Chapter Text
I sighed as I entered the busy classroom, bustling with students. I recognised Iruka chatting with a familiar looking white haired boy, Mizuki. I made a mental note to avoid the future traitor, it wasn't my job to steer him away from that temptation. And honestly, I already had a bad vibes from him, seeing as how he was clearly in the process of telling Iruka he couldn't sit with him.
I also saw Shisui already sitting down at a seat in the back corner, beside the window, his backpack on the seat beside him as he looked out at the yard below.
I approached the Uchiha, waving to Iruka but moving past him fast enough to avoid having to talk with his friend.
"Hey, I saved you a seat," Shisui declared, and I gave him a grateful smile and nod as I shifted his backpack from the chair to the ground beside the boy. I took my own bag off a moment later, before shaking my cloak to hang off the back of my chair. I also placed my hat, which I had learnt from Kohari was called a jingasa, carefully to one side.
I waited then, Shisui rambling quietly about how his younger cousin and aunt had walked him to the academy that morning.
I had a feeling he was talking about Itachi and Mikoto, but I didn't have a way to ask without sounding awkward or strange, so I kept quiet.
I was worried when I noticed Iruka still hadn't taken a seat beside us, but a moment later he jogged over and gave me a smile. He gave Shisui a short nod, too.
"Meiko, can I sit next to you?" He asked, to which I immediately nodded in reply. He seemed relieved, and as I guessed, Mizuki had rejected his attempt to sit beside him already.
It was as Shisui struck up a conversation about Iruka's training that our sensei walked through the door.
He was tall, much more than I had expected, and his head was bald. He wore the standard chunin uniform and had a harsh face.
I wondered briefly if the man was Morino Ibiki, as he entered, but he would only be in his teens at this time point in the story, so that hypothesis was out the window.
"My name is Mamoru Wakaba, and I'll be your sensei for the duration of your time here at the academy," the man said as he placed the files he was holding gently onto his desk. "The war with Iwa may have ended, but our relationship with Kumogakure has not improved. I expect you all to work hard, because for all we know the war will still be waged upon your graduation."
I gulped slightly hearing that, realising my understanding of the world's situation was fairly mediocre at best. I had assumed, given the Yellow Flash's position as Hokage, that the third war had been totally ended, but given what would happen to a four year old Hyuga Hinata in the future, I suppose the idea was fairly naïve.
"This also means our policy on early graduation is the same as it has been since the war began," he went on to explain, "at he end of the year, given the war continues, those deemed worthy will be allowed to take the final exam alongside the fourth year students."
My eyes widened at that. I had expected to have to ask about the process, but he was simply explaining the system right off the bat.
I understood after a moment of thought that they were trying to push high achievers out of the academy quickly. Manpower was likely low after years of combat with multiple other villages.
I decided I was going to take copies of some history, and geography, books from the archive later. My knowledge was sorely lacking.
But for now, Wakaba-sensei continued. He seemed overly patriotic to me, but it seemed most of the other kids were used to it. I supposed it was unlike my previous life here, where such strong patriotism wasn't something all too common in the average person.
Eventually, lessons began and I was excited for the chance at learning again.
"Most of the stuff we did today was so easy," Iruka said, sounding confused.
I nodded, alongside Shisui, as we walked towards he training grounds. We were all expecting the chance to work off some energy it seemed, and were left disappointed.
"I know," Shisui groaned, "like, we know how to do basic math. We could have at least practiced Taijutsu stances or something."
I found it hard to disagree. The day was mainly focused around learning in the classroom, and the one period of physical activity was just running laps and doing basic exercises.
And even that wasn't very hard compared to what Kohari had put us through, and compared to the couple of sessions with Shisui I'd had it was like nothing to me.
The only part I actually learnt something new was during the history and geography classes. But we were moving so slowly, I was sure I could just read a book or two and know everything for the entire year.
Eventually we made it to our usual training field, and shrugged off our bags. I left my cloak and jingasa on, though.
"So, do you want to practice walking on the water again?" Shisui asked, and I nodded. Iruka however look slightly confused.
"You're already working on water walking?" He questioned, to which I nodded with a shrug. "I only just managed the leaf concentration exercise."
