Whatever he expected from the Academy, it certainly wasn't…this.

Kinjo didn't expect a grand ceremony filled with adoring civilians and the Hokage himself. After all, the only remarkable thing about his class was Itachi, who looked impassive as he led the pack.

However, he did expect some sort of entrance assembly. Or at least some kind of presentation or tour of the Academy for the new students. Instead, he barely had time to wave to his father and sister before he and his four dozen classmates were marched into a classroom.

The Academy was large and spacious, with over a dozen different rooms, an outdoor training ground, a practice range, and a small library. Everything looked new, from the shiny hallway floors to the fresh white paint on the walls. Kinjo could tell that the Academy had been remodeled or built recently while walking through the campus.

After he and the others were ushered into one of the larger classrooms, Kinjo awaited quietly in his seat while the room was filled with the loud noise of chatter. Izumi found him a few seconds after they had entered and sat beside him with an excited grin. "We're finally going to be shinobi!"

"After six years," Kinjo answered, drumming his fingers on the desk. "Maybe if we do well, they'll let us graduate early."

"I need to practice my ninjutsu then…."

"Settle down!" A man shouted as he limped to the front of the classroom, causing the noise to fade. He was middle-aged with an eyepatch on his right eye, his sole functioning eye glaring at the students around him. His silver hair glistened from the sunlight coming through the windows. "Welcome to the Academy, squirts. The name is Taku, and I am your chunin instructor for the rest of your time in this place."

"My job is to teach you everything you need to survive and thrive as a shinobi. I am not here to be your friend, nor am I here to coddle you. You will learn to outsmart, outpower, and kill your enemies under my tutelage. If you cannot keep up, you will work harder to graduate and become a fine shinobi of Konoha. Am I clear?"

"Yes, sensei." Kinjo, Izumi, and a handful of others were the only ones that answered him clearly. The reactions from the rest of the class were mixed.

Taku snapped, a crackle of electricity sparking between his fingers. The loud noise made several students jump in their seats. "Am I clear?"

"Yes, sensei!" The children answered enthusiastically, with a tinge of fear.

Kinjo studied the chunin with narrowed eyes. His teacher was undoubtedly different than what he had imagined.

Then again, Konoha was still at war with Kumo. Perhaps the Academy emphasized discipline and hard work to prepare future generations better for the war effort.

"If you thought that your first day here would be relaxing and meeting new people, then you are wrong." Taku declared.

At that moment, a short boy with gray hair walked through the doors and handed the chunin instructor a stack of papers. He walked down the aisles and passed them out, speaking loudly as he went. "This is a practical assessment to test your knowledge before you begin your official classes at this Academy. This will not affect your placement within the class, but you should finish this test to the best of your abilities."

When Kinjo received it, he saw the sheet was filled with difficult questions that covered a variety of subjects. There were thirty questions in total, and none were multiple choice.

"You may begin. You have ninety minutes."

Kinjo read the first question in detail and frowned. 'Why did Kumo launch a dastardly invasion of Konoha shortly after the death of Lord Fourth? Explain the historical grievances between the two villages and the reasons for the outbreak of war.'

"Guess I shouldn't be surprised… They're training us to be a Konoha shinobi." Kinjo muttered under his breath as he jotted down what he remembered from his history book.

He recalled the rivalry between Konoha and Kumo was traced back to the destruction of Uzushiogakure. Kumo invaded the Land of Whirlpools with Kiri and razed it, wiping out one of Konoha's chief allies during the height of the Second Shinobi War. When Kumo attempted to build an outpost on top of Uzu's ruins, Konoha intervened, and the war escalated quickly. After that, relations between the two villages were cold even on the best days…

Kinjo quickly wrote everything down and read through his answer again. The book was published months before the death of the Fourth Hokage, but it would have to do. He quickly moved on after noticing that five minutes had passed.

'When is it acceptable to kill civilians? Give a specific example that supports your claims.'

Kinjo blinked.

He decided to skip that question for the end and moved on to the next question. It had a picture of a large cylinder with two cones on each end, along with various measurements.

'Your assassination target is hiding in a grain silo similar to the above figure. Based on the measurements, what cubic feet volume is needed to drown your target?"

"Every question is going to be about fucking murder; I swear," Kinjo swore silently. After running through a few equations, he had his answer.

He peeked over at Izumi, who was still staring at the first question blankly. Before moving on, he patted her on the arm and gave her a thumbs-up.

She revealed a strained smile before looking back at her empty test paper.

Regardless of his personal feeling on the matter, he continued the test and finished several minutes before the deadline.

