At the gates, clusters of eight-year-olds and a few nine-year-olds too gathered. Clan children clung to their groups: Uchiha stood proud, Hyūga silent and composed, Inuzuka noisy with their pups yapping at their heels.
Off to the side, Minato Namikaze stood with a quiet smile. His golden hair caught the sunlight, but he remained alone, watching.
Behind the crowd, Asteru staggered to a halt. His head throbbed.
'Wait… this… this is—'
Memories came crashing in like a storm. Panels of black-and-white manga. Bright anime scenes flashing in rhythm. The name Naruto. A boy with whisker marks. Another with golden hair, standing tall as the Fourth Hokage.
Asteru gripped his chest, breath uneven.
'No way… I'm in Narutoverse… this is the Hidden Leaf… and that's Minato Namikaze, wait Minato... AM I IN PASSSSTTT!!!.'
He almost laughed, but panic bubbled in his throat instead.
'How… how did I even die? I don't remember… but— right now I'm way back from canon story aren't I? That means... Shit... I don't even know about this story, even kishimoto-san didn't wrote Minato's story arc before.'
His eyes darted to the other children. Shikaku Nara yawning lazily, Chōza Akimichi sneaking a rice ball while his mom scolded him, Inoichi trying to look mature and failing.
It was like seeing old friends alive again. But also… walking straight into the story he knew was drenched in tragedy.
'Now is not the time to think this ASTERU!! I don't even or can't even guess, any of this is CANON or NOT Unless… this is different from original since I exist not, I mean If I can change the fate of those who will die in future than it can't be canon timeline right…'
A sudden loud voice snapped him from his spiraling thoughts.
"Attention! Attention!" The Academy instructor bellowed, clipboard in hand. "Line up, brats! Today is your first step to becoming real shinobi!"
The kids scrambled into lines, bumping into one another.
"Ow, watch where you're going, pig-face!"
"Who you calling pig-face, bug-boy?!"
"Don't call me bug-boy, my insects have names!"
"WOOF!"
"Shut up, you three, or I'll blast you with my Clan's Fire Style jutsu!"
An Inuzuka pup tore across the courtyard with Chōza's Rice ball in its mouth. Half the class chased it. The instructor's face reddened like a tomato as his eyebrow's twitched. "I said LINE UP!"
Asteru blinked, almost laughing.
'It's… exactly like the anime's… chaos from day one.'
He caught Minato glancing his way. The blond boy tilted his head slightly, eyes warm and curious.
Minato stepped forward just enough to be heard. "You okay back there?"
Asteru stiffened. For a moment, his two lives clashed — the fan who once read about Minato, and the boy now standing before him.
'Calm down… just answer normally…'
He forced a grin. "Y-Yeah, just… first day nerves."
Minato smiled gently, a little awkward but genuine. "Me too. Guess we'll survive together."
Behind them, chaos continued as an Tsume Inuzuka pup had stolen Chōza's rice ball and was now running in circles with three kids chasing after it.
"Give it back, mutt!"
"That's not a mutt, that's my clan's partner!"
"Partner or not, it's stealing my food!"
The instructor finally lost it. "SILENCE! OR I'LL HAVE YOU RUNNING LAPS UNTIL SUNSET!"
The children instantly went quiet. Minato chuckled softly, and for the first time since his memories returned, Asteru found himself laughing too as he walked inside the building with others as everyone started going into their respective classrooms.
The classroom smelled faintly of ink and polished wood, sunlight pouring through the tall square windows. The students shuffled in, eyes darting to benches, clan insignias flashing proudly.
The homeroom teacher Mr.Morimoto, an older chunin with a thin moustache and perpetually drooping eyes, clapped his hands.
"Alright, everyone settle down. Today's your first day as Academy students. My name is Daiki Morimoto, I'm a Chunin-Rank shinobi as well as your homeroom teacher from today. Before we begin, we'll do roll call."
Children straightened up—or pretended to.
The teacher glanced at his clipboard.
"Hyūga Hiashi and Hyūga Himari."
Hiashi raised his hand, voice calm, "Here."
Beside him, Himari Hyūga gave a polite bow, "Here as well."
Several kids whispered, "Two Hyūga this year already… And he is from main branch family too... This year is going to be soo tough…"
The teacher continued, looking to the second bench of the first row.
"Uchiha Fugaku... Uchiha Mikoto... and Inuzuka Tsume."
Fugaku sat with his arms crossed, already carrying himself like a clan head. Mikoto offered a kind wave. Tsume grinned wide, her energy radiating, "Heh! Let's get this started already!"
Several kids whispered, "What!! Is this a joke?? there is even uchiha clan here and that guy is from main branch too..."
The classroom buzzed.
The Instructor glanced towards both Uchiha and Hyūga heirs from the main branch, 'Hmm... intresting indeed, so this year both Hyūga and Uchiha will settle their score this way... huh. Trying to let the children grow up by comparing eachother from others just to know which clan is superior in their Dojutsu... heh guess, I'll have to take these few year's a little more seriously than..'
He smirked to himself playfully about the thought of gossip's that will soon spread in near future.
Next, the back bench of the window row.
"Akimichi Chōza, Yamanaka Inoichi, Aburame Shibi."
Chōza adjusted his White rope belt that barely fit his head, "Here!"
Inoichi smirked confidently, already brushing his blond bangs aside as he waved off his ponytail dramatically, "I'm here~"
Shibi's quiet "Present" was almost lost beneath the shuffle of coats.
Now the middle bench of first row.
"Nara Shikaku, Namikaze Minato... kiyou Masada..."
Minato smiled politely, "Here."
Shikaku leaned lazily against the wall side, muttering, "Troublesome, but I'm here."
