Chapter III: Meeting the Pink and Blonde
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"Mmmh~!"
I woke up to the gentle rays of the sun streaming into my room, pulling me from my dream-filled slumber.
Stretching my body to shake off any lingering stiffness from the night's rest, a few cracks sounded as I did my ninja stretches. Let me tell you, these ninja stretches are so intense that if you don't have a rubbery body, you might end up breaking more bones than cracking them.
After that, I did what any normal human would do to start the day – I went to the bathroom, took care of business, brushed my teeth, and then indulged in a refreshing cold-water bath.
'Ah~ a morning bath always refreshes my mind,' I thought, drying my hair with a towel in front of a big mirror.
Gazing into the reflection of my body, I couldn't help but marvel at it again. It was difficult to even describe it with my vocabulary.
With hair as dark as a moonless night cascading down to my shoulders and a face boasting captivating symmetry – a proportional nose and a well-defined jawline that could easily capture anyone's attention.
And with eyes, possessing a deep violet hue, that held a mesmerising allure that could effortlessly overshadow the brilliance of any precious pearl or gem he had seen.
"The {Body of Kama} is no joke. If I looked any longer, I might as well become a narcissist," I thought, chuckling to myself as I walked away from the bathroom before wearing some clothes and heading downstairs.
"You're late!" Hanabi exclaimed as soon as I entered the living room.
"It's 7 am. I'm not late; you're early," I retorted, ignoring her and sitting on the sofa.
"Are you forgetting that today is sister's yearly exam?" Hanabi asked, raising her eyebrows.
"I didn't forget. Okay. And we still have time. It starts at 8," I replied, as Mother entered the room wearing a dark blue kimono with a white sash around her waist, her braided hair falling gracefully over her shoulder.
"Are you two ready?" Mother inquired, her gaze alternating between Hanabi and me. We both nodded in response. A smile played on her lips as she remarked, "What are you waiting for then? Go on, and don't be late."
"It's still early, Mom. What's the point of going now? It's not like it's our first time at the Academy to get excited like this," I said, munching on my chips as I looked at the birds chirping outside, occasionally throwing a chip at them.
"Don't you think your sister needs some of her brotherly motivation before the exam? You're not going to take that away from her, right?" She said with a sly smile.
"Okay, okay, I got it, Mom! We're heading out, Hanabi. Bye. Let's go," I said, taking Hanabi out of the house, not trying to argue with her. You always lose if you do that, and believe me, I'm saying it from experience..
Walking out of our Mansion of a house, a vast complex of residences came into view. Most of them were constructed far better than the majority of houses in the village. After all, this entire complex was exclusively built to accommodate only the Hyugas.
The Hyugas were affluent enough to easily afford such privileges, much like the Uchihas, who were quite powerful both militarily and monetarily.
As we strolled through the complex, a few unkind gazes were directed our way, but we simply ignored them and exited the compound. They didn't have the guts to do it openly; otherwise, they knew the punishment for such actions in a dictatorial village.
It took us only a few minutes to reach the Academy. Typically, outsiders aren't permitted within the school perimeter, but being from a prestigious clan carries certain privileges and technically we still students so we easily can visit the academy.
For instance, civilian parents aren't allowed to witness the graduation test, but those with major clan backing are granted this privilege. Of course, not all members enjoy this right – only the sons and daughters of the family head were allowed.
"Tatsuya! Hanabi! Over here!" Suddenly, Hinata's voice echoed from the second floor of the Academy, calling us.
"Hey!" Hanabi and I waved at her, and she waved back upon spotting us. She was also accompanied by two other girls sitting on the ledge with her.
One had short pink hair and bright green eyes, dressed in a simple red dress with a white circular pattern and black shorts.
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The other girl had long blonde hair and blue eyes, dressed in a purple outfit with a short skirt, mesh leggings, and a kunai pouch.
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Of course, they were none other than Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka.
I nodded at Hanabi before both of us jumped to the second floor directly reaching where Hinata and her friends were waiting.
"Woah!" Sakura exclaimed, almost falling off the edge, seeing me suddenly appear beside her due to my speed. But I quickly stopped her from falling off by grabbing her hand.
Seeing me up close, Sakura felt her cheeks flush a little, mirroring the hue of her hair, as she found me unexpectedly close to her.
"You okay, Sakura?" I asked, noticing her flushed face.
"Yes, I'm okay," she murmured softly. I nodded, withdrawing my hand. I didn't dwell on her blushing much; as it's quite common for young girls, particularly with my allure and their raging hormones at play.
Glancing at Hinata, I smiled and asked, "How was your training? Confident about passing the exam?"
Hinata nodded calmly at my question, answering confidently, "Yes! I've been practising hard for it for months."
She wore a flowing white dress, her long hair cascading freely, a departure from the original shorter style. If I had to express an opinion, it suited her far better. It was, after all, my suggestion.
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"Good. As expected from my sister," I responded with a proud smile.
