SS007

With days turning into weeks and weeks into months, Seikun established a fairly consistent routine for himself. On days he attended the Academy, he would wake up between 3 and 4 AM to work on increasing his stamina and improving his physique. After that, he attended classes like any other student, ensuring his grades were at the very top of the class so that if he decided to sleep during afternoon lectures, no one stopped him.

On days when he didn't attend the Academy, such as the last day of the week or during special holidays, Seikun changed things up from what he had done the first time around by hanging out with Kiba, Shikamaru, Choji, and, every now and then, Sasuke. It was difficult to say they were friends, but if Hiashi tried to derail his career as he had previously, Seikun felt that befriending the heirs of various clans would provide some insurance.

To Seikun's surprise, he didn't find hanging out with the boys in his class or playing children's games as tedious as he expected. Some of the boys complained, as he virtually never lost games like tag or hide and seek, but since he never spoke arrogantly or talked down to them, they never tried ostracizing or avoiding him. In fact, because he was pretty open with his training regimen and showed consistent results, several of his classmates began their own and came to him for advice...

...

..

.

With Winter fast approaching, Seikun wasn't too surprised when a few snowflakes began to fall on his way to the Academy, flitting down from the overcast sky above.

Extending his right hand, Seikun caught one of the snowflakes on the tip of his index finger. He, like many others, was wearing wool gloves so the snowflake didn't melt immediately. Instead, it lingered for a few seconds, allowing him to admire its complex crystalline structure.

'Does the Infinite Tsukuyomi truly simulate crystal latticework, or does it only appear detailed because I'm observing it...?' Seikun wondered, his limited knowledge of theoretical and quantum physics manifesting in his mind, courtesy of the memories he inherited from his first life.

With no way to prove or disprove his suspicions without, perhaps, dying, Seikun shook his head, wiped his hand on his pant leg, and resumed his short journey to the Academy. Ever since his chance encounter with Ino, he had made a habit of showing up to class at least half an hour early. He might have stopped doing so after a while, but since he had made a habit of it, it gave those who wanted to see or speak with him, for one reason or another, a convenient opportunity to do so.

"It's about time you showed up, Seikun," said Ino, one of two people who had made a habit of arriving just as early as him. The other was her pink-haired, blue-eyed tag-along, Sakura.

"Good morning to you too, Ino..." responded Seikun, his voice a lazy drone as he raised his right hand to cover a yawn. Then, meeting the somewhat intense gaze of Sakura, causing her to startle and look a little anxious, he asked, "What's on today's agenda...?"

Averting her gaze and nervously pressing the tips of her fingers together, Sakura responded, "I...I was going over some of the practice problems for third years and got stuck...do you think you could help me?"

"We've only been attending the Academy for three months, and you're up to third-year equations...?" asked Seikun, feigning surprise. The Sakura he knew outside had a lot of problems, but no one could deny that she was a very intelligent or, at the very least, diligent student.

"You say that as if you're not on a similar or even higher level..." retorted Ino, combing back the bangs framing the left side of her face to highlight the baby blue hairpin she had recently purchased.

"New hairpin...?" asked Seikun, causing a smile to blossom across Ino's face as she affirmed, "That's right. Now compliment me properly."

Instead of rolling his eyes or telling Ino to get over herself, Seikun crossed his arms and made it seem like he was seriously considering his response. If he delayed too long, she would get annoyed. So, after a few seconds had passed, he gave a curt nod and said, "It suits you. I like that it's a slightly different shade of blue than your eyes, so while it stands out when people stare at it, it doesn't distract from your natural charms."

Satisfied with Seikun's response, Ino's smile broadened. Despite this, she made a point to mirror his cross-armed stance and retort, "Seventy-seven points. Passable, but you can definitely do better."

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind..." replied Seikun, shaking his head in mock exasperation before taking a seat in Sasuke's usual spot. Ino had a bad habit of sitting atop the desk with her left leg pulled up, but since she generally wore pants or shorts and still had a lot of maturing to do before she would become a distraction, he largely ignored her and helped Sakura get even further ahead in her studies...

...

..

.

Arriving a few minutes before the start of class, Hinata, wearing a pale-purple jacket with a fuzzy fur hem, not all that dissimilar to the one she wore as a Genin, smiled the moment she entered the classroom and saw Seikun look over with his usual lazy expression.

Though she was about to sit next to him, Hinata raised her hand, smiled, and waved before walking over and joining him, habitually sitting closer to Seikun than the edge of the bench they shared.

"Someone's in a good mood," remarked Seikun, raising his brows slightly as he asked, "Did something good happen...?"

Nodding, Hinata pulled out a decorative envelope with a cartoon rabbit-themed sticker holding the flap in place. Seikun couldn't help noticing that the doodles covering the envelope were all hand-drawn, but he chose not to say anything about it at that moment. Instead, he raised his brows and asked, "What's this? If it's a love letter, you've become even bolder than I imagined..."

