22"You did what to Sasuke Uchiha?", Ino whispers too loudly for my liking.
"I don't know what to do! He wants me to pay him back but I'm flat out broke!"
She lets out a moan and tilts her head back a bit with her hands on her back like an old woman.
"I've only known you for two days and you're already becoming a handful. Do you always get yourself into trouble like this?"
I don't reply to her question.
"I'll take that as a yes"
I sigh while waiting for her to come up with some type of solution to my problem.
"I got nothin". she finally says.
"What do you mean?"
"I can't help you, that's what I mean!", she snaps impatiently.
I frown at her, and I can tell she feels guilty for yelling.
"Listen, I know Sasuke can be real cruel and all, and trust me, I've known him since I could barely count to one hundred", she begins. "But the best advice I can give to you right now is to keep your eyes peeled and ignore that rude bastard"
"But Ino, I'm actually scared", I whisper as a group of nosey students walk by. "He lives in the house next to me"
"Whoa, you live in a house?"
Well where else would I live? In a dumpster?
"Yeah?", I reply confused.
"Then how do you not have money?", she says with wide eyes. "I'd kill to move out of the cramped up, crummy apartment I share with my family. A lot of people from this school would"
"So most people here live in bad areas?", I ask.
She shakes her head. "Not all of the people. This school is actually pretty diverse when it comes to where people live", she explains.
"The people who live in houses are usually upper-middle class or rich, and the people who live in the center of the village, the one's that live in tight little apartments like me, are either low class or middle class."
"Ooooh", I say as I begin to see the picture.
"But despite the shitty apartment I live in, I live on the safer side of town", she begins. "Sure, there's the occasional robbery or drunk man who tries to start fights on the streets after rush hour, but that's it"
"Rush hour?", I ask.
"It happens in big villages like Konoha", she explains. "It's the time when everyone is trying to get home from work. The streets are so clogged that you can tell who showers and who doesn't"
I crinkle my nose at the thought of walking through a stuffy passageway while being surrounded by smelly people.
"I've never been to the center of the village", I confess. "But I've been wondering what it looks like since I've gotten here"
She snorts. "To travelers, it's a cute little urban area where you can gamble, have good ramen or barbeque, buy silly trinkets, and maybe even find a hooker to satisfy your needs if you're out past ten o'clock", she says after rolling her eyes. "But to the people who live on the bad side of town, and even the decent side, it's crowded and underdeveloped. Not like the travelers would notice that though cause they go back to their fancy hotels on the outskirts of the center when it gets too dark outside"
"Wow", I say at the newfound information. "I never would've thought of the place being like that. Why would people come to visit if it's underdeveloped?
"It's 'old fashioned architecture' as some would say, and I guess you could say they're right about that. What most people won't admit is that it looked much better ten years ago. Travelers don't come by as often as they used to because of that", she begins. "Konoha is like most villages in that way. We'd probably have the money to improve our buildings if our government stopped putting money towards village attractions and this stupid upscale school we go to"
"But isn't it good to put money towards our education?"
"Yeah", she agrees. "But there are other schools who need the money more than we do anyway. I don't know why our school budget is as big as it is, but that's a conversation for another day"
"Now that I think about it, this school is pretty well put together", I say as I look around.
It's even nicer than the schools I went to on my home planet.
"Yeah, that's why we have an entrance exam", she explains. "If we're the best school, we can't take in anybody. That's also why the curriculum on the entrance exam is harder than what you would learn in an average high school"
I didn't find it to be that hard. I half assed it and still got in...but I have been alive for much longer than the people on this planet.
"And it doesn't stop there", she continues. "A lot of people drop out or flunk out throughout the year because the classes are harder than what they're used to and move at to fast of a pace. But that's how we weed people out. Passing the entrance exam is just phase one"
Well that's kind of harsh.
"Most of the flunkies are low class citizens, so I suggest you not befriend them. They may have made it this far, but like most schools, the work gets harder with each year, and the chances of them dropping out or failing are pretty high"
Ino lowers her voice when "the trouble makers" walk by. "That's why they all stick together", she whispers. "Because they know there's no point in reaching out to the other students if they might not be here for long"
The bell rings, and she smiles after letting out a sigh. "Well that was a conversation I didn't think we'd be having so early in the year", she says. "Let's get to class"
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Again, I end up explaining the lesson to everyone in math class, and I can tell the teacher doesn't like it for some reason.
I don't know what her deal is. If I'm teaching it better than she is, she should be proud of me, or better yet, be inspired to teach things better!
"And that's how you get the answer", I finally say as I punch a few things in my calculator and scribble down the answer.
"You're so freakin' good at this!", Chouji says as he begins to copy my work.
"You'd make a pretty good teacher", TenTen adds.
"I never really thought of being one", I say with a nervous laugh. "But I don't think it's my thing anyway"
"You really should consider it", TenTen suggests. "This is so much easier for me now because of you"
"Sometimes it's not that the work is hard to learn", I explain. "It's the person teaching it making it harder to learn"
The class went silent, as if I'd just said I killed somebody. Then, the silence was broken.
