in the door way. He'd entered the classroom without opening the door? Or he'd opened the door without them noticing somehow? No, Occam's razor as Shori called it. The simplest explanation. He'd always been there. Just under a genjutsu that prevented them from noticing. Even Hyuga-san was shocked, so that meant his genjutsu had been enough to fool even her advanced senses.
"Follow me, little branches" He said before disappearing in a shunshin. All three of his students looked between themselves, confused. "Head to training ground 1" Uraraka-sensei said, taking pity on them.
"Team 2 will have Yamanaka Inoken, Nara Shikahime, and Akimichi Choni, under Sarutobi Benzaiten" their sensei walked in through the door with an easy swagger. He was the type of man who you'd see on the street and bestow with the epithet, "Cool". Sarutobi Benzaiten was a cool man, with his full beard and broad shoulders.
"We don't have all day. Let's get going, kids." He said, waiting for all his students to stand up before walking out at a sedate pace with them in tow.
"Team 3- Uchiha Izuku, Kurama Kizuru, and Sarutobi Omoikane under Uchiha Kagami" The class went dead silent at that. Even when the Jounin entered the classroom, no one paid him any attention. Instead, all the genin in the room were looking between two people- Shori and Uchiha Uzume. What were the people in charge of the academy smoking? Putting Shori and crazy Uchiha together was a recipe for disaster. Even worse for him, he was on the same team with the both of them. He was a dead man. A very dead man.
When his sensei asked them to follow, Kurama-san boldly resisted the order, preferring to stare at his friend in worry until Shori sent him off with an easy smile.
"Team four" Uraraka-sensei said, addressing them since they were the only ones in the classroom at this point.
"Hatake Sakumo shall be your sensei" He said, and then a boy walked in. White hair and tall willowy frame marked him as a very handsome fellow. The only problem was that he didn't look to be much older than them. Not up to a decade older, for sure. He looked like a teenager, if Toshiro was being honest. Of course it was just his luck to be put with two people who wanted to kill each other, and a sensei that had the least experience of all the options. He sighed.
A/N; Yeah, five points to Slytherin for those who saw the team up coming. The next three chapters are up on the place of pa –trons- same username as up here so feel free to check it out if you want to support my journey, but don't stress if you can't. Everything will come up here in its own time.