Chapter Text
June 3rd, 2025
Raindrops slid down the fogged-up windows—just another day when the blond had to get up early for work. At any other time of day he would be delighted with his job, with teaching his passion for judo, with the children fluttering around him with enthusiasm. But not at seven-thirty in the morning, no.
His eyes were still glued shut as he prepared himself a strong coffee and grumbled under his breath, but that didn’t stop him from putting on a tracksuit, stuffing his kimono and belt into his sports bag, and rushing off to the dojo.
While he set up the mats and stretched out the carpets, he hummed a song in his head. The sun was barely rising and the coffee had already hit him—this was the real Naruto: a 27-year-old judo teacher with more excitement than a kid. He had big ambitions in the sports world, so he continued competing, but to earn money he taught children from six to seventeen at the dojo where he himself had grown up.
The director (and his former master), already close to eighty years old, more than retired, still kept the place lively. He liked having hired Naruto as a teacher; Naruto always worked extra hours, organized groups, inspired the children, accompanied them to tournaments and meets… He was the perfect candidate. Maybe a bit irresponsible, but it was summer, and only someone like Naruto would be willing to wake up at seven in the morning just to train until eight at night.
The children began arriving—first the older group. The class started as always: greetings, stretches, exercises, and then pair work to practice throws while Naruto supervised. He was preparing his kids for a tournament in two months, and he was certain they would win every medal.
After a couple of hours came Naruto’s favourite part: the little ones—white belts and brand-new kimonos, huge smiles, and bouncy children in whom he could see his younger self. All the kids adored him, and he loved bragging about how good the atmosphere always was in his classes.
He greeted the parents with a smile and high-fived the kids as they walked in. He was about to close the doors when a tiny boy, about seven or eight, came running in stained with mud from the rain. He had long straight black hair, deep dark eyes that popped against his pale skin. And worst of all, that expression—impassive at everything.
“You’re a little late, kid… I almost closed the doors. Aren’t your parents coming to drop you off?” Naruto tried to sound friendly, but the boy stared at him with suspicion while shaking his head and putting his things away.
Naruto felt threatened just by the presence of this child who seemed so bitter. He wasn’t like the others. And the worst part wasn’t that—he looked exactly like someone.
He sent him in with the others and began the class.
Everything was going fine. Naruto tried to set aside his egocentric, groundless feelings of rejection toward the small boy he’d just met and treated him like the rest—only avoiding eye contact as much as possible. The resemblance was unsettling, and he hated with all his soul the memories it stirred inside him.
It was time for the kids to show their skills with some holds, so he paired them up randomly and told them to try taking their partner to the ground and holding them there for three seconds.
That furious little black-haired kid managed it in under a minute, making his partner scream for help. How could such a small body hold so much anger?
He paired him with a different girl, and the same thing happened—before Naruto even realized, she was on the ground surrendering.
He huffed quietly, approaching him to try again to start a conversation.
“Uh… Is this your first day? It’s the first day for many here… Try to have fun! This isn’t a competition. They’re your classmates—make friends and enjoy it, alright?”
“I didn’t come here to make friends.”
The brat practically spat the words, unmoved by the condescending tone any adult uses with any child. Naruto let his memories take control when he told the kids to break pairs and form a circle. He pulled the stubborn black-haired boy and the best, more experienced nine-year-old—two belts above him—to spar in front of everyone.
That fleeting look the boy gave him ignited something inside Naruto—a kind of fervent anger. Deep down, he hoped the others would bring down the kid’s ego, make him swallow that pride, maybe even complain. Say something.
And it worked. More or less. His student defeated the new grump in a couple of moves, pinning him long enough to mark the loss. But the kid never gave up. And that reminded Naruto even more of someone.
The class continued, and Naruto decided he couldn’t look at him anymore. He placed him in the back despite his short height and avoided looking his way as much as possible. He focused on teaching the rest and soaking up the ambition and excitement the other children shared—not like that newcomer, who seemed to have only individual ambition and zero sense of teamwork, which made Naruto’s stomach twist.
Class ended with the sound of the bell, and the children left—including that last black-haired boy. The boys and girls split off toward the locker rooms, and Naruto gathered the equipment used during class.
Nothing ever happened in those ten minutes. Never. Until today: he heard shouts and laughter coming from the boys’ locker room, and Naruto had a bad feeling something was going on.
Sure enough, the new kid had a boy pinned in a lock—one taller and bulkier than him—and was hurting him, while the others laughed and encouraged him. A textbook bullying scene.
“Let go of him right now, Satoru.” Naruto spoke firmly to the boy, who looked at him defiantly while still holding his classmate on the floor. Naruto sighed before pulling them apart himself. “And the rest of you… Why are you laughing instead of helping your friend? Is this what I’ve taught you? Do you think judo is only about being strong? Then you’re wrong. You are very wrong.” The last part was directed at the problematic boy.
“If I see you do something like this to a classmate again, you’re out of the tournament.”
Satoru clicked his tongue and looked away, indifferent to the threat. As if he knew perfectly well what he was worth. As if that white belt meant nothing because, in his head, he already had the black one. God, he was just like…
When everyone dispersed and went to their parents, Naruto walked out behind Satoru hoping (and fearing) to see his parents, but the kid went home alone. Naruto had a bad feeling regarding that boy’s family, and he desperately hoped he was wrong—an irrational fear, a forgotten past he didn’t want to awaken.
But that day, he was left with the doubt.