Rei engaged normally at first. Basic taijutsu exchanges. Controlled speed. No unnecessary displays. Shino defended thodically while constantly creating distance. He probably didn't have enough control over his insects to be used in fights, or whatever. Rei was just glad that Shino didn't use insects.
Soon Rei started panting and Shino slowly started gaining ground against Rei. He acted enough to look convincing.
The fight dragged for several more minutes afterward before Rei deliberately made a mistake during a close exchange and got hit right at the face.
He stumbled backward slightly afterward.
Then stopped moving.
"…Winner," Iruka announced after a mont, "Shino Abura."
The class reacted normally enough. So applause while so just continued staring at Sasuke. These girls were way too obsessed for their age.
anwhile Shino studied Rei quietly for a few extra seconds before walking away. And honestly… Rei disliked that look.
Because it felt slightly too analytical. Still, the loss itself served its purpose. Another reminder publicly that Rei wasn't so untouchable genius in combat.
Which made the next sparring match much easier to handle. Because a few days later, Rei ended up fighting Choji Akimichi.
Now this matchup?
Much simpler.
Choji was physically stronger than most Academy students already, but he lacked speed and confidence. Rei didn't need to intentionally hold back nearly as much here.
The mont the match began, Choji charged forward awkwardly while trying to overpower Rei directly. Rei sidestepped smoothly. He had been learning a lot from his dad.
Then countered imdiately with a clean sweep kick that disrupted Choji's balance. Not enough to hurt him seriously. Just enough to create openings repeatedly.
Unlike the Shino match, this one ended quickly.
Rei controlled distance efficiently, avoided direct power clashes and gradually forced Choji completely off balance before finally landing a decisive strike that knocked him onto his back.
"…Winner. Rei Amagi."
The reaction this ti was noticeably louder. Mostly because Rei rarely won this cleanly publicly.
Naruto imdiately exploded from the sidelines.
"THAT WAS AWESO!"
"…You say that after every fight." Rei replied tiredly afterward while helping Choji back up.
"Because fights ARE aweso!" Naruto defended himself proudly.
Choji anwhile rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "…You move really fast…"
"…You hit really hard." Rei replied honestly. "So I avoided getting hit."
Choji accepted that logic surprisingly easily. Mostly because he was already distracted by snacks again. Because Rei had promised him to get so chips for him later. Attack where the heart is.
anwhile from nearby, Shino quietly observed Rei once more.
And internally, Rei could already tell.
Out of everyone in class… Shino was probably the one most likely to eventually realize that Rei deliberately hid parts of his real abilities.
Which honestly was deeply unfortunate.
Still, the Academy day eventually ca to an end and one by one the students slowly started leaving the training grounds. Naruto was still loudly reenacting Rei's fight with Choji while sohow making himself the winner midway through the retelling.
Honestly… normal children were strange creatures. Still, while Rei internally questioned humanity once again, he suddenly rembered sothing important.
Today was his birthday, unfortunately. Not unfortunate because birthdays were bad exactly. Just… exhausting.
Because his parents took them very seriously. Far too seriously. And sure enough, the mont Rei returned ho later that evening, the house already looked suspicious.
"…Oh no." Rei muttered imdiately.
The front door opened before he could ntally prepare himself.
"REI'S HO!" Daichi loudly announced like a war ssenger returning from battle.
"…Dad please stop yelling."
"No."
That alone already confird Rei's worst fears. Birthday party. Inside the house, decorations were already hanging around the walls while Hana arranged food on the table with frightening efficiency.
"…Mom." Rei looked genuinely tired already. "You didn't need to do all this."
Hana didn't even look up. "Too late."
"…This is excessive."
"It's your birthday."
"…I am aware."
Daichi imdiately appeared beside him and aggressively wrapped one arm around Rei's shoulders. "Today is a historic occasion."
"…I turned nine."
"Exactly."
"That is not historically significant."
"It is to us." Hana replied quietly this ti.
And honestly… hearing that made complaining feel slightly harder afterward. Slightly. Still, Rei remained convinced children birthday parties were fundantally childish.
Unfortunately… he was also literally a child. A deeply annoying contradiction.
Not long afterward, people slowly started arriving.
First ca Choji Akimichi and Shikamaru Nara together. Or more accurately, Shikamaru looked like he had been spiritually dragged there by Choji.
