Chapter 8
Chapter 8: My First School Day
A year passed, and finally, my first day at the civilian school arrived. I’d been looking forward to this moment—new faces, a fresh start, and a chance to enjoy a normal life, away from ninja madness. Or so I thought.
Problem was, I expected to walk to school on my own, like a regular 7-year-old. But apparently, normal wasn’t in the cards for me.
Instead, I found myself escorted by Shino, his dad, and the ANBU squad. Yes, you read that right.
The morning started innocently enough. I had breakfast, checked my school supplies, and was halfway out the door when Shino appeared.
“Good morning, Sakura,” he said in his calm, polite tone.
“Shino?” I blinked, surprised. “What are you doing here? Don’t you have the academy today?”
“I’m here to walk you to school,” he said simply, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
“Uh… thanks? But I can walk myself.”
Before I could protest further, Shibi Aburame emerged from the shadows, silent as a ghost. “It’s important for first impressions to be positive. I thought it best to accompany you as well.”
Shino nodded in agreement, like this was totally logical.
I opened my mouth to argue when suddenly, Weasel dropped out of a nearby tree. He was wearing his ANBU mask, his presence practically screaming "intimidating ninja."
“Can’t let you go without protection,” he said cheerfully.
“Protection? It’s a civilian school!” I yelled.
As if on cue, Raven materialized behind Weasel, his arms crossed. “Standard procedure. We can’t let anything happen to you.”
“Anything happen to me?! What’s going to happen at SCHOOL?” I demanded.
“Bullies,” Weasel said with mock seriousness.
By the time we reached the school gates, my "escort" had grown into a full-blown entourage. Shino, Shibi, Weasel, Raven, and two other masked ANBU members walked me to class like I was the Hokage's secret heir.
My poor classmates froze the moment we entered. Some kids stared in awe; others looked like they wanted to cry. Even the teacher paused mid-sentence, her chalk trembling in her hand.
“Haruno Sakura?” she asked weakly, her eyes darting nervously to my bodyguards.
“Present,” I said, slinking to my seat.
As the teacher resumed roll call, I noticed the other kids whispering. A girl with pigtails was pointing at me and murmuring to a boy beside her.
“Did you see that ANBU squad?”
“Who is she?!”
“Is she a princess?”
I buried my face in my hands. This was not the normal first day I had envisioned.
During recess, the situation didn’t improve. Some kids avoided me entirely, while others crowded around, bombarding me with questions.
“Are you a ninja?”
“Is your dad the Hokage?”
“Do you have superpowers?”
Shino, bless him, sat calmly beside me, deflecting the most ridiculous questions with his usual deadpan logic.
“She’s not a ninja,” he said. “And no, her father is not the Hokage.”
“But then why does she have an ANBU squad following her?”
“...Personal reasons.”
Thanks, Shino. That cleared things up.
By the end of the day, I was exhausted. As I dragged myself home, I couldn’t help but sigh.
“Why can’t I just have a normal life?” I muttered.
Weasel, who had reappeared to shadow me on the way back, chuckled. “Normal is overrated.”
“Easy for you to say,” I grumbled. “You don’t have a classroom full of kids thinking you’re some kind of secret ninja princess.”
Weasel tilted his head thoughtfully. “Well, you did survive your first day. That’s something to celebrate.”
I rolled my eyes. “You’re the worst.”
And with that, my chaotic journey through civilian school had officially begun