Heads turned in the classroom as the door at the back of the room slid open and two unfamiliar figures walked in. In the lead was a blond boy about the same age as the other graduates, his hair long and spiky, restrained only by the Konoha forehead protector tied around his head. He was wearing a bright orange shirt buttoned up the front and dark blue silk pants tied off at the ankles, above an obviously new pair of ninja sandals.
Behind him was a young woman several years his elder, wearing a long grey coat over black silk pants in the same style as the boy and a rollneck sweater. The band of her forehead protector was black and blended perfectly into her blue-black hair, which was long enough that she had tied it back in a short braid. Dark glasses hid her eyes.
A wolfwhistle greeted their arrival as Inuzuka Kiba registered his approval of the newest arrival. "Who's the hot chick?" he asked, leaning forward to whisper into the ear of Aburame Shino, who was sitting at the desk in front. "A relative of yours?"
Shino didn't look back. "No," he replied shortly. If he hadn't been used to it by now - and possessed of the typical Aburame composure - he might have sweatdropped as most of the girls to have graduated began to coo over how 'cool' his response had been.
Kiba snorted and gestured rudely at the girls while the two new arrivals took seats at one of the other desks along the back row. That particular desk seated three, but one space was already taken by the most reclusive member of the class. Even after six years at the Academy, Hyuga Hinata had no friends to speak to. In fact, she rarely spoke to anyone except the teachers and barely whispered to them, when called upon in class. Not that it surprised many of the class - Hinata's cousin had been a year ahead of her all through the academy and by all accounts was just as short of friends.
Of course, as Hyugas, they probably didn't need friends. Since the death of the Uchiha clan, there was no longer any doubt what the preeminent bloodline was in Konohagakure. There was even a small but vocal faction within the Village Council that saw Hyyuga Hiashi as the logical choice to take over as the Hokage when the Sandaime chose to retire once more. Fortunately, there was enough - one might almost say overwhelming - resistance to the notion that no one was suggesting Sandaime consider stepping down.
The door had been left open and was filled quickly by two girls trying to enter at the exact same time - one with pink hair and a red dress, the other blonde and wearing purple. They were also at each other's throats over who had reached the door first.
"I-... Bushiko-neesan," Naruto 'whispered' loud enough to be heard by everyone in the room. "I thought you said there'd be a lot of really strong people here - but those two are pathetic."
If looks could kill, Naruto would have been dead as a doornail. (Well, he'd have been dead from that within days of his birth in fact, but to the best of Itachi's knowledge, looks couldn't kill. And he'd want to know if they could).
"Hey!" the blonde shouted. "Who the hell are you and what makes you think you can say that about Konoha's best new kunoichi?"
"Why Ino-pig," Sakura gushed. "It's so sweet of you to defend me like that!"
"I'm talking about me, forehead-girl," Ino snorted.
"Little brother," 'Bushiko' replied. "In any group like this one, there are those who can and there are those who pose. These two are poseurs."
There was a ripple of laughter as several other graduates heard the put-down.
Naruto nodded his understanding. "But there are strong people, right?"
"Some in this room, others around the village," Itachi assured him. She looked over at the two spluttering girls still frozen in the doorway. "Sit down, half-wits. Once the teams are assigned, you'll probably never see me again."
"That confident that you'll wash out?" Sakura spat, still redfaced.
Bushiko let her killing intent out for a moment and Sakura staggered back, letting Ino enter the room freely. "Because my targets never see me coming, Haruno Sakura. Your mother shouldn't spice her cookies so much in future - the taste could mask all manner of substances..."
"Please refrain from threatening my students, Hino-san," came a firm voice from the front of the classroom and Itachi noted which of the class started, indicating that they had not noticed the arrival of their former teacher.
"They are not, at this time, your students, Umino-san," she replied to Iruka. "Best that they be aware of the potential hazards of their new careers." She did not, however, direct any further attention towards the chastened Sakura who scrambled into the room in time to take the last seat that was open. Ino was tempted to direct a smirk at her rival, having taken the seat that was open beside Shino, but didn't quite dare do so with that... that... old woman... behind her.
