Chapter Five

Shizune watched her friend in amusement.

Rin was awkwardly moving from one position to another, a look of concentration on her face. Her head was tilted towards an open scroll at her feet that held simple pictures of the beginning katas that Shizune's class had been assigned a few weeks back. She giggled as Rin stumbled slightly before regaining her balance.

"That's not how you're supposed to do it," Shizune chided. Standing up on her feet, she walked closer and quickly settled into a stance. "Like this!"

Rin frowned slightly, but studied her motions. A few seconds later, she tried mimicking her motions. The brunette seemed more determined lately to try and learn shinobi arts and practically begged Shizune to bring her some scrolls to look at. Rin even started wearing a special paint on her face that was lavender in color.

"What are you girls up to?"

Shizune turned away from Rin, a grin already on her face as she looked to her uncle. "Rin-chan's going to join the Academy soon! I'm helping out!" She said cheerfully. Beside her, Rin stopped and glanced over at the man, her cheeks reddening from embarrassment.

"Well I didn't mean to interrupt," Dan responded lightly. He shot and encouraging smile at the two girls. "Both of you still have a long way to go, though. Nohara-chan, your mother told me about it. I could help you if you need it. You just have to ask."

Rin shook her head meekly.

"That's okay, Kato-san. I don't want bother you," she answered back. "I can figure this out."

"It wouldn't be a problem at all," he reassured. "Now, why don't we go get a snack? Nohara-san said she would be returning a little later today."

"Okay!" Shizune chirped happily. "After that, I need to study!" Grabbing onto her uncle's hand and pulling Rin along, the three walked around the village, making a beeline for some of the food shops. Once they were sitting down and chewing on some sticks of sweet dango, Shizune began chatting away about her newest adventures at the Academy that day, all of which Rin heard already, but still listened just as eagerly.

"Kato-san? Getting into the Academy isn't that hard, is it?" Rin finally spoke up.

He hummed in thought for a moment.

"Not as long as you put your best foot forward," He answered. Dan ruffled Shizune's hair before continuing. "You do have an expert right here, so you should be fine."

Shizune giggled as she popped another piece of Dango into her mouth. "Hey Rin-chan, have you decided yet?" She asked curiously. "What do you want do?"

Rin pursed her lips slightly. "I guess…maybe…maybe be a med-nin, but I don't know. I want to see what else there is," She said thoughtfully. "We don't have to know right away, do we?"

"There's no rush, you've still got plenty of time to think about it." Dan responded.

While the two talked, Shizune glanced around. Further down the street, a group of three kids could be seen running, playing a game perhaps. Not far from them, an excited shopkeeper was busy surveying new boxes that had been brought in. And then she spotted a familiar figure. His back was turned away from them, but the goggles on his head were easy enough to spot.

"Hey Rin-chan, isn't that…" Shizune paused to think of his name.

"Oh, it's Obito-kun," Rin offered excitedly, standing up. "Shi-chan, you said you have homework, right? I'll leave you too it. See you tomorrow? And thanks for the dango!" The brunette dipped her head in a slight bow before turning and shamelessly running down the street calling after the boy.

…

Stopping at the doorway, Rin glanced at the lone picture frame that sat on a small table. It was the only photo she had ever seen of her father. He stood beside her mother; a rather handsome mane with a faint smile on his lips. And Rin had even copied the face paint he wore—a rectangle neatly traced onto the lower part of either cheek. Even though she never knew the man, Rin couldn't help but think that it brought her a bit closer to him.

A way to honor his memory.

He was a ninja, which explained his absence. Rin didn't ask about it because deep inside she already knew what had happened. Not long after deciding to become a ninja herself, Rin began wearing the special paint. It was made with the help of the lavender in the apartment she called home, and her mother mixed it together.

She quietly reached over and opened a small drawer, pulling out a small incense stick from within. Rin carefully lit it as her mother had done countless times and then softly extinguished the flame. Placing it in the burner, she took a step back and dipped her head slightly. "Wish me luck, Otou-san," She said.

