Top of the Tree

VII

Top of the Tree

VII

The first day at the academy was a day I'd been dreading since I discovered I was in the Naruto universe. It was the day I was hoping to push back the furthest possible, but there's only so much delaying you can do before your parents notice.

I was able to postpone my entry into the academy for two years; first because of the kidnapping, my parents didn't want to let me out of their sight; and second because I was finally able to read decently enough to start classes. So at the lovely age of five, I was enrolled into the system.

Everyone, the children and their parents, were gathered in the courtyard in front of the school building. There were some people I recognized, not because I knew them, but because I knew the clan traits they owned (Hyuga, Uchiha, Aburame, Nara, Yamanaka, and Akimichi). There was a large board to the left, where the children were taking turns in checking their names, to see if they were accepted into the academy (though they probably were, seeing that we were at war, and needed every ninja we could get our hands on), and there was a small stage to the right of the main entrance, where I wager the Hokage would give a speech of some sort.

I arrived with my family in tow, and simply froze—this was it, there was no turning back, unless I wanted to disappoint people and make myself seem cowardly. I'd never seen so many people gathered together in one place, all of them with happy expressions on their faces (except, maybe, the Hyuga and Uchiha), and for the life of me, I couldn't understand why. The only thing I could feel was dread, and maybe a little resentment—because like it or not, I was being forced to become a ninja, not because of my parents, but for the sake of holding up appearances, not to mention I was supposed to serve a village I held no love for.

I was pushed into the direction of the board by ten-year-old Hiro—who's brown hair was reaching his shoulders, much to Mom's furious displeasure, and his height twice the size of mine—and received a slight nod from Hiruzen, before moving. I knew I'd been accepted, I was the village leader's daughter after all, and he'd been trying to enroll me ever since I turned three (my Mom almost killed him for suggesting it, though). I suppose what scared me was the symbolism of it all, and how I was quickly approaching my death, or the board, call it what you will.

I started looking for my name under the 'S' column. It didn't take long to find Sarutobi Kozue 302 written, and for some odd reason, I felt a bit of relief, which didn't make sense at all, seeing that I abhorred the idea of becoming a ninja, and thrusting my foot into an early grave.

I turned around and headed into the direction of my family, which were located between the Nara and Hyuga clan. There I recognized other Sarutobi children, around the same age range as myself, lurking the premises and sometimes talking to a kid or another.

There was a group being alienated by everyone further in the back; there weren't any adults with them, and they all seemed a pretty lost, and certainly looked out of place. Their clothes were hand-me-down, worn and torn in the oddest places. They hair was unkempt and unruly. They looked at the families with an underlying envy, and I couldn't blame them at all.

They were orphans, recruited to be ninjas, because no one would miss them if they died.

The mere thought made my stomach churn in disgust; they were probably only there because it was the only way out of that shit hole of an orphanage. I weighed the option of going up to those kids and try to engage in a conversation, but then I remembered that I was everything they weren't: a child with a family, clan, and status; they'd probably think I was mocking them, or pitied their situation. I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat, one I hadn't noticed before, and headed back to where my family was.