Chapter 2: Academy Days

Welcome and thanks for reading. Chapter 2 is going to cover all of the academy. I hate fictions that take 10 years on the boring, early parts of the story. Going to get into the meat very quickly. I plan on Naruto only taking between 10-15 chapters (maybe less) before getting into Shipuuden. I'm sorry, but the first part of Naruto is boring as heck. Not going to branch into the movies or any filler arcs. Wave, Chuunin exams, Sasuke retrieval, done. Constructive Criticism is always appreciated as this is my first attempt at writing a fanfiction. Please let me know what you like/dislike/etc! :D

I do not own Naruto, just my adorable OC and his adorable family.

Kenta Yamanaka – Age 6

The last year flew by for me. My father wasn't lying when he said he wanted to start on my training right away. Other, stupid kids would have considered what I was doing as "boring." But I didn't think so. My conversation with my father further supported the training I was doing now.

"Kenta, for the next year we're only going to be working on the basics. I know that most kids your age want to get right into throwing around flashy techniques and shooting fire. But do you know why my training is designed the way it is?" Inoko asked his son.

Kenta thought for a moment… "Well, father. It's the same as constructing a house, yes? If you build a house on a shoddy foundation, then the house will collapse on itself. Same for my shinobi training, yes? Build a solid foundation so the roof doesn't cave in on my first mission."

Inoko blinked. He sometimes forgot how smart and perceptive his son was for his age. A large grin split his face. "You're exactly right, Kenta. Without hammering in the basics, the rest of your training will be sabotaged. With that said, let's get started."

So for the last year, I followed a very strict, but detailed training program. I would wake up at 0600. After brushing my teeth and grabbing a piece of fruit, I would go to the courtyard for my morning meditation and yoga. Unlocking my chakra was an… interesting experience. Father told me it would probably take me some time before I unlocked it and got the hang of it. Imagine his shocked face when after just 30 minutes of meditating, he felt the spark in me ignite. So every morning, for one hour, I would sit and meditate. Feeling the way my chakra flowed through my body. Holding it and directing it where I wanted it to go. Describing the way chakra felt was difficult. It was like before I unlocked it and could feel it, I was living my life with my head stuck in a burlap sack. Everything around me changed. Colors were brighter, smells were more intense, even the fabric of my clothes was more noticeable.

After meditating for one hour, I would then go through my yoga routine for an hour. Father and mother both agreed that flexibility in not only the mind, but the body could one day save my life. After yoga, I would join my parents for a light breakfast, and then after we would work on my Taijutsu katas. Father said once I entered into the academy we could begin sparring, but for now muscle memory was key. After taijutsu, we would work on the physical aspect of my training. Running, pushups, sit-ups, squats, pull-ups. Anything I could do to increase my strength, stamina, endurance and speed. From there I would break for lunch and rest for an hour. Finally at the end of the day I would work on my chakra control and shurikenjutsu before calling it a day.

I was pleased with the way things were turning out. I was accurate with my throws with not only kunai and shuriken, but also senbon. Mother was teaching me the proper way to throw them, the best places to strike for not only the most damage, but also the places where poisons would be best delivered from. I could run longer, I was stronger than any of my peers. Overall, as I said, I was pleased.

Today was the start of the academy. I was so excited to go. I'd heard my cousins and clansmen talk about everything and it got me fired up. I was finally taking the first (official) step towards my dream of becoming a shinobi of Konoha. I checked myself over in the mirror. I was pretty tall for my age, but I chalk that up to the training I'd been doing. My blonde hair was cut short and faded halfway up my head. Teal eyes, the trademark of my clan, stared back at me and I smiled. I was ready. Beige shorts with some cargo pockets and a white shirt completed my ensemble. Mother said I don't have dress like a shinobi the first year as most of the work is theory. Fine by me, I love my shorts and tshirt.

