Once the long entrance ceremony finally ended, excitement bloomed across the children's faces. They whispered, laughed, and waited eagerly for class assignments, already dreaming of their future as ninja.
That was when Senju Mayū realized something unpleasant.
He had been far too optimistic.
Making friends with Namikaze Minato was one thing. Being placed in the same class was another entirely. This was the Ninja Academy, not a picture book. There was no rule saying all the future legends conveniently gathered in a single classroom.
If that were true, it would be a noble-only class.
And reality did not work that way.
As the instructor prepared to call names, Mayū felt a quiet tension coil in his chest. He forced himself to focus, watching the chunin gesture down the line of children.
That one. The oversized kid. Akimichi, without question.
Next, a thin boy with sleepy eyes. Nara, most likely.
Then a blond boy with a calm expression. The shape of things became clearer.
So this was it.
A sensible grouping. Balanced. Logical.
Which meant Minato would not be here.
Mayū exhaled softly. Disappointed, but not surprised. Minato was a civilian-born prodigy too. There was no reason they would—
"Thirty-nine."
The chunin's finger stopped.
It pointed directly at Namikaze Minato.
For a moment, Mayū felt something inside him go very still.
That feeling stayed with him for years. The hollow certainty that everything good had already slipped away.
He saw his future collapse in neat, terrible lines. A nameless genin. A forgotten mission. A meaningless death. Defense duty. Escort work. Or something worse. Even accidents happened more often than people admitted.
The world lost its color.
Minato glanced at him, confused, noticing how his strange new friend had suddenly gone pale.
Then—
"Forty."
The finger moved again.
It pointed at Senju Mayū.
The chunin looked over the gathered children and smiled. "That makes forty. You're Class One."
The color rushed back.
Mayū surged forward on instinct, grabbing the chunin's finger with both hands. He had to stretch on his toes just to reach it.
"Sensei!"
His voice trembled, eyes shining with unshed tears. "I'll study hard. I'll listen properly. I won't disappoint you or my classmates. I'll repay this kindness. I mean—"
The instructor froze.
The children stared.
Silence hung in the air.
The chunin gently withdrew his hand, expression unreadable. Later, some children would tease Mayū for being a crybaby. Teachers would pat his head and praise his enthusiasm. No one ever explained why he reacted that way.
Some things were better left unknown.
The small incident faded quickly. Curiosity overtook everything as lessons officially began.
The classroom filled with noise the moment the bell rang. Children laughed, argued, wandered, cried, and got lost on the way to the restroom. It was chaos in its purest form.
A few Uchiha children sat apart, unimpressed, already practicing hand seals under the desk, convinced the rest of the class lacked taste.
When another child asked Mayū where the restroom was, he shook his head without hesitation and turned back to Minato. Their conversation picked up easily, flowing from one topic to another. Minato listened intently, eyes bright, clearly impressed.
Somewhere along the way, Mayū's status rose. From strange kid to someone who seemed to know everything.
"Oh, right," Minato said. "When's your birthday?"
Mayū thought for a moment. Two lives blurred together. "Probably February."
"Huh?" Minato blinked. "I'm January. You know so much even though you're not older than me."
"Not really," Mayū replied lightly.
His gaze drifted across the room, stopping briefly on a red-haired girl seated in the corner. He looked away just as quickly, a small smile playing at his lips.
Moments later, the chunin from earlier entered, a roster under his arm.
"Good morning. I'm Kimura Shitao. I'll be your instructor during your time at the Academy," he said. "We'll start with introductions. One by one, in order."
Senju Mayū sat up straight.
His life as an Academy student had begun.