It Ain't Easy Being Alice II

Upon entering the apartment, she spotted Jada on the couch, reading over one of Alice's well-thumbed medical books. Jada glanced up and greeted her.

"Good to see you, too, Jada."

The now-Uchiha closed and lifted the cover to Alice's face and said, "You really are incredible, Alice! You can actually read all of this and never seem tired!"

Curious, Alice raised an eyebrow and asked, "What's so surprising about that?"

Jada rubbed the back of her neck, softly chuckling, "I can barely understand half the terminology in the books and scrolls you read!"

Alice smiled warmly at the compliment.

"By the way!" Jada quipped, "I had a plate of your breakfast, and it tasted so good!"

"Haha," Alice laughed. "Thank you. I think William had two plates of it."

It then dawned on Jada that if William had two plates, then that meant Alice didn't have any since the portion was only enough for four people.

"Did you at least eat lunch?" Jada wondered.

Alice shook her head, the urgency of her day catching up with her. "No time. Just running errands before some more duties at the academy."

"Well, make sure you keep your health in check," Jada gently admonished in a caring tone.

With a grateful nod, Alice collected the reports, stuffing them into her bag, and thanked her for the reminder.

The door clicked shut behind her as she made her way back to the academy. There, she made her way into Iruka's classroom.

The students, older this time, were forty in number—many of them already knowing her as a skilled kunoichi.

"Afternoon, everyone!" she called, standing at the helm of the room. "Today, I'm substituting for Iruka-sensei. I'll be handing out your midterm tests, so make sure you have your writing tools ready."

Murmurs filled the room as she watched some of their anxious expressions.

"I heard she was the only one to ace the Chūnin Exams' written test," one student whispered to another.

The chatter of her past achievements increased, but she gave them all reassuring smiles.

As she distributed the tests, one student raised their hand to ask, "Are you going to be grading our exams too?"

"Yes," she confirmed, watching as a collective sigh spread through the room.

She honestly didn't have to grade their work. But since she understood the test's structure, she was more than qualified to score them.

The students, however, knew that now their efforts had to multiply to meet her high standards.

Alice moved to the front, taking her place.

"Remember, the knowledge you gain now will be fundamental in battle and strategy. Questions aren't just a test; they're a way to grow. They prepare you for the encounters you'll face, and my goal is to see you all succeed."

As the students focused on their sheets, she spent the time monitoring them.

The minutes ticked by, and the pencils clattered along the desk, allowing her the opportunity to look over those reports she promised to help Margaret with. When she looked over the first sheet, she gawked at the glaring grammatical errors strewn throughout.

While the students continued scribbling nervously on their tests, she dedicated a few moments to correcting some of the reports. Yet there was still too much.

Time was running thin, and she had to be ready for the next phase of her day once she finished grading their tests. Not even an hour later, and she had to stop them.

"Time's up!" she announced, freezing many in place. "I hope you all did well. Please pass your papers to the front."

As the reports piled on her desk, she glanced around the classroom, seeing both relief and fatigue settling on her students' faces. To think most of them had to try so hard on what was viewed as easy.

Moments later, the students filed out after receiving their final grade for the semester. There were a lot of congratulatory words being thrown around since most of them had passed. Alice couldn't help but smile at their authentic antics.

After clearing her desk and arranging the tests, she took a moment to breathe. Her moment of respite was short-lived when Alex strolled past some of the exiting students and into the classroom.

The students immediately reacted, some murmuring in respect and admiration for the well-known Hyūga.

"Wow," Alice mused, "I didn't know you were popular here too."

"Sorry for dropping in without notice," he chuckled as he approached her with a basket.

"Not a problem," she replied, sensing his arrival ten minutes earlier. "Besides, it's good to see you."

He offered the basket toward her and said, "I thought you might have missed lunch, so I brought this over."

"Thanks, Alex," she said gratefully, accepting the basket and pulling out some rice balls and dango. "But if I know you, it wasn't just to bring me food, huh?"

