7 Chapter 7

"KYAAA! Look at my Kuzan! He's wearing his black shirt today, so dreamy!

"Tch, my Kuzan looks good in anything he wears!"

"Che, not better than my Lei! The two simply do not compare!

"You wanna say that again you pink haired banshee?!"

A sigh escaped my lips as I watched the girls arguing in the room. I looked over to see Kuzan giving me a nervous sheepish smile. He sent me a small wave, one I returned.

Three years have passed since my very serious (and hopefully not important) talk with Hiruzen. Which means we're in our last year in the academy. Though we only find ourselves about three months or so into the year, which means we still have plenty of time to grow before we become genin.

"Lei."

I raised an eyebrow as I looked at Shikamaru who had his head down, his eyes were lazily looking at me from within his arms.

"How do you deal with it, it's such a drag."

You're telling me, brother.

"I don't. I just let them rant, why should I involve myself?" I groaned in question. Shikamaru gave me a pitying look, and had it been any other situation I would have resented him for looking at me like I was some weak little kid.

However this was the exception.

"That's exactly right." Naruko crossed her arms, sending an annoyed look towards the gathered fan girls. Within that group were plenty of the orphanage kids Kuzan and I grew up with. Most of them leaned towards Kuzan. There were also plenty of ordinary clanless girls, Sakura, and Ino. They…unfortunately prioritized their affections on me.

I used to think having fangirls would be fun. It was…for the first week. It's as they say, give a fangirl a bone, they'll want yours.

No, I think it's just me that says that now that I think about it.

Anyways, that problem with them doesn't originate in how they act, it originates based on how you treat them. Initially all of them were shy, hell even Ino hesitantly brought me some lunch with some flowers, which I honestly appreciated. I thanked her and told her it meant a lot.

That's where I fucked up.

The rest of the girls realized I appreciated shit like that and the next day they all had brought lunch boxes for me. It was then when I ended up fucking up even harder.

I ate all the lunch boxes.

I made several wood clones, all dedicated to scarfing down the food so as to not disrespect the effort these girls put into making me lunch. Afterwards I told them that I appreciated it, but not to give me lunch since I couldn't eat it myself, assuming they'd take the hint.

They didn't.

Apparently me saying "I can't eat all this myself…" translated to "I need someone to feed me." That's exactly what they tried to do the next day.

Naruko had enough and pulled me away and scolded me, and Satsuki scolded me for being so kind to "leeches" as she put it. Hinata consoled me, but one look into her eyes told me that if I humored those fangirls again, I'd be on the receiving end of one of her tenketsu strikes. Naruko and Satsuki promised similar levels of pain and that was about all I needed to never interact with them again.

But the fucking fangirls saw my disregard to their attempts and increased their ferocity!

No, I'm done thinking about that shit. Nothing but headaches and pain.

"Today is a big day, class, everyone in your seats." Iruka entered the room with a bright smile. Stopping at his desk in the front of the room. Everyone knew what day it was so they quickly made their way to their seats and waited patiently. "As you all know, today is the first of your three graduation exams. The first two exams don't actually mean much besides establishing your grades, but your final exam score decides whether you pass and become genin, or fail and have to repeat."

"Now then are there any question-"

I tuned Iruka and the questioning class out, instead putting my head on the table. Written exams, followed by shuriken and kunai throwing, taijutsu spars, and finally clone jutsu. I already knew that from the syllabus and my foreknowledge. All of those would be an absolute breeze for not just me, but Naruko, Hinata, and Satsuki as well.

"If that's all, I will now hand out your exams."

Iruka passed out the exams. He made sure all of them were facing down so we couldn't get a look at any of the questions. Once he returned to the front of the room he gave another smile.

"Good luck all of you, begin."

The sound of paper flipping chorused through the class. I looked at the first question and frowned.

Question #1

Complete the quote.

A ninja waits till the time is right…

I sigh escaped my lips. This shit was too easy. It was a simple memorization question, and if I recall correctly, Sasuke used this exact quote during the forest of death as a password.

I took a single peak at Naruko and saw the pure dread on her face. Of fucking course she doesn't know it.

I wrote my answer and moved onto the next few. This entire exam would be a breeze.

—

"I can't believe it!" Naruko shouted in anger as she threw herself on my bed.

"Maybe start studying if you want to pass the written portion next time." Satsuki chuckled much to the blonde's annoyance.

"You shut up! Didn't I kick your ass during the taijutsu spar?!" Naruko shot back with a small bit of venom.

"You got a few lucky hits, but last I check, I won." Satsuki growled.

"Down girls." I sighed knowing full well they wouldn't stop from my words alone.

"There shouldn't be any reason to argue. We all had the highest scores in the class, even if you did end up failing the written portion, Naruko. What's the problem?" Hinata asked, her hands on her hips as she scolded the two girls in a way no different than a mother would.

"Yeah, but I need to beat you and Satsuki or it doesn't matter!" Naruko groaned.

