Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Fenrir and the Fox ❯ Meeting New People ( Chapter 3 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
Chapter 3:
Meeting New People
Naruto ended up sleeping through most of the lecture, along with the majority of the class, and only woke up when Iruka closed the book he had been reading from and declared that it was now time for lunch. Those who had been asleep woke up immediately at this new and joined the rest of the class in grabbing their lunches and heading outside. Naruto was the first person out the door and Jinra was the last.
By the time Jinra had grabbed his lunch and headed out the door, all the rest of the students had already spread all around the small playground and were talking animatedly with each other, at least for the most part. The only two exceptions that Jinra was able to see were Naruto, who he had seen running in the direction of a small ramen stand, and a pale skinned, black haired girl who seemed to have chosen to sit by herself on a far away bench. Not really feeling up to introducing himself, Jinra took his lunch and sat down at the base of a nearby tree.
A pair of emerald green eyes watched Jinra closely as he sat down to eat his lunch. For some reason Sakura had become fixated on this new boy. After all, how many people do you meet with almost inhuman silver eyes and no real last name?
Physically he almost appeared to the exact opposite of her long standing crush, Sasuke Uchiha. Where Sasuke had pale skin, Jinra's was slightly tanned, where Sasuke had black hair and eyes, Jinra's were vibrant silver. Both of them were fairly tall for their age and were well built, but other than that she had no idea what his physical abilities were, though he must have had some sort of potential to be accepted into the academy so late in the year.
The biggest difference that she noticed between the two was the aura that each one seemed to emit. Sasuke's aura was cold and menacing, so much so that whenever you touched his skin you'd swear that there was ice running through his veins. Jinra's aura was a bit warmer, but you would never know it unless you got within a few inches of him. She only knew this because she had brushed against him on her way out the door after grabbing her lunch. It was almost as if there were some part of him that was begging people to come closer. But if that were true, why did he sit so far apart from everyone else? As Sakura continued to evaluate the newest student in the academy, she didn't realize that she was hardly alone in her observations.
Most of the female population of the academy was casting at least casual glances at him, along with a few of the males, including Kiba and Shino, although they had significantly different reasons. Kiba had been slightly suspicious of Jinra ever since he had first introduced himself. His sensitive nose picked out something peculiar about his scent, but for the life of him he wasn't able to place it, and that alone put him on edge. Shino, on the other hand, just couldn't figure the boy out. He had even gone so far as to send a few of his insects to try and observe his more closely, but his insects didn't seem to be able to detect him. It was unnerving to say the least to know that there was a human being that he had no way of tracing. Jinra felt the stares that the others were giving him, but chose not to react to it. If these people really wanted to understand him so badly they would have to come and talk to him first.
He soon heard footsteps coming towards him, but didn't look up until he heard the owner of the footsteps crouched down in front of him. Jinra looked up and saw the feral looking boy that had asked him the question at the beginning of class. The dog that sat on his head appeared to be eyeing Jinra closely along with his master, but neither made a sound. The silence was a little less than comfortable for Jinra so he decided to break the silence. “You're name's Kiba, right?”
The feral boy nodded his head but never actually said anything. Becoming a little annoyed, Jinra decided to try again. “Is there a reason why you're staring at me like that, or are you just weird?”
“Your scent…” the boy said quietly. “There's something off about it.”
My scent? What does he mean by that? Jinra's confusion must have shown on his face because Kiba began to elaborate.
“I'm from the Inuzuka clan. We're all born with enhanced senses due to our connection with our family ninja dogs,” he said, gesturing towards the dog perched on top of his head. “Akamaru and I have been trying to figure you out, but there's something about your scent that is different, something we can't identify.” His tone was slightly accusatory, as if he suspected Jinra of something sinister.
Jinra arched an eyebrow at the boy. “And this is your way of investigating me? Invading my personal space and saying there's something wrong with me? No offense, but your personal skills are a little lacking.”
Kiba's eyes narrowed and a low growl was emitted from his throat, but Jinra refused to back down. There was little doubt in the observer's minds that a fight was about to break out between the two boys if someone didn't intervene. Kiba was just about to pounce on Jinra when he felt a restraining hand on his shoulder. “That's enough Kiba. You have no idea what he might be capable of.”
“Back off, Shino!” Kiba snarled. “It doesn't matter what this kid can do, I'm gonna kick his ass!”
Kiba broke free of Shino's grip and lunged at Jinra, only to find himself face to face with the ground seconds later. Shino, along with most of the assembled students on the playground, gazed in awe at the spectacle in front of him. Where just seconds ago Jinra had been sitting on the ground, he was now crouched over the fallen Inuzuka, his food pressed firmly onto his back and one of his hands restraining Kiba's arms behind him. Kiba was snarling and struggling against Jinra's grip with all of his might, but he couldn't break free of Jinra's grip.
Jinra narrowed his eyes in a cold manner at the snarling boy below him. “You really should have listened to your friend. It's not smart to throw yourself at an opponent you know nothing about.” With that he released the feral boy and took a step back. Kiba got up, letting out a low growl as he did so, and silently walked away.
“Well, there goes my first impression…” Jinra muttered as the feral boy stalked away. This was not how Jinra had wanted to be seen by his classmates. In hindsight, it may have been sufficient to just block Kiba's attack, but something inside of him just clicked and before he knew it Kiba was on the ground and he was standing over him.
Why do these things keep happening? It wasn't the first time his instinct had taken over like that, and he doubted it would be the last.
Suddenly Jinra's thoughts were interrupted by someone placing a hand on his shoulder. He turned around and found himself looking into the deep emerald orbs of the pink haired girl who had asked about him at the start of class.
“Don't worry about him,” comforted Sakura. “He's got dominance issues. He always thinks he's the best of the class because of his clan. I think it has something to do with the dog traits in his family.”
“Maybe…” he said hesitantly.
“Come on!” she said, grasping Jinra's arm and tugging it firmly. “You're coming to eat with me and some others.”
Jinra had little choice but to do as she said and was dragged across the yard to where a few other kids were sitting. He recognized a few of them. The first one was the blonde that he had seen before, except this time the boy she had been clinging to was absent. Beside her was the lazy pineapple headed kid that he had seen sleeping, and last but not least was a rather rotund looking boy with large spirals painted onto his cheeks. They were an interesting looking bunch to say the least.
“Jinra, this is Ino, Skikamaru and Choiji. Everyone, this is Jinra,” Sakura said in a cheerful tone.
“I think just about everyone knows who he is by now,” Shikamaru said with a lazy yawn, “Especially after that troublesome business with Kiba.”
“Yeah, but I doubt it's Jinra's fault,” muttered Choiji in between handfuls of chips from the bag he was carrying. “You know Kiba. It doesn't take much to set him off.”
Ino let out a small laugh, “No kidding! Personally, I think Dog-boy is irritable because he has fleas from having Akamaru on his head all the time.”
The all had a small laugh at Kiba's expense and Jinra finally began to relax again. It had been bumpy at first, but it seemed as if everything was going to be all right. Unbeknownst to Jinra though, hidden amongst the various stares he was receiving, a cold pair of charcoal black eyes were glaring at him in an almost predatory like way.
“It seems like I might have a rival at the academy after all…” a small smile spread across Sasuke's lips at the prospect of the things to come.
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