Academy enrollment

One month passed since I remembered the memories of my past life. At the moment I was sitting on my bed concentrating on the leaf sticking to my head. My breathing slowed down and I entered a meditative state.

'I am finally proficient in the Leaf Concentration Exercise after practicing for a whole month. But man, sticking the leaf to your head is hard and considering it is the most basic chakra control exercise makes me shudder at the thought of the more advanced ones.'

'…Let's worry about it after we get there and focus on the more impending matters. Today I am going to enroll at the Academy and take my first steps on becoming a Ninja at last. If I am lucky enough, I will end in the same class as Tsunade.'

'I wonder how my first day at the Academy is going to be. With whom am I going to attend my classes? Are the teachers going to be friendly? Well, if I am in the same class as Tsunade then it’s highly likely Jiraiya and Orochimaru are going to be in the same cla-'

"TAKUMI KENJO! HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO REPEAT MYSELF BEFORE YOU COME DOWNSTAIRS? DO I HAVE TO REMIND YOU THAT TODAY IS THE ENROLLMENT CEREMONY WHERE THE HOKAGE IS GOING TO SPEAK?!"

'Shit! I completely lost myself in trance during meditation.',

I panically thought before quickly jumping out of my bed and rushing to the bathroom to clean myself. Running downstairs I could feel the excitement rushing through my body and I began to anticipate the upcoming day.

After slowing down in front of the kitchen door I walked into the kitchen and sat down in my chair next to my father. He turned his head around and gave me a small nod before resuming his breakfast. My mother stood at the sink her back facing me before turning around.

"Young man, I expect you to be more punctual in the future! If you are going to attend the Academy, basic discipline will be expected from you. Now hurry and eat your breakfast! We need to leave the house in 20 minutes and you need to get ready.'

"YES!",

I shouted before stuffing my mouth full of food while sarcastically thinking to myself.

'Just simply great. The morning has already started in the best way possible. Hopefully, it doesn't stay like this for the rest of the day.'

OOO

Arriving at the Academy yard with my parents I could already spot the speaker's podium and several other children with their parents. Most of them stemmed from Ninja Clans and only a few were civilians like myself. I joined a relatively big civilian group which was located near the members of the Senju Clan.

As more people arrived a pattern began to form: Like the corners of a triangle the children from the Senju Clan, Uchiha Clan and Hyuuga Clan positioned themselves. The distance between the Senju Clan and Uchiha Clan was especially noteworthy as they stood at the opposite sides of the yard.

Between them stood the members of the smaller Clans like the Sarutobi Clan, Aburame Clan, Inuzuka Clan, Yamanaka Clan, Nara Clan and Akimichi Clan: Their position relative to the three major Clans representing Konoha's current political situation.

The civilian children on the other hand were scattered all over the place in small groups. Looking at their expressions one could see they were a lot more nervous in comparison to the Clan children.

As I was observing the other children a small commotion could be heard from the area where the children of the Senju Clan stood and someone with blond hair quickly emerged from a sea of brown-haired heads. I swiftly identified the person as Tsunade who hurriedly sprinted towards me and stretched her right hand out.

"Hey, Takumi! Nice to meet you again. How are you doing?"

Giving her a smile I watched her confidently standing in front of me seemingly unbothered by the curious glances the other children and their parents gave her. I stretched my hand out and shook hers.

"Thanks for asking! I'm a bit tired but otherwise fine. But I gotta say you really are energetic today. How are you so motivated in the morning?"

"That's because I'm always full of energy! But let's talk about it later. I can already see the Hokage walking towards the pedestal!"

Looking towards the gate I could see the Hokage arriving at the Academy: He was walking in a relaxed manner while being escorted by his fierce-looking bodyguards. Following him were the Academy's principal and some teachers who I speculated would be our homeroom teachers.

OOO

Slowly ascending the stairs which lead to the podium the Hokage began to observe the whole yard: He saw many Clan children standing in the courtyard but also an increased number of civilian children compared to last year which delighted him.

Seeing nobody was missing he coughed in his right hand gaining everyone's attention. After a short glance at the Academy's principal and the staff he began his speech.

"The Academy enrollment is an especially important event for all of Konoha since the second Hokage founded the Academy over a decade ago in hopes of teaching young children the fundamental skills of a Ninja."

"I hope all of you standing here will continue to carry the Will of Fire like your predecessors did and support Konoha with the best of your abilities. I myself graduated 8 years ago to fulfill this duty as a Genin of Konoha."

"The Academy stands for your first steps at becoming a Ninja and will set the foundation for your future career. It will impart lifesaving knowledge to you and I hope everyone will remember the things you learned here even when you become an official Genin."

