"Kakashi, I'm leaving!" Kokoro called out, cracking the door open and tugging on one of her sandals.

"Remember, don't get into any fights and follow the rules! Shino has my phone number!" He called back, somewhere in the kitchen. Who knows what he was doing, breakfast was less than 3 minutes ago. She sent prayers his way in hopes that whatever he was doing didn't result in an accident of the burning down of the house.

Kokoro pulled the door fully open, stepping out and closing it behind her. She almost laughed. Have fun? Not on her agenda. Not with the hellions she had for classmates. Sarada was tolerable, but not to the extent that she'd willingly initiate a drawn-out conversation. Hisoka was another exception by the slightest bit. He made for good entertainment at times, but he was exuberant and... loud. That was the only way she could describe him. Aki, on the other hand, was much easier to deal with. He was quiet and soft-spoken. Not timid or shy, but he liked to keep to himself.

But the rest of the class honestly made her feel like she should start arranging and preparing for her funeral.

Boruto was one of the driving factors that contributed to this. It was like dealing with a high, hyperactive Pikachu who had no respect for his father. Zero. Zilch. Nada. Nothing. And it drove her crazy, to her wit's end.

Naruto was the 7th Hokage for crying out loud! What did he hope to achieve by consistently being a thorn in his side? The sheer absurdity of it made her so frustrated she wanted to cry. He even had the gall to go defacing it in broad daylight! And the stunt he pulled on the first day --

She didn't even want to think about it.

What kind of person rode an unsafe train and crashed it into basically the village's most important monument? Boruto, apparently, along with the heir of the Kaminarimon company.

And speaking of the devil, the moment she slid the door open and strode into class, there he was. Boruto Uzumaki in all his glory, pointing out all the bad points he could think of about his father. She would've been tempted to walk up and shank him right there and then if Mitsuki hadn't been sitting next to and talking to him.

Mitsuki was another analomy she had yet to decipher. One day, he had just popped into the class out of nowhere. Into Konohagakure out of nowhere, actually. In the 13 years she had lived for, not once had she even caught a glimpse of him. Pale blue hair, golden eyes that glimmered like a snake, and pale -- practically white skin. He was player than she was, and Uchihas had a penchant for having plae skin. With features as unique and distinct as those, she would have remembered them.

The pale skin was an immediate red flag. Konoha was sunny practically all year round, so there was no reason for him to be that pale unless it was some sort of genetic condition, which was unlikely as Inojin and Sai were the only people she knew like that. Staying inside all the time was also unlikely, as he seemed to be quite healthy, along with his fair share of vitamin D.

But she set those thoughts aside, taking her customary window seat next to Aki. They nodded their heads in greeting to each other, then fell into a comfortable silence. It was like they had unconsciously made a pact to not disturb the other and pretend they were busy so no one else would bother them. Whatever it was, it was to her benefit. She glanced out the window, eyes sweeping over the view, darting from the tea house down the street, to the weapons shop, to the corner store that sold all sorts of odds and ends. She basked in the tranquillity of her mind and the scenery, closing her eyes.

Then she opened them to see Hisoka, sitting to the opposite side of Aki, blabbering away like usual. She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. Long ago, she had given up all hope of getting some peace when Hisoka was around. She had to admit though, he had the making of a good shinobi. Stealth wasn't his best point, but he had his moments. Last year, he managed to sneak up on her so well she nearly pissed herself, not that anyone knew. It seemed like he could be stealthy when he wasn't making a conscious effort, which was pretty weird, but she wasn't going to judge him for that. He also excelled at first aid and genjutsu. Kokoro could see Hisoka as an Iryonin in the future.

Aki specialized in wind release and kenjutsu. More specifically, he specialized in using wind release to enhance his weapon of choice, a kyoketsu-shoge. It wasn't a common weapon, but that didn't mean it wasn't deadly. A kyoketsu-shoge was a standard double-edged blade with another curved blade near the hilt. The blade was then attached to a metal ring using a rope or chain. The ring served as the handle. The rope could extend anywhere from 12 to 18 feet. Aki's kyoketsu-shoge, in particular, was made of a sort of dark metal that wasn't that reflective. The metal ring and the blade were connected by an 18 ft. long, flexible cord made of woven metal. Along with that, Kokoro had noticed he had a sort of natural talent for observing people. At times, it was like he knew someone better than they knew themselves, contrary to his seemingly tranquil personality.

Kokoro's skill set consisted of kenjutsu and fire release. Her mother had used oil packets to fight against opponents, lighting them on fire, so she had looked into it. She hadn't managed to completely get the hang of it, but at least it was something she could stow away as a last resort. She nearly burned her hair off last time she attempted a fire-oil combo attack. She had dabbled in space-time ninjutsu as well, the body flicker in particular. She was planning to save learning how to master it for a later date, though. Flickering a few inches made her want to hurl. How her father managed to turn it into his specialty, she had no clue. Her weapon of choice turned out to be a tanto though, so she supposed she was similar to her father in that aspect. It simply felt natural in her hands.

Based on their skill sets alone, Kokoro could already tell that they were probably going to be placed on a team together as a combat team. Who their sensei was going to be, she hadn't the slightest clue about. Maybe Kaito, although she really hoped that wouldn't happen. Defiance and salt didn't mix well.

That and Kaito was lowkey (no, very highkey) an asshole. How he got someone as nice as Ryuu, she didn't know, and she wasn't sure she ever would.

But there was still a while to go before then, so she would open that can of worms only if it was neccessary.

And at that moment, the door slid open.

"Everyone settle down! Class is starting!" Shino yelled over the chatter in the classroom.

And so a new day began.