A Breakfast Fiasco
Worried that his mother, Hanako Kazuki, would say something embarrassing, Shouta Kazuki quickly put down his chopsticks after barely eating two mouthfuls of rice.
"Grandpa, Father, Mother! I'm done eating! I'm heading to school now!"
Just as he was about to dash out the door, his father, Kazuki Haruto, suddenly stood up.
Shouta paused mid-step, glancing back with curiosity. His father usually never saw him off when he left for school—after all, he wasn't a little kid anymore. But today, something was different. His father had a strange look on his face, as if he wanted to say something but was hesitating.
"...Father? Is there something wrong?" Shouta asked, tilting his head slightly.
Kazuki Haruto cleared his throat awkwardly, shifting uncomfortably. "...Well, it's just that…"
Shouta frowned. "Father, if you have something to say, just say it. This hesitation doesn't suit you at all!"
Hearing his son's words, Kazuki Haruto sighed and finally spoke, though his expression remained somewhat uneasy.
"Ahem… Your mother mentioned something earlier… You see, when I was your age, I also went through certain… changes. It's completely normal for young boys to have… certain thoughts at night. But you still need to take care of your body. You're still at a delicate age, and overdoing it can be harmful. Look at yourself this morning! The dark circles under your eyes are way too heavy! You have to be mindful of your rest!"
Shouta's smile froze.
His face turned beet red in an instant.
"Wait… what? What kind of nonsense is my father saying?! Is he seriously implying that I was doing something weird last night?!"
Realization hit him like a thunderbolt. His exhausted state this morning must have made his parents suspect something entirely different from the truth!
"Damn it! I trained way too hard with Uchiha Madara last night! I pushed myself to the limit, and now they think I was…!"
"Father! I have no idea what you're talking about! And you don't need to see me off!" Shouta blurted out in sheer panic. "I'm going now! Goodbye!"
Without waiting for a response, he bolted out the door like he was fleeing from battle.
Kazuki Haruto stood there, rubbing his nose awkwardly.
"Hmph. When I was his age, my father gave me the same kind of talk… So why does it feel so wrong when I say it to my own son?"
The Chaos of the Classroom
By the time Shouta arrived at the Ninja Academy, he finally let out a sigh of relief.
"That was way too close… I really need to be more careful with my late-night training sessions. If my parents keep misunderstanding things like this, I might die of embarrassment before I even graduate!"
He glanced around the classroom. Iruka-sensei hadn't arrived yet, so the students were behaving… well, like children left unsupervised. The entire classroom was a chaotic mess.
Nara Shikamaru was slumped over his desk, looking half-asleep as usual.
Yamanaka Ino was fiddling with a small bouquet of flowers, humming to herself.
Akimichi Choji, as expected, was showing off his collection of potato chips, proudly flaunting his snacks like they were rare treasures.
Haruno Sakura sat at her desk, stealing not-so-secretive glances at Uchiha Sasuke while blushing profusely.
And in the middle of it all, standing atop a table like a victorious warlord, was Uzumaki Naruto, shouting something about how he would be Hokage one day.
Shouta smirked, stepping into the lively atmosphere. "Hey, Choji, are you already snacking this early in the morning? How many bags did you bring today?"
Choji grinned, holding up a fresh pack of chips. "Of course! You know me, Shouta. I don't put anything in my backpack except snacks!"
With a laugh, he reached into his bag and tossed Shouta a spare pack.
Shouta caught it easily. "Nice! You're the best, Choji!"
Next, his gaze fell on Ino. "Hey, Ino, those flowers look pretty nice. Who are they for?"
At his words, Yamanaka Ino's face immediately flushed red. She stammered, struggling to form a coherent sentence, while her eyes darted toward a certain someone in the room.
Shouta raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Ah, I see. Another day, another love-struck Ino moment."
Moving along, he spotted Shikamaru sprawled out at his desk. "Oi, Shikamaru, didn't sleep well last night?"
Shikamaru barely lifted his head. "Ugh… waking up early and coming to school is such a drag… so troublesome…"
Shouta chuckled. "Same old Shikamaru."
Then, his attention shifted to Naruto, who was still shouting dramatically atop his desk.
"Oi, Naruto, what exactly are you doing? Performance art?"
Naruto scratched his head, blinking at him in confusion. "Huh? What's up with you today, Shouta? You're acting kinda weird! You're standing just like that stuck-up Sasuke!"
At Naruto's words, both Shouta and Sasuke turned their heads simultaneously.
A beat of silence passed.
Then—
"Hey, Billboard Brow! Are you still peeking at Sasuke?!" Shouta suddenly called out, grinning.
Haruno Sakura, who had indeed been sneaking a glance at Sasuke, jumped in shock. Her entire face turned bright red.
"W-W-What are you talking about, Shouta?! I wasn't—! Peeking?! No way! I would never!"
Despite her frantic denial, she couldn't help but sneak another look at Sasuke, hoping for some kind of reaction.
Unfortunately for her, Sasuke remained completely indifferent, staring out the window as if none of this concerned him.
However, what no one noticed was that—despite his outward nonchalance—Sasuke had actually been watching Shouta from the corner of his eye the entire time.
Deep down, an emotion flickered in Sasuke's heart.
"Why… Why does Shouta feel so familiar?"
He didn't understand it. It was an inexplicable feeling—almost as if something in their blood resonated.
"Could it be… that he has Uchiha blood as well?"
Even though Naruto also gave him a strange sense of familiarity, it was nothing like the connection he felt with Shouta Kazuki.
And that was something Sasuke couldn't ignore.
A Challenge is Set
Shouta turned to Sasuke with a playful grin. "Yo, Sasuke! You look even more handsome than usual today… but there's still a long way to go before you can catch up to me!"
Sasuke's entire face instantly turned red.
"You—! You just spout nonsense, don't you?!"
Frustrated, he quickly changed the subject. "Tch! Whatever. I heard we have a combat exercise today, Shouta! I'll show you what it means to be an Uchiha! I'll show you real power!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Sasuke regretted them.
"Damn it! I just wanted to argue about looks, so why did it turn into a challenge about strength?! How did this happen?!"
Still, seeing that Shouta wasn't upset, Sasuke secretly felt relieved.
Tonight, alone in the silent, empty Uchiha district, Sasuke would once again find himself lost in thought.
"That feeling… it can't be a coincidence."
The connection between them was real.
And Sasuke was determined to uncover the truth.