"Finally this marks the end of my short speech and I welcome all of the new Academy students! May they one day be the pillars supporting Konoha!"

OOO

A wave of applause erupted from the audience after the Hokage gave his speech. I was really excited to go to the Academy and judging from the other children's looks I was not alone. Looking at Tsunade I could see she was particularly excited.

Then the principal began to announce the names of the members of each class. While most names didn't strike me as remarkable there were some exceptions: People like Jiraiya, Orochimaru and Sakumo will later become important so I carefully memorized their faces.

After a while, Tsunade's name was shortly announced before mine. We cheered and grinned together while everyone else was dumbfounded and tried to theorize how the Senju Clan heir was friends with a civilian.

Both of us walked towards our new homeroom teacher and joined the rest of the class. Incidentally, Jiraiya and Orochimaru stood near us and soon we began to talk.

"Hey! My name's Jiraiya and the grumpy-looking one beside me is Orochimaru. What's your name?"

"Don't call me grumpy-looking, you idiot.", hissed Orochimaru in an annoyed voice.

"Hi! You can call me Takumi if you want!"

"And I'm Tsunade but you probably already know."

We talked for a while and covered many topics: From our favorite dishes to our birthdays to the speech the Hokage gave. But most of the time Jiraiya or Tsunade talked and Orochimaru and I listened to them while occasionally answering.

Soon the announcements were finished and our homeroom teacher introduced himself as Fujita Yamanaka. He led us through the Academy building while taking many stairs and after 5 minutes we arrived at our classroom.

Telling us to seat ourselves he stood by his desk and watched us silently. I quickly walked towards the second last row and sat beside the window on the left side. Tsunade on the other hand stood at the door for a while before rushing towards the seat next to me.

"Looks like we're going to be table neighbors for the foreseeable future Takumi", she grinned.

By contrast, Jiraiya and Orochimaru sat in the row in front of us. Orochimaru seemed a bit distant but it was nothing compared to the creepy version of him from my memories. Let's hope he doesn't turn out like that.

Eventually, everyone was seated and the teacher began to talk about some organizational topics. In the beginning, everyone listened carefully but soon some students got bored and distracted themselves by talking to each other or looking out of the window.

Unbeknownst to them the teacher slowly broke a bunch of chalk into smaller pieces and placed them between his fingers tips while talking. Suddenly with a casual hand flick, the chalk pieces accurately landed on the heads of several students.

"Ow! Teacher that's unfair!", shouted Jiraiya while rubbing the side of his head alongside.

"Basic endurance is expected from a Ninja and if you're too bored to listen to me Jiraiya you should at least have the perception of Orochimaru who dodged the chalk piece while reading a book."

Rapidly turning his head to the side Jiraiya looked at Orochimaru who consequently ignored him. This vexed Jiraiya and he extended his arm to grab the book only to meet thin air as Orochimaru pulled his book up and slammed it down slapping Jiraiya's hand.

He winced in pain but grudgingly sat down as the teacher warned him not to cause a commotion. The other children including me laughed at this scene.

'Looks like my time in the Academy is going to be quite entertaining with these two around. But the way our teacher disciplines students says something about his way of teaching so I better focus on the class.'

Listening to the teacher the class continued without further disturbances and the rest of the time was spend on introducing other teachers and our classmates. The first day at the Academy soon ended and I parted from my friends in the Academy's yard after bidding them farewell.

OOO

The whole class gathered at the Academy's training grounds while listening to the instructions of our Shurikenjutsu teacher Hanako Sato who also was our Taijutsu teacher. She demonstrated the basic skills before telling us to practice for ourselves or in a group.

It was Jiraiya who cheerfully suggested that Orochimaru, Tsunade, him and myself should form a group. We agreed and started practicing our throws under the watchful eyes of our teacher.

Different projectiles like Shurikens, Kunais and Senbons were sent towards the practice targets but mainly Shurikens or Kunais because they were easier to use for beginners. Only some Clan children, whose Clan specialized in throwing Senbons, used them.

Most of the Clan children already had practiced throwing the projectiles and as a result could hit their targets more consistently and often. I was one of the few civilian children who could keep with some Clan members.

But we were miles behind the Clan prodigies like Tsunade or Hideyo Hyuuga someone from the main branch of his Clan. They literally could hit every target while being blindfolded and in every position.

"Hahaha! Did you see that Takumi? I finally hit the target!", exclaimed Jiraiya.

"Yeah, that was pretty good."