She couldn't have been more right. Alice had a soft spot for the other players. Little had any of them known, she had a secret mission of her own. And so far, Alex was the most suspicious on her radar.

While she munched on the offering, he said, "Nothing gets past you, I see. Could you visit the Hyūga clan later? I was supposed to help Hinata with her training, but they told me that she'd been struggling to be effective without using her Byakugan. No pun intended, I think she needs a different perspective on things, something not strictly tied to her bloodline."

Alice chewed thoughtfully before answering, "You know that's more of a Hyūga's job, right? But…" she trailed off, knowing that her grasp of various dōjutsu was stronger than most. "Okay, I can help."

"Way to have my back, Alice," he said. "Seriously, thank you!"

With that, he took his leave, and she finished the last of her food.

Being Alice came at a high price. For instance, she couldn't just leave for the Hyūga clan right this second; she had to ensure that the room was clean for tomorrow's class.

It took her only a few minutes, and the moment she finished, she stored those unfinished reports and sped toward the Hyūga clan.

She soon spotted Hinata practicing against a training pole. Alice managed to sneak up on Hinata, who was startled when she turned to see her.

"Oops!" Alice laughed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to surprise you!"

Hinata slightly blushing as she stood upright, wiping the sweat from her brow. "Sorry, I should have been more watchful!"

"No need to apologize," Alice kindly stated. "I'm here to take over for Alex."

Hinata smiled, brightening at the prospect as she said, "I'm happy to have you here, then, Alice. I wasn't sure if he'd make it."

The two began their training, sparring in the courtyard, with Alice patiently teaching Hinata not just techniques, but how to instill confidence in her actions.

For an hour, they engaged, yet it quickly became evident to Alice just how much training Hinata needed without the Byakugan. The girl was strong, no doubt, but she wasn't in her prime yet.

Eventually, Hinata huffed in exhaustion, lowering her arms as she cocked her head to the side and said, "Thank you, Alice."

"You've made great progress, but there's always room for improvement," Alice said, positioning herself to give Hinata pointers on her stance and overall form.

Hinata expressed her gratitude, stating that everyone is always so nice to her. Alice wondered what she meant by that.

"It's just…" the Hyūga began, "ever since I met you and the others, things have been really bright. I still think about Kiba sometimes, and I know he would have really loved to be friends with everyone."

Hearing Kiba's name reminded Alice of his killer. She immediately softened the mood by asking Hinata how things were going with Naruto. This caused the Hyūga to blush, considering that the other players were working so hard to get her to date him earlier.

"Ugh!" she stammered with a red face. "We're… We're getting along just fine!"

"Really?" Alice smirked, getting closer to her face.

"Yes, really!" she confessed.

Alice, who kept regular tabs on everyone, knew that those two would likely become a couple soon. It was mainly thanks to Jada, who helped push that ship.

Margaret and Alice would have preferred more of a Naruto and Sakura pair, but Jada insisted on keeping things more official. William was the only other male to voice his opinion, of which neither of the females cared since they believed it was their call to make.

Just as the two finished their training session, Alice's perceptive instincts kicked in. She sensed Margaret yelling from across the village, "Mom, I forgot my purse!"

Alice almost cringed at the cry. She recognized the call for help, but her sense of duty to Hinata took precedence. So she instead turned to Hinata, "You did well today! Just remember to keep your defense up next time."

After a warm farewell, she dashed towards the training grounds, knowing she had an appointment waiting with none other than Hiruzen.

When she arrived, she was greeted warmly by Hiruzen, alongside Hiromu and Tsunade.

To even have an appointment with Hiruzen was one thing, but to garner another elder and the Hokage was completely abnormal for a normal Chūnin.

Hiruzen had taken a special interest in her training and was eager to cultivate her talents, particularly after she had shared details about her sensing abilities.

