"Yo—if it isn't our Top Students."
Tatsuma had just arrived at the Ninja Academy when he heard a sardonic voice calling out. Minato, arriving a step behind him, wore a look of mild confusion.
Looking toward the source, they saw Shikaku, Choza, and Inoichi. Shikaku was watching them with a teasing smirk; the mocking greeting had clearly been his. Seeing that he had their attention, Shikaku continued, "The only pair of Joint Top Students in the history of the Academy... shouldn't you two be treating your 'stepping stone' to a meal?"
Before Tatsuma or Minato could even process that, Choza—who was busy polishing off a bag of chips—abruptly thrust his hand into the air. "Me! Me too! I was a stepping stone too!"
"..."
The group fell into a collective silence. Shikaku, in particular, looked pained. He had been engaging in a bit of self-deprecating humor by calling himself a stepping stone, but Choza... Choza made it sound like a badge of honor.
Fortunately, Shikaku and Inoichi had grown up with Choza and were well-acquainted with the Akimichi clan's singular obsession with food. In fact, there were plenty of people both inside and outside the village who mistakenly assumed the "Boar" in the Ino-Shika-Cho trio referred to the Akimichi clan rather than the Yamanakas.
"Top Students, huh? Not a bad title," Tatsuma said, smiling as he patted Minato on the shoulder. "Looks like you didn't actually lose to me after all, Minato."
During the pre-holiday testing, their practical scores had been nearly identical. Tatsuma had only "won" because his competitive streak was slightly more aggressive, allowing him to TKO Minato while tanking several senbon.
However, Tatsuma's "match" with Shikaku in the first round had effectively been a forfeit, which likely incurred a penalty in the eyes of the graders. Therefore, even though Tatsuma was undefeated and Minato had one loss, the final composite score ending in a tie was perfectly logical.
This also meant their official "duel" had ended in a draw, depriving Tatsuma of a potential attribute cap reward. He wasn't bothered by it, though; Minato's performance truly was exceptional, and he fully deserved the "Top Student" ranking.
Besides, Minato had gone out of his way to fetch Tsunade for him after the test. Without her medical ninjutsu, Tatsuma felt at least half of his winter break would have been wasted on recovery.
Minato had initially worried that the hyper-competitive Tatsuma would find the tie hard to swallow. Seeing him laughing it off made Minato respect his friend even more. "Then I'll treat everyone to ramen tonight," Minato offered. "But only a few of you! I don't have that much money."
"Score!" Tatsuma cheered, suddenly blending seamlessly into the Ino-Shika-Cho group to celebrate Minato's generosity.
The first day of the new semester was relaxed. Goppu Sarutobi officially announced the results with a proud grin. He was satisfied with the class's performance over the last term, but Tatsuma and Minato were clearly his crown jewels.
He had been the one to insist on bringing these two commoner students into Class 1, even at the cost of bumping a child from the Shimura clan. He had initially worried that they might fade into the background once the real competition began.
But geniuses were geniuses. Tatsuma and Minato hadn't just met his expectations; they had exceeded them, becoming the Top Students of the first-year class and drawing the personal attention of both the Third Hokage and Jiraiya.
Goppu spent a good portion of the morning praising them. Despite having the mental age of an adult, Tatsuma found himself flushing—not with excitement, but with sheer embarrassment. Their current level was humble at best, yet the teacher was finding increasingly flowery ways to laud them.
I really need to step up my game in the 'praising others' department, Tatsuma thought. If I just keep saying 'as expected of you' over and over, I'm going to look like a total amateur compared to this guy.
Of course, Goppu wasn't satisfied with everyone. After the praise, he transitioned into a stern critique. Without naming names, he offered some "constructive" feedback for a certain student born into a shadow-manipulation clan.
He also had words for a descendant of the Hokage's chief military strategist, and the son of a certain Konoha Jonin Commander. According to Goppu, this "anonymous" student had a lazy attitude, lacked ambition, and was a disruptive influence who led his classmates astray.
