This time, Uzumaki Hayashi slept until he woke up naturally.
No Chunin carried him off, and nobody banged on his door. It was bright outside, and sunlight streamed into his room.
He lingered in bed a little longer, humming contentedly at how good life was.
Unfortunately, good as it was, he still had school to attend.
He slowly got up and washed, fastened his Ninja Tool Pouch at his waist, and tucked his banknotes safely against his body. Only then did he yawn and open the door.
And that yawn stopped halfway, caught right in his throat.
Two people stood outside.
The blond one sat on the stone steps, hugging his knees, his head bobbing like a chick pecking at grain as he slept soundly.
The black-haired one leaned against the wall with his arms folded. At the sound of the door opening, he lifted his eyelids and looked straight over.
"...Huh?"
Uzumaki Hayashi stood in the doorway, stunned for a good while.
"What are you two doing outside my house this early in the morning?"
"Hayashi! You're awake!"
Naruto Uzumaki jolted upright, dusted off his pants, and flashed a delighted grin.
"I was worried you wouldn't know how to get to school! Yesterday was your first day, and Grandpa Hokage called you away in the afternoon. What if you couldn't find your way today? So I came here specially to wait for you!"
...All right. He appreciated the thought.
The corner of Uzumaki Hayashi's mouth twitched as he looked at the other boy. "And you?"
Sasuke Uchiha pushed away from the wall and turned his face aside, fixing his gaze on the grass by the road.
"Yesterday, I said I'd go down and stand up for you." His voice was quiet, every word clear and deliberate. "In the end, I didn't."
"When I say something, I have to follow through. That's why I came today."
Having said that, he shut his mouth and stood there without adding anything.
Uzumaki Hayashi waited ages, but nothing more came.
...That's it? He came all this way just to report that?
"Hahahaha!"
Beside them, Naruto Uzumaki immediately blew his cover, laughing so hard he doubled over. "So basically, you wanted to tag along but couldn't come up with an excuse!"
"What did you say?"
Sasuke Uchiha's expression instantly darkened.
"Wait, wait. Don't start arguing." Uzumaki Hayashi pressed a hand to his forehead. "Let me ask you something—how did you two know I lived here?"
He hadn't said a word to either of these kids about being assigned a home after arriving in the village.
"Iruka-sensei told me!"
Naruto Uzumaki blurted it out without a second thought. "After we had ramen yesterday, Iruka-sensei walked me home. He told me which building you lived in on the way, so I remembered!"
Before he'd even finished, he tacked on, "And then this guy followed right behind me first thing this morning, all the way here-"
"Who followed you?!"
Sasuke Uchiha bristled on the spot. "I just happened to be going in the same direction!"
"Happened to?" Naruto Uzumaki's eyes went round. "Your house is in the other direction! Do you think I'm stupid?"
"I went out for some morning exercise and a walk. Is that not allowed?"
"Morning exercise? What kind of morning exercise takes you to someone else's front door? Who are you trying to fool?"
"You were walking too slowly and blocking my way."
"You-!"
The two schoolboys traded barbs, their voices rising with every exchange. Any moment now, it would turn into a real fight.
Standing in his doorway, Uzumaki Hayashi felt his head buzzing.
It was early in the morning, and he hadn't even had a bite of breakfast, yet he already had to watch this little show.
"All right, all right."
He stepped forward, placed one hand on each boy's head, and pushed them apart.
"We're about to leave, and you're still arguing. Keep this up, and none of us will make it to class today."
Naruto Uzumaki huffed and turned his face one way. Sasuke Uchiha huffed too, turning his face the other way.
Well, look at that teamwork.
The three of them headed to school like that. Naruto walked in the middle, chattering nonstop, while Sasuke trailed half a step behind with his hands in his pockets, saying nothing. But if anyone suggested he wanted to leave, he certainly didn't miss a single step as he followed them.
The moment they entered the school gates, Uzumaki Hayashi sensed something was off.
Gazes shot toward them from every direction. Students huddled in twos and threes, whispering under their breath and stealing glances at him.
"What's going on?" Uzumaki Hayashi asked quietly. "Is there something on my face?"
"You haven't heard?"
Naruto Uzumaki perked up at once and leaned closer, giving a vivid account. "Sikong! You know, that Sifeng guy! He got expelled yesterday afternoon! I heard the ANBU went to get him themselves! The ones with masks! They appeared with a whoosh, then took him away with another whoosh!"
Uzumaki Hayashi's steps faltered.
Damn, that old man, the Third, really moved fast. They'd only just talked yesterday, and he'd dealt with the guy that very afternoon. Clean and quick, too.
No wonder.
It clicked all at once: no wonder that lazy Shikamaru Nara had kept sizing him up and digging for answers over ramen last night, as if he were running a background check.
Anyone who heard that news would have questions.
Once they entered the classroom, the whispering didn't stop. Instead, the rumors grew even wilder.