I walked into the dining room where my parents were already seated. Dad with his coffee and newspaper, mom in the kitchen finishing breakfast. The bulge in her stomach was becoming more and more noticeable.

"Morning" I cheerfully called as I entered. Dad looked up and smiled at me before returning to his newspapers. I walked over to my mom and let her kiss my check (I may be mature, but I'm still a total momma's boy). In return I kissed her stomach where my new brother or sister was growing at.

"Good morning, Sweetie" Mom giggled. "How did you sleep?"

"Not too bad. I had this weird dream. I don't remember much just at the end these two bright lights before I woke up. It wasn't a nightmare, but I did wake up a little anxious."

Mom frowned, but since I didn't say anything too worrying she went back to fixing breakfast. I sat down next to dad. "Anything good in there?"

"Same stuff really. Nothing exciting. Couple of drunks arrested by the Uchiha Police for disorderly conduct, but that's about it" father said after taking a sip of his coffee.

Just then mom set a plate full of my favorite food downs in front of me. "Big day today, sweetie. First step towards becoming a shinobi. How are you feeling? Nervous?"

"Not nervous, more excited. I know the first year is going to be pretty boring as I'll probably know everything they go over." I said as I dug into my food. "However I'll do my best to learn at least one thing new and hopefully it isn't as bad as I think it's going to be."

"Well if it does end up being that easy we'll figure something out, maybe bump up your training a bit if you aren't being challenged. I know how you get when you get bored" dad drawled, staring at me. Probably remembering the incident when I was three that involved a gallon of paint and a bored toddler. Oh well.

Finishing my breakfast I took my plate to the sink. Dad took that as his sign to fold up the paper and started making his way to the door. Dad was taking me my first day. Mom had to work, but with dad being the head he could get away with being an hour late. I kissed mom on the cheek and grabbed my bag.

"Have a good first day, sweetie!" Mom called as I was running for the door. I smiled at her and threw a wave over my shoulder. I loved my mom, as long as I put it out of my mind that she was a senior interrogator with T&I, she was the sweetest woman ever.

Dad and I strolled along the streets of Konoha. I really loved this city. I was bright, happy and full of life. Aside from that incident almost two years ago, the people of Konoha genuinlly seemed to care about one another.

I attempted to convince dad to give me a ride, but he quickly shut me down. Claimed he wasn't a pack mule or something like that. I stopped paying attention after "no." We arrived about 15 minutes later, and we weren't the first. The yard was packed with other families. I immediately spotted Uncle Inoichi and the wretched banshee that was my cousin. I immediately pulled dad out of their line of sight. I'm pretty sure dad knew what I was doing, but he just went along with it. He knew how much I… enjoyed Ino's company. But when your clan head asks you to play with his daughter, you do it. Even if you manage to "accidentally" spill pink paint in her hair. What? We were four and accidents happen. Inoichi wasn't actually my uncle. He was my second cousin, but he and father were so close that uncle just stuck. I liked Uncle Inoichi, Ino can go drown for all I care.

What seemed like an enternity later, a hush fell over the crowd and I turned to see THE Hokage standing on a raised dais. He immediately launched into a speech that I tuned out 10 seconds into. Something the "Will of Fire" and "The Next Generation." Typical political pandering and propaganda. I may be young, but I know what Konoha is all about. Still, I love this town so I didn't need all the fluff to get me excited about becoming a shinobi. As the Hokage was talking I was looking around. It only then dawned on me. So. Many. KIDS. FUCK! It just now occurred to me that attending the academy equals me having to spend eight hours a day with a bunch of smelly, sticky, annoying, gross brats. Kill me now. Dad must of sensed my misery, but instead of comforting me I simply heard him chuckle. Bastard. I'll pay him back soon.

After some paperwork was filled out, and directions given, I parted ways with dad and was seated in my classroom. I looked around, taking stock of the little shitheads I'd be spending my days with.

Black hair, sleeping already? Nara.

Chubby kid, munching on food. Akimichi.

