Hidden Leaf Village – Konoha Ninja Academy
Iruka Umino, clipboard clutched in one hand and his patience in the other, did his best to guide the growing storm.
His voice was firm but not harsh, experienced enough to know that the first day was never about perfect order. It was about establishing something more lasting—presence.
The room was large and circular, with tall windows that let in shafts of warm light, their white paper shades casting dappled patterns across the tatami floors. Rows of desks fanned outward from the chalkboard, and the students who now filled them came in all shapes, all temperaments.
At the front sat Shikamaru Nara, already sighing into his palm, as if the weight of the coming years had been laid upon his shoulders like an invisible mountain.
His companion, Choji Akimichi, busied himself with a bag of crisps, every crunch an echoing defiance against the quiet.
Behind them, Ino Yamanaka chattered endlessly with Sakura Haruno, both whispering while occasionally glancing toward the back row—where Sasuke Uchiha sat alone, staring out the window.
He hadn't spoken a word since arriving. His arms were crossed, expression unreadable, his dark hair falling slightly over one eye. He ignored the stares. He always did.
Closer to the center, Naruto sat sandwiched between Verity and Aurama. The trio had taken their places with casual confidence, as though the room already belonged to them.
Verity had a quiet, observant poise, the kind that saw more than she let on. Aurama, in contrast, kept her gaze shifting, sharp, measuring the other students as potential allies or competition.
And Naruto—he couldn't sit still. His fingers tapped a beat on the desk, and his foot bounced under the table.
"Let's begin," Iruka said, clapping once. "We're going to start with something simple: introductions."
Immediately, several students groaned.
"I know, I know. But it's important. You're not just classmates. Someday, you'll be teammates, possibly on missions where your lives depend on each other. Start learning now."
One by one, students rose, speaking their names, their clans, and—when prompted—their goals.
"Ino Yamanaka," said Ino with a flip of her blonde hair. "From the Yamanaka clan. I'm going to be a top kunoichi and marry Sasuke!"
Sakura followed moments later, cheeks red as she threw an annoyed look at her desk rival. "Sakura Haruno. I, um… I don't have a clan, but I'm going to be the strongest kunoichi of my generation… and I'm definitely not letting Ino have Sasuke!"
Shikamaru's turn came. He barely lifted his head. "Shikamaru Nara… I just wanna take naps and not die early."
Choji grinned. "Choji Akimichi! I love food and…I dunno. I wanna protect my friends!"
Kiba Inuzuka stood up with a wild grin, Akamaru yipping from his hoodie. "Kiba! This is Akamaru. We're gonna be the best tracking team in the whole village!"
When it came to Sasuke, the classroom tensed slightly. Even Iruka's smile dimmed a bit. The weight of the Uchiha name was still a shadow that hadn't fully passed.
"Sasuke Uchiha," he said simply, his voice low but clear. "My goal is to become strong. Stronger than anyone else."
No one dared to press further. Then came the trio everyone had been watching, even if no one said it aloud.
Verity stood first. Her posture was straight, hands folded in front of her. Her voice was soft but carried a sense of clarity.
"My name is Verity. I'm not from a clan, but I've lived in Konoha since I was little. My dream is to learn how to help people…and maybe teach others one day."
Several students blinked at the calm maturity in her tone.
Next was Aurama. She rose smoothly, a half-smirk playing at her lips.
"Aurama. No clan. I'm here to be the best. That's all."
Several heads turned. There was an air to her—not arrogance, not exactly—but the casual confidence of someone who knew what they could do, even if no one else did yet.
Finally, Naruto.
He jumped to his feet with far too much energy, his voice already booming.
"Uzumaki Naruto! Son of the Fourth Hokage—dattebayo! I'm gonna be a shinobi that everybody remembers! Believe it!"
Some snickered. Others looked intrigued. Sasuke rolled his eyes slightly. Iruka sighed, but smiled.
"Thank you, everyone. Now that we've gotten to know each other a bit, let's move on to our first exercise."
He pulled a scroll from his desk and unfurled it with a sharp flick of his wrist.
"Chakra basics. Everyone out to the training yard."
The sun was higher in the sky now, its heat softened by the gentle breeze. The academy's training field stretched out wide and open, framed by logs for target practice and dummies arranged in neat rows.
The grass was thick and lush, perfect for tumbling… or tripping.
Iruka stood near a set of wooden stumps, while Mizuki, his assistant instructor, checked off names on a smaller scroll.
"We're going to start with the chakra leaf exercise," Iruka announced. "This will help gauge where you are with chakra control. If you've never done this before, don't worry. It's just the first step."
