The fallen leaf (Naruto Story)

𝒪𝓃𝑒

Maiko's POV

I wake up to soft sheets, and the morning light trickles in my bedroom through the pale green blinds. Shedding myself of the remaining glimpses of a dream, my eyes are still shut as I soak in the warmth of my covers before letting my emerald green eyes meet the sun's rosy rays.

I rub the remainders of slumber from my eyes and turn my head to gaze out at the horizon from my bedroom window. My eyes don't squint in reaction to the rosy colored sky as the sun rises, mostly because I currently feel like I'm still dreaming.

I finally manage to sit up and begin my day with a silent yawn; My bed is still warm and comfortable, so I let out a frustrated groan before ripping the sheets off of my bare legs and maneuvering my body around so that I'm ready to stand up and get ready for the academy.

Oh Kami, the academy!

I hastily look back at my lavender kitten styled alarm clock which is perched atop of my bedside counter, only to sigh in both relief and regret when I realize that I somehow woke up ten minutes earlier than my designated wake up time.

As someone who is always chronically late and could never actually arrive to places on time, I've made it my life's goal to change that about myself.

So I normally wake up extra early just in case!

Though it sounds like the extra ten minutes of being awake would help my tardy streak, I just know that somehow I'm going to end up receiving a sassy side eye from Iruka sensei every time.

My home is still quiet, I have yet to hear my mothers hurried actions in the kitchen where she attempts to prepare a nice lunch for me (Only to fail because she is a lost case when it comes to dealing with the kitchen).

As a first class kunoichi who's never out of work, my mother very rarely ever has time to clean up around the house and prepare her own meals, much less mine! She's always working on long distance missions and coming home at times with no set schedule.

Despite the fact that I do get lonely at times without her around, I don't hold her work against her. In fact, I'm very proud of her!

Either way, it does not dismiss the fact that there are times where I am left to be the person in charge of the home.

Now, I'm only eleven years old so the fact that I'm left alone so often is concerning for most adults (Including the old man hokage), but I like to think that I handle myself pretty well without my mom around!

Sure I'm really late most of the time and I'm in charge of an entire family of jaguars and I stuff my face with sweets all the time instead of practicing my ninjutsu but my mom doesn't need to know that! . . .

Thank kami she doesn't know !!

Snapping out of my mindless thoughts, I note that I'm still dawdling on my bed and have yet to make a move to get ready so I rather lazily push myself upwards so that my feet touch the cool wooden floors and I am standing upright.

Another glance at the alarm clock prompts another sigh from my otherwise closed lips. Just nine minutes earlier than usual, this means I should get to school early! Oh gosh I hope I do, Iruka-sensei would kill me if I got a thirteenth consecutive tardy!

Realizing that I should probably start getting ready sooner rather than later, I check my wrist for a worn out hair elastic and quickly use it to tie my hair back in a low ponytail, only to have it break mid tying! How unsatisfying!

Shaking my head at the misfortune and the broken hair tie, I look around my room in hopes of finding another one only to sigh yet again when I realize that I'm all out.