INO! DAMMIT!

Pink Hair? Why?

Wild hair, Clan markings. Inuzuka.

Sunglasses inside, high collared coat. Aburame.

Civilian, civilian, civilian… A lot of those.

Dark purple hair, pale pupil-less eyes. Hyuga.

Sour expression. Antisocial. Uchiha.

BLONDE hair, Blue eyes… That's that kid!

Before I could go over and talk to him our teacher walked in. I'll talk to him at lunch. He looks much better now. Little on the skinny side, but his face has life back in it. That's good at least. I'll find out how much of that is really just an act though.

"Alright class listen up. I'm your instructor for the next six years. My name is Iruka Umino. As I call your name please stand up and tell the class a bit about yourself. After that I will hand out this year's syllabus and we will begin our first lesson. Any questions?"

No one raised their hands. And so roll-call began. I was dead on about everyone in my class. What was a shock was that every single major clan's heir, aside from the Inuzuka and Uchiha (though they were second in line) was in my class. What the hell? Did the clan heads plan this? Weird.

As Iruka went over what we would be covering, I could feel my good mood sliding down by the second. This year was not going to be a fun one. Dammit. What a drag…

Kenta Yamanaka – Age 7

The first year of the academy was even worse than I thought. Spending 8 hours a day in a room with 26 six year olds? I contemplated suicide more than once. Mom would be sad though. Speaking of mom, she had her baby 4 months ago. My little sister was born July 6th. She was actually pretty dang cute. She's starting to crawl now. She's going to be the problem child. My parents are just now realizing how lucky they got with me. They should grovel at my feet and praise me for my upstanding behavior. But they won't. I just get satisfaction every time the little demon screams her head off and mom and dad look at each other to decide whose turn it is.

Another bright side was finding my little ball of sunshine, ala Naruto Uzumaki. After a few lessons on using an inside voice, the kid wasn't all that bad. Sure he'd randomly go on tangents about becoming Hokage, or picking a fight with Broody McBrooderson. He also wasn't the smartest kid out there, but he wasn't dumb either. He just sometimes needed things explained in a way that work for his Uzumaki brain. The kid was an absolute genius when it came to his pranks though. He's going to make an amazing trap specialist when he's older. If not, our education system would have failed miserably.

The first time I brought Naruto to the clan compound, my parents looked like they'd seen a ghost. At first they were stand-offish and weary of Naruto, which I could not understand. But once I made it clear that Naruto was my friend, they gave him a chance. And just like mold, he eventually grew on them. It's hard not to, the kids got a charisma about him that's hard to explain. Once you let him in, you just realize how much his optimism is infectious.

Walking around I didn't miss all the looks Naruto would get. He would notice them too, but he'd just shrug them off with that goofy grin plastered on his face. However, when he didn't think I was looking, I'd see the bone deep sadness those same looks caused him. It broke my heart. Something about this whole situation was SO FAMILIAR, but I couldn't put my finger on it. Déjà vu strikes again. I'll figure this mystery out, and hopefully before another incident that lands Naruto in the hospital.

Year two of the academy was barely more exciting than the first. We were moving on from theory to practical application, but man was it basic stuff. Basic katas, basic physical training (two laps in and Ino was on the ground, what a sad excuse as heiress), basic chakra control. The only excitement I got was from sparring, and that was only when I got to spar the Uchiha or Naruto. Sasuke because he was the only one at my level of competence, and I'll grudgingly admit the kid was slightly better than me at taijutsu. Naruto, because the kid had an unlimited amount of energy. No matter how much I beat him down, he'd get right back up and charge me again. Seriously, someone get this kid some real training, he's going to be a juggernaut when he's older!

So year two dragged on. Sasuke and I battled back and forth for top dog, Naruto struggled to stay off the bottom, and Ino and Sakura struggled to win Sasuke's affection. What. Fun.