"See him? That's the one..."
"I heard the ANBU went straight into the school yesterday afternoon..."
"He dared to use B-rank ninjutsu on his very first day here. He must have someone important backing him..."
"If you ask me, could he be Lord Third's illegitimate grandchild? Think about it. Red hair, a personal audience with the Third, Jonin Kakashi escorting him himself, and even the ANBU getting involved..."
Uzumaki Hayashi's eyelid gave a violent twitch.
The rumors were getting more ridiculous by the minute. Yesterday, his origins were a mystery. Today, they'd promoted him straight into the ruling family?
Then another thought struck him, and his heart sank-this was bad.
He was always calling him "Grandpa Third," and it rolled off his tongue pretty easily.
If those people actually latched onto that, he'd never be able to explain himself, no matter how much he talked.
He couldn't be bothered with them. He went straight to his window seat in the back row, slumped over the desk, and buried his face in his folded arms.
Out of sight, out of mind.
After the bell rang, Umino Iruka stepped up to the lectern with his lesson plans. Today's topic was the Will of Fire.
"The Will of Fire means..." Iruka spoke passionately at the front of the room. "Where leaves dance, the fire burns on. Its light will continue to illuminate the village and allow new leaves to sprout..."
Below the lectern, Naruto Uzumaki slept with drool running from his mouth.
Uzumaki Hayashi propped his chin on his hand, listening with a blank stare.
It sounded nice enough, but the problem was, he just wanted to lounge around and eat ramen. What did those leaves sprouting or not have to do with him?
He absorbed even less of the afternoon lessons-not a single word.
He spent the entire day slumped over his desk, looking forlorn. By the time the bell rang to end the last class, dusk was already falling outside.
The moment the final bell rang, students poured out of the classroom.
Sasuke Uchiha rose and left without hesitation. Uzumaki Hayashi slowly packed his things, still wearing an utterly bored expression.
Just then, two figures stopped beside his desk.
He looked up-it was Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka.
Now that they were close enough to see his face clearly, both girls' eyes lit up.
"Wow..." Sakura Haruno exclaimed softly. "You look even better up close... How is your skin so nice? And your eyelashes are so long..."
"Right? Right?" Ino Yamanaka chimed in without even lowering her voice. "I said it at the ramen shop yesterday. Our transfer student is seriously gorgeous!"
Uzumaki Hayashi managed a polite smile.
He'd heard the word "pretty" so often over the past two days that he'd long since gone numb to it.
After finishing their compliments, the two girls stepped back, put their heads together, and started whispering-
Though calling it whispering was generous, given the volume.
"Ino, are you sure about this...?"
"Sure! Absolutely sure! You didn't see Shikamaru yesterday-Shikamaru! The guy who acts like everyone is such a drag! Even he couldn't stop praising him yesterday! He kept staring at the door long after he'd left!"
"Seriously...?"
"Trust me, you can't go wrong! Should we invite him shopping with us? Right now!"
Uzumaki Hayashi: "..."
He sat there and heard every single word.
He could put up with the compliments about his looks, but that deadpan Shikamaru couldn't stop praising him?
What a joke.
While he was silently scoffing, the girls finished their discussion. Ino Yamanaka turned around and confidently held out a hand to him.
"Hey—Hayashi! Come shopping with us! We'll browse around, then stop by my family's flower shop! The flowers in our shop are really beautiful!"
Uzumaki Hayashi blinked.
Shopping?
He counted them off. In all his days in Konoha, everyone around him had been male-the Third, Kakashi, Iruka, Naruto, Sasuke. Even his companions over ramen last night had been Shikamaru and Choji.
Today, finally, girls had invited him out to have fun!
Uzumaki Hayashi nearly teared up on the spot and nodded eagerly. "I'm in!"
"Huh? I want to go too!"
Naruto Uzumaki, who had just finished packing his schoolbag nearby, perked up his ears and immediately raised his hand.
"No!"
Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka spoke in unison.
"Why not?!" Naruto Uzumaki's face fell instantly.
"We're going on a girls' shopping trip! Why would you tag along?" Ino Yamanaka planted her hands on her hips. "Besides, we're going to a flower shop. Do you even know anything about flowers?"
"I..."
Naruto Uzumaki opened his mouth but couldn't come up with a single rebuttal. All he could do was look plaintively at Uzumaki Hayashi. "Hayashi, come back early, okay...?"
"Got it, got it."
Uzumaki Hayashi smiled and waved as he followed the girls out, happily making plans in his head.
Perfect. I've got fifty thousand yen on me and nowhere to spend it. I need a few changes of clothes, and a set of pots, bowls, and utensils too.
The three of them left the classroom, chatting and laughing.
Behind them, several boys in the classroom pricked up their ears in unison.
Shopping? A flower shop?
They exchanged glances, each reading the same thought in the others' eyes-
We have to follow them. Better yet, we could arrange a chance encounter.
Before you continue