"Didn't I say yesterday the exam wouldn't take long? You didn't have to bring me food," Izanami said as he deactivated his Byakugan and stepped into the kitchen.
Despite his words, he made no attempt to resist the aroma wafting through the air. Sitting at the table without hesitation, he picked up the chopsticks.
Across from him, Hinata was already seated, several bento boxes neatly arranged in front of her. She gave a soft smile as she explained, "I wasn't planning to, but I forgot to remind Hanabi last night. She got up earlier than me today—made a special exam bento just for you."
"I see. Hanabi's always been thoughtful."
As he opened one of the boxes, Izanami's eyes landed on a seaweed rice ball with shredded radish spelling out the words 'Success'. His appetite stirred instantly. Clearly, all the pampering he'd given his spirited sister-in-law over the years hadn't been for nothing.
"Eat with me. I can't finish this much on my own," Izanami said between bites.
Hinata shook her head gently. "I already ate at home." Then, rising from her seat, she made her way to the refrigerator, pulling out a bottle of milk. She poured a glass for each of them—one for him, one for herself.
From waking him gently to preparing his drink, every movement Hinata made was smooth and unhesitant, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
And in many ways, it was.
Though Izanami had never once set foot inside the Hyuga clan's compound, both Hinata and Hanabi had long treated his home as their second. They each had their own keys. On days off or after school, the two sisters often dropped by—sometimes to eat, sometimes to train, sometimes just to be near.
The milk in the fridge, the neatly stacked groceries, even the spotless rooms—they were all a shared effort. Hinata cleaned often; sometimes the three of them did it together. Neither she nor Izanami saw any of it as unusual anymore.
After breakfast and a quick round of dishwashing, the two left the house together, heading toward the Ninja Academy.
They drew more than a few eyes as they walked—an effortlessly graceful pair, side by side under the morning sun. Six years had reshaped both of them. Izanami, now standing at 1.63 meters, had clearly matured into a striking young man. In Konoha, where the average height of boys his age hovered closer to 1.5 meters, he stood out naturally.
Beside him, Hinata walked quietly, no longer the bashful girl who once trailed behind others. Years of training, proper nutrition, and perhaps a little bit of competitive pride had helped her grow not just in strength, but also in stature. At 1.55 meters, she was already six or seven centimeters taller than most girls her age, nearly at her Shippuden height.
Her form, too, had begun to fill out in ways that caught attention—even under her loose white windbreaker, her figure couldn't be completely hidden. The black fishnet lining beneath hinted at her growing confidence. Izanami noticed it. He was human, after all. And he often sighed inwardly: only in the two-dimensional world would someone look like this at twelve.
Their comfortable silence was broken by a familiar voice.
"Izanami, Hinata, good morning."
They turned to see Minako walking toward them.
"Morning, Minako," Hinata replied politely.
"You two are still so inseparable. Are you sure you're not secretly a couple?"
Hinata flushed, eyes dropping for a brief moment, while Izanami simply smirked.
"Is that your subtle way of saying you're jealous?" he teased.
Minako rolled her eyes. "As if. You're not that charming, Izanami."
They continued walking together, the Academy gates drawing nearer—along with the beginning of their final test.
March 21st dawned clear and quiet over Konoha. The usual hustle of the academy grounds was subdued. The first through fifth-year students had completed their year-end exams the day before. Today was reserved solely for the sixth years—their graduation day.
As Izanami and Hinata approached the academy, the silence felt almost sacred. The few figures visible on campus were all sixth-grade students, each carrying a complex mix of excitement and tension in their posture.
Outside the gate, a cluster of parents waited anxiously—ordinary villagers and commoner ninja who had taken rare time off to witness the moment that might change their children's futures. Six years of effort came to a head today. Would their child transcend mediocrity and become a true ninja?
But notably absent were the parents of clan-born students.
For those with bloodline techniques and family privileges, graduation was little more than a formality. Even if they failed the exam, their clan could easily place them into departments or grant them special shinobi status.
As they walked toward the classroom building, Izanami and Hinata greeted classmates along the way. A few boys gave Izanami an enthusiastic nod, while several girls exchanged knowing glances and teasingly asked, "Still not dating, huh? You two are always together."
Izanami only smiled faintly, brushing off the question with the indifference of someone used to it.
Beside him, Hinata lowered her head slightly, her cheeks tinged with pink.
Though both were popular at school, Izanami—despite being the top student in academics and combat—was never as swarmed as Uchiha Sasuke. The reason was simple: Hinata.
They had been deskmates since first grade and inseparable ever since. In the early years, several girls had taken interest in Izanami. But their advances were consistently, politely declined. Over time, they noticed that Izanami's attitude toward Hinata was different—gentler, more familiar. And so, the girls backed off.
Had Hinata been an ordinary girl, she might have been ostracized. But not only was she the heiress of the prestigious Hyuga clan, her grades were always in the top three, and her infamous acupressure taijutsu made her a force to be feared.
No one wanted to be paralyzed on the training field or left twitching from a well-placed pressure strike.
Even the boldest girls gave up. After all, there was still Sasuke—a handsome, cold genius who remained single and mysterious.
With Hinata by his side, Izanami no longer needed to fend off daily invitations or awkward confessions. Life was simpler this way.
They entered the classroom together. It was already half full. Some students sat in silence, fists clenched, their expressions taut with anxiety. Others whispered in corners, their tension spilling out in quiet speculation.
Even Naruto, who had painted graffiti on the Hokage Rock just yesterday and caused the entire class to get punished with a surprise transformation test, was uncharacteristically subdued, sitting quietly at his desk.
Izanami and Hinata took their seats. They leaned toward each other and began to whisper in low voices, completely unfazed by the looming exam.
Across the room, a girl watched them, her expression caught between admiration and envy.
"Honor students..." she muttered under her breath, gripping her knees nervously. She hadn't slept well at all. Not everyone could sit so calmly before the most important test of their youth.
Patreon Seasay