Back in the classroom, the first-year students began to find their seats. The teacher had not yet arrived. A clamor filled the room: some children were crying for their mothers, others were laughing and fooling around, and those who already knew one another quickly formed small groups.
A little girl, not knowing the others very well, stood uncertainly to the side, unsure of where to sit. To sit with a boy or a girl—that was the question. Soon, her attention was drawn to that same strange boy from before.
He sat in a corner by the window, and at anyone who tried to sit next to him, he would bare his teeth in a fierce snarl and let out a threatening growl. A few boys stood at a distance, not daring to approach. One of them seemed to want to do something but hesitated.
This boy looks like he might actually bite. That's a little scary.
However, the girl was more preoccupied with something else: was he really going to eat those droppings? It seemed to her that he was... otherwise, why would he have looked back so reluctantly every three steps as he left the playground? Should she ask him about it?
"You have good taste..."
"Huh?"
The girl turned to see a black-haired girl beside her. She had strikingly beautiful eyes, like rubies.
"I've looked everyone over, and that boy is the most handsome in the class..." she said with the casual air of an older sister, acting very much at ease. She did, in fact, look a bit older.
The little girl nodded. He was indeed very handsome, with a delicate, almost girlish charm, unlike the other boys with their more typically boyish features. But it seemed he liked to eat... The girl opened her mouth, but out of kindness, she remained silent. She would keep this little secret to herself.
"I saw you looking at him. If you like him, go sit with him," the girl said with a sly smile.
Hearing this, the little girl first blushed, then waved her hands frantically. "No, no, I don't..."
"I know, I know, if you don't like him, you don't like him," the red-eyed girl said, glancing towards the boy in the far corner.
He had thick, silver hair that fell in long strands down his back. It was smooth and lustrous, shimmering with a dazzling silver light in the sun's rays. On his pale, refined face, triangular patterns were drawn on his cheeks and forehead, lending him the mysterious beauty of a wildling from a distant land. Beneath his silver bangs, golden eyes shone with an air of nobility. He was dressed in a simple, classic-style white kimono with flowing sleeves. With a stoic expression, he resembled a silent and beautiful young aristocrat. No matter who spoke to him, he paid no one any mind.
"Who could possibly resist that..." the girl sighed, then added, "If you won't go, I will."
"What?!" The little girl looked at the beautiful, red-eyed girl in surprise.
With a smile, the other girl feigned a move to go. At that moment, the young aristocrat, turning towards the sun, opened his mouth, stuck out his tongue, and began to pant heavily, catching the breeze. The red-eyed girl, seeing this, froze and looked at him with doubt.
This boy... why does he act so much like a dog?
"He..." the red-eyed girl looked at her new acquaintance, hesitating to finish her thought.
"I think he's..." the little girl began, "...a bit strange."
"Oh, well," the red-eyed girl replied after a moment's thought. "Even with his tongue out, he's so cute. Look how white his teeth are, hehe."
But she didn't move from her spot. Instead, she pulled the little girl by the hand and sat down beside her. Now they were desk mates. It was better to sit with someone pretty and have something pleasing to look at every day than with someone you didn't like.
"My name is Yūhi Kurenai. I'm probably a year older than you. It's nice to meet you," Kurenai said with a smile. "I see you have markings on your face too. Are you from the same clan as him? Relatives?"
"No..." the girl replied. "I'm from an ordinary family... not a ninja clan..."
After sitting down, the girl continued to glance at the boy. She was still very curious about whether he ate... that.
"Alright, stop staring," Kurenai whispered in her ear, giggling. "Look, all the girls in the class are crazy about him. They have no maidenly modesty at all."
Hearing this, the little girl blushed again and looked around—and indeed, everyone was stealing glances at him. She immediately turned away. She couldn't lose face in front of her new friend.
"By the way, you never told me your name."
"I'm Nohara..."
"Alright! Everyone, quiet!"
Just then, the teacher entered the classroom. Tall and sturdy, wearing a green ninja vest, with a scar on his face, he looked quite stern. The little ones, hearing his voice, immediately fell silent, not daring to make a sound. The classroom became so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Tossing a folder of teaching materials onto the desk, the young teacher swept his gaze menacingly across the room. He was pleased with the resulting atmosphere but quickly realized he might have been too harsh. He tried to force a gentle smile, which only made his face look even more ferocious and intimidating.