Kenta Yamanaka – Age 12

This was it. Today was finally the day. Graduation day. Six, horribly long years had come and gone and I'd manage to not only survive, but not kill anyone. Over the six years, I learned not a dang thing from the academy. Everything taught I either already knew from my time spent researching in the library, or from my parents. It took all my willpower not to pull a Shikamaru and just pass out every day. But with the disgrace to the Yamanaka name that Ino was, I had to bear the boredom and suffer through, day after day.

The only saving grace was that once I turned eight, my clan technique training started as well as my senor training. Now that was a big step up in the learning curve. Sensing chakra was actually kind of easy for me. The Yamanaka clan, due to our sensitivity to Yin chakra to begin with, are naturally more adapt at sensing than most shinobi are. Myself, even more so than the average member of the clan. Score points for me, as sensing was extremely useful. I'd increased my range over the years from about 30 meters, to almost 500 meters. That's nothing to sneeze at for a 12 year old soon to be genin!

Another benefit of sensing was that I was able to help Naruto with his clone problem. When performing the clone technique, no matter how much control training he did or as little chakra that he could physically use, it was always too much. He went to talk to the Hokage, whom he was apparently on good terms with, and the next day was so elated I could only guess that it went well.

The clan technique on the other hand took me awhile to get down. The most basic technique our clan employs is called the mind-body switch technique. The basic principles of the technique are separating our Yin Chakra from our Yang, and using Yin to propel our consciousness forward into our target. Thus, hijacking the body of another person. Sounds easy in theory. But just getting yin and yang to separate took me almost a full year. Yin and Yang want to remain harmonious. Breaking the natural order of the world is no small feat. Once I managed that part, the technique itself was rather easy to learn. I'm currently working on my second clan technique, which was actually developed by my father: Mind-Body Sear Technique. Using the same principles as the Mind-Body Transfer, you propel your yin chakra forward, but instead of propelling your consciousness, it's all chakra. Aimed right at the nerve cluster in your spine. If done correctly, you make your target feel as if their very veins are on fire. I know a few annoying children I can't wait to try this on.

The rest of my training was also going well. Father was able to call in a favor with an old friend to help push my physical training and hand to hand skills to a new level. Might Guy was… interesting. And that's putting it mildly. However, the man got results. I could run longer. I hit harder. My hand to hand skills were reaching a new level. Everything regarding that side of my training hard jumped leaps and bounds since I started training with Might Guy when I reached 10 years old. My weapons handling and throwing was improving too. Mom was especially focusing on senbon and poisons. For my 11th birthday, mom got me a book on basic poisons and the supplies to make my own. Since that day, I was hooked. Chakra control is another that has come easy for me. Mom started me on the wall or tree walking exercise when I was 8, and water walking once I turned 10. She wanted my control to be perfect, but she also didn't want to stunt my chakra pathway's growth by pushing too hard, too soon.

Overall my family and I were pleased by my growth. Today was the day to prove to everyone that I was deserving of my forehead protector. I would show the academy that I was in fact rookie of the year, and not that broody bastard, Sasuke.

I'd decided to wear what I was going to wear once I started on missions today, since it would be my first step towards becoming a respected Konoha shinobi. Black pants, taped down around the ankles. A black vest over a mesh undershirt with tape around my wrists for support. Simple, but effective. My hair had grown out a bit. My hair had darkened a bit over the years to an almost dirty blonde color. It was wavy and fell just past my chin. I liked my simplistic outfit, apparently so did my mom.

As I walked downstairs I heard a squeal. "Ooooh look at my baby boy, all grown up. You certainly look that part of shinobi!"

"Thanks mom." I grumbled. The older I get, the more she treats me like a child, I swear.

Dad gave me a look over and quick nod to show that he approved of my attire. At least HE still respects my dignity.

