Chapter 1:::In the Beginning
A ten year old blond haired blue eyed boy with the most peculiar markings on his face, three whisker marks on each cheeks, watched his classmate play ninja, sadly. No one had asked him to play and he was left alone, sitting on the wooden swing under the big oak tree by the academy. It was lunch time and everyone was playing with each other. Except for Shikamaru and Chouji, who were sitting on a bench near by. Shikamaru was looking at clouds and Chouji was eating, but at least they were asked to play.
He sighed, and kicked the dirt with his hovering foot.
"Why are you sitting by yourself Naruto-kun?" Asked a happy, but curious voice.
Naruto looked up and saw his classmate, Nami, standing next to him with a smile on her face. She was one of the only people in class that didn't laugh at him when he did something wrong. She was always nice to him, of course she was nice to everyone.
She was pretty, but it was hard to tell with all the dirt on her face and baggy clothes she wore. Nami was what you would call a tomboy. Instead of picking flowers with the other girls, she was picking fights with the boys. She worried more about winning a fight then wearing pretty clothes. That's why she really didn't care that her turquoise colored hair was a mess and stuck up at all ends. All of the other girls were growing their hair long, but Nami kept hers short, so it stayed out of her face. Her clothes weren't cute at all. She was wearing a black and gray jacket, brown Capri pants, and black sandal-shoes.
Naruto looked around, as if expecting to see another Naruto.
Nami rolled her eyes and pushed him on the shoulder. "Yes, I'm talking to you. Now are you going to answer the question or not?"
Naruto crossed his arms and made a face. "I didn't want to play the stupid game."
Nami nodded skeptically. "Right."
"Hey Nami-chan! Come on! Forget that loser, let's get the game going!" A boy with spiky black hair yelled in her direction.
Naruto's fists clenched around the swings ropes. Nami looked at him, then at the black haired boy, Montaro.
She waved a hand. "No, you guys play, I'm going to eat my lunch now!"
All the guys groaned. "But now the teams are uneven!" Montaro yelled.
Nami shook her head with a smile on her face. "Nu-uh silly, Naruto-kun can play! Then the teams will be even!"
Montaro rolled his eyes. "Fine! Come on Naruto, your on my team!"
Naruto jumped up happily and ran over to the group of boys. Nami smiled softly and sat down on the now unoccupied swing, glad that Naruto got a chance to play. She opened her lunch bag, that she left near the tree, and looked at what her father had packed her for lunch. She gave a small laugh when she saw how much he made, at least six bento boxes were inside, and some pocky.
Dad, you over did it again. I can't possibly eat this much. Nami sighed and looked around. She suddenly smiled, standing up. She ran over to the bench Shikamaru and Chouji were sitting.
"Hey Chouji-kun! Want to have some of my lunch?" She asked holding the bag in front of her.
Chouji sat up straighter and smiled at her. "Sure"
She sat down next to him and opened the lunch bag, taking out many boxed lunches, only taking one for herself. Chouji took the rest.
"You want some pocky, Shiki-kun?" Nami asked holding out a pocky stick. Shikamaru winced and sat up, ignoring the candy she was holding.
"I told you not to call me that...how troublesome."
Nami rolled her eyes. "Your name is way too long, It's easier for me to shorten it. You don't like it, too bad. So you want any of my lunch, my dad made too much." She asked eating a rice ball.
Shikamaru blinked. "Your dad does the cooking, shouldn't your mom be doing that?"
Nami laughed. "No way, my mom wouldn't be caught dead in a kitchen, she'd burn our house down. And my sister Okiyou is too much of an air head to even remember that we have a kitchen. That leaves me and dad. I usually make breakfast, but he makes lunch, then be both make dinner together."
"Are your parents shinobi, Nami-chan?" Chouji asked with a mouthful of food.
"'Kassan is a Chuunin, 'tousan used to be a Jounin for the Mist, but he quit when we came to Konoha and became a chef, it was a big change but he doesn't really care, and now Okiyou-neesan doesn't have to become a ninja, not that she wanted to, she worries more about how she looks above anything else. She's weird."
"Oh, I don't know, she sounds less weird than you."
Nami turned and looked the blond haired girl behind her. Nami crossed her arms and smirked. "No one could be weirder than me Ino. You should know that by now. Where's Sakura?"
Ino crossed her arms. "Why would I know where billboard-brow is?"
Nami blinked. "I...thought you two were friends..."
Ino shook her head and fire burned in her eyes, though not literally. "Me and Sakura are sworn enemies. Ever since I learned that she likes my precious Sasuke-kun!"
Nami raised an eyebrow. "Sasuke, Uchiha Sasuke? Why in the world would anyone like him?" She looked at Chouji, he shrugged and continued to eat.
Sparkles and hearts seemed to form around Ino, once again not literally, only in the minds eye. She held her two joined hands over her heart. "Sasuke-kun is the ideal shinobi, he's smart, brave, strong, handsome-"
"Arrogant, rude, doesn't speak to anyone, thinks that he's better than everyone, but he's not." Nami interrupted.
Ino glared. "Shut up Nami! You don't understand! You might as well be a boy, you already look and act like one! You'll never be able to get a boyfriend that reaches Sasuke's level!" With that said she turned on her heal and walked, or stomped, away.