"Ahem... Well, I am your teacher."
The children stared at him in fear, and tears welled up in some of the girls' eyes. Seeing this, Sato Takeru lowered his voice by several tones and said gruffly:
"Now, let's get to know each other. Tell us a little about yourselves: your hobbies, your dreams. Understood?"
It was not understood.
Looking at the frightened children's eyes, Sato Takeru felt a headache coming on.
"Then I'll start, to set an example," he said. "My name is Sato Takeru, I'm twenty-three years old. My hobby is fishing. My dream is to marry a kind and gentle woman. Got it? Now I'll call out names, and when I call yours, you come up. Be brave, don't be shy, say whatever you're thinking. First up—Might Guy."
A boy with a bowl-cut stood up and, smiling broadly, flashed a set of pearly white teeth.
"My name is Might Guy! I love taijutsu, and my dream is to become a great and strong ninja, even if I can't use ninjutsu!"
The teacher nodded in satisfaction.
"Next, Sarutobi Asuma."
Asuma stood up with a look of displeasure. He was a little angry. His old man hadn't even glanced at him, and it irritated him. Casting a sideways glance at the silver-haired boy in the corner, he grumbled:
"Sarutobi Asuma. My dream is to become the kind of man that not even the Hokage would dare to underestimate."
"Excellent, very ambitious," the teacher nodded, satisfied. "That's the spirit, keep it up. Next, Aburame Yui."
A girl, completely wrapped in a hooded cloak, stood up and began to say something in such a low voice that no one in the class could hear her. Sato Takeru was displeased. He slammed his hand on the desk and shouted:
"Can't hear you, louder!"
The girl flinched in fright, and now her voice became even quieter as she repeated her words.
Sato Takeru narrowed his eyes.
Here we go! There's a problem child like this in every class!
"What are you afraid of?! Don't you dare be afraid! Show some ninja spirit!"
Yui shook her head and, opening her mouth again, repeated her words softly. Still inaudible. The whole class erupted in laughter. The girl looked at the teacher in embarrassment, and in her large, clear eyes, under the shadow of her hood, tears began to glisten. But from Sato Takeru's perspective, her gaze seemed eerie, as if something were crawling on her face.
Alright, I'll let it slide this time. This is its own kind of introduction.
"No laughing! Next!"
Yui sat down with relief and shrank into a corner by the wall. The introductions continued. One by one, the students stood up and talked about themselves. Some of the boys liked to show off, provoking general laughter.
"Next... Nohara Rin."
The pretty girl with markings on her cheeks stood up under the gaze of her desk mate, Yūhi Kurenai, and smiled a wide, kind smile.
"Hello everyone, my name is Nohara Rin. What I like and what I don't... I won't say, that's a girl's secret. As for my future dream... we'll talk about that in the future. I have many hobbies, too; I like everything. But for now, I want to be friends with all of you."
Sato Takeru looked at Rin...
This girl is no fool. She said a lot, but essentially, nothing. All fluff, no personal information given away. Too mature for her age.
"Next! Uchiha Obito."
No one stood up, no one answered.
"Uchiha Obito!!!" Sato Takeru's voice rose a few tones. "Obito!!! Is Obito here?!"
"Teacher, he's not here," someone answered.
Nice one, kid!!! I'll remember you!!!
Scanning the class and checking the photo on the list, Sato Takeru confirmed that he was indeed absent. He took a deep breath. I will endure.
"Next," he said. "Inuzuka Ryoto."
No one stood up or answered. A vein bulged on Sato Takeru's forehead.
Excellent! Excellent! Excellent! First one, now another. Do you think just because I'm not roaring, I'm a sick kitten?!
"Ryoto!!!"
Sato Takeru slammed his hand on the desk with a crash and, looking at the list, fixed his gaze on the silver-haired boy.
He looks quite cute. But this attitude... it's just infuriating.
He pointed a finger at him.
"You! Ryoto! Get up!"
Ryoto was bewildered. He looked at the teacher innocently, glanced around, and, confirming that he was being addressed, stood up in confusion.
So his name is Ryoto... the girls mentally noted, their eyes sparkling.
Ah, Ryoto-kun is so cool. Not afraid of the teacher at all.
"Judging by your reaction, this is the first time I've seen someone not recognize their own name immediately," Sato Takeru said, restraining his anger. "Are you making fun of me?"
