5. Obito, Late As Always

"Kurenai, what's going on here?"

Panic—utter panic. Sarutobi Asuma anxiously demanded an explanation.

Kurenai blinked in confusion, unable to understand why he was reacting so strongly.

The two hadn't known each other for very long, and being young and naive, she only saw him as a friend.

She was completely unaware of how devastating her earlier words were—enough to push Asuma to the brink of becoming a villain, turning into a literal clown.

"It's like this."

Kurenai briefly explained the situation.

After hearing the story, Asuma was so furious that he shook visibly in broad daylight.

And the culprit? His own father!

Asuma, the rebellious teen he was, despised living under the shadow of Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage. This only deepened the rift between them.

"Asuma?"

Kurenai noticed something odd and asked, "Why is your face red?"

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing."

Asuma composed himself, forcing a smile.

"We're going to be late. Let's go."

Kurenai didn't think much of it and continued walking ahead.

Asuma followed closely behind her, but his sidelong glances kept drifting toward Hanekawa.

Hanekawa's mouth twitched slightly.

All along the way, Asuma kept staring at him, reminding him of a meme.

"I'll watch you forever… forever and ever… jpg."

"Asuma, I'll take Hanekawa to the teacher's office. You go back to class first."

When they arrived at the ninja academy, Kurenai said.

"I can take him!" Asuma eagerly volunteered.

"No."

Kurenai rejected him outright. "This is the task my dad gave me."

"But—"

Asuma tried to argue, but Kurenai had already led Hanekawa away.

No!

Watching their retreating figures, Asuma subconsciously raised his hand.

That damned Hanekawa brat!

Asuma's face was filled with grief and anger.

---

Teacher's Office

Hanekawa handed over his enrollment notice to a young ninja.

According to Kurenai, his name was Yamamoto Eichiro, a Chūnin.

"Hanekawa, welcome to Class 1-A," Eiichiro said warmly as he folded the notice.

As a student personally approved by the Third Hokage, he couldn't afford to be careless.

"Thank you, sensei," Hanekawa replied politely.

Eiichiro nodded slightly.

He didn't seem like a troublemaker.

"Kurenai, you can leave now," Eiichiro said, explaining, "I'll take Hanekawa to the classroom."

"Got it."

Kurenai gave Hanekawa a meaningful look before leaving without hesitation.

"These are the first-grade textbooks."

Eiichiro picked up a stack of books from the desk and handed them to Yukawa.

Hanekawa counted them—seven books in total.

The topmost one read Chakra Concepts: Explanation and Refinement Techniques.

"There are a few minutes left before class starts. Feel free to take a look," Eiichiro said with a smile.

"Okay."

Since time was short, Hanekawa skimmed through the table of contents.

Titles like Ninja Tool Throwing, Will of Fire, Ninja Code, and History of Konoha were all there—covering everything you'd expect.

Hanekawa recalled that in his past life, some experts had analyzed the Chūnin Exam written test questions and found topics including English, chemistry, and physics.

Although genin graduation only officially required mastery of the Three Basic Techniques, the ninja academy curriculum was actually quite comprehensive.

---

Ding-dong!

The class bell rang.

"Let's go."

Eiichiro picked up one of the books and headed out.

Hanekawa quickly followed him.

Soon, they arrived at Class 1-A.

Eichiro stepped up to the podium.

Hanekawa stood by the door, waiting, but he had already caught the attention of many. Curious gazes swept over him.

Among them, some girls' eyes gleamed green, as if they were about to devour him the next moment.

Hanekawa immediately spotted Kakashi Hatake.

With his white hair and peculiar mask, it was impossible not to notice him.

In the original story, he graduated at five, became a Chunin at six, and a Jonin at thirteen—a genius ninja without question.

In the future, he would be the disciple of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, and the team leader for Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha.

The seat to Kakashi Hatake's left was vacant, while to his right sat a little girl who, unsurprisingly, was Rin Nohara.

She was easily identifiable by her short brown hair, gentle face, and the two purple marks on her cheeks.

The vacant seat likely belonged to Obito Uchiha.

This future villain, the rising powerhouse, was currently a clumsy and rash underachiever.

"Ahhhh!"

At that moment, a beast-like scream echoed.

Hanekawa instinctively turned his head and saw a boy about his age.

The boy wore a tracksuit and sunglasses, his face flushed as he sprinted with all his might.

"Get out of the way!"

The boy noticed him and shouted in panic.

Hanekawa stepped back.

The boy dashed into the classroom like a whirlwind.

He stopped but, having run too fast, braked a few times before falling flat on the ground.

"You're late again, Obito," Eichiro said with a shake of his head.

"Sorry, teacher," Obito Uchiha got up and explained, "I was helping an old lady cross the road and lost track of time."

"Find a better excuse next time," Eichiro replied helplessly.

"I'm telling the truth!" Obito quickly argued.

"Take your seat."

Eichiro obviously didn't believe him.

Who helps old ladies cross the road every single day?

"Rin."

Obito sat down and called out to Rin Nohara.

"Good morning, Obito," Rin replied gently.

"Hehe." Obito grinned foolishly.

"Before we start class, I have an announcement to make," Eichiro said, patting the podium.

The room instantly fell silent, and the sharper students guessed it had something to do with Hanekawa.

"Starting today, Hanekawa will be joining us in class. Everyone, please welcome him!"

Eichiro finished and began clapping.

The room filled with applause, though not everyone participated—like Asuma Sarutobi, who sat nearby, watching Kurenai Yuhi clap excitedly. His eyes burned with jealousy as he thought, I'm so envious.

"This new student is quite good-looking," said a short-haired girl sitting behind Rin Nohara.

"What do you think, Rin?" Obito asked, his face full of suspicion.

Rin noticed his expression and hesitated.

She did think Hanekawa was handsome, but saying so would definitely upset Obito.

"Being good-looking doesn't matter; what matters is strength," Kakashi Hatake said coolly.

"Arrogant guy!" Obito was stung by the word strength. "When I awaken my Sharingan, I'll make you kneel before me!"

He firmly believed Rin admired Kakashi more because of his strength.

"I think Kakashi is right!"

A spirited boy in a green jumpsuit turned around from the front row, flashing a dazzling smile and giving a thumbs-up.

"All right, let's have Hanekawa introduce himself now," Eichiro raised a hand, cutting off their conversation.