9 Chapter 09 - First Day in Ninja Academy 04.

[Chapter Size: 1832 Words.]

Third Person POV

Ninja Academy, Konoha, Year 32.

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The discussion between Tsuna and Mikoto had quickly escalated, both with inflamed pride and looks that cast sparks at each other. Minato, sitting between them, felt like a boat adrift between two colliding storms. Their voices rose, each word sharp as a kunai, until the attention of the entire room was turned to the trio.

It was the voice of Professor Fuuma, strong and unmistakable, that broke the tension. "Girls, can you stop this! Respect the class!" He shouted, the veins in his forehead pulsing with the frustration of an educator trying to maintain order. Tsuna and Mikoto immediately fell silent, but still glared at each other, the challenge clear in their eyes.

Minato, feeling the weight of the silence that followed, tried to intervene. "Can you both calm down a bit, you're still drawing attention!" he whispered, trying to appease the situation. However, his attempt was met with a simultaneous and severe "Shut up" from both girls, leaving him stunned and a little more cautious about intervening in future disputes.

As the teacher resumed the class, discussing details about chakra control techniques, Minato sank into his own thoughts. 'My chakra control is still horrible, and I'm at a disadvantage compared to the other students who have been training even before the academy,' he reflected, recalling the teacher's words about his surprising amount of chakra. 'But I'm surprised I have more chakra than everyone here, except Tsuna... that's an advantage, but I hope not to have the same control difficulties as my future son.'

His mind, always working and planning, began to trace a path to follow. 'I have to train chakra control, observation haki, and my pika pika no mi... it's so much for me when I'm only 6 years old...' The magnitude of his goals and the skills he needed to master seemed overwhelming, but Minato's determination did not waver, and he would master these techniques in due time.

He thought further ahead, beyond the academy and to the larger events he knew were to come. 'It's good to be prepared before the second ninja war breaks out. I might even save the Uzumaki, which should happen before the third ninja war... they will be valuable allies...' He pondered the future, knowing that many of his plans would take years to materialize. But time was a resource he was willing to invest in intense training.

"Anyway, I still have plenty of time to prepare, so I'll focus on the now and leave the future for later..." Minato murmured to himself, trying to reorient himself after the torrent of thoughts and concerns about the future.

"What are you mumbling there, Minato?" Tsuna asked, leaning closer with a curious expression. Beside him, Mikoto also looked at him, her sharp eyes indicating a similar interest. Minato sighed internally, 'Damn... forgot I'm between these two. My years in the academy can't be as quiet as I imagined before Kushina's arrival with these two by my side...' he lamented silently.

"It's nothing, Tsuna, I'm just thinking out loud..." He tried to deflect, hoping the conversation wouldn't deviate into another clash between the two.

"I see... just pay attention in class. We've been drawing a lot of attention from the teacher lately. I don't want to draw any more attention from him..." Tsuna grumbled, clearly worried about the image they were projecting to the teacher and the rest of the class.

Mikoto, however, didn't miss the opportunity to snipe. "Tsk. The teacher calls you out because you're scandalous! The secret is not to get caught..." she said, her tone laden with typical Uchiha arrogance.

"What did you say, Uchiha?!" Tsuna retorted, her voice increasing in volume and irritation.

Minato rolled his eyes, foreseeing the start of another heated argument. "I'm saying you're too scandalous for a ninja," Mikoto replied, keeping her voice expressionless, but her words were like fuel to the fire.

"I'll show you that with my fists!" Tsuna growled, clearly provoked beyond her limit.

"Come at me, Senju. I'll show you the power of the Sharingan!" Mikoto challenged, even though her own Sharingan wasn't activated yet.

"You haven't even unlocked your Sharingan yet, girl!" Tsuna retorted, mocking Mikoto's threat.

BANG!

The entire room trembled with the sound of a book slamming on Professor Fuuma's desk. The noise echoed like thunder, immediately capturing everyone's attention. Minato, Tsuna, and Mikoto, together in the last row, turned abruptly to face the source of the sound. The professor was staring at them with eyes sparkling with frustration.

