It's Normal to Have Strange Thoughts

Worried that Ito Hanako might say something else strange, Ito Hirofumi hurriedly set down his bowl and chopsticks after only a few bites.

"Grandfather, Father, Mother, I'm finished! I'm heading to the Ninja Academy now!"

Seeing the look his wife gave him, Ito Aoyama stood up immediately.

Ito Hirofumi looked back at his father, who seemed to be hesitating, with some confusion. His father never used to see him off when he left for school, and besides, he wasn't a little kid anymore.

"Father... is something the matter?" Ito Hirofumi asked, looking at Ito Aoyama with curiosity.

"Ah... well, it's like this..."

Ito Aoyama appeared somewhat awkward.

"If you have something to say, Father, just say it! This isn't like you at all!"

"Ah... it's just, it's about what your mother said earlier.

I was your age once, too, and it's perfectly normal for a young man to have some strange thoughts...

But you still need to take care of your health; after all, you're still a bit too young.

It's normal to have some strange thoughts when you're alone at night!

Just try to get more rest in the future, and don't let yourself end up like you did today—those dark circles under your eyes are just too heavy!"

Hearing this, Ito Hirofumi's mouth twitched uncontrollably, and his face instantly flushed a deep red!

What kind of strange things was his father saying?!

He couldn't possibly think he'd spent the whole night doing something inappropriate, could he?!

Damn it!!!!!

"Father! I have no idea what you're talking about! You don't need to see me off anymore! Goodbye!!!!"

With that, Ito Hirofumi bolted toward the Ninja Academy as if he were fleeing.

Ito Aoyama stood where he was, awkwardly reaching up to rub the tip of his nose.

When he was curious about those things back in the day, his own father had talked to him just like that, so why did it feel so wrong when he did it to his own son?!

Upon arriving at the Ninja Academy, Ito Hirofumi let out a long sigh of relief...

It seemed he really had gone a bit too far with Uchiha Sasuke last night.

He'd made his parents misunderstand the situation!

He would have to be a bit more careful with his training in the future!

Iruka hadn't arrived in the classroom yet, so the room was quite chaotic.

Nara Shikamaru was slumped over his desk, looking listless; Yamanaka Ino was fiddling with some flowers; Akimichi Choji was frantically stuffing his face with potato chips; Haruno Sakura was gazing at Uchiha Sasuke with a lovestruck expression; and Uzumaki Naruto was standing on a desk, shouting something unintelligible...

"Yo! Choji, eating already? How many snacks did you bring today?"

"Of course I brought plenty! You know as well as anyone that I don't keep anything but snacks in this bag!"

Hearing this, Akimichi Choji reached into his bag and pulled out another bag of chips to hand over...

"Yo! Ino, those flowers are nice! Who are you planning to give them to?!"

At Ito Hirofumi's words, Yamanaka Ino's face instantly turned bright red, and she stammered, unable to get a word out...

"Shikamaru! Didn't sleep well last night?!"

"School and all that is just such a drag..."

Nara Shikamaru scratched his pineapple-shaped hair, looking completely unmotivated.

"Hey, hey, hey!! Naruto! What are you doing? Performing performance art?!"

"Hirofumi, why do you feel different today than you did before?! It's so weird, you're exactly like that stuck-up Sasuke!!!"

Uzumaki Naruto, standing on the desk, scratched his head in confusion as he looked at Ito Hirofumi, then glanced over at Uchiha Sasuke, who was sitting in the corner by the window...

"Oh my! Big Forehead! Still sneaking looks at Sasuke?!"

"Huh? You hateful Ito Hirofumi! What are you spouting off about? I am not! Sneaking looks... I would never!!!"

Haruno Sakura said, her face turning bright red.

At the same time, she secretly glanced at Uchiha Sasuke not far away, wanting to see how he would react if he knew she was watching him.

But unfortunately, Uchiha Sasuke just sat there with a serene expression, showing no reaction at all...

"..."

Ito Hirofumi greeted all his classmates in the room; after all, they had all grown quite close over the past few years.

Their relationships were excellent, and Ito Hirofumi could even proudly say that he was allowed to eat Akimichi Choji's potato chips!

Uchiha Sasuke, sitting in the corner by the window, appeared to be focused on the view outside, but the corner of his eye was constantly tracking Ito Hirofumi.

A flicker of imperceptible envy flashed through his eyes...

Just then, Uchiha Sasuke noticed Ito Hirofumi walking toward him, and he couldn't help but feel a bit nervous.

Although this guy had often tried to talk to him in the past, he had never given him a pleasant look...

Although he truly wanted to make friends deep down, he just... he just didn't know how to face them!

Even though there were times he wanted to have a proper conversation with the other person, the words that came out of his mouth always ended up completely different!

"Yo! Sasuke! You seem to have gotten even more handsome today, though there's still a huge gap between you and yours truly! Hehehehehehe..."

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Sasuke's face instantly flushed red!

"Tch! Is that all you can do, spout big talk?! I heard we have a practical combat exercise today, Ito Hirofumi! I'll show you what the power of the Uchiha is! What the pride of the Uchiha is!!!"

After saying this, Uchiha Sasuke turned his face away in a very awkward manner, feeling incredibly regretful inside.

Damn it!!!

He had clearly intended to argue with this guy about who was more handsome, so why on earth did it inexplicably turn into the power and pride of the Uchiha again?!

Stealing a glance at Ito Hirofumi and seeing that he didn't seem angry, Uchiha Sasuke finally breathed a sigh of relief...

After returning to the empty Uchiha compound where he was all alone last night, Uchiha Sasuke had thought about many things throughout the night.

Especially that special feeling Ito Hirofumi gave him!

The feeling that they were practically flowing with the same blood!!!

Uchiha Sasuke's intuition told him that it was highly likely that Ito Hirofumi carried the bloodline of the Uchiha!

Although that idiot Uzumaki Naruto also gave him a special feeling, it was completely different from the sensation Ito Hirofumi evoked!