"What about me, Tatsuya? Won't you ask me? I've been practising hard too, you know," Ino chimed in, looking at me expectantly while twirling a strand of her hair around her fingers.
I shook my head in response and said, "How could I forget about you two? I was simply asking her first, as she seemed eager to share. Allow me to rephrase it. How's the training going for both of you? Sakura? Ino?"
"Umm... It's good. Since I've also been training for it for two months straight, I am confident I will pass," Ino answered, rubbing her head.
Sakura, not to be outdone, chimed in, "I've been putting in the effort too, and my father even hired a retired ninja to tutor me. So, I'm feeling pretty confident as well."
I smiled and said, "That's good to hear! I wish you both the best of luck."
Another thing that was surprising to me, was that the village had embraced a tuition and coaching culture during times of peace when ninja found themselves with fewer missions due to the absence of war.
And to fill the void, they extended their support to not only struggling academy students and dropouts but also to any civilian seeking to learn self-defence.
Of course, these Freelance Instructors needed a permit from the department under the Hokage, ensuring they refrained from teaching classified or forbidden jutsus.
Additionally, guidelines prohibited coaching that could incite conflict, oppose village values, or lead to mass indoctrination to prevent the formation of private ninja armies.
It might make someone think that having so many provisions for something as simple as Coaching is quite stupid to have and will only cause reduction in efficiency and quality of teaching. But the people at the top would rather have low quality civilians and dropouts than an uprising in the middle of their village.
Yes, an uprising had once occurred because some foolish individuals believed it was a good idea to seize control of a Hidden Stone Village with an army of dropouts and civilians, and elect themselves as leaders.
Unsurprisingly, their rebellion was swiftly crushed, and the leaders had their heads promptly removed.
This whole incident helped him grasp the complexity that emerges when attempting to blend ninja culture with the complexity of the real world.
"But We should head to the examination hall now; I can see others making their way. We shouldn't be too late." I said, putting an end to my thoughts.
They nodded at my words and swiftly moved toward the examination hall. The place buzzed with students from all sections, creating a lively atmosphere.
Sakura leaned in, her voice hushed, and whispered to Ino, "Have you noticed Tatsuya becoming even more handsome lately?"
Ino, with a sly smile, responded in a similarly hushed tone, "Oh, absolutely! I mean, who wouldn't notice? I had to muster all my strength not to just stare at his face. Dammit! This guy has been getting more and more handsome since he was just 6 years old. Do you know how challenging it was with him gazing directly into my eyes?"
I sighed as I listened to their voices. It seemed like they needed more training as ninjas; they should at least know how to talk quietly. Their conversation was loud enough for even Hanabi to hear, causing her to facepalm in response and Hinata to have an embarrassed face.
I could only blame this to my [Body of Kama]. Sometimes, I even worry that my own mother won't recognize me after a few decades.
That is why I can understand why their behaviour is like this, and even if it sounds a bit narcissistic, it's mostly because of my appearance.
It seemed they finally realized they might be talking a little too loudly, noticing that others were tuning into their girl talk. This realization prompted them to abruptly halt their conversation, looking away and feigning ignorance.
"The weather is quite nice today, right, Sakura?"
"Yes, yes, it is very good. The sun is quite round today." Sakura nodded to her as she looked at the sky like it was her first time seeing it.
"Pfft... Haha. You two are funny," Hanabi burst into laughter, causing them to lower their heads in embarrassment.
"Don't laugh at people, Hanabi, it's bad manners!" Hinata quickly chided her, but Hanabi just ignored her and continued laughing.
"Okay, enough Hanabi, they are already embarrassed," I intervened, seeing her continue to laugh. Finally, she stopped.
"And you two don't need to be embarrassed. In fact, I quite enjoyed the compliments from two lovely girls. I mean, which boy wouldn't, right?" I said with a playful grin.
Hanabi's face twitched upon hearing my words, muttering, 'Tch. Honey-tongued bastard…' under her breath.
Ino blushed a bit, looking flustered but still managed to flash a confident smile. "Well… I just spoke the truth, Tatsuya," she said, being much more straightforward.
Sakura, on the other hand, chuckled nervously, "Yeah, but it's just... you know, friendly compliments nothing more."
"Yes-Yes. I totally understand it. You don't have to worry," I reassured them with a calm smile.
Hinata saw how Tatsuya was talking with them so effortlessly and even causing them to blush, whenever he complimented them, a subtle uneasiness creeped into her heart . She couldn't quite pinpoint why this feeling surfaced.
"All of the examinees should come to the registration station to show their Identity Cards and confirm their attendance," announced Iruka sensei, their general class teacher, suddenly, pulling Hinata back from her thoughts.
"Let's go!" she said to Ino and Sakura while Tatsuya and Hanabi waited on the second floor, watching them.
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Here another's Chapter for the day. I am going full Au with this, so expect massive changes in this fic.
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