The girl wore slightly oversized dark clothing, making her frame look rather frail. She rested her cheek in one hand, her short black hair falling casually around her ears. With a face full of exhaustion, she stared out the window at the rising morning sun.
Honestly, she promised to take good care of me for my uncle... but then she gets completely wasted again, tossing and turning until the middle of the night. At this point, I don't even know who is taking care of who.
The black-haired girl yawned, looking thoroughly drained. An image of a certain blonde-haired woman's messy, drunken state from the night before flashed through her mind, prompting a helpless internal groan.
"Hello there. Excuse me, is this seat taken?"
A gentle, clear voice broke her train of thought.
She turned her head. Still half-lost in her own musings, her eyes held the hazy look of someone just snapping back to reality.
She looked at Shinichi, then glanced at the empty seat beside her. Her expression remained flat as she gave a tired, lazy nod. "Yeah. Go ahead," she replied softly.
"I'm Shinichi Higashino. And you are?"
"Shizune," she answered listlessly. Her voice was so light it barely carried through the air. She raised her eyelids slightly, giving Shinichi another glance.
This completely ordinary-looking classmate had a surprisingly comforting smile, like soft, harmless morning sunlight. But that fleeting warmth quickly dissipated; her mind was entirely preoccupied with her own frustrating domestic situation.
The mere thought of that drunk woman waking up and trashing the house again, leaving her to clean up the mess later, made Shizune's temples throb. It made the classroom and her new desk mate feel a bit surreal.
Shizune? Right, I remember now. Shizune and Kakashi are the same age and in the same academic year. This really is a stroke of good luck.
The corners of Shinichi's mouth curled up slightly. He gazed calmly toward the podium, waiting for the teacher to arrive, while his mind spun with new ideas brought on by the unexpected discovery of his new desk mate.
Several minutes passed, but the teacher still hadn't shown up. Suddenly, the classroom door was thrown open with a loud bang. A figure rushed in, bringing a gust of dry wind with him.
The newcomer had dark skin and a build noticeably thicker and more muscular than the other kids his age. He was dripping with sweat, clearly having sprinted all the way here.
He panted heavily. His eyes, set beneath thick brows, quickly scanned the room. Spotting the last empty seat at the three-person desk near the top right window, he confidently strode over without hesitation.
"Phew, just made it!" He plopped down into the empty seat next to Shinichi, letting out a long sigh of relief. Then, he started grumbling in annoyance. "Seriously, Master Chen has zero sense of time. Making me late on the very first day..."
Mid-complaint, he seemed to realize he hadn't greeted his new desk mates. He whipped his head around, flashing a bright, toothy grin that was entirely free of any gloom. "I'm Takashi Ishizuka! Just call me Takashi! What's your name?"
Takashi? A certain piece of trivia flashed through Shinichi's mind, but he didn't let it show on his face. He returned the greeting with an equally friendly smile. "Shinichi Higashino. You can call me Shinichi."
As he spoke, Shinichi sized up Takashi's sturdy build and recalled his casual mention of 'Master Chen'. A theory formed in his mind. He asked in a seemingly offhand manner, "Takashi, looking at your build, I'm guessing you specialize in Taijutsu?"
"I wouldn't say 'specialize'!" Takashi waved his hand dismissively, his smile tinged with honest self-deprecation, though his eyes sparkled brightly. "It's more accurate to say it's the only thing I know how to do. I only passed the entrance exam through the remedial Taijutsu test. My master always says someone who can't use Ninjutsu can never be a shinobi. He keeps telling me to give up, but I'm going to prove him wrong. I'll show him that even if all I have is Taijutsu, I can still become an outstanding ninja!"
"What do you think, Shinichi?"
"Absolutely. Taijutsu is an incredible path in its own right. It can even create miracles."
Shinichi's tone was entirely sincere, without a shred of falsehood. Taijutsu truly could create miracles; Might Guy was the perfect example of that.
"Ahahaha! Well said! Miracles! Yes, exactly, miracles!" Hearing this, Takashi's grin widened even further. He clearly loved the answer. He then asked enthusiastically, "By the way, Shinichi, are you interested in Taijutsu too? Your frame looks pretty solid. Want to spar sometime? Master Chen always says actual combat is the best practice!"
It really is him! Only knows Taijutsu, Master Chen... Combining these two crucial pieces of information, everything clicked into place for Shinichi. This brightly smiling, somewhat reckless, dark-skinned boy was likely the disciple mentioned in the anime—a boy who only knew Taijutsu and tragically died in the Third Great Ninja War, a student of the legendary Master Chen.
Keeping these thoughts hidden, Shinichi simply smiled and nodded. "I'm definitely interested. Let's spar when we get the chance. I look forward to learning from you."
Sitting on the far right, Shizune—who had practically no presence up until now—seemed disturbed by the sudden burst of high-energy enthusiasm next to her. She silently shot a glance at the two boys chatting happily, gave a barely noticeable pout, and buried her chin back into her arms, radiating an aura of absolute introversion.
Finally, the homeroom teacher appeared at the podium, and the classroom gradually quieted down. The teacher began the routine opening speech, going over school rules, class schedules, and so on.
Shinichi sat up straight, keeping his eyes on the podium. He looked like the picture of an attentive student, but his mind was already spinning at high speed.
He was plotting how best to interact with his two new desk mates—or, more accurately, how to use them as a bridge to connect with the people behind them.
One was the legendary shinobi hailed as Konoha's strongest Taijutsu master, the hero known as Chen the Dragon. If he could use Takashi to get close to Master Chen—even just to receive a few pointers—it would be an immeasurable help in solidifying his foundation, expanding his Taijutsu repertoire, and even crafting a future Taijutsu-focused public persona.
The other was one of the Legendary Sannin, Tsunade Senju, hailed as Konoha's greatest medical-nin. Her unparalleled chakra control, medical ninjutsu, monstrous strength, and her connections to the Senju clan... she was an incredibly precious, walking treasure trove.
Takashi and Shizune were the "keys" to unlocking those two treasure troves.
Just like I said earlier, this really is a stroke of good luck!
Shinichi pulled his focus back to the podium. Down in the desks, dozens of eyes looked forward—some filled with anticipation, some naive, some purely excited. But deep within Shinichi's clear eyes was a vast, cold ocean of calculated scheming.
Soon enough, the morning classes wrapped up amid the teacher's lectures and the varied thoughts of the new students. The lunch bell finally rang.
A sea of students began pouring out of the classrooms, converging in the hallways and on the paths leading to the courtyard. The air once again filled with the sounds of lively chatter and playful shouting.
Shinichi walked with the crowd at a leisurely pace, his calm gaze sweeping over faces that were either completely foreign or vaguely familiar.
And it was here, amidst the chaotic rush of the lunch break, that he finally got his first clear look at the "acquaintances" who had previously only existed in his memories.
Kurenai Yuhi, Asuma Sarutobi, Might Guy, Obito Uchiha, Rin Nohara...
These names, destined to shine brightly across the shinobi world in the future, currently belonged to ordinary kids just mingling in the crowd. Shinichi's gaze swept indifferently past them, not lingering on a single one for more than a second.
Not even Obito Uchiha, the boy who would one day stir up catastrophic tidal waves across the world, could warrant his extra attention right now.
At this moment, there was only room for one person in his eyes. As if drawn by an invisible magnet, his gaze instantly pierced through the noisy crowd, locking precisely onto that distinct figure with silver-white hair.
Kakashi!
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