Chapter 44: New Sprouts

Well, my toothbrush is nice and clean, my face is scrubbed well, and even though my clothes are still old..." Naruto looked at his outfit with a hint of disdain, but soon a smile broke out across his face.

"But I'm all cleaned up, and I'm ready to go!"

As he opened the door and stepped out onto the street, Naruto felt that even the sun was warmer than usual today.

His mood was soaring.

Because today was his first day of school.

When Grandpa Third Hokage had told him, Naruto was overjoyed.

After all, he was just a kid, and despite his strength, he was bursting with excitement about the ninja academy—a place where all the village children gathered. He dreamed of making new friends, meeting classmates and teachers, and even learning new jutsu!

And most importantly, his ninja journey was about to begin! He took a deep breath and silently shouted in his heart—

Ninja academy, here I come!

However, the next moment, as Naruto arrived at the school gate with a beaming smile, his expression began to fade.

"Mom, don't walk me! I'm a grown-up now!"

"I don't want to go to school, Dad. Let's go home."

"Hey, be good and remember to get along with your older brothers and sisters..."

At the bustling school gate, parents and children laughed and chatted together, and this scene brought the hidden loneliness in Naruto's heart to the surface once more, overshadowing his earlier joy.

It felt as though there was a bottomless chasm between him and the crowd that he couldn't cross, one that he feared to approach. Even facing the threats of strange ninja or his first battle had not frightened him as much.

He had no family...

Suddenly, a warm chakra surged from deep within Naruto, momentarily easing his negative emotions.

"Don't be afraid. I'm here."

Naruto was taken aback, and before he could react to the source of the chakra, two familiar voices rang out behind him.

"Naruto-kun, good morning...!"

"Hey, Naruto!"

Turning around, he saw Hinata Hyuga and Sasuke Uchiha standing behind him, waving hello.

Hinata was still as shy as ever, while Sasuke retained his usual slightly arrogant demeanor.

"You two?" Naruto blinked in surprise. "Didn't you say you wouldn't start school until next year?"

"Hmph, how could I let you get ahead of me? You're already stronger than I am, and you think I'd let you start school before me?" Sasuke scoffed, his competitive spirit flaring. "Just wait, once we're in school, I'll surpass you and show you the might of the Uchiha clan!"

"Um, Naruto-kun... Sasuke-kun should be like me and... well, we begged our families to let us start early," Hinata explained, glancing between the two. "I hope we're not causing you any trouble?"

"...How could that be!"

Naruto felt tears welling in his eyes from the warmth of their concern, and then suddenly remembering something, he peered past them. "Where are the family members who brought you here?"

"Hmph, it's just school. I'm not a little kid anymore who needs my family to walk me there. Do you think this is some kind of playdate?" Sasuke retorted, interpreting Naruto's question as an insult.

His voice was loud enough for other children arriving with their parents to overhear, and they looked ready to find out who dared to provoke them, ready to retaliate with glares.

However, upon seeing the Uchiha crest on Sasuke's clothing, the parents' faces changed, and they quickly pulled their children away.

The Uchiha clan was not something to be trifled with in the eyes of most.

"My family..." Hinata began, her face showing hesitation. But before she could finish, another voice, one that Naruto recognized but didn't know well, came forth.

"Hinata-sama, don't wander off or get too close to these outsiders. It would only cause trouble for me, your bodyguard," Neji Hyuga said coldly as he approached.

He was also starting school this year, but he hadn't expected to remain bound to the main house's protective duty.

He couldn't understand why, as a branch member, he had fought hard to gain permission to attend the ninja academy only to find out that the main house's heiress, originally scheduled to start next year, had come along as well.

And to top it off, he was assigned by the clan head to protect Hinata. Was he truly unable to escape the control of the main family?

"Outsiders?" Hearing this, Naruto and Sasuke exchanged unfriendly glances at Neji.

Neji, not backing down, met their stares with his Byakugan. To him, Naruto and the others were merely playing a childish game of ninja, despite Naruto's earlier antics with the main family.

In Neji's view, the family was simply overlooking the responsibilities of children.

"Looks like you're itching for a fight," Sasuke said, regarding Neji's white eyes. As the second son of the Uchiha clan, he felt no reason to back down in front of the Hyuga family.

"Ah... uh... please don't..." Hinata said nervously, stuttering as she waved her hands in a bid to defuse the tension.

Just then, a boy with a goofy grin and thick eyebrows happened to walk by. Unlike the other children who were giggling, he looked like he had just run two hours straight, beads of sweat glistening on his forehead. He caught sight of the commotion and felt a surge of envy and determination. "Wow, they're making friends so quickly! This is my chance to surpass everyone! I'll do 5,000 push-ups after school!"

At that moment, a little girl with a bun hairstyle, who was trying to persuade her parents to go back to the shop and not accompany her, noticed the crowd. She tilted her head and thought, "What a bunch of oddballs. I hope I don't get involved with them."

"Oh dear, my Hokage, this year's students are going to be quite a handful," Iruka, the teacher in charge of welcoming new students, thought as he observed the scene. He remembered how the Third Hokage had informed him that extra arrangements had been made for children from the Uchiha and Hyuga clans to start school alongside Naruto. His head began to ache.

But as a teacher, Iruka was very responsible. He rushed over and shouted, "Hey! You kids, stop arguing at the gate and come over to check in!"

From a distance, standing atop a power pole, Itachi Uchiha, who had been following his brother from home, observed with an expressionless face.

Beside the pole, Hizashi Hyuga had his hands tucked into his sleeves, watching his daughter's awkward predicament with pure white eyes, a faint smile tugging at his lips.

Meanwhile, in the Hokage's office, the Third Hokage, peering into a crystal ball, wore a look of satisfaction.

"Naruto, you're starting school today, right? I wonder if he'll be alright... will he...?"

"You can see for yourself!"

The Nine-Tails grumbled, releasing chakra perception back to Minato. He had been whining all morning, lamenting how incompetent he was as a father, as if he were in a confessional.

Towering trees were sprouting new leaves, the withered branches turning to nourishment, and soon the lush green foliage would again flourish, shading the sky.