As the seasons passed, the once carefree children had finally reached the age to start school.
(Naruto and the others: Were we really carefree?)
"Naruto, when you get to school, make sure you get along with your classmates properly. No fighting, got it?"
Kushina carefully adjusted Naruto's clothes.
Of course, it would've looked much better if you ignored the huge bump on Naruto's head.
The Namikaze family's wake-up ritual was always this simple and brutal.
Did Naruto dare move right now? Absolutely not.
"Alright, Naruto, let's go."
"Mhm."
Kushina held Naruto's hand and headed toward the Ninja Academy.
...
At the Inuzuka residence,
"Nami, hurry up. If we don't leave now, you'll be late."
"Coming, coming, coming!"
Inuzuka Nami ran out at full speed.
With a quick leap, she shot straight into Inuzuka Ryoha's arms.
"Dad, Dad, make sure you come pick me up after school, okay? Absolutely don't forget!"
"No problem. School ends at five, so how about Dad waits at the gate starting from three?"
"You don't have to go that far. Dad's usually busy too. Three's too early. How about four fifty? I want to see you the moment school ends."
"No problem. Four fifty. Dad will definitely be waiting at the school gate on time."
"Waaah, Dad, I love you so much! Here, kiss! Mwah!"
Standing at the entrance of the Inuzuka estate, Inuzuka Rinko's expression stiffened at the sight.
Looks like that saying really wasn't baseless after all.
...
At the Hyūga clan residence,
Hyūga Hiashi carefully groomed himself in front of the mirror.
Today was Hinata's first day of school. I absolutely have to take this seriously.
When Hinata sees that her usually busy father personally came to take her to school, she'll definitely be touched.
Just imagining Hinata's shocked smile made the corners of Hiashi's mouth keep rising uncontrollably.
Finally, once he felt everything was absolutely perfect, he stepped out of his room and arrived at Hinata's door.
"Hinata, it's time to go. Otherwise we'll be late."
Caw, caw, caw—
A flock of crows flew by.
No one answered.
Hiashi immediately pushed open the door. Inside was a neatly folded blanket, clearly showing that someone had already left long ago.
"Hinata? Where did she go?"
"Early this morning, Hyūga Hiyasu-sama came to pick up Hinata-sama."
Hiashi's mood instantly plummeted.
He took out a communication insect, crushed it, and sent a message to Hiyasu.
"Come back here! I want a duel with you!!!"
Although Hiashi knew perfectly well that he couldn't beat Hiyasu, sometimes, for a man, whether he could win wasn't important.
Whether he had to fight was what mattered.
You actually stole my daughter away. This grudge is irreconcilable!!!!
...
"Ah-choo!"
"Are you okay? Are you feeling sick?"
"Ah, it's nothing, nothing. Probably some petty villain talking bad about me behind my back. Anyway, Hinata, are you full?"
"Mhm! I'm super full now. Even if I skip lunch later, I won't feel hungry."
Hyūga Hinata patted her little stomach happily.
Meanwhile, the owner of the breakfast shop beside them looked even happier.
Staring at the mountain of empty plates beside Hinata, he couldn't stop grinning.
"I struck gold! I really struck gold!"
Hyūga Hiyasu stood up to pay the bill.
"Um... will you two be coming again tomorrow?"
The breakfast shop owner asked awkwardly.
But customers this big—if they slipped away, he'd regret it for the rest of his life.
"Hinata, what do you think?"
"The food here is really pretty good."
"Oh, we'll come again tomorrow. Just make sure the food comes out faster next time."
"Please rest assured! Tomorrow I'll bring out all my best dishes for you two!"
"Alright, thank you for the trouble."
Sitting on Hyūga Hiyasu's shoulders, Hinata copied him perfectly.
"Thank you for the trouble."
"No trouble at all! None at all!"
The breakfast shop owner's smile was practically blooming like a chrysanthemum.
Generous, polite, and well-mannered—where else could he find customers this perfect? Give him a dozen more, please.
...
At the Akimichi clan residence, today was Chōji's first day of school.
Akimichi Chōza had also made a rare extravagant move, using a sealing scroll to store a massive pile of limited-edition delicious potato chips.
Honestly, it was hard to tell whether Akimichi Chōza felt more heartache over the sealing scroll or the limited-edition chips.
Suppressing the urge to take it all back with every ounce of willpower in his left hand, he painfully handed the scroll to Chōji.
"On your first day at school, remember to share with everyone. And if I find out you secretly kept everything for yourself, I swear I'll make you train hard."
It was the first time Chōji had ever seen his dad look this terrifying.
He was so frightened he almost couldn't speak, but he still clutched the scroll tightly.
"Dad... I understand."
"Good. Then let's go."
Akimichi Chōza immediately withdrew that horrifying aura.
Along the way, he didn't even dare look back at Chōji once.
One glance, and he'd regret it.
He could only cry silently in his heart.
"Chōji... your dad has sacrificed far too much for you."
...
At the Yamanaka residence,
"Perfect. Everything looks flawless now. Let's go."
"Waaah, Dad, your skills are amazing!"
Yamanaka Ino stared at the flawless ponytail that looked straight out of a textbook and couldn't help exclaiming in admiration.
"Of course. Who do you think your dad is? Back in the day, your dad relied on these perfect hairstyling skills to win over your mom—cough cough."
"What happened with Mom?"
"That's adult business. Kids shouldn't ask so many questions. Let's go already. You don't want to be late on your first day, right?"
"Tch, stingy. Fine, school it is."
...
At the Nara residence,
"Dad, I'm heading to school."
Nara Shikamaru spoke to Nara Shikaku, who was still lying sideways.
"Oh, go ahead, go ahead."
"Dad, today's my first day of school."
"Oh? Then take this map. Don't get lost."
Shikamaru caught the Hidden Leaf Village map that Shikaku casually tossed over.
His head filled with confusion.
Why did it feel like his family's atmosphere was completely different from everyone else's?
...
On a small road,
Aburame Shibi walked with Aburame Shino.
Both wore sunglasses, both dressed in high-collared coats.
The two simply walked step by step, silent and lonely the entire way.
Alright.
The weirdest family atmosphere was actually theirs.
...
"We're already at school. Hurry and put me down. It'll be embarrassing if people see this."
Little Sasuke struggled to climb down from Uchiha Itachi's back.
He was supposed to maintain a cool and aloof image.
If people saw this scene, how was he supposed to stay cool anymore?
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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