Worried that his mother, Hanako, might voice something even stranger than before, Hirofumi hurriedly set down his bowl and chopsticks after only a couple of bites.
"Grandfather, Father, Mother, I've finished eating. I'm heading to school now."
Aoyama, noticing the significant glance his wife shot him, immediately stood up from the table but unable to speak.
Hirofumi looked at his father, who appeared hesitant to speak. It was unusual for his father to see him off to school, especially since he was no longer a little kid.
"Father… Is there something you want to tell me?" Hirofumi asked, little curious but already expecting something what a parent might be curious of.
"Ah… Well, it's just that…"
Aoyama seemed a bit awkward, his words hanging in the air.
"Father, if there's something you need to say, just say it. This isn't like you."
"Uh… it's just what your mother was saying earlier. As your father, I understand—at your age, it's entirely normal for young boys to have strange thoughts…"
Hirofumi's eyes widened in disbelief as his father continued.
"But you should still take care of your body. After all, you're still quite young. It's completely normal to have weird thoughts when you're alone at night. But in the future, make sure you get enough rest. Don't end up like today, with such heavy dark circles under your eyes."
At that moment, Hirofumi felt a wave of awkwardness wash over him, and his face flushed a bright red.
What the heck was his father talking about? Did he really think Hirofumi had spent the entire night beating his meat?
"What the heck…? Father, I have no idea what you're talking about. There's really no need to see me off. Goodbye!"
With that, Hirofumi dashed out of the house and sprinted toward the Ninja Academy, as if he were fleeing from the scene of crime.
Aoyama stood there, awkwardly rubbing the tip of his nose.
Back when he was curious about those kinds of things, his own father had spoken to him like this. But why didn't it have the same effect on his son?
Arriving at the Ninja Academy, Hirofumi let out a long sigh of relief. It seemed he'd really overdone it with Madara last night. Even his parents had completely misunderstood the situation. It was clear he would need to be more cautious with his training in the future.
In the classroom, Iruka-sensei had yet to arrive, resulting in a lively, chaotic atmosphere.
Shikamaru Nara was sprawled across his desk, looking thoroughly exhausted. Ino Yamanaka was arranging a few delicate flowers on her desk. Choji Akimichi was enthusiastically munching on a seemingly endless supply of chips, while Sakura Haruno gazed dreamily at Sasuke Uchiha, who sat in his usual spot by the window. Meanwhile, Naruto Uzumaki had taken it upon himself to stand on a desk, shouting about one thing or another.
"Yo! Choji, already digging in? How many snacks did you bring today?" Hirofumi called out.
"Of course, I brought plenty! You know my backpack's always packed with snacks and nothing else!"
Upon saying this, Choji promptly pulled out another bag of chips from his backpack and handed it to Hirofumi.
"Hey, Ino, those flowers look really nice. Who are they for?"
At Hirofumi's comment, Ino's face instantly flushed a bright shade of red, and she stammered, struggling to find words in response.
"Shikamaru, still not get enough sleeping, buddy?" Hirofumi continued, turning his attention to Shikamaru, who looked like he was on the verge of falling asleep.
"School is just such a drag…" Shikamaru muttered, barely mustering the energy to lift his head from his desk.
"Haha. Naruto, what are you doing? Is this some sort of performance art?" Hirofumi joked, shaking his head at the sight of Naruto's antics.
"Hirofumi, why do you seem so different today compared to before? It's so weird as you're acting just like that show-off Sasuke," Naruto observed, scratching his head in confusion.
Standing on the desk, Naruto glanced at Hirofumi, then over at Sasuke, who remained seated, seemingly unaffected by the chaos around him.
"Hey, big forehead! Still sneaking glances at Sasuke, huh?"
Hirofumi then shot that mark to pink head, Sakura.
"Huh? What are you talking about? I'm not sneaking any glances! No way! You're so annoying, Hirofumi!!"
Sakura's face turned a deeper shade of pink as she stammered her response. Despite her protest, she couldn't resist sneaking another look at Sasuke, curious to see how he would react to her gaze.
Unfortunately, Sasuke remained completely unfazed, sitting there as calm and collected as ever, as if nothing could disturb his peaceful demeanor.
Hirofumi greeted his classmates casually. After all, they'd been good friends for years. He felt a sense of pride in being close enough to share snacks with Choji.
Though Sasuke appeared focused on the world outside the window, his sharp eyes occasionally flickered toward Hirofumi, betraying a subtle, almost imperceptible trace of envy.
As Hirofumi walked toward him, Sasuke felt an unexpected tension build within himself. He had often noticed Hirofumi approaching him for conversation in the past, but Sasuke had never responded with a warm expression. Deep down, he desired to form a friendship, yet he didn't know how to express it.
Sometimes, Sasuke wished he could communicate with Hirofumi properly, but the words always seemed to escape him.
"Hey, Sasuke, looks like you've gotten even more handsome today. But, you know, you're still no match for the great me. Kekekeke…" Hirofumi teased playfully.
Sasuke's face instantly flushed with embarrassment at Hirofumi's lighthearted taunt.
"Tch. All you do is spout nonsense."
Sasuke finally spoke.
"I heard we've got some combat training today, Hirofumi. I'll show you what true Uchiha strength and pride are all about," Sasuke declared, awkwardly turning his face away, already regretting his words.
'Arg, dang! I just wanted to argue about who's better looking—why did I end up talking about Uchiha pride and strength again?!'
Sasuke glanced at Hirofumi from the corner of his eye, feeling a wave of relief when he saw that his friend wasn't angry.
Last night, after returning to the empty Uchiha compound, Sasuke had spent the entire night lost in thought—especially reflecting on the strange feeling Hirofumi evoked in him.
It was as if they shared the same blood, a connection that ran deeper than ordinary friendship.
Sasuke's intuition told him that Hirofumi might actually possess Uchiha blood himself.
Naruto, that idiot, also gave Sasuke a distinct feeling, but it paled in comparison to the unique connection he sensed with Hirofumi.