As time passed, more and more students began trickling into the once-empty classroom.
At this age, calling it a "classroom" felt like a stretch—it was more like a gathering spot. A bunch of kids chatting about everything under the sun, breaking into peals of laughter, their voices echoing through the room in a noisy, chaotic harmony.
Amidst the chatter and commotion, one boy sat quietly, completely focused on the well-worn Ninja Handbook in his hands. Namikaze Minato's book was frayed at the edges, clearly flipped through countless times.
But he believed, just like with ninjutsu, mastery came only through diligent repetition. He didn't know many advanced techniques yet, but he understood something every great ninja knew deep down—foundations mattered most.
So for now, he practiced. He built. He prepared. He wasn't in a rush. He had time—time to chase after those who came before him.
The door slid open with a distinct sound, and Chōtanbon-sensei stepped inside. With a firm, commanding tone, he said, "Alright, everyone settle down..."
His voice carried weight. Instantly, the noisy classroom hushed into silence. These weren't ordinary kids. Every one of them was a future shinobi, destined to complete missions and face real danger.
Obedience to orders—that was a core tenet of being a ninja. And that discipline started right here, in the academy.
Minato gently closed his handbook and looked toward the front, ready for class to begin.
"Before we get started today," said Chōtanbon, "I want to introduce a new student. From now on, she'll be learning alongside all of you."
With that, he turned and left the classroom. A ripple of murmurs spread through the room as soon as the door shut—clearly, everyone was curious about this newcomer.
Minato exchanged a glance with Uchiha Mikoto across the aisle. They already knew someone new was joining today.
After a short while, Chōtanbon returned—with a girl in tow. She walked beside him on his left, her long crimson hair flowing down past her shoulders, partly obscuring her face. Most of the class couldn't make out her features yet, but the outline of her delicate facial structure was just visible.
The moment Minato saw her, his heart gave an inexplicable jolt.
For a fleeting second, he felt like he was looking at someone else entirely—long, wind-blown red hair, a blurred, distant face... No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't bring the image into focus.
Before he realized it, a low, involuntary sound escaped him.
"Watergate, you alright?" a student nudged him.
Snapped out of it, Minato blinked rapidly, then shook his head. "Y-Yeah. I'm fine."
The other kid didn't think much of it and turned back to the front, while Minato furrowed his golden brows slightly, whispering to himself, What was that just now…?
Chōtanbon let go of the girl's hand and gave her a kind smile. "Go on, introduce yourself to the class."
Minato's gaze instinctively followed her as all eyes turned to the new girl. She lowered her head slightly, her long bangs falling over her face, giving her a shy and reserved look.
"Her hair's so weird…"
"Yeah, who has hair that red?"
Whispers rippled through the class as the girl stood silent. She reached up with a tiny hand and twirled a strand of hair between her fingers, her wide eyes filled with confusion.
Most students ignored the subtle gesture—but not Minato. He couldn't take his eyes off her, as though drawn by some invisible thread.
Her small fists clenched tightly at her sides, so tight the veins showed. She took a deep breath, then, in a loud, clear voice, declared:
"My name is Uzumaki Kushina! My dream is to become the first female Hokage of this village!"
Her voice had a strange, almost comical accent to it—but the sheer force of her words left the entire class stunned into silence. Even Chōtanbon was taken aback for a moment.
Minato's heart ached faintly for reasons he couldn't explain. But at the same time, he felt a strange joy—he had met someone with the same dream.
He stood up, placed a hand over his chest, and said with a warm smile, "My dream is to become Hokage too. I want to protect everyone in this village who's like family to me."
Kushina didn't return the kindness right away. Instead, she eyed the blond boy with a hint of wariness.
Chōtanbon chuckled, sensing the tension. As a seasoned chunin, his perceptiveness surpassed that of any student. Wanting to smooth things over, he smiled and said, "Haha, to think I have two students aiming so high. That's really something."
He turned to Minato. "You can sit down now."
Minato obeyed quietly.
Then Chōtanbon gestured to an empty seat by the window, right next to Mikoto. "Kushina, you can sit there."
Without hesitation, Kushina marched over to the seat, ignoring the murmurs around her, and plopped down beside Mikoto.
Chōtanbon gave a wry smile. This girl's personality is completely different from both Minato and Mikoto...
Kushina glanced to the side. Mikoto smiled gently and covered her mouth as she whispered, "Hi, I'm Uchiha Mikoto. From now on, we're classmates—and friends, okay?"
Mikoto might've seemed carefree, but she was highly observant. She'd already noticed that only she and the blond boy who spoke up earlier had reacted without prejudice to Kushina's hair.
Though, she did feel the boy looked a bit... soft.
"Mm." Kushina nodded slightly, then peeked toward Minato and whispered with a hint of uncertainty, "What's that guy's name?"
Mikoto looked in the same direction, then turned back and smiled. "That's Namikaze Minato. He's a really kind person."
Just saying his name made Mikoto's young face soften with a gentle smile. In this class, it seemed Kushina was the first to react to Minato with something close to suspicion.
"Namikaze Minato…" Kushina murmured, turning the name over in her mind.
But she didn't linger on the thought. Soon, her attention returned to the front. For the sake of her dream, she had to give it her all.
The Ninja Academy—this was the beginning of her journey.
Chōtanbon watched her, feeling a little more reassured. Her personality's a bit unusual, but with Mikoto's influence, maybe she'll start to open up...
What surprised him more, however, was Minato. Normally one of the most focused students in class, he kept sneaking glances at Kushina after her arrival.
Still, Chōtanbon didn't dwell on it. Maybe her bold declaration had simply left an impression.
After all, at this age, who really knew what went on in these kids' minds?
With a soft smile, he looked out over the sea of young, eager faces and said, "Alright, everyone. Let's begin today's lesson!"