The Ninja Academy looked just as it always had: red tiles, white walls, and the lively sound of students reading aloud. Nothing much had changed.
As soon as Rikusei stepped through the gate, the teachers loitering in the corridor surrounded him, sizing him up in amazement.
"You're back?"
"Are you going to class?"
Rikusei hurriedly shook his head, making it clear he had no intention of going. He still wanted to spend a few more days doing as he pleased.
Go to school?
Not a chance.
He was even going to skip class right in front of the teachers.
"What's it like inside Bright Moon?"
Keeping his voice low, he gave them a simple description of life on the moon.
Once he'd satisfied their curiosity, Rikusei strutted toward the office. That was where he belonged.
With dismissal time approaching, there weren't many people in the office. He made himself at home in Tobirama's seat, pulled down the newspaper propped up on the desk opposite, and greeted the astonished eyes behind it. "Morning, Great Elder Kaku."
"?"
Kaku froze with the newspaper in both hands. Glancing out the window at the sun sinking in the west, he lowered the paper in exasperation. "It's almost evening. Kyu was supposed to be on duty today, wasn't he? You've returned to the village, and he hasn't even come to report."
Rikusei settled in as if he were back in his own home. Smiling, he picked up the tea set and poured himself a cup of hot tea. "Teacher wouldn't let him leave his post without permission."
"Then where's the clan head now?"
Kaku scooted his chair forward and sat up straight, studying the boy he hadn't seen in two years.
He'd grown quite a bit, and his calm demeanor made him seem more and