There's a buzz of excitement all around as you step into the classroom. No one pays you any attention, and you stop just inside the doorway, trying to figure out where you sit.

"Ino!" A tiny, pink-haired Sakura rushes past you with a shout as she joins the cluster of girls around Yamanaka Ino.

Do children at this age really enjoy school this much?

You spot Naruto sitting at his desk, chattering excitedly with Kiba. Iruka's not even here, and the notorious prankster is behaving.

The students migrate towards their seats, and when the bell rings, you make your way to the nearest empty chair. The boy to your left glances at you but doesn't otherwise acknowledge you.

It isn't long before you see Iruka enter the classroom carrying a big metal bucket. "Good morning, students."

You stand up for the traditional response, "Good morning, sen-" you break off when you realise that all the other students are still sitting. The boy next to you is staring at you blankly and someone behind you snickers.

"Nice to see that you're excited about class for once, Sota-kun, but please sit down." Iruka directs mildly.

You sink awkwardly back into your seat, embarrassed. That's right, people are less formal in this world.

"Today, as I'm sure you all remember, we will finally start to learn how to use chakra. I know some of you already learned some from your parents, but you all have something new to learn. Can anyone guess what we're going to do with these leaves?" Iruka asks, taking a handful of small, green leaves from the bucket.

A few hands shoot into the air. On the other side of the room, Ino and Sakura fight to hold their hand the highest.

"Sakura," Iruka prompts.

"It's a chakra control exercise, right, Sensei? We're supposed to get it to stick them to our foreheads," she says.

"Correct, who here already knows how to do this?"

A few hands go up in the air: Sasuke, Hinata, Kiba and a blond boy you don't recognize sitting beside Shikamaru. Shikamaru, himself, doesn't seem like he's paying attention, with one cheek in his hand and a glossy, bored look in his eyes. Ino's hand twitches, but she doesn't raise it, glancing across at Sakura.

"I can do it, too!" Naruto suddenly yells, a glare fixed on Sasuke.

You blink in surprise. Is Naruto actually competent in this world?

"Oh," Iruka echoes your own surprise. "When did you learn it, Naruto?"

"Umm… I learnt it, believe it!" He yells. Jumping up from his desk, he grabs one of the leaves from Iruka.

Naruto presses the leaf to his forehead with a determined expression. But as soon as he lets go, it flutters to the ground. He snatches for it, face reddening. "Let me try again, I'm just…"

"Naruto, go back to your seat, now!" Iruka raises his voice.

"Of course you can't do it if you don't have someone to teach you," the blond boy next to Shikamaru mutters scornfully in Naruto's direction. "If even Sota can't do it, why would you think you can, baka?"

You look at him, frowning. You don't appreciate him bringing you up, but you decide to keep your mouth shut for now.

"Don't compare me to that asshole!" Naruto snarls vehemently, surprising you.

"Language, Naruto! And Shin, what have I said about riling up your classmates?" Iruka asks.

Shin… you recognize the name, but he doesn't look like Sai's Root brother. Then again, it's not an uncommon name, so he probably has nothing to do with Root.

"I'm sorry, Sensei," he replies. He doesn't look sorry.

"I need a volunteer." Iruka continues. Again, hands go up around the room from eager students. "Sota, mind helping me demonstrate what we're doing for everyone?"

"Umm…" You hadn't volunteered.

"No need to be shy," he says, motioning you forward.

You sigh. What's the worst that can happen? Nobody seems to expect anything special from you, so what have you got to lose?

"Okay," you walk to the front of the class to join him.

"Now, you've not channelled chakra before, right?" Iruka asks.

You shake your head.

"First, you need to get a feel for your chakra. I want everyone to be quiet," Iruka looks sternly around the classroom.

The whispers slowly quiet and Iruka glares at a girl in the front row until she stops whispering to her neighbour and fidgets in her seat. The classroom settles into complete silence.

"Put your hand on your chest, close your eyes, and breathe in and out."

You obey, trying to ignore the eyes of your classmates on you and focus inward.

"Take your time and focus, you don't have much chakra yet, so it might be faint," Iruka instructs gently, "It should feel like something warm inside you."

You can feel the expansion of your chest as you breathe. You can feel the rapid beating of your heart. And you feel something else, too. It's not warm, it's hot. Unlike what Iruka describes, this isn't faint, it's strong, intense, and you don't know how fire can be enclosed in a human body, but that's what it feels like, and it strikes you as strange that you didn't notice it before.

"Do you feel it?" Iruka asks after a long moment of silence during which the heat seemed to swell.

You nod.

"Good. Try to grab onto that feeling and lead it up through your arm and back into your chest. If you're doing it right, the feeling in your chest will get stronger."

Your chest feels like it is burning. Sweat beads on your forehead. You're beginning to feel concerned, afraid that if you let it go, you might burn for real.

"I think I got it," you manage.

"Now, open your eyes and grab one of the leaves. Put it on your forehead and hold it there with a finger."

You put your hand in the bucket and pick up a small red leaf. You put it to your forehead.

"Instead of channelling your chakra into your hand, channel it up through your body and into your forehead, see if you can make it grab onto the leaf."

You focus on the hot fire inside you again, and feel like your head might explode. You can feel it touch the leaf, but it doesn't feel like it is grabbing it, instead it feels like it's pushing, and it's harder for you to hold the leaf where it is.

"Now, let go with your finger," Iruka says.