"No buts." Hinata declared resolutely. "Be better, and stop complaining."

Naruko deflated, and Satsuki gave a smug smirk. These girls are going to be the death of me I tell you.

The official rankings for the Kunoichi had Satsuki at number one, Hinata at number two, and Naruko at number three. However the taijutsu rankings had Hinata at number one, Satsuki at number two and Naruko at number three.

Hinata beat Satsuki during the first fight which kept her in first place, and with how one sided the fight was, no one dared challenge her again. Satsuki and Naruko fought for the number two spot after Satsuki was good enough to go, and Naruko nearly won due to Satsuki's weariness.

However she didn't, and that seems to have left an impression on her.

Left unsaid is me placing first amongst the guys. No one really needed to say shit about it, it was expected.

I mean, Kuzan and Kiba were my greatest competition. No offense to either of them.

Except Kiba. Fuck Kiba.

Eventually I made my way out of the room and let the girls continue their little kitty match amongst themselves. Our genin days are getting closer and I need to get back to training.

Over the course of the three years, I made amazing progress regarding my wood style. So much progress in fact that Tenzo-sensei said he no longer has anything to teach me with my current chakra pool being taken into consideration. I simply didn't have enough chakra to cast the rest of the wood jutsu he would teach me without being heavily exhausted, or just outright killing myself.

As to where I stand…

I don't really have a good measure of the different ranks skills, considering I haven't sparred against a lot of jonin besides Tenzo-sensei, and occasionally our Hokage. However if I had to guess, I'd say I could probably beat a chunin-

If I caught him unaware.

In a real fight, my lack of speed would be my downfall. My perception also isn't that great right now. The only reason why I say I could beat one is because of the stealth factor of my wood clones. If I were to send a clone to fight them, they would believe the clone is real considering they are indistinguishable from a real person. I could perhaps trap them with another wood jutsu from a place of hiding and land a fatal blow.

That's a lot of speculation though.

The one thing I need to work on more so than anything else is my taijutsu (durability and speed). If Lee ends up anywhere near as powerful as he was in canon. I know for a fact I would lose to him as I am now. I simply lack the ability to keep up and land a hit.

Though if I got as fast and strong as him, I'd sweep him with low effort. As much as I love his passion. Hard work cannot truly surpass talent when talent also works hard.

As I walked past the library, I took a peek inside and smiled when I saw five of my wood clones drawing seals. They were currently working on the weight seals I wanted. Though not nearly as great as I wanted them. The current prototype I was making would be able to increase the weight being pressed down on one's body while leaving everything else unaffected. I did little to decrease excess strain, but I was running out of time and I had to make it work.

My eyes strayed over to three copies of Satsuki who were reading up on some fire jutsu. Once the girls saw I was using wood clones to speed up their training, Naruko asked if she could use shadow clones to do the same. Of course I told her that she could, but I limited her in how many she could make.

No more than ten.

I didn't want her being disoriented by all that information being shoved into her brain. Not that she minded my little rule.

Hinata and Satsuki also wanted to increase the speed of their training so I gave them a scroll containing shadow clone jutsu and let them go at it.

I looked at the two clones of Hinata who were drawing seals, and the eight clones of Naruko who were doing the same. Naruko, as good as her control has gotten, still ends up with stutters where she goes slightly over, or slightly under the limit I have set. I blame Kurama. Hell, he's probably doing it on purpose.

One of the Hinata clones noticed me and gave me a wave, to which I returned before walking outside and to the training grounds. I still had a long way to go, and a lot of work to get done after all.

—

"Lei!"

I frowned at the familiar voice of Ino. A couple of days had passed since we took the first exam. Today was our day off, and the girls wanted to go to a barbeque place Choji was hyping up.

Did he set this up!?

"Yes, Ino? Do you need something?" I asked. The girls, instead of walking into the restaurant had stopped and were glaring daggers at the fangirl.

"U-Um well, I have to make a pickup for the shop, but I don't really feel safe going alone…do you think you could come with me?" She asked, while playing with her hair.

"Uh, I was just about to eat with them." I jabbed a thumb at the three girls. "Is there anyone else who can escort you?"

"I don't think so." She shook her head. "I wouldn't feel safe asking someone like Shikamaru or Choji, and my dad and most of the clan are busy. You're the only person I can turn to."

I have to admit she covered her bases well.

"Well, I guess I could-"

"Shadow clone jutsu."

A puff of smoke cut me off and standing next to Naruko was her clone.

"A clone should be more than enough to escort you properly, shouldn't it, Ino?" Naruko asked with a deep frown.

Ino's eyes grew wide, but she quickly composed herself. "Well, what if someone does decide to attack us on the way…your clone would disappear and leave me defenseless.

There's no fucking way anyone in the village would attack the future Head of the Yamanaka clan and risk their wrath, but I have to give her props. She's determined.

