The first day at the academy had ended. As Satoru walked home, his mind was still on that blond-haired boy.
"Naruto Uzumaki… This kid is lonely, but there's a strong light inside him. Maybe he's the one who resembles me the most in this world."
When he arrived home, Akira greeted him at the door.
"How was your first day? Did you like your teacher?" she asked.
Satoru shrugged.
"It was fine. There was a lazy kid in class, and the teacher was a bit noisy. But manageable."
Akira ignored his cold tone and smiled.
"What matters is that you get used to it. Come on, dinner is ready."
At the table, Sakamoto was there too. He set aside the report in his hand and looked at his son.
"Listen, Satoru… In this world, talent alone is not enough to be strong. Discipline, patience, and hard work are essential. The academy only opens the first door. The rest is in your hands."
Satoru listened carefully to his words, though he didn't show it on his face. Inside, however, he was thinking:
"Yes, you're right… But I am not ordinary. The Six Eyes are still mine, cursed energy still flows through me. If I give it enough time, no one in this world will be able to stand against me."
That night, after everyone had gone to sleep, Satoru quietly stepped outside. In the darkness of the garden, he closed his eyes and tried to gather cursed energy in his palms.
A blue glow appeared in his hands. The energy trembled, rustling the leaves. But he lost control, and it dispersed with a small shockwave.
"Damn it…" he muttered through clenched teeth.
At that moment, laughter echoed in his mind. Cold, sharp, and familiar…
"Sukuna?.. No… or is it only an echo left inside my head?"
Satoru wiped the sweat from his forehead and took a deep breath.
"No matter. Whatever it is, I will become strong again. I will rise to the top in this world as well."
The next day, silence filled the classroom. Iruka was explaining basic ninjutsu techniques, but Satoru was already bored.
Beside him, Shikamaru let out a huge yawn.
"So boring… I wish I could just go home and sleep."
Satoru gave him a mocking look.
"Sharing a desk with you feels like torture."
Shikamaru turned to him with half-asleep eyes.
"And you talk too much. Don't you get tired with all that energy?"
Satoru smirked.
"For me, even talking counts as training. Someone like you who's always sleeping wouldn't understand."
Iruka noticed them and scolded sharply:
"Satoru! Shikamaru! Don't disrupt the lesson!"
Satoru kept his smile, but inside he thought:
"This kid is different… Lazy, but his eyes carry a sharpness no ordinary person could have. Even while sleeping, he might be thinking more than the rest of us."
When lunch break came, Naruto stormed into the classroom noisily.
"Heeey, Satoru! Come eat with me!" he shouted.
Ignoring the stares of the class, Satoru stood up.
"Alright, why not?"
They sat under the shade in the yard. As Naruto devoured his food quickly, he kept talking.
"One day I'll become Hokage! Everyone will respect me, and I won't be alone anymore!"
Satoru watched him silently. The spark in Naruto's eyes stirred a strange feeling within him.
"And what will change once you become Hokage?" he asked.
Naruto's eyes widened.
"Everything will change! Because right now nobody likes me."
Hearing those words, Satoru flinched inside.
"That loneliness… I know it too well."
But a mocking smile appeared on his lips.
"You couldn't even convince me. But I like your stubbornness. Maybe you could be fun after all."
A wide grin spread across Naruto's face.
"Then we're friends, right?"
Satoru stayed silent for a moment. Then he tilted his head and smiled.
"Maybe," he said.
But inside, no one could hear his thoughts:
"This boy… he might be the greatest power I'll face in this world."
When the lessons ended and the children went home, Satoru was alone once again. As he walked, he lifted his head and looked at the sky.
"This world may be different… But the weak are still crushed. The only difference is that this time, I might not be alone."
At the door, Akira welcomed him.
"Welcome back, Satoru! How was your day?" she asked.
Satoru thought for a moment. He suppressed the cold answer he would normally give.
"It was alright," he said.
But the small spark in his eyes escaped his mother's notice.
That night, as he lay in bed and closed his eyes, there was deep silence. And then…
That ominous laughter echoed in his mind once again.
And this time, it was much clearer.
"Did you really think you could forget me, Satoru?"
Satoru's eyes snapped open. The room was empty. But for a brief moment, his Six Eyes caught sight of a dark shadow.
"Are you… really here, Sukuna?" he whispered.
And at that moment, Satoru understood: this new world hid a far greater danger than he had imagined.