He woke groggily, numb all over, but forced himself to sit up. His limbs felt heavy, as if he’d been filled with wet sand overnight. After a moment of blinking at the ceiling, he swung his legs over the edge of the futon and sat there until the room stopped tilting. The air was cold against his skin. He rubbed his face once, hard, then stood.

  A basin waited near the corner. He splashed water over his hands and neck—and hissed quietly as it hit his knuckles. The skin there was split in thin lines, bruised purple and red from yesterday’s training. He flexed his fingers once, ignoring the sting, then wiped the water away.

  His hair had come loose in the night dark strands falling into his eyes so he gathered it back with practiced motions, combing it through with his fingers until it lay flat, then tying it high enough to stay out of the way. When the knot held, he pulled a loose kimono over his shoulders and tightened the sash, smoothing the fabric down like he could press the weakness out of it.

  Only then did he leave the room.

  His father was already eating when Reiji slipped into the kitchen, posture straight, eyes on the table. A second tray waited at Reiji’s place rice still warm, a small bowl of miso, a piece of grilled fish, pickled vegetables set neatly to the side steam already thinning. Reiji murmured a greeting. His father answered with a brief nod without looking up.

  Reiji sat, took up his chopsticks, and ate in silence not disturbing is father across from him, the only sounds the soft clink of porcelain. When the last mouthfuls were gone, he gathered the dishes, rinsed them clean, and moved through the rest of his morning without speaking, as if words would only get in the way.

  At the door, as he reached for his sandals, his father’s voice finally came.

  “Take care.”

  Reiji paused. He turned and saw only his father’s back, seated with a scroll in hand, already absorbed in reading.

  “You too, Father,” Reiji replied, then left.

  Outside, the streets of Konoha were already awake. Reiji walked at a hurried pace, eyes forward, not meeting anyone’s gaze. He didn’t want greetings. He didn’t want questions. He didn’t want to be looked at.

  “Reiji?”

  The voice stopped him cold.

  He froze, then turned.

  A man stood a few steps away tall, white-haired, wearing a jōnin uniform: a green flak jacket over a dark blue shirt and pants. His presence felt calm and sharp at the same time, like a blade resting in its sheath. His face was handsome in a mature way, but there was something weary behind it too.

  “Yes…?” Reiji answered warily.

  The man blinked, then smiled. “Ah. You don’t remember me. You were very young the last time I saw you. That’s normal.”

  He approached without pushing, then crouched so he was eye level with the boy, smile still gentle.

  “I’m Sakumo Hatake,” he said. “An old friend of your father. Nice to meet you, Reiji.”

  Reiji frowned and took a small step back. “If you’re a friend of my father, why has he never mentioned you? Also, my father has no friends. So stop lying.”

  For a second, Sakumo just stared—then let out a short laugh. “Ouch. That’s a pretty harsh thing to say about your dad, don’t you think?”

  “It’s true,” Reiji said, arms crossing stubbornly.

  Sakumo’s smile didn’t fade. His gaze lingered, amused. “If you say so… Still.” He tilted his head slightly. “Are you sure you’re not a girl? You don’t resemble your father at your age.”

  Reiji’s teeth clenched. “Watch your mouth. I’m a boy.”

  Sakumo laughed again, brighter this time. “Alright, alright. Sorry. You don’t have his face, but you have his personality.”

  Reiji froze.

  His voice came out smaller than he wanted. “How… how was my father before?”

  Sakumo blinked, as if the question surprised him. Then he looked aside, thinking. “Your father?” He hummed. “Well… I don’t know if I should say that to an child even less is son but he was the biggest asshole I knew, for sure.”

  Reiji was already turning away.

  “But,” Sakumo added quickly.

  Reiji stopped.

  Sakumo smiled, and it was softer now. “I couldn’t have asked for a better teammate to watch my back.”

  He reached out and ruffled Reiji’s hair.

  “I’m sure it’ll be the same for you too.”

  Reiji slapped his hand away, cheeks hot. He bowed quickly. “I’ll be late to school. Sorry.”

  Then he left at a near run, as if staying one second longer would make his chest feel too tight to breathe.

  Sakumo watched him go, a sad look settling on his face. Only when the boy disappeared from view did he stand and continue walking, expression unreadable.