The only other person to finish before him was Itachi, who maintained an aloof expression while staring out the window.

----------------------------------------

The rest of his time at the Academy was filled with lectures by Taku. Since Kinjo and his classmates were new, they were expected to spend the first year at the school in the classrooms with some physical training weaved in between the classes.

There were one hundred Shinobi Rules that they were required to memorize. Some were simple, such as Rule Number Four: "A shinobi must always put the mission first." Others were longer and more extreme, such as Rule Number Eighty-One: "A shinobi must destroy any opposition that threatens their village, without exceptions."

Apparently, such was life for a shinobi. They were even required to carry around little green books with the Shinobi Rules to memorize.

Towards the end of the lecture on the rules, a chunin walked in and spoke with Taku privately for several minutes before the white-haired instructor restarted his talk.

"Alright, squirts. I will now go over why we're being attacked by the scums in Kumo. Apparently, most of you don't know anything about the current war, so it is now my job to keep you informed. Before I explain the reasons behind Kumo's aggression, are Uchiha Itachi and Takashi Kinjo here?"

Itachi stood up immediately. Kinjo could not see his expression, but he was sure that the older boy was calm and collected.

Meanwhile, Kinjo took several seconds to stand. His eyes were fixed on his chunin instructor as he smoothed his shirt.

Izumi noticed Kinjo's reaction and patted him on the arm comfortingly.

"The head instructor is looking for both of you. Go to the meeting room by classroom #208 immediately."

Kinjo hurried from his desk to the sliding doors, giving Izumi a hesitant grin before walking through.

When he stepped outside, he glanced at the room numbers and looked around the hallway.

"It's that way."

He flinched, turning around quickly to find a raven-haired boy with obsidian eyes.

It was the boy genius himself.

Kinjo stood silently for a few moments before opening his mouth to speak. "Hi, I'm…."

"Takashi Kinjo. I know, I heard the instructor."

With that, Itachi walked away, presumably towards their destination.

"So much for light conversations," Kinjo uttered as he followed his counterpart. "They're probably calling me in with Itachi because I did well on the written exam. I did graduate college, after all…."

He entered the room shortly after Itachi. Two adults awaited their arrival inside the small room, which was furnished with a large oak desk and several chairs. A young man with black hair and sharp onyx eyes was seated in one of the chairs, while a beautiful woman with brown hair and pupilless brown eyes stood next to him. Both of them sported flak jackets.

All the eyes in the room turned to the duo as they stiffly stood in front of the shinobi.

"Uchiha Itachi and Takashi Kinjo. I am chunin instructor Mimura Hamaki, and this is head instructor Yamanaka Asami. I believe you're aware of why we called you here?" The male shinobi asked.

"Takashi and I did well on our written test," Itachi stated, a hint of confidence in his voice.

"Correct," She stated as she observed the two. "Itachi, you received a perfect score. Kinjo, you missed two questions. However, only two other students answered even ten correctly."

"Most of that test was from a written exam the sixth-years took last year. Which means, intelligence-wise, you two are smart enough to graduate."

"Which questions did I get wrong?' Kinjo interjected as he looked at Itachi.

"The cryptology question and the question involving fuinjutsu."

"Oh."

"Back to what we were saying," She dropped into the seat across Hamaki. "As the head instructor, I have decided to allow the two of you to take a mock graduation exam. If you pass this mock exam, you will be allowed to take the actual graduation exams after you finish the necessary courses required for a genin."

"I will take charge of Kinjo's test," Hamaki announced. "Itachi, you will be overseen by the head instructor. However, we will be at the same place for the first part of the test."

A few minutes later, the group was at the outdoor training ground with Itachi facing off against Kinjo for the taijutsu portion of the exams. Kinjo gulped as Itachi smoothly entered his stance.

"As is tradition, please make the Seal of Confrontation by raising your index and middle finger." The head instructor requested.

Both students raised their fingers at each other. Kinjo narrowed his eyes at Itachi, whose face remained unchanged.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Kinjo finally shifted into his default form: a blend of taekwondo and Araki-ryu, an old fighting style Izumi taught him.

"You may begin."

No one moved for several seconds. The stares of the two instructors hung heavily in the air as Kinjo shifted his arms to block any blows to his core while keeping his hands open. Itachi observed him briefly before appearing in front of him in a flash.

A fist struck Kinjo's nose, and a kick crushed his stomach. An elbow nicked his head as he slammed into the ground, stirring dust into the air. Specks flew into his eye, causing him to close his eyes as tears threatened to spill out.

