(WIP)The Hidden Dragon Chronicles: Series 1

Episode 2: Graduation and New Faces!

Time skip- *present day(Young Naruto era)*

Izumi awoke to the sound of birds chirping and the first rays of sunlight streaming through the only window in her bedroom. She sat up groggily and extended her arms above her head.

It was the day of the academy's graduation exam, and Izumi's friends hadn't stopped talking about it. It was important that she arrived on time, so she stirred slowly.

As she stepped onto the wooden floor of the Nara family's home, there was an unpleasant beating at the door.

Izumi tilted her head, "It sounds like someone is in a rush. I hope I'm not late...," she mused.

With that in mind, she massaged her sleepy eyes and approached the door. She didn't expect anyone significant to be on the other side, so she opened the door in her bed ridden , droopy-eyed morning state.

She wasn't surprised to see her best friend, Shikamaru, waiting for her, but it seemed surprising that Kiba, another friend, was beside him. It's unusual for Kiba to wake up so early.

Izumi looked down at her body, dressed in a loose black t-shirt and cat pajama shorts, and then smiled embarrassedly back at them.

"Morning, Izumi," Kiba bursts into her room, Akamaru barking on top of his head. "Did you just wake up? Everyone else has been awake for a while." Kiba mocked.

She overlooked the fact that he did not wait for an invitation to enter and opened the door wider in case Shikamaru wanted to enter.

The Nara boy wanders into her room, hands in his pockets, murmuring , "Good morning, Iz."

She could tell neither of them had been awake for as long as Kiba claimed.

"My bad, I wanted to wake up earlier," she yawned and rubbed her eyes again. "Thanks for stopping by to make sure I'm up," she said gratefully.

"Well, hurry up and get ready!" Kiba smiles as he walks over to her bed, which is spread out. Akamaru lays on your pillow, and Kiba massages him, indicating that the two of them will wait for you.

Shikamaru sighed and moved to peek out of Izumi's bedroom window. "Kiba just wants to walk to the Academy with you and I," he said with a sigh, "sorry if we woke you."

"Don't worry about it," She offered Shikamaru a sincere smile and remarked,  "Oh, make my bed while you're over there, Kiba."

"I am going to get dressed." Izumi said, hoping Kiba and Shikamaru receive the message to enter the passage.

When no one seemed to want to move, she sighed and take the clothing she had laid out the night before, into the restroom.

Kiba, Shikamaru, and Izumi have been friends for several years. They were her closest friends—her first friends—along with Choji and Naruto, neither of whom appeared to have gotten up early enough to stop by her apartment.

Izumi frequently spends time with those three, however she lives in Shikamaru's house, which is far from Naruto, Kiba, and Choji's.

It was a nice delight for them to wake up in time to greet her.

After entering the bathroom, she closed the door and began changing.

You intentionally chose your favorite split skirt and tank top. Not only was this fashionable, it was also useful for exam day.

Izumi steps out of the bathroom, feeling more awake than before. Almost nothing has changed since she left, although, Akamaru was walking throughout her room sniffing object after object.

Kiba got out of bed as soon as she realized she was ready. Akamaru interrupts his investigation to return to Kiba's outstretched arms.

"Finally!" He exclaims, excited to be on his way to school.