Chapter 8 — First Day of School
Without paying the slightest attention to the noisy kids laughing and chasing each other across the courtyard, Hatake Kyūjō quietly stepped into the classroom. His gaze was calm and composed as he walked straight to the seat by the window and sat down. With a measured glance, he began observing the room. The other students here clearly had their own quirks—and a few of them looked quite familiar...
Hmm. There's someone from the Uchiha clan... and another from the Hyūga. The signs were obvious—the pale eyes of the Hyūga and the iconic fan crest of the Uchiha emblazoned on the back. With that, even a half-asleep ninja could figure it out.
Still, no matter how flashy or confident they looked, in the end... they were just side characters.
Minor figures in the grand narrative to come. So, Kyūjō didn't bother remembering their names.
What did surprise him, though, was spotting the Ino–Shika–Chō trio seated within the same class. He paused for a second as the realization hit him.
From the Yamanaka clan—Yamanaka Inoichi, future father of Yamanaka Ino.
From the Akimichi clan—Akimichi Danzō, the man who would one day raise Akimichi Chōji.
And finally, from the Nara clan—Nara Shikaku, destined to become the father of Nara Shikamaru.
As Kyūjō quietly observed them, Inoichi, whose senses were naturally sharp, turned his head and met his gaze.
He looked mildly surprised, but quickly offered Kyūjō a polite nod.
They'd met before, thanks to Sakumo—Kyūjō's older brother—who once brought him to the Yamanaka compound, the birthplace of their late mother, Yamanaka Suzune. In return, Kyūjō nodded back with the same calm demeanor.
Looks like this class is made up of elites... he thought while glancing around at the many children from shinobi families. This clearly wasn't just any regular class.
Yep—there's always a pecking order, even in school.
— — —
Of course, while Kyūjō was quietly watching his classmates...
The entire class was watching him.
With his striking appearance, it was impossible not to.
His snow-white hair, shoulder-length and untrimmed for the last four years—an iconic trait of the Hatake family. Those bright blue eyes with electric vein-like patterns... and the strange lightning-shaped markings across his forehead. There was absolutely nothing about him that blended in.
Just from looks alone, it was clear—Kyūjō was not built for stealth.
Too flashy. Too unique. Too obvious.
— — —
In the back corner of the room, a laid-back boy with tied-up hair leaned lazily against his chair, arms crossed behind his head. His eyes drifted toward Kyūjō, who was sitting near the window with his eyes shut.
"Hey, Inoichi," he whispered to his buddy beside him. "Who's that kid? I saw him when he walked in. His eyes... his whole look is something else. You know him?"
"That's Hatake Kyūjō," Inoichi replied in a low voice. "He's from the Hatake clan. His older brother's Hatake Sakumo—the Jōnin who's been making waves recently. Those eyes and markings on his forehead? He's had them since birth."
"Oh, the Hatake clan, huh..." Nara Shikaku muttered like some old man deep in thought, nodding to himself.
Meanwhile, Akimichi Danzō—the "Butterfly" of the trio—wasn't paying attention at all, too busy munching on a rice ball that was almost bigger than his face.
— — —
Although Kyūjō seemed to be meditating, his real focus was elsewhere.
He had activated his Infinity Sensory Field, pushing its perception radius to envelop the entire Ninja Academy. It took a bit of effort, but he managed.
His attention landed on a blond boy sitting in the classroom next door—the one reserved for kids from civilian families. A small smile formed on Kyūjō's lips.
The Yellow Flash—Namikaze Minato.
Kyūjō had a good impression of the boy who would one day become the Fourth Hokage. Among all the characters in the original story, Minato truly embodied the Will of Fire.
In both power and personality, he was a brilliant shinobi.
And more importantly... he was Naruto's dad.
Just thinking about it made Kyūjō chuckle.
As long as I'm here, Naruto... forget about growing up as an orphan. You're the son of a Hokage, after all. You deserve to be raised with honor.
As for Obito... well, that could wait.
Honestly, Kyūjō hadn't come to this world with any grand mission or chosen destiny. He just happened to end up here. Maybe someday, as he got closer to these key characters, he'd find a real purpose.
But for now, he only had two goals—give Naruto a happy childhood, and make sure Sakumo doesn't die tragically. The man deserved to live a long, peaceful life.
Consider it payback. For all those years spent reading the manga in his past life… and silently wishing things had gone differently.
Also... for the sake of his future nephew—Kakashi.
Hmm. If Sakumo lives, will Kakashi feel pressure instead? Will he still become the Copy Ninja? And if he does... will Sakumo smack him for being disrespectful?
Kyūjō chuckled again. The image was too funny not to.
— — —
That entire day, Kyūjō stayed seated in his spot, barely moving at all. Aside from the self-introduction session, he spent the entire day in quiet observation. Thankfully, nothing crazy happened. His older brother didn't need to rush in, panicked.
Thinking about it now, that made sense. Children from shinobi clans, even at this young age, were usually more mature than the average kid. Growing up in the harsh shinobi world forced them to grow up faster. They weren't the hot-blooded protagonists of your typical shōnen manga.
...Well, that's what he thought, anyway.
Until he saw those two.
At the front of the classroom, two boys were blocking the door, arguing loudly—refusing to let anyone leave.
Kyūjō sighed.
Of course it had to be those two background characters...
— — —
"Uchiha Guren!" one of them shouted, his pale eyes wide with determination. "The elders say you're the top genius of the Uchiha clan this generation? Hmph! I'm not impressed! Today, I—Hyūga Masato—challenge you to a duel!"
The Uchiha boy crossed his arms and scoffed coldly.
"Hyūga Masato? Never heard of you. To me, you're just a bug crawling in the dirt. You're not even worth my time."
His voice was ice-cold. His expression was so smug and arrogant, it felt like he was Sasuke's spiritual ancestor.
— — —
Kyūjō nearly laughed out loud.
He curled his toes inside his sandals, practically digging holes in the floor from secondhand embarrassment. Their lines, their drama, their over-the-top tension—it was all so... cringey.
Unable to hold back anymore, he called out lazily:
"Oi, can you two just hurry up and fight already? Some of us want to go home and eat dinner!"
Nara Shikaku also chimed in, clearly irritated.
"He's got a point! Guren, Masato, if you want to fight—go to the training yard downstairs! Don't block the door!"
"Hmph!" Uchiha Guren snorted, clearly ticked off. He scanned the room, his gaze full of disdain.
"You nobodies from weak clans dare raise your voices to the Uchiha?"
"What's wrong? You got a problem? Come say it to my face! I'm not letting anyone leave until I've had my fill!"
— — —
Without saying a word, Kyūjō stood up, strolled casually to the classroom window... and hopped out in one smooth motion.
It was the first floor anyway.
The rest of the class just stared in shock, jaws dropped and completely speechless as the mysterious white-haired boy vanished without another word.
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