Dexter's POV;
Kura-chan was right, the year was as boring as the last three. The only interesting thing, even if slightly unnerving, was the abuse of my Naruto clone. He was never allowed to speak, always got the worst match ups in sparing fights, his schooling material was old and often damaged and he got shouted at for anything he did. He once shifted slightly and had to stand out of class for the rest of the lesson.
Kura-chan already voiced her concerns about a possible change of personality and the risks of keeping him. I'd like to kill him now and then create another one, but this damn Blood Clone developed so many antics and ticks that it would raise suspicion if he suddenly acts differently.
I'm sure as hell, that most people wouldn't even notice if he was gone, but I'm always feeling the Chakra signature of at least two watchful eyes.
One of them is sure to be a ROOT Ninja.
But back to my school life. It's boring, most students aren't worth mentioning. Neji is already in his fate state, TenTen is bashing any female competition and Lee is already on the second to last place from the ranking list. Only Naruto is keeping him away from the bottom.
Lee's only average in written tests and sucks at Kunai throwing. His Taijutsu is good, but he has no technique and, through this, is weaker than most clan kids.
His Chakra control sucks and he isn't able to use either the Kawarimi or Bunshin. Henge seems to work. Must be because the Chakra is only coating the skin and does not move away from the body.
I'm, as expected, still student of the year. Kunai throwing turned out to be easy. Yuugao-nee is training me with targets that are as far away as 50 meters and the targets in school never reached beyond 5 meters.
I also occasionally watched Sasuke. He's the arrogant asshole I often read about in fan fictions.
Mikoto wasn't too happy with this when I told her about Sasuke. But she anticipated this. Fukaku did everything to turn his son into a 'True Uchiha'. This ranged from behavior towards women to acting with none clan people or 'lesser' clans.
Women were slightly more than pets. Funny to watch when they try to play Ninja, but ultimately only there for breeding strong male Uchiha. I understand why Obito wanted to kill them and why Itachi went along with the mission. He must've thought that Sasuke is not yet fully brainwashed. Bad for him, Sasuke is a sexist, narcissist and egoist.
But it's funny as hell to watch him running away from the fangirls.
°Are you speaking to yourself again?°, asked Kura-chan suddenly.
°I thought I was masking my thinking°, I replied. I tend to loose focus and she's then able to listen in to my thoughts.
°You were, but your teacher is asking you to fight Neji. You weren't responding, so I assumed you were lost in your normal reminiscent thoughts°, she explained and I looked up. Colin stood over me with a slight glare.
Again a thing that happened sometimes. She can't stand it that I already know most things she wants to teach and is constantly trying to get me in a bad situation. Mostly it's asking me the hardest questions or pitching me against clan kids. Of course, it isn't working, but she's harming nonetheless. Her asking, and in return my correct answering gives me more and more fangirls. These banshies are....
°Your doing it again°, said Kura-chan slightly annoyed.
“Sorry Colin-sensei, I was lost in thoughts”, I said apologetically.
“Then I'm happy to have you back, did you at least understand what I want you to do?”, she asked, not the least happily.
“Yes, I'm to spar against Neji Hyuuga”, I replied and stood up. Neji was already standing in the middle of the ring. His smug look in place.
“Good, then hurry!”, she said and I walked in front of Neji.
“You may start”.
“You're going to loose, fate dictates it”, he said arrogantly.
“Nope, fate dictates your loose”, I replied.
“No, fate is on my side. A clan-less looser couldn't possibly be blessed with a strong fate”, he said in an attempt to keep his shaky believes on his side.
“Then what are you if I beat you?”, I asked with a grin.
“That would never happen!”, he shouted back and attacked.
°Point for him he's still in his Gentle Fist style. The training he received must've been good°, commented Kura-chan while I dodged his strikes. They were as fast as a full Genin from Uzu. So he isn't all talk. Sadly I'm way faster than that.
I continued to evade his strikes fluidly and his expression got angrier and angrier.
“Stop evading and fight”, he demanded. And tried another set of Hyuuken strikes.
“Nah, let fate give you the opportunity to strike me”, I mocked and he got furious. He then jumped back, made a hand sign and shouted “Byakugan”. The veins near his eyes bulged and his Byakugan activated.
°You think he's able to see through our disguise?°, asked Kura-chan slightly worried. We did test our Henge against the Sharingan and Byakugan, but not this close.
°Hope not, but better end this quickly°, I replied and got into the Uzumaki Raging Whirlpool stance. It's a fighting style that focuses on unpredictable attacks with the whole body. A master looks to be vanishing and reappearing near his opponent, ready to deliver devastating attacks. Attacks from all side are the norm and every body part is a used weapon.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
But I'm not a master, far from it. I'm only a little above Genin. My normal fighting style is more evading and punching with Tsunade's strengthening ability. That coupled with the sporadic use of a Chakra scalpel.