"But…"

Iruka smiles at you, "Don't worry, almost no one gets this their first time. Just give it your best try, Sota."

You sigh. As you let go, the leaf flies away from you and lands on the floor.

"Good work, Sota, a bit more practice and you'll get it," the man assures you. He hands the leaf back to you and returns his attention to the class at large.

"Now everyone, I'll hand out some leaves to you all, but don't throw them at each other and be silent so everyone can concentrate."

You sit down and try again, but the leaf just flies away again. Is this the power of the Uzumaki? No wonder Naruto couldn't do it. Frowning, you try to tone down your chakra a little. You take a deep breath, trying to hold back some of the heat inside of you, you can feel the leaf flutter less, but when you let go, it flies away again.

You turn your head towards Naruto to see how he's doing, but he seems to be impatient, putting a leaf on his forehead over and over again without spending any time concentrating on what he's doing.

You sigh. You had hoped Naruto could give you some insight into how to do this, as he should have even more chakra than you, but Naruto didn't seem to be any more competent than he was in the anime during his Academy days. You would have to figure this out yourself.

You look at the pile of leaves in front of you and think about Naruto's Multi-Shadow-Clone Jutsu. What if you try them all at the same time?

You push a handful of leaves against your forehead and lower your chakra output as much as you can before letting go with your hands. Most of the leaves fall down, but you can feel a few staying where they were, fluttering unsteadily against your skin.

"Good work, Sota, I didn't expect you to get it this fast," Iruka's voice surprises you, since he'd been across the room offering advice to another student on the other side of the room a moment ago.

"Thanks," you mumble.

People's eyes are on you again, but this time the attention feels good. Then you remember the sealing tags you'd found in your room, and your smile dims, because if you, Sota, already knew how to channel chakra, then it doesn't really feel right to be recognized for the achievement. It feels like a lie.

"See how long you can keep them there," Iruka says.

You push the negative thought from your mind and nod. Even if Sota knew how to use chakra already, it was still a first for you, and you were proud of yourself, and wanted to test your hand at this new ability.

From the corner of your eye, you see Naruto getting more and more frustrated, copying your tactic by pressing handfuls of leaves to his face without any luck. He still isn't taking the time to focus.

When the last of your leaves fall from your face, you decide to take a break. Most of the other kids in the class are deep in concentration, their own leaves hanging tenuously off their foreheads or fluttering to their desks. Naruto is trying to steal one of Kiba's leaves.

"Come on! Mine are broken, believe it!" the blond complains to his seatmate.

Iruka is helping a girl at the back of the classroom. You hesitate before walking over.

"Hey, Naruto, do you need some help?" you whisper to him.

He stiffens before turning to you with a stubborn scowl. "What, is this more proof for you that I'm not a real Uzumaki?" He asks bitterly and throws a handful of his leaves at you.

"Naruto! Sota!" Iruka calls from the back of the room. "What did I say about throwing leaves?"

"I didn't do anything," you protest. You were just trying to help. You thought he'd be happy to have someone actually help him, and you don't understand why he was so upset.

"Just leave him alone, will you, Sota?" Iruka sighs.

"I will," you reply, frowning at Naruto's glare a moment longer before returning to your own seat. If he doesn't want any help, it isn't your problem.

You pick up your leaves again and push a handful against your forehead. The leaves all burst from your face the moment you release them, and you realise you've let your annoyance with Naruto distract you.

You force yourself to pause, to breathe deeply and refocus on your task, then you settle down to try the exercise again.

-x-

The classroom is nearly carpeted with leaves by the time the class is dismissed for lunch. You watch as your classmates form groups, chatting excitedly about their successes with the chakra exercise and taking their packed lunches outside to eat. No one invites you to join them, or seems to acknowledge your existence at all. Even Naruto is joking with Kiba and Chouji as they leave the room.

You hadn't thought to pack a lunch that morning, and you recall the empty fridge and bare cupboards when you were trying to find something to eat for breakfast that morning. Your stomach growls at the thought of food, but there's nothing you can do about it, now. You pull out your textbook and open it to where you left off the night before, you can at least distract yourself from your hunger.

"Sota, aren't you going to eat?" Iruka asks, stopping in front of your desk.

"I forgot to bring anything," you reply without looking up from your book, not wanting him to see how uncomfortable you are.

He frowns, looking at you silently for a long moment. "I see… How is your memory?"

You hesitate, then lower the book to look up at him. "I still don't remember anything. And… I've no idea why Naruto is mad at me."

He scratches the back of his head, just above his ponytail. "Oh, sorry about that… you two have never gotten along."

"Why not?" You ask, "Aren't we family? I thought we would be friends… Did I do something wrong?"

Iruka sighs. "He was quite excited the first day you joined our class, as I remember. He followed you around all day, until you… You told him that a real Uzumaki has red hair, so you two couldn't be related."

You frown. "Why would I do that?"

"I've no idea," the man shrugs. "If I could read my students' minds, my job would be much easier. Be nice from now on, will you?"

"I will," you smile at him.

"Thanks," he says. Iruka places a lunchbox on the desk in front of you.

"Umm… thanks, but isn't this yours?" You ask.

"Working with chakra for the first time takes a lot out of you, you need to eat to recharge your energy," Iruka says. "Besides, I always pack too much. Eat what you want, and I'll have whatever's left."