Struggling blindly, his hands managed to grasp Itachi's leg and pulled while pushing himself up with a yell. The stinging in his nose faded as something smashed into his shoulder.

Kinjo tumbled onto the ground again, his right hand instinctively floating to his numb shoulder. He finally opened his eyes, his surroundings blurred by Itachi's frown.

Barely avoiding a stomp to his chest, Kinjo rolled away and rose onto his feet with shaky legs. Sand clung off his arms, and every grain was a pound of weight dragging him back to the earth.

He swiped at Itachi's neck, only to find air and a kick he shielded with his arm.

His heart pounded louder.

Kinjo lashed out with a kick, scraping Itachi's unprotected leg as he was whacked in the temple by another punch.

His legs were swept off the ground before he could grab Itachi's neck, his final attack parried with a simple side-step.

He came to with a mouth full of sand and old breakfast. The dizziness made it difficult to swallow.

"Winner, Itachi." The head instructor declared, nodding towards the victor. "Now carry out the Seal of Reconciliation by linking your fingers like a handshake to end the fight."

Kinjo weakly raised the fingers on his right hand and stumbled towards Itachi. His counterpart frowned deeply but locked fingers with him and shook them.

"Good fight," Kinjo croaked.

"You too," Itachi deadpanned.

The pair were separated shortly after, with Kinjo heading off to the practice range with Mimura while Itachi went into an empty classroom with the head instructor.

----------------------------------------

"He's a once-in-a-generation prodigy, that's for sure," Hamaki commented as he looked through his superior's assessment of Itachi. "He has no faults. Perfect scores in every part of the test, and he completely destroyed Kinjo during the spar. Poor kid."

"Kinjo needs much more work on his taijutsu," Asami admitted. "Though, I don't think any student in this Academy can beat Itachi in a spar. However, we are not here to praise the Uchiha Clan's new rising star. We are here to assess two students fairly and decide their placement."

The chunin were back in the meeting room after Kinjo and Itachi had finished their mock exams. The two boys were outside while they waited for the instructor's decision. Piles of notes about their assessment of the students were scattered across the table, and files filled with the students' personal information were also present.

Asami read out the student file for the other chunin to hear. "Takashi Kinjo. Born to a civilian family. None of his family members are shinobi, yet he scored higher than most sixth-years on that test. Nobody is expected to pass that test as a first-year."

The written mock test was a war-time standard to spot bright students who could graduate early. Despite the grandstanding for the other nations, Konoha needed more shinobi desperately. They were still recovering from the Nine-Tails Attack, the day which dozens of chunin and jonin perished. Not to mention the war against Kumo due to Kumo's 'military intervention' into the Land of Hot Water after the Yukage was mysteriously assassinated shortly after Lord Fourth's death.

Konoha couldn't show weakness, especially not during these troubling times.

She had heard rumors about Itachi and expected him to pass, but Kinjo was a nobody. The fact that he nearly achieved a perfect score despite being from a poor, civilian family was… enlightening.

"So his intelligence can be scored as an S?"

Each student had a rank assigned to every skill and trait after their third year at the Academy. It was scaled to the Academy's standards, though it offered a glimpse of a student's potential. Itachi and Kinjo were exceptions, as they had taken the mock graduation exam and considered advanced for their age.

S was the highest rank for an Academy student, high enough that their abilities in that area were considered better than the average genin. F was the lowest, meaning the student had almost no future in that area.

"A, for now. Kinjo has a few holes in his knowledge, but otherwise, he's astonishingly intelligent."

"I agree with your grading of his taijutsu abilities: a D." Hamaki placed his own thoughts into the report. "He has potential and grit, but he needs more training. His form was sloppy, and his attacks were all over the place. He couldn't do anything against a superior opponent."

Asami winced while recalling the brutal scene. The civilian-born student was utterly trounced by his opponent, and the fight lasted less than a minute. "When Itachi landed the first two blows, he nearly missed his elbow strike out of sheer surprise. I think he expected Kinjo to fight better since he thought Kinjo was a prodigy like himself."

"He managed to hook Itachi's legs, but he got pushed down again after a shoulder hit. After that, it was just Itachi dismantling whatever was left of his defense. I saw Kinjo land maybe two hits during the entire fight." Hamaki interjected casually.

She nodded. "What about the rest of the mock exam? Any more flashes of brilliance from him?"

