33 Chapter 33
(AN: This is an AU, so I'm taking all kinds of liberties. Here people start going to Shinobi school at age 5. Right after Shinobi nursery. This means there are 7 school years, and Nono's in her 2nd one.)
XX
"Mebuki...Tsuji?" Nawaki asked, recalling a face with a different last name.
Nono nodded, erasing and writing rapidly, *Yes, why, do you know her?* The matron told Nawaki that Nono was talented in many things besides sign language. He didn't know the others besides her obvious talent for medical jutsu, but she was skilled and swift with her fingers.
"No," Nawaki replied. Walking away and waving with a smile less awkward, after organizing his thoughts, he said, "Have a nice day,"
Nono also waved him goodbye. When she left, he went toward a tree at the side of the road. Walking and hiding behind it, he made hand signs and thought, 'Transformation jutsu!'
Nawaki's imagination was fertile. And he was far from being a class clown. When he had yet to be homeschooled by Tsunade, he had some decent skills.
Taking the appearance of a random youngster he'd never seen, he walked through the school gates.
..
A minute later,
Nawaki's head was peeking through the door of his sister's somewhat empty classroom,
There was some time before the classes. And only a few boys and girls had already gathered. Nono was sitting amid these children with a girl he recognized and now truthfully identified as Mebuki Haruno— His girl crush's mother.
Mebuki was a fair-skinned girl with shoulder-length blonde hair and a single bang that fell down her face. She also had green eyes and wore a cute Chinese-like, qipao-white dress like her future adult image. Underneath her dress, she wore pink-length pants along with brown sandals.
Nobody was really paying mind to Nawaki— the black-haired child at the door when he heard the girl say to his sister,
"Nono, you look so nice today! Where did you get the clothes?!"
Mebuki was the typical young Konoha fan girl...She had her face puzzled, curious, and eyes glowing with a naive shine when she asked Nono. Her diminutive and 7-year-old forearms were also raised cutely. They aimed at her chin.
At that moment, in terms of personality, she seemed to be a mix between Ino and her future daughter. Nawaki didn't need to study her longer to know where Sakura had inherited her quirky character and endearing eccentricities. Nono had just changed clothes today, but the girl looked both happy for her and envious.
Nawaki didn't stay when his sister replied with sign language— which her best friend apparently and interestingly understood...
...Walking back toward the stairs, the boy was growing curious about the girl and her family circumstances when he heard the word *Senju*, and the 2nd year floor turned deafening.
Nawaki didn't know how long Nono would remain schooled. It all depended on Tsunade. Nonetheless, whether she stayed in school or not, she'd assumably become very popular if she wasn't before today.
XX
[Status: Koharu]
[Jobs: Kunoichi]
[Unique traits: None]
[Strengths: Perception, Shurikenjutsu]
Nawaki had sound credentials, but he recalled forgetting to try and mask his chakra signature when he transformed minutes before. It didn't always work on perceptive shinobis, but the clever maneuver was better than nothing. Anyway... On his way out of the main hall, he was found out by his pretty Utatane auntie, the beautiful Academy chairwoman.
Turning to face her after getting found out, he heard her chuckling,
"Nawaki, that's really you, isn't it? What are you doing here, disguising?"
Nawaki rubbed his head and replied, a bit sorry for his lack of cleverness, "Aah, chairwoman, you found me out...I guess I missed school and came for a quick morning stroll."
"What?... Well, that's one lousy excuse. I don't think I heard that one. You couldn't find better?" She said.
"..." Nawaki went mum.
"Haha, I'd take you to your word if I didn't use to be a child one day...But Stop kidding, Nawaki." Koharu laughed.
"Well, chairwoman..." Nawaki was an unabashed child, but though the whole thing was trivial, he was lazy to devise another excuse. It wasn't like it was forbidden to come to the academy...
"...Most classes should've started by now. There's no one in the halls...You can call me comfortably." Koharu reminded him.
"Yes, Koharu-san," Nawaki replied cutely, looking around to verify what she said.
He listened to her sigh softly when she continued, "...I don't know why you came but let's make a stop at my office since you are. Did you have breakfast already?"
"Yes, but I don't mind eating again if you offer." The boy showed his teeth, lovingly answering.
"Eating too much is harmful to the stomach. But we don't need to tell Mito this time, alright?" She chuckled at the boy's antics.
"Okay," Nawaki said.
They were walking together when she eyed down his small head and expressed,
"Your birthday's tomorrow, right, Nawaki? How old are you this year again?"
"Nine, don't tell me you forgot?" Nawaki said, pretending to be made and glaring. Koharu wasn't married and didn't have children of her own. But she couldn't hate children, could she? She was invited to his birthday...
"How could I forget? I was just chatting." She smiled unbothered saying. Perhaps even proudly.
"It didn't look like that to me," Nawaki remarked. Not that he cared, but he was enjoying Koharu's expressions changes.
She always had a milf-like and charmingly misbehaving side, but the previous Nawaki didn't care for that aunty...When narcissism and navel-gazing were concerned, he already had enough with his sister.
XX
Inside the chairwoman's office,
Nawaki didn't eat much; he spent a lot of time watching Koharu enjoy the morning pastries and the chocolate she ordered.
As the academy chairwoman and the head of the Utatane clan, Koharu was rich. Unlike Hiruzen, she was one of the richest women in the village.
The Utatane clan wasn't a very powerful lineage in Konoha, but its members were descendants of Senju clan allies. Like most clans in Konoha...
The Uchiha being unpopular in the original had much to do with this not-so-hidden fact. Anyone watching Naruto would notice that the Uchiha didn't have a lot of allies in the village. And they didn't care either. Otherwise, Madara could've been easily Hokage with Hashirama vouching for him...
Nawaki was thinking about insignificant matters when Koharu asked him, "How's your apprenticeship going?"
"Is Tsunade a good teacher?"
"Well, she is, but I'm mostly independent for now," Nawaki answered.
"Independent?" As she cleaned her mouth with a napkin, there was confusion and surprise on the woman's face.
"Yes, I'm focusing on chakra control these days." Nawaki recalled how Koharu could help him maybe," And genjutsu."
"Oh...I see." Koharu said. She was experienced enough to understand what Tsunade was doing. "Mind showing me what you learned so far, then?"
"No problem." Nawaki stood, saying.
He was making hand signs when Koharu stopped him, saying, "Not here, let's do this elsewhere."
"Where?" Nawaki asked, baffled. He was just casting genjutsu. What need did they have to leave her office?
He always knew that Koharu was impish, but now he discovered that she didn't like her boring job...She was most definitely trying to skip her school duties...
As a person who used to skip school and work, Nawaki naturally could sense his partners...
XX
"What the fuck?"
Konoha, A dark mental ward somewhere,
Tsunade was a genius. But a lazy genius.
Getting to the mental hospital, she wanted to save some time while doing her work.
But to her surprise, however, one not very good, she discovered something very off with the [shadow clone jutsu].
