When I woke up I was 5 years old.

"Kashime! Come down right this instant young man!"

Groggily getting up from my bunk, whiping sleep from my eyes, I tried to make sense of my surroundings.

The room was lit by the rays of the morning sun, which revealed a long bedroom. Ten wooden beds, each one meter apart from the next, lined up along the wall. Children of varying ages currently occupying those beds, still sleeping.

"I'm not going to say it again Kashime! Don't make me get up the stairs!"

A woman's voice. Looking down my body, I saw that I was already dressed. I guess I must've slept with my clothes on.

Not wanting to make the demanding lady downstairs wait, I opened the door at the end of the room into a long corridor, which led to more doors and a set of stairs, which led me down towards my caller.

She was a young woman with light-brown hair and green eyes lacking irisis. She wore square glasses and a white apron over a black loose-fitting suit.

"There you are! We are already quite late! If we want to make it in time we have to go now!"

Jesus Christ, how can one woman be so loud?

She took my hand and practically dragged me out the door and into the street. Still sleepy I didn't really register where we were going until we suddenly stood before a large and opened red door. A cluster of children before us squeezing into a large foyer where other children loitered around, many with their parents, but some without.

"There we are Kashime. Now, the others are already inside and have registered. Make sure you tell the chunin instructor you're name and he'll enter you into the application list. Good luck."

And with that she left me there alone and returned the way she came from.

What did she say? Chunin instructor? Okay. I see. Yeah no big deal.

So I went inside pressing between the other children who apparently were as late as me and looked for a man in a green flack jacket.

When I found him sitting at a desk behind a glass I got a curt "Name?" and said "Kashime" as that was supposedly my name.

"Which Kanji?"

"I don't know" I said back with a shrug.

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"I just don't."

"You don't know the Kanji for your name?"

"No."

"... Okay, well we have to write something down."

"Just write whatever."

"Just whatever?"

"Yeah. Whatever."

"...Okay. What about this." And he showed me his list with what I guessed was my name at the bottom written in some japanese Kanji.

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I nodded and he noddded back.

"Well don't just stand there. There are more behind you. Testing will start in fifteen minutes."

I walked away from his desk and leaned against a wall somewhere. Excited children talking with their parents. Excited children talking to other excited children. A droning babble.

I closed my eyes and tried to think. Obviously this was Konohagakure. This was the Academy. Somehow I knew my age. Huh.

"Mommy, I will be Hokage. I promise!" Right next to my ear kid. Settle down. I'm trying to think.

"Of course you will honey." That woman had the gall to smile. You're child is an accoustic terrorist and you are smiling.

"Pff. First he has to become genin. Let's see if he can manage that. If he can even get into the academy." Okay man, way to bring the mood down.

"Waaaah!"

Please lord have mercy. Make him stop. I hate cryers.

And suddenly, my prayers were answered. Another man in a green jacket appeared at the entrance by the red doors. He called with a booming voice: "Everyone, the physical examination will begin shortly! Parents will have to leave now. Prospective students are going to follow me into the outside training yard."

We followed him outside and physical tests began.

With running. Which I was very bad at. After two minutes I started to sweat profusely. Looking around I saw other children having problems like me and others having seemingly no problems whatsoever practically sprinting ahead.

After five minutes I was done. I couldn't go any further. Pathetic really.

I wasn't the first to give up, but I sure as hell wasn't doing well overall.

The examinator jotted something down on his little board and I stood to the side.

This wasn't going well. Am I already deemed not good enough to become an academy student?

After thirty minutes the exercise was called to an end. Most children were out by now. But some were still going. Some didn't look winded at all. Clan children.

Next up were different kinds of physical activities. We jumped, we climbed, we were made to do squats and pull-ups. Whatever we did, none of these I excelled at. There were some worse than me, but I was definetly at the bottom of the pack.

Finally everyone was afforded 10 minutes of rest.

"Next up we are going to evaluate everyones fighting prowess and talent. I will start calling out names together with a number corresponding to the matching training field. When you hear your name, you will go to the corresponding field to fight. Fights are fought 1-on-1. A chunin referee will tell you when to start and when to stop. You will not disregard the referees call, whichever that may be. Clear?"

Nods all around.

"I will begin calling names"

"Ashisani Kyokoto vs. Mumari Shutoki, Field 1"

"Isekita Uno vs. Hinata Hyuga, Field 2"

"Waka Takaka vs. Naririma, Field 3"

"..."

"..."

"..."

I was getting sleepy again. Still exhausted from the exercise, the name Hinata Hyuga barely registered with me. After what seemed like minutes, I was finally called.

"Kashime vs. Suruta Noyomi, Field 34"

Whoever that was. I got up and walked towards Field 34. When I got there, my opponent was already standing on the field ready to go. Did he rush to get here?

As I slowed down my walk I took a closer look at who seemed to be Suruta Noyomi. He looked eager, hopping in one place, his eyes full of energy. Propably a centimeter or two taller than me. A little heavier too.

Still. He was five years old. How hard could it be to beat up a five year old?

As I arrived at the field Suruta vigorously started nodding in my direction. "Come on! Let's do this already!"

Please just be quiet.

"Kashime vs. Suruta Noyomi. Ready? Ready? Begin!"

And with that Suruta started rushing me. As I saw his fist coming I raised my arms to block the punch. I blocked it, but it still hurt like hell!

Occupied with my hurting arm I didn't register Surutas left fist approaching my face. I cried out in pain as the punch connected with my right eyesocket. For some reason Suruta cried out too.

As I covered my eye I looked up and saw Suruta went to one knee, clutching his hand. Was it broken?

Doesn't matter. This was my chance. Shrugging away the pain I ran at him. As he looked up he cried: "Wait, wait!"

And then I kicked him in the face. He fell on his back and tried to scurry away. While he tried to get up he turned his back on me and I got a hold around his torso. As I pulled him down he hit me with his elbow, right were he punched me before and we got seperated again.

My eye was bleeding now. Suruta still was clutching his hand.

"I'll kill you! You broke my hand!"

"What?"

"You broke my hand you fiend!"

"Okay."

"You...! Aaargh!" He was rushing me again. I raised my arms again to block, but this time he just tackled me down. As we both landed on the ground he tried to get on top of me, but I grabbed a handfull of dirt and shoved it in his face. While he held his eyes I got up and on top of him and started pummeling his face with my elbows.

"STOP! Match is over. Winner is Kashime!"

As I got up, breathing heavily, I looked at my opponent. He was crying.