Chapter Fourteen: Izuna III
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July 22nd, Year 66, Konoha Ninja Academy.
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"Everything looks good. Your graduation exam will be held tomorrow at 10 in the morning. Please try to reach the venue at least 15 minutes early," Suzuki-sensei said with a smile as I handed in my application for early graduation.
I bowed and thanked him, but he shook it off and laughed.
"Izuna, you are the best student I have ever taught. And I know you will go a long way. Just make sure you remember your roots and don't get too complacent once you become a Genin. Always remember to train your basics so you don't make silly mistakes. As you know, a mistake on the job can cost you and your allies their lives or worse," he advised, and I listened with rapt attention.
I knew Suzuki-sensei was a good teacher, and he genuinely cared about my development. And for that I showed him the deserved respect.
"And finally... I want you to know that I am proud of you, Izuna," he finished with a smile.
I was taken aback by his words, feeling a mix of surprise and happiness. As I didn't know how to express my feelings with words, I bowed again to express my gratitude.
Suzuki-sensei again shook it off and dismissed me.
Leaving the teacher's room I directly went to find Kuro-kun. I wanted to share the news of my early graduation with him first, and perhaps try to convince him to take the early graduation exam with me.
I couldn't comprehend why Kuro-kun held himself back. He was the smartest person I knew, and his skill with his shadows surpassed the level of a student. Yet, he insisted on getting average marks and lazily going through his classes.
I longed for him to graduate alongside me, so we could be on the same team. The thought of leaving my first friend behind made me feel a twinge of loneliness.
Which reminded me of what my father said all those months ago…
'Izuna! You are an Uchiha, an elite. With your talents, you'll graduate in a year and be on your way to becoming a strong ninja. Can your so-called friend keep up? Will you still be friends with him when you're already a Chunin and he's still struggling in the academy?'
Those were the exact words my father told me…
Those words echoed in my mind. It was never about Kuro-kun keeping up with me. He was always the stronger one. But if things continue like this, he'll remain trapped in the academy. I refuse to let that be the end of our friendship.
Maybe, just maybe, I can convince him to graduate early. With determination in my heart, I embarked on a mission to find him.
…
…
"Oh. Izuna-chan! Do you want to eat lunch with us?" I heard Izumi-san calling me, so to be polite, I approached her and her group of friends and greeted them.
"Hello, everyone. I'm sorry, but I'm looking for Kuro-kun, so I can't join you for lunch," I politely declined. Then, I decided to ask if any of them had seen him. "Have any of you seen him?"
Izumi-san immediately wore a sour expression, as she had been showing since the day I introduced her to Kuro-kun. I didn't appreciate her attitude, but for some reason, it also brought me a strange sense of relief. It was a conflicting feeling.
"Izuna-chan! You should stay away from that lazy good-for-nothing! He's a bad influence!" she exclaimed with anger in her voice.
I didn't appreciate the way she spoke about Kuro-kun, but this time, it genuinely irritated me. So instead of my usual polite reply, I responded with a hint of venom, "Kuro-kun is and will always be my first and best friend. Please don't speak ill of him. I do not appreciate it."
Surprised by my words, she didn't say anything more. She looked a bit guilty.
Without bidding them farewell, I was about to search for him elsewhere when a classmate, whom I believed was named Inuzuka Hana, tried to get my attention. I turned back with a frown and asked, "Yes?"
She seemed a bit shy, but with a hint of determination, she replied, "Umm, I think you'll find Kuro-kun on top of the roof..." trying to help me.
But instead of thanking her, my eyes narrowed slightly, and I unintentionally spoke a bit harshly, "And how do you know that?"
My earlier thoughts and Izumi-san's recent behaviour affected me , so my words came out more aggressive than intended.
The girl seemed to cower a bit, but then bit her lower lip and frowned at me, pouting without saying anything.
It was at that moment I realized my mistake. My mother had always told me to be polite when asking for something, and I had acted unnecessarily aggressive. It was unbecoming of me.
So I bowed slightly and asked again, feeling a bit guilty, "Forgive my earlier behavior, Hana-san, but could you please tell me how you know that?"
The girl still appeared upset, but she nodded and replied cautiously, "Well, as you know, we Inuzuka have a very sensitive nose... And Kuro-kun... he has a distinctive musky smell. He smells like deer and grass... not that it's bad or anything... it's just unique to him... no one else has that kind of smell... and ummm..."
The girl blushed as she described Kuro-kun's scent, and her friends seemed to find her behavior strange as well, as they looked at her in disbelief. Izumi-san seemed to feel nauseous as she stared at Hana-san.
But I wasn't really surprised by this information.
Most of the time I spent with Kuro-kun, I usually find him near his deer herd that he took care of when he wasn't being lazy. And when he was lazy, he often lay down on the grass.
Realizing that my assumption was correct, I smiled softly and thanked Hana-san for her help. "Thank you for letting me know, Hana-san. I appreciate your assistance. Please forgive me again for my earlier behavior."