"I'm glad you could make it," the former Hokage rasped. "I'll assume you're already warmed up, seeing how heavy you're breathing."

"Absolutely!" she replied.

As they began, Alice engaged in basic spiritual techniques, feeling herself fall deeper into concentration with each passage of time. Tsunade observed the training.

"You know," she commented with a soft smile, "your techniques remind me of Dan."

Alice met her gaze and said, "He really loved you."

Tsunade turned bittersweet as she asked, "Now how would you know that?"

"Just a hunch," Alice quipped, forgetting that she wasn't supposed to share that information. "I've heard you have a reputation for being quite caring, which implies you wouldn't make poor decisions with someone you love."

It was a good excuse, but Hiromu and Hiruzen just had to laugh.

"Well played, young lady!" Hiromu replied, the wrinkles on his face deepening as he chuckled.

Anyone who knew Tsunade would have also known that, after Dan, her love relationships often ended quickly due to her quick temper. That was considering that she had a thing for Orochimaru when they were younger.

The training eventually continued into the evening.

Alice's growth blossomed before their eyes; she fielded the techniques correctly, eclipsing doubts. It was also the perfect time for her to show off her telekinesis, which Tsunade valued highly.

There were talks about advancing her to a Jōnin level, but Alice was adamant that she felt like she should earn that rank by undergoing the Jōnin exams. As such, they respected her wishes before giving her a time for next week's training session.

Now the night was about to commence. However, Alice's senses prickled when she felt someone talking about her. It was a doctor in the village's science facility.

Remembering that she had an obligation at the research facility, she didn't hesitate; she sprinted towards the building, arriving just in time to find the doctor waiting.

"You've come at the perfect moment!" he exclaimed. "It's like you heard me asking where you were or something."

Alice merely chuckled, prepared to help with the task at hand.

Together, they spent the next several hours exploring the corpses of three members from the Sound Ninja Four, who had been taken after her one and only failed mission.

Alice carefully analyzed the markings and afflictions on them. As she contoured her chakra around the remains, she identified the curse marks Orochimaru used had been the root cause of the doctor's problem.

"It's laced with corrupt Sage Chakra," Alice stated, prompting interest from the doctor.

For some weeks, the science team had been tasked with analyzing anything Orochimaru had done to their bodies so that the village could be better equipped. It was actually a request from Alex, who originally brought up the idea, but they couldn't amount to much.

Their findings revealed poison resistance elements and an array of stimulants and drugs in their bodies. While an interesting discovery, they fell short when it came to analyzing their chakra. That's where Alice had come along.

The hours flew by while they delved deeper into the analysis, finally concluding their study with Alice producing a report of her findings.

As she prepared to submit the papers, the doctor expressed his gratitude, and she assured him it was no trouble.

Many would have thought today was a hectic one. In truth, it was the average since Jasper wasn't in the village. By now, the two would have been on a nightly date before returning to one of their apartments.

Alice eventually parted ways from the science facility and returned home. Already she could sense both Margaret and Jada in their beds, sleeping the night away. Who could blame them since it was 1:00 AM?

On the kitchen counter lay a note from Jada, alongside a plate featuring dinner leftovers.

'Had a feeling you skipped dinner. Hope you enjoy!' it read, followed by a heart drawn in Jada's hasty handwriting.

Alice smiled softly, appreciating the sentiment. However, the moment she took a bite, her expression became one of surprised distaste.

"Too much salt," she muttered to herself, forgetting Jada genuinely struggled in the kitchen.

The gesture still warmed her heart far beyond the taste.

After a quick cleanup, she pulled out the reports and finished it all in under two hours. Margaret was supposed to help her. Yet that's what made Alice so special—she balanced her commitments and found time to aid anyone who asked for help without expecting anything in return.

Once she finished, the next thing she did was crawl right into bed.

But as always, sleep was short-lived. The alarm buzzed, dragging her from the depths at precisely 5:30 AM.