Chapter 3: First Day
I fixed my hair and got ready. Aside from the three short pointed bangs hovering diagonally from left to right in front of my forehead, I noticed that my black spiky hair was getting more reminiscent to Ichigo's instead of Naruto's. Meh, works for me, I'm too young to care about making my hair look cool anyway.
This year is when I've finally turned five, some of my baby fat was gone as I grew older and trained. Nothing extreme, just enough to build up physical strength, speed and flexibility. Sharp eyes, somewhat angled jawline. I got the typical little boy face who gets regular exercise, I'll probably get more dashing after puberty.
With a plain red shirt and white shorts, I picked up my purple backpack and went downstairs. Thought about getting a muffler for the changing seasons but decided not to, still considered autumn. I met my mom who already cooked up eggs and bacon for breakfast. She greeted me proudly, "Are you ready for your first day at the academy?"
"Uh huh." We picked our chopsticks and ate, "I wonder if I'll be in the same class as Santa and my other friends?"
"Well, I'm not sure but knowing how rambunctious they are, we can find them easily among the crowd."
"True that."
Mom gleamed proudly, watching me eat as nostalgia was present in her expression, "Time flies so quickly, you are already five. Your tou-san would've been proud to see you growing up."
"Yeah..." I switched my vision to the small memorial site with incense and dad's picture. Melancholy welled, "I wish he's actually here to see it."
"Wherever he is right now, I am sure he is watching over you."
Shaking off the sensation and finishing breakfast, I gave a quick pray to my late father and wore my dark blue sandals.
"Hold up, you're still missing something." Grabbing a handmade dark brown sleeveless vest, mom put it on me and zipped up up halfway, "There, now you got the look."
"Is it really necessary?" I checked out the addition. It does compliment the outfit though a bit warm.
"Of course, no son of mine is going out without looking his best on his first day."
I rolled my eyes. Being the expert tailor she is, mom always tries to get the family to be fashionable. Said tailor still has her dark silky hair tied in a bun with a single bang hanging loosely on the left side of her face. She has a white buttoned top on with a cream colored skirt which reached below her knees, a black waist tie which all emphasized her style without appearing sexy. Her face was adorned with flawless skin and gentle motherly features, long lashes over big eyes, relatively small nose, and glossy pink lips. Attractive yet professional.
"Don't give me that attitude young man. I chose this based on your preference, you know you like it. If it was me, I would've dressed you up in more charming clothes."
"Yes kaa-chan." I replied flatly which earned me a pinch to my cheek.
Mom accompanied, walking me to school. On our way there, I saw more and more kids with their parents happily making their way to the same destination. By the time we made it, I spotted which class I'm in and where it is on the notice board. Breathing deeply, I finally made it, the wind and leaves dancing around the air, the sense of nostalgia as I inclined my head to witness the building.
The Academy in all its glory, standing proudly under the Hokage Rock. After waving goodbye to mom, I scampered over to the opening ceremony where the principal and Hokage will give their speech.
"Ken-kun!" Happily calling me over was a pig-tailed blonde in a sleeveless kimono-style blouse that was orange in color and held closed with a blue obi over a short-sleeved mesh shirt with a pair of dark blue shorts and brown shinobi sandals. Her round whisker-marked face had a large smile as she tried to get my attention, "Over here dattebayo!"
Grinning wryly, I decided why not and lined up behind her, "Hey Naruko."
"You made it, this is gonna be awesome dattebayo. I thought it was gonna be boring with just me here, The Academy will be my next step to become the Hokage and you're gonna see how amazing I'll be."
"What about Satsuki-san? Isn't she also here with you?"
"She's brooding by herself." I followed where Naruko pointed to find the Uchiha heiress watching us unimpressed. I waved awkwardly only for her to ignore me and looked back in front. "See! You think she would be friendly after knowing us but she just keeps up that cool and emo personality."
"Maybe she's not used to me yet."
"After knowing the teme for years, you'd think she would get used to me by now but nope! It's always either mean teasing or being an ice queen." The blonde grabbed my hand, making me fist pump up with her, "But who needs her, we'll be the greatest duo the world has ever seen dattebayo!"
"Oi, you two! Quiet down!"
A teacher scolded us with a pointed finger, earning ourselves snickers from other students. Minato sighed awkwardly along with some other teachers before the Kage stood up on the podium to give his speech, "Good morning everyone, congratulations for entering the academy. Although each of you has come for a different purpose, know that you are all part of the Hidden Leaf Village as inheritors of the Will of Fire."
"Perhaps you may not understand it now, but please remember that the whole village is my family, one that I love and will do whatever it takes to protect. The Will of Fire is what I inherited from my predecessors and for them, they have inherited from their predecessors. From the Shodaime, to Nidaime, to Sandaime, and then to me. It is what gives us hope and strength to protect the village, to believe and cherish from one to another. And I hope the Will of Fire may successfully be inherited by you all."
