Shin-chan walked to school with Shiro as usual.
The sunlight was pleasant, and there weren't many people on the street. Shin-chan yawned, dragging his feet as he walked.
Halfway there, he suddenly stopped.
"Hm?"
Shiro looked up at him.
Shin-chan tilted his head and thought about it. "Shiro, did I forget something?"
Shiro wagged his tail.
"You think I forgot something too, right?"
Shiro wagged his tail again.
Shin-chan stood there and searched through all his pockets.
No chocolate sticks, no money, and nothing suspicious.
"Doesn't seem like anything's wrong."
Shin-chan kept walking, counting on his fingers as he went. "Brushed my teeth, washed my face, ate breakfast, brought Shiro with me—"
He thought some more.
"Did I put on socks?"
He looked down.
He had.
"Did I put on underwear?"
He pulled open his shorts and checked.
He had.
Then he thought about yesterday.
Yesterday—
A lot of things happened yesterday.
"Oh." Shin-chan nodded. "So that's what it was."
He kept walking.
After two steps, he stopped again.
"No, wait."
Shiro looked at him.
"I remembered what I forgot." Shin-chan said seriously. "But I forgot what I remembered."
"Woof." Shiro looked utterly speechless.
Shin-chan scratched his head and decided not to think about it anymore. If he couldn't remember it, it probably wasn't important.
He quickened his pace and headed for school.
The classroom was noisy. Some students were chasing each other around, some were chatting, and everything seemed normal.
Shin-chan walked to his seat and sat down. Shiro obediently lay down at his feet.
He looked to the left.
Empty.
"Hm?" Shin-chan tilted his head. "Where's Toru?"
Obito jumped down from his chair and looked at him. "You don't know?"
"Know what?"
"Didn't they pick you too?" Obito said. "They said you might not come to school anymore."
"Huh?"
Obito looked at him. "Don't tell me you forgot."
"I didn't. I remember."
"Then why are you here today?"
Shin-chan opened his mouth, then fell silent.
"You really did forget, didn't you?"
"I remember," Shin-chan argued. "I just came to... confirm something."
"Confirm what?"
"To confirm whether they really weren't coming."
"So have you confirmed it?"
Shin-chan looked at the empty seat beside him and nodded. "Confirmed."
"Then why aren't you leaving?"
Just then, Teacher Ibuki pushed open the door and walked in.
When he saw Shin-chan, his steps paused, surprise flashing in his eyes.
"Shin-chan?"
"Good morning, teacher," Shin-chan greeted him obediently.
Teacher Ibuki walked to the podium, set down his textbook, and looked at him. "Why are you here?"
"To go to school."
Teacher Ibuki's mouth twitched. "Aren't you supposed to be training under Teacher Yūhi Shinku from now on?"
"I know." Shin-chan scratched his head. "But I forgot."
A cross popped on Teacher Ibuki's forehead.
"You can forget something like that?"
"I didn't mean to," Shin-chan explained. "I just forgot while walking."
Teacher Ibuki took a deep breath. "So you know now?"
"I know."
"Then why are you still sitting there?"
Shin-chan froze for a second, then suddenly stood up.
"Oh, right."
He picked up Shiro and headed for the door.
When he reached the doorway, he stopped again and turned around.
"Teacher."
"What now?"
"Where am I supposed to go find them?"
Black lines appeared on Teacher Ibuki's forehead. "How would I know?"
"You're the teacher."
"Teachers aren't all-knowing."
"Then help me ask."
"I'm your teacher, not your secretary." Teacher Ibuki gritted his teeth. "Don't you know your own business?"
Shin-chan thought about it. "Nope."
"Then go look for them."
"Where?"
"How would I know where you should look?" Teacher Ibuki finally snapped, his voice rising.
Everyone in the classroom turned to look at them.
Shin-chan stood there, scratching his head with an innocent expression. "Teacher, you're so scary."
Teacher Ibuki closed his eyes and took three deep breaths before forcing his anger down.
Shin-chan looked at his face. "Then I'll go now. Bye, teacher."
"Go, go."
Shin-chan ran out, then ran back again. "Teacher, I'll miss you."
"Go already." Teacher Ibuki's expression was a little complicated.
Shin-chan nodded, hugged Shiro, and ran out.
The sound of his footsteps echoed down the hallway, growing farther and farther away.
Teacher Ibuki stood at the podium, looked at the doorway, and sighed.
The students in the classroom started whispering.
"So Shin-chan really isn't coming anymore?"
"Looks like he got chosen."
"That's amazing—"
Teacher Ibuki tapped the blackboard. "Quiet. Class starts now."
Shin-chan carried Shiro downstairs. When he reached the school gate, he stopped.
Three people were standing there.
Yūhi Shinku stood in front, wearing a green flak jacket with his arms folded, watching Shin-chan.
Kakashi leaned against the wall, short sword in hand.
Uchiha Toru stood beside him with an expression that clearly said, I knew this would happen.
Shin-chan blinked. "You came to pick me up?"
"What else?" Uchiha Toru said. "We waited for you at the training ground for ages."
"How did you know I was at school?"
"Guessed," Kakashi said with a sigh. "You were definitely going to forget."
Shin-chan thought about it and decided that sounded reasonable enough.
Yūhi Shinku looked at Shin-chan. His face showed no expression, but the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
"Let's go. To the training ground."
"Oh." Shin-chan followed. "Teacher, where's the training ground?"
"Just follow us."
"Is it far?"
"Not far."
"Then is there food?"
Yūhi Shinku stopped and turned to look at him. "Didn't you eat breakfast?"
"I did, but I'm hungry again."
The training ground was on the eastern side of the village, an open space surrounded by trees.
In the middle was a flat stretch of dirt. Several wooden posts stood around it, and a few old targets were piled in the corner.
Yūhi Shinku stopped and turned around.
"We're here."
Shin-chan looked around and tilted his head. "This place is kind of shabby."
"Training grounds are like this."
"I thought there'd be buildings or something."
"We're not here for a picnic."
Shin-chan sighed and set Shiro down.
Shiro ran two circles around the grass, then found a spot off to the side.
"I saw your performances last night," Yūhi Shinku said, his gaze landing first on Kakashi.
"Hatake Kakashi."
"Here."
"Your swordsmanship is good. Clean and efficient." Yūhi Shinku paused. "But your attack options are too limited."
Kakashi said nothing.
"Going forward, I'll strengthen your ninjutsu training."
Then Shinku shifted his gaze to Uchiha Toru.
"Uchiha Toru."
"Here."
"Your ninjutsu foundation is solid, but that is also your problem," Yūhi Shinku said. "You rely too much on ninjutsu. Once it's interrupted, you don't have an effective way to counterattack."