"But you're still the best from us civilians Takumi. You hit over one third of the targets and surpassed even many Clan members.", tsked Orochimaru.

I cheekily smiled in return and stroke the back of my head.

"Just like Orochimaru said. Takumi you're really good at this! Even I wasn't that good when I started practicing Shurikenjutsu!", cheered Tsunade.

"That's probably because you were too small back then and had chubby hands. The difficulty would have been considerably higher.", I countered.

"But man! You're still really good at this!", Jiraiya stubbornly said.

"They're right kid. That wasn't half bad for your first time and it takes some talent to achieve your current score this fast. Practice the throwing motion for a week or two and you could try using the Senbons.", said Ms. Sato.

Glancing at her I silently nodded and continued to practice while she was observing my throwing motion. Satisfied with what she saw, she left us and looked for the other children and correcting their mistakes.

My accuracy and precision continued to improve and at the end of the session, I could almost hit half of the targets. Orochimaru on the other hand also showed significant improvement and was just slightly behind me showing his talent as a Ninja.

He was also the one with the best theory scores while I was in third place after Tsunade. Jiraiya on the other hand drastically fell short and was at the bottom of the class – A fact that only cemented Orochimaru's impression of him as an idiot.

I speculated Orochimaru's down-looking attitude was one of the reasons he began to conduct his unethical experiments. Recalling my memories from my past life the best course of action would be to prevent this and his subsequent defection from Konoha

'But how should I do this? The reason for his defection was his obsession with immortality. Believing that only immortality would grant him the ability to pursue his never ending thirst for knowledge he unethically experimented with human bodies.'

'Later on, he would research the Edo Tensei no Jutsu developed by the second Hokage which could summon the souls of the deceased and bind them to a living vessel. His recruit Kabuto in turn would afterward perfect this Jutsu and summon countless Ninja elites supplementing the Zetsu's fighting force.'

'Objectively the best choice would be to kill him now and erase the possibility of his defection altogether. But can I really kill him? Is it the right thing to do? He's still an innocent child-like me and hasn't committed any crimes yet.'

'And according to my memories, he was an orphan and hadn't any real friends or someone who was on the same intellectual level as him. Maybe I can change him for the better or at least prevent his defection.'

Confirming my resolve I decided to form a deeper friendship with Orochimaru and integrate him more into our circle. Many ideas popped into my head and I decided to suggest a training session at the Senju's Clan compound if Tsunade agrees beforehand.

As the practice session ended the class walked back to the classroom. On our way, I asked everyone from our little group if they would want to form a training session together. Jiraiya instantly agreed while Tsunade said she had to ask her Clan for permission.

Even Orochimaru was enthusiastic about it taking me completely by surprise. I thought convincing him would be a tedious task but on further thought, his enthusiasm did make a lot of sense.

Being one of the oldest Ninja Clans the Senju Clan had a deep foundation and could therefore provide better training for their children. It would be a no-brainer to refuse such an opportunity and Orochimaru was definitely not someone retarded.

OOO

Two days flew by in the blink of an eye and I stood in front of the Senju Clan compound's gate. It was secured by two adult Senju Ninjas wearing the standard Konoha flak vest together with their Clan symbols.

As I arrived they cautiously observed me and urged me to state my business. I told them I was here to participate in a group training session together with Tsunade. One of the guards then walked into the compound and returned later telling me I was permitted to step inside.

Accompanied by one guard I was led through the compound and could get a better view from the inside. It felt like I was in a forest surrounded by a network of thick roots and stems leading to different pathways.

After walking for a bit we arrived in front of a door and I could already hear Jiraiya bickering with Tsunade. When I entered the room I saw Tsunade smashing Jiraiya's head into the ground and I could swear I heard a cracking sound.

Contrary to my belief Jiraiya quickly recovered from the smash and upon seeing me he quickly greeted me. Turning her head around after angrily kicking Jiraiya, who lay on the ground, Tsunade also greeted me and offered me some drinks.

Receiving a glass filled with apple juice I asked the two of them why they argued in the first place. Tsunade again stepped on Jiraiya's head and answered:

"This idiot here said he would become the Hokage in the future and I told him he wouldn't likely achieve this dream. We then proceeded to argue and after a while, he seriously began to annoy me."

"I told him to shut up but he continued to talk so I smacked him before you arrived. But don't worry, I didn't use my full strength so he should be fine."

"Well, Jiraiya you shouldn't mess with Tsunade. Believe me when I say she can easily K.O a Chunin without using any Chakra enhancements.", I kindly warned him.

"Yeah, I kinda know this already after she hit me but she's just so annoying.", Jiraiya said.