"Thanks," you say, and open the box to find two fat sandwiches on thick, white bread, along with neatly organised chopped vegetables, two apples, and a peach. It certainly looks like plenty of food and you are already salivating. Losing the last of your reservations, you grab a sandwich and tuck in.

"I have been wondering about one thing, Sota," Iruka says, and you pause eating to look up at him. "Are you sure you've not used chakra before?"

You frown up at him, unsure of how to respond.

"You're a quick learner," Iruka adds, "But that seemed too fast, even for you."

"I don't remember using chakra before," you say, "But I think I might have…" You hesitate, taking another bite of the sandwich. After swallowing, you look up again, "Iruka-sensei… I found a storage scroll in my room yesterday. I think I made it, but I don't remember how to open it."

The man smiles, "Usually, you just open them with a ram seal. Focus your chakra through the seal and then into the paper. That's the simplest way to do it."

You smile, "Thanks, Iruka-sensei! And thanks for sharing your lunch too. I think I'll be set with this and one of those apples."

"No problem, Sota," Iruka replies, picking up the rest of his lunch. "And don't worry about Naruto. Family will always be family. If you continue to make an effort, I'm sure the two of you will become fast friends."

You fall back into your own thoughts as Iruka walks away. Do you even want to be friends with Naruto? Kids are annoying, and Naruto seemed even more annoying than most on the TV show. But you feel bad for him.

You take another bite of your sandwich. Naruto is already almost friends with Kiba and Chouji, maybe you could give them a little push so they could be real friends.

-x-

After lunch, you struggle to stay awake through back-to-back lectures. You want to pay attention, but after the chakra training and a nice lunch, your eyelids are drooping. Shikamaru isn't even trying to pretend to stay awake, his head pillowed in his arms, and you two aren't the only ones struggling. At last Iruka herds you all outside to finish the day with sparring practice.

You line up along the side of the building along with the others, and you can't help but notice that you're the smallest kid in class. You know a little bit of martial arts, but you aren't sure if that will help. You were usually the one who ended up being beaten up by older kids both in and out of the ring.

You shift uncomfortably from one leg to the other, nervous for the class to start. These are just kids, but they're ninja-in-training, so you're careful not to underestimate them. You don't want to let yourself become a target again, especially when the consequences of losing a fight here could leave you with worse than a few bruises or a black eye.

"Alright." Iruka raises his voice above the chatter as he walks around the large dirt ring in front of the building, "Shikamaru and Sota, I want you to start today."

Your heart leaps in your chest. You had thought you would at least have the chance to watch how the other kids did, and get a feel for how skilled your classmates are at this age.

Nervously, you step forward, with one eye on Shikamaru to see if you're standing in the correct place inside the ring. Shikamaru moves to the side of the ring opposite you, but instead of facing you, he lays down on the ground.

"I surrender, he's just going to beat me anyway."

You blink in surprise and confusion, "I'm not going to hurt you." Why is he so nervous?

"Shikamaru, take this seriously, or I will need to talk to your parents," Iruka warns.

"I'm sure dad will understand," he mumbles.

"I'm telling your mother."

"Alright," Shikamaru sighs, reluctantly picking himself up.

"Hi, Iruka-sensei," you turn around as you hear a new voice. "Could you lock the doors and close the windows today? It's my week, but I had to send my students home early today so I want to go home now, too."

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it," Iruka says.

"Oh, so this is your top student I hear so much about," Yasu-sensei says and looks at you. "Mind if I watch his match before I go?"

Iruka's eyes narrow, "His name is Sota. With parent's day coming soon, having an audience will be good for them. Sota, Shikamaru, are you ready for the seal of confrontation?"

You both nod.

You perform the gesture, glad that you practised it the night before, and across from you, Shikamaru does the same. You lift your hands in a defensive stance, but instead of the open-palmed, defensive stance you learned in Karate that you meant to use, your body settles its weight a little differently, and your hands curl into fists without you even thinking about it.

Shikamaru keeps his distance and is probably unwilling to attack given his earlier reluctance to fight. You need to be on the offensive. You charge towards him.

Shikamaru throws a punch of his own at you as you draw near, but you're already reflexively ducking under it before you've thought about how to respond. Your body follows the motion in what feels like a well-practised combination as your head drives into his stomach.

Shikamaru's breath whooshes out and he staggers back a step. You're still moving, the headbutt is followed up with a side kick that makes the other boy stagger back again, even though he managed to block it with crossed arms. He backs away another step, trying to put some space between the two of you, but you follow, swinging with another punch that lands in a glancing blow to his cheek as he reels further backwards, nearly at the edge of the ring.

It feels good to have the upper hand for a change, even if you're just going with the flow, following instincts ingrained in your muscles. You don't really see the little boy standing opposite you anymore, just the objective: win.

You bring your leg up in a roundhouse kick, but he lunges to the side and manages to get back towards the centre of the ring. You charge at him again.

This time you consciously recognize the fact that he's dodging away from your punch, and you adjust your attack by driving your leg up under your arm. Your foot connects with his gut, hard, and he falls to the ground with a grunt. You're on top of him in the next instant, your heel stomping down on his right wrist.

He screams, high-pitched and pained, and you blink down at Shikamaru's pain-twisted face, eyes widening in alarm.

"Sota, stop right now and get away from him!" Iruka yells.

You feel someone grab you by your up-raised wrist, a punch still frozen in the air, and yank you away from the crying boy.