"…Troubleso." Shikamaru sighed upon entering. Hana had co with food for Choji. These two were the few ones who would show up to his ho quite often. Choji loved the food that Hana made.
And Rei himself would sotis cook things up. Rei ca from a different culture and though he loved the food here, sotis he couldn't stop himself from trying to make the food from his previous life.
Food like pancake, French toast were so of the favorites of Choji and thus he loved showing up at his ho from ti to ti.
Then ca Kiba Inuzuka who imdiately challenged Rei to a race before even properly entering the house.
"…No." Rei replied instantly.
"Hah?! Why not?!"
"Because I enjoy living peacefully."
"You're weird."
"I hear that often."
Later Shino and Ino showed up too. Ino was angry because Shikamaru had promised to co to pick her up but he had skipped the entire part. Shikamaru now was searching for a place to hide because he didn't want to bother listening to this girl's yapping.
Children were terrifying.
Still… despite all the noise and chaos filling the house now, one particular arrival genuinely surprised Rei.
A loud familiar voice echoed outside first.
"REI! I BROUGHT SOBODY IMPORTANT!"
Rei blinked once. Then the door opened.
And standing there was Naruto Uzumaki looking absurdly excited beside none other than Hiruzen Sarutobi himself. Silence filled the room for about two seconds.
Then Daichi imdiately nearly ascended spiritually.
"L-LORD HOKAGE?!"
Hana herself looked visibly startled before quickly bowing respectfully.
anwhile Naruto proudly puffed his chest out like he personally escorted royalty into enemy territory.
"The old man wanted to co too!" Naruto announced proudly. "I told him your party was gonna be aweso!"
Hiruzen chuckled softly while removing his pipe for a mont. "I hope I am not intruding."
"No!" Daichi answered far too quickly. "Absolutely not! Please co inside!"
Honestly, Rei had rarely seen his father look this simultaneously nervous and proud before. Because yes, the Hokage showing up to your child's birthday was objectively insane for a random chunin family.
But at the sa ti… Naruto stood there beside him looking unbelievably happy. And sohow that made the entire thing feel strangely natural too.
Naruto imdiately ran inside afterward while loudly inspecting the food table like an excited squirrel discovering civilization.
"WOAH! THERE'S SO MUCH FOOD!"
"That's because normal people prepare food for guests." Rei replied dryly.
Naruto ignored him completely. anwhile Hiruzen quietly observed the room for a mont. The children laughing. The noise. The complete lack of discomfort around Naruto's presence inside the household.
And honestly… sothing about that seed to genuinely soften the old man's tired expression slightly. Because Naruto himself looked different here too.
"…You've raised a good child," Hiruzen quietly told Daichi and Hana afterward.
That imdiately made both parents look absurdly proud.
anwhile Rei internally wanted to disappear into another dinsion from secondhand embarrassnt.
Unfortunately, Naruto made that impossible by imdiately throwing one arm around Rei afterward.
"OF COURSE HE'S GREAT!" Naruto declared proudly. "He's my best friend!"
And honestly…Hearing Naruto say that so casually sohow made the room quieter for a brief mont.
Even Rei himself paused slightly afterward. Because Naruto said it with complete certainty. Rei realized he didn't actually dislike hearing that.
The party went on for like an hour or so and the children enjoyed themselves. Though Rei was annoyed of this impromptu party, he didn't hate it at the end. One of the reason he was aligning himself to the famous students of the class was because he didn't want to be without a sensei by the end.
He knew that the process of a sensei and three students was the norm here, and he was the odd one out, thus, after graduation there might soone who would/might be kicked out and he didn't want to be the one on the kickout list.
He would be fine with any sensei. anwhile after the children had their fun, they left and the Hokage too left with Naruto. He was genuinely happy that Naruto had found his friend and wasn't isolated. He felt like he didn't fail Minato by a huge margin now.
After they left, Rei helped his parents in cleaning the place up and his parents looked beyond happy thinking of the successful party.
"I had invited the Hyuga child too, but she was a bit sick today so they declined." Daichi said. Rei hadn't seen Hinata for the past couple of days, so she might genuinely down with so kind of fever.
It didn't matter, his parents were happy and that was what mattered.
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