NOVEL WEB Chapter 3: Future Classmates and My Hokage Dad
"What a cute little guy. Way more adorable than you were as a kid."
Tobirama turned to see a big, round man approaching with a chubby child in tow. The man casually reached out and pinched Tobirama's cheek.
"When did you get back?" Yamanaka Naraku—usually stoic—actually forced out a smile as he asked.
"Don't smile. It's painful to look at," the big man replied with a smirk. "I just got back from the border two days ago. Damn, I can finally feel that the war's over. You support guys have it good. Want to grab a drink later?"
"Sure. After they're inside," Naraku replied. Then he looked at his son. "This is my son, Tobirama."
"This is Uncle Tōzai," Naraku said to his son.
"Uncle Tōzai."
Tobirama politely bowed his head.
"Hah, so the old man really did name him Tobirama, huh... This one's my son—Kaidōmaru."
After the introductions, the two fathers started chatting about the battlefield. Kaidōmaru, the chubby boy, had already started munching on snacks like no one else was around. Bored, Tobirama took the chance to scan the area, checking out his future classmates to see if he could spot any familiar characters from the original Naruto story.
As he glanced around:
The Uchiha gave him dismissive snorts through their noses.
The Hyuga nodded slightly.
The civilians were mostly unrecognizable.
Among the other clans, he spotted one familiar face—Yūhi Kurenai.
Her face was still round with baby fat, but her big, red eyes darted curiously around the crowd. Even at this age, it was clear she would grow into a beauty.
Tobirama might've stared a bit too long, because just as Kurenai's eyes met his, she froze—then smiled. Embarrassed, Tobirama returned the smile.
And then—rua.
A pair of hands ruffled his hair.
Looking up, he saw Tōzai smirking with clear amusement.
"Kid's got good taste, huh? Already staring at girls. Want Uncle to introduce you?"
This is the Naruto world, Tobirama thought, deadpan. I'm five.
Why are we even having this conversation?
Oh right, these were the same dads who took their kids to war at four. Makes sense.
Without waiting for a reply, Tōzai turned to Naraku.
"Let's go say hello. That's Yūhi Shinku over there—a jōnin and a real powerhouse. Fought alongside him in the war. His genjutsu's no joke. Let me introduce you."
With that, he dragged Naraku along toward Yūhi Shinku, not even checking whether the kids were following.
Tobirama glanced at Kaidōmaru, who was still stuffing his face, then back at Kurenai, who was watching them curiously. Sighing, he grabbed Kaidōmaru's sleeve and followed the adults.
By the time Tobirama caught up, the three fathers were already deep in conversation.
Sticking to his personal mission to connect with canon characters, Tobirama headed straight toward the little girl.
"Hi, I'm Yamanaka Tobirama. This is Akimichi Kaidōmaru. What's your name?"
"Hi, I'm Yūhi Kurenai. Looks like we'll be classmates. Let's get along."
The introductions complete, Tobirama was about to ask if she knew anything about the other students—when a sudden wave of loud cheers erupted in the distance.
Looking up, he saw a middle-aged man in a Hokage hat walking toward the Academy, waving and smiling at the crowd. Behind him trailed a clearly unwilling young boy.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and his son, Asuma.
The adults around them quickly noticed the arrival too. Conversations ended, and everyone quietly returned to their children's sides, watching respectfully as the Hokage approached.
The silence unsettled Tobirama. In all his five years in this world, he'd never seen such a scene. His usual sense of urgency had always been dulled by relentless training, but this... this felt different.
Suddenly, a thought struck him.
He turned to look toward the Uchiha crowd—and sure enough, they had also fallen silent, respectfully facing the Hokage's direction. As if it were second nature.
Naraku noticed Tobirama's little movement and gently turned his son's head back into position. They remained quiet until the Hokage passed, and only after bowing to the Third did Naraku finally relax.
Behind Hiruzen, little Asuma kept glancing side to side at the onlookers. The more attention he got, the more annoyed his expression became.
Once the Hokage and Asuma entered the Academy, the families began presenting their enrollment notices and filing through the gate for inspection. After being checked by the shinobi at the entrance, they proceeded to the auditorium.
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Not long after, the Third Hokage stepped up onto the stage to give a speech in his role as Academy Principal. Sitting in the audience beside his father, Tobirama was disappointed not to hear the famous phrase:
> "Where the leaves dance, the fire burns."
He felt oddly let down.
After the brief opening ceremony, Tobirama confirmed he'd been placed in Class A. Saying goodbye to his father and Uncle Tōzai, he followed Kaidōmaru toward their classroom.
Inside, the room was already buzzing. Most kids sat with others they already knew, chatting noisily.
In the third-to-last row, Tobirama spotted the newly acquainted Kurenai waving at him. With Kaidōmaru still chewing away on snacks, Tobirama led him over.
Once seated, Tobirama turned to her.
"Can I call you Kurenai?"
"Of course. We're friends now. Then I'll call you Tobirama."
She blushed a little at Tobirama's directness but answered bravely.
Kaidōmaru, still munching, added, "Kaidōmaru. Just call me Kaidōmaru."
Before Kurenai could reply, a teacher entered the room with a young boy and walked up to the front.
Noticing this, Kurenai gave Kaidōmaru a signal. He shoved another handful of snacks into his mouth, stuffed the bag into his desk drawer, and continued chewing.
Standing at the podium, Asuma scanned the classroom. When his eyes landed on Kurenai, they clearly lit up. He quickly headed to the back, paused in hesitation, then sat in the second-to-last row.
The teacher, clearly middle-aged, smiled as he addressed the class full of kids.
"I'm Inoue Yū, and I'll be your homeroom teacher for Class A. Let's start by getting to know each other.
Who wants to go first? Tell us your name, your dream, and your hobbies."
The children all looked around nervously. No one knew each other well enough to speak up.
Just as Tobirama was about to break the silence, a sharp "hmph" came from behind him.
"I'll go."
Asuma slapped his desk and stood, waiting until all eyes were on him.
"My name is Sarutobi Asuma. I'm five. I don't really have any hobbies. As for my dream... it's to surpass my old man so he'll finally listen to me."
Just as he was about to sit down, he added with a glance at Kurenai, "Oh yeah, my old man is Sarutobi Hiruzen. Most people call him the Third Hokage."
The room went dead silent.
Then chaos erupted.
Even the teacher was stunned for a moment before stepping in to calm everyone down.
"Quiet down, everyone. Let's continue. Everyone, please introduce yourselves like Asuma just did."
Tobirama, who'd been eagerly anticipating the class intros ever since Asuma stood up, nearly laughed out loud at his speech. The phrase "My Hokage Dad" practically flashed across his mind in giant characters.
He quickly shifted focus and listened seriously as the self-introductions continued.
Names like Morino Ibiki and Taketori Tonbo popped up—familiar faces from the future.
Eventually, everyone had taken their turn, and the teacher announced that official classes would begin tomorrow.
Afterward, Kurenai dragged Tobirama and Kaidōmaru around the entire school for a full tour. Then, everyone headed home.
Just like that, Tobirama's first day at the Ninja Academy came to a peaceful end.
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