He handed out small green leaves to each student. "Place the leaf on your forehead. Channel your chakra evenly to keep it in place. It may sound easy, but it's not."
Naruto immediately slapped the leaf on his forehead.
"Like this?"
"Try it without your hand," Aurama whispered.
"Oh. Right."
The moment he removed his fingers, the leaf fluttered to the ground.
Verity, meanwhile, sat cross-legged with the leaf balanced neatly on her brow, her eyes closed in concentration. Her chakra was gentle, fluid—having been taught briefly by Ororo on how to manipulate her energy.
Within seconds, her leaf remained steady.
Aurama took a more aggressive approach, furrowing her brow as she tried to force chakra into the leaf. It twitched once, twice, then fell. She growled and tried again.
Across the field, Sasuke had already mastered it on the first try. He leaned back against a log, arms crossed, observing everyone else with quiet disdain.
Sakura squealed when her leaf stayed for five seconds. Ino accused her of cheating. Kiba had Akamaru help him by licking the leaf onto his forehead, and Shikamaru barely tried at all.
Iruka walked between the students, offering corrections, praise, or suggestions. When he reached Verity, he paused.
"Very good. You've done this before."
She opened one eye and nodded. "At home. With Aunt Ororo."
Iruka blinked. "…Aunt Ororo?"
She just smiled.
Over the next hour, students struggled, succeeded, failed, and tried again. It was messy, chaotic, and—despite the focus—it was fun.
Naruto eventually managed to hold the leaf for five seconds before sneezing.
"Ha! I did it!"
"You sneezed it off," Aurama muttered.
"Still counts."
"No, it doesn't."
"Yes, it does!"
Their bickering caught the attention of the other students. Kiba grinned and wandered over.
"You guys are weird. I like it."
"Who're you calling weird?" Naruto asked.
"You!" Kiba laughed. "You yell a lot."
Verity stood and offered a polite wave. "I'm Verity. That's Naruto and Aurama."
Kiba blinked. "Wait… your dad is that bakery guy. With the glowing eyes?"
"Yep."
"…Cool."
Choji wandered over too, holding out a rice ball. "Want one?"
"Sure!" Naruto said.
"Wait, I was offering it to Verity—"
"Too late!" he bit into it with a laugh.
Slowly, the children began to talk. Not just Verity, Aurama, and Naruto, but the others too. Bonds started to form—not deep yet, but visible. A shared effort, a few exchanged smiles, rivalries budding between the gaps.
Only Sasuke remained separate, standing in the shade, watching them all.
Aurama caught his eye briefly, and for a moment, the two regarded each other in silence. Neither flinched, neither looked away.
A quiet understanding. A future challenge, perhaps.
Later that day, when the sun began to dip lower and the final bell rang, the students filed back inside to gather their bags. Outside the gates, parents waited—some in silence, others in small clusters.
Darius leaned against the far wall, arms folded, white robes fluttering lightly in the breeze. Next to him stood Minato, chatting casually with Diana and Ororo. Hela remained a shadow under the nearby tree, arms crossed, her expression unreadable but her gaze watchful.
When the children burst from the gates, Naruto launched himself forward with a victorious cheer.
"WE DID IT!"
Darius caught him mid-air.
"You made it through half a day. Let's not crown you Hokage just yet."
"I did the leaf thing!"
"For five seconds," Aurama added as she stepped through.
"Five seconds is progress," Verity said diplomatically.
Minato chuckled as he took Naruto into his arms. "So… you had fun?"
Naruto nodded vigorously. "We met everyone! Sasuke's weird, Kiba's loud, Choji gave me a rice ball, and Verity did the leaf thing on her first try!"
Darius ruffled Verity's hair and gave Aurama a knowing look. "And how about you?"
"I'll beat that Uchiha boy one day," she said flatly. "He thinks he's better than everyone."
"Ah," Diana sighed. "Already making rivals."
"Don't worry," Verity said. "We'll make friends too."
***
[ A little later]
The Yamanaka Compound- Hidden Leaf Village
The soft murmur of evening life echoed gently across the Yamanaka compound. Birds were nesting in the tall branches above, and fireflies blinked lazily between the garden shrubs and blooming flowers that made the large backyard something out of a painting.
Diana sat cross-legged on a broad cushion beneath the garden pergola, a fine ceramic cup of tea held lightly between her hands.
Her long dark hair was pulled back into a single braid that rested over one shoulder, her gold earrings catching the light each time she turned to speak. Beside her, Ororo sipped calmly from her cup, her white hair glowing almost silver in the low light, flowing freely down her back.
The gentle breeze stirred the loose folds of her kimono—a soft blue one gifted to her by a seamstress down the street who had insisted she try something more traditional.