Naruto almost tuned out the explanation of how the genin would be divided into teams - Itachi-ni-san had explained it all to him anyway. Instead he let his gaze wander casually across the other genin, trying to guess at their strength. The two most impressive were at the desk in front of him - the guy with the high collar looked like a sneaky fighter can probably had some sort of trick hidden inside his coat. Most of the girls in the class seemed impressed with him. The other boy had a hood up, but he had a fierece look to him and his attitude suggested an aggressive fighter. The contrasting styles would be a weakness unless they were well co-ordinated, but devestating if they were, Naruto decided, should the pair wind up on the same team. He thought that that was it for really strong fighters, although a couple of the other boys looked like they had a little potential.
"Team Seven," Iruka announced. "Hino Naruto." There was a general mutter as the other students puzzled over the unfamiliar name for a moment before working out that it replied to the blond who was eagerly cracking his knuckles at the back of the class. "Hino Bushiko." Itachi nodded her understanding. "Hyuga Hinata."
There was a sigh of what might be relief from a few corners of the room - apparently Hinata was not a prized team mate. The girl seemed to withdraw into herself after a sidelong look at her new teammates. Itachi narrowed her eyes behind her shades and let her killer intent flicker once again at the blonde girl sat in front of Hinata when she turned to shoot a victory sign up at the hooded kunoichi. Ino gulped and folded in on herself.
"Team Eight. Inuzuka Kiba. Haruno Sakura. Aburame Shino." The pink haired girl had been about to slump when she herad her first teammate but brightened as the last member of the team was declared. Ino just shrank even deeper into her seat as she looked at the remaining candidates for her teammates. She didn't seem at all impressed with the Nara and Akimichi boys that she got assigned to in the end... but Naruto didn't care about her or her team, instead looking past 'Bushiko' at Hinata.
"Hey," he hissed. "Why do you have your hood up inside? Isn't it warm?"
There was an indistinct mutter from inside the enveloping hood.
D for Drakensis
You're only young once, but immaturity is forever.
Behind him was a young woman several years his elder, wearing a long grey coat over black silk pants in the same style as the boy and a rollneck sweater. The band of her forehead protector was black and blended perfectly into her blue-black hair, which was long enough that she had tied it back in a short braid. Dark glasses hid her eyes.
A wolfwhistle greeted their arrival as Inuzuka Kiba registered his approval of the newest arrival. "Who's the hot chick?" he asked, leaning forward to whisper into the ear of Aburame Shino, who was sitting at the desk in front. "A relative of yours?"
Shino didn't look back. "No," he replied shortly. If he hadn't been used to it by now - and possessed of the typical Aburame composure - he might have sweatdropped as most of the girls to have graduated began to coo over how 'cool' his response had been.
Kiba snorted and gestured rudely at the girls while the two new arrivals took seats at one of the other desks along the back row. That particular desk seated three, but one space was already taken by the most reclusive member of the class. Even after six years at the Academy, Hyuga Hinata had no friends to speak to. In fact, she rarely spoke to anyone except the teachers and barely whispered to them, when called upon in class. Not that it surprised many of the class - Hinata's cousin had been a year ahead of her all through the academy and by all accounts was just as short of friends.
Of course, as Hyugas, they probably didn't need friends. Since the death of the Uchiha clan, there was no longer any doubt what the preeminent bloodline was in Konohagakure. There was even a small but vocal faction within the Village Council that saw Hyyuga Hiashi as the logical choice to take over as the Hokage when the Sandaime chose to retire once more. Fortunately, there was enough - one might almost say overwhelming - resistance to the notion that no one was suggesting Sandaime consider stepping down.
The door had been left open and was filled quickly by two girls trying to enter at the exact same time - one with pink hair and a red dress, the other blonde and wearing purple. They were also at each other's throats over who had reached the door first.
