Chapter 2. 4:
...
"Wait… don't you have poison-handling class today with all your cousins?" Kiba asked casually. After all, Karura's family wasn't a formal clan, but it was a large and prominent family in Suna with considerable political influence… her grandfather and several uncles were even on Sunagakure's council.
Oh, and yes…. they specialized in poison-making. In case that wasn't obvious by now.
"I skipped it," she said, without a hint of remorse.
Kiba let out a dry chuckle.
"De-lin-quent," he said in a theatrical tone.
"Ha… Only if they catch me," she replied, with a smile in her voice. After all, she was just the daughter of one of the lesser-known members of her family.
Her father wasn't a great ninja… he preferred puppet crafting. So no, no one would really notice her absence from class alongside her many cousins.
…
The academy soon came into view. Well, heh, Kiba couldn't see it, of course, but he could sense its solid structure, the weight of concentrated chakra, and the buzz of activity inside.
It was a round building, rather poor and large in size compared to other buildings in the village.
Actually, it was one of the largest buildings in the village, although obviously, the Kazekage's building was the most prominent of all.
Karura guided Kiba to one of the outdoor stands, and the two of them sat down. He stretched out his legs, let his radar scan the surroundings, and for a moment… he simply kinda "saw" everything in his own way… but most of all, he listened…
The murmur of the crowd.
The distant whistling of wind between the walls.
The friction of a kunai being drawn from its sheath.
And a whisper, quite close by:
"They say the blind Jiki kid's here…"
"The one who placed first in taijutsu and academics, even though he's blind?"
"Shhh, he'll hear you."
"He's blind, not deaf, idiot."
"Exactly! And did you see how he moves and fights? He's probably a sensor."
"A really skilled one if he can move like that and fight the way he does."
"Yeah, placing first in his year is no small feat."
"Hmm. But I heard he only stood out in theory and taijutsu. So his use of kunai, shuriken and other weapons should be no big deal"
"If he placed first among all the first-years, then even if he didn't excel in everything else, he still did well enough, dumbass"
"Oh right.."
"Still, it's just his first year. He'll probably fall behind when everyone else gains more experience."
"Yeah. He'll likely be outclassed sooner or later."
Kiba smiled, not even trying to hide it.
Sometimes, being underestimated was a huge advantage. But it had been a while since people stopped underestimating him so much, and even though he'd lost that great tactical edge… it didn't feel bad to hear people speak well of him. He wasn't a narcissist, but a compliment was always welcome.
Karura turned toward him.
"Did you hear that?"
"Every word," he replied.
She giggled.
"Did it bother you?"
"Nah," he said, leaning back slightly. "Makes me feel famous. Besides, they complimented me more than they criticized me, didn't they?"
She laughed out loud.
And Kiba just smiled, amused.
Shortly after, both of them turned their full attention to the academy's training fields… where the matches that would determine Suna's next generation of genin were now underway.
…..
Even after having watched many fights…far more than any seven-year-old should… Kiba still enjoyed the spectacle.
There was something about that moment when two chakras collided… that vibrating pulse in the air, that burst of intent… that still captivated him.
Of course, he didn't see it.
But he felt it.
Every movement, every shift of a foot, the air being split by a shuriken, the low hum of a seal being activated… it all reached him through the natural radar that was his body.
His [Radar Sense] reconstructed the world around him with almost artistic precision. Again, no colors, no defined shapes, but there was a raw clarity in that perception, a subtle beauty in each vibration returning to his mind like a kind of orderly echo.
And if you added his sensor training to the mix, then yes… he could read battles with a level of detail that probably escaped most of those present.
He wasn't a sensory master, of course, but he'd been practicing ever since he discovered that ability.
Because in his case, every tool like that was more than welcome… necessary, even.
"Mmm… yeah, that kid's way too tense…" he murmured, not realizing he had said it aloud.
Karura glanced at him sideways, though he didn't notice. Well, he didn't see it, but he felt it.
She had learned not to be surprised by the commentary Kiba muttered during fights. It was like having a sports announcer beside you who didn't need cameras to narrate what was happening.
They'd been watching these types of graduation exams together since they were four.
Well… since she was four and he… mentally, a full-grown adult.
Graduation exams in Suna were almost a community event. Kids between 10 and 11 years old… those in their final year of the academy…. faced off against actual Sunagenin. They didn't need to win, just land a direct hit to graduate.
Of course, if they did defeat their opponent entirely, they gained much more: respect, recognition, and sometimes even access to better resources or better tutors.
"Yoshiro's up!" Karura announced, her voice brimming with excitement.
Kiba nodded slightly. He had already noticed, of course.
Yoshiro's chakra moved like a precise dance, a melody of threads and mechanisms spinning three puppets like furious comets.