The speech was nice though some of the kids didn't really get it, happily admiring the Hokage instead. Giving a quick scan, I can see that all of the Rookie 9 are here, even shy little Sakura standing next to Ino. Huh, didn't think she would come since Satsuki isn't a boy. Minato continued for a little longer just enough so that everyone's attention span wasn't used up. After that was the principal, telling us to line up to get to class.
Naruko whispered as we walked down the halls, "This is it Ken-kun, our first step to awesomeness. Just you wait, I'll become the Hokage in a flash dattebayo."
"I see, good luck." I breathed, taking my first big step in my second life. From here on out, I'll give it my all. We separated as the blonde went to the Shinobi Division whereas I went to the Generals Division.
...
"Waaiiit!" Naruko came running back, crashing into me and rocking my shoulders back and forth, "Why are you going to the Generals Division!?"
"Be- Cause- My- Class- Is- There- And could you stop shaking me?"
"That place is boring! Weren't you going to become a shinobi with me!?"
"My thoughts for the future was to either help my mom run the tailoring store or working at the dental department in Konoha Hospital. I already told you this after we played last week."
"Oh... I guess I wasn't paying attention." The blonde had a sheepish smile before panicking again, "But you gotta change classes, shibobis are super cool. You can do lots of cool jutsus!"
"Making nice clothes seems enough to me."
"You can run really fast and jump really high!"
"Konoha isn't that big and I can walk to where I want on foot."
"You can save a princess and beat up bad guys!"
"I want to avoid things that could endanger my life."
"Everyone will acknowledge you and respect you!"
"If I work hard enough and become good at my job, that can happen to me too."
Minato overheard the commotion, finding his daughter trying to make me see stars, "Naruko, what is going on?"
"Tou-chan!" She was teary eyed, raising her little girl voice which was kind of cute, "Ken-kun is going to the Generals Division! Help me convince him to become a shinobi dattebayoooooo!"
He nearly caved under his daughter's demands, that sad blue eyes and adorable face must be difficult for him to say no. The fact that we have so many people watching us wasn't making it easier either, "Now now Naruko, Ken-kun has his own dreams and aspirations, you can't just make him become a shinobi if he doesn't want to."
"But.. but..." Face flushed and mouth pouty, Naruko's puppy dog eyes were on full throttle to the point it could melt the hearts of many. She resembles that of a little whiskered animal getting kicked. And to be honest, I almost gave in to her pressure.
Smiling wryly, I gave the little Naruko a headpat, "Come on Naruko, we can still hang out during lunch. It's not like I'm going anywhere."
"Ken-kun is right. Naruko, Ken-kun wants to work hard for his own dream just like you are working for yours. If you are really his friend, you need to support him and wish for his happiness."
She turned from her dad to me, sniffling before wiping her tears, "... Muu, okay. Make sure you promise to eat with me okay?"
"Okay, I promise."
Once the whole fiasco is over, we quickly got back in line as we waved goodbye. The teachers were upset with us though didn't say anything too much since the Hokage was there, wish I could say the same for my schoolmates. Class hasn't even started and I already got whispers around me, perfect... On the bright side, this place looks really good even after four generations.
Smooth wooden floors, wide classrooms, well equipped. This place looks more like a university in my previous life than a school for kids. Then again, Hashirama may have helped in building it for the future generations. I took a seat and soon enough a familiar face was next to me, smirking in amusement, "What's it like to cause trouble on the first day Popular-kun?"
"Not as fun as you think Santa." My brown haired friend snickered, enjoying to see me struggling, "I didn't think Naruko would be against it that much."
"She does like you more than us and you two always be kissy kissy."
"What kind of five-year-old still says the word 'kissy'?"
"The kind who can watch his friend trying to get away from his girlfriend. Which means you have cooties all the time."
Impassive, my eyes rolled from his teasing. Then again, Santa's got a point. Naruko getting attached to me could be either good or really morbid. The latter because I don't want to get my balls sliced off from the papa bear. Did that night where I helped her out during the festival really trigger a flag? I mean, she's already made some friends before meeting me. Hopefully, this won't change the timeline too... Oh who am I kidding, I might as well prepare for the worst case scenario and make a bucket list.
"Good morning class, I will be your homeroom teacher for the year. Now let's start with introductions."
"This Kiba guy was really loud and annoying, he thinks I can't become Hokage because I couldn't answer our sensei's questions."
"Ah it's just the first day at school, I'm sure you'll get the hang of it after some studying."
"Ino is okay except for the part where she said girls should pay more attention to our clothes and hair. I look cute just the way I am dattebayo."
"Yeah you are pretty cute."
"See! There's this one kid who kept eating in class though, wonder if I could sneak in some cup ramen next time?"
"Not such a good idea, everyone will smell the ramen scent."
"Too bad. And the worst today was that everyone's attention was on Satsuki just because she's prettier and always got the right answers. What's so special about her? I'm way more awesome dattebayo."
"Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses I guess." I readjusted my backpack, walking out after the first day of school. Pretty much the same as how school in my old world works, nothing too eventful, "Hey guess what. My sensei said we might have joint classes when you guys learn non-shinobi stuff, we still might get to be classmates after all."
