Dawn light crept across the dorm room floor, drawing a line between yesterday and today. Naruto woke to silence—Sasuke's perfectly tucked bedsheets and empty chair creating an unsettling void where his roommate should have been. Sleep fell away as his mind jolted to alertness, the peaceful fog of dreams evaporating in an instant. His new reality pressed down on him: first day of classes, a strange room, and the constant danger of discovery that came with every breath.
With a grunt, he rolled out of bed, heart racing with the frantic beat of uncertainty. The cool air prickled against his skin as he stood, bare feet touching the chilled, industrial gray carpet—each bristle beneath him a stark reminder of the changes he'd made, of the choices he had to navigate. His new world lay sprawled before him: the boxes he'd yet to unpack jostled with remnants of his past life, held hostage in their confines—old photographs, mismatched socks, and a tattered baseball cap all fighting for attention amidst the tangled mess of his existence.
Sasuke's half of the room mocked him with its military precision—shirts hanging exactly one inch apart, books arranged by height, even the small succulent on the windowsill positioned to catch optimal light without disturbing the perfect symmetry of his desk arrangement. A tornado couldn't have created more chaos than the difference between their living spaces.
Naruto shook his head and reached for the orange prescription bottle tucked behind his alarm clock. The plastic cap clicked open with practiced ease. He tipped a single white pill into his palm, staring at it—this tiny circle of chalk and chemicals standing between him and disaster. He tossed it back without water, his throat working against the familiar bitterness that no amount of repetition had made more tolerable.
Today marked his first day of classes, an edge of anxiety sharpening his thoughts as he moved methodically through his morning. His fingers trembled slightly as he grabbed the small mint tin, carefully opening it to transfer the emergency suppressants into it—each capsule a lifeline, a hidden talisman against the world outside. The tin fit snugly into the inner pocket of his backpack, every flick of the wrist almost ceremonial, sealing in his secrets like whispers beneath the bedclothes.
His breath caught in his throat. Inhale through the nose—one, two, three. Hold it. Now exhale through the mouth—one, two, three, four. The familiar rhythm calmed the storm brewing in his chest, though his gut still clenched at the thought of the day ahead. Fingers trembling slightly, he pushed the wild blonde strands from his forehead and leaned closer to the mirror, meeting his own blue eyes with a silent plea for courage. The face staring back seemed too vulnerable, too easy to read. He squared his shoulders, jaw tightening. He couldn't afford to be seen—not really seen.
With a final glance at Sasuke's regimented space, he shook his head. No time for comparisons. He had a mission here—to find Kurama and live beyond the Omega label that had shadowed him since presentation. Turning away from thoughts of his roommate, he rifled through the mess of orientation papers scattered across his rumpled sheets, searching for his class schedule.
He finally found it—the schedule he'd barely registered when they had handed it out amidst the flurry of orientation—the name he had dreaded leaping out at him, bold and bright: Biology with Professor Orochimaru. Naruto felt his stomach twist, recalling the warnings from his brother. Kurama's serious tone echoed in his head as if it were part of the ambient sounds of the room. "Don't take his class. He doesn't go easy on new students."
Naruto swallowed hard, his fingers tightening around the paper. Fear rattled inside him like loose change in a pocket, but he'd made up his mind. If Kurama had navigated these treacherous halls before him, he could do the same. Something electric sparked in his chest—a stubborn, wild hope that refused to die. Even as dread pooled in his stomach, he couldn't deny the thrill of the hunt, the possibility that somewhere in this labyrinth of a school, answers waited like forgotten notes passed between desks.
Backpack slung over one shoulder, Naruto bolted for the door, his pulse hammering against his ribs. Outside, Konoha Elite College swarmed with students flowing between buildings. He flinched when an Alpha's shoulder brushed his, then forced himself to relax his posture—Betas didn't startle so easily. Each time someone's eyes lingered on him a second too long, cold sweat prickled down his spine. One slip, one wrong reaction, and everything would unravel.
He could feel the pulse of life radiating off of the students as they gathered, the light chatter filling the air while the warm sun bore down overhead. Yet Naruto felt a cool sweat start to bead along the back of his neck, panic edging into every corner of his mind. Stay calm. Just breathe. Keep moving. The college felt intimidating, a dark beast hungry for anyone who slipped up.
Adrenaline coursed through him, making his fingertips tingle despite the knot of anxiety in his stomach. He belonged here—not as an imposter, but as someone with purpose. Each step across campus felt like reclaiming ground, transforming his fear into fuel. He quickened his pace, dodging between students, his worn sneakers slapping against the pavement as the auditorium loomed ahead.
Naruto slipped through the lecture hall door just as the bell's final note faded. His pulse hammered in his throat as he surveyed the room. The hierarchy was immediately obvious—Alphas commanding the front rows with sprawling postures and confident voices, Betas clustered in the middle section with their nervous energy and half-whispered conversations. His gaze drifted to the back corner where a single Omega sat isolated, head bowed beneath harsh fluorescent lighting that caught the mandatory silver tracking bracelet on her wrist. The weight of everyone's sideways glances toward her made the air feel thick.