You can only stare as Iruka rushes to Shikamaru's side, examining his wrist and speaking in a low voice. He pulls a roll of bandages from the first-aid bag he's carrying and starts meticulously bandaging Shikamaru's wrist. Did he practise after being called out for his work by that nurse the other day?

He places a hand over Shikamaru's wrist, and a green glow blooms under his palm. Judging by the change in Shikamaru's facial expression, he's no longer in pain.

"Hold it still, Shikamaru, you don't want the bones to get displaced or it won't heal properly."

Shikamaru, still white-faced, nods and cradles his arm carefully as Iruka picks him up.

"Are your parents at home now?"

Shikamaru nods and Iruka smiles back.

"I'm sorry, Yasu-sensei, but can I ask you to watch the rest of my class while I help Shikamaru home? They're not usually like this," he adds with a glance at you.

"Of course, it's not a problem, but you owe me one," the man replies. He still hasn't released you, like he's worried you'll go after Shikamaru again, even though you can't do anything but stare at what you've done.

Iruka looks at you a moment longer before glancing up at the other teacher with a grateful nod, and then he's hurrying away from the school with Shikamaru in his arms.

You become aware of the silence in the yard, and turn your head to find your classmates staring at you. You shift uncomfortably and Yasu's grip on you relaxes. He turns you around to face him and bends down to look you in the eye.

"Are you okay now, Sota?" The man asks gently.

"I'm sorry," you manage, "I don't know why I…" you can't even say it out loud. You hadn't meant to hurt Shikamaru, it had just happened. You'd just been following your instincts. Why had your instinct been to hurt your classmate?

"I think you're done for today," Yasu says, pushing you gently back towards the wall.

Conscious of the stares, you move to the empty stretch of wall at the end of the gaggle of students, leaving plenty of space between you and your classmates. You sink down to sit against the wall as Yasu turns back to the rest of the class.

"Alright, who's next? Do we have any volunteers?"

Sasuke raises his hand.

"Good, anyone else?" Yasu-sensei asks, scanning across the rest of your classmates, before pointing to Choji and giving him an encouraging smile. "Show us what you can do, will you?"

The boy lets out a sigh, but reluctantly enters the circle across from Sasuke.

To your surprise, Choji's defence holds up quite well against Sasuke, who doesn't have the strength required to take down the larger boy. But with Sasuke's speed advantage, he's also unable to counterattack.

"You can do it! Show him that he's not better than us just because he's an Uchiha," Shin yells from the sidelines.

Choji seems to be energised by the encouragement and moves a bit faster, but Sasuke is relentless, and the constant attacks finally wear him down.

"I give up!" He cries. "Please stop hitting me."

Sasuke immediately stops and wipes some sweat off his forehead.

"Good work, you two. Umm, Akimichi-kun, you need to work a bit on your determination. Even if it hurts, you need to push through it. And Sasuke-kun, you seem like you have everything under control, keep up the good work."

Sasuke responds with a short nod before he turns around and glares at you.

Iruka returns during the last match, while Ino and Hinata are sparring. He whispers something into Yasu's ear that makes the man smirk, but then just stands back to watch until Yasu-sensei calls for the end of the match.

"Everyone, please remember to be careful when you're sparring, and try not to hurt your partner," Iruka called out as the students start to gather up their belongings. He smiled, "Remember, we're all here to learn. Have a good day and remember to finish your homework!"

You move to slink away, hoping no one will notice you, but Yasu calls out your name before you can make it far. "Sota-kun, can you come over here, please?"

You mumble "okay," and nervously join the two Chuunin.

"-My class is usually quite well behaved," Iruka is saying as you join them. His eyes meet yours and he adds, "I just thought we were past this, Sota."

"Don't be so hard on him, Iruka-sensei," Yasu says, surprising you. "I have a suggestion that might be beneficial for all of our students. You see, I've got this kid in my class, Neji, who's not being challenged enough, and his father is kind of on me about his progress. I've tried asking Masu-sensei, but once his students hear he's a Hyuuga, they back down. It is negatively affecting my class, so I'm proposing we arrange some sparring sessions between him and Sota-kun, that way, they both feel challenged."

You frown at the mention of Neji's father. Wasn't he dead?

"I'm not sure…" Iruka replies uneasily, "Sota is small, even in my class. I don't want to risk him getting seriously hurt."

"Sota can hold his own in a fight, we both know that. In fact, you should consider bumping him up a year. Apart from Neji, I don't think he'll have much of a problem against the rest of my class. We could probably bump both him and Neji up another year, too."

"Let me think about the spar, but he absolutely is not ready to move up a year," Iruka says firmly, "And definitely not two! He's barely scraping by on his written tests."

"Who cares about written tests," Yasu retorts, "It's not like he's going to win fights by hurling paper at his enemies. What do you think, Sota-kun, wouldn't you like to be challenged a bit more? You could join our sparring session tomorrow and see how you fit in."

"Umm…" While you're not that keen on getting crushed by Neji, you're curious about how strong you really are. "It sounds fun."

"Good, I'll come and get you tomorrow, unless you want to be a killjoy, Iruka-sensei," Yasu says with a teasing smile.

"Alright, but if he gets hurt, you're responsible for helping him," Iruka warns, "He lives alone and doesn't have anyone else to help him out if something happens."

"Don't worry, Neji takes his spars seriously," Yasu says.

You're not sure whether to feel reassured by that or not.

