Through the blinds, the first rays of dawn appeared.
Arthur woke up. He cracked his neck to stretch, choosing to forget what had happened the night before.
Today, he was supposed to go to the Ninja Academy where Iruka Umino would assign each graduate to their team.
From what Arthur had remembered, he had an idea of how this was going to turn out.
The academy in the Leaf Village was the foundation for training those aspiring to become ninjas. Located at the foot of the Hokage Rock, it served a dual purpose: educating ninjas and acting as the village's administrative center, where missions were assigned and daily operations were managed.
Founded by the second Hokage, it played a crucial role in shaping the village's next generation of militarized personnel.
A strong body and mind for enduring demanding training, a sound constitution, and dedication to the village's well-being were prerequisites for admission to the academy.
Standard academic subjects like math, reading, and writing were incorporated into the curriculum, but with a ninja focus. The curriculum itself covered weapon handling and tool use, with students honing their fundamental trap-setting skills and throwing accuracy.
Core ninja skills were also emphasized in the curriculum, including taijutsu through sparring sessions, ninjutsu through learning hand signs or practicing lower-ranked techniques, and genjutsu, which taught how to recognize and avoid illusions.
A written and practical exam given by a Chūnin instructor was required to graduate from the academy. Students who passed were then given a forehead protector as a memento of their achievement.
After that, these recent graduates are assigned to Jōnin leaders for additional training and put in balanced teams of three Genin.
Through a separate test, the Jōnin assessed the team dynamics and their capacity to manage the rigours of being a ninja.
To graduate from the academy, one did not have to learn every subject. As demonstrated by Naruto, who was proficient in more complex techniques but incapable of performing basic ones, it permitted for individual strengths. Similarly, Rock Lee used his taijutsu skills to make up for his lack of ninjutsu and genjutsu skills.
Students may be given the option to repeat the year or, in the worst situations, be removed from the program completely if they fail the initial exams or their Jōnin's test.
Every student, including Arthur and the others from earth, was already pre-enrolled because of their backgrounds.
Beyond that, Arthur wasn't sure what to fully expect.
After a quick breakfast, he headed out the door with no equipment.
When he arrived at the building, he took a moment to truly take in its craftsmanship. Constructed from dark wood and carved stone, it lay across a vast courtyard with an open gate.
He had already seen most of it when he first came to the village. Nothing about it impressed him.
He entered, walking down a lit hallway. As he navigated corridors, the sounds of distant chatter and laughter could be heard in different rooms.
He eventually came upon an oak door emblazoned with a number. This was his assigned classroom, something the others from earth had told him about during their last meeting.
Pushing it open, he was greeted by an expected sight: a completely empty room.
After all, it was early in the morning, and he only came because here he had nothing better to do.
Sunlight streamed through the windows overlooking the village; rows of wooden desks were neatly arranged in a grid; posters depicted basic taijutsu stances adorned the walls; and a large blackboard stood at the front of the class, untouched.
Arthur wandered further into the room, noting that it was identical to the classroom scenes from the original.
In the story, it opened with Naruto arising from his sleep, only to drink spoiled milk from a carton. He headed to the school and was shown to be infatuated with Sakura Haruno, a pink-haired kunoichi who didn't like him and had an unhealthy crush on Sasuke Uchiha.
Sakura immediately set her sights on the popular Sasuke, causing a commotion with Ino Yamanaka over who gets to sit next to him.
Naruto, jealous of the attention, accidentally kissed Sasuke after a random student bumped him.
This sent the fangirls into a frenzy before pummeling Naruto for not being the one to share Sasuke's "first kiss."
After Iruka arrived, he announced the team formations by placing Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke together on "Team 7," forever cementing their destiny together.
Naruto was frustrated about being on a team with Sasuke, but Iruka explained that the teams were balanced based on skill levels, with Naruto's low scores being balanced by Sasuke's high ones.
Now things might be different with seven new characters in the mix.
Arthur settled into the topmost desk in the back corner, furthest from the entryway. He perched himself on the chair with his elbows resting on the surface and his chin propped up in his hands. Gazing out the window, he patiently watched the village.
Hardly any time went by before a sudden burst of laughter broke the silence, followed by the sound of boisterous chatter.
Glancing back at the door, he saw those from earth enter the classroom together: Alex, Jada, Jasper, Alice, and Margaret.
William wasn't with them.
Margaret yelled with a peal of laughter, teasing, "Hahaha! Why do you look like Sasuke up there, ya loner?"
Arthur ignored the comment as Jada's sharp gaze settled on Jasper. Jasper scratched his head, looking elsewhere until finally giving in and stepping forward toward Arthur.
"Hey, man," he began. "About last night, no hard feelings, right?"
Arthur knew that it must have been William who told the others about their exchange. Whatever the case, Arthur was always taught never to hold a grudge.
Offering Jasper a cool nod, he said, "None. We were just practicing anyway. Besides, no one got really hurt."
Jasper seemed relieved by Arthur's response, pleasing the others.
Despite the outward acceptance, Arthur knew Jasper's apology couldn't be entirely sincere. The urgency in his voice during their fight, the desperation to prove Arthur's weakness, and the fact Arthur made him bleed—it all pointed to malice.
Jasper nodded curtly before choosing to sit right next to him. There were no assigned seats, so the others also sat close by him.