""Shadow Clone Jutsu""

Two more puffs of smoke appeared and a copy of Hinata and Satsuki appeared beside them, then they walked to stand next to Naruko's clone.

I had intended to make a wood clone and have it escort her, but these girls completely beat me to it.

"Three clones from the strongest people in our class. That should be more than enough, don't you think?" Hinata asked with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

Ino stumbled on her words for a few moments before sighing in defeat.

"Yes, it should be."

"Enjoy your pickup, our clones will be sure to keep you safe." Satsuki added sarcastically as Ino and the clones walked away.

These girls are the ultimate fangirl repellent.

"Should we head in then, Lei?" Naruko asked, placing her hand on my arm.

"Yeah, let's go."

The three girls were all smiles as we walked in as I took my seat, I watched as the girls eyed one another warily.

"Can you give us a moment, Lei? We need to uh, use the restroom."

I shrugged. "Sure, I'll start cooking the meat."

The girls made their way out of the barbeque place, and returned thirty seconds later.

Hinata had her eyes closed with a pleasant peaceful smile on her face. Satsuki was smirking, and Naruko had a disappointed frown with her shoulder slumping.

When they made their way to me, Hinata took a seat at my left, with Satsuki at my right. Naruko sat at Hinata's left.

I wouldn't consider myself the smartest person in the world, but I also know I'm not stupid. Did these girls just fucking compete for the two spots beside me?

As Hinata served the food onto our plates, I couldn't help but further ponder.

Well they are at that age, and if the other girls in our class are developing crushes, it only makes sense they would as well. Though that's not what surprises me. What surprises me is they must have spoken about it and they admitted it amongst each other unbeknownst to me!

As we ate, my mind drifted back to Hiruzen's words regarding them. A slight red tint painted my cheeks as I recalled the Icha Icha books.

Best fucking pieces of literature I have ever read. In both lives mind you. Nothing comes close.

I wouldn't be opposed to having them to myself. The thought of anyone else having them royally pisses me off.

Especially Kiba.

That son of a bitch constantly pesters Hinata with his alpha dog bullshit, always trying his best to make her leave my side and stand by his. Yet…everytime Hinata turns him down, increasingly more harshly each time. The first time it was a simple no and a polite request to not ask again. However the most recent time, she very clearly highlighted how different I am from him. How I was like a raging tide in the vast ocean, and him a little raindrop in a puddle.

Honestly it was a bit harsh, but I appreciated her words a lot more than she knows.

"Aren't you going to eat?" Satsuki asked before taking a bite of the freshly cooked meat.

I gave her a small smile. "Yeah. Sorry about that."

She averted her gaze from my own, as she continued to eat her food. My smile grew when I saw a very small amount of pink dusting her cheeks.

Yeah, I think I'm fine with this. However for all of our sakes, I'll wait until after we become genin before I actively pursue them. I want to make sure this isn't just some little fleeting crush they have, and instead something they intend to stick to for the long term.

—

7 months later

"You're such a drag."

"Oh, come on, Shikamaru. Don't be like that." Kuzan chucked.

"Bite me." The lazy kid groaned as he got off his ass. "I just want to watch the clouds, why did I agree to come along with you all."

"Cause we're more interesting than some clouds in the sky. You just wished you didn't have to spar with us." I answered easily, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Tch."

Shikamaru made his way over to sit down next to Choji, all the while groaning about tryhard knuckleheads.

"How about we go a round, Lei?" Kiba said, giving me a shit eating grin.

"Arf!" Akamaru barked atop his head.

I gave him a look, one that called him stupid without actually saying shit. "We are literally going to spar tomorrow. You know, the last spar of our academy career, during the exam that will decide whether we become genin or not?"

"I already know, but what's the harm in testing the waters early?" He chuckled slowly.

"We already have tested the waters…twice. Last I remember, I won both times. Why would I fight you again before tomorrow?"

Kiba growled at me, but I was used to it at this point. I didn't hate the guy or anything, but his constant disrespectful attitude and stuck up nature has pissed me off more than I'd like to admit. Hinata has told me to just ignore him.

"Whatever, stay scared, tomorrow I'll show you I'm the best in the class and be named Rookie of the Year." He waved me off, walking back to Choji and taking a seat.

I decided not to respond. He could deadass actually beat me and it would not change shit. With my near perfect score on the last two exams, all I would have to do is perform the same in all other fields and I'd be named Rookie of the Year.

Tomorrow was the day. The day we'd get our headbands, the day we'd become genin, and that thought alone excited me and scared me overwhelmingly so.

"Want to spar, Shino?" Kuzan asked with a cheeky grin. He had just finished a spar with Shikamaru and he wanted to go into another one? Props to him.

Shino didn't answer verbally, instead shook his head earning a small whine from Kuzan.

"What about you, Choji?"

"Nope." Choji answered, taking another bite from his chips and chewing loudly. Kuzan completely deflated, dropping to the ground with a heavy sigh.