Or using Jutsu and Susano'o.
“Get ready to loose in the name of fate”, he declared and used some kind of Clan technique. His attacks got faster and I felt the concentrated Chakra in his hands.
°You have to evade them, a good hit might undo the special Henge°, warned Kura-chan.
I never had the intention to get hit in the first place, but she was right.
His rush of attacks stopped for a moment and I used that opportunity to give him a head but.
My forehead smashed against his nose and he stumbled back with the sudden assault. A crunch was also audible.
However, I didn't give him the chance to refocus. No, on the contrary, I crouched low and made fast zigzag movements to confuse him. Once near enough I twisted behind him and jumped up, just high enough to be slightly over his head.
I then got into a kneeing position and used booth my knees to fall down on the soft part between shoulder and neck.
The result was brutal. He screamed up in pain and my weight forced him down, giving him another hit when he was between my knees and the ground. I quickly moved and sat on his back, then I grabbed his head and put him into a stranglehold.
His upper body was forced to move with his head and was in no possible condition to continue.
“That's enough, winner Dexter. Dexter, please refrain from doing such heavy attacks. It could have possibly broken both his shoulders and other bones.
And as for you Neji, you let Dexter's attempts to anger you get to your head. The Hyuuken strikes you used could have possibly been lethal”, advised Colin-sensei.
°So she was good with you fighting him when he uses such force?°, fumed Kura-chan.
“Sensei? If he was using lethal force, then why did you not stop the fight?”, I asked.
“I had full trust in you handling the situation”, she replied quickly.
°I smell a lie°, said Kura-chan.
“Soo cool”, came from the sidelines.
“Did you see how easily he took Neji out? I wish he would take me out”, said another one. The world play was one of the worst I've ever heard.
“Whatever, I'll be waiting in my usual place, call me when you need me”, I said with a shrug and walked off. The praise and love declarations thankfully only followed me with sound and not physically.
I never fought Neji after that and he only glared at me. He never spoke to me, to begin with, so no change at all.
A few month later and we had our exam. The written test had a small Genjutsu on it, Naruto's was way stronger. It was easy to break and the test was even easier to solve.
The Shuriken throwing test was against a 7 meters distant target and also quickly over.
It was too easy with Yuugao-nee's training.
The sparing match came after that. We had to fight a helping teacher. His name was Milon and he was bad. I mean seriously bad. Most of the others held out for three minutes, which was the minimum requirement. The clan kids also fought back and TenTen, Lee, Neji and I even beat him.
And I only used high Genin skills.
Just for the records, the Naruto clone was put under a small Genjutsu before the fight started and he missed every attack. The clone is able to get out of these Genjutsu, however, he isn't allowed per order of me.
Anyway, the Jutsu test consisted out of Bunshin, Henge and Kawarimi. Lee only managed the Henge. But his test results and the fight gave him high enough points to still graduate.
It isn't that one test alone can fail you. The combination of every test is what determines your rank.
Kinda like the finals in school. There are a few different finals and each one gives you points. At the end, you must have reached a specific number of points to graduate.
Each of the graduates got a headband and we were free to go. The team assignment will be tomorrow.
°Who do you think will we get?°, asked Kura-chan interested.
°Might Guy°, I replied and felt horror through the mental link.
°Please no, no no no!°, she pleaded but it was useless. Guy was the teacher of Neji, Lee and TenTen, the best male of the year, the worst male of the year and the best female of the year. This is a tactic to help the worst to get better faster. It also meant that I fully know what I'm doing when I tried for the Shinobi of the year spot.
°WHY Dex-kun? Why did you do that to me?°, she asked in a horror filled tone.
°It's not so bad, Guy is one of the strongest Ninja in Konoha°, I said in defense of my future sensei.
°Which makes me kinda worried about the village itself. Why do you even want to get him as your teacher?°, she asked.
°The other main Jonin already have their Genin squad, it would be hard to get a place in those. This one was easy, as I knew the requirements. And the unknown Jonin aren't really something I want to meet. A side char that wasn't even deemed important enough to get screen time in the countless fillers of Naruto can't be good. And I might be able to learn the eight gates°, I explained.
°Sigh, fine. It's not like I could change it anyway. And yes, the gates will be useful, and I might even be able to help you surviving the eighth gate°, she admitted.
°Cool°.
“I'm home”, I said when I opened the door. This is a custom in this world, announcing your arrival, even if no one is at home.
“Welcome Dex-kun, how was your exam?”, asked Yuugao from the kitchen.
“You're already back Yuugao-nee?”, I asked and went to the kitchen, it smelled like chicken.