"You two, stop arguing again! You are disturbing the class. I swear next time I will put you both in detention!" Fuuma spoke, his tone serious and impatient cutting through the air like a blade. The threat was clear, and for a moment, a heavy silence fell over the room.

The other students, witnesses to this confrontation, looked toward the corner of the room with a variety of expressions. Some glances were tinged with envy, not just for the attention Minato received from Tsuna and Mikoto but also for the beauty and promise the two kunoichis exhibited. Other students whispered among themselves, questioning how Minato, a mere civilian, managed to stand firm and even mediate between two such dominant forces from such renowned clans.

"Why are they always together now?" a boy whispered, unable to divert his gaze from the intriguing trio.

"He must be trying to use their connection to climb up the ranks," another boy speculated, his voice laden with poorly disguised jealousy.

For Minato, Tsuna, and Mikoto, however, these murmurs were little more than distant background noise. They were far more concerned with the immediate consequences of their actions.

"Can you stop arguing all the time? It's the first day of class!" Minato finally said, his voice firm and somewhat exasperated. He knew he needed to intervene before things escalated further.

"Hm." Tsuna turned her face away, clearly annoyed, but recognizing the seriousness of the situation.

"Tsk." Mikoto, equally frustrated, looked the other way, the tension still evident in her expression.

Minato could only sigh, feeling the weight of the day on his shoulders. He wished the class would end soon so he could escape from that battlefield.

As the class proceeded, a tense silence prevailed in the last row where Minato, Tsuna, and Mikoto were seated. The two girls, having been reprimanded by Professor Fuuma, kept quiet, but the atmosphere around them was still charged. However, Minato felt the weight of the looks directed at him, an uncomfortable sensation he couldn't ignore.

'Great, I'm drawing attention thanks to these girls...' Minato grumbled to himself, feeling a mix of irritation and concern. He noticed different types of looks coming from his classmates. Some, like Shikaku Nara, looked at him with an expression that mixed pity and a desire for distance, as if proximity to the troublesome trio was a kind of contagion they wanted to avoid.

Members of the Uchiha clan, on the other hand, cast looks laden with resentment and anger. Minato couldn't say for sure if their anger came from seeing him close to the chief's daughter or if it was because he, a civilian, had somehow surpassed or offended their pride. Either way, he knew these looks were not good.

The class dragged on, with Professor Fuuma continuing to lecture on the fundamentals of the village and chakra. Minato tried to focus on the class, but the sensation of stares upon him was a constant distraction. Tsuna was eyeing him, her gaze firm and resolved. He knew what that meant. She wanted to "talk to him" after the incident on the test day.

As soon as the bell rang, signaling the end of the class, Minato, already anticipating Tsuna's imminent approach, acted quickly. With agility that surprised even some of the more experienced ninjas, he grabbed his things and leaped off the counter in a single fluid motion. "Wait, Minato!" Tsuna called, but he had no intention of stopping. His only focus was to get away from the "blonde maniac" and the uncomfortable situation he knew was approaching.

With agile movements, he weaved through the other students, passing by them as if he were running on a well-practiced track. Upon reaching the corridor, he found himself surrounded by students from all classes, a sea of faces. But that didn't stop him; he used it to his advantage, quickly blending into the crowd and disappearing from sight. "Damn! He vanished!" Tsuna murmured frustratedly, sweeping the corridor with her gaze, but Minato was already far away, indistinguishable among the other students.

Beside her, Mikoto appeared, a mocking smile on her lips. "Seems like even men run away from you..." she teased, enjoying the growing irritation of Tsuna. "Who's running from me! What do you think you're saying?" Tsuna retorted, veins popping on her forehead, her patience clearly running thin. "I'm saying you'll never find a man that way since they're already running from you!" Mikoto continued, her taunting sharp and direct.

"You talk as if you're better than me, blood-eye. No one wants a woman like you!" Tsuna returned, her words laden with anger and challenge. The exchange between them was like a verbal battle, each word a strike aimed to wound.

Meanwhile, far from the tension and irritated glances, Minato ran through the streets of Konoha, his breathing rhythmic and focused. He knew he had narrowly escaped and that the break would be brief. "It's time to train again!" he said to himself, his voice full of determination. He skipped going to lunch at the orphanage to train, not wanting to waste any time.

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