We all sat in silence for a while before Kuzan spoke up again.

"Hey, what do you guys think the girls are up to?"

"Probably the same thing we're doing?" I shrugged.

"Nothing?" Choji raised an eyebrow.

"Establishing a pecking order." I answered back with a small twitch of my lips. Naruko, and Satsuki simply aren't into that girly shit, at least not anything I have noticed for as long as I've known them. Their idea of fun is growing stronger and or showing how far they've come. Hinata is similar, but she's definitely a lot more feminine than the two of them.

Choji seemed to ponder my words for a moment before nodding. "I can see it."

"I wish Ino put as much time into leaving me alone as she does into chasing you, Lei." Shikamaru groaned once more.

"If only we could both have what we want, alas, we are living in the real world. The best we can do is adapt." I declared wisely earning an amused snort from the Nara boy.

This wasn't the first time we had hung out as a group. It was basically all of the male clan heirs, myself, Kuzan, and a few civies.

Is that racist to say?

Regardless they were pretty much irrelevant to all of our talks and settled for saying a few words here and there, or just staying out of talks altogether. They were tagalongs who held no substance or purpose to our group.

Side characters would be the best description I could give for them. Not because they lacked importance, but because they themselves understood they weren't even worthy to hang out with us. Like corporate workers following their bosses out for drinks and barely saying shit.

"Are we doing anything else, or what?" Kiba asked after a while.

"We could play ninja?" Choji offered.

"We're about to be genin, we're too old for ninja, grow up Choji." Kuzan frowned.

"Ah, you're right."

Seeing as we weren't going to be doing anything else tonight, I said my goodbyes and made my way back to the Senju compound.

It was already pretty late into the evening, so I made a quick snack and prepared for bed. As I finished washing my plate, I mentally told my clones to send what they learned while I was out. As new information flooded my brain, I let out a content sigh. I didn't know where I stood within the ninja world, but if nothing else, I was proud of myself. Of how far I have come and how far my friends have as well.

—

The moment my eyes fluttered open, I was already up and out of bed. Today was the day. One of the biggest days of my life. The day we took the exam to graduate and become genin, and my excitement, as much as I tried to hide it, was overwhelming!

I dressed myself and made my way to the kitchen. As much as I would love to just run out and head to the academy early, I considered breakfast to be the most important meal of the day. Which means as much I hated cooking, I did it for the sake of keeping my body well nourished.

So, I started the process of cooking. Making scrambled eggs, grilled chicken breasts over rice, and added bean paste from an Uchiha recipe Satsuki had given me a year or so ago. I sliced up some bread, and smeared some of my own custom made peanut butter.

The peanut butter I made was just crushed roasted peanuts with a bit of milk and a small amount of sugar.

Needless to say it tasted like shit. However it was necessary for building up and nourishing my muscles. I topped my meal off with a cup of warm milk.

The meal was mainly filled with protein, with a good deal of carbs. Putting it simply it was a meal meant for someone who was trying their best to get in shape and keep it that way. It was a lot of food, and I needed it that way. I was on a bulk as the gym folk in my last life would put it.

It took me close to twenty minutes to clear my large plate. Once I did, I cleaned up after myself and finally left the house.

"Wood Release: Clone Jutsu."

Two clones appeared beside me giving me a tired look.

"Ah, come on, boss. Didn't we spend all of yesterday studying…and the day before that…and the-"

"Yes, you did, and you wouldn't understand how much I appreciate you for doing that. However, you two still haven't been able to figure out the riddle Hashirama left in his notes." I interrupted the clone, giving a scolding look. This clone always complained whenever I summoned him. I deemed him as Clone #2 since no matter what, he would always appear as long as I summoned two or more clones.

"That riddle's so hard though." Clone #1 frowned. It seems as though Clone #2's snark is rubbing off on this one as well.

"I know it is, I'll help you both when I get back. Just please do it for me, if you do, I'll let you go to Ichiraku's again." I gave them a pleading look that morphed into a grin.

That seemed to get their attention and they quickly ran off towards the library.

I had tested, even with Clone #2's lazy attitude regarding my orders, he would still follow them as long as he had the energy to. The same goes for all my clones. Which means I can't make a clone when I'm tired and have it train while I sleep. When I create it, it starts off with the same level of stamina I have, and a divided amount of chakra, depending on how many clones I make.

Moreover, wood clones are still technically living beings since they are created from my cells, which means I could keep one wood clone around forever if I really wanted to. It would just have to sleep like I have to. Also it would constantly leave my chakra divided, which is why I haven't actually done such a thing yet.

As I watched my clones disappear into the library I frowned. Ever since Gramps allowed me to become the Senju Head early, I have been studying all there is to know in the wood jutsu section. So much in fact to the point where I can confidently say I know every wood jutsu in existence and have them memorized like the back of my hand. Even if I can't cast all of them.

