Bab 9: Chapter 9: The Academy
The cherry blossoms scattered in the wind and the temperatures began to rise. A new season had begun, the frozen nature melted and the world began to radiate once again. The greenery mixed with the cherry blossoms created a magnificent scenery, as if they were trying to tell us that spring had arrived.
Yes, winter is over and spring is here.
With the end of winter and the awakening of nature, spring is often symbolised as a new beginning. If someone were to ask me what spring symbolises, I would say the following: 'For me, spring indicates the end of the previous year, the melting of nature and the awakening of insects. A new beginning after an end... Yes, for me, spring is a symbol of life!
'That is... what I would have said before I became Amakawa Haruto... now spring is a countdown that sets the fate of the world. The academy opens its doors every year to train future ninjas, children who are educated to combat, prepared to kill and also to be killed.'
'Spring perfectly represents the hypocritical side of human nature - beautiful on the outside, but ugly on the inside.'
'For me, this season means a new year full of carnage... Spring is proof that the vicious circle will never end. People die and take their own lives...and it makes me wonder what life truly is,' I thought as I saw the large building in front of me with the words 'Congratulations on being accepted to the Academy'.
Today is in fact the admission phase of the Academy. Today, parents gather to witness their children take their first steps into adulthood. The children are lined up and the Hokage gives his annual speech about the will of fire.
I, too, am listening to the Hokage, but not as an Academy candidate, but from the rows of the parents.
Today is not the beginning of my enrollment, but of …
Izumi's.
It's her first day at school.
'I should let go of my pessimistic thinking,' I reflected as I realised I was on the wrong track, 'today is her first day, I should be happy.'
The academy also has its positive aspects. You get to meet people your own age and spend time with them. An important aspect of life begins here.
In one of the rows, I saw Izumi listening attentively to the Hokage.
I had to chuckle, 'She's 6 years old now, but she hasn't changed much, she's just grown a little taller.
As for me, I have changed quite a bit. I am about 1 year old now.
(A/N: For those wondering why Haruto is 1 when he should be 2, since Izumi is already 6. According to the story, Itachi and Izumi were the same age. Itachi was 5 when Sasuke was born and went to the academy a year later. Since I want Haruto and Sasuke to be about the same age, Haruto is 1 year and a few months old).
The biggest change is that I am no longer so dependent on Hazuki. Also, my body has grown so much that I can now talk and walk on my own!
'Just a little more and I'll finally be able to talk fluently like an adult,' I breathed in relief that it won't be long now.
It seems a bit strange for a child to grow so fast, but you can sell it as early development if the adults are suspicious.
Besides Izumi, there is another person I am focusing on today.
I narrowed my eyes and started to look for the person in the rows. I found him among the children in the middle line.
He had black eyes and pronounced tear troughs, which made me wonder why a 6 year old would have them. Although he had bags under his eyes, he was not ugly at all. On the contrary, it gave his childish face a more mature look, which made him quite attractive. The typical Uchiha outfit consisted of a dark blue shirt with the Uchiha symbol on the back. In fact, many of the girls paid more attention to him than to the old, bearded Hokage on the podium.
Itachi being Itachi, he didn't seem to mind the stares. He preferred to concentrate on the Hokage.
What is interesting is that among these girls, Izumi was not in this group. Instead, she often looked in my direction and waved.
In this world, Izumi had not been able to make contact with Itachi. She had not been rescued by him, nor had she spoken of him when she returned from playing. She preferred to spend time with me instead of going out. I often felt a bit guilty, but she didn't seem to mind, so I let it go.
'Has the future changed already?' I asked myself, but inside I was very happy about the change.
While my mind was elsewhere, the welcoming ceremony ended and the children returned to their parents.
"I'm back!", Izumi said with a happy smile and handed Hazuki the school documents.
Hazuki let go of my hand and took the documents, but at that moment, as if waiting, Izumi snatched my hand.
She smiled at her mother with a smug look and showed her our joined hands.
"Izumi, you..." Hazuki just sighed at her daughter's antics. "Let's just go home."
"Hehehe," Izumi just laughed.
I just shook my head at the silly duo and started to turn around.
