At that moment, everyone in the classroom was stunned by his strides.
The snacks Heiji had just unwrapped fell onto his desk in shock.
Even the little ice queen, Nao, was so startled that her small mouth fell open.
Bang! Shin slammed both palms onto the lectern.
Everyone's surprise was slapped out of existence by that blow.
"That kind of hurt..."
Shin's move of slapping the lectern had been incomparably domineering, and his posture had been practically flawless.
It was just that, the instant his palms touched the desk, the pain made his brow twitch slightly.
But because he immediately composed his expression, he could still compete for this year's Ninja World Oscar.
Five-year-old Shin raised his brows and lifted his chin slightly.
Director Shin looked at the students below the lectern and began his introduction in the most arrogant tone possible. "I, Uchiha Shin, don't have anything I particularly like..."
"My dream is too great, so I'll start with a small goal. What do you think about conquering this school?"
"Whoa..."
The "audience" below the lectern stared blankly at the performance above them.
The chubby Heiji was convinced.
On his first day at the Ninja Academy, Shin had declared that he would conquer the school. He felt that the other boy could no longer be described with just the word "awesome."
Nao's brows drew together slightly.
She had just said she wanted to become the strongest in Konoha, only to hear this Uchiha kid say that he wanted to conquer the school?
Her body trembled faintly, as though she wanted to spar with him immediately.
Nawaki was still glaring furiously at the person on the lectern, but the fighting spirit in his eyes had grown even stronger.
Mikoto, Shin's future sister-in-law, remained shocked throughout the entire exchange.
She felt that the clan head's Second Young Master had hidden himself far too deeply. His "ambition" was actually so great that he wanted to become the one calling the shots at the Ninja Academy.
Nishinodera looked speechlessly at the ceiling. From the bottom of his heart, he believed there were a few too many "problem students" this year.
One had "unclear preferences," while the other was a "delinquent student."
He felt that his teaching career over the next five years would be nothing but darkness.
His mood was exceedingly low at that moment.
"And..."
Director Shin looked at Nawaki below the lectern and lightly placed both hands on its edge.
His tone was low. "I don't like making friends with people..."
"Especially men."
Boom!
Shin's words were like a lit fuse tossed into a powder keg, instantly setting off the entire classroom.
All kinds of chatter rose and fell, making the whole room lively.
Nishinodera, who was on the verge of tears, now felt that the two "problem students" were less troublesome than the students below, who were openly discussing the matter at the top of their lungs.
If word of this got out, wouldn't his colleagues laugh him to death?
But Nawaki wanted to cry even more than Nishinodera did.
Those words had sent his reputation straight to rock bottom.
"Ring..." A brief, cheerful bell rang out.
The clock hanging on the wall pointed exactly at twelve.
That meant it was time for school to end.
Shin swiftly turned around and headed for the classroom door.
He bent his body slightly and abruptly raised his right leg.
Then he kicked the door with lightning speed.
The next second, with a smack, the door fell straight outward.
Even a wooden door hurt Shin at his current age.
"The dropout plan is complete..."
As though possessed by an award-winning actor, Shin showed not the slightest unnaturalness in either expression or movement despite the pain shooting through his nerves.
His small body leaned slightly forward, almost pressing against the lectern. "Class is over, students."
After shaking out his black trench coat, Shin turned and strode out of the classroom.
"Uchiha Shin, I'll remember you..." Nao said as she watched his departing back, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly.
"He should be pretty tough, right?" She wore the smile of a child spotting her favorite toy, then chose to follow him after a moment.
Nawaki felt extremely displeased. I haven't even introduced myself yet...
Having been denied even a name, he watched his classmates head home one by one before slinking away dejectedly.
Mikoto left in great turmoil.
She was considering whether she should tell the clan about the Second Young Master's "grand declaration" just now.
Everyone else ignored Nishinodera, who had fallen into a state of self-isolation.
They left one after another.
The chubby Heiji was the last to leave.
He looked at the expressionless Nishinodera with eyes full of sympathy.
Then, with hands greasy from snacks, he gave Nishinodera an encouraging hug.
Afterward, he gathered up his large pile of snacks and followed the others home.
"I... I... sob..."
When Nishinodera saw that even Heiji had ultimately left with one of the delinquents in his eyes, he finally could not hold back his tears.
And when he cried, he looked exactly like a thirty-year-old child.
In an alley not far from the Ninja Academy.
Shin wore a twisted expression as he clutched his right leg.
Hyuga Nao was searching for him outside the alley some distance away.
"I remember that even the five-year-old prince didn't get covered in injuries when he was being mischievous..."
Crying out in pain as he squatted down, Shin felt that attending school or not did not really matter.
For civilian ninja, the Ninja Academy could change the course of their lives.
But he had been born into the Uchiha Clan and was the current clan head's youngest son.
Even if he could not become a ninja, were there no other ways to grow stronger?
"Strength is meant to protect family and friends..."
Shin, who did not blindly pursue power, felt that taking things step by step was quite good.
The moment that thought appeared, the pain that had felt heart-wrenching seemed to lessen considerably.
"A world driven by will..."
Only that thought-provoking yet unusually childish voice echoed through the alley.
The Third Hokage's office in the Hokage Building.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was reading a document marked urgent.
Hearing the noise outside the window, he knew that it was school dismissal time.
As the principal, he had not appeared at the school because the contents of the document had delayed him.
The Ninja Academy had been established by the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, to ensure stable education and efficient talent cultivation. It was located right beside the Hokage Building.
"Hanzo hasn't been behaving himself lately either..." The Third Hokage shook his head and set down the intelligence report on Amegakure.
He rose to look at the new students leaving the Ninja Academy outside the window.
"This year's children are all so lively!"
Looking at the energetic freshmen beneath the noon sun, he sighed. "I will maintain this peace at all costs..."
Before long, calm returned outside the school.
The Third Hokage also ended his thoughts.
He looked toward a dark corner of the room. "Elephant, make a trip to Amegakure yourself. Be careful when investigating Hanzo."
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
As soon as he finished speaking, a figure leaped from the corner and out the window, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
Elephant had served as Sarutobi Hiruzen's Anbu guard since the Third Hokage took office.
His outstanding knowledge of secret ninja techniques and intelligence analysis had earned him the mission of investigating Amegakure.
Generally speaking, a Hokage's guard only needed to protect the Hokage from the shadows. The fact that even he had to be dispatched showed just how powerful Hanzo of Amegakure was.
The Anbu were a special assassination and tactical unit established by the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama. They were directly commanded by the current Hokage and were usually known by various code names.
They were the first intelligence organization to appear among the Five Great Nations at the time.
The ninja villages of the other nations merely copied them afterward.
It seemed the Ninja World was quite skilled at copying too.
Before you continue