-x-

After class, you head home. You can't remember the exact way home, Itachi went too fast for you to remember the exact steps, but you're pretty sure that the food stalls were near the Hokage Tower and your home is near the Hokage Mountain. You're hungry, anyway, so you don't mind going back for more spring rolls.

"Sota," Hanako greets with a smile as you step up to the counter, "What can I get for you today?"

"Um… two with chicken and one with pork," you say.

"Coming right up!" The woman chimes cheerfully.

You watch her work, brooding silently about your day at the Academy as Hanako dips the basket of rolls into boiling oil.

"Hanako-san, I don't really have any friends, do I?" You ask at length.

"I'm sorry, Sota. I'm sure it will get better with time." She responds apologetically.

"Haven't I been in the academy for a while now? If it hasn't worked out so far, I doubt it will get better now. It's too late to make a good first impression."

"Hmm… I guess it's been about a year. I remember the first time I saw you wander through here. You were alone and seemed lost, so I called you over and made you some spring rolls. You weren't very talkative, and you avoided my eyes the whole time, but I did manage to find out that you were starting at the Academy. Once I gave you your order, you ran off." She looked at you with a frown, "What about that boy you were with yesterday? I thought he was a new friend?"

"He just saw me as a nuisance," you reply, "I doubt he wants to hang out with a little kid like me. Besides, he left in a hurry, and I'm not sure why."

"You've changed a lot in the last year, Sota," Hanako tells you, "And even more in the last few days. You should try meeting new people, I'm sure you'll make new friends in no time."

"A teacher talked about moving me up a class. I'm going to join them for a sparring session tomorrow…"

"Seems like it could be a nice way to get to know them. If you can move up a class I think you should take the chance. I know you're capable, and it would give you the fresh start you're looking for."

"How can you know…"

She cuts you off. "I see you pass by here every day, and I've never seen you hurt. I once attended the ninja academy, too, and believe me, no one went a whole year without any bruises or injuries. The top kid in my class only managed a couple of weeks without getting hurt, and he went on to become quite a famous shinobi. "

You look at Hanako curiously, "Did you become a ninja? Are you retired now? What happened?"

"The war plagued all of my years at the academy. It started out well, or at least we were told it was going well, but the facade eventually broke. My father got killed defending my older brother. After hearing his stories from the front lines, I decided that ninja life wasn't for me. Then my grades started to drop and my behaviour got worse, and I was kicked out of the Academy, bringing shame to my family. But, I'm still alive, which is more than can be said about most of my classmates."

"Should you really be telling me this?"

"It was a long time ago, and the village doesn't need a ninja who doesn't want to fight. Besides, I used my cooking skills to help in the war efforts. I was sent around to provide aid and raise the morale of the villages and shinobi near the frontlines."

You consider what she said for a long moment. "I'm not sure if I want to become a ninja either," you confess quietly, "I'm having fun now, but I'm not sure if I really want to kill anyone..."

Hanako drains the oil from the spring rolls with a flick of her wrist and pours them into a small paper basket. She hands it to you and smiles, "Don't worry about that for now, just do your best. As long as you're having fun you can always find a way to quit later if it turns out to be too much for you. It's also peaceful now, so there is less of a push to graduate everyone these days."

"I guess you have got a point. I'm not sure what I'd do if I were to quit now." You glance at your steaming basket, "I guess I should get going before my food gets cold."

"Okay, you take care, Sota-kun."

"Bye," you reply and continue on your way, keeping an eye out for the staircase you went up yesterday.

You end up running up and down the same three streets for a while; it's much harder to find than it was with Itachi. Finally, a masked ANBU agent jumps in front of you, causing you to jump back.

"Follow me and I'll show you the way," the ANBU says in a monotone voice. "And please pay attention."

"Wait, is there a genjutsu here?" You blurt out when you notice that the staircase on the side of a street you had run past at least three times.

"It takes a while for the new recruits to notice it, too," the ANBU notes.

He's about to leave when you ask, "Why do I live here? I'm not an ANBU recruit."

"You don't get off guard duty by asking too many questions. I've been told to let you in, so that's what I'm doing," the ANBU responds gruffly.

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Just be careful. There are people here who have seen their friends hurt due to children your age. You may have some leeway, but people around here will act if they see you as a threat."

"Act," your eyes widen, "You mean…?"

"No, no one will try to kill you, just don't push your luck."

"Alright, thanks for the advice," you say uneasily and walk past him through the gate.

As you enter your apartment, you see a note on your fridge.

Sorry for not restocking your fridge. You should have what you need now. I also bought you some strawberries to enjoy.

No signature. You open the door and take out the tray of strawberries, bringing it to your desk along with your dinner.

As you settle down with a spring roll in one hand, you pick up one of the storage tags with your free hand and smile. Now that you've learnt how to use chakra, you can finally open it. You finish your first spring roll in two bites and set the rest of your food aside so you can focus.

"What secrets do you keep?" You ask the paper as you form the ram seal and channel your chakra.

There's a burst of smoke, and you can just see something come at you before you jerk your head back. You hear a thunk sound above you and strands of red hair float to the desktop in front of you.

That was close. You touch your forehead, checking for any blood, but there is nothing. There is a kunai stuck to the ceiling, and a small paper note is attached to the end with a string. You climb onto your desk and jump to grab the paper and read it.