"WHO IS THE ANNOYING ONE YOU JERK?", shouted Tsunade and they started to fight again.

'They really are like oil and water…Well more like a master and her disobedient dog. But it's really funny to see them like this.', I silently thought.

"Squeeze"

Snapping out of my thoughts I turned around and looked in the door's direction. There I could see Orochimaru silently walking to my left side. Standing beside me he watched Tsunade punching Jiraiya with amusement and a hint of schadenfreude.

"How long have the two been doing this?", he asked me without looking away from the scene.

"I don't know. But since Jiraiya is still alive I would estimate less than a minute."

"Hmm. A logical deduction. Let's continue to enjoy the show, shall we?"

Staying silent I shot a glance at Orochimaru. A small smile crept onto his face the more he watched and I could see his increasing delight reflected in his eyes. It seems he was a sadist even when he was a child.

Hoping to stop his more than morally wrong sadistic indulgence, I tried to break Tsunade and Jiraiya away from each other by loudly reminding them of Orochimaru's arrival. Hearing my words they reluctantly stopped and greeted him.

A dissatisfied and angry look could be briefly seen on Orochimaru's face as he shot me a glance before quickly covering it up with a mask. I proposed to go to the Senju Clan's training ground and practice our skills which would hopefully vent Tsunade's and Jiraiya's excess energy.

They all agreed and following Tsunade we together started to go towards the training ground which was located about sixty meters away from our current location. While traversing the building I felt someone was looking at me.

I tried to sneakily turn my head around and shot a glance at the last corner we took. Strangely I didn't see anyone even after a couple of tries.

'It seems we're heavily monitored by a person skilled in tracking or I'm imagining things. But considering Tsunade's position as the Clan heir the first possibility seems more likely. Well, let's wait and continue to observe.'

We continued to walk and arrived at the training ground. The sound of metal clashing against metal could be heard and searching for its source I found a couple of Ninjas sparring against each other.

"What do you want to do guys?", asked Tsunade.

"I want to spar! Repeatedly throwing Shurikens is just too damn tiring!", yelled Jiraiya.

"While that does sound tempting, I would prefer to solidify the basics first.", I argued.

"Takumi is right. Someone as dumb as Jiraiya needs more time to learn the basics. It would not be fair if he continues to be trashed by the rest of the class. That would just be too pitiful.", Orochimaru dissed.

"HEY! WHO SAID I'M BEING TRASHED BY THE REST OF THE CLASS?! I BET I'M BETTER THAN YOU AT TAIJUTSU!", screamed Jiraiya.

"It seems you hit him too hard Tsunade. He is spouting some ridiculous things like beating me in Taijutsu. Maybe we should go to see a doctor." Orochimaru spat.

"YOU'RE GOING TO REGRET THIS SO MUCH!", Jiraiya fumed.

"YOU BOTH SHUT UP! WE'RE STILL AT THE MY CLAN'S TRAINING GROUND SO YOU WILL FOLLOW OUR RULES!", yelled an angry Tsunade and kicked both of them in the groin.

I slightly winced at her kick while being glad to not experience that kind of pain. Jiraiya and Orochimaru instantly collapsed while letting out a pained sound from their mouths. Looking at Tsunade I vowed to never ever piss her off.

Turning my head around I could see a couple of Ninjas who stopped practicing and looked at us. Judging by their pale expressions it seems I wasn't the only one afraid of a truly pissed Tsunade.

We waited for a while thinking Jiraiya and Orochimaru would eventually wake up but after about 20 minutes it became clear they totally passed out. Tsunade eventually panicked and tried to wake them up by slapping their faces but to no avail. That only resulted in immensely swelled faces.

With a somewhat subservient tone, I proposed to train our Shurikenjutsu skills and Tsunade just silently nodded while looking at me with a frightened expression. Confused by her fear I began to think and inside my head a lightbulb quickly flashed.

"D-don't worry Tsunade. I-I think your grandmother won't be that angry at you. I-if you want, I can accompany you."

"Th-Thanks for the offer. B-but I think I need to get through it alone.", she replied with an ashen face.

.

.

.

"Don't worry kid. I promise the Senju Clan will take care of your two friends but you should go home now."

A Senju Clan Ninja, who approached us from one of the nearby sparring areas, told me. After looking at Jiraiya and Orochimaru and shooting a glance at Tsunade I nodded at him and excused myself. On the way back I thought:

'I wonder if Tsunade is going to be scolded again. Well, let's hope it won't be really harsh. Maybe she'll be less violent in the future. At least my stay at the Senju Clan compound was entertaining.'