"Didn't mean to say what I said last night," Jasper whispered.
"Hey, don't mention it," Arthur responded.
"No, dude… Seriously, Alice kept me up all night because of it."
"No kidding?"
Before Jasper could explain things, the door opened again.
This time, a flurry of activity filled the classroom as students flooded in to fill the empty seats.
Arthur was going to probe Jasper more on what the others said about that event until he saw William enter alongside Naruto.
William shot them a quick nod, a confirmation that he had prevented Naruto from drinking the spoiled milk.
When William sat close to the group, Naruto followed him.
"What are you doing, dude?" Alex asked William.
"What? What's wrong?"
How the original story played out was that Naruto was supposed to sit at the same desk as Sasuke and Sakura. William tried to get him to sit elsewhere, but Naruto felt offended that he couldn't sit next to his friends.
Since Naruto wasn't doing that, it meant he was getting too attached to William.
'I wonder how they'll handle this change,' Arthur thought.
Interestingly, Jada held Alex back and allowed Naruto to sit alongside the group. That prompted Margaret to ask what she was doing. Arthur overheard Jada whisper that it was alright and that it shouldn't matter where Naruto sat.
Everyone else looked to Alex for confirmation. He shrugged his shoulders.
In just a few minutes, Naruto's energy became a tad infectious; he was blending in with the whole class as if he hadn't been ostracized before.
Arthur guessed why this change had happened was because Naruto had them (people from earth) as friends now.
The influx of students eventually brought in familiar faces.
Shino Aburame, from the Aburame clan—a clan that could manipulate bugs—slunk into a corner seat. His face was obscured by the high collar of his jacket and dark round sunglasses. He was also a quiet observer, content to let his actions speak louder than words.
Across from Shino sat Hinata Hyūga, her short, dark blue hair framing a shy, almost timid expression. A gentle blush dusted her cheeks as her eyes darted around the room, seemingly searching for someone.
Kiba Inuzuka, another energetic boy with a wild mane of brown hair, burst into the room. His personality was as loud as his laugh, and he was from the clan that used canines to fight for them. Akamaru was the name of his pup.
Shikamaru, easily recognizable by his lazy drawl and spiky black hair tied in a bun, yawned loudly as he slumped into his seat. He seemed perpetually bored with everything. And his signature phrase, "What a drag," reminded everyone of his laziness.
Not far from Kiba, taking a seat next to a bored-looking Shikamaru, was Ino Yamanaka. Her long blonde hair was pulled back in a high ponytail, and she had a lot of self-confidence. She was sharp and competitive, always striving to best Sakura at everything since the two were rivals.
Chōji Akimichi, a large boy with a permanent blush on his cheeks, sat a bit away from Shikamaru. A bag of chips was clutched in his hand. Food was his primary motivation, and his love for eating was a running gag.
Just then, the door opened again, and two more figures entered. Arthur would have recognized them from anywhere: Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno.
The famed Uchiha himself. His outfit, though interchangeable as the story progressed, consisted of a dark blue shirt with a high collar and light blue pants. His defining characteristic was his exceptional talent for being a ninja, and he was also considered to be a prodigy, much like his brother.
The handsome boy walked with an air of quiet arrogance before sitting down near the center on the far right. Following, Sakura sat next to him.
Arthur couldn't help but remember Sasuke's story.
Right from the beginning, Sasuke had established himself as a serious student, the complete opposite of Naruto's personality. His appearance contributed to his image: dark, spiky hair and onyx-black eyes that reflected a deep well of emotions.
Initially, he had very little regard for teamwork. He saw himself as superior to his peers and believed he could accomplish his goals alone. This clashed with Naruto's desire for friendship.
Arthur's gaze shifted from Sasuke to Sakura.
Most from earth could not tolerate Sakura Haruno.
Initially, she wasn't very skilled and relied on her teammates to protect her on missions.
Despite a rough childhood with bullies picking on her for the size of her forehead, she built confidence thanks to her friend, Ino. This friendship had already soured since both girls developed a crush on Sasuke.
Something about Sakura that Arthur didn't like was that she hid a lot of her true feelings incorrectly.
On the outside, she appeared collected, but inwardly, she struggled a lot. That inner self of hers manifested as "Inner Sakura," who expressed emotions she wanted to keep hidden.
Over time, she was stated to overcome her inner struggles by relying on herself more.
All of them were here. Known as the "Rookie Nine," they painted the classroom with an almost nostalgic feel.
The only other main characters missing were Neji Hyūga, Tenten, and Rock Lee, all of whom had already graduated since they were one year ahead of everyone in this room.
Arthur couldn't help but observe this scene.
While Sakura's infatuation with Sasuke seemed intact—evident in the way her gaze kept flitting towards him—it was Naruto who was acting differently than the other eight.
Instead of the usual attempts to outdo Sasuke, Naruto was surprisingly subdued. He engaged in friendly banter with Alex and William while being a tad more reserved.
"Seriously, Naruto, what are you doing here?" a student snickered across the room.
Naruto turned to show off the headband on his forehead. "See this! All my hard work's finally paid off. Believe it!"
'So he's still the same boy,' Arthur thought.
Just then, Iruka strode in, holding a clipboard of the assigned teams.