What has me bothered though is that within a massive scroll holds a long two page riddle. At first, the scroll was blank, I assumed I had to channel chakra into it and I was correct. That's when the riddle appeared. I can only assume the riddle is some sort of code that one must know in order to actually learn anything from it. Something similar to the Uchiha's stone tablet and needing to have a higher level sharingan to make out more and more of it.

I had deduced pretty early on that the riddle refers to Hashirama and his sage mode. If I had to guess, I'd say it was written by him as well, but with how perfectly coded it is, I'm almost certain he had help from Tobirama. Not to say I don't believe Hashirama was smart, but I don't think Hashirama would have decided to so heavily code something he would be giving whatever descendant of his unlocked his kekkei genkai. He was an optimist that assumed everything would be alright after all. No, such precautions wouldn't be made by him, Tobirama definitely helped.

As I started making my way to the Academy, as I did I recalled the riddle once more in my mind.

"The birds in the heavens, the animals that roam the Earth, the trees stand tall. Inevitably the seasons change, the leaves wither and fall. The birds migrate, and the animals hibernate, yet the tree stands tall. The seasons change once more, this time the heavens ball of glorious light nourishes the living vessels of life.

The leaves regrow anew, and life that was once but a dream has awakened and started its blossom to a new reality. The One Above watches the growth with a smile on his face. Budding new saplings with promises of a bright future sprout from the earth with dreams of reaching the heavens, only with the help of him who stands above the earth yet below heaven can these trees reach their full potential. Until then, the trees stand tall."

That was the riddle. I had a few guesses about what some of it means, but I couldn't be too sure. The birds in the heavens I assumed referred to the dead souls of all that came before watching down on their descendants. The animals roaming the Earth being the aforementioned descendants. Yet I don't know what the tree in this riddle would be. Something timeless no doubt.

I assumed it was perhaps referring to the leaf village. I recall Might Guy talking about a similar metaphor regarding withering leaves and fresh new ones to take their place, although that thought was put with the mention of new trees. As things were, there were only major villages, and more wouldn't be created, at least not anytime soon.

Yet time does not appear to be relevant within this riddle, so maybe?

Most confusing to me is "The One Above" that it mentions. At first I thought it could perhaps be referring to the Buddha, but when I went to the library to find anything on the Buddha, all I found was a short story on Hashirama referring to him as the Buddha (or the Enlightened One). Hashirama wasn't worshiped which means the Buddha doesn't exist as a God in this world. Plus Hashirama died and isn't still watching the world change, which writes him off as The One Above.

My next thought was that it might be Lord Jashin, the same God Hidan worshiped. I did find a great deal of books actually speaking about him. He is best defined as "A God of Destruction and Blood." Apparently it was forbidden to worship him in the leaf since he was a figure who left so many bodies behind, whether he exists or not. His cult of overzealous religious nut jobs had killed hundreds if not thousands in his name. Needless to say, after a little research I wrote him off. Hashirama wouldn't include such a being in writings on how to attain sage mode.

My last consideration for the one he could be talking about was myself. I didn't have much proof to be able to rightfully suspect such a thing, but instead I lacked enough evidence to advocate for anyone else over myself.

As things are, I simply don't know enough. I need to learn everything else regarding the riddle before I can figure out that wormhole of a figure. "...only with the help of him, who stands above the earth, yet below heaven can these trees reach their full potential."

Whatever these trees were, they were important, almost as important as The One Above himself. Perhaps I'll learn more after becoming a genin and gaining some experience?

"Didn't you hear me!?"

A voice snapped me out of my thoughts, I looked to my right to see an annoyed Satsuki. I had been moving on autopilot, I hadn't even noticed she was here, or that I was almost at the Academy.

"Oh, sorry Satsuki, I was thinking about something else, sorry." I apologized with a small dip of my head. Satsuki looked at me in concern laced with a surprisingly small amount of annoyance.

"Are you feeling alright? Did something happen?" The way her eyes softened a great deal made my heart skip a beat. I quickly averted my gaze from her while rubbing the back of my head.

"Don't worry, I'm fine and nothing happened. I was just thinking about that riddle Lord First left behind." I explained. Satsuki frowned at my words, a hand slipping up to her chin in thought.

"He was as good at leaving behind unsolvable riddles, as he was at being strong."

I nodded at that, a small laugh escaping my lips. I had shown all the girls the scroll to get their input on what things could mean. Satsuki and Hinata were very smart girls after all, and a few other interpretations couldn't hurt. Although to my surprise they couldn't see the writing on the scroll. It was shielded by green chakra in their eyes. I read it out to them, and they didn't have any differing thoughts. Well, except Naruko. She believed The One Above was Teuchi.

A thought I did actually look into, but alas it does not appear he would waste his time on such foolish trivialities as mortal affairs.

We entered the building and made our way to the classroom. When we walked in, we saw most of the class was already there, and it was still ten minutes before class began. Everyone must be even more excited than me.

