I don't own Naruto.


Chapter 4

Academy, Konoha

(Akira Tanaka POV)

At the age of 31, Akira was already a seasoned teacher. Leaving active service at the age of 25 after a serious injury, he had dedicated his life to teach the next generation of shinobi for his village.

Akira was a simple person, he didn't have children, nor did he want any if he was honest with himself. He lived in a modest apartment, not far from the academy, and usually spent his evenings with his friends and colleagues.

It was a well-known fact, that some children developed far more quickly than others. Some tried to hide it. Akira himself thought that he was good at spotting those children. Typically, civilian children didn't really attract his attention, but once every few years one of them would show remarkable talent. Following this train of thought, one… maybe two of his charges came to his mind.

It has been two months since the new batch of academy students arrived, and other than these two, nobody special came to his mind. Some already quit, but that was normal, not everyone could become a shinobi. Anyway, he definitely was interested in the further development of the two boys.

Masashi and Arata, both orphans. No mentions of parents. Which in and of itself was nothing unusual, many children were just left on the doorstep of the orphanages in Konoha. But it was certainly interesting, seeing the obvious talent the two kids showed. Perhaps there is a relation to some clan? Food for his thoughts, certainly.

Akira didn't really know why they tried to hide their progress, but he kept quiet with his observations so far. His colleagues sometimes spoke about their classes too, but till now, none has mentioned these two. 'Maybe he was just more observant.' he thought.

He certainly would not claim, that they were prodigies, all things considered. It was far too early to say, they didn't even train with chakra jet. Unlocking chakra was usually done towards the end of the second year of the academy, but he would certainly not bat an eye if the two boys did unlock it earlier.

He would talk to them eventually, after the academy day was finished. Potentially, he could help them progress further, without being held back by their peers. He also knew that the two boys were friends, he often spotted them going to the library or leave school together.

From some of his colleagues, he also heard of another special student, a certain Minato Namikaze. His colleague was very vocal in claiming him a prodigy. Akira could certainly see it, joining the academy at the age of five and having skipped a year, Namikaze was well on his way to graduate next summer at the age of ten. Which was a very noteworthy achievement, considering that he was born a civilian.

He would make his own judgement on the Namikaze boy, not having the chance to train his class in any subject, jet.

Akira cleared his mind, he had other things to think about currently. The chunin exams were coming to Konoha in a few months, and he was chosen to become one of the officials.

If he was honest with himself, he never liked those exams, too many dead children… But that's life, he thought to himself.

So with a slightly sober mood, Akira made his way towards the academy, mentally going over his day again.


Academy, Konoha

(MC POV)

Over the last few months, Arata and I started a routine of sorts. Being in different classes, we exchanged timetables and always met up after school. We usually headed to the library, training or went exploring in Konoha. We also recently started some odd jobs here and there. Quite frankly, we needed the money, the food in the orphanages was enough to give normal children a full stomach. But being academy students, we simply burned more calories, thus required more food.

That's why we were often times seen running errands throughout Konoha. The pay was bad, obviously, but we weren't allowed to do D-ranked missions, those were reserved for academy graduates. Still, the money was enough to get us properly fed. Being growing six - almost seven - year-old kids required a surplus number of calories and nutrients, especially proteins, to build muscle and allow for proper growth. I will be damned if I turned out a midget because I couldn't get enough food when I was a child.

I also made sure, that Arata ate enough, couldn't have my friend turn into a midget, that would be embarrassing…

Today was not a special day, lectures, physical training, the usual really. The only thing noteworthy was the slightly sober expression on Tanaka-sensei's face. 'Huh, I guess he hasn't had a good day so far.' I thought to myself.

After the bell rang, I made my way towards the roof. The roof was my usual hangout spot, when Arata still had lectures and I had to wait for him. I never met anyone up here, which always surprised me, I mean the view was breathtaking. You could practically see all of Konoha from up here, from the gates to the hokage mountain. It was really peaceful up here, and I could let my thoughts wander a bit.

This was the reason I was surprised to find another child on the roof, seemingly meditating. I was curious, having never met anyone up here, and decided to get a better look at the other boy.

