You and Your Sister at the Same Table
Naruto had wandered around the Ninja Academy before—once or twice at night, just sneaking in, looking around, and leaving. He'd explored most of Konoha by now, except for a few clan compounds and, well, nightclubs.
So early the next morning, Naruto teleported straight to the school, found his classroom, lay down in the back row, and shifted his consciousness into the sealed space.
It wasn't that Naruto was against school itself—he just found it hard to accept elementary school.
> I studied for so many years in my past life. And now I have to start all over again in this life?
Primary school → middle school → high school → university → working adult → and now... back to primary school?
> What kind of cursed loop is this?!
"I don't want to go to school, Big Fox…" Naruto groaned as he sprawled out on the sealed-space sofa.
"Then don't." Kurama yawned, lazily chewing on a skewer. Since Naruto was watching, the Nine-Tails emerged from its usual Schrödinger-state and entered a half-materialized form.
"But if I don't go… I won't get to see Hinata! If I don't see her, I'll stay single forever! Am I really going to spend my whole life cooped up with a fox?"
Naruto looked at Kurama.
> This fox can't even turn into a girl...
He thought back to his previous life's waifu—Yae Sakura. Beautiful, elegant… also technically a fox spirit. Why was she so cute and this one so... beastly?
"Kid," Kurama narrowed his eyes, "you're thinking something nasty again."
Naruto flinched. "No, no! Nothing like that!"
He quickly shut his eyes and tried to clear his mind, but the memories of games from his previous life crept in. The way Yae Sakura softly called out to "Captain"… that gentle voice… lingering in his ears...
---
"Uzumaki Naruto!"
Naruto blinked awake, startled.
"Uzumaki Naruto!!"
"I'm here!" Naruto sat up, rubbing his eyes.
"Come introduce yourself," Iruka said from the front of the class, locking eyes with the boy slouched in the back row. There was emotion in his eyes—anger, yes, but also something else.
Naruto walked up to the podium casually, ignoring Iruka's strained expression.
> What's with the glare? You'd think I stole your wallet or something. Go stand at the eastern gate and glare at yourself till the Kingdom of Lightning opens a visa lottery.
"Name. Hobbies. Dreams," Iruka said curtly.
Iruka didn't know how to treat this kid. He was his student, but also the vessel of the beast that had taken his parents. The Third Hokage had explained Naruto's situation—that he wasn't the Nine-Tails, just a jinchūriki. Still, Iruka hadn't seen Naruto with anyone growing up. The boy was like a hermit born into loneliness.
All Iruka could do was remember what his plump friend Mizuki used to say:
> Less trouble is better than more trouble...
Naruto straightened his slightly messy black clothes. His shirt and pants were stained from his morning training, but they gave him a rough sort of energy.
"My name's Uzumaki Naruto."
"My hobby is raising animals." That was the truth. In his past life, he'd started with cats and dogs in third grade. In this life? A certain oversized fox.
"As for my dream…" Naruto paused.
To become Hokage?
Nah. Too cliché.
"I want to have my wedding… on the moon."
Iruka: "…"
Class: "???"
Even Naruto admitted it was a bit much. But hey, he didn't just want to defeat Kaguya. He wanted to seal her, throw a party on her grave, beat up her kids, and then marry one.
> Toneri and Hinata are both Otsutsuki descendants, right? That counts.
Watching from his crystal ball, Hiruzen sighed.
> A wedding on the moon?! This kid's never had a normal conversation with anyone, and now he wants to start a family on the moon?!
The old man tugged out another clump of his beard. Since Naruto started staying indoors more, the Hokage had already pulled enough hair to knit two scarves.
---
After stepping down from the podium, Naruto returned to his seat and was about to hum a song about his desk mate… when he realized.
His seatmate was Hinata.
> Oh ho? Looks like school won't be boring after all.
Naruto leaned closer and whispered, "You look kinda familiar…"
"I—I'm… Hyuuga… Hinata…" Hinata stammered, blushing furiously.
She'd arrived early that morning and noticed the boy in the back row. His hair seemed familiar, so she'd sat beside him.
When he stood to introduce himself, her heart nearly stopped.
> It's him! The angel who helped me home... the demon who rose from the depths of hell to stand by my side… and he's my deskmate?!
He was talking to her again! Did he not remember her? It hadn't even been half a year since they last met!
She wanted to speak normally, but her mind went blank. Her face, her ears—everything burned with embarrassment.
---
"Next!"
"My name is Dōma Taihei. I love cooking, and my dream is to travel the ninja world."
Naruto, who had been about to tease Hinata again, almost choked.
> This guy… is a big shot!
He stood up. "I support your dream! Uh… do you have a sister?"
"…No."
Dōma blinked. This guy wants to get married on the moon, and he supports my dream? What for? Travel together? On the moon??
Also… what does that have to do with having a sister?
---
"Next."
"My name is Izumi Masamune. I love reading, and my dream is to write novels. Also—I don't have a sister," he added quickly.
Naruto blinked. Wait, I didn't even ask yet!
> Two guys. One wants to travel, one wants to write. You two are Jiraiya 2.0.
"Next."
"My name is… uh… and I don't have a sister."
"Next!"
Each student that followed now ended their introduction with "I don't have a sister," clearly warned at home not to talk to the loud blond boy.
"Next!"
"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. I like training. My dream is to surpass my brother. I don't have a sister."
As the cool Uchiha boy spoke, girls squealed across the classroom.
> The Uchiha genes are at least thirty years ahead in Konoha fashion.
Even Sasuke seemed thrown off by the weird vibe, forced to add that last line.
Iruka pressed on, trying to get the class back on track.
---
"My name is Akimichi Choji. I love barbecue. My dream is to eat all the barbecue I want. I don't have a sister."
Naruto looked at the chubby kid and nodded to himself.
> Now that's a dream you can actually accomplish.
Naruto gave up watching the rest of the intros. How did a simple self-introduction turn into a "Do you have a sister?" survey?
---
"…Um… Naruto-kun…" a small voice beside him said.
Naruto turned.
"I… I have a little sister," Hinata whispered, before burying her face in her arms again.
Naruto smacked his forehead.
> Seriously? There's actually someone here who has a sister?!
> I don't care if you have a sister!
> I just want to skip class. I can't survive in this chaos any longer.