First person POV_____

Sure learning new things was a bit exciting but being treated like a kid was really something else.

Soon enough I remembered how small kids really were, I found myself not talking to anyone for long periods of time. Sure, I could humor a few kids and listen to them talk about things they liked or what game they wanted to play but I quickly realized how bored I was.

Since the incident with the bully, I wasn't allowed to go to recess for the next two weeks. I spent most of the time drawing or humming songs from the before and trying to remember all of the lyrics.

Finally, I was allowed back out. I couldn't help but smile as I left the classroom. I could see the children running around and causing havoc as they played in the courtyard.

A small smile spread across my face as I hurried to the swings. I could go and look for some of the canon characters since all of the classes were on break together but I figured that if I was in their age range I'd run into them at some point.

Before I could even make it to the swings I came across a very familiar face.

The kid that I had punched last time was jumping on a sandcastle and there was a little girl crying.

I paused for a moment, should I help her?

"Hey! Stop that you bastard!" I heard a kid shrill as he ran past me. My eyes widened as I saw bright orange goggles on his head and a large Uchiha symbol on the back of his jacket.

Was that? I quickly went to follow behind him. If that was Obito then the girl was Rin!

"What'cha gonna do about it!" The kid snapped as he bucked at Obito. Obito slowed down slightly but he glanced at Rin and puffed his chest out. "Leave Rin-chan alone!" He snapped stubbornly.

The kid sneered and stomped his foot a few more times on the sandcastle to prove his point.

'Okay, that's just being a dick.' I thought to myself as I walked forward.

"Leave her alone. Or you'll have to deal with me." I say calmly as I placed one hand on my hip and flipped my dark brown hair back.

The kid turned angrily towards me and his face paled slightly.

"Why are you so mean? If you want others to play with you this is not the way to do it." I growled out as I leveled him with a glare.

"Well..." the kid blushed as I cocked a brow as I motioned for him to explain why he was picking fights.

"Whatever!" The kid snapped as he ran off. I couldn't help but huff. Poor kid, he probably doesn't know how to make friends or something.

I notice that both Obito and rin were staring at me.

"Hey, names Riku." I spoke up and they kind of glanced at each other.

"I-I'm Obito and that's Rin-chan." Obito spoke up and I smiled at both of them.

"Cool what class are you guys in?" I asked them trying to keep the conversation going.

"Um, we are third-year students." Rin said as she wiped her tears.

"I'm a first year. Does he bother you a lot?" I ask as I pointed to the kid that had just runoff. Rin nods slowly at that.

"How did you scare him away?" Obito asked a bit confused.

"Uh, on the first day of class he picked on me and I beat him up." I shrugged as I watched their reactions of surprise.

I couldn't help but giggle at how they reacted. "So what's it like being a third-year student?" I ask as I walked forward and crouched down beside Rin.

She looked over at me and smiled brightly. "It's pretty awesome."

________

I had found out a few things through them. Apparently, Kakashi's my age and already had made chunin. He had been moved up from his class last semester and had been placed on Obito and Rin's second-year class for only a few weeks before being moved up. Afterward, he passed the other classes and was placed on an apprenticeship.

They considered themselves to be Kakashi's friends already.

Another thing was that the third war had recently been declared and war standards had been placed in the academy making things a bit harder.

I had also found it a lot easier to talk with Obito and Rin since they were older and could actually hold normal conversations. A lot better than the 6-year-olds in my class.

Meanwhile, in class, we had just started our taijutsu lessons and shuriken/kunai lessons as well.

Not only that I had been forced to take kunoichi class. Although it was basically dress up, learning tea ceremonies, learning morse code, and flower arrangements.

At least my make up skills counted for something there.

Most of the girls tended to gather around me and wanted me to help them put on their kimono's and to do their make up. Even our sensei had taken a liking toward me.

As for our normal classes, they became more difficult, apparently due to the war we were having to cram most of the common knowledge. Most kids found themselves with piles of homework and late afternoons cramming at the library

Even I found myself having to use the library to study a few times. Most of the kids from the orphanage were already falling behind as well. Unlike the clan kids who had tutors and parents in general, we had to rely on the academy to teach us most of the basics but our senseis were moving through the material fast.

I couldn't help but frowned as I tried to follow shunichi-sensei as he read the history textbook and lectured about the last war.

I could still barely make out what each kanji meant as I tried to keep up. I was also trying to write everything he wrote on the board down, I would, later on, read through it and try to find out what it said later in the afternoon. As far as academics went I was doing great in math because numbers stayed the same and addition/subtraction hadn't changed.

"Read over chapter four, we will review it tomorrow and there might be a quiz. Other than that you are all free to go." He stated as he gathered his things and started getting ready to leave the classroom.

I gathered my notebooks, books, and pencils quickly as I got up.

I turned to the group of kids from my orphanage there were only four of us in the class and although I recognized their faces I could barely remember their names.

"Um, Hi Tetsuo," I say with a smile as I looked at the boy who was getting up. He cocked a brow and looked at me. "Hey, Riku." He responded.

"I was wondering if you guys wanted to study with me when we got home?" I asked and they all stared at me.

"Study?" Himeko asks slightly confused, she had light brown hair and brown colored eyes she could easily blend into a crowd here in konoha.

I nod. "Yeah, we are all in the orphanage. The other kids have parents or clans that they can rely on. Umi-san and the other caretakers can't sit down and help us with all of our studies. So I wanted to know if ya'll wanted to get together and do our homework together. It isn't cheating since we will be doing our own work." I say with a shrug and they all look over at each other.

"I'm having a hard time reading." Mugetsu says, He had platinum blonde hair and brown eyes, he was also one of the more quiet kids.

"I guess we can." Noriko adds while shrugging. She had short brown hair and green eyes.