'Don't touch my stuff

Sota'

That was not funny at all, what secrets is the old Sota keeping to send such a warning? Or was he just bored when he made that? Pretending he had things to hide because he had no friends and didn't know how to act around people? Looking around it is hard to see what he normally did in his free time. The small stack of seal tags was too small to constitute a hobby.

There are more tags, but it is perhaps not a good idea to try them out just yet. The first one could be the only trap, or they could get more and more devious the further down the stack you go. And since the only things you know about this kid are bad, you're not going to take any chances. You turn your attention back to your dinner and wonder how you can learn more about seals.

-x-

You release a sigh of relief when maths class finally ends the next day. It is hard to focus when it is mostly stuff you've learnt in school already.

But before you can go outside for practical classes, a familiar figure knocks on the door and enters the classroom.

"Iruka-san, I'm here to get Sota." The teacher from yesterday says.

"We just finished here, Yasu-san." Iruka frowns and lowers his voice, "Don't be too hard on Sota. He might be skilled, but he could get hurt quite easily against your students."

"Don't worry, Neji hasn't caused any injuries so far," Yasu answers with a smirk.

You glare back at him.

"Sota, behave, and don't give him any trouble," Iruka smiles at you.

You frown and give him a short nod before following Yasu-sensei outside. Around the building, you see his class already sitting by the wall waiting for the lesson to start.

"Say hello to Sota, everyone. He's going to be joining us today as he might be moving up a class."

You scowl. Didn't you tell him that you were happy in your class?

The other students eye you with a range of curiosity, disinterest, and derision. Despite the range of expressions, most of them provide an obedient, "Hello, Sota."

"Hello," you duck your head and join them along the wall, hoping the attention will lessen as the matches begin.

"Sota and Neji, why don't you two start?"

"Uhhhh…" you say as you see Neji walking past you. You didn't expect him to tower over you so much.

"Are you sure that's a good idea, sensei?" Neji drawls, looking at you with cool, contemptuous eyes.

You're wondering about the same, but his comment rankles you and you stand straighter, glaring at the bigger boy.

"I'll step in if needed," the teacher says. "Just give it your best, both of you, and don't worry about it."

It's not a good sign that even the teacher is second-guessing this, but you just have to try not to get hurt and when he sees that you're not as good as he thinks, he'll let you be.

You get positioned opposite Neji. "I'm ready!"

Neji smiles, but before he can reply, you hear footsteps behind you, a quiet shuffle and a distinct tap of a cane hitting the ground with every step. Neil's eyes slide past you, his smile vanishing and his eyes narrowing, and you turn around to see the last person you would want to meet in this world.

"Oh, hi, Danzo-sama. What pleasure," the teacher says, his smile a bit forced. "What can we help you with today?"

"I am just here to observe," Danzo's lips curve in a smile, but it doesn't reach his eyes, "These students are the future of the village, after all."

"That they are," Yasu agreed amicably, "Sadly, my students really aren't anything special, yet. Maybe you would rather observe Ken-san's class, I don't want to bore you."

"We must all start somewhere," Danzo said benignly, "Besides, I'm interested to see why you're pitting such a small student against a Hyuuga. You clearly see talent in him." You feel distinctly uncomfortable as his eye focuses on you. "Why don't you start them off?"

"Yes…" Yasu still sounds reluctant, "Yes. Sota, Neji, you know what to do."

You have barely finished the seal of beginning when Neji charges at you, and all you can do is to dodge to the side. His relentless attacks keep you defensive, but you hope you can create an opening as long as you continue to move about.

As you keep it up, you can see on his face that he's getting annoyed. It might be your chance. You weave around his punch and try to headbutt him in his stomach, but before you can connect, he thrusts his knee up, catching you in the stomach and sending you into the air. You land just inside the ring.

It hurts, but you can see the dismissal in Neil's eyes as he decides you're nothing special, and you don't want to give up. You get on your feet and face him again, raising your fists.

He smiles at you and nods, then launches into another series of rapid attacks. You resort back to dodging his kicks and punches again, and after a while he starts to slow down. You can hear his breathing getting heavier.

You see an opening and take it, rushing inside his kind swinging a fist for his chin. He catches your wrist with a speed that you didn't think he had left. Everything blurs around you as he uses your momentum to swing you around and throw you out of the ring.

You land face down in the dirt, your arm throbbing where he grabbed you, and dozens of scratches lighting up with stinging pain. You move to push yourself up again, but pain surges through your arm and you drop back to the ground with a gasp.

"Good work, both of you," Yasu-sensei is saying as the pain ebbs.

Danzo interrupts, "Don't be so soft on them. Both of them made unacceptable mistakes and should learn from them. Hyuuga, you never should have let him get up. Don't throw away a victory by letting your opponent recover."

You feel one of his sandals push down on your back, pressing you down to the ground.

"Danzo!" Yasu-sensei yells, at your side in an instant, but not quite laying his hands on the other man. "Get off him!"

"I'm just giving everyone a proper demonstration on how to win a spar," Danzo replies calmly, and you shudder at the dangerous undertone in his voice.

"There's no reason to go so far, they still have much to learn," Yasu argues, but he sounds more subdued than before. Lowering his voice, he adds, "We don't want to crush their spirits."

You struggle against the weight on your back, but Danzo has you held firmly. "Get off me," your voice is little more than a whisper, as you're unable to draw a full breath of air.