As she had largely gotten used to Seikun's teasing, Hinata rolled her eyes and confirmed, "It's not a love letter. It's an invitation to my birthday party on the 27th. My father said I could invite up to ten people to attend, and I wanted you, Seikun, to receive the first invitation."

"Then I'll be sure to be the first to arrive..." responded Seikun, unable to suppress a smile. Even when he befriended Hinata in the past, she never invited him or anyone else to visit her home as she worried they might be frightened by her father or other clan members. That she could do so now implied things had improved considerably for her back home.

Adopting a gratified smile and narrowing her eyes, Hinata dealt a critical blow to Seikun as she softly expressed, "Thank you, Seikun. It's because you've supported me these past few months that I could finally meet my father's expectations. Because of that, he even said you can stay with us over New Year's. You just need to bring enough clothes for three or four days when you visit for my birthday."

"Seriously...?" asked Seikun, his expression one of genuine incredulity. It was already unusual for a boy like him to be permitted to attend Hinata's birthday party. Being invited to stay overnight, not just for one, but three or four days, sounded like a trap.

"Do you not want to...?" countered Hinata, her smile fading considerably. She didn't frown or look melancholic, but Seikun got the impression she would be extremely disappointed if he refused...

"Why wouldn't I?" asked Seikun, forcing a slightly awkward smile as he elucidated, "It's just surprising, is all. I've never been invited to stay at another person's house. It's...surprisingly nerve-wracking..."

Covering her mouth to stifle a giggle, Hinata seemed genuinely amused as she narrowed her eyes and remarked, "I see..." Then, as Iruka had just arrived, she shifted her gaze to the front, prompting Seikun, feeling a little disjointed, to do the same...

...

..

.

[December 23rd]

"Eat...this...!" barked Kiba, flinging a baseball-sized beanbag at Seikun with all his might. Unfortunately for him, the latter was able to dodge it by turning his body to the side, kicking the beanbag into the air with the ball of his left foot before catching it between the index and middle fingers of his right hand.

"I win," said Seikun, his tone matter-of-factly as he adopted a faint smile. In response, Kiba fell to his knees, dramatically clutching the sides of his face as he shouted, "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! I was so freaking close...!"

"Close only counts with poison bombs and explosive talismans!" retorted Ino, standing on the sidelines with the other girls in their class, positioned at their very center. Her remark caused her groupies, sans Sakura, to pile on teasing retorts of their own, but not too many, as Ino swiftly raised her hand to silence them before they got her in trouble.

"Okay, that wraps up today's lessons," said Iruka, making a few notes on his clipboard before tucking it under his arm and adding, "After today, you have twelve days to rest, recuperate, and enjoy the Winter break. But that isn't an excuse to be negligent. Don't forget that you have a paper on the history of Konoha's founders due the day you return."

"Awww, come on, Mr. Umino!" exclaimed Naruto, standing with his hands behind his head as he argued, "Who cares about a bunch of old farts who aren't even here anymore? They already have their faces plastered up on the cliffs at the back of the village. How much more do we need to honor them?"

Adopting a stern expression, Iruka responded, "Naruto, you stay here. The rest of you are free to go. Have a nice vacation, everyone."

With the exception of Naruto, Seikun, Sasuke, Shikamaru, and a few others, the rest of the class cheered and reacted affirmingly to Iruka's well-wishes. Seikun was also looking forward to the vacation, but since each day brought him closer to Hinata's birthday and his coinciding stay at the Hyuga Clan Compound, he was feeling a little on edge.

Exacerbating Seikun's condition, though it didn't show on his face, Hinata separated from the larger group of girls and approached him, beaming as she said, "Congratulations on winning the dodge competition, Seikun. The way you moved at the end was really cool."

"Thanks for the compliment," responded Seikun, returning a smile. "But is it okay if you linger like this? I imagine your father is the one who came to pick you up today."

"Actually..." muttered Hinata, averting her eyes, smiling awkwardly, and scratching her right cheek as she revealed, "Me and the other girls from class are having a sleepover at Ino's house. They asked me to ask if you wanted to come and hang out for a bit. We're doing a study group to get a jump start on our essays."

Though the obvious answer was a firm no, Seikun maintained his smile and replied, "Sure, why not? But only if Kiba and some of the other guys can join us. It would be a little strange if I were the only guy present at a gathering of girls preparing for a sleepover..."

Nodding in agreement, Hinata responded, "Okay. I'll go and ask," before turning around and running cutely back to Ino's group. The grimace on the latter's face, even from afar, made it evident she wasn't enthused by the prospect of having a bunch of boys invading her home and personal space, but since she couldn't deny it would be strange if Seikun were the only boy she invited, she extended the invitation to Shikamaru, Choji, and, since he had been mentioned by name, Kiba...

...

..

.