Time to Go to School

"Katsuki, are you ready yet? If you keep dawdling, I'm not waiting for you!"

Kushina stood at the doorway, pouting as she complained to Katsuki.

Today, the siblings were going to school together. Back in Uzushio Village, they had studied under the elders and hadn't experienced what was called a Ninja Academy. However, at this point, the Ninja Academy was still a novel concept exclusive to Konoha.

In the eyes of other countries, the Ninja Academy was just a trick by the Second Hokage to fool people, only good for creating a large number of cannon fodder. The ninja world was a world where bloodlines reigned supreme. Masters from commoner backgrounds were exceedingly rare; figures like Hanzō and White Fang were difficult to replicate. Generally speaking, most masters in the major ninja villages still hailed from Prominent Families.

Therefore, the other Four Great Ninja Villages disdained the idea of a Ninja Academy. However, the Anbu, created by the Second Hokage, was quickly adopted by all Five Great Ninja Villages. Kirigakure, in particular, surpassed its predecessors; being a village that specialized in assassination, they quickly mastered it and even developed their own unique variations.

Of course, such matters were too advanced for a seven-year-old girl; it held no more allure than a pretty dress.

For her first day of school, the girl had dressed up meticulously. Her hair, which she never usually tied up, was styled into two ponytails today. She had changed into a new, light yellow dress, and coupled with her round face… she looked like a tomato.

The moment Katsuki saw her, he couldn't help but burst out laughing. No wonder people called her Tomato; she really did look like one!

"What are you laughing at? Katsuki, don't you think I look pretty?" The seven-year-old girl already possessed a sense of vanity. Her brother's reaction annoyed her. Her narrowed eyes exuded a dangerous aura, and her teeth gnashed together, as if she were about to pounce and take a good bite out of him.

"N-no, it's nothing. But I think you look prettier with a single ponytail!"

Katsuki stifled his laughter and quickly offered a suggestion.

"Really?"

The little girl looked at her brother with doubt, but ultimately didn't heed his advice. She trusted her own judgment more; she looked so cute this way!

Konoha's Ninja Academy wasn't far, but it was their first time going. Hiruzen had thoughtfully arranged for someone to guide them, and it was someone they knew…

"Yo, little ones, we meet again!" Tsunade waved her hand as she appeared at the intersection and quickly walked over.

"Auntie!" Kushina greeted her politely.

"Hey! Didn't I tell you to call me 'big sister'? Calling me that makes me feel old! I haven't even had a boyfriend yet!" Tsunade frowned in distress, patted Kushina's head, and then reached out to pinch Katsuki's fair cheek.

However, her outstretched hand missed.

Katsuki quickly took a step back, evading Tsunade's grasping "claws." When he lived with the Senju Clan, Tsunade had often "abused" him. She complained that Nawaki had grown up and no longer let her pinch his cheeks, so she used him as a substitute… Honestly, this was one of the reasons he strongly requested to move out of the Senju Clan's residence.

"Huh?"

Tsunade looked at Katsuki with surprise. She knew very well how fast she had moved just now; a six-year-old child shouldn't have been able to dodge it at all… The corner of her lips curved slightly. What an interesting little guy. He'd only been here for half a month, and he didn't have such good skills before.

Regarding Katsuki becoming Sakumo's student, currently, besides Hiruzen, Kushina, and a few others, no one else knew. It wasn't that they were deliberately keeping it a secret, but there was no need to publicize it. In Konoha, besides Hiruzen, no one could accurately track Sakumo's whereabouts. The master and disciple trained in secluded areas of Konoha's back mountains.

Therefore, Tsunade was unaware that Katsuki was undergoing training with Konoha's White Fang, even though it was still basic training.

Without dwelling too much on this minor interlude, Tsunade skillfully led the two children towards the Ninja Academy. She herself was one of the earliest students at the Ninja Academy, and her brother Nawaki also attended. Having her guide the siblings was definitely a wise choice.

Ninja Academy.

From the makeshift setup under the Second Hokage to Hiruzen's leadership, it had undergone significant changes.

There were three levels: lower, middle, and upper. All new students started in the lower grade and advanced to higher grades through exams. If they failed to pass, they had to remain in the lower grade, leading to a clear differentiation.

For example, in Tsunade's cohort, she, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru graduated after studying for just over half a year, setting a graduation record for the Ninja Academy. Although this record was later broken by Kakashi, part of the reason was that Kakashi was a genius, and the other part was that the war was urgent at the time, forcing those with abilities to graduate early and be sent to the battlefield.

Excluding the case of Kakashi, who broke the rules, after the situation with Tsunade and the others, the school imposed a restriction on graduation age, requiring students to be at least ten years old to graduate. The "biggest victim" of this rule was the future Fourth Hokage, His Excellency the Yellow Flash.

For such a genius to only graduate from the Ninja Academy at the age of ten, apart from the system's reasons, it was hard to imagine any other explanation. The fact that Kakashi could graduate at five in the future was undoubtedly influenced by this.

Kushina and Katsuki were to be placed in the lower-grade class of this year's intake.

Tsunade, with a gentle smile, conversed cordially with the Ninja Academy teacher, presenting the permit signed by Hiruzen. It wasn't that the Ninja Academy was overly formal, requiring the Hokage's signature for student enrollment, but this was a small measure by Hiruzen, a protective measure for Kushina and Katsuki.

The fact that the Hokage had signed the document, and that Princess Tsunade of Konoha herself had delivered it, immediately made Kushina and Katsuki's identities seem mysterious to the teacher. He secretly resolved to take good care of the two transfer students.

After giving Kushina and Katsuki some final instructions, Tsunade left in a hurry. As a Jonin of Konoha, she didn't have much leisure time, especially in the current situation.

"Alright, little ones, follow me to the classroom. Class is about to start. You two should prepare your self-introductions and get along well with your classmates." The ninja teacher, who appeared to be in his thirties, was named Takashima. Teacher Takashima spoke in a gentle voice and had been teaching for seven or eight years, making him adept at interacting with students.

Upon hearing this, Kushina immediately straightened her back, her round face tensing up, her eyes darting around as she thought about something. Katsuki, at this moment, didn't notice his sister's change; he was enthusiastically observing the school. Although he had been somewhat reluctant before coming, upon actually entering the school, he found himself becoming curious without realizing it.

Perhaps he had been playing the role of a child for too long, and his mind had regressed?

Without dwelling on such meaningless questions, Katsuki and Kushina followed the slightly limping Teacher Takashima towards the classroom they would be entering.