We made our way to our seats, Satsuki still sitting in front of us even after all these years, although now she sat next to Sakura and Ino, while Kuzan sat in Ino's old seat.

As I took my seat beside Naruko, Hinata who was sitting next to the blonde, as per usual, asked a question.

"I'm surprised you weren't here before us, Lei. You're always early."

I gave the white eyed girl a apologetic smile, "I know I said I would be, I just got caught up, sorry about that."

Hinata waved me off with a warm smile. "No need to apologize, your here now aren't you?"

"She's right, aren't you excited?! Today's the day we become Genin!" Naruko cheered, shooting out of her seat and pumping her fist into the air. The entire class had heard her and were motivated by her. Not everyone was guaranteed like us to pass, so Naruko announcing that "today we'd become genin" instead of saying "today we take our final exam" held a huge impact on their confidence.

"Damn right." Satsuki smirked.

"Of course Satsuki and Lei are going to pass, they're the greatest in the class, no, the greatest to ever attend this academy!" Sakura nodded sagely. I like Sakura, in fact I'd say she's my fangirl.

It's totally not because she is constantly sucking off my ego. You can never get that out of me.

Recently I learned that she also seems to have a crush on Satsuki. If her constantly blushing and fidgeting in class is anything to go by.

"Kuzan is totally going to kick Lei's butt today, just watch you banshee!" Some girl that lives in the orphanage shouted from the other side of the class. Kaya I think her name was.

"Eh? You wanna say that to my face?!" Sakura asked, standing up from her seat with clenched fists.

"Down girl." I chuckled. "Just fight her during the taijutsu portion of the exam."

Sakura's cheeks reddened as she nodded and sat down quickly.

The absolute power one holds over his fangirls is quite therapeutic. I bet I could tell them to run into the Hokage's mansion and steal the Scroll of Sealing, and they'd probably- No they'd definitely do it.

"I'm curious to see which one of you will come out on top as Kunoichi of the Year." My eyes strayed to each of the three girls I grew up spending time with. According to their scores, Hinata and Satsuki were practically neck and neck as far as grades go. Naruko was a bit behind them since she failed the written portion of the first exam, but even she wasn't that far off. If she aced everything, she could very well make a comeback.

The three girls looked at one another. A silent conversation going through their heads, eyes blazing with determination as they nodded at one another.

Am I missing something?

I had to hold that thought as Iruka opened the door to the class, trailing behind him was Mizuki-sensei, a trainee sensei that shadowed Iruka these last few months as his assistant. I actually liked the guy well enough. He answered questions, told us extra details on topics even when we didn't ask, and would give us pointers after spars.

He was basically the chill teacher everyone liked.

Which explains how he so easily manipulated Naruto before, but my Naruko is much smarter than that friendless prankster was. She would never fall for any of his plans.

I looked to my right to see a goofily grinning Naruko.

On second thought, I might want to keep an eye on her…

"The day has arrived in class, today is finally the day of the long awaited final exam. This for most if not all of you will be your last class ever in the Academy, so enjoy it while it lasts." Iruka gave a soft smile as his eyes passed over each of his students, they lingered on Naruko for a while, but I did not see hate in his eyes, instead I saw indecision.

He's gotten better with her. Good for him.

"You all know the drill, first is the written exam, Mizuki-sensei." Iruka looked towards Mizuki who was holding the stack of tests. Taking that as his queue he started making his way around the class, handing out the packets. It didn't take more than a minute, and once he was done he retook his place besides Iruka.

"Remember what you learned, and I wish you all the best of luck. Begin!"

A chorus of papers flipping sounded through the class. I wasted no time, breezing through the questions that had gotten harder and harder with each exam. It was still quite easy though, basic shinobi history, shinobi rules, the village ranking system, etc.

Basically it was shit a genin should know.

Within twenty minutes I was finished, I got up from my seat, Iruka and Mizuki instantly looking towards me as I made my way down the steps to them, handed them my paper, and walked back up to my seat.

I noticed Kiba glaring daggers at me and stuck my tongue out at him. The pencil in his hand snapped under his clenched fists.

"Sensei, I need another pencil." He growled out lowly.

Iruka looked up at Kiba, then looked at my grinning face and sighed. "A shinobi must always be prepared for even the worst of situations." He motioned his hand, and Mizuki got up, bringing Kiba a case of pencils. Kiba grabbed two, and Mizuki returned to his place beside Iruka.

As the minutes passed, people started finishing. Sakura finished around ten minutes after me, followed by Hinata, then Satsuki. Eventually everyone turned in their papers, the last of which being Shikamaru who had fallen asleep immediately after finishing instead of turning it in.

"Alright, the next portion of the exam is the ranged weapon accuracy test. Please follow Mizuki-sensei and I." Iruka announced, getting up from his seat and walking out of the door with Mizuki in tow. We did as he said and followed him.

"You think you aced the written part?" I asked Naruko, earning a small frown from the girl.

