Graduation Day

*One Year After Chapter 25*

Mizuki awoke, as always, to the sound of a frantic pounding at his door.

The boy let loose a groan before Rolling over to check the time, noticing that it was 7:15.

A seemingly normal time to wake up for 8 am classes but much too early for Mizuki.

Anko: "Oi Mizuki, I didn't dump ice water on you today. Open the door."

Mizuki could only sigh to himself as he opened the door to see a certain purple-haired kunoichi staring back at him.

As soon as he opened the door a crack, Anko burst in and started walking around the place like it belonged to her.

Anko: "So, what's for breakfast?"

Mizuki: "I don't know, instant noodles or something"

Anko made a weird face as he brought up his choice of meal before shaking her head and pulling out a bag containing different ingredients.

Anko" "Honestly, you're a great cook yourself, why didn't you just make something yourself? whatever, consider this my treat for today"

She laughed as she shooed him away from the kitchen and called for him to get ready.

Mizuki quickly showered and got himself ready before changing and walking into the kitchen to see what she made.

{Is this technique weird? We are just friends, right? Ya totally. No way she would see me as anything else, I'm like 30 years old on the inside}

With a confident nod to himself, Mizuki arrived at the kitchen to see what Anko had made, and he was not disappointed.

Similar to the anime, Anko loved eating dumplings. S

o much that she actually had one of her shadow clones working under a dumpling chef, absorbing his skills like a sponge.

And whilst she was still not a master in her craft yet, she was damn near close.

Both: "Itadakimasu"

In seemingly an instant, all of the dumplings were gone; devoured by the two shinobi in training, as they all but lunged towards the food.

As soon as they finished, Anko turned to Mizuki and asked him a question

Anko: "Do you know what day it is?"

Mizuki: "No?"

Anko sighed as she looked towards her best friend. Shaking her head she turned to face him.

Anko: "Honestly, you forget everything these days."

Upon saying those words, she lunged forward and quickly gave him a hug.

(A/N: YA! A HUG! A FUCKING HUG! EAT THAT!)

Anko: "In that case let me be the first to wish us both a happy graduation day"

Mizuki and Anko then looked at one another and burst out into laughter as she backed away.

{That was a damn good hug, why is she blushing though? Must be the lighting. No way in hell she could like me, can't be a pedo. Nope. Not gonna lewd the loli.}

However, fate appeared to be somehow after Mizuki as he glanced at the clock only to notice the time; 7:58.

Mizuki: "Hey Anko"

Anko: "Ya?"

Mizuki could only bring himself to point to the clock.

Noticing his hand, Anko turned her head only to see the time.

Anko "Oh Shit!"

Without so much as a single second of delay, both of the ninjas-to-be body flickered as they desperately tried to make it to class on time.

. . . . .

Mizuki and Anko were able to burst through the door and get to their seats just as the teacher appeared.

The teacher appeared just as boring as always, with his classic neutral expression. He had a stack of papers in his right hand.

The graduation tests.

The teacher started to ramble instructions about how to write the test and went on and on for what seemed like forever.

Somehow, Anko had fallen asleep during his explanation and she was leaning against Mizuki's shoulder.

Mizuki felt himself nearly slip into the temptations of sleep as well before snapping himself out of it upon hearing the teacher rap up his explanation and start handing out the tests.

After quickly and discreetly waking Anko up and receiving his test Mizuki read it over only to be incredibly surprised. It was just so easy.

Mizuki: {That's it? How the Fuck did somebody fail this test three times?!}

Out of the assigned hour given to them, Mizuki was able to perfectly answer the test in just shy of five minutes.

After finishing his test, Mizuki glanced around only to notice that his entire friend group had finished the test just as quickly as he had.

Even people who didn't seem like the academic type on the show like Guy or Obito were able to brush through the test no problem thanks to Shisui forcing them to do worksheets, as he worked to fix their greatest flaw.

Their intelligence.

Mizuki: {Ah. those were good times. Obito's reactions when doing the worksheets were always hilarious}.

Mizuki then decided to take a nap, there was quite a bit of time left in the class after all.

Mizuki glanced at Anko who let out a smirk as they both nodded, coming to an agreement without even uttering a word.