"Damn dude, you just insulted her right in front of her face!", Konkuro, the loudest student in the class shouts.
I look over at the teacher, whose skin is now blood red.
"Well it appears that you're a little too advanced for this class, Naruto", the teacher says as she walks over to my desk. "How about I walk you down to the principal's office so you can get placed into a harder one"
Before I can even object, Ino whispers something to me.
"Do it"
I blink at the teacher a few times before getting out of my seat.
"Take your paper with you", she orders. "And if any of you do so much as switch seats while I'm gone, I will give you all a pop quiz tomorrow"
I look down at the paper, pick it up, and walk away with the teacher. I don't even bother to look back.
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"Just can't stay out of trouble can you Uzumaki?", the principal asks.
I feel even more uncomfortable than when Hinata fainted yesterday. Especially since the math teacher is standing behind me while I'm sitting in a chair.
"I don't even know if I am in trouble", I grumble.
"He's not here for causing problems", Anko-sensei replies. "He's here because he thinks my class is too easy, and given the way he's been teaching the others the work and learning it faster than most people, I say we bump him up a class"
"I-I don't think that's necessary though", I panick.
"Well let's check your math grade on the entrance exam", he says as he turns to his computer.
It takes him less than three minutes to find my score.
"According to your grade, you barely passed", he says as he turns to me. "Is there any reason why you're doing so well now?"
I shake my head.
"Show him your class work, Uzumaki", she demands.
I give her an unsure look, but by the way she's glaring down at me, I know I better do as she says.
"Hm", the principal says as he looks over my work. "You even had the nerve to do it in ink"
"Is that not allowed?"
"It's not that it's not allowed, it's that most people make mistakes in math so they usually do it in pencil. But it appears you haven't made a single mistake on any of these problems, unless I learned them the wrong way back when I used to go here"
"They're all right", the teacher adds. "Every single one of them. I don't even have to look at them to know that"
The principal gives me a calculating look, and I lick my lips nervously.
"When you took the exam, did you try your best?", the principal asks.
I stay quiet for a while, but then sigh and give the only answer that would make sense.
"Not really, no"
He shakes his head at me. "Listen", he begins. "We don't tolerate slacking at this school and we don't keep anyone in a class that's too "easy" for them unless they're in the highest level course we have to offer"
My body begins to tense up, and I clench my fists nervously, not knowing what's going to happen next.
"So I'll tell you what", he continues. "Tomorrow, you're going to take the entrance exam again, and if I don't see a better score on even one of the subjects, I'm expelling you"
I don't even flinch.
"For now, you can sit in the waiting room and read this book until class is over"
He hands me a thin book with a very odd title.
"Konoha Academy's Honor Code?", I read out loud.
"We mailed this to you along with your acceptance letter. I'm sure you read it during the many days you had left before the school year started"
I narrow my eyes at the book, suddenly remembering when I'd received it, and also remembering how I carelessly tossed it in the trash without even opening it.
"Right", I reply dryly.
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The last period of the day is the hardest period for me. The book we're currently reading in the class is a lot more advanced than I thought it would be. For the most part, I understood the language that these people spoke, I mean, I'd spent 500 years trying to get it down perfectly! But the book doesn't even tell a story! They're just a bunch of little poems on each page and none of them make any sense! On top of that, the teacher is terrifying!
"So what do you think the message of this poem is?"
The class was dead silent, and I couldn't blame them. I've read poems written by five year olds that make more sense than this.
"Come on now class, open your minds", he says growing impatient with us. "There's a reason why we're not having you read some basic story with a beginning, middle, and end"
Still, dead silence. At least until someone's phone rings. That's when the teacher gets even more angry.
"How many times do I have to tell you to turn your phone off in my class, Temari", Orochimaru-sensei hisses.
"Chill out. I'll turn it off now", she snaps.
"I swear you level one students are ridiculous", he complains.
Level one? What does that mean?
"This is the easiest english class this school has to offer for your grade and not a single one of you can understand the first page of the book?"
We all begin to look around at each other as if the answer to his question is written on someone's face.
"I don't know how some of you passed the reading comprehension part of your entrance exams", he says as if we're all hopeless.
Okay now he was just being downright insulting! Comprehending a book isn't something that can be taught like math or science. How are we supposed to understand something we can't be taught to understand?
"But no matter, I'll just have another small class like last year", he says with an evil smile. "One by one you'll all start dropping like flies. I say by the end of the semester there will be about four of you left. Heck, one year I only taught two students the second semester and by the fourth quarter they both dropped out of this school. Can't say I miss them though. If they really belonged here they wouldn't have left"
The more he talked the angrier it made me. Not only because he was degrading us, but because he made this place feel less like a school and more like a survival camp.
"You level one kids are all slackers", he says coldly. "You pass your entrance exams and get by in level one classes with C's and B's, even though most of you know you can do better, but you're all just lazy cause you don't want to move up a class. You're the reason why the sand village public schools are higher than us in ranking"
"Are you done flappin' your gums yet?", a blue haired trouble maker asks. "Cause right now, I'd honestly rather read this stupid book than listen to you bitch at us"
I put my head down on my desk, not wanting to see what was going to happen next. Cause it's not the first time this kid has lashed out at the teacher, and it's not the last time that the teacher is going to yell at the top of his lungs and throw things like a maniac.
