Soul of a Samurai

Kyojin barely had time to react before he was dragged through the academy doors, Naruto leading the charge like a wild animal. The halls blurred past them, the sounds of students chatting and footsteps echoing in his ears. Kyojin was still trying to process how he ended up in this situation when Naruto suddenly skidded to a stop in front of a classroom door.

Finally. Kyojin let out a quiet breath, relieved that the sprint had ended.

But then, Naruto threw open the door with no hesitation.

"Naruto Uzumaki is here!" he shouted, his voice echoing through the classroom.

Kyojin, still being dragged along, barely managed to avoid slamming into the doorway before stumbling into the room. The entire class turned to stare at them.

A man standing at the front of the classroom sighed loudly, rubbing his temples. He had a horizontal scar across his nose and his brown hair tied back into a ponytail. His exasperated expression said everything.

"Naruto! What are you doing?!" he shouted.

The class burst into whispers and muffled laughter, but their eyes quickly shifted to the strange boy in a white kimono lying on the floor behind Naruto.

Naruto frantically pointed at Kyojin. "It's not my fault! He asked if he could come with me! I swear I'm innocent!"

The teacher sighed again, this time deeper, before stepping forward and kneeling beside Kyojin. "You," he said, his tone calmer now. "What's your name?"

Kyojin pushed himself up, his expression unreadable. "Kyojin."

The man nodded. "I'm Iruka Umino, the instructor of this class." His sharp eyes studied Kyojin for a moment before he stood back up. "Would you like to attend the academy?"

Kyojin thought about it for a moment. He didn't particularly care either way. But it wasn't like he had anything better to do. He simply nodded.

Iruka sighed, already feeling a headache coming on. "Fine. Naruto, go sit down."

Naruto gave him a cheeky salute before rushing toward his seat, still grinning.

Iruka then gestured toward an empty seat next to a blonde-haired girl. "Go sit next to Ino Yamanaka."

Kyojin silently walked toward the seat, his wooden sword still secured at his side. As he did, Iruka's gaze fell on the sword, his brow furrowing.

"Wait."

Kyojin stopped and looked back at him.

Iruka pointed at the sword. "Weapons aren't allowed in the classroom."

Kyojin blinked. "It's not a weapon."

Iruka stared at him, then at the wooden sword, then back at him. He sighed for what felt like the hundredth time that day.

"Fine. Just don't use it."

Kyojin nodded and sat down.

Ino turned toward him, flipping her long blonde hair over her shoulder. "Hey! My name's—"

But before she could finish, Kyojin was already asleep, arms crossed, head slightly tilted forward.

Ino twitched in irritation. "Seriously?!" she muttered, glaring at him.

A few seats behind them, a boy with black hair tied in a pineapple-like style watched the scene unfold. His sharp, lazy eyes landed on Kyojin before he let out a quiet chuckle.

"Huh… I think we'll get along just fine."