  ---

  When Reiji arrived at the Academy, he had barely stepped through the entrance before someone blocked his way.

  “Hey, Homura!”

  A boy his age with short brown hair stood with his arms crossed and a determined expression, planted like he owned the doorway.

  Reiji stopped and looked at him with a guarded stare. “What?”

  “Don’t think you can ignore me now just because you beat me,” the boy snapped. “I’ll win next time.”

  Reiji smiled slightly no warmth in it at all. “In your dreams, Senju.”

  He shoved past him with his shoulder and walked on. Behind him, the boy sputtered in outrage at being dismissed.

  The classroom was already packed, filled to the brim with the chatter of children. Reiji scanned the room for a place. In the center, a group had formed around a blond boy. As Reiji’s gaze landed on him, the boy turned.

  For a couple of seconds, they stared at each other in silence.

  Then the blond boy smiled and gave him a small nod.

  Reiji scowled and moved to the other side of the room.

  He stopped at a desk that was already occupied.

  “Move,” Reiji said. “That’s my seat.”

  The boy turned around, already starting to protest—then froze. “Ah… wha—” He swallowed. “Oh. Yes. Sure…”

  He got out immediately and retreated.

  Reiji sat down and slumped forward, arms folded under his head as if he were sleeping. Around him, voices whispered anyway.

  “Seriously, who does he think he is…”

  “Poor guy…”

  “Why doesn’t anyone do something?”

  “Well, go tell him.”

  “No, I’m fine.”

  “My parents told me not to talk to him…”

  “Apparently his father…”

  Reiji burrowed deeper into his arms.

  “Attention, everyone,” the teacher said. She was a young woman in her early twenties wearing a chūnin uniform, and her voice cut through the room cleanly. “Today is a special day. You have a new classmate.”

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Reiji lifted his head and blinked.

  A young girl with round cheeks and bright red hair stood nervously beside the teacher.

  Red hair… that’s rare.

  “Well,” the teacher said kindly, “introduce yourself.”

  The girl nodded, stepped forward, and for a moment looked like she might shrink into herself. Then she straightened, as if she’d gathered every nerve she had into one breath.

  “My name is Uzumaki Kushina!” she declared. “I will become the first woman Hokage! You better believe it!”

  Reiji raised an eyebrow, watching the way she shouted like it could hide her nerves.

  ‘Uzumaki… where have I heard that name before?’

  Suddenly someone stood up.

  Reiji rolled his eyes the moment he saw who it was.

  “My name is Namikaze Minato,” the blond boy said, with a smile and a hand on his heart. “My dream is to become a Hokage who is respected by everyone in the village.”

  Kushina blinked, confused, while most of the class looked at him with something close to admiration.

  ‘What a bunch of sheep.’

  Reiji scoffed loudly. Several students shot him dirty looks.

  “Okay,” the teacher continued quickly, “Kushina-san, now that you’re introduced, you can sit…” She scanned the classroom, then hesitated when she realized only one place remained. “…in the back. Next to Reiji.”

  Kushina nodded and started walking, while a few students watched her with pity.

  She sat beside him and offered a shy smile. “Nice to meet you, Reiji-chan. I hope we can be friends.”

  Reiji side-eyed her. “Call me Homura. And no.”

  A hurt expression flashed across her face. “Huh? Why?”

  “Do I need a reason?”

  She went stiff, anger flickering on her features. Reiji noticed her fists trembling slightly. He shrugged and turned his attention forward as class resumed.

  The lesson continued as if nothing had happened. Chalk scraped across the board. The teacher’s voice rose and fell in a steady rhythm.

  Kushina sat beside him like she didn’t know what to do with her own limbs. She shifted in her seat, straightened, then slumped, then straightened again. Every few minutes she glanced at him and snapped her eyes forward as if she’d been caught. When she tried to follow along, she looked half a step behind, brow furrowed, lips moving silently as she copied down notes she didn’t fully understand.

  And her foot wouldn’t stop tapping.

  At first it was quiet, a nervous little beat under the desk. Then it found a rhythm and kept it. Tap. Tap. Tap.

  Reiji’s pencil paused. His jaw tightened. He didn’t look at her, refused to on principle, but the sound wormed its way into his skull anyway, steady and stupid and endless, until it felt louder than the chalk.