Masada got up enthusiastically, "I'm here..."
The teacher looked at his clipboard again, "Uchiha Sayomi."
Sayomi raised her hand gracefully, "Present, sensei."
The teacher nodded, scribbling notes. "Good"
He mused about the energy of the new student's in class. 'And... right, one seat is reserved for the Uzumaki girl from land of whirlpools, who will arrive next month, that's what I heard from Lord 3rd Hokage... we'll see if she is any better, because the hokage himself knows that kid.'
A few murmurs rippled across the classroom.
The teacher then glanced to the back row. "Now—"
The sliding door banged open.
A boy with messy black hair and striking, bright purple eyes strolled in, slightly late. His gaze swept the room casually, 'Oh crap… I'm late, I don't even know the interior of the academy so, I got lost to search for a washroom.' Asteru looked to his left towards the first row where Minato waved at him slightly probably excited to see him again in same class, 'Oh!! Minato's right there too, they didn't mention in Canon that he is from class 1-A though... whatever I'll go take my seat than.'
The teacher sighed, "And you must be… Namikaze? No. Ah, right—Asteru. Take the last seat in the back row."
The teacher glanced at his eyes for a second unnecessarily, 'What a bright purple eyes he have, they look very unusual... what clan is he from though...' He than glanced at his clipboard to see a clan name but there isn't anything else only name: Asteru, Age: 8 years old, Blood type: O, Orphan. 'What a unusual kid, no clan and upon that he is a Orphan too, this kid must be having rough not even knowing where he belongs to.'
Asteru gave a small grin, scratching his cheek.
"Y-yeah, that's me. Sorry for being late."
Several kids leaned in whispering among themselves.
"Did you see his eyes?"
"So bright… kinda creepy."
"No, it's cool!"
"Maybe he's cursed?"
"No way... he is handsome, he can't be cursed."
Asteru slouched, tugging his bangs down. 'And just like that, I'm "that weird-eyed kid." Great.'
Sayomi, sitting in front of her assigned seat, blinked up at him. Her cheeks flushed faintly before she quickly faced forward.
Asteru dropped into his spot behind Minato bench, exhaling softly. Minato, who turned around with a friendly grin.
"Yo. I'm Minato Namikaze."
Asteru blinked, then smiled back. "Asteru here."
'Alright, Asteru. Blend in natural and I need to look fine because Nobody told me that by remembering my past will make me dizzy and vomit though, how the hell did reincarnated protagonist's survive this… haa~ my stomach feels empty and my brain feels like it's so full, damn this memories... but atleast they will be useful since, hehehe... I read the whole fandom of this anime.'
The teacher cleared his throat. "Finally, the last front bench of the right row. Suzume Harada, Renji Satou, Kenta Morino."
The three children raised hands timidly, their presence clearly overshadowed by the clan heirs filling the room.
With roll call finished, the teacher clapped again.
"Good. From today forward, you are all students of the Academy. Learn together, train together, and maybe—if you survive long enough—you'll stand as comrades on the battlefield."
The class grew silent. The weight of his words pressed down on their eight-year-old shoulders.
Then Tsume blurted, "Pfft, I'll be the strongest one here anyway!"
Laughter broke the tension. Minato chuckled quietly. Asteru smirked. Hiashi frowned. Sayomi lowered her head shyly.
Asteru glanced around the classroom with side eye, remembering where canon 1st rate characters will be present. 'I need to remember the seating arrangement, since it may be crucial for anything in future.' As he was thinking about other things He—only realizing too late that his side desk neighbor was a Uchiha girl.
She sat perfectly straight, long black hair flowing like silk down to her waist. A red armband on her left arm, purple glove almost covering her whole right arm. Onyx eyes darted toward him, then away immediately.
Sayomi Uchiha.
She swallowed nervously, cheeks tinting pink. "G-Good morning… Asteru-kun."
Asteru blinked. "Eh? You know my name?"
Sayomi's face went crimson. "A-ah, no, I mean—I overheard sensei calling roll! That's all!"
'Calm, Sayomi, calm… just say hello normally…' she thought frantically, hands gripping her desk to support but no use because jer her face was slowly turning to red as a tamato.
Asteru grinned brightly. "Well, nice to meet ya! Guess we're desk buddies now." He leaned closer, elbow propped casually on the desk. "Hope you don't sleep in class, Sayomi-chan."
Asteru looked at her, 'Oh— I just realised that in Japanese chan, san, kun, sama are used specifically and they even have a meaning to call, and I just called her chan like we are so close, I should apologise to her properly.'
Meanwhile Sayomi's entire body stiffened. Steam practically poured from her ears. "E-E-EH—" She toppled sideways onto her desk with a thud.
The class went silent for a beat. Then—
"HAHAHA.... she fainted!"
"Asteru already knocked out the infamous Uchiha clan girl!"
"That's a new Academy record!"
Sayomi's cousin Mikoto groaned from the middle row. "Don't tease her like that, idiots."
Asteru scratched his head back, utterly clueless. "Huh? Did I say something wrong?"
Minato glanced back with a quiet chuckle. "Don't know? You might need to ask her later." He smiled gently giving a slight wink of his right eye as he spoke.
Meanwhile, to the wall corner beside Minato—
Shikaku yawned. 'What a drag, first day and already people are fainting.'
At the window backside seat, Inoichi whispered dramatically with a little jealousy, "It's always the quiet ones."
And Chōza muttered through a mouthful of rice ball, "That dog owes me lunch money."
The instructor pinched the bridge of his nose by closing his eyes and glancing at us. "I'm retiring after this class… I swear."
And so, the first day of the Academy began from the moment Asteru stepped into the Academy classroom.