Naruto: Hidden Hokage

"Kurenai, what's going on here?"

Panicked, truly panicked, Sarutobi Asuma asked in a flustered tone.

Kurenai blinked, confused by his intense reaction.

Since they hadn't known each other long and were too young to think much of it, she just saw him as a friend.

What she didn't realize was the impact of her words—they were enough to push Asuma to the brink of despair, turning him into a sad little clown.

"Well, it's like this…"

Kurenai briefly explained the situation.

By the end, Asuma was trembling with rage in broad daylight.

The culprit was none other than his old man!

As a rebellious teen, he hated living in Sarutobi Hiruzen's shadow, so they didn't get along.

"Asuma?" Kurenai asked, noticing something odd.

"Why is your face red?"

"N-nothing," Asuma stammered, forcing a smile.

"We're going to be late. Let's go."

Kurenai didn't think much of it and walked ahead.

Asuma followed behind, stealing glances at Yorin with the corner of his eye.

Yorin's lips twitched.

The entire way, Asuma kept staring at him, reminding Yorin of a certain meme:

I will always watch you… forever and ever… jpg.

"I'll take Yorin to the teacher's office. You head to class," Kurenai said as they arrived at the Ninja Academy.

"I can take him!" Asuma volunteered eagerly.

"No."

Kurenai rejected him outright.

"This is the task my dad gave me."

"But…"

Asuma tried to argue, but Kurenai had already led Yorin away.

No!

Asuma raised his hand instinctively, watching their figures disappear.

Damn you, Yorin!

His face was full of grief and indignation.

In the teacher's office, Yorin handed his admission letter to a young ninja.

According to Kurenai's introduction, his name was Yamamoto Eiichiro—a plain and ordinary Chūnin.

"Yorin, welcome to Class 1-A," Eiichiro said with a bright smile as he closed the admission letter.

As a student specially permitted by Sarutobi Hiruzen, Eiichiro couldn't afford to be careless.

"Thank you, sensei," Yorin said politely.

Eiichiro nodded.

Doesn't seem like a troublemaker.

"Kurenai, you can go now," Eiichiro instructed.

"I'll take Yorin to the classroom."

"Alright."

Kurenai gave Yorin a quick glance before leaving.

"This is your first-grade textbook set," Eiichiro said, picking up a stack of books from his desk.

Yorin counted seven books.

The top one was titled Chakra Concepts and Refinement Techniques.

"There's still a few minutes before class starts. Feel free to browse through them," Eiichiro suggested with a smile.

"Okay."

Yorin flipped through the table of contents since there wasn't much time.

The books covered topics like Ninja Tool Throwing, Will of Fire, Ninja Code of Conduct, and Konoha History.

He remembered that in his previous life, someone had analyzed the Chūnin Exam written test, revealing questions on subjects like English, chemistry, and physics.

Although theoretically, mastering the Three Basic Jutsu was enough to graduate as a Genin, the Academy actually taught a wide range of subjects.

Ding ding ding!

The bell rang, signaling the start of class.

"Let's go."

Eiichiro picked up one of the books and walked out, with Yorin quickly following.

They arrived at Class 1-A shortly after.

Standing at the classroom door, Yorin waited while Eiichiro approached the podium.

Many students had already noticed Yorin, their curious gazes fixed on him.

Some of the girls' eyes lit up as if they wanted to devour him whole.

Yorin immediately spotted Kakashi Hatake.

With his spiky white hair and iconic mask, he was hard to miss.

In the original series, Kakashi was a prodigy who graduated at five, became a Chūnin at six, and a Jōnin at thirteen.

He would later become the student of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, and the teacher of Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha.

To Kakashi's left was an empty seat. To his right sat a small girl, undoubtedly Rin Nohara.

She was easy to identify with her short brown hair, gentle demeanor, and the two purple markings on her face.

The empty seat was likely for Obito Uchiha.

The future villain was currently just an overly enthusiastic, clumsy underdog.

"Ahhh!"

A piercing cry suddenly echoed through the hallway.

Yorin turned to see a boy about his age sprinting toward them.

Dressed in a sporty jacket and wearing goggles, the boy's face was flushed red as he charged full-speed ahead.

"Move out of the way!" the boy shouted.

Yorin stepped aside just in time as the boy dashed into the classroom.

He skidded to a stop, but his momentum caused him to stumble and fall flat on his face.

"You're late again, Obito," Eiichiro said with a shake of his head.

"Sorry, sensei," Obito Uchiha said as he scrambled to his feet.

"I was helping an old lady cross the street and lost track of time."

"Find a better excuse next time," Eiichiro replied, clearly unconvinced.

"I'm telling the truth!" Obito protested.

"Go to your seat."

Eiichiro wasn't buying it.

Helping an old lady every day? Yeah, right.

"Good morning, Obito," Rin greeted him softly as he sat down.

"Hehe," Obito chuckled, grinning like an idiot.

"Before we begin class, I have an announcement," Eiichiro said, clapping his hands.

The room quieted immediately.

The smarter students had already guessed it was about Yorin.

"Starting today, Yorin will be joining our class. Let's give him a warm welcome!"

Eiichiro began clapping, and most of the students followed suit—except for Asuma.

Asuma stared at Kurenai, who was clapping enthusiastically, and felt a sour pang of jealousy.

I'm eating lemons.

"This new student is pretty good-looking," said a short-haired girl sitting behind Rin.

"What do you think, Rin?"

Obito's expression turned vigilant at the question.

Rin hesitated, noticing his reaction.

She did find Yorin handsome but knew saying so would upset Obito.

"Looks don't matter. What's important is strength," Kakashi said coolly.

"Arrogant jerk!" Obito snapped, stung by the word strength.

"Once I awaken my Sharingan, I'll make you kneel!"

He was convinced that Rin's interest in Kakashi stemmed from his superior abilities.

"I think Kakashi's right!"

A boy in a green jumpsuit turned around, flashing his sparkling white teeth and giving a thumbs-up.

"Alright, Yorin, please introduce yourself," Eiichiro said, raising a hand to quiet them.