  When break was announced, a group of girls flocked to Kushina’s side, questions piling on top of each other. The later seeing that retreated on herself in surprise.

  “Hey, Kushina, where did you live before?”

  “Why did you enroll now?”

  “Is that your real hair?”

  “Can I touch it?”

  Kushina was surrounded so quickly she could barely answer one question before another hit her. A black-haired girl stepped in and waved them back.

  “Leave her alone,” she said. “You’re scaring her.”

  Impressively, that did the trick. The exited girls rapidly calmed down and stepped back permitting for the red head girl to sight in relief and relaxed.

  The new girl smiled at Kushida. “Hi. I’m Uchiha Mikoto. If you have trouble or don’t understand something, don’t hesitate to ask me. I’ll help you.”

  She gestured to the others nearby, introducing them quickly, like she’d done this a hundred times.

  “This is Kasumi Nara,” she said first.

  A girl with dark hair tied back in a lazy ponytail lifted sitting on her desk raised a hand without standing, eyes half-lidded like she might fall asleep mid-sentence. “Yo.”

  “Tsume Inuzuka,” Mikoto continued, smiling a little wider.

  Tsume grinned, wild brown hair spilling around her face, and beside her a small dog popped its head out from behind her legs, tail wagging like it had its own opinion about everything. “Hey! Don’t mind him he likes new people. Right Kuromaru ?”

  The dog sniffed the air in Kushina’s direction and let out a tiny yap.

  Finally, Mikoto pointed to the last girl. “And that’s Aya Shirakawa.”

  Aya had soft, light-brown hair and warm eyes, and she waved with both hands like she was trying to make up for being for her small stature. “Nice to meet you, Kushina!”

  Kushina blinked at the sudden pile of names, then nodded quickly, smiling shyly as she tried to keep up. “N-nice to meet you all…”

  Kushina glanced toward Reiji nervously.

  Mikoto followed her gaze and snorted. “Don’t worry about him, Kushina. He’s an idiot and he’s mean to everyone. Don’t take what he said to heart.”

  “Watch your mouth, crow-head,” Reiji muttered, not even looking up. “Before I shut it myself.”

  Mikoto rolled her eyes. “See? Just like I said.”

  Kushina blinked, then blurted without thinking, “Guy? Reiji’s not a girl?”

  A few heads snapped their way.

  Kushina barely had time to realize what she’d said before a hand clamped on the top of her head and turned her. She found herself staring straight into black eyes framed by long lashes.

  “I am a boy,” he said flatly. “Got it?”

  Her cheeks went hot. She nodded dumbly, brain failing to process what happened.

  He released her, stood up, and walked away. The girls instinctively parted as he passed in surprise. A few of them watched him like they expected him to do something worse then he stopped at another desk and looked down at the student sitting there.

  “Hey,” he said to the student, “give me your desk now.”

  “Y-yes!”

  Kushina sat stiff as stone. Mikoto exhaled. “You’re lucky it stopped at that.”

  “Huh?”

  “The last person who called him a girl left with a nasty bruise,” Mikoto said.

  Aya stared. “He really is a savage…”

  “Yeah…” Kushina murmured, still absent-minded.

  “Well…” Tsume shrugged, eyes half-lidded. “He’s still pretty cute.”

  Everyone looked at her.

  “What?” she said blandly. “It’s true.”

  Mikoto shook her head. “Anyway, I suggest you don’t approach him. Like you saw, he’s not friendly.”

  “Why is he like that?” Kushina asked, curious despite herself.

  “Who knows,” Mikoto replied. “But even in the village, his father and he aren’t very liked.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. Apparently his father shamed the village or something.” Mikoto hesitated. “I don’t know. I just heard my parents say it once.”

  Kushina nodded slowly and dropped the subject. Soon the girls shifted into lighter conversation hobbies, family, anything that made the world feel interesting to a group of young childrens.

  Their voices blurred into background noise, names, laughter, the scratch of sandals on wood. Reiji let it wash past him without catching. He’d learned young that most conversations were just people filling space.

  Reiji, meanwhile, was thinking about something else entirely.

  We’re even in strength and speed, but somehow it’s always me who loses.

  Why?

  Is it my style? Is it not compatible with his? There’s nothing obvious about him. He seems normal, and yet somehow, he always responds faster than me right before I land a winning blow. It’s like he has a sixth sense…

  It didn’t leave him.

