Chapter 4: The Truant Troupe and a Stolen Kiss
By the time Hiraoka and Naruto skidded to a halt outside the Ninja Academy classroom, they were a solid ten minutes late. Hiraoka leaned cautiously against the doorframe, peering inside. Iruka-sensei had his back turned, diligently scrawling the history of the Second Hokage across the chalkboard. The rhythmic scratching of chalk seemed to be the only sound.
His eyes darted to their empty seats, then met Naruto's. A silent, frantic conversation passed between them in a matter of seconds—a series of widened eyes, pointed glances, and hopeful grimaces. A mutual understanding was reached: The coast is clear. Make a run for it.
However, they had failed to account for one very observant pair of pearlescent eyes. Hyuga Hinata, seated near the back, had spotted them the moment they appeared at the door. Her face, usually composed in a gentle shyness, was now a mask of mild panic. She began making frantic, subtle hand gestures, waving them towards the empty seats, her message clear: Hurry! He hasn't seen you yet!
Heart pounding with a mix of guilt and amusement, Hiraoka took the cue. He ducked his head and began a slow, deliberate creep towards his desk, Naruto mirroring his movements with all the grace of a startled deer.
They were halfway to salvation when the chalk snapping in Iruka's hand echoed through the silent room like a gunshot.
"YOU TWO!"
Iruka spun around, his face a thundercloud of long-suppressed frustration. The vein on his forehead was visibly pulsing. "Late again! Do you think the academy runs on your schedule?"
His furious gaze then swept over the rest of the class, finding other easy targets for his ire. "And you, Shikamaru! You've been asleep since the bell rang! And Choji! Is that bag of chips permanently fused to your hands?!"
He pointed a trembling finger toward the hallway. "All four of you! Out! Now! Stand outside and contemplate the importance of punctuality and participation!"
Shikamaru, stirred from his slumber, let out a long, weary sigh that seemed to carry the weight of the world. "What a drag..." he mumbled, but he obediently pushed himself up from his desk and shuffled out the door without another word.
Choji, looking slightly wounded but not particularly surprised, carefully gathered his potato chips and followed his best friend.
Hiraoka and Naruto, their great escape thwarted, exchanged a final, defeated look and joined the growing line of delinquents in the hallway.
Iruka watched them go, slumping against his podium and massaging his temples. "Those four… they're going to be the death of me," he muttered to the now-silent and slightly terrified classroom.
Standing in a row against the cool wall, Hiraoka couldn't help but smile wryly. He was now officially part of Konoha's most troublesome quartet.
Naruto, incapable of standing still for more than a minute, quickly grew bored. A mischievous glint appeared in his eyes. "Standing here is so boring! Hey, why don't I show you guys that C-rank jutsu Hiraoka taught me?"
Shikamaru, who had been leaning against the wall with his eyes closed, cracked one open. A C-rank jutsu from Naruto? Now that was mildly intriguing. It explained the tardiness. "Fine," he sighed. "Might as well. This is a drag, but it's less of a drag than standing here."
"Wherever Shikamaru goes, I go," Choji said through a mouthful of chips, his loyalty unwavering.
"Wait here!" Naruto whispered, a conspiratorial grin on his face. "I know who else to get!" He disappeared in a blur of orange and returned moments later with Inuzuka Kiba, the boy with a small white puppy, Akamaru, nestled in his hood.
Hiraoka wasn't surprised. Kiba, with his rebellious streak and love for excitement, was a natural addition to their truant troupe. Though Hiraoka did wonder, not for the first time, if Kiba's head ever got hot under that perpetually worn jacket.
"Alright," Hiraoka said, taking charge. "The coast is clear. Let's move."
They slipped away from the academy grounds and soon found themselves in the same secluded clearing from that morning.
Naruto immediately jumped to the center, puffing out his chest. "Alright, everyone! Prepare to be amazed! Behold, my C-rank ninjutsu!"
He formed the familiar ram seal. "Sexy Jutsu!"
In a puff of smoke, the form of "Naruko" appeared once more, the artful mist doing little to hide the… impressive… results of Naruto's chakra control.
"Pfft!" Kiba choked, his eyes bugging out. Akamaru let out a confused whine from his hood.
"You've got to be kidding me," Shikamaru deadpanned, his lazy demeanor shattered for a moment by sheer, unadulterated shock.
Choji, however, merely blinked and continued munching on his chips, utterly unfazed.
The transformed Naruto sauntered over to Shikamaru, who took a hasty step back. "Pretty good, right?" Naruto said in a high-pitched, teasing voice, gesturing proudly. "The proportions are perfect now!"
"Don't touch me!" Shikamaru yelped, his face flushing slightly as he looked desperately at Hiraoka. "This is the 'C-rank' jutsu you taught him? This is a public menace!"
Hiraoka just shrugged, a casual, unrepentant smile on his face. "What can I say? I'm a sharer. When I discover a good thing, I spread the knowledge." He winked at the group. "Interested in a lesson?"
"Pass," Shikamaru said immediately, regaining his composure. "Way too troublesome."
"Seems… less fun than barbeque chips," Choji mused.
Kiba just shook his head vigorously, Akamaru barking in what sounded like agreement.
A month drifted by, a comfortable rhythm of minor mischief and academy life. Hiraoka's record for punctuality did not improve. When he wasn't being scolded by Iruka, he was often found in the company of a certain lavender-haired girl. Their friendship had blossomed easily, filled with quiet walks home and, during the more boring lessons, the innocent, secret comfort of holding hands under the desk.
On this particular evening, he was walking Hinata home, the setting sun painting the Hyuga compound's walls in shades of orange and pink. They stopped at the customary spot, a respectful distance from her main gate.
"Well, your doorstep, as promised," Hiraoka said, his voice soft.
Hinata nodded, a small, happy smile on her face. "Th-thank you for walking me home, Hiraoka-kun."
She turned to go, but a sudden, decisive impulse, fueled by a month of growing affection and a little nudge from a system he'd long learned to trust, made him call out.
"Hinata, wait a second."
She turned back, her large eyes curious. "Huh? What is it—"
She never finished the sentence.
He closed the small distance between them, his movement quick but gentle. Leaning in, he pressed his lips to hers in a brief, chaste, but unmistakable kiss.
It lasted only a second, but in that second, the world narrowed to the space between them. Hinata's eyes flew wide open, her entire body freezing. A blush of nuclear proportions ignited across her face, spreading to the tips of her ears.
Hiraoka pulled back, his own heart hammering against his ribs. The system's notification chime was a distant echo. All he could see was the utterly stunned, beautifully flustered girl in front of him.
For a long moment, Hinata didn't move, didn't breathe. Then, with a small, strangled sound that was half-gasp, half-sob, she spun around. Without a word, her hands flying to her burning cheeks, she sprinted the last few meters to her gate and vanished inside.
Hiraoka stood alone in the twilight, the ghost of her warmth still on his lips. A slow, dazed smile spread across his face. The Three Basic Jutsu now resided perfectly in his mind, but that felt like a secondary reward. The real prize was the memory of a pair of wide, white eyes, and the thrilling, terrifying uncertainty of what would happen tomorrow.
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