Kenta sauntered toward the back of the classroom, his hands stuffed in his pockets and a smirk tugging at his lips.
After his showdown with Kushina and the dessert-based blackmail from his teacher, he'd been directed to the last desk in the row—a spot that suited him just fine. Fewer eyes on him meant more room to scheme.
What he didn't expect was the kid already sitting there: a mop of spiky blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and an air of quiet focus that screamed future big-shot. Kenta's eyebrows twitched upward as recognition hit.
'Minato Namikaze. The Yellow Flash. Future Fourth Hokage. Huh. Figured since Kushina was here, he would be in this class too. So I am in Minato's generation.' Kenta mused
He plopped into the seat beside Minato, leaning back with an exaggerated stretch. Sitting next to a legend-in-the-making didn't faze him much—sure, it was cool, but Kenta had punched bigger egos in his past life.
'Just another pretty face with a knack for jutsu, a jutsu that I could do better,' he thought, sizing Minato up. The blonde glanced over with a polite smile, clearly trying to be friendly, but Kenta was already tuning him out, his sensory abilities kicking in like a second nature.
He let his chakra stretch outward, a subtle pulse rippling through the room. It wasn't flashy—no one would notice unless they were a sensor themselves—but it gave him a quick read on his classmates.
Kushina, still fuming a few rows ahead, practically glowed with chakra, a wild, untamed torrent that made Kenta's lips quirk.
'Red's got a monster stash, but no Nine-Tails yet. Guess Mito's still kicking.' He shifted his focus, picking up familiar vibes from the trio near the front: a chubby kid scarfing down a rice ball (Choza Akimichi), a lanky one with a ponytail doodling lazily (Shikaku Nara), and a loudmouth with wild hair arguing about something trivial (Inoichi Yamanaka).
'Ino-Shika-Cho, the OG version. Neat.' Same generation as Minato and Kushina, same as him. The Naruto timeline was starting to click into place, and Kenta filed it away with a mental shrug.
'War's coming, and these kids are gonna be the stars. Lucky me, stuck with the prequel cast.'
Minato, oblivious to Kenta's silent scouting, turned to him with that earnest grin of his. "Hey, I'm Minato Namikaze. Nice to meet you. You're the Daimyō's grandson, right? That intro was… uh, pretty bold."
Kenta's smirk widened into something downright predatory. He leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand like he was about to unravel a grand mystery. "Hey there, pretty boy," he drawled, his tone dripping with mock sweetness. "Bold's my last name—well, actually, it's Madoka, but you get the gist. So, tell me, Goldilocks, do you always smile like that, or is it just 'cause you're trying to impress me?"
Minato blinked, caught off guard, his smile faltering into something more awkward. 'Pretty boy? Goldilocks? What's with this guy?' he thought, his mind scrambling for a polite response. "Uh… I just thought I'd say hi? You seem… interesting."
"Interesting's an understatement," Kenta shot back, leaning closer. "Let's cut to the chase—do you ever trip over that hair of yours? Looks like a bird's nest got lost on your head. And what's with the nice-guy act? You hiding a secret crush or something? Spill it, I won't tell!"
Minato's cheeks flushed faintly, his hands fidgeting with a pencil. 'Is he teasing me? He's definitely teasing me. Why does he keep asking weird stuff?'
"I-I don't trip over my hair," he stammered, trying to keep his cool. "And I'm not hiding anything! I just… wanted to be friendly?"
Kenta cackled, loud enough to draw a few glances. "Friendly, huh? Sure, pretty boy. Bet you're the type to blush when a girl looks at you. Ever accidentally flirt with a tree 'cause you thought it waved back?"
Minato's eyes widened, a mix of confusion and embarrassment washing over him.
'A tree? What's he even talking about? This kid's nuts—but kinda funny, I guess?'
"No trees," he managed, rubbing the back of his neck. "You're, uh, really something, Kenta."
Before Kenta could lob another zinger, a shadow loomed over their desk. Shikazo Nara stood there, his half-lidded eyes radiating pure exhaustion. "Oi," he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. "Keep it quiet back here. I'm trying to nap through this class, and you two are ruining it. What a drag."