Hamaki cleared his throat. "His accuracy with the shuriken and kunai was average. I gave it a C. He hit the target most of the time, though only about half of his throws landed on vitals. He managed to break the genjutsu I discreetly put on him by overloading his chakra, which seemed a bit accidental but effective. Genjutsu is a C, though that is only for breaking genjutsu."

"Can he not cast genjutsu?"

"I'll get to that in a second," Hamaki continued. "As for the three basic jutsu, he could only do one: the Transformation Jutsu. He managed to use the jutsu without a hitch, and his transformation looked exactly like me except for a few minor details. His chakra control is a bit underwhelming, but not the worst. It'll improve over time, so I gave him a C in ninjutsu. However, I don't expect him to be competent in casting genjutsu soon."

"What about his capacity?"

He was the only instructor in the Academy who was a natural sensor. "Certainly well-above average. In fact, besides his intelligence, his chakra reserves are the only thing comparable to Itachi. I ranked it as a B."

She loudly tapped her fingers on the table. "So Kinjo is not a prodigy."

"Correct."

"But he has potential?"

"He's much more mature than the other kids in his class, other than Itachi, of course. He has the fortitude and attitude to improve quickly. If we encourage him to nurture and develop his fundamental shinobi skills, I believe we can have a capable shinobi within a few short years."

"And since he's already book-smart, he can solely focus on improving other skills, such as taijutsu and ninjutsu," Asami finished, her fingers coming to a halt. "I was going to send Kinjo back to his original class. However, I think he might be better off training with kids older than him."

"Adapt, or die."

She rolled her eyes. "We're not Kiri. If Kinjo doesn't adapt, we'll send him back to his original class. For now, stick him in a class with fourth years and report his progress back to me in a month."

"Of course, ma'am. As for Itachi?"

"Have him join the sixth years. He'll be graduating after he finishes the required courses."

----------------------------------------

"What happened?" Izumi cried as she fretted over Kinjo.

"Itachi happened." Kinjo flinched as her hand brushed a large bruise on his right arm. "He destroyed me in the spar for the mock exam."

Classes had finished early for the day, and the two were making their way toward the Uchiha Compound to continue their training. Kinjo's body ached at the thought, but he gritted his teeth and continued his march. He directed his mind to soak in the sunny spring weather and the pleasant aroma of buns and rice as the duo passed through the outskirts of the business district near the Hokage Tower.

"Oooh, that Itachi. I'm going to beat him up the next time I see him. Nobody hurts my friends!"

Kinjo waved his hand. "It was a practice spar, and he was better than me. Besides, you've beaten me up more than he has."

Not to mention, he only had a few months of training under his belt. Itachi had been training for years, hence the massive gap between them in terms of skill. He was also in the process of finding a suitable fighting style, something he would need to work on immediately.

"I was teaching you, not beating you up," Izumi retorted. "Is that why you were gone for the whole day? The mock exam thing?"

"Nope, I got put into a class with fourth-years."

"Fourth-years? You're skipping the first three years?"

"Yep."

She frowned, "That means we're not going to be in the same class."

"I'll still train with you every day, and we can still eat lunch together." Kinjo pointed out.

"I guess… Why can't I join the fourth-years too? I'm better than you at sparring and throwing kunai!"

"I got a near-perfect score on the written exam. That means I can focus my training on taijutsu and ninjutsu instead of reading all day like the other first-years."

"Then help me study too!" Izumi grabbed his arm and looked at him with widened eyes. "Please?"

Kinjo winced as he heard something crack in his shoulder. "Sure, just… take it easy on the arm, please."

"Oops, sorry." She let go of his arm with a sheepish grin. "I knew you were smart, but I didn't know you were that smart. So today, let's go to my house, and you can help me study until dinner!"

"We can study after we do our usual training."

"But you're bruised and injured all over!"

"It's fine," Kinjo assured. "I need to train. I can't reach Itachi's level unless I train more."

Izumi frowned. "Ok, but we're still going to study today. I'm going to get really smart and join your class."

"I'll make sure to be the best teacher so you can move up quickly."

Before they could enter the Uchiha Compound, the duo was stopped by an expressionless boy standing just in front of the gate.

He raised an eyebrow. "Itachi."

"Kinjo." Itachi acknowledged with a curt nod. He stared at Izumi, tilting his head questioningly.

Izumi glanced back at him, her cheeks reddening by the second. She ran past Itachi without looking back, "I'll meet you at the practice range!"

It seemed the ship was sailing faster than he had expected.

An awkward silence engulfed the boys as they looked at each other pensively.

"Yes?" Kinjo asked as he lightly rubbed his sore nose.

