Evening had settled over Konoha. Minato returned home in an instant, appearing directly in the bedroom through his Flying Thunder God technique. He removed his Hokage robes and made his way into the living room.
There, Chiharu sat absorbed in a rather thick book. Minato recognized it immediately—a volume chronicling the history of Konoha. The gentle "ding-dong" sounds emanating from the kitchen indicated Kushina was preparing dinner. Naruto was nowhere to be seen, undoubtedly engaged in training somewhere in the house as usual.
Minato moved through the living room with exceptional stealth, but just as he approached Chiharu, she sensed his presence. Turning around, her face lit up with a bright smile.
"Dad, welcome home," she greeted, her voice still carrying the sweet timbre of childhood, clear and melodious like pearls cascading onto a plate.
"I heard your performance today was quite impressive," Minato said, reaching out to ruffle Chiharu's golden hair affectionately. As Hokage, news of Chiharu's achievement—skipping two grade levels after her assessment—had naturally reached him swiftly.
As a father, Minato certainly felt pride in her accomplishment. Yet, unlike others, his surprise was more measured. Though Chiharu practiced in secret, little escaped Minato's perceptive eyes.
"Dad, please don't tell my brother about what happened at the Academy today," Chiharu requested with a mischievous smile, giving Minato a conspiratorial wink. "I want to surprise him on the first day of school."
"Mm," Minato responded after a moment's consideration, nodding in agreement.
During dinner, Naruto inquired about Chiharu's enrollment, but both parents had been forewarned. Thus, Naruto remained completely unaware that his sister would be skipping two levels to join his class.
On the first day of the new school term, a bustling crowd gathered outside the Academy gates. Minato and Kushina arrived in elegant attire to attend Chiharu's entrance ceremony.
"Mom, Dad, Chiharu—I'm heading in first," Naruto announced upon reaching the Academy, promptly making his way inside.
He failed to notice the numerous gazes fixed on Chiharu as their family arrived. Many of the first-year students had been present during the entrance examination days earlier. Though uncertain whether Chiharu's bold request to the examiners had been granted, the memory of that day's events still left them in awe.
As Naruto entered his classroom, he noticed several classmates glancing in his direction with unusual interest.
"What?" he asked, frowning at Yamanaka Ino, who typically reserved her attention exclusively for Sasuke.
"Nothing," she replied dismissively, averting her gaze.
Naruto shrugged it off and proceeded to his seat. Around him, excited whispers circulated among his classmates.
"Have you heard? There's supposed to be a transfer student joining our class today."
"Yeah, I heard she was promoted directly from the lower grades. How incredible is that?"
The classroom buzzed with speculation, though no one seemed to have concrete information. Naruto, generally disinterested in such matters, paid little attention to the gossip swirling around him.
As class time approached, Iruka entered the room. The chattering students quickly quieted down and returned to their seats.
"Come in," Iruka called, gesturing toward the door.
The classroom fell into expectant silence as Chiharu walked in with measured, graceful steps.
"What a beautiful girl!" "She's so cute!"
Exclamations of admiration burst forth from both boys and girls alike.
In the middle of the classroom, Sasuke displayed no surprise at Chiharu's appearance. He had already learned from his father, Fugaku, about Chiharu skipping two grades. Nevertheless, his expression revealed not the typical amazement at her appearance, but rather a distinct wariness—her accomplishment had broken Academy records, after all.
On either side of Sasuke, Sakura and Ino were struck by Chiharu's delicate features, though both felt a nagging sense of familiarity they couldn't quite place.
"This girl looks so young. Did the teacher make some kind of mistake?" Naruto muttered, lazily sprawled across his desk. Though generally uninterested in new students, the excited reactions around him had piqued his curiosity enough to raise his head slightly and glance toward the front of the room.
"Chiharu?!" He bolted upright in his seat, eyes widening in shock.
By then, Chiharu had stepped up to the podium. Beside her, Iruka smiled as he addressed the class. "This is our new student." He turned to Chiharu and added, "Please introduce yourself."
Chiharu nodded obediently. Turning to face the class with a warm smile, she began, "Hello everyone. My name is Namikaze Chiharu. I'm four years old. I don't have any specific dreams or interests yet—I just want to spend each day happily with my family and friends."
She delivered her introduction with remarkable composure, without the slightest hint of shyness.
"Chiharu..." Hinata whispered, slightly stunned by the revelation. Just as she was staring at Chiharu on the podium, their eyes met.
Chiharu playfully winked at Hinata.
"Teacher, I'm finished," she said, turning back to Iruka.
Iruka nodded appreciatively. "Chiharu is Naruto's sister. She's younger than everyone else in our class, so I expect you all to look after her properly."
"Naruto's sister?" A collective murmur swept through the classroom as realization dawned on the students. They suddenly understood why Chiharu had seemed familiar—she shared Naruto's distinctive golden hair and vibrant blue eyes.
"Now, please find a seat," Iruka instructed. The Academy classroom was spacious enough that he hadn't needed to assign Chiharu a specific place.
With a nod, Chiharu made her way through the sea of astonished gazes toward Naruto's desk.
"Excuse me, please," she said with a polite smile to the girl sitting at the edge of the aisle. The student nodded kindly and stood to make room for her.
"Why didn't you tell me about this in advance?" Naruto whispered as soon as Chiharu sat down beside him.
"I told you I would be going to class with my brother from now on," Chiharu replied simply.
"Well, yes, but..." Naruto recalled that Chiharu had indeed made that statement before. Still, confusion clouded his expression. Hadn't she just taken the entrance examination two days ago? How could they suddenly be in the same class?
"Let's begin the lesson," Iruka announced from the podium, interrupting Naruto's thoughts.
"Just pay attention," Chiharu whispered, rolling her eyes playfully before turning her focus toward the front of the classroom.
Naruto sat back, stunned by the realization that his parents must have known about this arrangement for days while keeping him completely in the dark.