1 #1 - The Trio: Part 1
The Academy was one of the more prominent buildings in Konoha; built in the shadow of the Administrative Tower, with the Hokage's office over-looking it, it was large and well-funded.
There were two departments within the Academy, the more populous and obscure general studies department, funded by the taxes of the citizens of the Land of Fire - and the more renowned and exclusive ninja studies department, funded by nobles, private donations and the student's painfully high tuition fees.
Each year-group had one ninja class that consisted of the best and the brightest (read: richest) Konoha had to offer. Students were rarely promoted up to or demoted away from the ninja class; so the same 30 students were taught by the same teacher for their 7 years at the Academy. All of this was common knowledge, found on the brochure displayed at the reception of the Academy and corresponding government buildings.
What most ninjas didn't know about the Academy, however, was that the teams they were eventually put in, to make up their 3-man-cells at the graduation meeting, was decided long before they even reached that point. Throughout the 7 years at the Academy, from enrollment, at 5 years old, to graduation at 12, the students were evaluated, compared and pitted against one another until their teachers had a general idea of team formats in their head.
Iruka, a relatively new teacher who would be taking his first class through graduation this year, was beginning to understand what his sempai had told him about the types of teams that would form.
He knew of three types, the first was the easiest kind - from the moment they hand enrolled, everyone knew that Ino, Shikamaru and Choji would be inheriting their father's legendary name and carrying on the legacy of Ino-Shika-Chou.
Ino was stubborn in nature and boisterous in her mannerisms but she had a friendly charisma that made her the centre of social circles in the class. Shikamaru was unambitious and idle in most things, but there was hidden steel in his eyes - a potential for ruthlessness that was just waiting to be drawn out. And Choji was noble and kind in a way that could almost come across as simple-minded, but he was steady in his principles in a way that was rare for children his age. The three had practically been raised together as siblings - they knew each other better than they knew themselves - bringing out the best and worst in each other and accepting it all in a way that very few people could.
Then there were the teams that were based on abilities more than compatible personalities or long-standing friendships; Kiba who was reckless and brash but kinder than anyone could see at first glance, and Shino who was calm and rational but had a childish petty side that really made him seem all of his 12 years. Hinata was mild-mannered and earnest but timid in a way that made her seem ill-fitted for the life of a ninja, despite her pedigree. The three of them had sensory abilities specialised in tracking which made them a compatible team despite personality clashes. With a good Sensei to guide them, some life or death situations and the Suspension-bridge Effect, they could make a wonderful team.
The third type of team was the overall balanced but the slightly random team made up of students that tended to specialise in one area while neglecting another. Sakura was hot-headed but caring with a good bank of knowledge that came from a lot of studying but tended to show mediocre results in practicals. Kaname was inefficient and over-zealous but his sincere nature, brute strength and innocent smile tended to make up for his utter lack of intellect and technique. Itsuki was selfish and calculating, his sharp understanding of the human nature made him sceptical towards kindness but it also made him shrewd. The three rarely interacted, barely even on each other's social radar beyond being in the same class for 7 years but they made up for each other's lacking points and had major areas that needed improvement - with some guidance, they showed some real potential as ninjas.
Usually, every team fit into one of those three categories, or so his Sempai had told him when Iruka had first begun to properly evaluate his class, the obvious team with a lot of history, the ability-based specialised team and the slightly random but balanced team. However, Iruka was starting to realise that there might be another kind of team in his class. The kind that didn't really fit into the other categories - and that was the self-declared team.
It was common for students to demand they be put into the same team as their friends but 7 years was a long time and plenty of friendships fell apart and promises were broken. And even if they weren't, some students were simply not compatible with their friends in terms of fighting styles and abilities, so even if they withstood the test of time, they weren't put into the same team anyway. They quickly learned to stop asking.
But the Trio - as he had begun to refer to them in his head - seemed determined to tick every box.
More specifically, Tsubaki was.
Naruto and Sasuke were still rivals who sparred, competed and straight-up brawled at every given opportunity but they both seemed to have an extremely special and unique relationship with Amaya Tsubaki. And honestly, it was amusing.
Iruka had noticed Tsubaki immediately, on the first day of class - she was one of the few students who really stood out among the crowd, with her bright red hair and eyes that matched. She had been quietly sitting on one of the seats near the window, a book open in front of her, completely ignoring everyone else in the classroom.
It had taken Iruka a while to really come to understand her and she was unlike any other child of her age - she wasn't loud or boisterous, but she was outspoken and clearly got her views across without care for what others might think of her. She was more centred and sure of herself than any child had any right to be.
And she was respected.
