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"Hiruzen Sarutobi can still have children at his age. So what's your excuse?" Tsunade emphasized her point with a sharp slap to Manji's behind, the sound echoing in the air.
Manji smiled at her, feeling a bit helpless.
"From now on, you're not wearing those things. Not once. That's an order," Tsunade said, glaring at him, still not satisfied with his reaction.
"Okay, okay. Whatever you say," he replied with a resigned nod.
"Come on. Let's look around the Academy and relive the old days." Finally satisfied, she took his arm and gave it a gentle swing.
"Sure."
...
Normally, people needed permission to enter the Academy. But because of their status in the village, Manji and Tsunade were allowed in without any trouble.
They walked together down the familiar halls. Old graduation photos lined both walls, their yellowed paper showing how much time had passed.
"Hey, isn't that Sarutobi's class? Danzō's there too. They actually looked pretty good when they were young. That's a big change from the schemer and sneak they are now." Tsunade pointed at one of the oldest photos and laughed.
"Time flies…" Manji said quietly, nodding as he looked at the photo she pointed to.
Before long, they reached the graduation photo of Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru's class. Tsunade's smile disappeared as she frowned at it.
"Wait a minute, Manji. This isn't right." She pointed at the empty space beside her younger self, looking puzzled. "Why aren't you in this picture? I remember you standing right next to me when we took it…"
"Oh?" Manji paused.
His genjutsu could change people's memories, making their pasts fit together perfectly. But it couldn't change things that were already there, like old photos.
For example, with this old photo, he could make everyone remember him as part of the class, but the spot where he should be would still be empty.
He didn't let any of this show on his face.
"They probably made a mistake when sorting the school photos," he said, acting like it was nothing important.
"What kind of school is this? They even lost my husband's picture!" Tsunade grumbled, patting his arm.
Manji smiled without answering. He slipped an arm around her waist and drew her back toward him.
"Come on, that's enough pictures. Let's go home."
If they kept looking, they would probably find more things he couldn't explain.
"What's the rush? I'm not done yet!" Tsunade grabbed his hand and tried to pull him further down the hall.
Manji stepped in front of her, blocking her way.
"Tsunade, I want you." He looked down at her and spoke softly.
She stopped for a moment, blushed, then smiled playfully. She pinched his waist gently and leaned in close, her breath warm against his ear.
"So that's why you're in such a hurry to get home. Why didn't you just say so?"
"Although…"
She stretched out the word and glanced down the empty hallway with a teasing look.
"If you're up for it, we could always try it here at the Academy…"
"Then forget it." Manji shook his head right away and gently squeezed her cheek, which was still red.
"Behave. There are security cameras all over the Academy now. Imagine what people would think if they saw us."
Before she could argue, he took her hand and led her away from the photos.
They had just reached the school gates when they saw Ikkaku Umino, who looked worried. He would later become Iruka's father.
"Hello, Lady Tsunade! Lord Manji!" Ikkaku quickly bowed to greet them.
Tsunade nodded back, distracted by her own thoughts about Manji and not really paying attention to anyone else.
Manji saw that Ikkaku looked nervous.
"What's wrong, Ikkaku? You look pretty rattled."
"Sir, it's my first day as a homeroom teacher," Ikkaku said, sounding miserable. "One of my students hasn't shown up for class, and I can't reach him…"
"Oh? What's his name?"
"It's… Obito Uchiha," Ikkaku confirmed after checking the documents in his folder.
"I know the boy, I'll help you out." Manji said, nodding after a moment's consideration.
"Really? Thank you so much, sir! I hate to trouble you." Ikkaku asked eagerly.
"Don't worry about it. It's no trouble," Manji said with a wave.
He led Tsunade out through the Academy gates. As soon as they stepped outside, a small boy with goggles came running toward them in a panic.
It was Obito Uchiha!
"I'm screwed! I'm screwed! Late on the first day! My Academy days are over before they've even started!" Obito ran and wailed, a strawberry lollipop sticking out of his mouth.
His short legs moved as fast as they could, and sweat covered his forehead.
Manji reached out a hand and gently stopped him in his tracks.
"Ow! What are you doing?! You…" Obito stumbled and almost lost his lollipop.
He rubbed his forehead and looked up. When he realized who they were, he froze and stared in shock.
"L-Lady Tsunade, one of the Sannin… and Lord Manji, one of Konoha's Twin Lights!" He quickly took the lollipop out of his mouth, held it in his hand, and bowed deeply.
Tsunade folded her arms, looked him up and down, and scoffed. "Nice job, kid. Late on your first day. Jiraiya was a mess back then, but even he didn't skip the first day. You're even more of a troublemaker."
"I-I didn't mean to!" Obito's face turned bright red. He scratched his head, trying hard to explain.
"There was this old lady on the way. She couldn't carry her stuff, so I helped her get it home…" His voice got quieter and he lowered his head.
He knew his excuse wouldn't help much since he was already late.
Before he could finish, Manji took the enrollment papers he'd already picked up for Obito out of his sleeve and held them out.
"I got your paperwork for you. Leave home earlier next time. Don't be late again."
"Huh?!" Obito looked up quickly at the papers in front of him.
His embarrassment disappeared, replaced by surprise and happiness. He never thought one of Konoha's greatest shinobi, a living legend, would help someone like him with paperwork.
"Lord Manji! Thank you so much! You're a lifesaver!" Feeling grateful, Obito bowed again, even lower than before.
"Study hard," Manji said, giving him a small nod and patting his head.
"All right, all right! How long are you going to stand here chatting with a kid? I can't wait any longer!" Tsunade was out of patience.
Before Manji could say anything else, she grabbed his wrist and pulled him home quickly.
Obito held up his paperwork and watched them leave in a hurry. He scratched his head.
"It's broad daylight. Why are they in such a rush to get home…?"
—•——•——•——•——•——•—
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