Naruto slid into a seat halfway up the lecture hall—not too close to draw attention, not so far back as to look suspicious. He unzipped his backpack and extracted his laptop with deliberate casualness. His fingers hovered over the keyboard, ready. This wasn't just Biology 101 to him; this was reconnaissance. Orochimaru's class had been one of Kurama's last before disappearing, and Naruto intended to capture every word, every odd glance, every potential clue the professor might unwittingly reveal.
A backpack thudded against the desk beside him, followed by a lanky body dropping into the chair. Naruto flinched, then recognized Kiba's wild hair and red-marked cheeks.
"Dude! Same class!" Kiba's canines flashed as he grinned, already pulling out a notebook covered in doodles. "Thought I'd be stuck with total strangers."
Something in Naruto's chest loosened. "Hey," he said, voice steadier than he expected. "At least I won't be suffering alone."
Kiba leaned in, voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "I heard Orochimaru isn't so bad, as long as you pay attention in class." His eyebrows wiggled dramatically as he tapped his pencil against his notebook. "My cousin had him last semester. Said he only made one guy cry, and that's because the dude was scrolling through Instagram during a pop quiz." The casual shrug that followed did little to settle the knot forming in Naruto's stomach.
Before Naruto could answer, the lecture hall door opened with a soft click that somehow silenced the entire room. Professor Orochimaru glided in, his presence dropping the temperature several degrees. Students straightened in their seats as his amber eyes swept across the rows, lingering just a beat too long on certain faces. His black hair hung perfectly straight against the stark white of his skin, framing features too angular to be called handsome. The tailored charcoal suit emphasized his unusual height as he moved toward the front of the room with deliberate, unhurried steps. When he reached the podium and smiled—lips stretching thin over teeth that seemed unnaturally white—Naruto noticed how the Betas around him subtly leaned away, as if their bodies sensed danger before their minds could process it.
Students shifted in their seats as Professor Orochimaru's shadow stretched across the front row. His amber eyes swept over them, lingering just long enough to make several people lower their gazes. The fluorescent lights caught the sheen of his black hair as he leaned forward, pale fingers splayed on the podium. "Welcome to Biology 101," he said, lips curving into something not quite a smile. "By midterms, I expect at least thirty percent of you will have dropped this course." A pen clattered to the floor somewhere in the back; nobody moved to retrieve it.
"Today, we will delve into the basics of secondary gender classifications," Orochimaru continued, gliding effortlessly between rows of students as if conducting a dark orchestra. His presence was magnetic, a chill that wrapped around Naruto's shoulders like an unwanted shroud. "And of course, we will touch on the Omega Registry System." The classroom shifted again, tension mounting with every syllable.
From the side of the room, Naruto tried to focus on the whiteboard, where terms like 'Alpha', 'Beta', and 'Omega' were meticulously laid out, but the gravity of Orochimaru's words threatened to drown him. "When was the Omega Registry System put in place?" the professor quizzed, his gaze surveying the students like a hawk on the hunt. He expected participation; he demanded it. A chorus of silence filled the space—an audience poised on the brink of uncertainty, hearts pounding in synchrony.
Tentatively, a hand shot up from the front, an Alpha eager to bask in Orochimaru's acknowledgment. "Thirty years ago, after the Omega Protection Act!" The response was met with a nod of approval that struck a chill into Naruto's spine. Would he have to answer next? The pressure felt like lead weighing on his chest.
Orochimaru's tongue flicked across his bottom lip as his gaze slithered over the classroom. "And who among you can explain the reasoning behind such a system?" he asked, voice silky with anticipation.
Another Alpha's hand shot up, but Orochimaru's gaze slithered past them, landing instead on the isolated figure in the back corner. "You there—Sakura, correct?" The pink-haired Omega's spine went rigid, her silver tracking bracelet catching the harsh fluorescent light as she lifted her chin. "Perhaps you can enlighten us on why the Registry exists?" Heat crawled up Naruto's neck as he watched the deliberate public spectacle. His stomach twisted with the same disgust he'd felt watching zoo animals being prodded for visitors' entertainment.
The Omega met Orochimaru's gaze unflinchingly. Her voice rang clear across the lecture hall, steady despite the silver bracelet glinting at her wrist. "The Registry was implemented as Omega numbers declined year after year. The official justification was that monitoring would help researchers identify causes for the population decrease." Orochimaru's lips thinned. He gave a curt nod and moved on, clearly disappointed his attempt to humiliate her had failed.
"Good. Now, can anyone tell me what the current percentage is for each gender classification?" Orochimaru continued his interrogation, the lightness of the question belied by the intensity of his focus. Eyes scanned the classroom, searching for the next sacrificial lamb. His style was that of a spider, weaving a web of inquiry that ensnared even the brightest among them.