After that, she slid on her shoes and made her way out the front door. There was a knot forming in her stomach. She wasn't nervous though. No, it was quite the opposite: Rin was excited. The entrance ceremony was the first step to unlocking her new life, something that was new and different. Rin was starting the path to being a ninja. A rational part of her mind felt a tinge of fear, but it was drowned out underneath the other emotions she held.

The first thing, however, was that Rin had to actually make it through the academy's pretesting.

According to her mother, they only handed out the paperwork to be filled out during the entrance ceremony. There were several requirements that each student would be assessed on individually and only then did they make the final selections. If she failed (which she doubted) then there was always the chance of being placed on the list as an alternate.

Even then, there would hopefully be a high chance of getting in. Rin held a distinct advantage over the rest of her peers around her age. On the other hand, the world she was in certainly treated younger kids a lot differently, giving them far more independence than Rin could have ever hoped for in her last life. Questioning it would make her head spin, so she had already pushed it to the back of her mind a long time ago.

Her mother wasn't able to go with her today, she didn't mind either. The woman was always busy, rushing back and forth from work and home to take care of her. The probability of actually seeing familiar faces among the crowd of wanna-be ninjas was…well, unavoidable really. It was funny to Rin, however, that she hadn't managed to see a single one of them in her short life. Shizune didn't count.

But then there was Obito.

The quirky Uchiha kid that wanted to become Hokage.

A tugging in the back of her mind convinced her that she knew his face. Maybe he had been a minor character in the story, she assumed. Rin couldn't recall anybody with the name Uchiha that acted much like him. If anything, she was glad about that. Perhaps it meant that the stereotype already in her head about the clan was wrong. Obito was proof of that. Even Mikoto, the spunky redhead's friend, seemed to fit the category the more Rin thought.

Pulling out of her thoughts, Rin could see the Academy ahead of her. Already there was a crowd of pint sized people milling around outside of the entrance. There were not even a handful of people who Rin assumed were parents that stood to the side with watchful glances. Approaching them, Rin put herself right in the middle of the swarm. They were talking amongst each other with excited smiles, already well on their way to making new friends.

Some of the faces had features of Konoha's most prominent clans which didn't come as a surprise. Rin had the chance to see them on her numerous trips to the hospital with her mother which made them easier to recognize. As expected, there were even some Uchiha clan, and they were the easiest to pick out. About three of them stood together in relative silence.

Craning her head, Rin tried to look for a set of orange goggles in the crowd, but Obito Uchiha was nowhere to be seen. Spotting him in the streets over the past few weeks had become pretty simple, and Rin even made a game of it. But it had been quite a while since she ran into the boy and she didn't know whether or not to be concerned.

It was still early though.

Rin was snapped out of her thoughts when she felt someone slam into her. Tumbling forward, she briefly caught sight of the one who did it. It was a kid with strangely cut hair and a pair of bushy eyebrows that sent her plowing into some other poor soul.

Or so she thought.

"—Watch where you're going," a voice snipped.

Rin stood speechless for a moment as her eyes gazed over the kid she was knocked into; a boy with a shuriken patterned scarf and gray hair that defied all sense of gravity. Her mind immediately connected the dots. The boy in front of her was none other than Kakashi Hatake…or a miniature version at least. He held a passive expression on his face. Even as a kid, the lower half of his face was still covered.

Before Rin could apologize, another kid spoke up.

"Hey Hatake-san, it was my fault!" An energetic voice said in defense. Rin turned her head in surprise and found herself looking at the boy with the bushy eyebrows. The only thing missing was a green jumpsuit, and Rin would have been able to place a name on him. Something also warned her that she might not want to be around him for too long.

"Oh. It's you, Guy-san," Mini Kakashi drawled.

Guy.

Might Guy.

That was his name.

Guy bristled at Kakashi's words, and Rin noted the tension that existed between the two. They were acquainted with each other, but it didn't appear to be on very good terms. Not wanting any attention drawn to them, Rin held up her hands and tried to calm them down. "Hey, no harm done, right?" she cut in. "There's no need to fight, yeah?"