"Her chakra control's pretty good," Shisui explained, which was news to me. I thought I was pretty average, but I guess getting the leaf exercise in a single day, and then the tree walking exercise in another, without it being particularly intense training to get there, was pretty good.
Not Sakura or Tsunade good, but it was pretty impressive nonetheless.
"That's cool!" Iruka smiled towards me, "I think I'll try tree walking today, then."
Shisui decided he'd be of most use helping Iruka, and so the pair of boys made their way to a tree, the same one I'd used to learn the technique. I made my own way over to the small pond a dozen or so meters to the side of the treeline and began working.
A few more days passed like that until Friday. I didn't go to Iruka's house every other day anymore, and we agreed it was best that I go only on Saturdays instead, given we had academy classes during the week, whilst I now planned to meet up with Shisui on Sundays.
"Can anybody tell me the name of the Nidaime Hokage?" Wakaba-sensei asked as he looked over the class during a history lesson. I smiled slightly as Iruka raised his hand, subsequently being called to answer.
"Senju Tobirama," he said proudly. Iruka had been answering a lot of questions since the academy began that Monday, and I was pretty sure I understood why.
He was worried about being left behind, just like I was. I was training hard, every single day after class before heading home and reading. Shisui was a genius, and he wasn't a slacker either.
Iruka didn't have the drive I had, or the natural talent Shisui had, so he decided instead to try and show off his knowledge, and studying almost twice as hard as even I did.
He knew getting to take the graduation exam alongside Shisui was going to be impossible without something to set him apart.
Shisui had his raw talent and sharingan, whilst we didn't.
So, just like me, he was working hard to bridge the gap. We were his only real friends, I think, and being left alone in a class who had already made their friend groups after we left would be hard.
I planned to bridge the gap by a mixture of study and training, and whilst Iruka still trained hard, he planned to take the more specialised approach of being not only strong, but incredibly smart.
I also understood that our theoretical scores were likely to be the difference maker in the final exams compared to Shisui. The Uchiha was smart, but not so much in an academic sense as in an instinctive way.
He always knew what to do in a fight, and he could do math quickly, but when it came to calculating long problems or coming up with a longer term strategy even he was outclassed by Iruka, and I.
"Meiko," Kohari smiled as I entered their house, forgoing knocking as instructed after the first few days of training there. It was suspicious how the woman was always there to greet me at the door, and I imagined it was likely due to an ability to sense chakra signatures. "Head into the living room and I'll be there in a moment, dear."
That was different, but I complied easily enough. Usually our lessons, even when more focused on theoretical subjects, were held outdoors.
I shrugged it off though and walked into the living room, where I found Iruka writing carefully onto a slip of paper the size of an explosive tag.
When I looked a bit closer, I realised it was an explosive tag.
"Huh?!" I stumbled slightly in suprise as I lowered myself to sit on the floor beside Iruka. "I didn't know you could do that."
Iruka would usually have laughed awkwardly at being caught and scratched the back of his head, but this time he didn't lose his concentration.
"I forgot to tell you," was all he said, although his tone was apologetic.
"It's no big deal," I said then, because it wasn't really. Shisui hadn't told me or Iruka about his sharingan that I was sure he already awakened, and I hadn't told them about my foreknowledge of the future.
Hidden abilities, skills and knowledge were par for the course in life as a shinobi.
"What else can you do?" I decided to ask next, only softly in an attempt to not break his concentration.
"Explosive tags are kind of my most impressive thing right now," Iruka said simply, "but there's a dozen or so basic seals you have to learn before them."
"Like what?" I question, feeling my curiosity grow. I knew Iruka used some barrier ninjutsu type stuff in the anime, after all. Was this what led up to that, perhaps?
"Like seals that emit dim light, start a small fire, put out a small fire," Iruka listed as he placed another stroke to his tag, smirking in success as he did. "They're kind of boring."
"How hard are storage seals?" I wondered in response. I wouldn't mind getting a few from Iruka, they were very expensive to purchase elsewhere.
"Pretty difficult," Iruka mumbled. "Dad says I have to master the explosive tag, then the flashbomb tag, and like a few other things before learning them."
"Is your dad home?" I asked in then, watching carefully at the tag as Iruka worked. I had met the man once, just before the academy year began, but it was brief, and I hadn't seen much of him since then.