They both leaned against one another and used each other for support so that they could nap more comfortably.

Mizuki awoke to the sound of the bell, announcing the end of the writing period of the test, and unfortunately, Mizuki's nap.

Next up was the practical test.

The children were called in one at a time, by their last names. After what felt like forever, Mizuki was called up last, having no known surname whatsoever.

Instructor: Alright, so can you demonstrate the clone jutsu

Mizuki nodded as he quickly and seamlessly welded the hand signs for the clone jutsu.

Without any sound of a screaming child and a puff of smoke, Five clones of Mizuki appeared behind him.

The Instructor was clearly impressed although he must have seen better already that day as he was not too shaken.

Mizuki: {I thought we agreed to be low-key. What the hell did the others do?}

The Instructor than directed Mizuki to where he could choose what type of headband he wanted where he then chose the standard brand instead of the Old Mizuki's traditional bandana.

Mizuki walked outside with his headband in his hand, not tied around his head yet.

After glancing around and noting who passed and failed, Mizuki then went back to his seat and glanced at Anko who also had a slight smirk on her face.

After waiting for the bell to let out, Mizuki met up with his entire friend group as they all left for Ichiraku to celebrate. There was never any doubt that they would all pass after all.

Teuchi was nice enough to put everything on the house that night as a celebration.

Although, Mizuki felt bad about how much he probably ended up draining the man's wallet and so left a generous tip.

However, Mizuki started to feel Deja Vu as everybody packed up for the night and he saw that Anko was discreetly waiting for him.

Mizuki: "Hey Anko, whats up?"

Anko: "Um Mizuki?.... Could You do me a favor?"

Mizuki: "Alright, Sure."

Anko then brought her headband out of her pocket.

Anko: "Can you tie this for me?"

Mizuki nodded and reassured her with a gentle smile as he approached her and tied her headband for her, not realizing that she had not tied it yet especially so he could do it for her.

A trivial gesture in the grand scheme of things but one that a twelve-year-old believed to be incredibly significant.

Mizuki realized that his headband hadn't been tied yet either and asked her to do the same for him.

Naturally, she obliged as she tied his headband beautifully. Although the significance of this action went over Mizuki's head.

(A/N: And that's how they did their "first time" ;))

Without much more to say, Mizuki and Anko said goodbye to one another as they went back to their respective houses and fell asleep.

*The Next Day*

Mizuki's morning was incredibly similar to his last one.

With Anko coming into his apartment and hanging out with him (Although sadly, she did not cook) and then they both frantically ran for the academy just barely making it in time.

Mizuki was a little sad, knowing that his days at the academy were over. There was an actual war going on and he would have to fight in it or risk losing those who he held closest.

He would almost miss the place.

Almost.

The teacher arrived by body flickering into the room with a puff of smoke, with a list in hand.

Seemingly acting as if the day was like any other, he read out the teams that they would be in.

...Obito, Rin, Kakashi...

...Guy, Ebisu, Genma...

Mizuki's ears perked up though as he heard Shisui's team, as this part had not been in the anime.

Shisui was ordered to join a couple of the filler kids under some no-name join, which surprised Mizuki greatly, as he was known as a prodigy, which should mean he would be training under some of the best.

Finally, After what felt like forever Mizuki finally heard the team he was a part of.

Idate will join Mizuki and Anko Mitarashi to form Team 5.

Mizuki shivered as he glanced around.

Mizuki faintly remembered Idate as the character that would eventually become kabuto's sensei, although that's not what he was worried about.

(A/N: Had to give the guy a name, so I just chose a random one)

Anko: "Yay! We get to be on the same team Mizuki!"

Mizuki smiled at her as he pretended to be just as excited.

Mizuki had no problem with being on the same team as Anko, if anything it made him happier.

But he knew something from the future. That his future "sensei" would virtually torture her and now possibly him if he wasn't careful.

Although, this also presented an opportunity.

After all, his research probably yielded countless new and powerful jutsu.

Forbidden or Not.

Mizuki sighed as he thought of him.

Although they hadn't met yet he knew that this man may be his greatest enemy or his greatest ally.

And the scariest part?

He couldn't figure out which.

The Snake Sanin.

Orochimaru.

-End Volume 1-