Rin wanted no reason to have her name written up on a black list for the Academy already.

She held her breath and hoped for the best. Kakashi gave her a dull look before shrugging his shoulders and turning back to the other kids speaking. Guy in the meantime nodded his head and seemed to applaud her actions. The crisis had been averted. Remaining silent, Rin watched Kakashi from the corner of her eye.

Her first impression of meeting Kakashi was…disappointing.

The boy in front of her was nothing like the one in her memories, and she had to remind herself that he wasn't—at least, not yet. For one thing, he was actually on time, something that Rin realized shouldn't have happened. The Kakashi she recalled was chronically late…And he certainly didn't seem like a prick, unlike mini Kakashi.

But she was going to try not jumping to conclusions already.

Reaching over, she prodded his arm, getting his attention. "Hi," she said innocently. "My name's Rin…And you are?"

"Hatake Kakashi," he responded dryly.

"The son of Konoha's White Fang, right?" Rin added with interest. "Your dad's awesome!" And she meant it. Rin had heard stories about the man, whether it was from overhearing others speak or from her own mother. Sakumo Hatake was highly regarded in the village, and the fact that Kakashi was his son made him appear even more so in Rin's eyes.

To her surprise, Kakashi's blank expression turned upward and he smiled at the mention of his father. "He is," Kakashi answered with a note of pride. "And someday I'll be as good as he is!" No sooner had the words left his mouth, Rin was smiling too.

Making her way around, Rin began to find more of the familiar faces she was hoping for.

There was a girl with red eyes, wavy black hair, and a bright smile: Kurenai Yūhi. And not far from her was Asuma Sarutobi, the Hokage's own son. A boy with red-rimmed sunglasses was there too whose name was apparently Aoba Yamashiro (Rin recognized him at first, but couldn't place his name). She was overwhelmed by the amount of faces that she recognized. Gradually coming full circle, Rin found herself standing beside Kakashi Hatake once more, this time joining into his conversation with Asuma and some others whose names she had yet to find out.

They only fell silent when two shinobi appeared and announced that paperwork would be handed out. Rin fell in with the other children and formed a line leading up to a table. Several other ninjas—Rin assumed they were Academy instructors—sat behind the table, handling the paperwork.

It was then that Rin began looking around again. This time, however, she was searching for any sign of Obito. 'Okay, where are you?' she wondered. There was another small voice in her mind that answered her question and she began to worry a little.

Obito Uchiha was late.

A hand poking her in the shoulder caught her attention.

"Hey, you're next," Kakashi informed her.

"Oh," Rin replied curtly. Sending one last glance behind her shoulder to look for the Uchiha, Rin turned her attention to the Shinobi in front of her. She approached them tentatively and they shuffled off several papers, sealing them into a manila packet. Before leaving, Rin paused. "Can I get another one of these?" She asked boldly, holding the packet in her hands. "A friend of mine's late."

One of them stared at Rin for a moment while the other produced another packet, placing it in her hands. Giving them a toothy grin, Rin thanked them and walked away, heading for where she saw the others gathering. A short moment later, several speeches were rattled off, though Rin only paid part attention.

Still no sign of Obito.

And Rin didn't know why she was so concerned. He would show up eventually and, if not, Rin decided that she would seek him out. She had briefly been by his apartment once and even met his sweet grandmother. Whatever the case, Rin didn't want Obito to somehow miss out on joining her year. She was beginning to consider him as much of a friend as Shizune was. He would also be somebody that she already knew, and that was always a plus.

After a few more minutes, Rin had given up. She would have to give the papers to him some other time.

The children were dismissed, a few rushing away in excitement. Rin followed the rest of them as they slowly made their way out of the Academy yard, only pausing when she heard a familiar voice shouting.