She seemed taken aback by my change in demeanor but managed a shy smile in return. "No problem, Izuna-chan. I hope you find Kuro-kun."
I guess I had grown so accustomed to his presence that I never realized how distinct his scent was. But I brushed off the thought and expressed my gratitude to the blushing girl once more.
With renewed determination, I made my way to the rooftop, where I hoped to finally locate Kuro-kun and persuade him to join me in graduating early.…
…
"So you were really here," I said with a small smile as I found Kuro-kun lying on the roof with the academy ninjutsu scroll over his face.
I knew he wasn't sleeping; I was too accustomed to his presence to be fooled. I heard him sigh and grumble in response.
"You're getting more and more troublesome, Izuna... How did you even find me here? How do keep finding all the obscure places? Do you have Inuzuka nose or something? Sigh... what a drag..."
Keeping a poker face, I stayed silent and decided not to mention that the Inuzuka girl in our class had been able to track him by his scent. It bothered me a bit, to be honest.
After stretching a bit, he finally sat up and looked at me with slight annoyance as he asked, "So... why are you here? We were supposed to meet after classes anyway. What do you need? Did something happen?"
His voice, initially annoyed, gradually transformed into one of concern. That was one of the unique aspects of Kuro-kun. No matter how much he grumbled, he had a soft heart and was always willing to help others.
I smiled at him and replied, "Yeah, I had something to tell you."
He raised an eyebrow, a gesture that conveyed his curiosity. It was his way of saying, 'Well, tell me.'
So I revealed my news, "I submitted my application to Suzuki-sensei today."
He didn't look surprised and simply stated, "So you're graduating early."
It was as if he had already known. I nodded, feeling a bit down. Then he asked, "Why are you in such a hurry to become a ninja? You know that in the beginning, you'll have to do chores and the missions won't be fun; they'll just be annoying."
I nodded, replying softly, "I know... But when my father received my report card and read the evaluations from the instructors, he was genuinely happy... as was my mother. He said he was proud of me, that I was the pride of the clan... and... that I would bring glory to the Uchiha Clan with my performance."
Kuro-kun nodded in understanding, absorbing my words.
There was a moment of silence between us before Kuro-kun asked, "So what about you?"
I looked at him with confusion, asking, "What... What do you mean?"
He let out a sigh before continuing, "I mean, how do you actually feel about this? Do you want to graduate just to make your parents happy, or is it something you truly desire for yourself?"
His question caught me off guard. Had I been so focused on fulfilling the expectations of my clan that I hadn't truly considered my own feelings?
"You haven't," Kuro-kun said, as if he could read my thoughts.
I gazed at him, perplexed, only for him to snort and clarify, "You're too easy to read. No, I can't actually read your mind."
His remark made me smile, appreciating his ability to understand me so well. I took a moment to reflect on my true motivations for wanting to graduate early.
Kuro-kun remained by my side, saying nothing, and we watched the children playing on the academy playground during the recess.
After some contemplation, I found my answer and replied with conviction, "I want to graduate to make my parents happy, yes. But I also want to graduate to become stronger. I want to become stronger so that I can protect everyone I care about."
I looked at him with determination, prepared for his usual grumbling and his declaration of how troublesome I was. However, to my surprise...
He…
Smiled.
I stared at his smiling face, completely stunned…
Kuro-kun did a lot of things… But he hardly ever genuinely smiled… Whenever he did smile it was usually a half smile or one of his grins he used for mocking…
The only times I had seen such a sincere and bright smile on his face were when he was with his beloved baby siblings, whom he deeply cared for.
So, I was truly stunned to be the recipient of that genuine smile for the first time as he spoke, "So, you're following your dream, Izuna. I'm glad... I know you'll be able to achieve your goals."
My heart felt funny.
It hurt? No… it felt weird… My stomach was twisting?... I had never experienced this sensation before.
And on instinct, I found myself saying, "You're one of the people I want to protect, Kuro-kun."
Expecting his usual response like "troublesome Uchiha" or "troublesome woman," I braced myself. However, to my surprise, he chuckled.
Then, he gently flicked my forehead and before replying with a smile, "That's why I say you're not cute at all. Stop being so serious will ya? And you are a thousand years too early to protect me... Aho!"
I placed my hands on my forehead in astonishment, watching as he stood up and stretched.
He then suggested, "Let's celebrate your early graduation with some dango, yeah?" Extending his hand to help me up.
I stared at him for a few seconds in amazement, before taking his hand as he helped me up.
In that moment, my earlier determination to convince him to graduate early with me faded into the background. It no longer held the same importance.
Whether or not he graduated alongside me became irrelevant.
I knew for a fact that we will always stay friends… And I would make sure to always find him whenever I had free time…
As we made our way to the dango stall, I smiled, observing Kuro-kun's back, and softly muttered, "I'll make sure to protect you, Kuro-kun."
He didn't hear my words—or at least, I hoped he didn't.
Unbeknownst to me, a small smile formed on his face as we walked towards our destination.…
…
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A bit of fluff? Let's see how this grows in the future shall we?
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