"Big brother, are you going to be a shinobi soon?" I heard an adorably quiet voice ask from below. I looked down spotting my baby sister, now almost 6 years old and starting the academy soon herself. I was glad I was wrong about Kono. After the first year she ended up being the perfect baby sister. She was quiet, inquisitive, and overall I actually enjoyed her presence. One of the few kids that I can say that about. I might be biased though, she IS my adorable baby sister.

"Darn right, Kono. Your big brother is going to be the STRONGEST shinobi in the village." I answered and was rewarded with a bright grin from the little cutie. While I strongly favored my father in the looks department, Kono was a perfect mixture of our parents. Mom's light brown hair, dad's teal eyes. Mom's nose and dad's mouth. She was the cutest.

"Of course! No one is stronger than my big brother. And when I start at the academy next year, I'll make sure everyone knows it as well." She declared boldly. I ruffled her hair fondly, gave mom a quick peck on the cheek, grabbed an apple and was heading out.

"Good luck, Sweetie! We'll meet your after the test and go to dinner to celebrate." Mom called from the end of the hall. It filled me with warmth knowing my parents had such confidence in me. Not "if" I passed, "when" I passed. I smiled and nodded and headed out the door. The test didn't start for another hour, so I planned on walking leisurely through the streets and taking in the perfect weather this morning. Blue skies, with a few fluffy white clouds drifting lazily about. The sun was warm, but the humidity was at a comfortable level today. Yep, today was the perfect day to ace the graduation exam.

I arrived at the academy with about 20 minutes to spare. I grabbed some cinnamon rolls on my way and passed a few to Naruto. I had gotten to know the boy over the last six years, and one of the things I noticed is that he didn't eat as much or as well as he should. So I made sure to invite him over at least three nights a week. Dad liked him, Mom adored him, and Kono was in love with him. Even Naruto has fangirls! The world is cruel. I didn't think I was that bad looking, where were mine?

Just then an earthquake started, I looked around curiously and in barged Ino and Sakura. Arguing about who won and got the rights to sit next to their precious Sasuke. Ok, on second thought, thank god I don't have fangirls. After that overly dramatic scene, Iruka-sensei walked in a few minutes later and began the test. The first part, easy. Written exam. Aced it. Only person who maybe got a better score than me was Sakura. She might be worthless as a future kunoichi, but damn was the girl smart. Shikamaru too because, oh wait, no he fell asleep. Next we moved on to weapons throwing. I did perfect of course, 10/10 and all but one in the bullseye. Sasuke scored the same. Neck and neck still. Next part was the hand to hand portion. The test was simple. We would go into the ring with one of the Chuunin instructors. We had to last for two minutes at minimum. Bonus points for landing a clean hit, lose a point for a clean hit. If we managed to take our opponent out or throw them out of the ring, it was an automatic perfect score. I didn't quite manage that, but I lasted the full 5 minutes; landing 8 hits and only taking one. I didn't pay attention to what Sasuke did, but this would be the portion he would get the edge on me. He was still a genius when it came to hand to hand combat.

Finally for the last test, we had to demonstrate proficiency in the 3 academy techniques. The clone technique, the substitution technique, and the transformation technique. One by one we were called into the classroom by alphabetic order of last name. I'd be second to last, with the blonde banshee going last. Naruto was called and I wished him luck. I had faith in my little ball of sunshine. He wasn't near the top of the class, but with a little extra tutoring he was able to pick himself off the bottom. That title belonged to some civilian now who I didn't even bother knowing their name. I just call him balloon nose. Am I bully?

My musings were cut short when I heard my name. I entered the room and was asked to demonstrate the three techniques. I did as asked and received full marks. They were especially pleased with my substitution technique, which didn't leave the usual smoke cloud, showing off my exceptional chakra control. Iruka-sensei congratulated me and handed me my forehead protector. I took it with slightly shaky hands. The first step towards my goal had been reached. I was officially a Konoha Genin!

Edit: 3/31/2020 - Just added some much needed line breaks. Will revise grammer/mistakes at a later date :)