  ---

  Later that day, sparring class began again. Outside, the students lined up in front of the teacher.

  “Okay, everyone,” she said. “Like always, I’ll call the students and they will perform in the ring. You know the rules, but I’ll repeat them: only taijutsu. Jutsu and weapons are forbidden. If I see someone cheat, they will regret it. Sparring lasts until someone surrenders or is knocked down. Understood?”

  “Yes!”

  “Good.” The teacher’s eyes moved to the red-haired girl. “Because it’s your first day, Kushina-san, if you please.”

  Reiji had taken a spot at the edge of the clearing, back against a tree trunk, arms folded as he watched with half-lidded eyes the young red head step nervously in the ring.

  “Yes!” Kushina stepped into the ring, trying to look brave as she waited for her opponent.

  The teacher tilted her head, considering. “Hmm. Because I don’t know how well you perform…” Her gaze found a student in the line. “Sato, you’re up!”

  “Yes!”

  A tall boy with dirty-blond hair stepped into the ring.

  Reiji eyed the boy’s confident stance… then the red-haired girl beside him, shifting her feet nervously.

  ‘Hope it won’t be boring… or at least it ends quickly.’

  “Alright. You two do the sign of confrontation.”

  Sato stepped forward and formed the hand sign without hesitation. Kushina blinked, confused, then copied him a half-second late.

  “Ready?” The two nodded.

  “Begin!”

  Sato lunged immediately.

  A sharp kick slammed into Kushina’s stomach before she even understood he’d moved.

  Her eyes went wide. Spittle flew from her mouth as the air left her in a single brutal burst. She folded with a choked cry and dropped to her knees, clutching her stomach.

  Reiji blinked.

  ‘Well… I didn’t have expectations, but still…’

  “You can do it, Kushina!” Mikoto called out, worry obvious in her voice.

  “Yeah, get up—hurry!” Tsume joined in.

  Kushina trembled, trying to inhale. With effort, she pushed herself up using her arms, teeth clenched like she was forcing her body to obey.

  Sato smirked, circling like he’d already won.

  “Ah, you should stay down, tomato-head.”

  A few students giggled.

  Even Reiji’s lips twitched when he saw Kushina’s scarlet face go even redder.

  ‘I’ll give him that… it’s a fitting insult.’

  Kushina’s head lifted slowly. Her eyes were wide, then narrow. Her voice dropped low.

  “What… did you call me?”

  Sato blinked. “Huh?”

  He shrugged, still smiling. “Tomato-he—”

  He didn’t finish.

  Kushina exploded forward.

  She tackled him so fast it looked like she’d been launched. Sato’s back hit the ground with a thud, and suddenly she was on top of him like a storm given fist.

  For a second, the class didn’t even react.

  Then it became chaos.

  Kushina’s punches rained down with wild precision. If Sato tried to cover his head, she drove her knuckles into his ribs. If he moved his arms to block his body, she snapped a hit into his forehead. When he tried to swing back, she took the blow with a grunt like it barely mattered and answered with twice the violence.

  The confident grin vanished. His breathing turned ragged.

  “I—” ‘crack’ a punch to the side of the head.

  “I—” ‘thud’ an elbow into the stomach.

  “Surren—!” he tried, voice cracking.

  His words came out mangled, half-choked by panic and the angle of his head. Kushina leaned in, and when his mouth moved again, she slapped a hand over it mid-syllable and kept hitting him anyway.

  The sound echoed flesh on flesh followed by gasps from the crowd. One girl actually squeaked.

  “THAT’S ENOUGH!” the teacher barked.

  Kushina froze.

  Arms still raised, chest heaving, hair half-fallen into her eyes, she looked like she’d been caught in the middle of being something feral.

  The teacher stepped between them, voice hard. “He surrendered.”

  Kushina slowly lowered her fists. She stood without a word.

  The moment she moved off him, Sato curled into himself, whimpering. He didn’t even try to sit up just clutched his stomach like he was afraid it might fall apart.

  The teacher crouched beside him, exhaled through her nose, did a quick check, then looked up.

  “Is there any volunteer to take him to the infirmary?”

  No one moved at first.