Across from them sat the other women of the village. Inoichi's wife, a poised woman with long blond hair and the same piercing eyes her daughter had, sat with the relaxed grace of a hostess used to entertaining.
Tsume Inuzuka, Kiba's mother, lounged rather than sat, her tea forgotten in favor of her curious gaze.
She was dressed in her usual furs, sharp teeth peeking just slightly when she grinned. Beside her was Yoshino Nara, Shikamaru's mother, composed and firm-eyed.
And not far off, Choji's mother, Haruna, a round, cheerful woman, adjusted her seat with a warm sigh, settling deeper into her cushion.
"So…" Tsume leaned forward, elbows resting on her knees. "You two share a man. A very handsome one too, if the rumours about your bakery are anything to go by. And you're both still smiling."
She arched a brow at Diana.
"How do you not fight all the time?"
Diana lifted her cup and took a slow sip, hiding the slight twitch of a smile. Ororo leaned back slightly, resting one arm across the cushion, her other hand still holding her tea.
"It's a matter of respect," Ororo said smoothly. "And understanding that love doesn't have to be a competition. We don't fight over him because we don't treat our relationship like a prize to win."
"He's not a trophy," Diana added. "He's a partner. And we're partners to each other too. That comes first."
Yoshino made a small sound of acknowledgment, her expression unreadable. "Must be nice when the man in question isn't lazy or a troublemaker."
"Or constantly eating everything in the house," Haruna sighed, her hand covering a soft laugh.
Tsume scoffed. "Sure, sure. You both just never disagree?"
"Of course we do," Ororo said. "But we don't let disagreement turn into resentment. We talk. And when talking doesn't work—"
"Darius vanishes for a few hours and comes back with something to soothe us," Diana finished with a low chuckle. "Like that glowing cherry blossom tree he planted in our backyard because he felt bad."
"Or the moonstone fruit basket," Ororo added.
"Wait," Haruna blinked. "A glowing cherry tree? You mean that tree people keep walking by at night to look at?"
Diana nodded.
Tsume huffed out a laugh, shaking her head. "You're not making this easy for other husbands, you know. 'Why can't you be more like Darius?' I can hear it already."
"Trust me," Ororo said, setting down her cup, "he's not trying to make anyone feel lesser. That's just… who he is."
"It's strange," Yoshino said after a pause, her voice quieter. "You've all been here barely two years, and yet… you're already part of the village. I thought it'd be different. Harder. People don't always take kindly to newcomers."
Diana smiled softly. "That's why we started the bakery."
"That's how we met most of you," Ororo added. "Through your children, and through tea, and bread, and awkward chats over sponge cake."
"Minato helped," Diana said thoughtfully. "He stood by us early on. That counted for a lot."
Haruna leaned forward slightly. "What about the girls? They're not like other children, are they?"
"Not quite," Ororo said gently. "But we don't raise them to feel above anyone. They've learned with the rest. They clean up after themselves. Verity helps in the bakery while Aurama has a tendency to wander into the woods and come back with weird creatures."
"Your girls are sharp," Yoshino said. "Shikamaru said they don't miss anything."
"That's high praise, coming from him," Diana said with a smirk.
Tsume sniffed at her cup before finally taking a drink. "Kiba likes Aurama. Says she's 'spiky' and fun to bother."
"She likes him too," Diana said with a raised brow. "But she doesn't know it yet."
"Oh, she knows," Ororo muttered.
Laughter rippled through the women. Even Yoshino smiled, and Haruna reached for another snack from the tray in the center.
As the evening deepened, the conversation wandered into other topics—childhood mischief, the upcoming village festival, and the price of paper charms these days.
Someone mentioned Kakashi Hatake, and whether he was ever going to settle down. Diana had to stop herself from snorting into her tea.
Eventually, Ino's mother stood, brushing invisible dust from her lap. "We should do this again. It's been a long time since the village women sat down just to talk."
"I'll bring cakes next time," Ororo offered.
"Make that the ginger honey ones," Tsume added quickly. "Kiba nearly bit his own hand eating those."
As the group began to disperse, the stars began to twinkle overhead, dotting the darkening sky in shimmering constellations. Diana lingered, standing at the edge of the garden now, looking up at the stars.
"Do you miss it?" Ororo asked as she came to stand beside her. "Home?"
Diana was quiet for a moment, then said, "Sometimes. But not the fights. This… this is peace."
"And it's good for them," Ororo said, glancing toward the road where their girls would be walking to and from the Academy for the coming years.
Diana nodded.
"Aunt Diana!!" The subtle peace was broken by an overly enthusiastic shout from the confines of the bakery. Obviously it belonged to Naruto.
"What does that fireball want now?"
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