In response, Shikaku Nara—scion of the village's greatest think-tank clan—looked around with an expression of pure innocence, wondering aloud if such a delinquent student even existed in their class.
After a long lecture, Goppu finally finished his summary of the previous term just as the morning bell rang.
The Ino-Shika-Cho trio went off to tell their parents they wouldn't be home for dinner. Tatsuma and Minato stayed behind at the school to eat their bento—the primary reason Minato had scheduled the "treat" for the evening.
During the lunch break, Tatsuma took the opportunity to play Shogi with Minato. He avoided physical activity to save energy, and he desperately needed to improve his game. If he didn't, he would eventually run out of "wool" to fleece from the lazy Shikaku.
Shogi was the only thing Shikaku was genuinely interested in. He was incredibly skilled; Tatsuma only managed to win maybe one or two games out of ten. But it was the best way Tatsuma had found to raise his Intelligence cap.
Shikaku Nara never dropped any other attributes. The only thing he provided was raw brainpower potential.
When classes resumed in the afternoon, Goppu began outlining the curriculum for the second semester. It matched what Tatsuma had heard: they would be learning the Escaping Technique and the Cloak of Invisibility.
However, there was a catch: both techniques required "funding."
It wasn't a tuition fee, exactly, but rather the cost of the specialized tools required for training. The Escaping Technique required various ropes, chemical solutions, and small steel wires that could be hidden in one's sleeves.
The Cloak of Invisibility was more like an arts-and-crafts project; tools and camouflage materials had to be sourced individually.
When the news broke, most of the students looked indifferent. But Tatsuma and Minato shared a look of immediate concern. As the only two orphans in the class, they didn't exactly have a disposable income.
But as Goppu handed out the shopping list, they both breathed a sigh of relief. The items weren't prohibitively expensive. In fact, the total cost matched the exact amount of the New Year's Otoshidama they had received from Hiruzen Sarutobi.
The village had effectively pre-funded their education. Tatsuma and Minato, who were disciplined with their spending, were in the clear. However, there were likely other students in the school who... didn't quite understand the concept of a budget.
That wasn't their concern, though. They were just glad they hadn't blown their holiday money on extra snacks.
Once the lists and textbooks were distributed, Goppu gave a brief overview of the semester schedule and dismissed them for self-study.
Naturally, no one actually studied. Still suffering from "Post-Holiday Syndrome," the children broke into noisy groups to discuss their winter break adventures. Shikaku went back to his Shogi manuals.
Minato was the only one who actually buckled down to read. Even Tatsuma was distracted, wondering if he should introduce some games from his previous life to "scam" Shikaku into playing with him. Tatsuma was a novice at Shogi, but if he introduced Gomoku, he'd be a legend. Back in his old neighborhood, not even the local grandmasters could beat him.
As he was daydreaming, the final bell rang. The Ino-Shika-Cho trio immediately swarmed Tatsuma and Minato, blocking both ends of their row as if afraid they'd try to make a run for it.
Minato, being a man of his word, led the group to the ramen shop. Shikaku and Inoichi didn't hold back, ordering the most expensive bowls with extra toppings. Choza didn't even bother with a menu; he simply ordered five bowls right off the bat.
Minato kept his smile, knowing he could still afford it. But when the bill arrived, Tatsuma and the Ino-Shika-Cho trio all reached for their wallets simultaneously.
"Wait, wasn't I treating you guys?" Minato asked, stunned.
Shikaku shook his head. "If my mom found out I squeezed money out of a classmate, she'd kill me. Have some mercy on me."
With that, Shikaku was the first to hand his money to the owner. Minato stood there, dazed. By the time it was his turn, he only had to pay for his own meal.
On the walk home, Tatsuma patted a still-bewildered Minato on the shoulder. "Unlike us, they'll never be short on cash for a bowl of ramen. This was just their way of narrowing the distance between us."
"Is that really it?" Minato asked softly.
Tatsuma smiled. "As expected of you, Minato—you've got some good friends."