A few days later, as the chill of late winter still lingered in the air, the new gates of the Konoha Ninja Academy were already filled with an almost boisterous excitement.
Sunlight filters through the newly sprouted treetops, casting dappled, dancing shadows on the clean stone path.
Children dressed in colorful children's clothes or simple ninja uniforms, amidst their parents' admonitions, their playful antics, or their own quiet contemplation, converge into a vibrant stream, flowing towards the Ninja Academy.
Menma was dressed in clean but clearly washed red and black clothes, carrying a simple cloth bag, and Earth Flow steadily through the crowd.
His deep blue eyes calmly swept over the excited or nervous faces around him, his heart completely unmoved.
Ninja Academy?
For him, this was more like a stage of pretense that he had to go through.
Just like those Hokage novels I read in my past life, very few people who are reborn or transmigrated into children actually attend the Ninja Academy.
Menma's gaze fell on the golden figure bouncing like a little sun outside the crowd ahead.
" Menma- kun! Look, look! So many people! What a huge playground! Wow! That training post is so much taller than me!" Naruto, dressed in a brand-new bright orange tracksuit, ran around Menma like an energetic puppy, his face full of pure joy.
Unreserved excitement and exhilaration; his blue eyes shone with an astonishing light.
Pointing at everything in the school, he chattered on about his discoveries. "Do you think we might end up in the same class? Is today the first day of class assignments?! I'm determined to make friends!"
Menma listened to Naruto's hopeful declaration, and the corners of his mouth curved upwards almost imperceptibly, carrying a hint of gentleness.
"Yes, I will," he replied simply.
Seeing Naruto so happy to be able to go to school and make friends like a normal person, the sense of alienation he felt as a transmigrator seemed to be somewhat diluted by this pure joy.
The two followed the flow of people into the assigned spacious classroom.
The wooden tables and chairs were neatly arranged, and the air was filled with the faint smell of fresh paint and books.
Many children had already found seats and were curiously observing their new classmates.
Menma saw several familiar faces, or rather, faces he often saw on screen in his previous life: Shikamaru Nara was lazily lying by the window, with a "I'm going to die" expression.
Choji Akimichi sat next to Shikamaru, carefully opening a bag of potato chips; Kiba Inuzuka was also very lively, but he hadn't adopted the Ninja Dog Akamaru yet.
Ino Yamanaka Sakura Haruno sat together, talking in hushed tones, their eyes occasionally glancing toward the door.
I think these two have been best friends since childhood, but because they both like Sasuke, they have some girlish bickering.
Konoha 12 are present except for Neji's class from the previous generation.
Ah?
etc?
Is something missing?
Menma frowned slightly. Had something been overlooked?
Naruto pulled Menma to a seat at the back, still unable to hide his excitement. He looked around curiously at each new classmate, especially Kiba. Perhaps because the two had similar personalities, he was eager to join in.
Menma sat down quietly, his gaze calmly sweeping over every face in the classroom, taking in their expressions and subtle movements.
It's like observing a dynamic painting.
Just then, a small commotion and deliberately hushed, excited chatter came from the classroom doorway.
"Look! It's Sasuke-kun!"
" Sasuke-kun is so handsome!"
"He's looking over here!"
Sasuke Uchiha, dressed in a dark blue high-necked short-sleeved shirt and white shorts, Earth Flow in with his hands in his pockets, surrounded and stared at by a group of girls, his expression indifferent.
His refined features carried the handsome elegance unique to the Uchiha Clan, and his dark eyes swept across the classroom with a detachment and a hint of arrogance that belied his age.
Almost instinctively, his gaze first caught that dazzling gold.
That kid named Uzumaki Naruto.
Immediately afterwards, Menma, who was sitting next to Naruto, came into view.
Almost simultaneously, Naruto also saw Sasuke walking in surrounded by admirers.
Her once sunny face instantly turned cloudy, her eyebrows furrowed, and a familiar, undisguised flame of hostility ignited in her blue eyes.
"Hmph! Arrogant!" Naruto immediately jumped up from his seat like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, pointing at Sasuke and shouting, "What are you pretending for! So what if a few people like you? What's so great about that!"
Sasuke stopped in his tracks, his cold gaze fixed on Naruto, a disdainful smile playing on his lips, "Your voice is still as loud as ever."
It's so noisy, it's really an eyesore.
His voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly, carrying a strong sense of disdain.
"Who are you calling a bastard! You want to fight?" Naruto instantly bristled, rolled up his sleeves, and was about to charge forward.
