Ch-4

As the class came to a close, the students started dispersing.

Iruka stood behind his desk and watched his students go.

His shoulders slumped from slight exhaustion and he heaved a sigh.

Managing and teaching children these

little creatures was a great task in itself. He admired the parents of all the children.

Children were children. Some were naughty and disobidient, so some were obedient and quiet.

However, Iruka was being accustomed to this class of misfits. And didn't regret becoming a teacher instead of advancing his own ninja career. This was the path he chose, to nurture and show the right path to children who aimed to become ninjas.

However, the no. of children who actually wanted to be a ninja were so few that he count them on his fingers.

Thinking about his students, some names popped up in his mind.

First, the container of the Nine-Tailed Beast, Naruto. He looked happy and content on surface, but was captured by the shackles of loneliness just like the past Iruka. Iruka was starting to get fond of the child. Just a few days ago, he made friends with Shikamaru and Choji. And before that, he made friends with Shou.

Iruka was happy for him.

The second child whose name popped up in his mind was none other than Shou. He truly was a peculiar child.

Well, he was a quiet and obedient child. But, he just kept reading different books related to ninja chakra, tactics, tricks during the class. And the books he read were thick as hell.

And that child kept paging through the books at one page per second. One day Iruka had enough and asked Shou that did he really remember the content of the book he just read. Shou simply and unhesitatingly said yes and Iruka asked him questions from the book. Iruka was left totally flabbergasted as Shou told the answers non-stop.

What tremendous concentration and memory this child possessed!

Well, he was a good child. Aside from his unapologetic reading during the class, he was a model student.

As the academy was over, Iruka went to his home, brewed some hot tea for himself and relaxed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shou wanted to head to his home, intending to do some shopping along the way as told to do by his mother. But, there was a problem. He had to fend off Ino first.

Sasuke was just beside him waiting for this to end and then go with his friend to the Uchiha District.

Just outside the gate of the Academy, these two were standing with Ino on their path. Well, Shou with Sasuke could just jump on and leap from the roof of the houses. But decided not to, as Shou. didn't want Ino to pester him more.

Ino stood in their path, blushing rather cutely with her hands on her cheeks.

"S-so…Shou-kun..did you..um..think.. about your answer..?"

Shou decided not hurt the little girl feelings and simply spoke in a pleasant tone,

"Forgive me, Ino, as I have not yet decided my answer. Will you mind giving me some more days to think about it..?"

"Y-yes Of course..!", Ino stuttered.

Shou let a superficial chanting smile bloom on his face,

"You're very kind, Ino. Well then, if you don't mind, I'll be on my way."

"Y-yes..bye Shou-kun.."

"Hmm..bbye"

As Ino literally got out of their way, Shou and Sasuke leisurely strolled down the path.

Ino watched them go, her embarrassed self totally gone.

She happily hummed to herself a soft tune, thinking about Shou.

"I really do love him…"

And as Shou vanished from sight and she danced around the path to her home, hoping for Shou's 'yes' to her confession.

But little did she knew that the intertwining threads that constituted the world had other plans.

She can only weep and cry when she'll experience the coming future.

Well, it's not like that the world will always be cruel to her.

Her time will also come, slowly but surely.

~~~~~~~~~~~~