Konoha's Chef (Gaara Love Story)

2: Education

Author's POV

"Bye Grandpa Kosuke!" Akimi called back to her grandfather. Kosuke Maruboshi smiled and waved to her, watching her short strawberry-brown hair fly in the wind. Akimi was going to the Academy like every child aspiring to become a ninja of the Leaf. Akimi was no slacker and did her best, even if she wasn't the top student in the Academy.

"Morning Ino-san," she greeted the florist's daughter.

"Morning, Akimi," the blond girl greeted cordially. "Have you seen Sakura, or um, Sasuke-kun?" Akimi had no clue as to why her friend was so obsessed with the Uchiha boy, but she suspected it was just a crush. Nothing of her concern.

"No, Ino-san, I haven't."

"Awww, a pity," Ino pouted, bring out a pretty rose. "I wanted to give him this beautiful rose from the flowers I grew myself."

"A rose means love and respect, right?" Akimi said, looking at the large flower.

"That's right! Sasuke is my first love," Ino exclaimed, twirling around. "Ah! That reminds me, I asked mother about your personality, and you fit the description of a happy Chrysanthemum. Here! This matches your brown eyes." She handed Akimi a dark orange Chrysanthemum before rushing off to find her rival, Sakura.

"Thanks!" Akimi yelled, holding onto the flower. Determined not to be late, she picked up her pace and ran all the way to the Academy. As one of the early students to usually arrive, Akimi carefully tucked the enormous flower in her bag, taking care not to crush it, and took out her books and pencils.

The bell rang, and their homeroom teacher, Iruka-Sensei marched it, smiling at everyone. "Right! Let's begin.

Lunchtime rolled around, and Iruka dismissed everyone to hang out with their friends and enjoy lunch together. Akimi was welcomed by Ino and a few other girls to sit together and talk about being a kunoichi, Sasuke, whose bento looked the best, Sasuke, a favorite treat, Sasuke, and of course, Sasuke. As much as Akimi loved her classmates, she didn't understand what it was like to be a fangirl.

Once lunch period ended, everyone trooped back to the classroom for another lecture, before heading outside for physical training. Kosuke taught Akimi the basic training to pass as a Genin, and who was a better teacher than the Eternal Genin himself? According to the Iruka-Sensei's observations, this is her score:

Akimi Maruboshi
On a scale of 1-10
Stats
Ninjutsu: 3
Taijutsu: 7
Genjutsu: 2
Intelligence: 7
Strength: 7
Speed: 7
Stamina: 7
Seals: 2
Total: 42

Akimi was a bit above average, but overall, nothing extraordinary. She didn't stand out, but she wasn't looked down by other either, like Naruto, the class clown.

"Alright! Everyone is dismissed!" Iruka-Sensei announced. Cheers ran among the children who separated their ways, heading towards home. Akimi waved goodbye to her friends before walking towards the forest.

"Grandpa! I'm back!" Akimi announced, finding her grandpa feeding a fire.

"Good work, Akimi," he praised, his calm happy face showing his old features. "Why don't you go catch something for us to eat?"

"Okay!" Armed with a hunting knife, she left the clearing to find some game to have for dinner. Perhaps a few birds or a woodland creature would do.