Worried that Ito Hanako might say something even stranger, Ito Akira quickly put down his bowl and chopsticks after only a couple of bites.
"Grandpa, Dad, Mom—I'm done! I'm heading to school!"
Seeing the look in his wife's eyes, Ito Aoyama stood up as well.
Akira paused, glancing back at his father with confusion. Normally, his father never walked him out. He wasn't a little kid anymore.
"Dad… is something wrong?" Akira asked.
"A-ah… well…"Aoyama looked unusually awkward.
"Dad, just say it. This really isn't like you."
"Well… it's about what your mother said earlier," Aoyama said, rubbing the back of his neck."When I was your age, it was normal for boys to have… certain thoughts."
Akira froze.
"But," Aoyama continued seriously, "you still need to take care of your body. You're still young.Having restless thoughts at night is normal—but you need to rest properly too."
He glanced at Akira's face.
"The dark circles under your eyes are too obvious today."
Akira's smile stiffened, and his face turned bright red.
What is my father even saying?!Does he think I did something weird last night?!
"…Dad! I have no idea what you're talking about!" Akira shouted."You don't need to see me off! I'm leaving!"
With that, he bolted toward the Ninja Academy like he was fleeing a battlefield.
Aoyama remained behind, awkwardly rubbing his nose.
When I was curious about those things, my father talked to me like this…So why does it feel wrong when I say it to my own son?
Akira finally relaxed once he reached the academy grounds.
I really overdid it with Madara last night…Now my parents are misunderstanding everything.
It seemed he'd need to be more careful with his training schedule from now on.
Iruka-sensei hadn't arrived yet, and the classroom was in its usual state of chaos.
Nara Shikamaru was slumped over his desk, half-asleep.Yamanaka Ino was fiddling with a few flowers.Akimichi Chōji was proudly pulling snacks out of his bag.Haruno Sakura was staring dreamily at Uchiha Sasuke.And Uzumaki Naruto was standing on a desk, yelling about something.
"Hey, Chōji," Akira called, "you're eating already? How many snacks did you bring today?"
"Of course I brought a lot!" Chōji said proudly."You know my backpack is basically just snacks!"
He pulled out another bag of chips and held it up.
"Ino, those flowers are nice," Akira added casually."Who are they for?"
Ino's face instantly turned red.
"I—I—"She froze, completely unable to answer.
"Shikamaru," Akira said, turning. "Did you not sleep well last night?"
"School is such a pain…" Shikamaru muttered, scratching his spiky hair.
Akira laughed and looked up.
"Hey, Naruto! What are you doing—putting on a performance or something?"
Naruto scratched his head and stared at Akira.
"Akira… don't you feel kinda different today?""It's weird. You're giving off the same vibe as that arrogant Sasuke!"
He glanced toward the corner by the window.
"Hey! Big Forehead! Are you still sneaking looks at Sasuke?!"
"W-What?!" Sakura snapped."Damn it, Akira! What are you saying?! I'm not! I wasn't peeking!"
Her face turned red as she instinctively glanced toward Sasuke, trying to see his reaction.
Unfortunately for her, Sasuke sat calmly by the window, completely unbothered.
"…."
Akira greeted everyone naturally. They'd been classmates for years, after all, and he got along well with nearly everyone.
He could even confidently say that he was allowed to eat Chōji's snacks.
Meanwhile, although Uchiha Sasuke appeared to be staring out the window, his eyes kept drifting toward Akira.
A faint, almost imperceptible trace of envy flashed in his gaze.
When Sasuke noticed Akira walking toward him, his body tensed slightly.
Akira talked to him often—but Sasuke never knew how to respond properly.
He wanted friends. He really did.
But every time he opened his mouth, the words came out wrong.
"Hey, Sasuke," Akira said with a grin."You look more handsome today—but there's still a pretty big gap between us. Hahaha!"
Sasuke's face flushed instantly.
"Tch! You're always talking big!" he snapped."I heard we're doing real combat training today, Akira!"
He clenched his fist.
"I'll show you the power of the Uchiha!The pride of the Uchiha!"
As soon as he said it, Sasuke turned away awkwardly—and immediately regretted it.
Damn it!I just wanted to argue about who's more handsome!How did it turn into Uchiha pride again?!
He stole a glance at Akira. Seeing that Akira didn't look angry, Sasuke finally relaxed.
The previous night, alone on the abandoned Uchiha clan grounds, Sasuke had thought about many things.
Especially about Akira.
There was something about him.
A strange familiarity—almost like they shared the same blood.
Sasuke's instincts told him that Ito Akira might have Uchiha blood flowing in his veins.
Uzumaki Naruto gave him a strange feeling too—but it was completely different.
Akira felt… closer.