"I knew a lot more than I did last time, but I probably narrowly got into the 80% range if I had to guess."

Ah, quite the improvement from the 73% she got on the last exam, but still not where she needed to be in order to earn Kunoichi of the Year.

"Try your best, you still have a chance." I encouraged the blonde which did put a smile on her face.

"Of course, I'm gonna be Kunoichi of the Year, believe it!"

"In your dreams, shortstack." Satsuki snorted. A tick mark appeared on Naruko's forehead as she looked at the Uchiha girl.

"I'll definitely score higher than you, flatty."

Satsuki paused, her eyes lighting ablaze as she covered her chest. "Do you want to die, bitch."

Naruko tensed, rubbing the back of her head nervously and looking away, but the smirk on her face told me she still wasn't actually scared.

I took the moment to look at the two girls more…thoroughly then I usually would. Satsuki, like most girls in our class, had a flat chest, it's not really her fault, she's twelve. However there were two anomalies who happened to grow larger than average chests even at this young age.

Those two girls being the same girls Satsuki spends most of her time with.

Naruko and Hinata's breasts were small, but big enough right now to where you can get a handful worth if you grabbed them. Give them time, and they'd probably have some of the largest breasts in the village.

Well I already expected as much from Hinata, but Naruko was a pleasant surprise.

"Alright, lets begin, Shino, you're first." Iruka announced.

Huh? Oh right, shuriken and kunai throwing. My mind was focused on other things. My eyes trailed over to Hinata, who instantly noticed my gaze and gave me a small smile.

The future's looking bright!

I watched as all the male clan heirs and other guys threw their kunai and shuriken. They were graded and then told to stand back with us. The girls would be going after us. When my turn arrived I frowned as I stepped forwards. My accuracy with the tools wasn't the best, and I barely worked on it.

I grabbed the shuriken pouch that was provided and tightened it on my waist. I then made my way to the circle we needed to stand in while we made our attempts.

"Ready, Lei?"

"Yes, Sensei."

"Begin."

I launched three shuriken towards the target in one flex of my wrists, before reaching in the pouch and throwing another three. The first three found purchase within the circle on the outer edge, and the last three landed a bit closer towards the middle. I reached into the pouch one more time, trapping two shuriken in both of my hands. I crossed my arms in an 'X' and sent them flying towards the target, they all landed around the target, with none getting closer to the middle than my second attempt.

I let out a sigh. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't necessarily good.

""KYAAA!""

A twitching smile consumed my face as I looked over to the group of fangirls who were cheering for me. They never get tired of riding my meat do they?

"Pass." Iruka smiled, gesturing for me to go back to the guys. I put the pouch back where I got it, and made my way back over to them.

Kuzan went a bit after me, getting several bullseyes, which didn't surprise me, he was an absolute freak with weapons for some reason. Once all the guys had gone it was time for the girls. Sakura and Ino did pretty decent all things considered, but missed the target a few times. Hinata and Satsuki nailed the bullseye once and thrice respectively. Naruko did about as well as I did.

The kunai portion was pretty much the same, and once it was finished Iruka spoke again.

"Alright, time for the final part of the exam, the taijutsu spar."

I could practically feel Kiba's eyes on me, but I ignored him.

"As you all know, the taijutsu spars work by way of challenges. Everyone gets three challenges which they can use to challenge anyone in the class for their spot. You can only challenge the same person once. If someone defends their spot three times, you cannot challenge them for it again. The rankings at the end will determine the number grade for the taijutsu portion. #1 equaling 100%, number two 95%, number three 90%, etc. The starting rankings are determined by your mid year rankings. The boys will go first followed by the girls" Iruka explained.

"Who wishes to go-"

"I challenge Lei!" Kiba shouted.

Dickhead didn't even let the man finish his question.

"#1 Lei Senju and #2 Kiba Inuzuka." Iruka sighed out. "Please proceed to the sparring ground."

We both made our way over to where spars were held. Kiba glaring at me all the while. I gave him a relaxed smile which only further enraged him.

"If you are both ready, please make the Seal of Confrontation." Iruka ordered in a tone that demanded we do as he said.

I walked towards Kiba and he hesitantly walked towards me. We both made the seal.

"Begin!"

Kiba jumped back, while I ran straight for him. His eyes widened as he threw up his arms to block my left handed jab. The hit connected with his forearm and I watched as his eyes narrowed in pain.

He took another leap back this time successfully gaining some distance. I had no reason to pursue after all, it wasn't my fighting style. I dropped into the stance of the Natural Fist. My left leg slightly in front of my right, both slightly bent. My left arm in front of my hip, ready to protect against blows, while my right hand was nearly pressed against my side, my fists were tightly clenched, ready to strike out and deliver a devastating blow.

Kiba had seen, fought, and lost to this exact fighting style plenty of times already, never once tasting victory, yet he eyed me eyes promising his victory.