Ryoto-kun remained silent, not breaking eye contact with the teacher. There was no fear in his eyes; he just blinked innocently. A few moments of silence passed. Sato Takeru's eye began to twitch.
"Speak!" he hissed.
Ryoto-kun paid him no mind, stubbornly remaining silent and continuing to stare coldly at the teacher.
Ah... Stars lit up in the girls' eyes.
He's so cool, so proud.
Rin and Kurenai watched the scene with interest.
"This boy, what a personality," Kurenai giggled softly. "He looks so stubborn and cute at the same time."
Stubborn? Rin still felt that this whole day was somehow strange. But she couldn't figure out what it was.
"I told you to speak..." Sato Takeru growled menacingly. "If you don't start talking, I'll have to help you."
Ryoto stood there, nervous. He wasn't allowed to speak. Before leaving home, he had been warned a thousand times: under no circumstances was he to open his mouth, or all would be lost. But he hadn't expected someone to force him to speak. He panicked, a cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. But before it could trickle down, it evaporated as the boy involuntarily opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue.
This brat! He's mocking me!!! Sticking his tongue out at me!!!
"Silent, are we..." Sato Takeru sneered coldly and rolled up his sleeves.
Ryoto panicked even more. He didn't want to get beaten. Letting out a pitiful, whining sound, he cried out:
"Woof!!!"
Woof???
A dead silence fell over the classroom. Everyone stared at Ryoto.
"Huh?" Sato Takeru's mouth fell open. "I asked you to speak, why are you speaking dog? Woof?"
The boys began to whisper: "Bro, he's so brave, so cool, he's a real beast, better not mess with him."
"What are you barking about!!!" Sato Takeru was beside himself with rage. "Speak like a human!!!"
Such blatant disregard for a teacher's authority... if he didn't put him in his place now, he might as well not even try to teach.
Ryoto panicked too. He didn't want to ruin everything. Looking innocently at Sato Takeru, he barked desperately:
"Woof-woof-woof!!! Woof-woof-woof!!! Woof-woof-woof!!! Wooooof!!!"
How dare he? Everyone's mind went blank.
Sato Takeru stared intently at Ryoto. After a long moment, a flicker of understanding crossed his eyes.
So that's it. You're a brazen one, kid.
It dawned on him. This boy might just be that genius everyone was talking about. If he hadn't spoken, he would have almost fooled even him. He nearly fell for it.
So...
Sato Takeru took a deep breath and roared:
"Get out of here!!! You'll stand in the hallway!!!"
Stand, so be it, what's the difference where I stand.
Hearing this, Ryoto, without another word, walked out of the classroom with his head held high. Inside, everyone exchanged bewildered glances. Sato Takeru, standing by the blackboard, looked at Ryoto's silhouette through the window and couldn't help but smirk.
That's that technique, isn't it? Incredible, I didn't notice a single flaw. I'll have to be more careful with this kid in the future.
"Alright, let's continue with the introductions."
At that moment, a figure ran down the hallway. He looked disheveled, covered in sweat, and was panting from the run. It seemed he had been running at full speed for a long time. But he was still late. In the hallway, Ryoto and this boy's eyes met as the newcomer reached the classroom door.
A moment later, Sato Takeru's thunderous roar echoed:
"Get the hell out of here! Do you take me for a three-year-old?! Obito!!"
To the sound of the class's collective laughter, Obito, filled with indignation, trudged dejectedly into the hallway and stood next to Ryoto. Looking at his companion in misfortune, he felt a pang of gratitude.
It's a good thing I'm not being shamed alone. But this guy is so handsome... I'd like to be friends with him.
"Hey, do you believe that I was helping an old lady cross the street?" Obito asked with a hopeful and slightly shy expression, looking at Ryoto.
Ryoto tilted his head, looking at Obito who had suddenly spoken to him.
This time, I definitely can't open my mouth.
With a huff, he turned away, ignoring Obito. Obito stared at him, stunned, but a moment later, he recovered and, with a loud huff of his own, turned away as well.
I hate this guy! What a jerk!
"Next, Hatake Kakashi!"
In the classroom, a boy in a mask with a shock of white hair stood up. Opening his sleepy eyes, he glanced coldly at the two in the hallway and calmly began his introduction.