"He broke his leg during his last mission," Iruka answered, nodding and finally placing down the ink brush, shifting to face me slightly more. "It's been healed, but apparently it's brittle for the first week or so after, so he's taking it easy."
"Ah," I hum in response before hearing the door open. Kohari walks in with her usual kind smile followed by Ikkaku, Iruka's father.
"Have you finished the tag?" He asked, glancing down at Iruka, who nodded excitedly and picked up the tag, handing it to the man.
Ikkaku examined the tag a moment before smiling down at his son, ruffling the boys hair proudly. "Good job, this looks perfect."
Iruka sent a giant grin at the man before his mother spoke.
"As lovely as that is, dears," Kohari sighed, "we have a guest, and we're going to be starting our lessons now."
I shifted myself to face Kohari and Ikkaku then, Kohari sat on the ground opposite me whilst Ikkaku didn't sit at all, motioning for Iruka to follow him out of the room.
"We'll be working separately today," Kohari explained as Iruka gave me a small wave, one I mimicked.
"Is Iruka going to start working on his next seal?" I asked, and Kohari nodded with a smile.
"He's become very motivated in his sealing work after meeting your other friend," she said. "I imagine the bruises I had to heal had something to do with it."
It wasn't phrased like a question, so I didn't respond. A moment later Kohari coughed before speaking again.
"Anyway, we're going to be working on something different. Ikkaku is very particular about sealing, he didn't even teach it to his old genin team."
I nodded in understanding at that. If all went to plan and I ended up on a team with Shisui and Iruka, we wouldn't need two sealing exerts anyway. Maybe some time in the future I'd pick up the basics, if I felt a need.
"We're going to be working on my specialty, actually," Kohari smiled, and I became slightly shocked.
"Medical Ninjutsu?" I asked, but Kohari stifled a chuckle and shook her head.
"I'm well versed in medical Ninjutsu, that is true," she began to explain. "But since before I even learnt the mystical palm technique, I've focused most of my efforts on bukijutsu."
"Weapons," I mumbled to myself. "What kind?"
"Well, the thing about being a Tokubetsu Jonin is that you don't do things regarding your specialty by halves." Kohari smirked, and I felt a sense of foreboding as she reached for a sealing scroll in her pocket.
Placing her hand on top and unsealing the contents of the seal, my eyes went wide.
A second, much larger scroll appeared. I watched as she opened it, and inside lay intricately detailed seals.
"Ikkaku made it for me," Kohari smiled, "before this I used to have to carry around every single weapon I acquired."
I had a feeling she meant 'stolen from enemy shinobi corpses' rather than acquired, for most of them, but didn't comment.
Instead, I voiced my most pressing question. "Which weapon will you be teaching me?"
Kohari's grin went wide at that, before shrugging. "I don't know, maybe you should choose randomly?"
I sighed quietly at that, but obliged. Looking over the mass of storage seals lined neatly side by side, I chose one, right beside a tiny water stain.
"A good choice," Kohari smiled as she unsealed the object.
A moment later, a metal club almost the same height as me clattered to the ground.
"A kanabo," Kohari explained, seeing the immediate confusion on my face. "Like Oni use I all the stories."
I gave the long metal weapon a look and thought for a moment before nodding. It was vaguely shaped like a baseball bat, although longer and definitely heavier, and a baseball bat was the only weapon I had any experience wielding in any sort of altercation.
Although I'm not sure a single fight from my first life, which I lost, counts as experience.
If I thought Kohari was a harsh teacher before, she was practically the devil herself after I picked up a weapon.
She was passionate about bukijutsu, without a doubt. No matter how tiny a mistake I made during a spar, and trust me an eight year old girl waving a heavy metal club around caused mistakes in her form, she would hit back three times as hard just to ingrain the mistake into my head.
By the end of the first session, I could easily say weapons training had become my favourite thing, though. It was freeing, somehow, to have a tool of war in my hands and just focus on using it to hurt my opponent.
So, I promised Kohari that day that I would practice whenever I could, and that I would take bukijutsu seriously.
It was as I was walking home, the kanabo safely returned to Kohari's possession before I left, that I spotted it.
I had decided to take a longer route on a whim, the evening air felt fresh, and in that moment I was unsure whether I regretted that decision.
But no matter if I did or not, I couldn't pass up a meal at Ichiraku Ramen, not a chance.