I Represent the Yama Ninja Village

Chapter 1. The Examination

Chapter 1. The Examination

            “Taro?”

            “Present.”

            “Amiko?”

            “I'm here.”

            “Kuteto?”

            “Here.”

            “Yoshi?”

            “Here, sensei!”

            “Keiko?”

            When his name was called, Keiko jumped out of his seat and stood on his desk, his arm shooting into the air as he yelled, “Present and ready to learn, sir!”

            The Teacher shot him a look and snapped, “Sit down this instant!”

            Grumbling, Keiko did just that.

            He's so weird, Tora thought, eyeing Keiko. Why does he have to be so obnoxious all the time? He's so annoying...

            “Haruko?”

            “Here, sir.”

            “Miyoko?”

            “Present, sir...”

            “Akira?” The teacher, Fudo (or Fudo-sensei, as the students were supposed to address him), asked, tilting his head up to scan the class for the child he had just called the name of. “Late,” he mumbled, checking off one of the names on the list he had held before him for attendance.

            Again, Tora thought. Her hands were folded in front of her mouth, her elbows resting on the table that she was seated at. He's always late...

            “Tora?” Fudo asked.

            “Here,” Tora replied blankly.

            “And...” Fudo looked at the paper in his hand. “Asa.”

            “Present,” Asa replied from the back of the room.

            Tora sighed and rested her head in one hand while she let the other fall limply on the table. I can't wait for the final exams... I really just want to get out of this ninja training, so I can get to the real stuff...

            Tora turned her head to gaze out the window which was to her left. She was the only student sitting in this row, and she didn't mind it. She preferred to be alone—she liked the silence and not having someone else around to bother her when she was studying. It's not that she didn't like people, she just didn't want to get distracted. Then again, it was still possible to get distracted even when no one sat next to you, being that Keiko was in the same class as her... He always drew attention to himself in one way or another, even if it wasn't positive attention.

            Keiko often got into fights, too, mainly with the other boys like Kuteto and Amiko, but he was still aggressive. He was quick to defend himself and seemed to be bad at reading the mood, so he often said things that were out of line.

            Kuteto and Amiko were friends, but they didn't like anyone else. Tora wasn't fond of them, either, for they often liked to pick on her. Those two were the biggest bullies of the entire school, and the most aggressive ninja wanna-be in the entire school. They didn't act like the other students had been trained to act.