Konoha, Year 32
Konoha Ninja Academy
(Third Person POV)
In front of the class, the teacher was droning on about the "physics of throwing shuriken," explaining angles, force, and calculations that no sane ninja would ever stop mid-battle to consider. Most students were either asleep or quietly plotting how to escape without getting caught.
In the last row, a boy lay across his desk, half-asleep, spiky black hair sticking out in every direction. Brown eyes barely open, face cute enough to distract an enemy mid-fight. (A/N: Why did I even write that?) He shivered slightly, like he'd been caught in a bad dream, then blinked awake, realizing yet another boring lecture awaited him.
(First Person POV)
'That f*****g bastard, how could he do me like this?' I muttered under my breath. 'Getting yeeted into another world? Really? Could this reincarnation thing get any more extra?'
I closed my eyes and sifted through the last six years of memories I had.
Ryo Inazuma. 6 Years Old. Same age as Minato, Shikaku, Choza, Nawaki, and the others. Childhood friend material. Average grades, decent in combat. Friends? Check. Allies in mischief? Check. Teachers I barely tolerated? Double check. School life—well, let's just say I'd survived it with style, charm, and minimal effort.
I smirked. "Already rubbing shoulders with the main squad, huh? Looks like I lucked out."
Then it hit me. "Wait… hold on. Mikoto's in my class? Wasn't she supposed to be slightly older than Minato?"
Not that I minded anyway, Fugaku don't deserve her. But yeah, the timeline was already bending because of me. Great.
Nawaki, the hyper-energetic Senju kid who would probably explode one day, turned around with a concerned look.
"Hey, Ryo, you okay? You've been half-asleep this entire class. This is not like you."
I looked at him and thought: If I'm here, might as well see how strong this kid really gets. Maybe the next Tobirama, but with less… prejudice and smarts.
I yawned dramatically. "Training late last night. Didn't get much sleep."
Nawaki squinted. "You look… different today."
"Good different or bad different?"
He grinned. "Good different. You seem more… carefree."
I smirked. "Then that's a win, right?"
Before we could continue, the teacher's voice cut through:
"Ryo! Nawaki! Since you seem to have all the time in the world to chat, why don't you try answering this question?"
I glanced at the board: a nightmare of formulas calculating angles, distance, and x-values for throwing shuriken.
Nawaki and I exchanged a look. Seriously?
I raised my hand like a guilty kid. "Uh… sensei… when throwing shuriken, don't we just… throw them? Who actually pauses mid-fight to calculate angles? The enemy isn't going to wait while I do trigonometry. And even if I hit the perfect x, they'll block, dodge, or just ninjutsu their way out. Why do we learn this?"
The class froze, then erupted into laughter.
The teacher's face turned crimson, vein popping. "GET OUT!!"
He paused. "Both of you!!"
After being booted, Nawaki and I leaned against the hallway wall.
"Sorry for getting you caught in the crossfire," I said.
He chuckled. "It's fine. Honestly, I was bored anyway."
We stood there for a minute, when the teacher's voice rang again. "Shikaku! Sleeping in class? Get out!"
Shikaku, ever the deadpan genius, walked out sighing. "What a drag."
Nawaki and I couldn't help it—we burst out laughing.
"Since we're already rebels," I whispered, "why not skip the next classes and go fishing?"
Almost immediately: "Choza! Eating in class? Out!!"
I commented, "Sheesh, the teacher's on a roll today. Did someone dump him?"
Shikaku processed it quickly and chuckled. Nawaki caught on and laughed too.
I called out to Choza. "Fishing! Want in?"
"Food? Count me in!" he said instantly, grabbing his bag.
And just like that, the four of us—me, Nawaki, Shikaku, and Choza—headed toward the river for a lazy afternoon.
By the river, we set up fishing rods, gathered firewood, and I stretched. "Way better than sitting in class learning angles."
"Who cares about angles when there's fish to catch?" Nawaki laughed.
Choza pulled out a bag of chips. "Snack time."
We cast our lines, munching on snacks. Nawaki stared at his rod as if telepathy could lure the fish.
"Plan to catch one or just making the water nervous?" I teased.
He glared but didn't respond. Choza handed me another handful of chips. "Fishing luck? Zero, like everything else."
Eventually, we caught a few decent ones. Lunch was grilled over a small fire, seasoned with Choza's special Akimichi spices. Best meal in years.
Afterward, we lay on the grass, sticks of grass in our mouths.
"This is the life," I sighed.
Peace never lasts, of course.
Out of nowhere, Nawaki's sister, Tsunade, appeared, scowling. "So, this is where you are instead of attending class?"
She yanked him by the ear. Nawaki's eyes darted to us, silently begging for help—but Choza, Shikaku and I exchanged a glances and bolted, leaving him behind.
"Traitors…" he muttered.
At the village entrance, Mikoto appeared. "Ryo, Choza, Shikaku, there's practical after school today!"
I groaned. "After school? Now?"
Mikoto's gaze hardened. Lost cause.
We trudged back, silently agreeing: women are a force of nature. Nawaki? Getting an earful. We? Free and slightly smug.
(A/N) Hopefully, this version keeps the timeline intact. Enjoy the chapter!