A momentary lull stretched the air as a brave Beta ventured a guess, words faltering but sincere, "Um, I think Alphas make up about 30% of the population, Betas are around 75%, and Omegas are only 5%."
Orochimaru's tongue clicked against his teeth, the sound sharp as a whip in the silent room. "Incorrect. And your mathematics are abysmal." His pale finger tapped against the whiteboard. "Alphas comprise 15% of our population. Betas, 80%. And Omegas?" His yellow eyes swept across the classroom, lingering just a second too long on each face. "A mere 5%. Precious and rare." His lips curved into something resembling a smile. Then, with a deliberate pivot of his body, he locked eyes with Naruto. "You there, blond in the middle row. Uzumaki, isn't it? Tell me, what do you think is the inherent danger of hidden Omegas?"
Naruto's breath caught in his throat, his palms sweaty against his desk. The spotlight wasn't metaphorical anymore—Orochimaru's serpentine gaze had singled him out, pinned him in place like a specimen. Every head in the room turned toward him.
The word "I" caught in his throat like a fishbone. His mouth went desert-dry as thirty pairs of eyes locked onto him. Sweat prickled across his forehead. Someone coughed. A pencil tapped against a desk. He swallowed hard, feeling the weight of his own deception pressing against his ribs. "Hidden Omegas disrupt population statistics," he managed finally, voice steadier than he felt. "They can't receive proper medical care, which endangers both themselves and potentially others during unexpected heats or—"
Orochimaru's lips parted in a thin smile that never reached his eyes. "Precisely what I was looking for, Uzumaki," he said, voice dropping to a silky whisper as he leaned over his podium. "Now tell us all—what biological mechanisms make unregistered Omegas so... dangerous?"
Whispers rippled across the lecture hall like wind through dry grass. Naruto's pulse hammered so loudly in his temples that the voices around him became distant echoes. Orochimaru's amber eyes locked onto him—a snake fixating on its prey before striking. Naruto scanned the room desperately, searching for any distraction that might divert the professor's attention.
A sardonic voice sliced through the tension before Naruto could form an answer. "The whole 'unregistered Omegas cause chaos' theory? Complete propaganda." The words cut across the lecture hall, sharp and unexpected as winter air. Naruto's head snapped toward the source, blinking twice, when he found Sasuke's dark eyes already fixed on him. When had Sasuke even entered the room? Sasuke pivoted slightly in his chair, one arm draped over the back, the other resting on his desk—the picture of calculated nonchalance as he faced down not just Orochimaru but the collective stares of everyone present.
Voices crashed over one another like waves as students turned in their seats. Naruto exhaled, tension draining from his body as Orochimaru's attention slithered elsewhere. The professor's face shifted—yellow eyes growing wider, pupils expanding to dark pools as they locked onto Sasuke. His thin body inclined forward across the podium, the tip of his tongue briefly visible against his bottom lip.
"Mr. Uchiha," he said, voice dropping to a silken murmur, "I'd be fascinated to hear you develop these... controversial theories."
The corner of Sasuke's mouth curled upward, a flash of canine visible beneath his upper lip. "The registry doesn't protect Omegas—it criminalizes them. You're not solving anything by tracking them like animals. You're just driving them underground where—"
Orochimaru sliced his hand through the air. "That's quite enough." His voice dropped to a silken whisper as his gaze traveled over Sasuke's face. "Such passionate opinions, Mr. Uchiha." The professor's tongue darted across his bottom lip, and something in that gesture made Naruto's skin crawl. Relief at his own escape mingled with a strange protectiveness as he watched Orochimaru's amber eyes dissect Sasuke like a laboratory specimen.
Naruto's chair creaked as he sank back into it, the air rushing into his lungs like he'd surfaced from underwater. Sasuke's interruption hung in the air between them. His eyes drifted to where Sasuke sat—ramrod straight, that infuriating perfect hair catching the fluorescent light. Had those dark eyes spotted him before jumping into the fray? Or was this just another case of the almighty Uchiha needing to hear his own voice contradict someone in power? His fingertips tapped a nervous rhythm against his leg while Orochimaru's serpentine gaze slithered across other faces, no longer fixed on him. Probably just coincidence.
The clock ticked toward the end of lecture, but Naruto barely heard the professor's closing remarks. Relief and suspicion tangled in his gut like fighting snakes. He dodged a bullet today, cloaked in the chaos Sasuke had created, but something told him this was just the opening move in whatever game he had stumbled into—a game with rules he hadn't read yet.
The lecture ended in a symphony of zippers and murmurs. Students flowed toward the exit while Sasuke extracted his phone, thumb scrolling with practiced indifference. Naruto couldn't help staring, questions burning behind his teeth. As if sensing the weight of his gaze, Sasuke's dark eyes flicked up, meeting his for one electric second before he turned and disappeared into the hallway crowd.