He is probably a few years older than me, judging by bis looks. He was definitely taller than me, which is not very hard, I was small even for my age. But the most prominent feature was his blond hair. I made my way over to him, knowing I had nothing else to do.

"Hey, never seen you up here." I called towards him.

As he turned around, I could see his face and eyes for the first time. I would like to say that my breath didn't hitch, but that would be a lie. In front of me most certainly stood a young Minato Namikaze.

"Oh hey there, I come up here occasionally, it's a nice view. Minato Namikaze, but please call me Minato." he came closer and extended his arm in greeting.

"… Masashi, nice to meet you." I responded.

"So, tell me, what are you doing up here?" he asked me, apparently interested in me.

"Just waiting for a friend of mine, he is still in class and I got bored. Sometimes I meditate up here." I responded after a short pause. Really, I didn't really plan to meet the father of the protagonist so early on. 'Just my luck, I guess' I thought.

"Yeah, I can relate to that. I was also meditating, didn't actually notice you until you spoke up." he replied sheepishly.

"Hehe, I tend to be good at keeping quiet." I told him. I could hear the ring of the academy bell from down below us at this moment. "It was a pleasure meeting you, but I have to go now, bye Minato."

"Likewise, maybe we meet again." he told me.


"Hey Masashi!" I heard a voice shout from behind me. Turning around, I could spot Arata making his way through a cluster of children.

"Hey Arata" I replied in greeting. "Met a weird guy on the roof. Minato Namikaze was his name, do you know him?" I asked, faking cluelessness.

"Mhm…" he thought. "Ah yeah, I heard his name a few times, seems to be a prodigy. Entered the academy at five and is said to graduate next summer. He is a few years older than us, probably also skipped a year or two." He responded, not really sure about the last part.

"I found him meditating, but haven't really had a conversation with him. Still, seemed to be a nice enough bloke, as far as I can tell." I told him.

One of the few things I always wanted to experience myself was Ichiraku Ramen, so me and Arata decided to treat ourselves. He was initially surprised, why I would want to go there because it was quite far away from our orphanages. I only told him, that I heard it being mentioned by a few people.


Ichiraku Ramen, Konoha

Arata and I just entered the restaurant, when we were greeted by a loud and jovial voice.

"Hello, Welcome to Ichiraku Ramen!" the guy behind the counter, I think he was called Teuchi if I remember correctly, spoke.

"One miso ramen, please." I said with a small smile.

"I take the same." Arata spoke from beside me.

I have experienced many fascinating things in the time I was here, the smell was heavenly. Being orphans, we don't have a lot of money, so we didn't get the chance to explore the culinary attractions of Konoha. I made a note in the back of my head to eat dango some day.

While eating, I thought about my meeting with Minato. Sure, he was a cool bloke, but I also wasn't so keen on interfering with his life. I will probably try to avoid any major characters for now, partly because weird stuff happens around them. I was not very confident in my ability to defend myself, if something should happen. Hell, I haven't gotten the leaf concentration exercise to work, jet.

I also couldn't work for too long every day. Arata and I usually put in an extra few hours of training and then did some odd jobs to get a little cash. Doing more would probably result in me burning out before I reach puberty, can't have that. I made sure, that we also had some time to relax and have some fun, mostly on the weekends.

After finishing our meals, we paid and made our way towards the orphanage. I recently got to know, that we civilian kids will get an apartment provided, when we finish the first two years of the academy. Naturally, I was very excited to leave the orphanage, some semblance of privacy was very much appreciated.


Streets, Konoha

One of my favorite pastime activities was to observe the people here in Konoha, more specifically the shinobi population. It still gave me thrills, seeing ninja hop from roof to roof.

I was also curious about the Uchiha. What were they like before the massacre? The answer to this question is fairly simple. They were dicks, mostly. They reminded me of nobility, that thought their blood was everything.

I could also see why many people described them to be stuck up and intimidating. My first time seeing those cursed eyes, I very nearly pissed myself, and I am not even embarrassed to say this.

