"Kurenai, what's going on here?!"
Sarutobi Asuma was completely flustered, panicked as he rushed over.
Yūhi Kurenai blinked, confused by his overly intense reaction.
They hadn't known each other for very long, and since they were still young and not fully aware of such things, she just treated him as a friend.
She had no idea how devastating her earlier words had been—enough to push Sarutobi Asuma into full-on villain arc territory.
"It's like this…"
Kurenai gave him a simple rundown of what had happened.
After hearing her out, Asuma was shaking with rage—in broad daylight, no less.
And the culprit? It turned out to be his old man!
Right now, Asuma was in full rebellious phase. He hated living under the shadow of Sarutobi Hiruzen and had a strained relationship with him.
"Asuma?"
Kurenai noticed something off and asked, "Why is your face red?"
"Ah—it's nothing."
Asuma steadied himself, forced a smile, and said, "We're going to be late. Let's go."
Kurenai didn't think much of it and walked ahead.
Asuma followed behind her, but his eyes kept drifting toward Yukawa.
Yukawa twitched slightly at the corner of his mouth.
Asuma had been staring at him the entire way, making him think of a meme:"I will stare at you... forever and ever... .jpg"
"Kurenai, I'll take Yukawa to the teacher's office. You can head back to class," she said as they arrived at the Ninja Academy.
"I can take him!"Asuma quickly volunteered.
"No."Kurenai rejected him flatly. "My father gave me this task."
"But…"
Asuma tried to argue, but Kurenai had already turned and walked off with Yukawa.
No!!He watched their backs as they left, raising his hand instinctively.
That damn brat Yukawa!!Asuma's face was full of indignation.
Teachers' Office
Yukawa handed his admission letter to a young shinobi.
According to Kurenai's introduction, his name was Yamamoto Eiichirō, a standard chūnin.
"Yukawa, welcome to Class 1-A," Eiichirō said with a big smile as he closed the letter.
Since the boy had been personally recommended by Sarutobi Hiruzen, he couldn't afford to treat this lightly.
"Thank you, sensei," Yukawa replied politely.
Eiichirō nodded slightly.
Didn't seem like a troublemaker.
"Kurenai, you can head out now," he said. "I'll take Yukawa to the classroom."
"Alright."Kurenai gave Yukawa a look and then left.
"These are your first-year textbooks," Eiichirō said, grabbing a stack from the desk.
Yukawa quickly counted—seven books in total.
The one on top was titled "Chakra Concepts and Refinement Techniques."
"There are still a few minutes before class starts. Feel free to take a look," Eiichirō said with a smile.
"Got it."
With limited time, Yukawa skimmed the table of contents of each book.
Titles included "Throwing Ninja Tools," "The Will of Fire," "Shinobi Code," and "History of Konohagakure." Pretty comprehensive.
Yukawa remembered reading online in his previous life about how written chūnin exams even included English, chemistry, and physics.
Even though genin were only required to master the Three Basic Jutsu, the Academy's curriculum was anything but shallow.
Ding-ding-ding.
The school bell rang.
"Let's go," Eiichirō said, picking up a book and heading out.
Yukawa quickly followed.
Soon, they arrived at Class 1-A.
Eiichirō walked to the podium while Yukawa waited at the door—though many students had already noticed him and were casting curious glances.
Some of the girls looked at him with sparkling eyes, like they were ready to eat him alive.
Yukawa immediately spotted Hatake Kakashi.
That silver-white hair and weird face mask—hard to miss.
In the original timeline, Kakashi graduated at five, became a chūnin at six, and a jōnin at thirteen. A genius through and through.
He would eventually become the Fourth Hokage Namikaze Minato's student, and later, the squad leader for Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke.
The seat to Kakashi's left was empty. On his right sat a little girl—most likely Nohara Rin.
She was easy to recognize: short brown hair, gentle demeanor, and two purple markings on her cheeks.
The empty seat should've belonged to Uchiha Obito.
The future main antagonist—currently just a clumsy underachiever.
"AAAAAHHH!"
Suddenly, a dramatic scream rang out, almost like a wild beast.
Yukawa turned instinctively—just in time to see a boy about his age.
He was wearing a track jacket, sported some odd sunglasses, and his face was flushed as he sprinted toward them.
"Out of the way!" the boy shouted as he spotted Yukawa.
Yukawa stepped aside.
The boy zipped into the classroom.
He came to a stop—but was going too fast, so he had to skid to a halt a few times before finally landing in a perfect faceplant.
"You're late again, Obito," Eiichirō said with a sigh.
"Sorry, sensei!" Obito Uchiha got up and explained, "I was helping an old lady cross the street!"
"Next time, come up with a better excuse," Eiichirō said, clearly unconvinced.
"I'm telling the truth!"
"Go take your seat."
No one believed him.
Who helps old ladies cross the street every day?
"Rin!" Obito shouted as he plopped into his seat.
"Good morning, Obito," Nohara Rin replied gently.
"Hehe~"Obito scratched his head with a goofy grin.
"Before we begin class, I have an announcement," Eiichirō said, clapping his hands.
The class immediately quieted down. The sharp ones already guessed it had something to do with Yukawa.
"Starting today, Yukawa will be joining our class. Everyone, give him a warm welcome!"
Eiichirō began clapping, prompting a round of applause—though not from Sarutobi Asuma.
He saw Kurenai clapping excitedly nearby and felt his heart clench.Jealousy intensifies.
"He's actually kind of cute…"A short-haired girl sitting behind Rin couldn't help but comment.
"Rin, what do you think?" Obito asked, alert.
Rin noticed his expression and hesitated.
She did think Yukawa was handsome, but saying it out loud would definitely upset Obito.
"Looks aren't everything. It's all about strength," said Hatake Kakashi coolly.
"You arrogant jerk!" Obito snapped, hurt by the word "strength.""Once I awaken my Sharingan, I'll make you kneel before me!"
He always thought Rin cared more about Kakashi because he was stronger.
"I think Kakashi is right!"
From the front row, a spirited kid in a green jumpsuit turned around, flashing a dazzling smile and giving a thumbs-up.
"Alright, let's have Yukawa introduce himself now," Eiichirō said, raising a hand to quiet them.