  Then two boys stepped forward stiffly, avoiding Kushina’s eyes. They helped Sato up like he might shatter if touched wrong and guided him off the ring. Sato’s face was pale; his gaze kept flicking back to Kushina with something between fear and disbelief.

  The class reaction was a mess.

  Mikoto and her little group clapped, half-proud and half-stunned, rushing to Kushina the moment she stepped down. Most of the others didn’t know whether to laugh, stare, or pretend they hadn’t just watched a beating.

  Reiji covered his mouth with his sleeve, poorly hiding his shoulders shaking.

  ‘I don’t know if we can really call that sparring… but it was hilarious.’

  Kushina turned—

  And suddenly locked eyes with Reiji.

  Her glare hit him, furious, embarrassed, cheeks burning red.

  Reiji raised an eyebrow and tilted his head, expression flat.

  ‘What?’

  For a split second, Kushina looked like she wanted to jump him next.

  Then she snapped her gaze away and focused on the teacher as she approached.

  “Good fight, Kushina,” the teacher said, tone wary. “You took advantage of an opening. That part was smart. But—” She rubbed her eyebrow like her head hurt. “Next time you interrupt someone trying to surrender, you’ll have problems. Understand?”

  Kushina’s shoulders sagged. “…Yes, sensei,” she mumbled, head bowed.

  She turned quickly and hurried back to Mikoto and the others still stiff with anger and embarrassment, the smallest shake in her hands that only someone paying attention would notice.

  After Kushina stepped down, the teacher kept the matches rolling.

  Names. Bows. “Begin!”

  Reiji watched the first few seriously out of habit more than interest. He tracked foot placement, breathing, the way kids telegraphed punches before they even moved. It took him less than ten seconds per fight to decide the outcome.

  Too slow. Too stiff. Too emotional.

  Most of them fought like they were trying to impress their friends instead of trying to win.

  Reiji sighed and rested his cheek in his palm.

  ‘Boring.’

  The next spar started. Someone charged. Someone panicked. Someone tripped over their own feet.

  Reiji almost yawned again.

  ‘This class…’

  Then the teacher called a name that actually mattered.

  “Minato, you’re up. And Enji, you’re with him.”

  The room changed.

  Even the loud ones quieted down.

  Minato stepped into the ring calm and polite, like always. Across from him, the Sarutobi kid stood tall, jaw clenched, trying to look fearless.

  They bowed.

  “Begin!”

  Enji moved first, fast and aggressive. Minato didn’t meet force with force. He simply wasn’t there when the strike came, slipping aside with clean footwork like he’d seen the attack before it happened.

  No wasted motion. No noise. No heat.

  Just efficiency.

  Reiji’s eyes sharpened despite himself.

  ‘…Of course.’

  The Sarutobi pushed harder. Minato adjusted once, twice always one step ahead, always just out of reach until the other boy’s movements grew heavier, angrier, predictable.

  Then Minato ended it.

  One clean angle. One controlled sweep. One clean strike on the jaw.

  The teacher called stop before it turned humiliating.

  Applause burst out. Some students even leaned forward to better see.

  Minato helped his opponent up with that same polite smile, like he hadn’t just dismantled him in front of everyone.

  Reiji didn’t clap.

  He didn’t smile either.

  But his boredom was gone.

  And that annoyed him more than anything.

  He’s the only one here who isn’t trash. The thought appeared, unwanted, and he hated it for existing.

  His fingers tightened around his sleeve.

  Because Minato wasn’t his opponent today.

  Not today. Not in this stupid rotation.

  And worst of all, Reiji could feel it, sharp and sour in his chest.

  He wanted it.

  He wanted to fight him.

  He wanted his revenge.

  The idea tasted bitter, like admitting something he refused to say out loud.

  So when the next matches started, Reiji’s interest died again even faster than before.

  Someone else stepped in. Someone else shouted. Someone else flailed.

  Reiji stared past it, eyes half-lidded, already numb with boredom.

  ‘If it’s not Minato… it’s nothing.’

  Then the teacher’s voice cut through.

  “Next! Arata and Reiji—your turn today!”

  Reiji finally lifted his head.

  Across the ring, the young Uchiha was already looking at him, determined and ready.

  Reiji’s mouth curved into a small smile.

  Fine, he thought, standing. If I can’t have Minato today… I’ll settled for this.

  ---