"You were also here Hazuki." We looked in the direction the voice came from and found Mikoto with Sasuke in her arms and Fugaku.
Hazuki and Mikoto chatted until they decided that we should go home together.
***
(3 POV)
Haruto and Itachi's group went home together.
It really is a strange atmosphere. The only sounds coming from the conversation are those of the women and a girl. What's even funnier is that the conversation is about how I've grown and how I can already walk on my own two feet and so on. In this trio, Izumi, like a little fangirl, was the most active in talking about me.
The other people in the group, a man and 3 boys, just walked on in silence. Fugaku looked around with narrowed eyes. A man of few words when he didn't have to. Soon he separated from the group because he had to do his job as a Konoha police officer.
So now, there are only the three boys left.
The next two were the brothers Itachi and Sasuke. Itachi carried Sasuke in his arms and the little one clung to his brother in pure bliss.
Then there was Haruto, who looked like a normal boy on the surface, but was in a complete crisis on the inside.
'I hope Itachi doesn't find anything special about me, his analytical thinking is far beyond what is expected of a 6 year old, even in relation to this world where children are much more mentally mature than my old world,' Haruto thought, trying to act like a normal child.
Looking at the two of them, you would never think that they have an incredibly sad fate.
Itachi, in order to save his brother, chose to annihilate his own clan and to be despised by the whole world, even though he is the one responsible for the partially stable peace, a shadow hero.
Sasuke, spared by Itachi and as destiny would have it, fell victim to the curse of hate once again as the reincarnation of Indra. Hatred for his beloved brother, hatred for his homeland, hatred for everything and everyone had eaten away at the person he was, or would become in the future, for a long time, haunting him even as an adult as the duty of a former Avenger.
But the people who are here now are neither shadow heroes nor avengers, just normal kids.
Haruto had a strange expression on his face, where you couldn't tell if it was sadness or resentment towards the whole thing called Fate.
'Hmm', he felt the grip on his hand tighten and saw Izumi looking at him with a worried expression.
"Is everything alright Haru?", Izumi asked him by his nickname.
The conversation stopped and everyone focused on Haruto, either out of concern, as Hazuki's face showed, or out of curiosity.
Haruto didn't think that he would get the attention of all the people and answered her with a startled "Yes".
"Are you sure?" Izumi asked again, to which this time Haruto just nodded with a small smile, "Fine" she looked at him for a longer time, until she looked away with a small sigh.
Haruto seemed to feel better and his face was not as pale as before when suddenly a question came from the other side, surprising him once again.
"Haruto-kun, was it? Did you want to ask me something? You were looking at me before," Itachi asked.
Haruto sighed in his mind and knew that this time, he wouldn't get out.
Haruto beckons Itachi with his hand to come closer, which he follows. With Sasuke in his hands, he crouched down until he was at eye level with Haruto.
Haruto moves his fingers towards Itachi, confusing him, yet Itachi didn't do anything. Soon, his fingers are in front of his forehead until they poked him a little. A move that Itachi does to Sasuke over and over again in the anime.
"That...", confused, Itachi looked at Haruto while he touched his forehead.
"Don't do all alone," he said while pointing at Sasuke.
Itachi didn't understand the meaning at first. How could he? It was just something Haruto did to get out of his dilemma.
It still has a meaning, but it wasn't a meaning that will have an effect now, even though Itachi knows it means something but couldn't point it out.
Someone else must have understood it from her own perspective. Mikoto turned to us and patted Haruto on the head. "Thank you Haruto, you said it because you were worried about Itachi, right?"
"Yes," Haruto admitted, even though the answer was true... but it did not apply to the current situation.
Mikoto took Sasuke away from Itachi and Sasuke started to throw a tantrum, crying and calling his brother.
'He is already a bro-con,' Haruto thought.
Mikoto comforted the crying Sasuke until they were nearing their houses.
They said goodbye and went on their way without the 2 of them being able to exchange more.
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A / N:
I attached an info chapter yesterday. I hope you have all seen this.
With this chapter we should finally be in the Power Ranking, as I will break the 15'000 with this chapter. I am a bit excited and anxious about how my book will be received then, please assist me!
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