Shinobi Isekai!

Innocence Lost

Hanako bit her lip beneath her mask. Today was her first official kunoichi class, and she wasn't sure how she felt about it. She'd always taken a bit of umbrage at the segregated nature of the academy classes, but it was a little difficult now since the girls were technically learning more than their male counterparts. There were still fewer female shinobi than male, though, and the extra lessons they received were heavily geared toward enforcing societal gender norms. But there were also lots of shinobi who didn't conform, male and female alike.

So, should she really be mad?

Yes.

Why could be established later, when she gave it more thought. For now, she could honestly say the system as it was upset her.

At the front of the classroom, a kunoichi sensei stood in front of a grand display of the arts. There were musical instruments, flowers, calligraphy sets, and more. All the girls in their year were in the classroom, giggling and mingling among themselves. Hanako sat alone, just barely realizing that all her friends—aside from Momiji and Ino-chan—were male. Oh, well.

"Alright, girls," their kunoichi sensei said with a clap of her hands. "Pay attention. My name is Akari Tanaka and I will be teaching your kunoichi classes until your graduation. Let's take this opportunity to get to know each other, ok? Get into your seats and we'll begin introductions."

Ugh. Everyone's least favorite part of the school year. At least they would only need to this once, if Hanako understood it right. Dedicating one sensei per group didn't really sound like a good idea, but, if the dropout rate for female students was as high as the data indicated, then Akari-sensei would only have a handful of students by the time their year graduated.

The girl beside her nudged her and Hanako realized she'd spaced out.

"Ah, sorry," she scratched the back of her neck as the other girls laughed at her expense. "My name is Hanako Hatake. It's nice to meet you."

"Any hobbies you'd like to share with the class?" Akari-sensei prompted. It was likely more for her benefit as a teacher than anything else, but Hanako obliged.

"I like reading," she said with a shrug. "Mostly histories and chakra theories. Boring stuff."

The girls giggled again, but Akari-sensei silenced them with a glare. "What kind of theories?"

Hanako shrugged. "I just finished Himari Hyuuga's thesis on tenketsu and the inheritability of chakra capacity. She has some interesting ideas on the effects of epigenetics on chakra potential."

Akari-sensei's brown eyes widened in surprise, but she schooled her expression quickly. "I see. And what did you think of her conclusion on tenketsu stimulation during pregnancy?"

Hanako snorted. "Totally unfounded. Her sample size isn't nearly large enough and she just dismisses the outliers out of hand. She uses anecdotal evidence way too liberally for me to accept it."

Akari-sensei didn't even try to hide her delight. "Incredible. Have you read Umeko Mikado's Reproductive Chakra?"

Hanako smiled. "Yeah! Definitely a worthwhile addition to the literature, even if she did use a popular publisher."

The chunin kunoichi looked like she wanted to say more but stopped herself. "Very interesting, Hatake-chan. Please, stay after class; I have a few reading suggestions you might enjoy."

Well, maybe these kunoichi classes wouldn't be so terrible, after all.

Once everyone had introduced themselves, Akari-sensei drew their attention to the collection of items behind her.