Because she didn't have the chance to join the ninja team, Black Hinata had to go home early.
She had sneaked out today, and her father expected her back by nine o'clock.
But Kitahara Hitoshi shook his head. Hiashi surely knew everything.
He also knew that if Hinata wasn't allowed to come out, she wouldn't agree to train. She was still too young.
---
Ninja School
Kitahara Hitoshi was the 145th student source. The ninja school had been founded under the Second Hokage's administration. From its inception, it had steadily produced bodies for the battlefield.
The First Great Ninja War began during the Second Hokage's time. While the ninja school was originally intended as a place for training, it quickly became a factory producing cannon fodder.
A mass deployment of Genin were sent to the front lines.
But what was a Genin?
A Genin could be wiped out by a single misstep—stepping on a stray explosive tag could mean death.
More than half of the 16,000 ninja skeletons buried behind Konoha were children who died during the wars.
The First Hokage's dream for founding Konoha had been a peaceful village where children could grow up without ever setting foot on a battlefield. A world where ninja clans worked together, building peace.
But that dream had been thoroughly overturned.
The Third Hokage, bound by outdated ideologies, had failed to harness the strength of the Uchiha and Hyuga clans. Under his rule, Konoha withered.
Out of the 13,000 villagers, fewer than 3,000 were active shinobi.
That age, however, was ending.
The golden generation had arrived.
Nine of the twelve future Konoha elites had gathered.
Sasuke. Naruto. Sakura.
Shikamaru. Choji. Ino.
Hinata. Kiba. Shino.
Hinata wasn't present today.
---
In fact, when looked at this way, Sakura stood out more than expected.
The other nine members of the rookie twelve had inherited bloodlines or techniques from their clans.
She had none of that.
But she excelled in academic performance and chakra control—her talent was self-earned.
If she'd been lacking intelligence or talent, she wouldn't have been able to grasp the Strength of a Hundred Technique, something even Shizune hadn't mastered. Nor would she have solved those advanced papers during the Chunin Exams.
That was in the original timeline.
In this altered reality, the Sakura that Kitahara Hitoshi had come to know was equally capable. She frequently borrowed complex scrolls and texts—some of the same ones as Hinata—from the library.
---
"Hateful… Idiot Ino…"
Sakura and Ino were at it again.
They'd been childhood friends, but as they grew up, their rivalry deepened.
"Look out, I just bumped into someone…"
"Ino-pig!" Sakura snapped.
"Forehead girl…" Ino shot back.
Sakura didn't reply this time. She glanced toward the boy she had just run into—Kitahara Hitoshi.
"Ah… Kitahara-kun. I'm sorry."
"Um… I didn't mean to bump into you. I just found out we're getting sorted into three-man cells, and I panicked."
"…"
In the original story, it was this Sakura who triumphed when Naruto failed and was placed on Team 7.
So why not show some confidence?
"You'll get a great team," Kitahara Hitoshi said.
"Really? You think so?" Sakura's face lit up.
She was still a top-performing student at the academy. Her Three Body Technique was polished, and her theoretical scores were at the top. She hadn't yet tasted true combat, so in her mind, she was quite strong.
Even if she was randomly assigned, her teammates couldn't be too bad.
"Yes," Kitahara confirmed.
Their thinking patterns were different, but if she ended up with Naruto and Sasuke, that was definitely a strong team.
And speaking of Naruto…
Before Iruka-sensei arrived, Naruto's sudden appearance surprised everyone.
"Naruto? Didn't you fail?"
"Wait—this is you?"
"You look... different. Are you really Naruto?"
"Of course I'm the real me!"
Now that the Uzumaki chakra system had been reactivated, Naruto could access his power freely, shutting up anyone who doubted him.
"Bang bang bang!"
Ten shadow clones popped out around him.
It wasn't just the Clone Technique—it was a combination of the Clone and Transformation Techniques.
The graduation exam only required creating a single Iruka clone.
But Naruto had produced ten.
Ten.
"Damn…"
"What did Naruto eat…"
"This is nuts!"
Shikamaru couldn't help but straighten up.
"Tch," Sasuke clicked his tongue in irritation.
Sasuke was cold and reserved, and though girls flocked to him for his looks, he paid them no mind.
All he carried in his heart was the rage and grief from the Uchiha Clan Massacre.
He had no interest in romance.
He only wanted to restore the Uchiha clan his own way.
Not that he fully understood how to do that yet.
But he couldn't ignore Naruto.
He'd noticed since long ago—Naruto had the same aura as him.
The aura of an orphan.
He'd watched Naruto train relentlessly despite his lack of talent.
To Sasuke, Naruto didn't belong on the battlefield. He didn't have the gifts. He should give up.
Talent couldn't be faked.
But what Naruto had just done—it shattered Sasuke's idea of the dead-last loser.
Sasuke felt… jealous.
He hadn't improved in a long time.
And without power, how would he avenge his clan?
Then Naruto jumped onto Sasuke's desk.
In a crouch, he stared straight into Sasuke's face.
"…"
Sasuke didn't flinch, but being stared at by Naruto made his skin crawl more than any girl's gaze ever had.
"Kitahara-kun said I need to get along with you," Naruto declared.
"I can get stronger by training with you. But damn, you're a pain in the ass…"
"…"
"…"
Sasuke shot a look toward Kitahara Hitoshi.
"…"
Kitahara Hitoshi sighed internally. He had said that, but he didn't expect Naruto to blurt it out like this.
Just then, the student seated in front of them turned to watch the scene unfold, knocking Naruto slightly with his elbow.
Naruto, squatting unsteadily, lost his balance.
And landed forward.
Right onto Sasuke.
Their faces were inches apart—zero distance.
Tick.
At that exact moment, a system chime sounded.
Today's generational descendant quota unlocked. Chat group activated.
Three-hour live broadcast begins.
@Kakashi @Hashirama @Tobirama @Minato
Generational Chat Room: Open
Hashirama: Finally! Took long enough. I was getting bored out of my mind.
Hashirama: My room in the Pure Land is so drafty. There's wind coming in through the walls.
Hashirama: I hate this feeling.
Tobirama: I'm here too…
Minato: @Kakashi, any word from the Third Hokage?
Minato couldn't forget how his son had been treated. He couldn't forgive it.
Hashirama: @Minato Wait—Fourth Hokage…
Hashirama: Something's wrong with this live broadcast feed.
Minato: Huh?
Minato hadn't noticed yet.
But suddenly, the screen shifted.
The entire Pure Land crowd saw the ninja school scene.
And Naruto…
Was kissing Sasuke.
Kakashi: …
Hashirama: Well, Minato… your son is certainly bold.
Hashirama: I know the Uchiha are pretty, but still… wow.
Minato: Uh… what…?