"Be patient, Uzumaki." Danzo tuts, "That is what you must learn. You could have beaten him if you had used your head. He wasn't able to hit you, and he was tiring, but you were impatient and left yourself open to his counterattacks." He holds you there a moment longer, to let his words sink in, before moving his foot.

"Which leads to my last point," Danzo says, "Hyuuga, don't let a weaker opponent lead the fight and tire you out. You should have drawn him into an attack you could counter as soon as you realised he was faster than you."

"My father tells me to always be on the offence," Neji says, not in an argumentative tone, but as a quiet counterpoint.

Danzo huffs, "What are you even teaching them?"

"They are young, they're still learning," Yasu says, "And they're all improving, so you've nothing to worry about. Will you be staying to watch the rest of the matches, or have we kept you long enough?"

"I think I have seen all I need to," Danzo says, and looks at you. You've been trying to push yourself up since he moved his foot, but your arm doesn't seem to want to work right, and every time you push against it the spike of pain overwhelms you.

"Perhaps you should help him," Danzo says.

"He's just a bit tired," Yasu says without taking his eyes off of Danzo, "Give it a bit of a rest before you try to get up again, Sota."

"I…" you say, trying to push yourself up again, but all you're met with is pain.

"He is not tired, the boy is hurt," Danzo says sharply, "Are you familiar with how to identify and handle injuries, sensei?"

"Uhh…" Yasu finally looks down at you, noticing the pained expression on your face. "Here, Sota, let me help you." He grabs your good arm and lifts you as you try to get up again, setting you back on your feet and eyeing your limp right arm. "My assistant usually does the healing, but he's out sick…"

Danzo grabs you away from him with a scathing look at the Chuunin, "I'll take care of it." He drags you to the end of the line of students and directs you to sit against the wall.

"Are you okay?" The girl at the end of the line next to you asks.

You nod. She has band-aids on her face and her hands, and her brown hair is tied up in two buns. She looks familiar.

"Sit still," Danzo orders as he pulls up your sleeve to expose your injured arm.

The girl smiles at you, "I'm Tenten, by the way. Where did you learn to move like that? Neji is so fast, he always kicks my ass, but you were even faster than him!"

"I… I don't remember," you gasp as Danzo's hand starts glowing with chakra and it feels like all of your muscles have tightened at once. You try to focus on the conversation rather than the pain. "I lost my memory. But I think I learned it in class. I don't have any parents to teach me, so…" You sigh as the tension fades and the pain gradually goes away.

"Oh…" she says uncomfortably. "Sorry."

"Thanks," you mumble and turn towards Tenten again. "What happened to your face?"

"Ummm," she turns her face away and presses her index fingers towards each other. "One of the older kids at the orphanage has been collecting weapons, and he sometimes lets me try them out. But…" she sighs, "I'm still a bit clumsy."

You absorb the statement, realizing that she's an orphan, too. Why don't you live at the orphanage? Naruto is a jinchuuriki, so his situation is understandable, but why are you living alone?

"Everything okay?" She asks.

"Huh? Yeah," you stutter.

Danzo finishes his exam and lets go of your arm. "Rest your hand until tomorrow, Uzumaki," he orders before raising his voice, "I'm leaving them to you now, Katou Yasu. I have other classes to observe today. Try not to let any of your other students get hurt if you can't even administer basic aid."

Yasu's mouth tightens and he doesn't say anything, but when Danzo finally walks away, he seems to let out a sigh of relief.

"He was here last year, too," Tenten tells you when Danzo is well out of sight, "I don't think any of the teachers like him." She lowers her voice to a conspiratorial whisper, "And I think he's kind of creepy."

You nod in agreement. He's nothing but bad news, and him playing medic doesn't change that.

You turn your attention to the next spar. You didn't catch the names of the two boys who were called up while you and Tenten chatted. They move much more elegantly than you, and it's clear that they've practised their stances. But they're slow, and they don't hit each other very hard. They don't even bother blocking or dodging half the time, preferring to take the hit and hit back.

Apart from Neji, this doesn't look much better than yours. So there is no reason really to jump a grade when most of the class probably won't be a challenge. And Neji is still miles ahead of you, especially if he takes Danzo's advice and starts to fight more defensively.

"So, you're going to join our class?" Tenten draws your attention back away from the lacklustre match.

"Oh. I'm not sure." While you may not be challenged by anyone other than Neji, it could be nice to start fresh and join a class where not everyone ignores you, even if that would take you closer to a graduation you still weren't sure that you wanted.

"Come on, it's no fun when Neji beats everyone," Tenten wheedles, smiling impishly at you.

"I don't think I will be changing that any time soon," you admit, smiling back, "Sorry."

Finally, the match ends with one of the boys forcing the other to step out of the ring.

"Sensei, can I go now?" Tenten calls out, jumping to her feet before Yasu can announce someone else.

"Sure… Aoi, you are next, too."

The two girls go into the circle and the match starts with more energy than the entire match before it. Tenten is obviously determined to win.

She dodges and tries to punch back, but the other girl isn't holding back either and soon Tenten is kicked out of the ring. She's far from the skilled fighter you know she will become.

"You did well," you tell her as she sits back down with you, pouting a little.

"If only I had my weapons," she grumbles.

Laughing, you wonder what she would think if you told her she'll get her moment to shine in the future while her classmate, Aoi, will fall into obscurity.

As the rest of the students take their turns sparring, your impression of the group gets a bit better. No one else is as good as Neji, but most of them are better than your classmates. Tenten spends the time telling you little tidbits about her classmates, and when the last match finishes, she smiles at you, "You really should join our class, Sota, and next time maybe you and I can spar!"