"Come on, are you afraid of me? Idiot!" Sasuke without backing down, his eyes sharp as knives.
The entire classroom fell silent instantly, all eyes focused on the two boys who seemed to clash from the moment they met.
Ino and Sakura looked at Sasuke with tension and worry; Shikamaru looked up and sighed; Choji stopped eating potato chips.
Menma looked at this familiar scene, feeling nothing at all, even a little uneasy, thinking, "Hmm, the plot is unfolding as expected."
He gently placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder, signaling him to calm down.
Just as tensions were rising, Naruto was about to break free from Menma's grasp and pounce, while Sasuke assumed a defensive stance, a strong, reprimanding voice, tinged with a helpless smile, rang out from the classroom doorway:
"Hey! Is it this lively on the first day of school? Everyone back to your seats! If you want to fight, wait until practical class!"
Then, Umino Iruka Earth Flow in, carrying a stack of attendance lists.
He had a horizontal scar on his face, and his smile was both hearty and authoritative, befitting a teacher.
He was wearing Chunin green vest. His gaze swept over Naruto and Sasuke, and he frowned slightly when he saw Naruto. "Tch." Seeing his teacher come in, Naruto deflated like a punctured balloon, let out a groan, and was reluctantly pulled back to his seat by Menma, muttering under his breath.
Sasuke snorted coldly, ignoring the concerned looks from the girls around him, and walked straight to an empty seat at the back, his back still exuding a cold and hard aura.
Iruka walked to the front of the classroom, put down the attendance list, and looked around at the dozens of pairs of eyes in the classroom—some curious, some nervous, some excited, and some as lazy as Shikamaru —and a warm smile appeared on his face.
"Alright, everyone, quiet down. First of all, welcome to the Konoha Ninja Academy! I am your homeroom teacher, Umino Iruka!" His voice was loud and full of enthusiasm.
"From today onward, for the next few years, we will learn and grow together, striving to become excellent Konoha Ninja!"
I hope everyone can get along harmoniously, help each other, and make progress together!
After a brief opening, Iruka clapped his hands. "Now, to help the teachers and students get to know each other quickly, let's have our first lesson of the semester—self-introductions! Everyone, stand up in seating order and loudly tell everyone your name, and—um, you can also talk about your dreams or things you like!"
The self-introduction session begins.
One by one, the children stood up, their voices either loud or shy.
Choji said he loves all delicious food and his goal is to eat his way around the world; Shikamaru yawned and said his dream is to be a ninja, marry a wife who is neither beautiful nor ugly, and live a peaceful life, which drew laughter; Ino and Sakura both said they like pretty flowers and their dreams are... When they talked about their dreams, their eyes both drifted towards Sasuke, who was standing at the back; Kiba loudly declared that he wanted to become Hokage and gain everyone's approval, winning Iruka's approving look.
When it was Sasuke's turn in the back row, he stood up expressionlessly, his voice cold and clear. "My name is Sasuke Uchiha."
After saying that, he sat down directly.
It's so simple it's almost too lazy to even talk about dreams or preferences.
However, this extreme indifference acted as a fuse.
The classroom erupted in screams and cheers more enthusiastic than ever before, from the girls led by Ino and Sakura.
" Sasuke-kun is so handsome!"
"That's so cool!"
Even the way you talk is so stylish!
Naruto looked at Sasuke, who was surrounded by screaming girls, and his face puffed up like a bun, his fists clenched tightly.
"Damn it! What's so great about yelling! He's just a cocky old man!"
"Next! Uzumaki Naruto." Iruka suppressed a laugh and called out Naruto's name.
Naruto stood up abruptly, mustered all his strength, pointed in Sasuke's direction, and shouted loudly, "My name is Uzumaki Naruto! My dream is to become a great Hokage, surpassing all previous Hokage! To be recognized by the entire village! And, I will definitely defeat that arrogant Sasuke!"
He shouted with a flushed face, full of determination, but the last sentence clearly carried an element of defiance.
"Pfft." A few suppressed laughs rang out in the classroom.
Sasuke glanced at Naruto and merely let out a disdainful snort.
Seeing everyone's reactions, especially Sasuke's dismissive attitude, Naruto suddenly deflated like a punctured balloon. His earlier bravado vanished instantly, his face turned even redder, and he stood there somewhat at a loss.
He looked at Menma beside him for help. Menma sighed inwardly, stood up calmly, and said in a low but clear voice that echoed throughout the classroom, "My name is Menma."
