That night, Musashi and Ayame whipped up a table full of gourmet food to celebrate the arrival of the new family member.
Karin Uzumaki and Aoi Uchiha sat next to each other.
Naruto Uzumaki was incredibly curious about this girl who shared his last name, buzzing around Musashi with endless questions.
"Boss, how come Karin has the same last name as me?" Naruto asked.
"Coincidence," Musashi replied.
"Boss, why is Karin's hair red? It's so weird. Red hair isn't exactly common, is it?"
Musashi gave him a peculiar look. "Weird? It's actually quite nice. Naruto, remember that opinion. If you meet another redhead in the future, make sure you say exactly that to her."
"What do you mean by that...?" Naruto scratched his head, confused. "Boss, does this mean we can play together from now on?"
"If Karin wants to play with you, sure, no problem."
Musashi continued, "By the way, Karin will be enrolling in the Academy in a few days. She's the same age as you, and Lord Hokage has placed her in your class."
He leaned in, his tone serious. "Remember this: if anyone bullies Karin, beat the living daylights out of them!"
"If you fail to protect her, I'm going to come back and deal with you myself."
Naruto thumped his chest confidently. "Don't worry, Boss! I'll cover her at school!"
---
On the other side of the table, Karin and Aoi were whispering.
"Who's the blond kid?" Karin asked.
"Naruto Uzumaki. He's Big Brother's tagalong. Big Brother takes care of him too."
"His last name is Uzumaki..." Karin looked thoughtful. "But he feels kind of dense. He doesn't look very bright."
Aoi nodded repeatedly. "I think so too. Just don't let him know, or he might go tattle to Big Brother Musashi."
"Let's ignore him for now," Karin said.
She looked at Ayame, who was putting food in Musashi's bowl, and then at the silent Izumi Uchiha. She nudged Aoi with her shoulder.
"I think Big Sister Ayame is Big Brother's real girlfriend, right?"
"Seems like someone was bragging earlier~"
Aoi bit her lip.
"Tch~"
She whispered a defense, "Big Brother is a powerful ninja."
"One day, he'll realize that my Big Sister is the right girlfriend for him."
"Someone as strong as him should be with an excellent Uchiha kunoichi."
This time, it was Karin who let out a "Tch~".
---
After dinner, Aoi reluctantly said goodbye to Musashi as Izumi dragged her away.
Pete the dog led Karin to get her bed ready, then went off to sleep himself.
He admitted that Aoi's assessment of him—that he just ate and slept—had a point.
But days spent eating high-quality kibble and sleeping without having to do missions were just too comfortable.
Signing this contract was totally worth it.
In the kitchen, Musashi and Ayame were washing the dishes.
"Sis, Karin is a relative of my teacher."
"She'll be living here from now on."
"When I'm not home, please look after her."
"I know, I know," Ayame said, wiping a plate while shooting him a playful eye-roll.
"You go out for one trip, and you come back asking me to babysit."
"If you go on a few more missions a year, are we going to end up with a house full of kids?"
"No way, no way," Musashi quickly clarified his stance. "Even if there are kids, they'll be... well, with you, Sis."
"Oh, shush!~" Ayame turned beet red.
She looked at Musashi, who had been growing rapidly lately. He used to be a head shorter than her, but now he was almost taller.
At this rate, in another year...
Unsure of what crossed her mind, Ayame's face flushed an even deeper shade of red.
She hurriedly finished washing the dishes in her hands and fled the kitchen in a panic.
Musashi watched her run away, baffled.
"Really... Sis is still so easily embarrassed."
---
The Ninja Academy.
"Next question. What are the characteristics of Water Style regarding elemental matchups?" Iruka stood at the podium, looking down at the students.
Choji Akimichi was sneaking snacks.
Kiba Inuzuka was fast asleep.
Shikamaru Nara looked bored out of his mind.
And Naruto Uzumaki had panicked eyes, seemingly chanting 'You can't see me, you can't see me.'
"Naruto, why don't you answer this one?"
Naruto: (O_O)!!
"Uh... this... well... Water Style counters Fire Style... and the feature is... the feature is..."
"Teacher, I just happened to forget." After struggling for a moment, Naruto confirmed he knew absolutely nothing.
Iruka sighed lightly.
He knew it.
It had been a while since he became Naruto's homeroom teacher.
The boy's performance left him feeling very helpless.
The biggest headache was, of course, the pranks. They were endless.
Aside from that, his grades were a mess.
Ninjutsu Theory, General Knowledge, The Will of Fire, History of the Early Hokages, The 'God of Shinobi's' Five Great Speeches... he was dead last in every subject.
Only his Taijutsu (Gym Class) was decent.
Every teacher gets a headache when stuck with a student like this.
"Um... Sasuke, why don't you answer? The characteristics of Water countering Fire."
Below the podium, Sasuke Uchiha, maintaining his 'brooding cool guy' vibe, looked up and calmly recited the textbook answer.
"The characteristic of Water countering Fire lies in the difference between chakra density and explosive force. Only under specific conditions can Water Style effectively counter..."
"Wow! So cool~"
"He's so handsome~"
"Sasuke! Sasuke! Look at me!"
"Ah!~ My perfect boyfriend."
Sasuke gave the standard answer.
It immediately triggered screams and praise from the fan club in the class. The noise was so loud even Iruka couldn't stop it.
Many of the boys in the class looked like they were constipated.
Especially Naruto, whose constipation seemed terminal.
He stared at Sasuke, who was 'showing off' not far away.
"Damn it~"
"That guy is fronting again!"
"Hmph, what's there to be arrogant about! I punched him right in the face last time!"
"Next time! Next time I'll definitely punch him in the face twice!"
Sasuke was nearby and clearly heard him.
After answering the question, he glanced at Naruto with disdain.
"Last time was just an accident."
"Big Sis Izumi already told me how your trick works."
"From now on, you'll never beat me again."
After saying that, he looked down, ignoring the furious Naruto.
Iruka continued the lesson.
Knock, knock.
The classroom door opened. Musashi walked in, holding Karin's hand.
"Teacher Iruka, Lord Hokage sent me."
Iruka put down his book and stepped forward enthusiastically. "Jonin Musashi! Lord Hokage already briefed me. Don't worry."
"No need to be so formal, just call me Musashi. I'm leaving Karin in your hands."
"Rest assured, I'll take good care of her."