"Oh man, oh man! Of all the days to be late!" She heard Obito scold himself. His heavy footsteps could be heard and he came dashing around the corner, his breath heavy and sweat forming on his brow. Obito slowed to a stop when he noticed the group of kids passing him by, none of whom paid him any attention. The boy's eyes came to a stop on the Academy behind them, watching as the sign for the entrance ceremony was taken down.

Not wasting another second, Rin walked up to him.

"There you are!" She huffed in exasperation. Holding out the papers in her hand, she continued. "I was beginning to wonder if you would make it!"

"That's for me?" He pointed at himself, a stunned look on his face.

Rin nodded her head eagerly, and Obito's face lit up.

"Thanks! You're—"

"It's only the entrance ceremony, and you're already late." Kakashi interrupted. Rin didn't even realize he had stopped walking, but, sure enough, he stood a little ways behind Obito. He looked at him over his shoulder, an expression of disapproval evident. His eyes then drifted over to me. "And you're not helping his tardiness either. Somebody like him would never make it in the Academy."

Turning on his heel, Obito glared ad Kakashi, anger evident in his eyes.

"Shut up! Do you want to fight?!" Obito shouted.

"Say that again?"

"What?!"

Rin watched the two bicker back and forth, partly amused by the situation. She couldn't help grinning, but at least she didn't laugh. Neither of the two would appreciate it much. Shaking her head, Rin put herself between the two, placing a hand on either of their shoulders. In a way, Rin did think of herself as the adult in the situation. "Hey now, you guys can kick each other's butts when we're in the Academy," She announced.

Kakashi snorted in response.

"Perhaps if he remembers to show up on time. Even then, it's no guarantee he'll be able to put up a fight."

"You—"

"Okay mister overconfident, slow down. Nobody's perfect," Rin interjected before Obito could finish. Kakashi looked at her and shrugged his shoulders while Obito calmed down a little.

"Whatever," Kakashi said nonchalantly. "I've got somewhere to be and someone to meet. I don't want to be late."

Not waiting to see either of the two's reactions, Kakashi merely turned away and left. Rin stared after him, her brow furrowed. He was persistent, she would give him that. "Somebody's got to remove him from his high horse," she mumbled.

Obito glanced at her, a sudden spark in his eyes.

"Leave it to me, Rin-chan!" He pumped his fists. "I'll take him down and become Hokage, no sweat!" Rin turned her attention to him and found his grin infectious. His apparent anger from earlier was gone in a flash and instead was replaced by some new found determination. How someone could bounce like that, Rin would never be able to guess.

"Can I help too?" Rin asked. "I'm not going to sit back and be the mediator."

Rin refused to be that person—or at least only that person. Ironically enough, that was what she had been doing all day, but she realized she needed to stop it before it happened. What fun would it be otherwise? Worrying about other people's problems and trying to keep the peace was far more stressful than not, and Rin actually did know from experience.

If anything, Rin found motivation herself. Maybe if things panned out well, she could become friends with the silver-haired kid if his stuck up attitude made way. And as she listened to Obito rant about what he would do, Rin silently concluded one thing. Hanging around the two of them would make life fun, especially going through the Academy.

Maybe even normal.

...

Author's Note: Well, this came a little later than I expected (okay, maybe a lot). I just had to read a few books for inspiration and figuring out how to write again. Anyways, thanks for all the support from my readers! It helps knowing that there are people who enjoy reading what I write, and I hope I can keep up with expectations. I will try my hardest to not get stuck in a rut again, but with school who can say what will happen? Eh, I'll get through it like everyone else though.

Anyways, things are slightly different in this scene compared to the anime canon, but that was bound to happen. There will only be slight differences at first because Rin hasn't been able to cause that much change yet. This time around, Rin finally runs into Kakashi (literally) at the Academy Ceremony. But she has been hanging around Obito for a little longer. I feel that keeping things in small snippets for now is the best way to go, that way the story keeps moving and I don't get bogged down worrying about details (something that also works better from a 3rd person pov).

Any thoughts or comments? Feel free to leave a review and I will gladly take whatever you guys hand me! I read everything that I get.

Until next time,

~BlueCampanula