I hated the Academy training grounds. My breathing always turned ragged soon after I set foot there, but I forced myself to my feet again each time. My body ached from the exercises, my legs trembled from the laps we ran, and my head pounded from trying to mold my chakra the way the instructors kept telling us to. But none of that compared to the frustration.
"Wow, look at him," Shinichi's voice rang out from behind me, thick with amusement. "Can't even handle basic exercises without looking like he's about to pass out."
Laughter followed. His friends, his little entourage, that always seemed to be there to laugh on cue. I clenched my fists and kept my head low, trying to drown them out.
Shinichi didn't like me. I didn't know why, but he always had a reason to push me around.
Sometimes it was my hair. "What kind of kid looks like an old man? You're a geezer! My gramps has less graying hair!"
Sometimes it was my attempts at learning string techniques. "What are you gonna do, tie me up and hope I trip?"
And sometimes, he didn't even need a reason. I existed, and that was enough for him to shove me into a wall or slap a book out of my hands.
I ignored him and focused on the training dummy in front of me. Just a simple target. All I had to do was throw the shuriken and hit center mass. It should have been easy. But it wasn't. I adjusted my grip and flung the first shuriken. It veered off to the side, barely grazing the dummy's shoulder. I gritted my teeth. I could feel Shinichi watching me, waiting for another failure, but I grabbed another shuriken and tried again.
"Oh, come on." Shinichi's voice was closer now. "This is getting embarrassing. Maybe you should just give up before you hurt yourself."
I refused to look at him. "Leave me alone."
"What was that?" His tone was mocking, but there was an edge to it. He was used to me staying quiet. Maybe my voice caught him off guard.
I swallowed and turned to face him, trying to keep my expression neutral. "I said, leave me alone."
Shinichi's grin widened. He stepped closer, his friends flanking him like dogs waiting for a command. "Oh? And what are you gonna do if I don't?"
I felt my pulse in my throat. I knew how this would go. I wasn't strong enough to fight an Uchiha kid. Not yet. So all I could do was bear with his ridicule.
When I didn't answer, Shinichi's hand shot out, shoving me backward. I stumbled, barely keeping myself on my feet. His friends laughed again. That mocking laugher kept ringing in my ears. Why won't they stop?
"See? That's what I thought," he said, turning away like he'd already lost interest. "You'll never be a real ninja, Shirokumo. Might as well quit now. Go dive in a dumpster and live with the rest of the trash."
The laughter faded as they walked off. I stayed where I was, staring down at my trembling hands. My breath was shaky. My chest felt tight. The worst part wasn't the shove, or the words, or even the way everyone else just ignored it like it was normal.
Shinichi always went just a tad farther with his ridicule like this when Minato and Yukino weren't around. Minato didn't really get involved usually, though, likely cause he trusted me to take care of myself. He was that sort of guy, after all.
As for Yukino... Well, the last time she caught one of them shoving me back she tore him a new one so far the kid hit his head in the wall.
It was kinda funny, but I kept the chuckle suppressed to not warrant trouble later.
The worst part, thought? Well, the worst was that, right now, he was right.
But not forever.
Yukino wasn't around today.
She wasn't always in the Academy like the rest of us—something about Hyuuga responsibilities, clan duties, keeping up with some fancy techniques they wouldn't let anyone outside the family even see. I didn't ask questions. Didn't need to. Whenever she was here, things got a little quieter. Shinichi and his dogs still barked, but only from a safe distance.
Today, though, I was on my own.
I retrieved the fallen shuriken, wiping the edge with the hem of my sleeve before returning to the line. My fingers were still shaking. I gripped them tighter, willing the tremor to stop. It didn't.
Another kid stepped up beside me, took aim, and nailed the dummy dead-center. A perfect hit. His friends gave him a cheer. I looked away. Just for a second.
When I turned back, I took a breath and threw again. The shuriken hit—not the center, not even the torso, but the thigh. Better than before. Not good, but better.
"Shirokumo," came the instructor's voice. "Again."
I didn't argue. I picked up another and threw. This time, it missed entirely.
The instructor clicked his tongue. "Your stance is wrong. Feet wider, and your wrist—looser. You're stiff as a board. You'll never land a hit like that."
I bit down on my frustration and nodded. I tried again. And again. Until the skin of my fingers was red and raw, and the target looked more like a pincushion than a dummy.
Still no bullseyes.
Still no praise.
...
The sun dipped lower, casting long shadows across the training grounds. The training for the day had long since finished, but I didn't want to just drop and quit for the day with such little progress. None, for that matter. I had to change that if I wanted to survive what's to come.
I wiped sweat from my brow and threw another shuriken.
This one stuck—not center, but close.
I stared at it longer than I probably should have. The silence that followed felt heavier than the laughter had been. And in that silence, something small and warm stirred in my chest. Not pride. Not yet. But something like… resistance. Like maybe I wouldn't crumble just yet.
"Whoa! You're still here, you stinking spider?" Shinichi's annoying voice rang in my ears.
I turned to look at him, he was alone, walking towards me with his hands in his pockets. "Still training."
He passed by me with his usual sneer. "Still pretending, huh?"
I didn't answer. I didn't even look at him. Just threw another shuriken. It hit the edge of the bullseye, quivering with the force of the impact.
He paused.
Just for a second.
And then he kept walking.
That second meant something.
At the very least, it got him to give up on being annoying for once.
...