Kusagakure Ninja Academy

  In a cssroom, a group of boys stood in front of a teacher wearing the military uniform of Kusagakure.

  —Who among you was it? —asked the teacher, looking sternly at the group.

  None of the boys responded. They remained silent.

  —If you tell me, the punishment will be much lighter —he commented, trying to negotiate with them, but they stayed quiet.

  Finally, fed up with the situation, he called one of them.

  —Akihiro Takeshi, step forward.

  One of the boys advanced. He was a kid with bck hair streaked with green and eyes of the same color. He wore mostly bck clothing, consisting of a bck and white shirt, loose bck pants, and the typical shinobi sandals.

  The teacher adjusted his tone, trying to sound as calm and warm as possible.

  —Did you see who broke the cssroom window? —he asked.

  Akihiro shook his head.

  —I didn’t see anything, sir. When I arrived, the damage was already done —he replied.

  The teacher watched him for a moment. Not noticing anything unusual, he nodded and waved his hand aside.

  —You can go. You all will stay and clean all the cssrooms as punishment, including the bathroom —he concluded.

  The group showed horrified expressions, but they couldn’t protest; they knew that doing so would only make the punishment worse. With slumped shoulders, each of them took the cleaning equipment and began their task. Akihiro left for home without looking back.

  As he walked, he looked at the sky and couldn’t help but think —It’s been three years since I arrived in this world —he reflected with a touch of mencholy.

  It had been three years since Akihiro inexplicably reborn in this world. Unlike what one would normally expect, he didn’t reincarnate in Konohagakure, but was born in the small vilge of Kusagakure, located between Konohagakure and Iwagakure, two great powers of the ninja world.

  Normally, there wouldn’t be any problem with that; after all, Kusagakure didn’t py a part in the story of Naruto. It was barely mentioned a few times and some characters came from there. However, life seemed to hate him. Instead of being reborn at the beginning of the Naruto plot, in the middle of the story, or at the end, he arrived after the First Shinobi War and just before the Second Great Shinobi War.

  This meant that once he graduated from the Ninja Academy, he would be sent to the battlefield almost immediately, as cannon fodder. Just that thought gave him stomach pains for countless days.

  Before he knew it, he had arrived home. Upon entering, he found his mother coming out of the kitchen. She was a woman with dark hair and brown eyes. She welcomed him with a smile as he walked in.

  —How was your day at the Academy? —she asked.

  Akihiro smiled upon seeing his mother.

  —Just a small incident, other than that, nothing new —he replied.

  His mother smiled —I’m gd. Lunch will be ready in a few minutes; you can wait in your room —she said as she went back to the kitchen.

  Akihiro nodded and headed to his room. It didn’t have much beyond the expected: a traditional bed, a wardrobe, a desk, and a shelf for his books and other items.

  He sat at his desk and took out a notebook he had been filling with various notes. Since he arrived in this world, he had to learn a lot of new information to keep up, which gave him a miserable experience at first. Over time, he got used to it and was now above average in theory.

  A little while ter, his mother called him for lunch. He went down and, after spending a pleasant time with her, returned to his room and studied all day. Since there was no computer, he spent his time reviewing to pass the time.

  Before he knew it, it was already night.

  His mother knocked on the door.

  —The bathroom is ready.

  —Thanks, I’ll be there in a moment —Akihiro replied as he got up and tidied his things.

  He took a long bath and prepared for bed. Before lying down, he went to his mother’s room to wish her sweet dreams. The soft light from the bedside mp illuminated the space with a warm tone. His mother, nestled among the sheets, smiled upon seeing him.

  —Are you ready to sleep, dear? —she asked gently.

  —Yes, Mom. I just wanted to wish you sweet dreams —he replied, moving closer to the bed.

  She nodded and stroked his head.

  —I’m always well when you’re near. —She paused for a moment before adding— Would you like me to tell you a story before you sleep?

  Even though he didn’t really want to, he couldn’t bring himself to refuse.

  —Yes, Mom.

  His mother smiled warmly and asked him to lie down beside her.

  Akihiro settled next to his mother, feeling the warmth and safety her presence radiated.

  She began to tell him a story about an ancient ninja from Kusagakure, a warrior who faced countless challenges to protect his home. Although he doubted the authenticity of the story, it wasn’t a bad tale in itself.

  As his mother spoke, Akihiro was slowly consumed by mental and physical fatigue, falling into a deep sleep. His mother, noticing this, smiled tenderly, tucked him in with care, and slept by his side.