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Ann spent the rest of the afternoon with the hokage going through town and learning about some of the clans as they passed their compounds. They ended their time together when they got to Ann's apartment, which was on the edge of the main residential area.
Ann~Was there a reason it's so far from the main part of the village?
Hiruzen~She wanted you to be safe and away from possible prying eyes. You'll be safe. Just try not to scare anyone with your strength.
Ann~Wh-what do you mean?
He chuckled and rubbed his neck.
Hiruzen~I didn't mean to scare you. I simply noticed that your chakra adjusted as we passed off duty ninja. It's already subtle work and most won't notice.
Ann~Why did you?
Hiruzen~I'm hokage. I notice a lot of things.
Ann~I don’t like that answer…
Hiruzen chuckled~No one does. Do you feel settled? Would you like a few days to adjust?
Ann~I can start tomorrow. What time is class?
Hiruzen~It starts at 8:00 am. You'll be part of the first years in Class A. Your teacher is Iruka sensei. He's…He's very kind and understanding, but is no nonsense and will tell you if you do something without thought. He often scares my jounin.
Ann~Why is that reassuring?
Hiruzen~He won't be afraid of you if your training slips by accident. Iruka probably won't notice in the moment either.
Ann~Oh…Okay, I guess…Will I need to bring anything?
Hiruzen~Just a bag and paper. I would advise against bringing weapons to campus, but I think your hidden ones will be unnoticed by most people.
Ann~Stop doing that. That's creepy.
He chuckled again.
Hiruzen~I'll get out of your hair then. If you get lost to the academy, just group yourself with the other students. Sleep well.
Ann~Okay. Thank you.
He nodded his head and left.
Ann went to the bedroom, examining the apartment as she went. It was similar to her uncle's when they were in the Mist: living and kitchen space then a small hallway for the bathroom and bedroom. It was a little comforting with the layout, but the space felt unsettlingly big.

Ann woke the next morning and started getting ready. She didn't have groceries yet, so she planned to buy something to eat on the way to school. However, upon opening the door, she found two packed bentos and an envelope on her doormat. She picked them up to inspect the contents.
Ann~Oh. It's from hokage. Breakfast and lunch. And this…It's my allowance. Looks like there's enough to buy groceries too.
She tucked the money and bentos away in her bag. When she closed the flap, she paused to look at the peach print on it.
Ann~I miss you, Zabi, Haku…
She sighed and headed out.

She easily made her way to the academy. There was still some time before the bell, so she hoped she could say hi to her sensei to know what to expect and then go eat. With some directions found her way to her homeroom, but she didn't even make it to the door when two boys came running down the hall.
A few doors down from them she heard shouting that clearly sounded like commands for the boys to stop. The boys didn't notice her, running into her but bounced right to the floor. Ann later learned they were her classmates, Naruto and Kiba.
Naruto~What the hell did you do that for?!
Ann~You ran into me. You guys need to watch where you're going.
Hands picked up the boys by their collars.
Naruto~You made us get caught by Iruka sensei!
Iruka~You got yourself caught! Now you two are going to clean up the mess you made!
He set them down and nudged them towards the classroom.
Iruka~Move it!
The boys grumbled and made their way back to the room while Iruka turned back around to Ann.
Iruka~Are you alright? Did they run into you?
Ann~I’m okay. They did. They really should look where they’re going if they’re going to run though. The blond said you’re Iruka sensei?
Iruka~I am. Are you my new student? She doesn’t look phased about being run into. Actually…I don’t remember seeing her having to get up. Did she absorb the impact?
Ann~Yes. The hokage said I could start today.
Iruka~He did give me a visit this morning. I’d show you to the room but those two clowns made a mess of it. You can hang out here in the building or go back outside to the field. There’s still a bit of time before the first bell will ring.
Ann~Okay. Thank you, sensei.

When classes started, Ann was given a quick introduction and then directed to sit between Ravi and Hinata.
Ravi~Hey! You’re gonna have a good time. Iruka sensei is a great teacher. Some of our classmates are a bit much, but they keep things entertaining.
Ann~I saw two of them this morning. They ran into me.
Hinata~Oh no! A-are you okay?
Ann~Yeah, I’m okay. Why does everyone keep asking?
Ravi~Getting run into can hurt.
Iruka~You guys can talk later. I’m trying to start lessons.
They apologized and class went on.
Ann was confused about how easy the lessons were until she remembered what Zabuza said about feigning incompetence. She looked at everyone around her and the pace they were completing their work.
Ann~This is probably what Mei meant a few months back…I don’t think speeding through is a good idea.
Iruka was walking around and paused by Ann.
Iruka~How is the assignment?
Ann~Huh? Oh. It’s fine. I’m just…thinking.
Iruka~Alright. You can always raise your hand if you need help.
He walked off to the other side of the room.

The rest of the day was normal enough. After lunch, Iruka took the class to the training grounds and explained they were going to practice their forms again using the straw training dummies. Iruka stuck with Ann.
Iruka~Let me show you the sequence. There's only eight movements, but it's the basis of other movements you'll learn in the future.
Ann~Okay. I wonder how similar this will be to Zabi's drills?
She watched Iruka go through the movements and how he transitioned to each one. They were practically the same thing as what her uncle had shown her when he started training her, but the most jarring difference to her was how he halted at each step. Iruka didn’t halt just to check that she was watching either, it was purposeful as her classmates did it too.
Iruka~Would you like to see it again?
Ann~No, I think I got it. Not following through is going to be hard. But if I mess up, that makes it look like I’m learning, right?
She gave it a try, going slow to be mindful of where she needed to pause, and then reset her stance when she finished.
Iruka~That’s a very good first try. I think you might be a natural. Go pract–
There was a boom that they both turned to face. Ann even pulled out a kunai.
Iruka~Ravi! What have I said about using matches during school hours?!
Ann calmed down and realized she had a kunai out, so she quickly put her weapon back before Iruka noticed. Apparently explosions were normal for his class.
Ravi~I’m sorry! I tried to smother it out after I got my fix. It just exploded first…
Iruka~I’ll be right back, Ann. You can start striking the dummy with the forms.
He went to Ravi to look her over and inspect the damage to the training dummy. Ann sighed and turned to inspect the dummy.
Ann~It looks soft compared to the training logs and trees. Even Zabi is sturdy…
She quietly groaned and tried to mimic her earlier attempt to strike the stand-in.