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I was just as paranoid as I walked home from school today as I was yesterday. Time after time I looked behind me, wondering if Sasuke was going to come after me or if I was just being stalked in general. Turns out I was being stalked. When I cut a corner, I quickly turned back around and yelled to startle whoever was following me.
"Hinata?"
She gave me the same look she gave me yesterday when she was about to faint.
"Please!", I say in a panic. "Don't faint! I just wanted to catch the person following me"
She falls into my arms and I catch her.
Dammit, this isn't good.
"A-are y-you mad at me?"
I couldn't say I was, even though given how paranoid she made me, I should be.
"I'm not mad, but why were you following me? That's kind of weird"
"M-my house is in th-this direction", she says nervously.
"Oh", I say with understanding. "Then why is it that whenever I turned around I couldn't see you? Were you hiding from me?"
"I-I guess you could say that"
I don't understand her. I make her faint, I frighten her...I don't even know what I'm doing!
"Do I scare you?"
I sounded a lot more insecure than I wanted to.
"N-no!", she replies.
"Then why do you hide from me and faint around me?"
"I-I just...um…"
She begins to twiddle her thumbs anxiously.
"There he is", a familiar voice says from behind me.
I turn around and I'm face to face with the same kids who insulted me the first day of school.
"What are you doing with him, Hinata?"
"N-neji!", she shouts in surprise. "I-I was just walking home with him", she panics.
"Your father wants you to go home right after school. So why are you walking him home?"
"She lives near me!", I shout in her defense. "So what's the difference anyways!"
"She lives with me", he hisses. "So she doesn't live anywhere near you. Who the hell told you that lie anyway?"
I look over at Hinata whose face is tomato red again.
"You lied to me?", I ask turning in her direction.
"Of course she did. She's obviously interested in you"
"Interested?", I repeat.
"Neji. Shikamaru", Sasuke snaps. "Let's just get this over with. Enough with the small talk"
"Get what over with?", I ask. "I don't have your money, but I really am sorry about yesterday!"
"Sorry doesn't cut it, kid", Shikamaru snorts. "So we're just gonna beat the shit out of you. And if you tell anyone, we'll have you runnin' scared back to that pathetic grass village you came from"
He charges at me with his fist balled up, ready to strike me in the gut, but before his hand even makes it to my stomach, Hinata jumps out in front of me. His arm quickly flinches backward.
"Don't!", she yells. "I don't know w-what he owes your f-for, b-but whatever it is...hurting him won't solve anything!"
Shikamaru sighs and cocks his head over to face Neji and the cold hearted bastard. "I can't hit her"
Sasuke's face fails to show any emotion, and Neji raises his eyebrow slightly. "Why not?"
"Why not?", Shikamaru repeats as if he's insane. "She's a girl! Better yet, your fucking cousin!"
Sasuke's still standing quietly, Hinata's so scared that her knees are shaking, and I watch as the two go back and forth over whether or not they should hit her.
"I'm not going to hit her!"
"Then shove her out of the way!"
"I can't do that either!"
"It's not like you're leaving a mark on her if you do!"
I can tell Sasuke's losing his patience, and it makes me wonder if he's going to retreat.
"Hit her", Sasuke commands as he walks closer to us. "Or I will"
"No way!", I say as I step in front of her. "I'm no-"
My sentence is cut off by a punch to the face. My body hits the ground, nearly knocking Hinata over.
"Naruto!"
I try to get up, but I'm kicked to the ground again. The sensation of dirt filling my mouth makes me want to gag. It's even harder for me to focus on anything now, even the first blow nearly knocked me out.
"Stop it!", she screams.
I hear feet shuffling, and even more screams from Hinata.
"Let me go!", she shouts. "Help!"
One kick. Two kicks. Three more kicks.
"Consider yourself lucky", Shikamaru says. "There's only two of us and we're going easy on you"
I'm sure by noww my whole back is covered in bruises, and I might've cracked a rib or two as well. All I can do is close my eyes and hope that it's all over soon.
"Stay away from the boardwalk, and stay away from me", Sasuke says before delivering a final kick.
I hear something that sounds like a sack of potatoes hitting the ground, and when I hear sobbing, I know that Neji must've either thrown Hinata into the dirt or dropped her.
"Let's go", Sasuke tells his entourage. "Before somebody sees this and starts questioning us"
My body feels paralyzed and I'm still trying to catch my breath. Hot blood pours out of my nostrils, some of it falls to the side of my cheek, but most of it travels over my lips and down my chin.
Hinata's still crying. The sun is ready to say goodnight. And as I lay down on the dirt, miserable and humiliated, I begin to wonder what hurts the most: lying down on the ground in defeat or hearing Hinata cry.
A/N: They start off with a rocky relationship in the beginning, but don't worry guys, it's gonna be a fluffy story with some smut, I promise :)