Chapter 2: Leading by Example Part I

Chapter 2: Leading by Example Part I

Sui and I stopped in front of our classroom door when we heard laughter come from the other side.

“Uh, we probably shouldn’t go inside like this.” I said, pointing out that I was still leaning heavily on her, which I was only doing because it felt nice to hold onto a girl. But after hearing my class laugh, I was sure I didn’t need that much attention. Especially after getting knocked out when I instigated the fight. Am I a loser?

“Oh, you’re scared everyone will think we’re dating?” Sui said with a mischievous grin.

“Shouldn’t you be more worried about that?”

“Seriously?” Sui looked at me as if I was an idiot. “I’m the eye patch girl. I’m sure being seen as your girlfriend would somehow be a plus.”

She did have a point. A Hyūga with an eye patch did look weird. It would probably be as bad as an Uchiha with glasses. Even though I was sure that wasn’t possible since our sight was— I felt hands against my back. I stared at Sui, who tilted her head with a smile.

“But if you insist, I’ll let you in first.”

“Wa-wait!” She pushed me forward. That idiot forgot to open the door! A white blur passed me. The door slid open, and Sui leaned against the wall. Waving as I passed by.

The class’s laughter died down once I stumbled into the room.

“Wow I knew I was cool, but I didn’t think I’d leave you all breathless.” I said with a laugh.

They all stared at me in silence.

Not even crickets laughed as I sighed and walked to my seat. Great last impression. Going from a joke to an asshole that can’t even back up his talk. I didn’t even look at Ino or Sasuke; I just walked forward until I noticed something on the ground. I jumped away from it. Shivers ran through my body, causing the class to resume their laughter as there was a dead Naruto sprawled out on the floor.

“Hey, watch it! You ruined my test!” It looked like Naruto truly believed what he said.

I stared at the dead clone then back at him. “Well at least it looks like you.”

“Oh, thank you… wait a minute, you’re making fun of me!” He stepped forward only to be held back by the collar of his orange jacket. “Hey, what gives? Why can’t I move!”

I pointed behind him. Sui was currently holding Naruto by the cuff of his jacket. “Naruto, you shouldn’t pick fights with people you can’t beat.”

“What? The guy who got knocked out earlier? I can take him, easy.”

Is that what this is? I was even being looked down on by Naruto. I felt my anger rise. I didn’t even need a Jutsu to beat that loser. I stepped forward and—

Smack! Smack! Smack! All three of us were hit on the head by Iruka-sensei.

“Naruto! Go and take a seat!”

“Wait, but I wasn’t done yet.”

“Now!” Iruka-sensei let out a sigh. “Sorry, but you fail… again.” I watched as Naruto bolted out of the classroom, and then Iruka-sensei turned his attention to us. “You two. You’re late. And you even interrupted another classmate’s exam. Anything you have to say for yourselves.”

“That it wasn’t my fault he didn’t pass— Ow!” I held onto my stomach that Sui elbowed.

“What he means is: we’re sorry, and it won’t happen again.” Sui shot me the look of a demon. “Right?”

“Right.” I said, nodding rapidly. “I did not think I would have caused Naruto trouble.”

Iruka-sensei continued to stare at us with a stern gaze, and then he exhaled, reverting back to his normal cheerful self. “It’s fine. I know it’s not your guys’ fault that Naruto failed. Just show me your clone techniques so we can dismiss the class for the day.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Easily.”

We did the hand signs: Tiger. Boar. Ox. Dog. “Clone Jutsu!” A puff of white smoke appeared, and out came two identical copies of us.

Iruka leaned forward and studied the clones. He looked at us, then back to the clones. “These are perfect.” He jotted something down on his clipboard. “You two pass. Now, if you don’t get into trouble often, you might end up as great ninja someday.”

He handed us both our forehead protectors. They signified we were officially ninja. Etched in the metal was a leaf to represent where we were from. I stared at my headband, thinking about Iruka-sensei’s words.

I wish I could say that I was happy to be called a great ninja, but I wasn’t. Sui didn’t look too happy either. We shared the same sentiment. This whole thing was a waste of time that I only went through because Sasuke and I were supposed to grow together. Sui never told me her reasoning as to why she was still an academy student, but I assumed it made her job easier to spy on me if we were in the same class.

“And that goes for all of you. Tomorrow you will be assigned to teams. As my precious students, I know you will all achieve great things, and it warms my heart to see you go.” Iruka gave us one last speech before he dismissed the class.

I guess this was probably the last time we were all going to be in class together… And I blew it. All because I was jealous. No wonder no one thinks I’m an Uchiha. I stared at my forehead protector that still sat in my hands, becoming heavier by the second.

“An Uchiha is supposed to lead by example.” Is what my father used to say. “You have an amazing gift. Like your sister, you too have a Kekkei Kanri. Which means you have the potential of becoming a great ninja someday.” He would then bop me on the head. “So, learn to be nicer to others. No one likes a rude ninja.”

My dad believed in kindness, except when it came to his children. I rubbed my head subconsciously. And that if we understood one another, then maybe ninja wouldn’t be needed.

He was who I considered to be the nicest Uchiha I had ever met. Not like I knew a lot before… but that was beside the point. I assumed what made him like that was his job. He was a Mortician who spent his life burying bodies all day.

Something you wouldn’t expect an Uchiha to do, but he did it. Apparently, leading by example to him meant getting his hands dirty. I used to ask him why he did that. Uchiha were supposed to be cool, the protectors of the Leaf Village as the police force. Yet his only reasoning was. “If I don’t do it, then who will?”

That was what inspired me to get on the teacher stage as everyone got ready to leave. With my Leaf Village headband tied around my forehead, only slightly covered by my tuft of hair that stuck out. I cupped my hands together.

“Everyone, can I get your attention!”

My class stopped and stared. They muttered between themselves about what I wanted. Iruka-sensei had a worried look on his face, while Sasuke barely glanced in my direction. But Sui, she smiled when she noticed the conviction placed on my forehead. I’m a shinobi now, so these are my comrades.

“Since we graduated today, we should celebrate. One last hurrah… You know… for the occasion.” I tried to sound confident at first, but I lost a bit of my bravado as more people walked out.

“Wow, where did that come from?” Sui said, her eye wide.

“I just didn’t want today to be the first thing that came to mind when our class thought of me.”

“I wasn’t there for the whole thing.” Sui’s eye narrowed. What exactly did you do?”

“I may have been a little bit of a—”

“A jerk. And not a little bit. You were a total asshole.” Ino came up to me, clearly still angry. “I can’t believe you would say something like that even after I fixed the problem. No wonder no one wants to hang out with you.”

“Then why are you here?” I said, looking for her ulterior motive.

“Well, I’m assuming Sasuke is coming.” Ino flipped her hair then stared at me when she noticed my silence. “He is coming right?”

“He is now.” I said, dashing off. I needed to make things right, even if it meant dragging Sasuke out into a social event. God, he’s going to kill me.