"Kurenai, what's going on?!"
Asuma was flustered, completely flustered, and a little panicked. Kurenai blinked, not understanding why he was reacting so strongly. They hadn't known each other for long, and being so young, she didn't see him as anything more than a friend. She had no idea how much damage her words had done, enough to make him turn dark and become a "joker."
"This is what happened," Kurenai explained the situation.
Asuma listened, seething with anger. The culprit was his own old man! He was in his rebellious phase and didn't want to live in Hiruzen's shadow, which was why he didn't get along with him.
"Asuma?" Kurenai asked, noticing something. "Why is your face so red?"
"Ah, it's nothing." Asuma composed himself and forced a smile. "We're going to be late. Let's go."
Kurenai didn't think much of it and walked ahead. Asuma followed, his eyes darting to Hanekawa. Hanekawa's lips twitched. The whole way, Asuma was staring at him, reminding him of a famous internet meme: I will always watch you... forever and ever...
When they arrived at the academy, Kurenai said, "Asuma, I'll take Hanekawa to the teacher's office. You can go to class."
"I can take him!" Asuma volunteered.
"No," Kurenai refused. "This is a mission my dad gave me."
"But..." Asuma tried to argue, but Kurenai and Hanekawa had already turned and walked away.
No! He stared after them, raising a hand to stop them. That damned Hanekawa brat! Asuma's face was a mix of grief and rage.
Teacher's Office
Hanekawa handed his acceptance letter to a young ninja. According to Kurenai, his name was Eiichirō Yamamoto, a regular chunin.
"Hanekawa, welcome to Year A," Eiichirō said with a big smile, closing the letter. A student personally approved by Hiruzen Sarutobi was not to be taken lightly.
"Thank you, sensei," Hanekawa replied politely.
Eiichirō nodded. He seemed like a well-behaved student.
"Kurenai, you can go now," Eiichirō said. "I'll take Hanekawa to the classroom."
"Okay." Kurenai gave Hanekawa a knowing look and left.
"These are the first-year textbooks," Eiichirō said, picking up a stack of books from his desk. Hanekawa counted seven of them. The top one was titled The Concepts of Chakra and Refining Techniques.
"Class starts in a few minutes, so you can take a look," Eiichirō said with a smile.
"Okay." With little time, Hanekawa skimmed through the table of contents. There were books on Ninja Tool Throwing, The Will of Fire, Ninja Code, and The History of Konoha. The academy curriculum was more comprehensive than he had expected. He remembered someone in his past life analyzing the chunin exam, which included questions on math, chemistry, and physics. While a genin only needed to master the basic three jutsu, the academy taught a lot more.
The bell rang.
"Let's go." Eiichirō picked up a book and walked out. Hanekawa followed.
They soon arrived at the Year A classroom. Eiichirō walked to the front desk. Hanekawa waited at the door, but he had already been noticed. Curious eyes watched him, and some girls' eyes were practically glowing green, as if they were ready to devour him.
Hanekawa immediately spotted Kakashi Hatake. His white hair and weird mask made him hard to miss. In the original story, he graduated at age five, became a chunin at six, and a jonin at thirteen—an absolute prodigy. In the future, he would be a student of Minato Namikaze and a sensei for Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha.
The seat to Kakashi's left was empty. To his right was a little girl, who was likely Rin Nohara. Her features were distinct: short brown hair, a gentle face, and two purple markings. The empty seat was for Obito Uchiha. The future villain, a clumsy goofball who was always late.
"Ahhh!" Just then, a beast-like yell came from the hallway. Hanekawa turned to see a boy around his age wearing a sports jacket and sunglasses, his face red from sprinting.
"Get out of the way!" the boy yelled.
Hanekawa took a step back. The boy flew into the classroom, skidding to a halt before doing a face-plant on the floor.
"You're late again, Obito," Eiichirō said with a sigh.
"Sorry, sensei," Obito said, getting up. "I was helping an old lady cross the street and lost track of time."
"Use a new excuse next time," Eiichirō said, unamused.
"I'm serious!" Obito insisted.
"Go to your seat." Eiichirō didn't believe him. How many old ladies could he be helping a day?
"Rin," Obito said, sitting in his seat and facing Rin.
"Good morning, Obito," Rin replied softly.
"Heh heh," Obito chuckled sheepishly.
"Before we begin, I have an announcement to make." Eiichirō clapped his hands on the desk.
The class went silent. The smarter students had already guessed it had something to do with Hanekawa.
"Starting today, Hanekawa will be joining our class. Let's give him a warm welcome!" Eiichirō said, clapping. The classroom filled with applause, though some, like Asuma Sarutobi, didn't clap. He watched Kurenai clap excitedly and felt his eyes sting. I'm so jealous.
"The new student is really handsome," a girl with short black hair behind Rin whispered.
"Rin, what do you think?" Obito asked, on high alert.
Rin noticed his expression and hesitated. She did think Hanekawa was handsome, but she knew saying it would upset Obito.
"Looks don't matter; strength is what's important," Kakashi said coolly.
"You're so full of yourself!" Obito retorted, stung by the word "strength." "When I get my Sharingan, I'll make you kneel!" He always believed Rin paid more attention to Kakashi because he was stronger.
"I think Kakashi is right!" a boy in the front, wearing a green bodysuit, turned around and gave a thumbs-up with a bright smile.
"Alright, now for Hanekawa to introduce himself," Eiichirō said, raising a hand to interrupt their chatter.