Naruko paused before brightening up, smiling ear to ear while jumping and raising her hands up. Her pigtails floating in the air with every hop, "Really!? Yippee! This will be so much fun, now this way I won't have to sneak out and play with you dattebayo!"
"And you do not feel guilty about the trouble you already caused young lady?" The blonde paused in mid-hop, pale as a ghost. Naruko's head dreadfully turned around to find her mom, red hair fluttering dangerously reminiscent to nine tails, you can totally feel the manifested pure unadulterated wrath around her. Kushina was not amused at all by her daughter's behavior, "The moment I set foot into the academy, a teacher called out to me about your stunt on the first day and it seems you have not reflected on your actions."
"Kaa-chan!? It's not what you think! Ken-kun didn't want to become a shinobi and-"
"Shut up!" Kushina bonked her head, comically giving Naruko a bump. The redhead then sighed, "Goodness, you won't become a good shinobi if you make rash decisions like that Naruko. You need to consider the other person's feelings and handle the situation better."
Says the tomato who started a fight on her first day of the Academy. Regardless, Kushina was delighted to see me and Naruko still friends, "How was your day you two?"
"Boring." The blonde booed, "I thought I could get a taijutsu spar and show off my moves but it's just theories and junk dattebayo."
"I had science, math and art class today, it was just basics and some trivia though."
"Well it is just the first day, you will go in depth about the more fun parts sooner or later. Ken-kun, where is your kaa-chan? Is she not here to pick you up?"
"Business is busier from Mondays to Wednesdays, so I'll need to go back on my own. Kaa-chan insisted on coming at first until I changed her mind since I'm already mature enough to go to school. It's no problem."
"You are definitely more mature than other kids your age." Kushina perked up, "I know, do you want to join us for Ichiraku Ramen? We are going there to celebrate Naruko's first day."
"That's a great idea dattebayo."
Smiling apologetically, "Sorry, kaa-chan won't like it if I go with you without permission. Besides, she's cooking my favorite for tonight."
"No no, it's fine. Maybe next time."
"Awwwww, I really wanted Ken-kun to come dattebayo."
"I'll try asking kaa-chan if I can next time. Bye Kushina-san. Bye Naruko, see you tomorrow."
After waving goodbye, I walked back home. Halfway through, I sneezed and noticed that it's getting colder and colder by the day. Maybe mom was right about wearing an extra vest over me. Winter is coming soon, maybe I should buy some hot cup ramen as an appetizer along the way before dinner? On my way through the park, I picked up some sounds of verbal bullying near the trees.
Sighing in annoyance, I suppose I could make a little detour to stop it. Probably some brats throwing pebbles at cats again. This is like what? The third time in two months?
"Hey look, she's got those eyes."
"No way, you're a Hyuga."
"How about you show us a trick you white eyed freak."
My feet stopped in their tracks, is this what I think it is?
Hinata cowered, shrinking to make herself smaller. Whimpers and tears were evidently present, "N-no... I-I am not..."
"Come on come on, I can't hear you."
"Oh she's crying, what a loser."
"You Hyugas aren't so tough-"
*whizz*
"Ow!" One of the bullies rubbed his arm from the stinging pain, "What hit me?"
"What are you doing? There's nothing here- Gah!" Another bully opposite to the first was nearly knocked off his feet, taking a hit from the back of his head, "Something's here!"
"You think you're all that. Why don't you come out- Ow! Ouch! Stop! Quit it!"
The dark blue haired little girl went from scared to even more scared to confused and only a little scared. As the three bullies couldn't do anything but get pelted by speeding pebbles, Hinata simply stood there and watched, wondering why she wasn't getting struck by those pebbles. The bullies turned around each time receiving a blow, only to take more from behind. It's like they're everywhere at once.
"Ah, this sucks! Let's get out of here!"
Finally unable to stand it, the three took off in fear, yelling that the forest is haunted. Eventually, the only one left was Hinata, completely clueless as to what happened. No more raining pebbles and she was scot-free, "U-um, what just ha-happened?"
"Hinata-sama." Her attendant walked up to her, "Are you done with your stroll? We should return home soon, your father would like to hear your day in the academy."
"Uh- um, Ko-san... Did you...?"
"What is wrong, Hinata-sama?"
"... No, it's no-nothing."
"Well, let us be off."
Ko took her hand and head to the Hyuga compound as the little girl pondered about what just transpired.
...
Welp, that just happened. I jumped off a tree branch before tossing away the rest of my ammo, dusting myself and picking up my backpack. Naruto was supposed to handle this yet Naruko was out celebrating with her family in this world. I've already got schoolmates whispering about me on the first day, don't want to attract any more unnecessary attention.
I think about the future from here on out, things would only get crazier at this rate. A snowflake dropped in front of my face, enticing me to look up and find that it's dark and snowing.
"An early winter?" Whatever the case, I went home running, figuring that maybe changing the menu to hotpot would be nice.
AN: Welp, this just happened. At this point I'm just dragging it on to fill my desire for writing. Nothing much, the real events would start in one or two more chapters. That's all.
Ja Ne
