"Time to get up, Izayoi-kun. It's almost time for class assignments."
The next morning, Izayoi once again woke to Hinata's gentle call. At some point, the once disciplined boy had developed a habit of sleeping in, insisting on his own personal "princess alarm clock" service. Hinata, for her part, was used to getting up early, bringing Izayoi breakfast, and waking him, so they both happily went along with it.
"Ugh, I can't move. You and Hanabi drained all my chakra last night."
Izayoi didn't get out of bed right away. He stretched his arms toward Hinata and whined, "Hinata, help me up."
"You liar. We didn't take anywhere near as much chakra as you recover overnight."
She pouted but moved to grab Izayoi's hands, intending to pull him up.
The moment Hinata's small hand touched the back of Izayoi's, he reversed his grip and yanked. Hinata lost her balance and fell right on top of him. Thanks to her – let's just say "above average" – figure, she absorbed the impact without injury, landing with her body pressed against his.
"Ah—!"
Though she wasn't hurt, the sudden motion made her yelp in surprise.
Izayoi briefly savored the sensation, then flipped them over, pinning Hinata underneath. Hands braced on either side of her head, he stared down at her, feeling the heat radiating from her flushed face.
"I–Iza… Izayoi-kun…"
Although her "resistance level" had improved over the past few years, at that moment, Hinata reverted to a near-zero defense, her eyes darting away, unable to meet Izayoi's gaze.
Seeing her "helpless" expression made Izayoi feel a sudden urge, but he reminded himself of her age and the fact that their relationship hadn't truly crossed any lines. Reluctantly, he pushed the impulse aside.
Still, unable to resist, he dipped his head and planted a mischievous kiss on Hinata's forehead. Before she could react, he hopped out of bed. Hinata remained there, cheeks blazing, metaphorical steam rising from her head, eyes nearly spiraling as she struggled to collect herself.
When Izayoi emerged from the en suite bathroom, Hinata was gone from the room. Instead of following right away, he opened his wardrobe and retrieved a combat outfit he'd had custom-made at the start of the year but never worn.
It was a long white robe, modeled after the style Indra Otsutsuki wore. The only difference was that Izayoi's robe had a simpler collar—no wide lapels or black tomoe designs.
After donning the robe and tying a black sash around his waist, he pulled out the tools he'd picked up the previous day: two white wristbands with a built-in storage seal.
He loaded them with kunai and shuriken and slipped them on, concealing them within the robe's generously wide sleeves—so anyone without some sort of X-ray vision would never see what his hands were doing inside.
All set, he left his room. Hinata, who had already opened up a bento on the dining table, lit up the moment she saw him. Her heart, which had only just calmed down after that "incident," started pounding all over again.
Because, well, Izayoi in that white robe was quite a sight. With his black hair and blue eyes, finely-chiseled features, and tall frame, the long white robe lent him an air of regal elegance.
Anyone seeing him would think he was some noble heir rather than a once-orphaned boy with no upbringing to speak of. Suddenly, Hinata regretted wearing her usual white coat and pants. She wished she'd gone full kimono, like her sister. That would've made them look like an even better match.
Unaware of Hinata's thoughts, Izayoi sat down for breakfast. Afterward, they headed out toward the Ninja Academy.
"Hey, Izayoi, Hinata! Morning!"
"Looking cozy as always. Here's hoping you two end up on the same team!"
On the way, some classmates walking together spotted them, exchanging the usual teasing remarks about how inseparable they were. As always, Izayoi just smiled. Hinata blushed and lowered her gaze, recalling the morning's… "close call."
When they arrived in the classroom, most of the class was already there. Even Naruto—who had failed the initial exam—had evidently passed a re-test, meaning Class 1-A's entire sixth-year had made the cut. No telling how many squads would get approved by their Jonin instructors, though.
Since they had technically graduated, nobody stuck to their assigned seats, instead grouping with friends for a final chat. Izayoi and Hinata picked a random spot to sit. They'd barely started talking when someone else—an equally recognized face—settled next to them.
Glancing at the newcomer, Izayoi grinned. "Morning, Sasuke."
"Morning."
Sasuke Uchiha gave a faint nod, then said expectantly, "Hope we land in the same squad."
Aside from Naruto—who sometimes intrigued him—only Izayoi and Hinata earned Sasuke's respect. Training with them regularly would help him grow stronger.
Izayoi shook his head with a wry smile. "I'd love to be with you and Hinata too, but you know how it goes: you, me, and Hinata are always in the top three. Putting us together would be total overkill. During the Chunin Exams, other squads wouldn't stand a chance."
"You've got a point."
Sasuke sighed, resting his chin on his hands. He was about to lapse back into silence when someone squatted directly in front of him.
A flash of spiky blond hair and whisker marks entered Sasuke's vision. Blue eyes—very much like Izayoi's, but thinner—stared right back. For no apparent reason, Sasuke felt annoyed, scowling at Naruto.
Izayoi noticed this and smirked. He knew exactly what was about to happen.
"Man, Naruto is sooo rude!"
"Totally. Sasuke-kun, you should put him in his place!"
Some of the nearby girls were itching to rush over and pound Naruto themselves, but since Izayoi and Hinata were sitting there too, they hesitated, not daring to cross that trio.
Then, at that moment, a random boy in front of Sasuke, who had been chatting away, swung his elbow back without noticing that Naruto was crouched behind him. Naruto's butt got bumped, causing him to topple forward. Seeing Sasuke's face zoom in and their eyes meeting in surprise, both realized too late what was happening.
Mu—ah!
In front of a classroom full of stunned girls, Sasuke and Naruto ended up "kissing." For a split second, everything froze. Then the place exploded in uproar.
Izayoi nearly let out a whistle, kicking himself for not buying a camera to immortalize the scene. Hinata covered her mouth, turning bright red at the "shocking" sight.
"G-gahh…!"
After a few seconds, Sasuke and Naruto broke apart, both gagging. An absolutely livid Sasuke growled, "Dead Last… I'll KILL you!"
But he didn't get the chance. Enraged fangirls—led by Sakura Haruno—shoved aside the boy who'd nudged Naruto and dragged Naruto down to the teacher's podium for a savage group beating.
"Aaaaugh! Have mercy!"
Amid the dust clouds, Naruto's pained howls filled the air.
~~~
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