Age 11/Year 11 [Part One]

When school starts again, they finally go about teaching people a new Jutsu. Interestingly enough, they let the students decide what they want to learn.

"Alright class, please fill out your forms and hand them to the front," Our teachers said. By this point, Iruka and Mizuki had been appointed as our teachers. The old man that taught us so well had chosen to retire. Hinata, of all people, had suggested throwing a farewell party for him. It was a good show of bravery from the often timid girl.

I wasn't the only one changing.

The girls had made the cards and all the boys signed it. To this day, I won't forget the proud smile on our teacher's face.

"I know you'll all grow up to be fine ninja," He had said, eyes slightly watering. "May the will of fire burn brightly within all of you."

The class had really caught him off guard, which was an achievement in itself. He chuckled about how he'd been losing his edge. On that day, everyone ate cake made by Choji's clan.

It was delicious.

"The strengthening Jutsu, huh?" Mizuki said, eyes glancing down at me as he hummed. In his hand was my paper. "A good choice, Sasuke." He gave a bright smile and started telling me how making up for my weaknesses was a smart decision.

The class had been split in two, and I'd been bundled with the traitorous teacher. Though, was he a traitor now? I couldn't recall when he became a turncoat, but perhaps a few subtle notes to the Hokage might help? Then again, nothing would be "subtle" when I'm dealing with masterclass ninja. They'd probably easily figure out who sent the letter and then track me down. Trying to explain why I knew what I knew would be a pain in the ass, that's for sure.

"So, let's start with something simple." Traitor or no, Mizuki was pretty good at his job. There was a reason why he was picked to guide promising ninja, after all. If he wasn't good, he wouldn't be here.

"Now, the basic hand signs are pretty simple, so just look at what do and try to memorize the movements." It was more than easy to get those down with my Sharingan, but knowing how to do something and being good at it were two completely different things. I put the majority of my focus on improving the strengthening Jutsu first.

As I suspected, the Sharingan's copy ability was second to none. I easily picked up the basics, though I slowed down a bit to not stand out too much. Now, getting better at the Jutsu was a whole different thing. It wasn't nearly as easy, but by the end of the Month, I had made great progress. At the same time, I went around and subtly copied the other Jutsus, adding them to my repertoire. Of course, they weren't exactly well trained, but I at least had the basics down. The other students would no doubt surpass me in their individual choices, but, well, I had all Jutsu.

Of course, the more things change, the more they stay the same. One day, Narkuo called me out and showed off her new and original Jutsu.

"Hey, Sasuke, look at this!" She made a quick few signs and channelled her monstrous reserves into what seemed like a normal transformation Jutsu. "Sexy Jutsu!"

There was nothing normal about it.

Suffice to say, puberty hit me like a truck. My best friend wouldn't stop talking about the weird ways I crossed my legs. There were lots of laughter, and this marked the day where she'd try and surprise me with that Jutsu. Naruko loved getting a reaction out of me, and this had become her ultimate weapon.

It wasn't good for my heart. Not at all...

[Reward: Learned Strengthening Jutsu (LV3) | Learned Substitution Jutsu (LV1) | Learned Transformation Jutsu (LV1) | Learned Sharpening Jutsu (LV1)]

===========

Puberty wasn't as bad as I expected. The first part of the year had hit me like a sledgehammer, but things had slowed down since. My world wasn't a wild ride anymore, and likely due to my previous experience with this annoying part of life, I learned to adapt. Naruko constantly trying to mess with me definitely didn't help, though.

"Sexy Jutsu!" She had stuck to the transformation Jutsu like bees stuck to flowers. Hers, however, was somewhat unique. The normal Jutsu only made a very convincing illusion, but nothing tangible. She somehow managed to actually transform. There were many limits, chief amongst them was that she couldn't transform into anything too large or small. By the looks of it, it was based on her actual height, but there were just too many unknowns to come to an actual concrete answer.

Was it her massive amount of chakra? No, I doubted it was just that. If that was the case, wouldn't someone have figured out this sort of transformation a long time ago? I definitely couldn't reproduce it, even after taking a look with your Sharingan. There had to be another element I was missing.

In the end, I chalked it up to "Ninetails-Bullshit" as I called it. It was either that or some other bullshit I didn't know about, but honestly, they might as well have been the same thing.

"Want to have a taste of my pie, Sasuke~" I nearly bit my tongue trying not to laugh. Bless Naruko and her innocence. This was one of the reasons I had managed to get over the annoyance known as puberty. The boners were stupid and a bit embarrassing, but unless I was in class, they could be ignored. What really bothered me were the hormones that kept screwing me over.

"Or do you want to touch my melons?" couldn't- I burst out laughing and Naruko dropped the pie and melon onto the floor. Where she got them, I have no idea, but her misunderstandings basically made sure I wouldn't be embarrassed. Obviously, she didn't take kindly to me laughing at her attempts to poke at me. She huffed and gave an adorable pout. Before, she only smiled, but thankfully, that had changed with time.