"Great! Let's walk home together." I grin as they gathered their things and we all walked out of the academy together.

They talked about amongst themselves as we walked back to the orphanage. I was thinking of ways that we could help each other. Maybe we could read out loud and take turns so that we could correct each other and learn to read together.

Personally, I could sound most words out but I still read very slowly. Practice makes perfect I guess.
______

That's how I found myself studying with a group of six-year-olds in the orphanage. I could feel my vocabulary improving and I was reading better as well. That didn't mean I was completely proficient in it though.

Not only that but I was able to write a bit faster and keep up with sensei when he was reading out loud.

But that wasn't all I was doing. I was planning on being a ninja and I am not planning on dying anytime soon. Hence I was exercising more as well. In the mornings, I would wake up and run through the academy katas, it took me a solid 20 minutes to get through them.

In the afternoons after studying, I would unwind by working out and conditioning. I don't think I was a gym rat in my past life but I was sure I tried to keep in shape since I could remember different exercises to help strengthen my body. So although I was one of the smallest in my class I made sure to wipe the floor with all of my opponents.

Sensei would always nod when I finished a spar. I was no prodigy but they would not catch me slacking in the middle of a war.

Noriko and Himeko would sometimes follow me around (more often than not). During recess, they would hang out with Obito, Rin, and I. (Mostly because they didn't know what else to do.)

Tetsuo and Mugetsu would play with the other kids so I only hung out with them at the end of the day.

But I was fine with that. There wasn't much to talk to them about other than studying. Himeko and Noriko's conversations still tended to be a bit bland. Sometimes I would pipe in and say something but I would mostly listen to them talk.

Before I knew it months started to go by. I improved a lot. My reading was a lot better and so was my writing.

I found myself slightly fitting in. Sure I was an idiot for fighting on the first day and catching sensei's attention but now all I wanted to do was kind of fade into the background.

I was friends with Rin and Obito which assured me that I would be able to meet more canon characters. Also, I was not planning on graduating early.

"Riku, would you be a dear and stay a bit after class?" My kunoichi sensei spoke up as she was dismissing the class.

"I'll see you guys later." I say to both Himeko and Noriko as I turned to my Kunoichi sensei.

"Of course Yasu-sensei." I smile as I stood in front of her.

Yasu was an older middle-aged woman. The way she moved and spoke was always composed and elegant. At first, I hadn't been sure of she was a Ninja or civilian but because of the things, she taught us I figured she had been some sort of infiltration ninja.

"Come to my office. I have a few things I need to speak to you about." She smiles softly while hiding the lower half of her face with her fan.

I nod and follow behind her I couldn't help but wonder why she wanted to talk to me.

She opened the door and let me walk in before following behind me.

"Take a seat." She said as she picked up a tea set and set it down on a low rising table.

I carefully sat down in a seiza position. I watched her as she sat across from me.

"Please serve the tea, Riku-chan." Yasu-sensei stated as she placed her fan down as she carefully folded her hands on her lap.

"Of course sensei." I replied politely as I began making the tea.

"You know you are the best in my class. There are a few kinks here and there but you would make an ideal kunoichi." She stated calmly and I couldn't help but twitch slightly at that.

Where was this coming from?

"I'm still learning sensei. I can't even make it to the top ten of the class." I say meekly as I tried to keep myself from fidgeting as I made the macha tea.

"Of course, of course so humble of you Riku-chan. You still have much to learn before you graduate." She smiled slightly and used the sleeve of her kimono to cover the lower half of her face.

I felt like I was missing something but I tried to not let it distract me.

"With the war going on they've been doubling the workload for all students. Most students end up in remedial classes for the summer to make sure they're all caught up. And more students are accepted at the beginning of the year." She spoke calmly as I served her tea and placed it in front of her.

"I think you have a lot of potential in this area Riku-chan. I can tell you have a good head on your shoulders." She finishes as she picks up her tea and carefully blows on it before taking a sip.

I paused for a moment as I tried to think of what she was getting at "I'm not quite sure what I want to do at the moment sensei. But overall I want to be a kunoichi." I say as I picked up my tea and blew on it gently.

"As expected, quite interesting indeed. I am quite eager to see the kind of Kunoichi you will be Riku-chan. But just know if you have questions about anything, don't hesitate to ask. I'm always eager to help a student." She smiled as she set down her tea.

"Could you get me the small notebook right there on my desk?" She gestured to a small red notebook. "And my pen as well." She added.

I paused for a moment before setting my own tea down and nodding.

"Of course sensei." I say as I stood up and walked over to her desk.

I noticed a folder opened on the desk. On the right corner, I could see a picture of someone.

As I reached the desk I grabbed sensei's notebook I took a look over the folder and the paperwork while trying not to seem obvious.

I felt my heart flutter slightly as I noticed it was my paperwork. The picture was my own and it was my official school records.

I bit my lower lip as I forced myself to reach out and grab her pen as well and keep myself from hovering over the folder to much.

I turned and schooled my expression.

I steadied my breathing as I set her notebook and pen down in front of sensei.

"Anything else sensei?" I asked as I tried to keep myself from glancing over at the desk where the folder laid.

"No, this is fine." She responded as she opened the notebook to an empty page and began writing.

"This is your classroom, hand it over to Shunichi to excuse your tardiness." She stated as she gently pulled the paper out of the notebook and handed it over to me.

"Thank you sensei." I smiled as I took the paper.

"You should hurry, I would hate for you to fall behind." She smiled and I nodded and bowed before shuffling out the room. I could see the desk from the corner of my eye was I left and closed the door behind me.

Did she leave that folder out on purpose? What the hell did she even want?

I looked down at the paper and noticed that whatever she wrote was in code and at the bottom her name written neatly.