"Sota, please stay, I want to talk to you in private," Yasu-sensei says before you can respond.

You nod and Tenten waves, running off with the rest of her classmates.

"Good work today, Sota. I hope Neji didn't discourage you too much," the man smiles, "You did better than most of my other students do against him, and it's important to face challenges so you continue to grow. What do you think about moving up now?"

"I need to think about it." You tell him again, "Give me some time and I'll tell Iruka-sensei when I've made a decision."

"Okay-" Yasu starts before pausing. He turns his head to look past you. "Oh, Danzo-sama. I thought you left, do you need something from me?"

You turn to see Danzo, his eyes focused on you rather than the man. "I want a few words with the boy."

You glare at him.

"Go ahead," Yasu says, but he doesn't move.

"In private," Danzo says, his eyes shifting to the teacher.

"Is that okay, Sota?" Yasu asks uncomfortably.

"His opinion here is irrelevant, leave us," Danzo demands.

Yasu's eyes narrow, "With due respect, Danzo-sama, this is my classroom, and you can't just-"

"A teacher who doesn't teach his student battle tactics and can't tell the difference between injuries and chakra exhaustion is easily removed," Danzo says coolly.

Yasu looks from Danzo to you, then back again, his expression tightening and then going blank. "I apologise, Danzo-sama. Of course you can speak with him." He bows, "I'll leave you two alone," he says finally, turning and leaving as quickly as he could without running.

After there is no sign of any potential eavesdropper, Danzo turns to you again.

"The academy doesn't seem to be teaching you much. While Neji has his father, you don't have anyone to teach you. I can pull some strings and get you a tutor, if you'd like?"

"No, I'm fine. I'm not sure if I want to become a ninja anyway, so it would be a waste."

The man looks at him for a silent moment, and then crosses his arms, appearing slightly amused, "So, what do you plan to do, if you don't become a ninja?"

"I don't know yet," you say warily, thrown by the change of behaviour.

"The orphan stipend only covers you as long as you're attending the academy," Danzo says, "If you drop out, you will lose your home and the money the Hokage generously sets aside for your needs."

You hadn't considered how you lived the way that you did, or where your pocket money came from. You don't have many contacts in this world, but perhaps Hanako could take you in as an apprentice?

"I think I can find someone willing to hire me," you say.

"Hanako or Fuyuki, I suppose?"

"Uhh…" Did he spy on you? How else would he know who you spoke with?

"Your red hair sticks out in this village and I've seen you buying dinner from both of them." He frowned thoughtfully, "I guess it's Hanako that's been talking you away from being a ninja."

"It's my choice," you protest as you didn't want to get Hanako into trouble.

"Don't let the previous generation's experiences scare you. The world is at peace. And despite your loss against the Hyuuga today, you have potential as a ninja. Don't you want to be able to stand up for yourself and become stronger?"

You hesitate, remembering every time you've been beaten up because you were too weak. "I do want to be able to defend myself… but I can do that already, I don't really need to get much stronger to feel safe here in Konoha. But I don't want to kill others or hurt people."

Danzo's eye narrowed. "That hairpin of yours, where do you get it?"

"I don't know," you admit, your hand going to your head, where you'd stuck the hairpin this morning even though you knew what it was.

"Allow me to refresh your memory. You stole it from one of the ANBU. Do I need to tell you how serious the crime of stealing from a ninja, the Hokage's personal ANBU, is?"

"I…"

He snatches it from you, deftly opens it, and squeezes it to allow a small drop to form at the tip of the needle. "Poison. But you don't seem to be surprised. Do you really expect people to believe you don't remember?"

"I…" You try to come up with a rebuttal, but he cuts you off again.

"Not only did you steal it, but you knew about its poison and you continue to wear it everywhere. One would think you were planning on using it, that you kept it because it is poison. And you claim you don't want to become a ninja because you don't want to kill anyone. You're a horrible liar, Uzumaki."

"I don't," you protest weakly. But why did you have a poisoned hairpin? And deadly traps locked in seals? You didn't want to kill anyone, you didn't, but did the old Sota feel the same way?

"Do not lie to me again, Uzumaki," Danzo said with a firm and cold finality that made you shut your mouth instantly. Danzo held your gaze for a moment, then continued, "I won't tell anyone. It can be our secret. But consider this your warning, if one of your classmates, or anyone else around you, ends up dead, I will not shield you from the punishment."

You say nothing. Why is he telling you this? You aren't planning on killing anyone.

Danzo holds your eyes a moment longer. "It seems we understand each other. I suggest you rethink your plans for the future, Uzumaki."

He turned and left, and you sank to the ground, feeling shaky and wondering if you really did understand each other. Was Danzo threatening you? And why did he care so much if you, some random orphan, became a ninja or not? Was he spying on you? Or did he really just innocently notice you as you went about your business in the village?

Your thoughts turned again to the seals in your apartment. You needed to find a way to open them, to find out what secrets the old Sota was keeping. It was way too dangerous if someone like Danzo knew more about you than you knew about yourself.

You pull yourself together and head inside to get your stuff. Maybe Iruka can give you some pointers on how to make your own. Maybe that way you can detect any trickery that old Sota has put in place. He was helpful when it came to teaching you how to open storage seals, so hopefully, he can teach you more.