Chapter 7: The First Day of the Academy
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The morning sun was still low when Kiba arrived at the Ninja Academy courtyard accompanied by Tsume. It was his official first day. Several parents and guardians were gathered, chatting animatedly or giving their children last-minute advice.
Tsume stopped, crossed her arms, and surveyed the place with a fierce smile. Beside her was her ninken — an enormous dog, half the size of her body, with an eyepatch over its left eye and a wild aura that made some people instinctively step back.
"The time has come, little wolf," she said, cracking her shoulders and neck with a loud sound. "I've missed this… training someone for real."
Kiba nodded, keeping his expression calm. Tsume ruffled his hair roughly.
"Your body's a lot stronger than most kids your age. That's good. We'll make use of that this afternoon."
In the courtyard, Kiba spotted Naruto in the distance — the blond boy was alone, as expected. Many parents looked at him with obvious contempt, pulling their children to the opposite side. Kiba didn't approach. He just watched.
Soon after, the children were called inside. A young man with a distinctive scar across his nose gathered all the children and led them into a large room.
'Hmm… Iruka-sensei in his younger version.'
"Welcome to the Konoha Ninja Academy. I'm Umino Iruka, and I'll be one of your teachers."
Kiba sat down at a desk in the back and quietly observed his classmates. In his mind, he overlaid the versions he knew: Hinata, shy and quiet; Shino, silent and mysterious; Naruto, restless in the corner; Sasuke, isolated and cold.
'My current self is completely different from the original Kiba…'
He had hair down to his neck and wore clean, all-black clothes. His two ninken stood out — Akamaru and Yun — well-groomed, with shiny, pleasant-smelling fur. Several children looked at them with curiosity and the urge to pet them.
"So cute!" whispered a girl.
"Can I pet them later?" asked a short boy.
Kiba answered with a smile:
"After class, sure…"
The rest of the morning passed with Iruka explaining the Academy's basic rules. Kiba paid attention, but part of his mind was already on what was coming that afternoon.
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Afternoon – Start of Training with Tsume
As soon as he got home, Tsume was waiting for him in the yard, already warmed up. She cracked her fingers, wrists, and neck again, a wild smile on her face.
"Ahhh… it's been a while since I've trained someone properly. Let's get started, Kiba!"
Her eyepatched ninken stood beside her, radiating that fierce, wild aura, as if ready for a fight at any moment.
Tsume positioned Akamaru and Yun and faced her son.
"First we're going to work on synchronization with your partners. The three of you need to move as one. Just body, movement, and instinct."
The training began intensely. Tsume had him run specific patterns together with the ninken, teaching voice commands and body language. She demonstrated the clan's taijutsu movements with ferocity, constantly correcting his posture.
"Lower your center of gravity! Use your legs, Kiba! Your body's stronger than most kids' at your age, so make the most of it!"
Kiba was sweating, breathing hard, but he followed every instruction with determination. Tsume was full of energy, animated, almost laughing as she pushed him.
"By the end of the afternoon you'll be wiped out, but you'll improve fast."
At the end of the session, Kiba was exhausted but satisfied. Tsume slapped him on the back.
"Good work today. Tomorrow we're upping the intensity."
Kiba nodded, wiping the sweat from his face.
'This is way more tiring than running with dogs… haha.'
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End of Chapter