The Ninja Academy classroom rose in tiers from front to back, like a lecture hall. The students had no fixed seats; those who got along could sit close together, while the solitary and overbearing types might claim an entire desk for themselves.
Overall, the classroom was quite large, but there were few students—only around twenty at a rough count.
Katsuki stood on the platform, silently sucking at his teeth. Well, a bunch of snot-nosed kids. This was going to be a headache. Though he seemed to have forgotten that he himself was only a three-foot-seven little runt.
"Everyone, quiet down. Stop making noise." Teacher Takashima quickly calmed the rowdy group of six- and seven-year-olds, then said gently, "Today, two new students will be joining us. Starting today, they will be studying alongside everyone else..."
After a slight pause, the middle-aged man turned his gaze toward Kushina and Katsuki beside him. "Come on, introduce yourselves to everyone."
Katsuki immediately curled his lip and glanced sideways at Kushina, wondering whether he should speak first or second. In any case, he could not steal his sister's spotlight. Fortunately, he did not have to worry about that for long...
"My name is Kushina Uzumaki... My dream is to become the first female Hokage..." Kushina's childish voice echoed through the classroom. After shouting out her declaration, her little face flushed crimson, making her look even more like a bright red tomato. Still, she was quite satisfied with her performance.
See? Everyone had been intimidated by her. Let's see who dared look down on her now!
Katsuki's mouth twitched. Good heavens, his sister's bold declaration was really something. He had thought that with himself as an unexpected variable, Kushina would not make such an ambitious proclamation again. It seemed he had been too naive.
He looked over at the little brats in their seats. Sure enough, the silence was merely the prelude to an outburst. Quite a few boys were holding back laughter, looking as though they were about to burst out laughing at any moment. Katsuki's heart skipped a beat. He could not be bothered if these little brats wanted to court death, but he was afraid his sister would take her anger out on him. If that happened, he would truly cry himself unconscious in the bathroom. His thoughts raced like lightning as he considered how to solve the problem.
"I also hope to become a great Hokage acknowledged by the people of the village!"
A clear voice, like ringing jade, sounded out. A boy suddenly rose from his seat. His dazzling blond hair shone like the sun, and his sea-blue eyes were like a pair of glittering gems. His handsome face bore a refreshing smile. His sudden interruption immediately halted the shift in the classroom's atmosphere, and those few who had been about to mock Kushina forcibly swallowed back the laughter that had reached their lips.
Teacher Takashima had naturally noticed the change in atmosphere as well. He gave the blond boy a grateful look, afraid that any further trouble would betray the Hokage's intentions. He hurriedly pointed Kushina and Katsuki toward two empty seats, completely forgetting that Katsuki had not introduced himself yet...
Fortunately, Katsuki did not care about that at the moment. Instead, he stared awkwardly at the blond boy in the neighboring seat, unsure how to deal with him...
"Hello, my name is Minato Namikaze. It seems we'll be desk mates from today onward. Please take care of me." The future Yellow Flash, the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, lowered his voice as he greeted Katsuki.
"Uh... hello, my name is..."
"Katsuki, don't talk to that sissy. Be careful, or you'll catch it and turn into a sissy too." Kushina struck like lightning, accurately and ruthlessly pinching the soft flesh at Katsuki's waist.
She successfully made Katsuki shut his mouth. Only then did Kushina cast a provocative glance at Minato, looking especially pleased with herself.
"Uzumaki Katsuki, right? Then please take care of me from now on, Katsuki." Ignoring Teacher Takashima, who was still spraying saliva from the podium, Minato smiled as he chatted idly with the Uzumaki siblings.
Hearing Minato's words, Kushina froze for a moment before belatedly realizing what he meant. She immediately glared at Minato with puffed cheeks. If she had not just arrived and class had not been in session, she would definitely have shown this pretty boy what she was capable of.
Katsuki quietly sighed to himself. What a headache! His sister's intelligence was completely being toyed with by the other side. What was he supposed to do?
As for Minato Namikaze, the man who would very likely become his brother-in-law, he did not know how to deal with him. Memories from his previous life and impressions from this one tangled together, leaving him terribly troubled.
Setting everything else aside, Minato Namikaze himself was undoubtedly someone worthy of admiration and respect. And he and Kushina were also the most romantic couple. Though they had died heroically, it was truly... moving.
"Ah!"
With a long sigh, Katsuki felt as though his head was about to explode. Thinking about such matters was simply not his strong suit. He should just let nature take its course. All he needed to do was respect his sister's choice and give her the greatest freedom to choose. After all, happiness had never been something others bestowed upon someone; it was something one fought for oneself. As long as his sister was happy, that was enough!
Katsuki gave Minato an apologetic smile, then sat obediently in his chair, staring blankly at the podium. Beneath the desk, his hands continuously practiced forming hand seals. The twelve hand seals cycled over and over, like blooming flowers.
This was also part of his training. A ninja's hand seal speed was one of the standards used to measure their strength. Faster hand seals meant ninjutsu could be released more quickly, allowing one to seize the initiative in battle and, at critical moments, swiftly deliver a fatal blow to the enemy.
Being able to form hand seals quickly was one of the prerequisites for learning ninjutsu. Before Sakumo approved of his speed, he was forbidden from learning any ninjutsu beyond the Three Basic Ninjutsu. This had been the condition Sakumo left Katsuki before departing. Now, Katsuki could only drool over the ninjutsu scrolls collected by the Uzumaki Clan, not daring to touch them.
The lower grades at the Ninja Academy got out early. After all, they were all six- or seven-year-old children, usually full of energy. How could they have the patience to sit still for so long? Only after advancing to higher grades could they gradually develop that patience.
Of course, that mostly applied to commoner students without much backing. Any child with even a little family influence would go straight home after school, shut the doors, and train diligently. Even if the kid did not want to train, their family would whip them with a belt until they did.
The Ninja Academy offered two kinds of classes: academic lessons and physical training. Classes began at eight-thirty in the morning and, with the lunch break included, lasted until three in the afternoon.
Academic classes were the boring sort. They covered the less than thirty years of Konoha's history since its founding, along with writing and arithmetic. This was very useful for most children from commoner backgrounds. Literacy rates were still low in those days, and there were plenty of people who could not recognize a single character. Many commoner families thought that even if their children could not become ninja, learning to read, write, and calculate would make the tuition worthwhile.
The Ninja Academy's graduation rate was not high. There were plenty of students who studied for five or six years without graduating. Once they passed the age limit, they often had no choice but to leave school in disappointment, give up their dreams of becoming ninja, and begin struggling to make a living.
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