Today was the first day of Ninja Academy.
After finishing breakfast, Natsuki headed out alone toward the academy. On the way, he passed by many parents walking their noisy kids to school—chattering non-stop, making quite the ruckus.
Of course, there were also so orphans, walking alone just like him.
Natsuki didn't pay much attention. Once he arrived, he went straight to the bulletin board, found his assigned class, and casually scanned through the nas of his classmates.
"Oh ho—Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto, Hyūga Hinata, Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Chōji, Yamanaka Ino, Haruno Sakura, Inuzuka Kiba, Abura Shino... So I'm really in the sa class as the future powerhouses, huh? That works. Ti to build so connections. After all, Konoha's future leadership mostly cos from this bunch. It's best to form so early relationships."
But of course, early friendships had to be approached carefully. So people were okay to befriend now, others... better left alone.
Take Uchiha Sasuke, for example.
The Uchiha clan's relationship with the village was currently tense, and his older brother was... unhinged. Getting too close to Sasuke might drag him into trouble.
Then there's Naruto.
He was a Jinchūriki—getting too friendly might draw attention from the Third Hokage or Danzo. Not to ntion, Naruto was a loud, hyperactive idiot. Befriending him might just make you dumber. And give you headaches.
The rest? Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino were fangirls. Hyūga Hinata was too shy. Inuzuka Kiba's dog liked to pee on everything.
All pass.
That left Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Chōji, and most importantly—Abura Shino.
Among them, Shino was the most reliable.
In the original story, Shino was always consistent—intelligent, strong in recon, defense, offense, protection—you na it. He also valued friendship deeply. He was definitely soone you could trust to watch your back.
And really, who wouldn't want a dependable friend like that?
So Natsuki quietly picked a spot off to the side, eyes scanning the crowd in search of Abura Shino.
But... Shino's presence was so low, Natsuki couldn't find him even after searching for a while.
Before he could locate him, the teachers began rounding up all the new students.
Then, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, appeared on a high platform, causing quite a stir.
"Hehe, hello children. I am the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. I'm very happy to be here with you all today. You are the budding leaves of Konoha, the future of our village... blah blah blah..."
The old man's speech was full of passion, and his eyes sparkled like he believed every word he was saying.
The students below all looked excited.
Natsuki inwardly rolled his eyes, but outwardly he had to put on a bright, excited expression. After all, kids in Konoha worshipped the Hokage and the Will of Fire. Acting out of line here would make him stand out—in a bad way.
Whether or not the Will of Fire was actually correct didn't matter. It was Konoha's political correctness. Everyone had to obey it.
Or else? Expect a late-night visit from the Anbu for a little "tea."
Natsuki kept grinning so hard his face began to cramp, and the old man still wouldn't shut up. He was getting dangerously close to yawning in public.
Seriously? All this just to say "Where the leaves dance, the fire will burn"? You needed a full-on TED Talk for that?
Thankfully, the Hokage eventually wrapped up his speech.
Natsuki quietly let out a sigh of relief and rubbed his stiff cheeks before following the crowd of new students to their classroom. Once there, he scanned the room and finally spotted Abura Shino.
You'd think soone in a huge cloak and dark sunglasses would be easy to notice, but the entire Abura clan had bizarrely low presence. You could be standing right next to one and still not notice. Probably sothing to do with their clan's insect-based techniques.
Anyway, it wasn't worth overthinking.
Shino was known to care about that low presence, so the least Natsuki could do was acknowledge his existence.
He walked over confidently with a friendly smile. "Hey, is this seat taken? Mind if I sit here?"
No gas. No pretense. Just sincerity. Even if he had ulterior motives, as long as he was genuine, Shino wouldn't dislike him.
Shino blinked behind his sunglasses, then nodded promptly. "No one's sitting here. Go ahead."
"Cool. Guess we're desk buddies now."
Natsuki sat down without hesitation, then pulled out a paper packet from his sleeve and offered it. "I'm Natsuki. These are sweet potato slices I made myself. Want to try one?"
Food-sharing: the most tiless friendship move.
It didn't need to be anything fancy—homade food was more heartfelt, and soone like Shino would appreciate that more than any grand gesture.
Shino glanced at the snack, then at Natsuki, who casually took one and started chewing. Then he reached out, took a slice, and popped it into his mouth. The mild sweetness made his usually calm expression soften a bit.
"I'm Abura Shino. Pleased to et you."
And there it was—they were friends.
Natsuki was in a great mood. He munched another slice when he suddenly felt a heavy stare. He turned—only to jump at the sight of a pudgy face right behind him.
It was a chubby kid with red spiral cheek marks, small eyes locked tightly onto the sweet potatoes.
Who else but Akimichi Chōji, the eater supre?
Behind him stood a spiky-haired boy with his hands behind his head, looking helplessly at his friend.
Natsuki chuckled to himself. Bringing these snacks really was the right move. They attracted this duo too—perfect timing to expand the friend circle.
He offered the sweet potatoes. "Want so?"
"YES! I DO!"
Chōji wasted no ti snatching one and stuffing it in his mouth. A look of bliss instantly spread across his face.
The sweet potatoes weren't even anything special—but for a foodie, anything tasty was happiness. And after eating chips all the ti, a change of flavor was delightful.
Shikamaru, seeing his partner go for it, also took one. "Well, I guess I'll have one too. Thanks."
Natsuki took the chance to introduce himself. "I'm Natsuki. This is my desk buddy—also my new friend—Shino. Oh, and since you've had so of my sweet potato, I guess we're all friends now."
Shino gave a nod. "I'm Abura Shino. Nice to et you."
"Nara Shikamaru."
"Akimichi Chōji."
The two boys also gave their nas. No need for long introductions—nas were enough for now.
After handing out snacks all around, only one slice remained.
Just as Natsuki was about to wrap it up, a pudgy hand shot out lightning fast—aiming for the last sweet potato.
Natsuki grabbed the hand midair and grinned. "Hey now, Chōji, you can't just snatch the last piece!"
Chōji narrowed his eyes. "The last snack must go to . That's my ninja way!"
Shikamaru sighed. "Oh please, Chōji. Yesterday you said 'Any food that reaches my mouth must be eaten' was your ninja way. Your 'way' sure changes fast."
(End of Chapter)
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