Opening Ceremony Speech; Hinata: I Don't Want to Disappoint You

Opening Ceremony Speech; Hinata: I Don't Want to Disappoint You. Afternoon.

The early autumn sunlight was warm and bright over the Ninja Academy's training grounds.

The newly enrolled students stood in neat rows. The youngest among them were only six, and the oldest no more than seven, their childish faces filled with nervousness and anticipation.

Today was the first day of school.

Chiyo Uchiha stood quietly on the platform in the training grounds.

He was not wearing the formal uniform of the Federal Leader. Instead, he wore simple dark shinobi attire, and, unusually, a Federation forehead protector engraved with the character for "shinobi."

Even so, the moment he stood there, the entire training ground was enveloped in a solemn atmosphere.

At a teacher's command, all the children straightened their backs, their little faces serious.

Chiyo's gaze slowly swept across the young faces below.

Konoha's new generation of children was all gathered here.

"Hello, students."

Chiyo spoke. His voice was not loud, yet it reached everyone's ears with perfect clarity.

"I am Chiyo Uchiha, the current leader of the Ninja Federation."

A soft gasp rose from the training ground.

Though most of the children had long known who would preside over the opening ceremony, seeing this legendary figure in person still thrilled them beyond measure.

Naruto's eyes widened as he whispered to Sasuke beside him.

"Uncle Chiyo looks so cool today! Someday, I'm going to become a shinobi just like Uncle Chiyo!!"

Sasuke shot him a glare, telling him to be quiet, but his own eyes gleamed with admiration.

"Today, you stand here and begin your own path as shinobi. Before that begins, I want to ask you a question."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the crowd once more.

"Why do you want to become shinobi?"

The training ground fell