Shikamaru, who by now and closed his eyes leaning against the bad of the bench, opened one eye to look at Nami. "You're not going to cry are you?"
Nami laughed. "Because of what Ino said? No. Cause I know she's right. I do act like a boy, and I can care less about my appearance. And It doesn't matter to me if I get a boyfriend or not. Anyway...what's so cool about Sasuke, I think the rest of the guys in class are just as cool." She pinched Shikamaru's cheek and smirked. "Especially you Shiki-kun!"
Chouji laughed and Shikamaru slapped her hand away. "Quit it!" There was a thin blush on his cheeks.
Nami laughed and turned in her seat so that she was upside down. She sighed and closed her eyes, only to open then again when the bell rang. She stood up on her hands, then flipped onto her feet.
"Come on, lets go to class!" She ran back into the academy.
Shikamaru sighed and stood up, shoving his hands in his pockets. Chouji followed, picking up the last lunch box and pocky Nami forgot.
"Why is she so excited, she usually sleeps during class." Shikamaru muttered walking into the academy with Chouji.
Chouji shrugged. "Maybe she wants to pay attention today?"
Shikamaru shrugged and they entered the classroom, taking their seats in the middle column, second row. Nami was sitting in her usual seat in the last row with Kiba on her left, both were already asleep.
By the time class was over, Iruka-sensei had asked Naruto, Nami, Shikamaru, Chouji, and Kiba to stay behind. They had either slept during class, left before class was over, or ate in class. Overall, not playing attention to Iruka-sensei
Nami yawned and looked up at Iruka-sensei, his left eye was twitching and his teeth were clentched..
"You guys...you guys lack concentration!" He said angrily. "You can't become excellent ninjas at this rate!"
"I can't just stay put at a desk, right Akamaru?" The little white puppy a top of Kiba's head barked in agreement.
Nami nodded. "There's a whole world out there, you can't expect us to stay in one place all our lives. That's not what ninjas do. This is wasting my time, I could be training."
Shikamaru just yawned loudly and Chouji rubbed his stomach. "I'm hungry."
"Sensei, please keep your lecture short." Naruto muttered, eyes closed.
Nami smirked when Iruka-sensei got angrier. It was funny seeing the vein on the side of his head pulse. He raised 'The Angry Fist'. Nami almost laughed.
"You guys...I'm going to have an after school class to improve your concentration!"
"What?" All five groaned.
Nami's eyes tried to look at her forehead when Iruka-sensei suddenly threw a leaf there. He did the same with the four boys next to her.
Iruka was holding up a sixth leaf, looking smug.
"A leaf?" Nami muttered.
"What is this?" Naruto questioned.
"What you're about to do is what generations of Konoha ninjas have practiced to hone their concentration. This exercise is to concentrate all your energy on the leaf on your head and mold up Chakra. It's an old tradition to concentrate on just the leaf so that your mind doesn't get distracted. Olny those who've worked hard on their concentration can become excellent ninjas. The Konoha emblem on the head protector comes from that." Iruka answered, watching them intently.
"That sounds fake." Naruto muttered.
Shikamaru opened his eyes. "Are you lying to try and motivate us?"
"If so it's not really working." Nami muttered, stifling a yawn behind her hand.
Iruka once again held up a fist. "It's not fake! It's true."
"Are you able to become an excellent ninja just by working hard on your concentration?" Kiba questioned.
Naruto agreed. "An excellent ninja is one who's strong."
Nami nodded. "That's how you win fights, when you're strong and can beat the other guy's face in."
"That makes sense." Chouji agreed.
"This is what I think of this..." Naruto blew the leaf off his forehead. Nami smirked and did the same.
Iruka looked at them with wide eyed outrage. All five ten year olds ran out of the school.
"Goodbye Iruka-sensei!" Nami yelled, waving as she jumped out the window first, then Shikamaru.
"Hey, wait up, you guys!" Iruka yelled.
"Yeah right!" Naruto yelled jumping out next.
Followed by Kiba and Akamaru. "Don't have time to do that!" Chouji came after him.
Iruka stopped at the window. "Hey! You ungrateful idiots!"
Nami laughed. "We love you too Iruka-sensei!"
The five of them finally stopped running once they reached the gate of the Academy.
"Yat-ta! Did you see his face?!" Naruto started laughing. Nami did too, but not as loud. "Now what?!" He asked.
Shikamaru sighed. "I have to go home, can't be late or I'll have to face my mom."
Chouji rubbed his stomach. "I'm going home too, dinner will be dome by now, I'm starved."
"Yeah, I gotta go home too." Kiba said scratching Akamaru behind the ears.
They each walked down different roads. Nami stood on her tip toes and waved. "Buy guys! See you tomorrow!"
Naruto looked down sadly. "I bet you have to go home too, right?"
Nami smiled. "Nope! Or at least I don't think so. 'kassan out on a mission, 'tousan working, and Okiyou-neesan is staying at a friends. So I can stay out as late as I want. So Naruto-kun, want to go get some Ramen? My treat!"
Naruto smiled widely and nodded. "Yay! Ramen! Lets go!" He grabbed Nami's arm and dragged her to the ramen shop.
After that night Naruto and Nami became really good friends; she really got on Naruto's good side when she bought him six bowls of beef Ramen.
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