When Fujimoto Tōma walked into the familiar classroom holding Yamanaka Ino's hand, the noisy room fell silent in an instant.
All eyes snapped toward him.
Tōma had grown fast, but his features hadn't changed that much. Recognition spread immediately.
"Hey, everyone," Tōma said with a relaxed smile. "Long time no see."
The classroom exploded.
Even though he'd graduated two years ago, his popularity clearly hadn't faded. If anything, it had gotten worse. The girls stared openly, dazzled by how much more mature he looked. Then they noticed Ino at his side and deflated slightly… before deciding to crowd in anyway.
Within seconds, Tōma was completely surrounded. This time it wasn't just girls. Even the boys pushed in, firing off questions one after another.
Not everyone reacted the same way.
Uchiha Sasuke's eyes lit up the moment he saw Tōma. Battle intent flared. Two years ago, the gap had been obvious. Now, Sasuke wanted to know how much distance remained.
He almost stood up to challenge him on the spot, but the crowd around Tōma was ridiculous. After a moment's thought, Sasuke sat back down.
Later, he decided. He won't refuse.
He absently touched his forehead, wincing. It still hurt a little. Some memories were hard to forget.
Haruno Sakura stared, stunned, especially when she saw Ino walk in hand-in-hand with Tōma.
She'd been worried about Ino lately. Her inner voice had already labeled Tōma a heartless jerk. Now it was obvious she'd been completely wrong.
Jealousy crept in.
Ino had made real progress. Sakura… hadn't.
She glanced at Sasuke and sighed. Not only was there no progress, she felt like he barely tolerated her presence. How was she even supposed to get closer?
Then she noticed Sasuke's side of the room was suddenly less crowded.
Sakura's eyes lit up. She stood and moved toward him.
"What a pain…" Nara Shikamaru muttered, slumped over his desk, watching the chaos. "Did he really have to come back today?"
Eventually, Tōma managed to pull Ino free and sit down with her. Seating wasn't fixed anymore.
Ino smiled brightly, fully aware of the envious looks around her. She felt secretly satisfied. Good thing she'd acted early. Otherwise, she might've ended up chasing someone hopeless, like Sakura with Sasuke.
A moment later, Uzumaki Naruto arrived late as usual. His eyes lit up when he saw Tōma, but every seat near him was taken.
He waved awkwardly, then scanned the room.
His eyes locked onto an empty seat next to Sakura.
Yes!
Then he noticed Sasuke sitting right there.
Naruto's face darkened. This guy again…
Frowning, Naruto marched over, hopped onto Sasuke's desk, and stared him down, trying to figure out what made him so special.
Sasuke stared back, confused. He had no idea what Naruto was trying to do.
"Hey! Naruto!" Sakura snapped. "Get off the desk!"
Tōma, meanwhile, quietly lifted the camera he'd specifically bought for today.
Ino followed his gaze.
Just in time, someone behind Sasuke leaned back and bumped Naruto.
Naruto stumbled forward.
The already tiny distance vanished.
Time froze.
Ino and Sakura's eyes went wide.
Naruto and Sasuke froze, minds blank.
Then—
They sprang apart, gagging, wiping their mouths, retching dramatically.
Sakura turned to stone.
His first kiss… gone. Right in front of me…
In her mind, she was already suplexing Naruto and throwing him out the window.
"Pfft—" Ino burst out laughing.
Tōma glanced at his camera, utterly satisfied. The angle was perfect.
"Tōma," Ino asked between laughs, "how did you know they'd… do that?"
"I didn't," Tōma said honestly. "I was just trying to capture the love triangle. This was a bonus."
"Definitely worth it," Ino nodded seriously.
She thought briefly about the triangle. She supported Sakura, but Naruto was Tōma's friend, and Sasuke… was too.
Eh. Not my problem.
She glanced at Tōma and smiled softly. She liked him. And he liked her too.
That was enough.
The classroom slowly settled down, though plenty of eyes still drifted toward Tōma, especially the girls.
The bell rang.
Iruka entered with a roster in hand.
When he spotted Tōma, his eyes lit up. He announced Tōma's promotion to jōnin as motivation for the class.
The result was immediate chaos.
Not everyone was as clueless as Naruto about what "jōnin" meant.
Students rushed Tōma again, ignoring Iruka's shouting entirely. It only stopped when faint arcs of electricity crackled around Tōma, sending everyone scrambling back to their seats.
Iruka shot Tōma a grateful look.
Tōma shrugged back. Told you.
Sasuke slammed his hands on the desk and stood.
Naruto leaned over to Sakura, smug. "See? I already knew."
Sasuke ignored him and sat back down, eyes burning.
He remembered Tōma's words.
Who says you can't get revenge just because you're behind me?
I don't think I'm weaker than the man you're chasing.
At the time, Sasuke hadn't believed him.
Now… maybe he should.
Tōma had become a jōnin at twelve.
Earlier than him.
And Sasuke could feel it. His own strength was rising fast. This was the growth phase Tōma had talked about.
For the first time, hope flickered.
"Jōnin… seriously?" Shikamaru murmured, all laziness gone.
His fingers interlaced as his mind raced.
You didn't become a jōnin by accident. And you didn't do it quietly unless you were hiding something.
If Tōma hadn't used his real name…
Shikamaru's eyes widened.
No way…
He looked at Tōma again, unsettled.
What kind of monster was this guy?
Tōma, unaware of the mental storms around him, was chatting with Ino.
"Who do you think my teammates will be?" she asked.
"Shikamaru and Akimichi Chōji," Tōma answered without hesitation.
"Huh?" Ino frowned. "Why them?"
"The Ino–Shika–Chō formation never breaks," Tōma said calmly. "Your fathers formed the same trio. Your clan techniques are designed to work together."
Ino blinked. "…So there's really no chance."
"Who did you want?" Tōma asked, faintly sour.
"Sakura and Hinata," Ino said instantly. "A girls-only team. Prove we're just as good."
Tōma froze, then laughed quietly at himself.
"Hey, what's that laugh for?" Ino demanded.
"Nothing," Tōma said quickly. "I agree. The strongest of the Sannin is Tsunade-sama, after all."
Ino's eyes sparkled. Tsunade was every Konoha kunoichi's idol.
Iruka cleared his throat and began reading out team assignments.