“Yes, I got off earlier, sadly not enough to get you at the academy. But still enough for us to party. Anko and Kurenai will also come”, she said and gave me a strong hug.
“That's nice. By the way, I'm Shinobi of the year”, I said and Yuugao smiled proudly.
“That's my little brother”, she said and ruffled my hair.
“What will we have for dinner?”, I then asked and eyed the working table.
“Your favorite, fried chicken with backed potatoes”, she said and turned back to prepare the food.
“Cool, let me help you”, I said with joy and got a knife to cut the potatoes.
Half an hour later, we just finished with the preparations, someone knocked on the door.
“Could you please open that for me?”, asked Yuugao-nee. She was still cleaning some plates.
I got to the door, opened it and was promptly engulfed in a hug. Courtesy of Anko.
“Hey Gaki, what's that? I hear you became the Gaki of the year?”, she asked and lifted me off ground.
“Jesh Anpfo-Nephan”, was my muffled reply. While it might be possible to speak with breasts in your face, it gets hard if they are barely clothed and you really have the flesh in your mouth from the hug.
“Stop that, that tickles”, she joked but still carried me into the house, never releasing me from her strange hold.
“Anko-chan you're suffocating him”, said another female from behind Anko. It was Kurenai, someone I don't like, but still have to bear with.
“Shush it Kure-chan. He's now an adult, many would be glad to be in his position. It will do him good,” shot Anko back and buried me deeper in her cleavage, just to bring her point across.
°You enjoy that don't you?°, accursed Kura-chan from within my head.
°Really Kura-chan? I mean breasts are one hell of a good thing, but I now have you. This is only a forced situation and it's not like I can feel anything. She's pressing me so hard against her chest, that I only feel her muscles°, was my reply.
°Still, you did not evade her°, she shot back.
°Which would blow my cover, she used high Chunin speed to glomp me°, I argued.
°Fine, but you do know that you have me for such activities?°, she said.
°I would never ignore the holy tails and you for such unworthy things as other females°, I assured her.
“I think he blacked out”, said a concerned voice from next to me and I noticed that I spaced out again.
Anko had already put me down and Kurenai was looking at me, while Yuugao-nee bonked Anko over the head.
“I'm sorry, I was just so excited. The Gaki got first place in every exam. First place!”, tried Anko to explain but Yuugao was not having it. Anko got a glare and was then left standing in the corner, literally.
“How is he?”, she then asked Kurenai.
“I'm fine Yuugao-nee. Don't be so mean to Anko, she was just happy for me”, I said and sat up.
“Right, I was just happy for him”, came from the corner.
“That does not allow you to use my little brother as your hug toy. Go in a bar if you need it that much”, shot Yuugao-nee back.
“I don't think that Anko had the intentions to sleep with me”, I commented.
“And even if, there is no way that I would sleep with her”, I added.
“Right right, the Gaki may look cute, but I would never... Hey, what do you mean you would never sleep with me? Am I not good enough?”, shouted Anko from her corner.
“Quiet, no one will sleep with my little brother”, shot Yuugao back with a glare.
°I do°, chimed Kura-chan in, not that Yuugao-nee could hear her.
“As much as this amuses me, please let's speak about something else”, came then from Kurenai.
“Like the graduation presents. Here Dexter-kun”, she added and gave me a box.
“Thank you Kurenai-san”, I said politely and opened the box. Inside was a set of new Shuriken and Kunai, as well as some soldier pills.
“While I don't think that you will need them anytime soon, it's still something that every good Ninja needs”, she said with a smile.
“Oh right, the present. I also got one”, came from Anko, who rushed out of her corner and pushed a bag in my hand.
I looked inside and found a mesh shirt and the same trench coat that she wears.
“With this, you will look as cool as me”, she said with her chest pushed out. And I was reminded that she wasn't wearing anything under her mash shirt.
“Are you trying to make a mini Anko?”, asked Yuugao-nee and put her hands over my eyes.
“What? No! The coat is just awesome and a mesh shirt is stylish”, defended Anko her present.
“I hope so, I can't allow you to corrupt my Dex-kun”, said Yuugao-nee.
“Kurenai-chan, can you help me with dinner?”, she then asked and they both walked into the kitchen.
“Hey Gaki, ask when you want to learn how to interrogate someone. I might be able to show you around T&I”, said Anko once they were gone.
“Thanks, Anko-nee”, I said with a smile.
We then ate together and they told me about the things I will expect in my carer as a Ninja. That I'm going to be stuck with D-ranks at first and that I have to stay vigilant once I leave the village.
The next day I was back at the academy. This will be the end of my boring school days and start the next phase of my plans. Next goal, learning the eight gates.