Aiko listened to Yosuki's words — the seriousness and passion in his voice were unexpected for a boy who was usually so quiet.
It wasn't the answer she had anticipated, but there was a tangible sincerity in it. She smiled gently, her heart warmed by the determination in his silver eyes.
"I see, Yosuki-kun. Wanting to protect people and the village is a noble goal." She softly ran her hand through his white hair, admiring its beautiful color. "Shinobi really are amazing. And the Ninja Academy... well, the enrollment age is six. You're already six, aren't you?"
Yosuki paused, thinking.
He had the body's memories, and with a single thought, he remembered his age. He nodded slowly. "Yes, Aiko-san. I'm already six."
"There you go," Aiko continued, her smile widening a bit. "Enrollment for the next school year should open in the next two or three months. If you really want this, we can talk to the orphanage director. He's in contact with the Academy staff and might be able to help you enroll."
"Really? I can start this year?" he asked, eyes shining.
Aiko nodded.
She stood and offered her hand to Yosuki. "In the meantime, why don't you start learning a bit about the ninja world? We have some books in the library that talk about Konoha's history, the Hokage, and even some basic concepts about chakra and jutsu. It's not the same as being in the Academy, of course, but it'll give you a good foundation to see if this is really what you want."
Yosuki's eyes sparkled even more at the suggestion.
A foundation, even a small one, was a start. And the idea of entering the Ninja Academy in just a few months felt not just possible — it felt close.
He didn't want to attract too much attention just yet, especially with his latent abilities. Starting out as a normal kid who wanted to be a ninja, with a plan to enroll soon, seemed like the safest path for now.
"Books? Yes! I want to see them!" Yosuki grabbed Aiko's hand enthusiastically, the subtle cloud of worry lifting from his mind. He still needed to understand his powers and the world he was in, but now he had a concrete plan.
Aiko chuckled at his sudden excitement. "Great. Come with me, then. I'll show you where they are."
"Hm, thank you, Aiko-san."
---
One month later.
[Konoha Park]
Sunlight filtered through the tall trees surrounding the park, casting golden light across the packed dirt ground.
The sound of children's laughter filled the air, mixed with excited shouts and the dry rhythm of feet running across the earth.
"Ino, get him from the left!" shouted a girl with pink hair, running with her arms stretched out, her locks swaying in the breeze.
"I'm going, you idiot!" replied the platinum blonde girl, trying to cut between two swings, her eyes fixed on the dark-haired boy running away, laughing with a dog in his arms.
"This is so troublesome…"
In the midst of all the noise, in a quieter corner, a child with white hair and silver eyes was doing push-ups nonstop.
"196... 197... 198... 199... 200."
Phew!
The boy collapsed onto the ground, his arm muscles slightly trembling — but he was satisfied.
Yosuki had already finished reading most of the important books from the orphanage library, so by now he had a basic understanding of how the Hidden Leaf Village worked.
Once he realized that reading wouldn't help much more, he had shifted his focus to physical training. After all, he knew that, despite his already impressive stamina, he still needed to build his body to better withstand impacts and improve his reaction speed.
"I've been in this world for a month now... there's still about one or two months until the Academy opens. Until then, I can still improve." Yosuki thought. "Maybe I could ask Aiko-san to help me learn a simple jutsu — just to start working on my chakra..."
He sighed, looking around.
It was a shame that there weren't many shinobi on the streets of Konoha. Despite going out often, he hadn't seen a single person use a real jutsu yet. That curiosity was eating him alive.
"One step at a time, slowly but surely..."
While Yosuki was still catching his breath, lying on his back and watching the sky through the tree canopy, he heard fast footsteps approaching.
The steps were light but urgent.
When he lifted his torso to see who it was, he found himself face-to-face with a completely dirty girl. Her face was dusty, knees scraped, and hair sticking to her forehead with sweat — and yet she was smiling.
"Hey, weird hair," she said, pointing at him as if they already knew each other. "Wanna play ninja with us?"
Yosuki raised an eyebrow, surprised by her directness. She kept going before he could answer:
"We're short one person on my team, and you're just there... training or whatever." She turned her face for a moment and pointed to a group of kids running and shoving each other in the middle of the park. "We're playing Taijutsu, three on three. If you join, we can start again."
Yosuki was silent for a moment.
He wasn't interested in childish games... but watching how the kids simulated fights could be a good exercise. Besides, pretend fighting sounded better than chasing a dog.
"Alright..." he replied, standing up and brushing off his clothes.
She smiled like she'd just been handed candy. "Follow me. Oh, and I'm Nayuri!" she said, already turning to run back.
"Hm, I'm Yosuki..." he murmured, following her.
The game soon resumed among them.
At first, Yosuki was hesitant about how to play, but his body quickly took over on its own — and before he realized it, he was lying on the ground drenched in sweat. His white hair was a mess, and his clothes were even worse.
"Y-you sure you're a girl? You fight like a man," Yosuki said with a smirk, looking at the black-haired girl lying on the ground beside him. The other kids were around too, all too tired to speak.
"Don't underestimate me, Shiro-chan. I'm going to be a ninja like the legendary Tsunade-sama! I'll learn medical jutsu, heal people, and still be super strong. Just wait." Nayuri smiled, staring up at the sky like she could see her future.
Yosuki shook his head.
He'd heard of Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru — the three legendary Sannin of Konoha — but he didn't believe he could reach their level.
They were legends in the entire ninja world.
"What? You don't think I can do it?" she turned toward him, cheeks puffed and dirty, her messy black hair a stark contrast to his white.
"No... I just don't think I can reach that level." Yosuki smiled. At least not yet.