It had been many years since they last met. Mitsui-sensei was no longer just a teacher — he was now Vice Principal Mitsui. Apparently, having taught shinobi like Hoshiyomi had completely altered the course of his life.
Mitsui was overwhelmed by Hoshiyomi's visit. Though he now held a high position at the Academy, standing next to someone who had become a pillar of Konohagakure made his own title feel rather insignificant.
After some polite small talk, the conversation quickly stalled — understandably so. The two of them had little in common now. Mitsui's talent had always been average; he'd plateaued at chūnin more than a decade ago.
They couldn't really talk about missions or advanced training, and they didn't share any family connections to speak of.
In the end, they settled on discussing Nawaki's academic performance, then Kushina's enrollment, and finally reminisced about some of Hoshiyomi's old classmates.
Mitsui brought up several names, including Kazematsu Yako, Tsunade's childhood friend. She was now married and living a happy life with a jōnin from the village.
Tsunade had even dragged Hoshiyomi along to visit the couple when they got married.
Mitsui also mentioned Uchiha Iwa, the boy who once had a run-in with Hoshiyomi. Rumor had it he was doing quite well within the Uchiha clan.
During a mission some time ago, Iwa had awakened his Three Tomoe Sharingan under intense pressure, and had since been promoted to the jōnin rank. Though his strength was still worlds apart from someone like Hoshiyomi, among his age group, he was considered a prodigy.
With those eyes, Iwa had inherited both his grandfather's and his uncle's political influence. He was now a squad captain in the Konoha Military Police Force, and was expected to become vice captain once his uncle retired.
Hoshiyomi showed little reaction to all this. He wasn't the type to hold grudges — especially not over something from more than a decade ago.
But the mention of Uchiha Iwa did bring another person to mind — Uchiha Hokushin, the man who had appeared during Hoshiyomi's childhood after he uncovered an Iwagakure spy.
If memory served, Hokushin was the younger brother of Uchiha Kagami, though Hoshiyomi had only heard that once from Torifu. He wasn't all that familiar with the man.
Still, the name stuck with him, and Hoshiyomi asked offhandedly:
"Mitsui-sensei, do you happen to know anyone named Uchiha Hokushin?"
Mitsui paused for a moment, furrowing his brows. Then, his expression lit up.
"Actually, I think I do. I was organizing the new student files the other day and came across that name. It stood out to me — it's fairly unique, so I remembered it."
He stood up, walked over to a filing cabinet behind his desk, and began flipping through the folders. A moment later, he pulled one out.
"Here it is! Uchiha Kuugetsu. Her father's name is listed as Uchiha Hokushin."
He opened the file and glanced through the contents.
"Looks like she's in the same class as the girl you brought in this morning — Uzumaki Kushina — and also with the student you mentioned earlier, Namikaze Minato."
Now curious, Hoshiyomi asked:
"May I see the file? Don't worry — Hokushin-san once did me a great kindness. I won't do anything inappropriate."
Mitsui handed over the folder without hesitation. Whether or not he ever got promoted to Principal might well depend on people like Hoshiyomi. No way he'd say no.
Opening the file, the first thing Hoshiyomi saw was a photo of a girl with twin pigtails. She looked cute, but for some reason, she appeared stiff and nervous in the photo — not at all like the typical smug expression seen on most Uchiha children.
Her shy demeanor actually reminded him a little of Hyūga Hinata.
Then again, considering Hokushin's warm, mild personality, it wasn't surprising that his daughter had turned out like this.
The file was fairly basic — a short summary, some school records. Under "Family," the father's name was clearly listed as Uchiha Hokushin, but the mother's field was blank. That suggested a story that probably wasn't very happy.
After reading through it, Hoshiyomi handed the file back.
Uchiha Kuugetsu, Namikaze Minato — and now that he thought of it, probably Uchiha Mikoto, too, Sasuke's future mother.
He realized he'd arrived a little late this morning when dropping off Kushina. That might've been why he hadn't seen any of the future "main character parents."
Maybe he could catch a glimpse of them at dismissal.
It was a strange kind of amusement — perhaps something unique to transmigrators like him. Whenever he discovered a familiar name or face from the original timeline, he'd feel an inexplicable thrill. And if he could meet them today, he had no intention of waiting until tomorrow.
After leaving Mitsui's office, Hoshiyomi didn't go far. He stayed near the Academy's training ground, casually practicing his swordsmanship— more or less what he did every day when not on a mission.
Just before dismissal, Hoshiyomi arrived at the front gate of the Academy. A small crowd of parents had already gathered.
Most were the parents of first-year students. The Academy promoted independence from an early age, so outside of the first day, most families didn't bother coming to pick up their children.
In the crowd, Hoshiyomi quickly spotted a familiar face. Though older and more worn by time, he still recognized him instantly — it was Uchiha Hokushin, the man who had once escorted him to the Police Force compound all those years ago.
Hoshiyomi approached and greeted him.
Unlike Hoshiyomi, who recognized Hokushin immediately, the Uchiha took a long moment to study him. Eventually, he ventured a guess:
"Are you… Gekkō Hoshiyomi?"
"That's me. It's been a long time, Hokushin-nii."
Hokushin clearly knew who Hoshiyomi had become — and he hadn't forgotten their first meeting either. Seeing Hoshiyomi greet him so warmly, he smiled with emotion.
"It really has been a while. You must've been what, eight or nine when I took you to the Police Force? And look at you now — a young man already.
I always thought you had promise, but I never imagined you'd grow this fast."
"So, what brings you to the Academy?" he asked.
"I'm here to pick up a girl named Uzumaki Kushina. You?"
"My daughter," Hokushin replied.
"Are you still with the Police Force, Hokushin-nii?"
Hokushin fell silent for a moment, then offered a faint smile.
"No. I'm just a standard jōnin now, taking whatever missions the village assigns me."
From that silence, Hoshiyomi could tell something was wrong. But he didn't ask. He already knew: a man like Hokushin, with a gentle heart and an open mind, would never survive long in the proud, inflexible culture of the Uchiha Police Force.
And for someone who once dreamed of reforming the clan from within, being forced out of the organization he wanted to change must've stung deeply.
Just as Hoshiyomi was wondering how to comfort him — or at least change the subject — the school bell saved him.
As the bell rang, the sound of footsteps drew near. A large group of students burst through the doors, chatting and laughing.
Hokushin's entire demeanor lit up. He waved toward two black-haired girls in the crowd and called out:
"Kuugetsu! Mikoto! Over here!"
Hoshiyomi turned his gaze in the same direction — and beside those girls, he saw a very familiar head of bright red hair.
Author's Note:
Uchiha Kuugetsu was originally a background character suggested by a reader in the comment section. I found her intriguing and full of potential, especially for future arcs involving the Uchiha. Since she was the first reader-submitted side character I used, I decided to promote her to a major supporting role.