The conversation was equally brief, and then I sat down.
There were no declarations of dreams, no explanations of preferences; it was as bland as saying, " The Tenten."
He just wanted to get this process, which he saw as pointless, over as quickly as possible.
At the same time, he was thinking, "Maybe I should just let my Shadow Clone come to school in the future."
Naruto looked at Menma's indifferent expression, then at the commotion Sasuke had caused, and felt even more defeated in comparison, so he sat down.
The self-introductions continued, and soon it was Hinata Hyuga's turn, who was sitting in the back.
At this Hinata was wearing a large white hooded dress, and her long, dark blue hair fell smoothly over her shoulders.
She kept her head down, her fingers nervously twisting the hem of her clothes, her fair face flushed with her usual shy blush.
She slowly stood up, her voice barely audible, tinged with obvious timidity. "I-I'm Hinata Hyuga-. I-I like-like,"
She seemed to want to say something, but her voice grew softer and softer, and her head drooped lower and lower.
The classroom was quiet; everyone waited for the young lady of the Hyuga Main House to finish speaking.
Ino and Sakura exchanged a knowing look.
However, just when everyone thought Hinata would shyly say something like "I like flowers" as usual and then it would end, something unexpected happened!
Hinata's body jerked suddenly, as if struck by an invisible electric current.
Then, she suddenly raised her head!
The shy blush on her face faded quickly like the tide, replaced by a completely different, flamboyant, and wild look!
Those pure Byakugan no longer flinched, but instead, like unsheathed blades, swept across the entire class with an arrogant "I'm here" aura!
Especially those girls who had screamed at Sasuke earlier, but were now looking at her with curiosity or pity.
Big Sister Hinata, is here!
She placed one hand on her hip and pointed the other at all the girls in the classroom, especially Ino and Sakura. Her voice suddenly rose, clear and loud, carrying an undeniable domineering tone:
"Hey! Listen up, all of you! My name is Hyuga! My favorite food is Ichiraku Ramen! My crush is my little sister, but!" Her tone shifted abruptly, her eyes instantly sharpening like knives, carrying a strong warning as she glared directly at Menma. Then, she surveyed the entire class, enunciating each word clearly and forcefully:
"Anyone who dares to lay Menma! I'll kill her!!"
quiet.
A deathly silence.
The classroom, which had been somewhat noisy just moments before because of Sasuke and Naruto, was now so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Everyone stared in disbelief at the Hyuga young lady standing with her hands on her hips beside the podium, exuding an imposing aura, as if they were seeing her for the first time.
Iruka-sensei stared with his mouth agape, not even noticing the chalk falling to the ground with a "thud."
Ino and Sakura were completely dumbfounded, their mouths agape as if they could fit an egg in them.
Shikamaru's troubled expression froze on his face, Choji forgot to chew the potato chips in his mouth and his jaw almost fell out, and someone's sunglasses tilted slightly.
Even Sasuke, who had been keeping a cold expression, turned his head slightly and looked at Hinata with the eyes of someone looking at a monster.
This young lady of the Hyuga Main House,
Uzumaki Naruto was completely petrified. He looked at the fierce-looking Hinata, then at Menma had suddenly become the center of attention, and his mind was completely blank.
And the Menma were precisely hit by this sudden, all-out "declaration of food protection".
For the first time, a clear crack appeared on his previously calm and composed face.
He raised his hand and silently, somewhat stiffly, touched his forehead, feeling his temples throbbing.
His deep blue eyes were filled with helplessness, embarrassment, and a hint of indescribable shame.
Outside the classroom window, the early spring sun shone brightly as always, and several small birds chirped merrily on the branches.
The first class of the 57th Konoha Ninja Academy freshmen class began in a way that no one expected, amidst the Yakumi, screams, awkward silences, and finally, this earth-shattering "declaration of protecting her husband."
Looking at this chaotic yet energetic opening, Iruka-sensei on the podium, smiled wryly as he picked up the chalk from the floor, deeply feeling that his next few years as a homeroom teacher would probably be exceptionally interesting.
"Strange, is something missing?" After the self-introductions were finished, Iruka looked at the last list with some doubt.
"Teacher—" Just then, a voice rang out from the corner of the classroom. "I haven't introduced myself yet."
Iruka looked up and was stunned.
The other students then noticed that there was another student lurking in an inconspicuous corner.
"Hahaha! Sorry, please begin your self-introduction?" Iruka, embarrassed.
"My name is Shino Aburame." Shino silently pushed up her small round sunglasses.