Ninja Academy

"Oh, it's Lord Third. Hello, would you like a bowl of ramen?" Teuchi asked respectfully.

"Haha, of course. I thought I'd spend some time with the young people. Give Naruto another bowl too, and put it on my tab. Issui, you and Hinata are together already? What an age to be young! Are you settling into Konoha? I heard what you said just now, and I'm very gratified. Now that you've joined Konoha, this is your home. If you run into any trouble, you can tell me. Don't keep it bottled up." Sarutobi looked at the two children before him and reflected that perhaps they would become a strong shield for Konoha and protect it. He sensed the presence of Konoha's Will of Fire in them.

"Oh, it's Lord Third Hokage. I'm settling in fine. The people in Konoha are all nice, and I'm sure I'll soon fit into the big family that is Konoha." Issui wore a sincere expression as he spoke, but inwardly he was utterly contemptuous. He must have been peeping again. This is blatant surveillance. Still, it was nothing much. Even someone like Naruto, who was firmly committed to protecting Konoha, was watched, let alone an outsider like him.

Hinata blushed and greeted Third. It seemed that from now on, Hinata had been tagged as Issui's.

Today was the day Konoha's Ninja Academy enrolled new students. Many parents had already brought their children to the school for the entrance ceremony.

Hyuga Hiashi also brought Hinata and Issui to the Ninja Academy. People kept greeting him along the way; it seemed he was quite well liked.

"Hey, Hiashi, you're here too. This is your daughter Hinata, right? She's nothing like you. It's hard to imagine someone as stone-faced as you having such a shy daughter. And this must be Issui beside her. I heard he possesses the legendary Eye of Heaven Kekkei Genkai. He's awakened his eyes, hasn't he? I wonder how they compare to the three great Kekkei Genkai Dōjutsu." A very fat man wearing clothes marked with the character for "food" led a chubby boy over to Hiashi and the others.

"Mm, this is your son Choji, right? His personality isn't much like yours either. Come, Hinata, Issui, let me introduce you. This is Akimichi Chōza, the head of the Akimichi Clan and a member of the Ino-Shika-Cho, famous throughout Konoha," Hyuga Hiashi said to Issui and Hinata.

"Hello, Uncle Chōza. I'm Issui Kanna. Please take care of me. Hello to you too, Choji. Let's get to know each other. We might be classmates after today, and I hope we can become comrades," Issui Kanna said with a smile, waving at Choji.

"Ah, hello. I'm Choji Akimichi. Nice to meet you," Choji said awkwardly. He's so nice. He doesn't mind that I'm fat, and he even wants to be friends with me. Apart from Shikamaru, he's the first person to show me any kindness.

"Hello, I'm Hinata Hyuga. Please take care of me." Hinata blushed and bowed to Chōza.

"All right, it's time for enrollment. Let's not waste any time. Ninja must act at the right moment. Let the children go to class, and we old fellows can find somewhere to chat. It's not often we're all together."

Shikaku Nara and Inoichi Yamanaka had also arrived at the Ninja Academy with their respective children. It was Shikaku who had spoken. Shikamaru looked impatient and greeted Choji, who smiled back.

"Wow, you're the handsome boy from that day! Hello, I'm Ino Yamanaka." Stars were shining in Ino's eyes again.

"Oh, class is about to start. Let's hurry into the classroom. Hinata, come on." Issui hurriedly pulled Hinata away. His esteemed father-in-law was right there, so he had better behave.

"Hey, wait for me!" Ino ran after them.

"Come on, Choji, let's get good seats, preferably in the last row. That's where it's comfortable." Shikamaru sighed. What a pain. It would be so much nicer to sleep at home. Being a ninja is such a hassle!

"Yeah," Choji said happily.

The adults left behind stared blankly. Were young people all like this now? Not one of them was normal. Sigh, we can't keep up with the times. We've fallen behind.

When Issui entered the classroom, several people were already inside: Naruto Uzumaki, looking excited; Sasuke Uchiha, looking cool with his head held high the whole time, apparently unafraid of neck problems; Shino Aburame, his face covered, another cool guy; Kiba Inuzuka, with a dog lying on his head; Sakura Haruno, normal, since she had yet to enter her fangirl phase; and a few others he didn't recognize. They probably had no distinguishing features, the kind of generic characters in Naruto who could be there or not.

Issui pulled Hinata into seats in the middle of the front row, because he couldn't be bothered to go farther back. When Naruto saw Issui, he greeted him.

Before long, Ino and the others came in and chose their seats. Everyone had arrived, and they were all quiet. After all, it was their first day of school, and they didn't know one another well.

Once everyone was seated, Iruka Umino entered carrying a textbook. Looking at the students before him, he felt a surge of excitement. When he saw Naruto's whiskered face, however, he felt a complicated mix of emotions, but quickly hid it. He cleared his throat and said, "Hello, class. I'm Iruka Umino, and I'll be your teacher from now on. I'm going to call the roll. When I call your name, stand up and say 'Here,' so everyone can get to know you. All right, I'll begin. Naruto Uzumaki."