The coordination was flawless. He honestly envied the boy… for being so young and already more talented at this puppet business than he was, despite all Kiba's effort and knowledge.
The match actually ended rather quickly, the genin was more experienced and made use of basic ninjutsu quite well, but against a puppeteer attacking in a coordinated and brutal manner with two puppets while keeping one at his side as a defence, the genin had no real chance and obviously lost quickly. There were few other graduates capable of something like this, the majority capable of these kinds of performance were obviously from prominent and powerful families/clans just like Yoshiro Jiki. But that did not tarnish the merit of his overwhelming victory.
"That kid… he's going places," Kiba said quietly, almost with a tinge of envy. Not the bitter kind… more the kind that motivates you to improve.
Because although he too was a puppeteer in training, he still couldn't control more than two puppets at once. Which was fine, but not all that impressive.
And he had the advantage of a much more mature mind, superior analytical ability, and a willpower tempered by two deaths.
Yoshiro was just ten. A damn brilliant child.
Kiba, seven… but with many more years of experience and a very… different worldview.
But talent is talent.
He sighed, leaning back slightly against the rough stone bleachers.
Karura stretched beside him and suddenly said:
"Hey! Someone I know!"
Kiba turned his head toward her, curious. He could feel her arm lifted, finger pointing.
Same as always… pointing as if he could see it.
It never failed to amuse him.
Not annoying. Just… endearing.
"Huh?"
"Over there!" she insisted, like her enthusiasm could somehow make up for his blindness.
Kiba smirked.
"Wanna let me guess, or are you actually gonna tell me who you're pointing at?" he teased, even though he already knew who she meant. He could create a mental map of his surroundings and pinpoint the direction her finger was aimed. He could even identify people by their outlines or chakra.
"Isn't that Rasa? From the academy? The son of your clan's leader?" she finally said.
Kiba nodded slowly.
"Yup."
Rasa's presence was unmistakable. His chakra had a strange density to it, like it carried sand even while at rest.
He was a year older and easily one of the most talented kids at the academy. Thanks to his kekkei genkai, even more so than Yoshiro in some ways.
"Wanna know something interesting about him?" Kiba asked, letting his tone turn more playful.
"Huh… what?"
"They say he's the best fighter in the entire academy. And that he already perfectly controls golden sand… you know, something quite vital for Suna. He's only eight, and they're already calling him a genius, the hope of the village, and so on..."
"Oh… I bet he trains every day with his dad. And with that kekkei genkai? No surprise," she replied. And she was probably right… having a clan leader as your personal trainer was definitely a big advantage.
"Yeah, yeah… all of that. But there's one more thing."
"There's more?"
Kiba tilted his head toward her with a mischievous grin.
"I heard… he likes you." This was, in fact, completely true. Thanks to his heightened senses, he caught onto a lot of rumors. And again, kids in this world matured way faster, and for some reason, already went around with hearts in their eyes at this age… weird, but hey, at least he could use this fact to embarrass the annoying girl beside him.
The silence that followed lasted barely a second.
Karura simply shrugged. Smiled.
"Wow," she said calmly… yep, as always, completely unfazed.
"…," Kiba waited for some kind of reaction.
A stammer. Nervous laughter. A change of subject.
Nothing.
She was as indifferent as if he'd told her it might rain tomorrow. To Kiba, she was just… odd. A different kind of odd compared to the other kids in this world… at least to him.
"Nothing? You're not even gonna blush a little?"
"Why would I?"
Kiba snorted through his nose, defeated. In some things, she was so mature, and in others, she seemed completely clueless…. unlike other kids her age.
"Yep... You're weird."
"Ha. And you're still soaking wet from earlier!" she joked, giving him a playful elbow to the arm.
Kiba just shook his head, amused. He thought about how they'd grown up together. Literally.
They were born on the same day. Same year. Their parents had been friends. Their homes were just a few blocks apart. Both part of important families or clans, but without any real standing within them.
And though at first, it was hard to connect with someone so young and loud… he ended up accepting her. Or maybe… she just forced her way in.
Today, she was the closest thing he had to a little sister. A very persistent little sister. A high-pitched leech. But a sister nonetheless.
"Wanna know what's the most disturbing part of all this?" he asked, still half-smiling.
"What?"
"That after spending so much time with you… I think I'm getting weirder. Like it's rubbing off on me."
"Huh?? Me? Infectious? Weird? No no no, that's definitely you, Kiba—just you," she said with a soft giggle.
And Kiba? Well, he couldn't deny that.
So he didn't respond. Just leaned back, letting the warmth of the sun and the hum of distant cheers fill the silence.
Weird wasn't so bad. Was it?