Itachi stared but refused to say anything.

Kinjo sighed. "Apology accepted. I didn't even get to say hello before you beat me up."

"It was a test."

"A test that I wasn't ready for, especially not against a genius."

That drew a small stir from Itachi. "You are also a genius, are you not?"

"Only academically, and in certain areas for that too."

"You have no set form, your fundamentals are horrible, and you're weak in ninjutsu and genjutsu as well," Itachi remarked tonelessly.

Kinjo snorted, "Thank you for the confidence boost."

"But you've been training hard, that I do know. You trained with that girl several times in our compound."

"Were you...?"

"No, you just stick out like a sore thumb."

"I see," Kinjo answered with a frown. "Well, do you have any other insults for me?"

Itachi blinked as his eyes drifted to the side to avoid eye contact. "Why do you train so much?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Because most kids our age like to play and goof around rather than train."

"I'll answer if you do."

"I asked first," Itachi replied flatly.

Kinjo rolled his eyes but smirked. "I have people I want to protect and things I want to change. My dad was saved by a shinobi who was bleeding to death. The shinobi would be alive today if he had left my dad to die, but he didn't. He told me to be like that person, a shinobi with a heart. That's what I aim to be; a shinobi that helps people and brings peace, even if it's risky."

"I see." Itachi hesitated before turning away. "Wait here for a moment."

Within the blink of an eye, Itachi disappeared, and Kinjo was alone with the gatekeeper staring at him. He waved awkwardly at the impassive man, who nodded curtly.

While he waited for Itachi to return, Kinjo reassessed his words. He wasn't proud that he appealed to Itachi's core ideals to earn some brownie points, but it was a surefire way to gain Itachi's trust and goodwill. Most of the people he were close to in canon, such as Shisui and Izumi, were like him in that aspect.

But to think that in about six years, Itachi would wipe out the entire Uchiha Clan and carry the weight of killing his family and kin. That was one of many reasons that Kinjo was willing to risk himself to make changes. What he told Itachi wasn't a lie.

No child should have to murder his family and friends to atone for the sins and failures of others. No child should have to watch his parents die at the hands of his beloved older brother due to the machinations of old men. No child should have to watch his father be sacrificed for reasons he couldn't even begin to understand. No child should be emotionally abused and scorned for a crime they didn't commit.

These things were typical in this world. Being a shinobi was unforgiving, and mercy was as scarce as water in a desert. Yet, if wanting to prevent these things was too idealistic or radical, then perhaps Itachi was right. Maybe they should do something about it. Or at least lay the groundwork for others to build upon. Someone needed to open up that can of worms, and he was willing to be the can opener.

"What are you doing?"

Kinjo pivoted with his hands at the ready, grimacing at the sudden movement. Itachi held a piece of paper while gazing at him, his inscrutable expression prominent as always.

He looked away as he answered. "I was just waiting for you to come back. What's that?"

Before speaking, Itachi dragged him into the Compound and away from the prying eyes of the gatekeeper. "It's a Chakra Induction Paper. Just channel some of your chakra into the paper, and it will show your affinity."

"Sounds simple enough," Kinjo answered, accepting the paper and channeling chakra into it. "So... Why are you offering me this?"

Itachi frowned, the first emotion he had displayed since beginning his conversation with Kinjo. "I thought you wanted to improve yourself to protect and change the world, no?"

"I do."

"Then don't ask."

The paper ignited and turned into ash.

"Not surprising, since most people that live in Konoha have a Fire affinity," Itachi commented.

"What affinity do you have?"

"Water."

"Really?"

"Yes."

He looked at the ashes on the ground and looked back at Itachi. "Why are you having me test my nature affinity when my chakra control is still shaky?"

"My father drilled into me that seeing results is a great motivator. Even if you can't use any Fire jutsu immediately, you'll naturally improve with practice and increase the quality of your training."

"Do you know any Fire jutsu?" Kinjo asked.

Itachi shrugged. He pulled out a scroll from his pocket and handed it to Kinjo, "A few, but it'll be easier for you to learn reading this."

He clinched the sizeable scroll and stared at it, "Are you allowed to give me this?"

"Those are common Fire jutsu. Simple for me to obtain but difficult for a civilian like you. They'll be good goals for you to work toward and give you a headstart with your elemental training."

Kinjo remained silent as he ran his finger through the edge of the scroll. Instead, it was Itachi that broke the silence. "I hope we can spar again soon, on equal footing."

Itachi stuck out his hand for him to shake, and Kinjo gripped it with every ounce of his strength.

They shook.