"Here!" Naruto shouted at the top of his lungs. He was excited, huh?

But several students were whispering among themselves about the demon fox and such. Apart from the nine young rookies and Issui, everyone wore an indifferent expression.

"Quiet. Next, Sasuke Uchiha." Iruka hurriedly intervened. Although he himself also "disliked" Naruto, Naruto was now his student, and he ought to conduct himself as a teacher should.

"Here," Sasuke said coldly, attracting the attention of several girls. Ino had switched sides already.

"Sakura Haruno."

"Here." Sakura sounded a little unsure of herself. That broad forehead!

"Issui Kanna."

"Here." Issui gave everyone a warm smile, charming a whole crowd of girls. Ino switched sides again.

"Shino Aburame."

"Here." A cold guy, liked by no one.

"Kiba Inuzuka."

"Here, and Akamaru too," Kiba said with a roguish air.

"Woof." Akamaru's bark drew a lot of attention, and Kiba was temporarily overlooked.

"Hinata Hyuga."

"Here," Hinata said shyly.

"Shikamaru Nara."

"Here." Shikamaru's eyelids had already begun to droop.

"Ino Yamanaka."

"Here." Even Ino was shy. That was rare.

"Choji Akimichi."

"Here." The chubby boy was very excited.

After finishing roll call, Iruka looked helpless. These students all had problems to one degree or another: a demon fox, a stone face, fangirls, an idiot, a masked face, a boy with a dog...

"All right, since it's the first day, you're free to do as you like for the rest of the time, but don't go too far. I'll let you know when it's time to go home." With that, Iruka walked out.

"Come on, Hinata, let's go outside and practice with Shuriken. You already know how to... refine chakra, right? Yesterday I made two weighted sandbags. The ten-kilogram one is mine, and the five-kilogram one is yours. Starting today, we need to get used to these things. They'll be very useful to us in the early stages, especially to a ninja like you who only trains in Taijutsu. Don't ask why. I wouldn't harm you. We're friends, after all." Issui tossed Hinata a small bag embroidered with daisies and strapped a larger one to his own back. The sandbag's fabric was much like Issui's clothes, so it wouldn't be noticed without a close look. This was only temporary. He couldn't make gravity talismans himself, so this would have to do. In a while, he would go to a ninja tool shop and buy some.

"Wow, it's so pretty! Give me one, Issui-kun. I really want one too," Ino said, suddenly poking her head out from behind them.

"There aren't any more. It's a training tool. You can make one yourself. It's just a sandbag for weighted training," Issui said.

"Tch, a child's toy," Sasuke said contemptuously from the side.

"Aren't you a child yourself, second son of the Uchiha Clan? Besides, every powerful ninja starts out weak. If you don't understand what it means to be weak, it's hard to become strong. There are no geniuses in this world. Only with a strong heart can you become a powerhouse who stands above the world. Has the Uchiha's powerful bloodline made you forget humility? You're a long way behind your genius older brother," Issui said mercilessly.

"You, you..." Sasuke's face flushed red and then turned pale. He looked close to tears. He was still a child, after all.

"Come on, Hinata. This kind of person doesn't understand what comrades mean. Let him think about it himself. Don't always look down on others. You should know that while you're looking down on them, they're looking down on you too." Issui shook his head and led Hinata out of the classroom.

A little later, everyone had gone outside. The two big fangirls, Ino and Sakura, played together, while Kiba, Shino, Choji, and Shikamaru gathered in a group, leaving Sasuke alone in the classroom to brood.

Time passed quickly, and it was already lunchtime. Iruka told everyone to go home and eat. The afternoon lesson would be an introduction to the world of ninja.

Sasuke returned home in low spirits. Fugaku Uchiha didn't notice the change in Sasuke. He cared only about the strength of the Uchiha Clan. His eldest son had already successfully made it into Konoha's Anbu, and his clan commanded Konoha's police force. The Uchiha Clan's influence was steadily expanding; perhaps one day Konoha in the Land of Fire would be his for the taking.

"You're back, Sasuke. How was the Ninja Academy?" As soon as Itachi entered the house, he saw Sasuke sulking and spoke affectionately.

"Nothing, it's just, it's just..." Sasuke quietly told him what had happened that morning.

"Oh, it seems there are some geniuses in your year after all. 'If you don't understand what it means to be weak, it's hard to become strong' really is a classic saying. Being able to recognize that shows he already has the potential to become strong. His name is Issui Kanna, right? He's also a ninja with a Dōjutsu Kekkei Genkai. I heard he's already awakened his eyes. Sasuke, he's right. Maybe he'll become your friend, just like Brother Shisui and me. If you want to beat him, you'll have to work hard. Come on, we're increasing your training today. Work hard and become a powerful ninja." Itachi stroked Sasuke's head as he spoke.

"Yes." Sasuke looked at his older brother with eyes full of admiration.