"I-... Bushiko-neesan," Naruto 'whispered' loud enough to be heard by everyone in the room. "I thought you said there'd be a lot of really strong people here - but those two are pathetic."
If looks could kill, Naruto would have been dead as a doornail. (Well, he'd have been dead from that within days of his birth in fact, but to the best of Itachi's knowledge, looks couldn't kill. And he'd want to know if they could).
"Hey!" the blonde shouted. "Who the hell are you and what makes you think you can say that about Konoha's best new kunoichi?"
"Why Ino-pig," Sakura gushed. "It's so sweet of you to defend me like that!"
"I'm talking about me, forehead-girl," Ino snorted.
"Little brother," 'Bushiko' replied. "In any group like this one, there are those who can and there are those who pose. These two are poseurs."
There was a ripple of laughter as several other graduates heard the put-down.
Naruto nodded his understanding. "But there are strong people, right?"
"Some in this room, others around the village," Itachi assured him. She looked over at the two spluttering girls still frozen in the doorway. "Sit down, half-wits. Once the teams are assigned, you'll probably never see me again."
"That confident that you'll wash out?" Sakura spat, still redfaced.
Bushiko let her killing intent out for a moment and Sakura staggered back, letting Ino enter the room freely. "Because my targets never see me coming, Haruno Sakura. Your mother shouldn't spice her cookies so much in future - the taste could mask all manner of substances..."
"Please refrain from threatening my students, Hino-san," came a firm voice from the front of the classroom and Itachi noted which of the class started, indicating that they had not noticed the arrival of their former teacher.
"They are not, at this time, your students, Umino-san," she replied to Iruka. "Best that they be aware of the potential hazards of their new careers." She did not, however, direct any further attention towards the chastened Sakura who scrambled into the room in time to take the last seat that was open. Ino was tempted to direct a smirk at her rival, having taken the seat that was open beside Shino, but didn't quite dare do so with that... that... old woman... behind her.
Naruto almost tuned out the explanation of how the genin would be divided into teams - Itachi-ni-san had explained it all to him anyway. Instead he let his gaze wander casually across the other genin, trying to guess at their strength. The two most impressive were at the desk in front of him - the guy with the high collar looked like a sneaky fighter can probably had some sort of trick hidden inside his coat. Most of the girls in the class seemed impressed with him. The other boy had a hood up, but he had a fierece look to him and his attitude suggested an aggressive fighter. The contrasting styles would be a weakness unless they were well co-ordinated, but devestating if they were, Naruto decided, should the pair wind up on the same team. He thought that that was it for really strong fighters, although a couple of the other boys looked like they had a little potential.
"Team Seven," Iruka announced. "Hino Naruto." There was a general mutter as the other students puzzled over the unfamiliar name for a moment before working out that it replied to the blond who was eagerly cracking his knuckles at the back of the class. "Hino Bushiko." Itachi nodded her understanding. "Hyuga Hinata."
There was a sigh of what might be relief from a few corners of the room - apparently Hinata was not a prized team mate. The girl seemed to withdraw into herself after a sidelong look at her new teammates. Itachi narrowed her eyes behind her shades and let her killer intent flicker once again at the blonde girl sat in front of Hinata when she turned to shoot a victory sign up at the hooded kunoichi. Ino gulped and folded in on herself.
"Team Eight. Inuzuka Kiba. Haruno Sakura. Aburame Shino." The pink haired girl had been about to slump when she herad her first teammate but brightened as the last member of the team was declared. Ino just shrank even deeper into her seat as she looked at the remaining candidates for her teammates. She didn't seem at all impressed with the Nara and Akimichi boys that she got assigned to in the end... but Naruto didn't care about her or her team, instead looking past 'Bushiko' at Hinata.
"Hey," he hissed. "Why do you have your hood up inside? Isn't it warm?"
There was an indistinct mutter from inside the enveloping hood.
D for Drakensis
You're only young once, but immaturity is forever.