I made a game out of finding members of every clan in Konoha and observing them, so far, I almost succeeded. The only clan that I haven't spotted yet were the Aburame clan, but I expected this. The clan lives isolated mostly. Many people find them and their bugs disgusting, I always thought that they are remarkable. Playing host to their bugs and living in symbiosis, truly a fascinating idea.

Even though I have been here for a few months, I still love exploring the place, I also visited the hokage mountain a few times, and I can see the appeal.


Forest, Konoha

It was not a long time before I showed Arata my favorite training spot. We frequently hung out here. Sometimes we didn't really speak, just enjoyed the surrounding nature, it turned out that Arata was also introverted, which suited me just fine.

Currently, we were each working on different things. He was working on accessing his chakra and I tried and more often than not failed to keep the leaf sticking on my forehead. 'Seriously, why is this so hard? I thought those were the easiest chakra exercises' I thought. 'Maybe I should just ask Tanaka-sensei'.

I tried to keep a relatively low profile, showing that I am talented, but not overly much, so I would be labeled a prodigy. I didn't want this title, it usually directed the attention of the wrong kind of people towards yourself. If you were labeled a prodigy, enemy shinobi typically tried to kill you as early as possible, to prevent you getting strong. It was logical, why have an enemy that can single-handedly wipe out an entire platoon, when you can just assassinate him early on and save yourself the trouble?

After a long and exhausting discussion, Arata also understood this. I still intended to become the rookie of the year. I just didn't want it to be flashy.

Tanaka-sensei seemed like a generally nice person, he sure can get scary if you annoy him, but if you stay on his good side, he will help you no matter what. I also knew, that he at least suspected me and Arata being more advanced than we let on. He tried to be subtle about it, but after a while it will become fairly obvious when you spot the signs.

Sensei was always watching me intently when sparring with my classmates, he also tried to sneak in some advanced questions on my tests. I just noticed that recently. 'That cheeky bugger, you have to give it to him, he is good.' I thought. Arata confirmed this as well, when I asked him about his lessons with Tanaka-sensei. So, I decided to speak to him the next time I see him.

My brooding was cut short, when I felt a sudden change in the air. I opened my eyes and looked in the direction the feeling was coming from.

I spotted Arata on the other end of the clearing, sitting in his meditation position. He had a look of deep concentration plastered on his face. My eyes widened when he suddenly started glowing in a faint blue color. I instantly knew that he succeeded in unlocking his chakra. I watched him with a big smile on my face, happy that he was finally succeeding in unlocking it.

The glow slowly died down, and he pants a little.

"Are you alright?" I question him, moving to his side.

"Yeah, better than alright, I feel fucking fantastic!" he exclaimed and punched his hand into the air in an exclamation of his personal victory. I laughed at the image he was portraying.

We spoke a little about what happened, and he eventually asked me how it felt for myself. I explained what happened to me, choosing to keep my little trip towards my chakra core a secret. To be honest, I was still unsure about what really happened, so I didn't feel all that bad to change the story a bit.

We also started to plan our future steps, with Arata unlocking chakra, we could finally start doing our exercises together. Arata wouldn't say it, but he was a little frustrated, that I had unlocked my chakra so much earlier than him. So, I think he was relieved to have done it now.

At the same time, hidden behind the treeline.

(? POV)

"Interesting, unlocking chakra at that age, they can't be older than seven years." the person observing the boys spoke to himself. "They also have strong signatures for their age."

They were definitely civilian born, he decided. Their clothes of poor quality and being out here in the forest.

What he observed was certainly not a small feat. Many kids had problems unlocking their chakra, that's why the academy usually started teaching it towards the second half of the second year.

Most civilian kids simply couldn't do it. That's why only a few make it through to the second stage of the academy, where most clan kids join them. Those children mostly had fewer issues unlocking their chakra, most of them training from a very young age.

Other than that, most clans had certain methods to speed up the process, which they guarded fiercely.

'I should keep an eye out on those two. Maybe…'

(MC POV)

I had a weird feeling, like we were being watched. Arata seemed to be oblivious, but my gut told me to get away from here.

