Early the next morning, Hatake Kakashi appeared outside Hatake Kusuo's window like a phantom.
Kusuo was quite surprised to see him so punctual. In the original story, Kakashi was notoriously late for his first meeting with Naruto's team. For him to be this early for Kusuo clearly showed how much importance he placed on this first day of school—or rather, on Kusuo's education.
"Let's go."
Seeing that Kusuo was awake, Kakashi tossed out the simple phrase and vanished from the spot.
By the time Kusuo had finished getting ready, a stunning child in red clothes, with his hair in a ponytail and a sword at his side, was born.
On the way, Kakashi walked leisurely through the streets with his hands resting behind his head. Unexpectedly, Kusuo's attire drew a considerable amount of attention.
It couldn't be helped. How could anyone not take a second look at such a beautiful boy? That's right, he wasn't just handsome; he was so beautiful it was almost unfair.
Feeling the gazes of the passersby, Kusuo felt no ripples in his heart. A confident smile simply remained on his face.
"Daddy, he's so handsome!" a little girl said, pulling on her father's sleeve and shyly pointing at Kusuo from behind him.
"Er..." Her father was equally stunned, but upon seeing Kakashi next to Kusuo, he didn't dare say more. No matter how much the Hatake clan had declined, it was still a major clan. Moreover, they had a powerful pillar like Hatake Kakashi supporting them. For a commoner like him, his daughter's little crush was destined to be nothing more than a hopeless wish.
They arrived at the Ninja Academy without any trouble. A large crowd had already gathered, and with a casual glance, Kusuo recognized several famous faces. That stern-looking middle-aged man had to be the current head of the Uchiha clan, Fugaku Uchiha. Beside Fugaku, Sasuke stood with his chin held high in arrogance, as if he looked down on everyone present.
Elsewhere in the crowd, the most eye-catching person was Naruto. Although he had no family to see him off, he was incredibly energetic, chattering and jumping around the entire Ninja Academy grounds. In addition, the shy young lady of the Hyuga clan was hiding off to one side, along with the children of the other major clans like the Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi.
Kusuo's arrival undoubtedly created a new focal point. A boy with such perfect features and a warm smile on his face captured the attention of every little girl present the moment he appeared.
"Kakashi? A child from the Hatake clan?" Fugaku glanced over, giving them a second look because of Kakashi, but that was all. The heads of the other clans reacted similarly.
"He's so handsome!"
"I think he's even more handsome than Sasuke! I have to know his name!"
Sakura, who was near Naruto, was completely smitten, her eyes turning into hearts as she stared at Kusuo. Ino Yamanaka had the exact same reaction. The two cute girls expressed their admiration simultaneously, then shot each other a look filled with rivalry.
"Hey! Hey!" Naruto cried out, scratching his head in frustration as he saw the girl he liked fawning over another boy. However, Sakura paid him no attention at all, which only made Naruto more agitated.
The impulsive boy ran right up to Kusuo and yelled, "Hey, you! Do you have the guts to fight me? Whoever loses is a pig-head and can't go near Sakura ever again!"
Naruto completely ignored Kakashi and shouted loudly at Kusuo.
Kakashi rubbed his nose, looking at his cousin with amusement. With a hint of mischief, he deliberately stepped aside. He wanted to watch the show between the two kids.
Kusuo looked at Naruto, surprised that he had been challenged the moment he arrived at the Academy. Well now, he thought. Looks like I've stolen Sasuke's thunder. He glanced back at Sasuke and saw that he, too, was glaring at him with a look of displeasure.
"We're going to be classmates. There's no need to fight," Kusuo said with a shrug, declining Naruto's challenge.
However, in Naruto's eyes, this sounded like a sign of weakness, and he shouted even louder.
"What! So you're just a coward! If you're scared, you shouldn't have come to school! Pfft!" He finished by making a funny face at Kusuo.
"Sigh."
"Why must there be such clueless idiots?" Kusuo thought to himself, a gentle smile remaining on his face. "If that's the case, I'll be gentle with you."
Such arrogant words drew the attention of many of the adults. To face a provocation so calmly, without anger or impatience—the child's temperament was excellent. That was the evaluation of one of the clan heads.
"Hmph! Big talker! Take this!" Naruto scoffed, wiping his nose and charging forward with his fists swinging.
It was a joke.
Kusuo wasn't taking this seriously at all. A fight between children like this wasn't even worthy of him drawing his sword. He shot out a kick, sending Naruto tumbling to the ground. He had calculated Naruto's physical resilience; the kick wouldn't truly hurt him.
But the speed of that kick captured everyone's attention. It was too fast. Utterly unexpected.
"Interesting," Hiashi Hyuga remarked, instructing his daughter, Hinata. "My dear, you can try to get closer to him in the future. Learn from each other. Remember, the future of the Hyuga clan rests on your shoulders."
Hinata nodded in a daze, peeking out from behind her father to look at Kusuo with curiosity.
"You! That didn't count! I wasn't ready!" Naruto scrambled up from the ground, wiped the dust from his face, and gritted his teeth, ready to continue the fight. He braced himself, crouching low and preparing to charge again.
"There's no need. This fight ends here."
A figure appeared behind Naruto like a phantom. A hand rested gently on Naruto's shoulder as the words were spoken lightly.
Naruto froze.
Everyone else froze too.
Only the experienced clan heads showed expressions of utter shock. The other children and their parents stared with their mouths wide open in disbelief.
They were stunned. Everyone was stunned.
"Impossible! How can a child who hasn't even started school possess that kind of speed!"
"This kid..." A flash of crimson flickered in Fugaku's eyes. He had just used his Sharingan and had seen Kusuo's movement perfectly. Hiashi Hyuga had done the same, the veins on his forehead bulging—the sign of his Byakugan being active.
"I never thought a simple opening ceremony would allow me to discover such an interesting child," Hiashi said, nodding at Kusuo before saying no more.
Over with the Uchiha, Sasuke watched his father lavish praise on another boy. He stared at Kusuo, a bitter taste of jealousy rising in his heart. His own father had never praised him like that.