Kenta grinned up at him, unrepentant. "Sorry, Sensei, just bonding with my new bestie. I'll keep it down—promise!" He winked at Minato, who sank lower in his seat, wishing he could vanish.
Shikazo sighed, shuffling back to the front. "Yeah, sure. Just don't make me care." He slumped into his chair, propping his head on one hand like he was three seconds from dozing off.
Kenta settled back, satisfied with flustering Minato for now. 'He's too easy—gonna be fun messing with him,' he thought, already plotting more ways to rile up the future Hokage. But as the lessons kicked off, his smirk faded fast. Theory. All of it.
'Kill me now. I thought that the nobles only had to learn it and not shinobi.'
First up was Chakra Theory, delivered by Shikazo in a monotone so dry it could've sucked the moisture out of the room. "Chakra's the life force… blah blah… mix physical and spiritual energy… control it or whatever…" He trailed off mid-sentence, staring out the window like he'd rather be counting clouds.
Kenta doodled a stick figure of himself punching a tree, his mind wandering to the underground fight rings of his past life.
'I could be sparring right now. Why do I need to know how chakra feels? I already use it to swap places and steal mochi!'
Next came History of the Shinobi World, and Kenta's boredom hit new depths. Shikazo flipped through a scroll, muttering about the Sage of Six Paths like he was reciting a grocery list. "… villages got founded… blah blah, war, peace, war again…" Kenta's head thunked onto his desk, earning a snicker from Minato.
Kenta peeked at Kushina, who was braiding her hair with a scowl—clearly as thrilled as he was.
Then came Village Politics, and Kenta nearly groaned aloud. Shikazo droned on about the Five Great Nations, their alliances, and the Daimyōs' roles, his voice a hypnotic lullaby of disinterest. "Fire Country funds Konoha… Daimyō calls the shots… blah blah… don't piss off the wrong noble…" Kenta's eyes glazed over, his fingers tapping an impatient rhythm. 'I'm the Daimyō's grandson—I already know this junk! Grandpa's the boss, Mom's scary with money, Ikkyū's gonna inherit. Done. Can we punch something now?'
The final blow was Basic Strategy, which sounded promising until Shikazo started talking about formations and supply lines. "Ambush here… flank there… don't run out of kunai… yawn…" Kenta slumped forward, muttering, "This is torture. I'd rather duel Red again with words than listen to this." Minato shot him a sympathetic look, scribbling notes like the good student he was. 'How's he not dying inside?' Kenta wondered, envying his seatmate's patience.
By the time the bell rang, Kenta felt like his brain had melted into a puddle of boredom. He bolted upright, stretching with a dramatic groan. "Finally! Freedom! I thought I'd turn into a scroll back there!"
Minato chuckled softly, packing his things. "It wasn't that bad. You get used to it."
Kenta spun on him, pointing accusingly. "Used to it? Pretty boy, you're a masochist! Those lessons were a war crime—I'm reporting Shikazo to the Hokage!"
Minato smiled, unfazed. "You're funny, Kenta. Maybe tomorrow'll be more exciting."
"Better be," Kenta huffed, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "I didn't sign up for this to die of boredom. Catch ya later, Goldilocks—I'm off to plot my escape."
As he strutted out, Minato watched him go, shaking his head.
'He's loud, rude, and kinda weird… but I think I like him? Maybe he'll calm down. …Probably not.' He sighed, already bracing for more of Kenta's antics.
Kenta, meanwhile, was already dreaming of the next sparring day.
'Theory's for suckers. I'm here to Boogie Woogie my way to the top—and maybe steal some forbidden jutsu or tool while I'm at it.'
-----Author Notes-------
Y'all can read 15 extra chapters of the novel on my pat*reon. It would also motivate me to write more and well pay for my tuition. But I would continue to write with or without you joining my pat*reon. Your support even here on Webnovel means a lot! Thankyou!
https://pat*reon.com/BoogieWoogie266
[No star]