Arata was happily going on about the new sensations he was feeling, when I stopped him.

"I forgot to tell you that I had to help the matron prepare dinner today, so we should probably head back. I want to avoid doing laundry again" I told him and pulled him along.

He was confused, but followed me regardless. I tried to go as fast as possible, so when we reached the orphanage we were really winded.

"What the hell, Masashi!?" he shouted at me, still trying to get his breathing under control. "You were just helping the matron yesterday. What is going on?" he continued.

"I don't know how, but I got a feeling, that someone was watching us. I don't think something would have happened to us, but I didn't feel like staying there any longer." I told him.

His eyes widened a bit at that, not expecting that response.

"Fuck" he eloquently replied.

I rolled my eyes. "We need to learn sign language, should something like that happen again, it will be easier to hide our communication." I reasoned.

Arata just nodded, not really sure what to answer.


Academy, Konoha

I still think about the feeling I experienced in the forest. It felt strange, I knew something was there, but I couldn't see anything. I also talked to Arata about it, but he seemed just as clueless as I was.

We picked a new spot to train after that, and we have made some progress so far. Asking sensei for advice was really helpful.

(Flashback)

I was watching my classmate's sparring matches. It still felt strange sometimes, watching small children fight against each other, although I have mostly accepted this part of my new reality by now. The fights were usually short and not very interesting, which is why I liked to let my mind wander a bit.

When I heard the whistle, I knew the fight was over.

"Good job, please form the seal of reconciliation and move back to your classmates." Tanaka sensei said.

The two girls did so, one more reluctant than the other, and stepped back in line.

"That is it for today. Remember to practice your taijutsu at home." he said, and with that, the children made to leave the room. I stayed behind.

"Masashi, can I help you?" sensei questioned after the others left.

"Yes, I wanted to ask for your help. I have tried to master the leaf concentration exercise for some time now, but I am only able to keep it sticking for a few seconds before it falls off." I explained.

He showed no outward reaction, which strengthened my suspicion, that he was aware of my situation.

"Your chakra is most likely still too wild, it can take some time getting it to calm down. I would recommend trying to let it out occasionally. Your body has probably not yet fully adapted to channeling chakra. You need to let your chakra coils adapt to the flow, then you can start on mastering your chakra control." he explained.

That made sense, my body wasn't used to the chakra flow.

"How can I do this?" I questioned.

"It's pretty simple, when you meditate, you just try to pull on your chakra. Your coils are sensitive enough to let you draw on it." he advised.

Satisfied, I turned to leave the classroom, but I was stopped when sensei spoke again.

"I know that you and Arata are already ahead of your pears. And I think I can guess the reason you are trying to hide your obvious talent. I just want to give you some advice before you go." he began. "Don't lose yourself in the desire to become the best. I have seen many kids like you throughout the years. Rising stars, that burned bright. The thing is, most of them also died young." he spoke soberly.

"Thank you for the advice, sensei." I responded, not really sure what brought this on.

(Flashback end)

I could now stick a leaf to my head for several minutes. Arata has also managed the exercise. We still meditated regularly to let our chakra flow through our bodies. It felt smoother now than it did a few months back.

We were also nearing the end of the first year at the academy. Time seemed to be running fast. Arata and I were currently preparing for the end of the year exams. Which at this point were just a formality for us.

We sometimes spoke to Tanaka-sensei about training different things, but he always asked us to focus on controlling our chakra first. Still, I felt like running in circles sometimes. But his advice was sensible, you can't perform jutsu without being able to control your chakra at all times. Accidents could also happen, when your chakra randomly flared up.

Arata and I also started learning sign language. I admit, ever since the day in the forest, I grew a little paranoid. Arata sometimes joked about that, and I rolled my eyes. It was better to be a little paranoid than caught off guard was my response every time.


Hey guys, chapter 4 is out now!

Minato's first appearance, and Arata unlocking his chakra, and of course, eating a miso ramen at ichiraku.

Also, do you enjoy shorter and more frequent updates (~2k words) or do you want longer updates (~5k words), please let me know!

Hope you enjoyed the new chapter, please like and review.

SSW