Konoha Ninja Academy buzzed with the controlled chaos of enrollment day. Parents and children filled the corridors, their excitement palpable as they navigated registration booths and classroom assignments. Hanekawa arrived mid-morning, having promised to attend the opening ceremony—a duty that came with the title of Emperor, though he found the formality somewhat amusing.
"Teacher! Here!"
A golden-haired blur waved frantically from across the courtyard. Uzumaki Naruto bounced on his heels, flanked by his parents. Kushina's red hair caught the sunlight as she smiled warmly, while Minato stood with characteristic quiet confidence.
"Naruto," Hanekawa greeted, approaching with an easy smile. "Ready for school?"
"You bet!" Naruto puffed his chest out. "I'm gonna be number one, just like you!"
"Number one is mine."
The cool declaration came from behind. Hanekawa turned to find Sasuke Uchiha standing alone, hands in his pockets, dark eyes fixed with absolute certainty. The boy's posture screamed confidence—and something else. Something lonely.
Naruto immediately bristled. "No way! I'm gonna—"
"Naruto." Hanekawa raised a hand, cutting off the inevitable argument. He studied Sasuke for a moment. "Where are your parents?"
"I don't need them." Sasuke's expression remained neutral, but his eyes dimmed fractionally. "I'm enough on my own."
There it is. Hanekawa understood the weight behind those words. Fugaku's exacting standards, the shadow of Itachi's genius—Sasuke had already learned that love came conditional in the Uchiha clan. At six years old, he was already carrying that burden.
"You and Naruto are in the same class," Hanekawa said, redirecting. "Go sign up together."
Sasuke and Naruto exchanged a look, then simultaneously turned away from each other with matching scowls.
"Since you're here, don't be shy," Kushina said, already moving. She grabbed Sasuke's hand before he could protest, pulling him toward the classroom with Naruto in tow. "Come on, both of you."
Minato nodded apologetically to Hanekawa before following his wife and the two reluctant children.
Hanekawa's attention shifted as Nara Shikaku approached with three younger children in tow. Shikamaru looked perpetually bored, Choji munched contentedly on potato chips, and Ino's blonde hair gleamed in the sunlight. The strategic trio—Ino-Shika-Chō—already showing the foundations of their legendary teamwork.
After exchanging brief greetings and sending them to register, Hanekawa spotted Hiashi Hyuga and his daughter waiting patiently near the entrance. Hinata's lavender eyes brightened the moment she saw him.
"Teacher," she called softly, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Uncle Hiashi." Hanekawa nodded to the clan head. "I'll take Hinata to her classroom."
Hiashi's expression shifted to something almost grateful. This small gesture—Hanekawa personally escorting his daughter—meant more than the man would ever say aloud. In the Hyuga clan's rigid hierarchy, such attention was a statement of value.
Hinata's hand trembled slightly as she took his. Her face flushed a deep crimson.
"Listen carefully to your teachers," Hanekawa said as they walked. "Knowledge is just as important as strength."
"I will," Hinata whispered, her eyes fixed on their joined hands.
"If you need help with anything, come find me after school."
"O-okay, teacher."
At the classroom door, Hanekawa smiled. "Don't faint on me now."
Hinata's blush deepened impossibly. She practically fled into the classroom, leaving Hanekawa chuckling softly to himself.
---
The playground was empty when he arrived, save for one figure. Samui stood on the platform in her secretary's uniform, her posture impeccable despite the heat of the morning.
"Good morning, Secretary," Hanekawa greeted, climbing the stairs. He patted her rear twice with casual familiarity. "The speech?"
Samui handed over the prepared remarks without comment, her expression professionally neutral. The content was solid—themes of encouragement and the Will of Fire woven throughout. Samui had become invaluable, not just as a secretary but as someone who understood the village's needs.
"You're more of a Konoha ninja than I am," Hanekawa observed after reading.
"I am a Konoha ninja," Samui replied, her voice steady and certain.
Something in her tone made Hanekawa pause. Three years of peace had changed many things. Loyalties had shifted, identities had been reforged. Samui could have clung to her Hidden Cloud roots, but instead she'd chosen to build something new here. The choice was hers, and it was genuine.
"I'll reward you after the ceremony," he said softly.
Samui's breath caught, but she maintained her composure. "Yes."
With no one nearby, Hanekawa pulled her close, burying his face in her neck and breathing in her familiar scent. His hands found their usual places—her waist, her thighs—and for a moment, the weight of being Emperor lifted.
Thirty minutes later, the students filed onto the playground in neat rows. Hanekawa stood on the platform, Samui beside him, her composure fully restored. The children looked up at him with undisguised admiration, their dreams no longer of becoming Hokage but of becoming Emperor.
Ambitious little things, he thought with amusement.
The speech went smoothly, punctuated by enthusiastic applause. Afterward, Hanekawa returned to the Hokage's office with Samui, collapsing onto the couch with a satisfied sigh.
"It's comfortable to sit down," he murmured, pulling her into his lap.
Samui settled against him, her eyes growing heavy-lidded. She knew what came next.
---
An hour later, Hanekawa's eyes snapped open.
The disturbance hit him like a physical blow—a spatial rupture, powerful and unmistakable. His S-rank entry, Lord of the Ninja World, allowed him to sense every significant fluctuation in the ninja realm. This one screamed of Ōtsutsuki.
Kaguya materialized before him, her expression sharp. "I sensed a familiar aura."
"Ōtsutsuki," Hanekawa confirmed, already moving. He grabbed Kaguya's hand and activated the Flying Thunder God Technique.
The valley materialized around them in an instant.
Ōtsutsuki Urashiki stood before them, and the sight was immediately wrong. Blood covered his white robes. His injuries—deep, systematic, brutal—bore the unmistakable signature of Hanekawa and Kaguya's combined assault.
But there was no one else here. No Sasuke. No Boruto. Just Urashiki, alone and wounded.
What happened?
Urashiki's eyes widened with fury upon seeing them. "You!" he snarled. "That light—it was you!"
Hanekawa's mind raced through the implications. If Urashiki had come from the future, if he'd been hit by something that transported him here... They sent him. Deliberately.
The realization crystallized: someone in the future wanted Urashiki here, weakened and isolated. Someone wanted Hanekawa to grow stronger. Someone was orchestrating a time loop.
"Kaguya," Hanekawa said calmly. "Finish him."
Urashiki's expression twisted with rage and desperation as Kaguya advanced, her power already building. The Ōtsutsuki had made a critical mistake coming here.
He just didn't know it yet.