Time passed and the shinobi's school day finally concluded.
Its students quickly vacated the Academy grounds. Some raced home. Others raced anywhere but home. Nevertheless, one student in particular could not flee as his classmates had already.
Okuda Tomomori was forced to stay behind. For three hours, until the sun dipped beyond Konoha's walls–Okuda remained and was forced to recite the teachings of his Sandaime Hokage.
Luckily, the hours passed quickly and the pink-haired boy was eventually released.
He strode out of the main doors of the Ninja Academy both with reluctance and with vigor. His steps were slow and measured, yet his eyes were explosive and relentless. They scoured the surroundings, absorbed the trees, and gazed upon the once-unreal world that unraveled itself beneath his very feet.
The sky–once a brilliant blue–was now a rich magenta mixed with splashes of red and pink. The trees, green and lush, spread as far and as wide as his eyes could see. Then, Okuda Tomomori turned around, and he faced the Hokage Rock.
Upon seeing it for the first time, Okuda Tomomori immediately sucked in a quick breath. If the forehead protector and the scenery hadn't already confirmed it–the Hokage Rock sure as hell did.
He was inside of Naruto!
Okuda's mouth hung open. It was a difficult thing to accept. Even now.
"Hey! Okuda!"
"..."
"Is he deaf?"
"Call him again."
"Hey! Okuda!"
Crickets chirped among the grass.
"God damnit! Screw this! Hey! Alex!" A girl's voice rang in Okuda's ears.
Instantly, Okuda Tomomori reacted. "Huh?"
He looked around. Beside the lone tree next to the Ninja Academy, where Naruto could often be spotted in the future, Okuda discovered four of his classmates staring at him. Scratching the back of his head, Okuda Tomomori shamelessly smiled and approached the group.
"Uhh.. Hey guys. My name's Al–O-Okuda Tomomori! It's nice to meet you!" Okuda pushed his hand forward, but the group of four ignored him.
"God! He's just as dumb in this universe too!" Mori Fūma glared at him.
"Come on, Mori, give the guy a break. I still barely believe in all of this." Ando Kaze butt in.
Mori Fūma huffed. She crossed her arms and looked away.
Ando Kaze, meanwhile, raised his hands in a show of trust.
Okuda Tomomori analyzed him. Ando had lively blonde hair and radiant blue eyes.
"Naruto?" Okuda blurted out.
Mori Fūma smacked her forehead.
Natsuko Sarutobi shook her head in denial.
Ando Kaze scratched his cheek whilst wearing a weak smile. In the corner, Sen Aburame observed in silence.
"First, it was Jesus. Now, Naruto. Talk about revealing sensitive information!" Mori Fūma quipped.
"Mori!" Ando fired back.
"Shutting up!" The girl rolled her black eyes.
"Anyway.." Ando Kaze continued with his hands up. "As you so eloquently put it, although I am not Naruto–it does seem like the five of us have reincarnated in Naruto." BOOM! POW!
Ando Kaze dropped a bomb.
Okuda's eyes widened.
"Holy shit." He said. "You mean…"
"Yeah." Ando Kaze grinned. "Hey, Alex. It's Dean!"
For a moment once more, silence pervaded the empty Academy grounds. The breeze rustled the leaves that were strewn along the ground and suddenly, bursts of color filled their surroundings.
Okuda Tomomori grinned. Then, he glanced at Mori Fūma.
The black-haired girl sighed. "Kat." She revealed.
"It actually wasn't that hard to figure out." Ando Kaze explained.
He pointed to each of them. "We talked about it while you were in detention. The last thing we all remember is starting our senior year; Mrs. Morrison's class. Government. We all sat in the same row. The same row as now, I mean."
Okuda Tomomori thought about it and he realized that what Ando Kaze had said was true! The last thing he remembered was roll-call from his period one!
"How did we get here?" Okuda asked. He was stunned.
"Gee! What a thought-compelling question! I hadn't thought of that until now!" Mori Fūma cut in.
"Listen up, Pinky, because it's only been ten minutes and I already can't stand you! The five of us, for some GOD-FORSAKEN-REASON, were pulled into this world together. Now Get. Your. Shit. Together. Because this is a world where children fight wars and where genocide is imminent. Do not mistake our young age for safety. The second a World War breaks out–we will be mobilized–I guarantee you that. We NEED to take this seriously and we need to take it seriously now." Mori Fūma glared daggers at Okuda Tomomori.
Okuda Tomomori sheepishly avoided the little girl's look and instead cast his gaze towards the others; he was curious as to what their reactions would be to her blowout.
To his dismay, however, the others seemed to agree with her as they too wore similar expressions that conveyed equal amounts of seriousness: taut brows, stern gazes, and straight faces.
"Why's everyone staring at me?" Okuda asked.
"Because you not only swore in the middle of class, drawing attention to yourself, but you also invoked Jesus's name, essentially revealing your identity as a reincarnator." Sen Aburame answered.
"That's it?" Okuda Tomomori was perplexed.
"Alright! Enough!" Mori Fūma raised her voice. "No more talk of anything related to our homeworld. That's Rule No. 1."
"Agreed."
"Agreed."
"Agreed."
"I suppose that makes sense." Okuda scratched his cheek.
"Agree! God damnit!" Mori fired.
"A-Agreed!"
"I don't mean to interrupt, but it's getting dark, and we probably really shouldn't be talking about any of this right in front of the Ninja Academy, don't you think?" Ando Kaze prompted, his attention set on the fading sun beyond them.
"We could have gone home three hours ago if SOMEBODY hadn't gotten detention!!" Mori Fūma fought with every urge not to combust.
"We know. We know. And he's terribly sorry. Look at him. Look at lil' Pinky. He's sorry." Ando Kaze pointed.
"Why does everyone keep calling me Pinky?" Okuda Tomomori asked.
"Hmm?" Ando Kaze looked at him. "Have you not gone through your memories at all?"
Okuda Tomomori furrowed his brows. "What the hell does that mean?" He asked himself.
Then, he tried to remember.
And he did. He remembered everything.
He remembered growing up in Konoha. He remembered his parents. His mother was a Chūnin. His father a Tool Specialist. Both died in the Second Shinobi World War.
He remembered the orphanage after that, though it wasn't for very long. Soon after his parents passed, Okuda Tomomori turned 6 and he was registered for the Ninja Academy.
That was three years ago, and with the Ninja Academy pension, plus the village providing housing to the Academy students' that lacked one; it was nothing to brag about–Okuda recalled–but it was more than enough for now, at least.
After the general memories flowed in, then came the more nitty-gritty. Hours upon hours of grueling practice and chakra training. Hand-sign memorization. As well as a child's understanding of chakra flow and control.
Without resistance, Okuda raised his hand and clenched his fist. Chakra flowed smoothly. It seeped out from the pores within his skin and coated his fist in an iridescent blue hue. It felt hot. Wonderfully hot.
It burned good–in a way that was almost impossible to describe. That rush of warm liquor on a cold day; chakra flowed through Okuda's veins and subtly supported his constitution, even without any direction, as that was the very nature of chakra: it merely enhanced.
The other four, meanwhile, Sen Aburame, Mori Fūma, Natsuko Sarutobi, and Ando Kaze, all watched Okuda Tomomori toy with chakra for the first time, each with a smile on their own face.
One thing they could all easily agree upon: Chakra really was badass!