She wasn't popular per se, she was alone most of the time, though it seemed to be by choice - but her opinions were valued and she held sway over most of the class. Iruka wouldn't call her the 'popular queen bee' - that title went to Ino without a doubt - she was more like a mediator, or an upperclassman.
Although he knew you weren't really supposed to pick favourites, she quickly became one of his more liked students. Unlike Naruto, whom he had pretty much adopted at this point, she became someone he could count on to keep the classroom in order while he went off to punish Naruto for whatever prank he had pulled.
He had hoped she would make a friend and made a one-sided oath to put her in the same team as whoever she became close to. He wasn't supposed to, but he couldn't help it, she had endeared herself to him in a way he had never expected.
What he hadn't anticipated, was that she would become friends with the elusive and popular Uchiha Sasuke, and... Naruto. They were both famous for different reasons, but Tsubaki didn't seem to care - she would take the bag Sasuke had placed on the seat next to him, to keep the other girls from sitting there, and deposit it on the ground by their feet so she could sit next to him and Sasuke didn't seem to protest.
In fact, he would glance towards her and acknowledge her greeting, moving his own notes to the side so she had a little more space to work with. And with the entire classroom stood stock-still in shock, watching the scene unfold with their jaws open - Naruto burst into the room, with all the noise he could muster and flopped down on the seat to the other side of Tsubaki, complaining about having to sit near Sasuke.
Tsubaki reached over and flicked Naruto's forehead, and rolled her eyes at their usual fight like it was something she was accustomed to being in the middle of.
How did that start? He wanted to desperately know - considered making this a free period so he could ask, but this was his job, and sometimes, that meant he had to wait a little longer for the gossip than he was really willing to.
Though he did linger a little after ending the class, fixing papers that didn't need to be fixed so he could watch from the corner of his eyes as Ino, Sakura and some of the other girls gathered around Sasuke's desk, glaring at Tsubaki and demanding answers.
"Why are you sitting on that seat!? No one is allowed to sit next to Sasuke-kun!" Ino declared - it was a rule enforced by Sasuke himself, and so became one of the iron-clad laws his fangirls followed.
"You don't mind, do you Sasuke?" Tsubaki asked, glancing to Sasuke who shrugged,
"Do what you want," he told her, which was essentially just his version of agreeing with her,
"See," Tsubaki said pointedly, looking back to the girls who were half-fuming but also, had spotted the opportunity and were not about to let it go,
"Then can I sit with you, tomorrow, Sasuke-kun!? I'll even make you a bento so we can eat lunch together," one of the girls, Aki, suggested.
"Hey, no fair! I want to sit with Sasuke-kun tomorrow!" Sakura snapped, elbowing her way to the front of the group.
"Ugh get lost, billboard brow, no one cares what you want," Ino snapped, and what had been an argument over Sasuke, quickly turned into a brawl between Ino and Sakura. Iruka sighed, heading to the door, it seemed he wouldn't be getting the gossip today, but paused when one of the other - slightly calmer girls asked,
"But why is Tsubaki allowed to sit next to you, Sasuke-kun?"
Sasuke shrugged, turning away from the girls, a habit, Iruka recognised as him being embarrassed. Lucky for him, Tsubaki decided to answer in his stead.
"I just wanted to - since we're friends. It's a pain to wait or him by the gates every day so I figured we could just walk out together. Naruto's going with us today too, so it's just easier to stick together," she explained, like she hadn't just created a whole host of questions in Iruka's head.
So they were meeting by the Academy gates every day? Is that why no one had known they were friends? It's true that those two are on the quieter side of things, but if Naruto was also involved Iruka should have known about it, dammit.
He pushed the indignation away and resolved to ask Naruto about Tsubaki and Sasuke, the next time they went to get ramen together. And with that, he finally walked out of the classroom, having used a good 10 minutes of his free time trying to hear his student's gossip.
That first instance was like a trigger for the Trio, who seemed to be together at every turn, now that Iruka had been made aware of their friendship. They had lunch together on the roof - although most of the conversation was limited to Sasuke and Naruto insulting each other while Tsubaki stepped in when they got too heated.
They sat together in class and worked on group projects together, which really pulled up Naruto's rather unsightly grades, they even went home together, sparring at the training grounds or doing cardio and muscle training until the sun began to go down.
By the way, Iruka was in no way stalking his students, he simply saw them by chance, and asked Naruto a little about it, that was all. He was just concerned, but the Trio seemed to mesh together effortlessly.
And he hadn't forgotten the promise he had silently made to Tsubaki - that if she ever made a friend, he would make sure they would be put in the same team... hopefully, the teams he put forward would be approved by the Hokage.