Speaking of change, I wasn't the only one going through puberty. Most of the girls in my class were suffering through it. Naruko was as well, but she didn't seem to be affected at all! Honestly, if it wasn't for a certain event that shall not be spoken about, ever, I'd have been none the wiser. Suffice to say, as her best friend, I'm willing to run to her house and back. Though, if I were as smart as others said, I'd have just talked to a teacher.

Panic makes people do weird things.

Anyways, the other girls had started to notice boys. The few that had started developing were quickly also noticed by the boys.

"Did a bee sting your chest?"

"Ew! What happened to you?!"

"Ha! Did someone pinch you too hard?"

Idiots, the lot of them. They obviously weren't going through puberty, which was understandable; girls usually went through it a lot earlier. Thankfully, those idiots didn't talk for very long. Lead by Ino, the girls squeezed their lips shut. Sakura was by her side, showing that their friendship was growing; I hoped it'd stay like that, but things weren't that simple.

With the advent of puberty, girls started to notice boys more. I just happened to be one of the more "popular" boys in the class, so I got most of the attention. It was very disturbing knowing that little girls were looking at me like that, especially when they came up and tried to talk to me. Thankfully, I had a shield of sorts.

People said Naruko wasn't all that bright, and while she did lack book knowledge, she wasn't a dumb person. She easilly read between the lines and quickly learnt that I was very uncomfortable being approached by the other girls. Naruko had always stuck by my side, but with her making more friends, like Hinata, she sometimes left me to eat with my other friends. No more. She practically glued herself to my hip, and for a time, that worked to keep everyone away.

Ino, however, wasn't so easily dissuaded. She started appearing at our table and did her best to try and impress me. Unfortunately for her, I cared very little for what little girls found interesting. Still, my constant rejections showed a side of her I hadn't seen before. She was strong, at least mentally. Surprisingly, even after a number of rejections, she continued to eat with us and Sakura eventually joined as well.

My daily life became just a bit more interesting. Honestly, I hoped puberty would pass us by quickly.

If only that were the case. We still had a number of years left.

At the very least, I had a friend by my side to make every day a little bit more fun.

=========

It's taken me a few, long, hard years of training, but I'm finally at a level where physical exercise doesn't have me wheezing. I'm faster, smarter, and usually just plain more competent than my peers, but this was the only thing they had on me. Of course, there are outliers like Shikamaru, Hinata, Naruko, and so forth, but generally speaking, I was just plain better at most things in school.

I might be cheating, having the knowledge of a past life and all, but most of my strengths came from genuine hard work and effort. My number one weakness was my endurance. Thankfully, I recognized that and have been spending the last few years improving it. Long, gruelling runs across town. Asking Itachi to help me train when he's around. And just plain exercises. All of that's made my tiny body into something of a weapon. Of course, the average adult is still leaps and bound stronger than me- at least in this world. Still, for a child, I'm very much in good shape. Given a sharp knife and no chakra, you'd easily be able to kill a man if they underestimated me.

...

That's something I can't run away from. The life of a ninja is one where I take that which I protect and then take it from others.

Can I  really kill a man?

Flashes of a dark, bloody night come to mind. If I stood still and did nothing, then Itachi would die. The searing heat that drilled through my chest, nearly ending my life. That's the fate that awaits me if I hesitate.

I don't want to kill people... but will they give me a choice?

...

It's a choice I've made before; one I'll likely make again.

The life of a ninja is marred with split-second decisions that could mean life or death. As much as I don't want to admit it- this world has changed me. I've killed or, at the very least, helped kill a man. It's such a distant memory it doesn't even feel like something I did.

Whatever the case, Konoha is doing a good job of desensitizing my class. It's a really morbid thought, considering something like this would have parents smashing down on the school. Teachers would be fired, law-suits would be fined. But not here. In the end, no matter how peaceful the city looks, the facts don't change.

Konoha is a dictatorship and they employ child soldiers. There's nothing I can do about that now; I'm not going to fool myself into believing that the entire world can be changed with a few words. Centuries of murder, betrayal, and hatred don't just vanish in an instant.

This isn't a story where a happy ending is assured. This is the real world.

With that in mind, I double my efforts in training. There's only so much I can do, and while my future knowledge helps in picking up simple methods, that doesn't help me when I get into the more advanced stuff. My growth will eventually slow, but untill then, I have an advantage on everyone else.

I have a headstart, and the only way I'll keep that advantage is by milking it as much as I possibly can.

It's time to train.

[Dex increases by 2, Str increases by 2]

Obviously, I also focused on increasing the skills at my disposal.

[Taijustu Lvl up! (2/10) -> (3/10), Sharperning lvl up! (1/10) -> (2/10), Dancing lvl up! (1/10) -> (2/10), Mangekyo Sharingan - Image Gate chakra cost decreased!]