For that very reason, I respect him.

He started rushing towards me, his eyes quickly straying to Akamaru who was on the sidelines, while he could fight with Akamaru, he wouldn't be able to use Fang Over Fang since that required a transformation jutsu to use. This was a taijutsu spar.

When he reached me, he threw his left fist, which hit me square in my chin, but as my body moved back a bit, I launched my own devastating left hook to his gut. The hit made him void all his breakfast out as he dropped to the ground cradling his stomach.

I stared down at him, my eyes glancing at his vomit on the dirt, then looking back at him. A thought crossed my mind.

I might have hit him just a bit too hard…

"Kiba Inuzuka is unable to continue, the winner is Lei Senju."

""KYAAA""

I made my way back to the main group, my eyes avoiding everyone else. That wasn't a victory. Kiba didn't have Akamaru backing him up. Some might argue that he would still lose if he did, and I wouldn't disagree with them. Hell I still had my weight seals on. However, it's about one's own pride. I wouldn't call that a win because I didn't beat him at his best and it pisses me off that he wasn't allowed to go all out.

The rest of the fights went all, all the while no one challenged me.

I went to sit down under a tree nearby where I could watch the fights and get some shade at the same time. Naruko, Satsuki, and Hinata immediately came over to sit with me, congratulating me on a well expected win. Then we sat and watched the fights together. Most of the time was spent in silence, with the exception of some criticisms from the girls about how weak the guys were. All three of them could take on Kiba alone and win, I doubt even Akamaru would make a difference.

Once all the fighting stopped, Iruka announced the taijutsu spar final rankings for the guys.

"#1 Lei Senju 100%

#2 Kiba Inuzuka 95%

#3 Kuzan Tamura 90%

#4 Choji Akimichi 85%

#5 Shikamaru Nara 80%

#6 Shino Aburame 75%"

The rest of the civies simply didn't compare when it came to the clan kids. Even a lazy bum like Shikamaru was able to slap them around.

After Iruka's announcement, he called for the girls to make their way over.

"Looks like it's our turn!" Naruko punched her palm with an excited grin.

"Try and stay out of our way, alright?" Satsuki grinned, before walking closer to the main group to listen to Iruka.

"I'm gonna kick your butt, you hear me?!" Naruko shouted, running after her.

"They'll never change, will they?" I asked Hinata who was still sitting beside me.

"On the contrary, I think we've all changed."

I looked at her in question and the same warm smile she always gives me surfaced on her face.

"Over the course of the years we've known each other, we've all changed. Naruko, Satsuki, you, and I. Naruko went from a simple minded girl who lacked friends to a simple minded girl with plenty of people who love her."

I laughed at Hinata's offhanded diss, and she giggled along with me.

"Satsuki. She went from a girl obsessed with the future to a girl who lives for the present. Sure she's still a little…distant sometimes, but she's changed, and I truly believe it's for the better."

I nodded at that. Satsuki as much as she still wishes to kill Itachi has massively mellowed out. At the very least it's not the driving force of her life now. It's not the thing that gives her the strength to train, to wake up in the morning, to exist. No she's definitely changed for the better.

"Even I, went from a shy girl who wanted nothing more than to just run away from my life full of expectations. Now, there are so many things I want. Dreams I never even considered possible burn brightly in my mind. To change my clan…and the village for the better.

The removal of the Caged Bird Seal, and to stand by the Hokage's side as their right hand.

Initially when she came to me and professed her dreams a year ago, I was happy, ecstatic even. She wanted to change the horrible customs of the Hyuga, and also have a huge part in managing the village. I had expected she wanted to stand by Naruko's side when she became Hokage, but much to my surprise she told me she wished to stand by mind.

I had never even shown interest in the prospect of becoming Hokage, at least not to them. Yet she saw me as the light that would nourish the massive tree that is the leaf. That my overwhelming rays would rejuvenate each and every leaf, even the ones that had already fallen. That I was the only one who could.

I won't lie, her words made me blush back then.

"Then there you…you went from a boy who didn't have much faith in yourself, to a boy who holds the utmost confidence in your skills and abilities. A boy with the potential to equal and even surpass the four Hokage. A boy who brought along with you for the ride and ended up changing them for the better. You're not a man, not yet, but I know when you become one, your presence alone will radiate so much light unto the world-" She paused, looking down at the ground, twiddling her thumbs with a heavy blush.

"And we'll…I'll be by your side. Through the good times, the worst of battles, and heartache, and everything in between. I'll stand by you, forever."

She didn't wait for a response, instead running over to the group of girls who were standing around Iruka.

My mouth was left agape as I watched her go.

That was definitely a confession. My eyes continued to watch her as Satsuki walked up to her and challenged her. Determined looks in both of their eyes as they made their way to the sparring ground.

My eyes roamed up to watch the clouds as I smiled. A true, genuine smile.

Yeah, I truly do think I'll enjoy this life of mine.