Yuto woke up to the sound of someone knocking on his door. Still half-asleep, he blinked a few times before a soft yet firm voice reached his ears.
"It's breakfast time! Go tidy yourself up and gather with everyone in the canteen!"
He instantly recognized the voice from his memories — it belonged to Kana Yamanaka, the caretaker of the Yamanaka dorm and orphanage.
Rubbing his eyes, Yuto muttered sleepily, "Right… Kana-san." He stretched, yawning widely before getting off the bed. After washing his face and brushing his teeth at the sink, he fixed his hair a little and put on his simple clothes.
Once he was ready, Yuto stepped out, locking the door behind him. The corridors were already lively — kids his age or a little older were either walking or running toward the canteen, chatting and laughing along the way.
'Everyone looks so full of energy this early in the morning,' Yuto thought with a small smile.
His thoughts were interrupted by a pat on his shoulder. Turning around, he saw a brown-haired boy with black eyes grinning at him. He looked to be around eight years old — two years older than Yuto.
"Hey Yuto! Let's hurry before Kenichi starts rambling about how a ninja is always on time for everything!" the boy said dramatically. "You know how he gets when we're even a little late!"
Yuto chuckled softly. "Yeah, I remember. Kenichi should learn to chill a little. Following every rule isn't always a good thing."
As the two walked side by side, Yuto recalled from his memories who the boy was — Fujin Yamanaka, one of his friends and a recent academy entrant.
'He's the easygoing type,' Yuto thought, 'definitely a good balance to Kenichi's rule-obsessed personality.'
When they arrived at the canteen, the unmistakable voice of Kenichi Yamanaka greeted them. The black-haired, brown-eyed boy with glasses adjusted them sharply as he said, "You're late again, Fujin, Yuto! A true ninja must always be punctual. Time is discipline, and discipline builds strength!"
Yuto sighed inwardly, "Good morning to you too, Kenichi," he said, taking his seat and starting on his breakfast of toast, fried eggs, and fruit.
Fujin stifled a laugh beside him. "Kenichi, you should write a book — 'Ninja Etiquette for Dummies'."
Kenichi frowned. "Mock all you want, but someday, this mindset will make me a great shinobi!"
'Yeah, and someday pigs might fly,' Yuto thought dryly, keeping his expression neutral as he focused on finishing his breakfast.
After eating, he stood up and waved his hand casually. "You two go play. I've got something to do outside." He said before slipping out of the dorms.
Once he was outside the Yamanaka compound, he stretched his arms and looked around. "Alright… my first goal is to run one full round around Konoha. I'll also scout for important places — especially Ichiraku Ramen."
He started jogging confidently, but reality hit hard. After barely ten minutes, he was panting and clutching his knees. Sweat dripped down his face.
'Why… why is this so hard!? In fanfics they make this look so easy!' he groaned mentally, plopping down on a nearby bench.
As he caught his breath, his eyes wandered to the busy streets. Merchants were shouting, villagers were chatting, ninjas were roof hopping, and the air was filled with life.
"Seeing this in real life is… more awesome than I imagined," he muttered with a faint smile.
Then something caught his attention — a wooden sign reading "Playground."
Curiosity piqued, Yuto got up and walked toward it. When he entered the park, he saw children laughing and playing — sliding, running, climbing bars. But one child caught his eye instantly — sitting alone on the swing, small and silent.
'Wait a second… those whisker marks… that's Naruto!' His eyes widened slightly. 'No, hold on… that's a girl!'
The child had long blonde hair with red highlights tied into two small braids. Her face was unmistakable — bright blue eyes, three whisker marks on each cheek — but her expression was lonely.
'Naruto… or rather, Naruko?' Yuto thought, shocked. 'So this is a parallel universe version of Naruto… and she's still all alone.'
He felt sad for the little girl. Without overthinking, he walked toward the second swing beside her and sat down.
The sudden act drew everyone's attention. The other kids whispered among themselves.
"Why is he sitting beside her?"
"Doesn't he know who that is?"
"Should we tell him?"
"Forget it! She's sitting beside that green-eyed kid — I don't want to go near them!"
Yuto ignored the murmurs completely and looked at the girl, who stared back at him in surprise — and maybe, just a little hope.
"Hey there," Yuto greeted casually.
"H-Hi," she replied softly, clearly unsure how to react.
Yuto chuckled lightly at her awkward tone. "My name's Yuto Yamanaka," he said kindly.
The girl blinked, then brightened up. "I'm Naruko Uzumaki! W-Will you play with me?" she asked nervously, eyes squeezed shut as if bracing for rejection.
Yuto smiled. "Alright then. Wanna see who can go higher on the swings?"
Her eyes sparkled instantly. "Yeah, yeah, yeah! Let's play!" she shouted excitedly.
As they started swinging, laughter filled the air. Naruko's heart swelled with excitement. 'Is this really happening? Am I really… going to have a friend?'
Soon they were running, climbing, playing tag, hide and seek, jumping rope — every game they could think of. Yuto's inner child, long buried under the weight of his past life due to board exams, came alive again.
By the time they stopped, the sun was already setting, painting the sky in shades of orange and red.
Yuto stretched and said between breaths, "Naruko, it's getting late. We'll play again tomorrow. Come here at 3 p.m., alright?"
He had already planned his training regimen in his mind — breakfast at 7 a.m., physical training from 8 to 10, chakra control from 10:30 to 12, lunch, more exercise, meditation, and playtime with Naruko till 8.
Naruko smiled brightly, eyes gleaming with happiness. "Alright, Yuto! Today was really fun!"
Yuto smiled softly as he looked at her. "Yeah… it really was."
Naruko waved at him enthusiastically as he walked away, her heart light for the first time in a long while. She was finally happy — because she had made her very first friend.