After getting up and washing up, Shinji arrived at the Ninja Academy early in the morning.
The moment he walked into the classroom, he froze.
There were dozens of people in the room. He didn't recognize many of them, but among the few familiar faces were two people who shouldn't have been there.
Suppressing his doubts, he relied on the original owner's memories and sat down in his seat.
Around him, sympathetic and concerned gazes turned his way.
Clearly, his classmates had all heard about the tragedy that had befallen the Uchiha Clan.
The Uchiha, Konoha's most prestigious clan, had been wiped out overnight by their own young clan leader. Only two children had survived.
It was easy to imagine how much of a commotion this had caused in the village!
Shinji had gradually grown used to the looks, so he kept quiet.
Without drawing attention to himself, he glanced at the red-haired girl sitting in the first row near the lectern, then at the black-haired boy in front of him.
What the heck?!
Confusion welled up inside him.
If he wasn't mistaken, the petite red-haired girl in the first row was Karin, who had Uzumaki Clan blood. And the black-haired boy in front of him looked a lot like Haku, who was from Kirigakure.
Why are those two at the Ninja Academy in Konoha?!
Shinji searched through every fragment of the original owner's memories, but found nothing related to them. It seemed the original owner had never paid any attention to his classmates Karin and Haku.
That was the Uchiha for you.
Then he turned to look at the boy sitting at the other end of the classroom, whose eyes were a pale white.
Neji Hyuga!
He was the only person the original owner had cared about in his memories, and the one he'd regarded as a rival.
In the blink of an eye, the morning classes were over.
The original owner had been proud as an Uchiha and never had much of a relationship with his classmates. Add Shinji's cold, unapproachable expression, and no one had spoken to him all morning.
Shinji was happy to have the peace and quiet.
He didn't feel like getting close to anyone just then. More than anything, he was afraid of giving himself away.
"If you don't mind, we can eat together!"
A voice suddenly brought Shinji out of his daze.
He looked up and saw the boy who seemed to be Haku, sitting in front of him, offering him a lunch box.
Seeing Shinji's puzzled expression, the boy said, "You forgot to bring your lunch, didn't you?"
Only then did Shinji realize that everyone had to bring their own lunch. He didn't let on, though, and took the opportunity to probe. "Your name is...?"
The boy didn't seem surprised or upset that Shinji didn't remember him. He introduced himself naturally. "My name's Haku."
So it really is him!
Shinji's heart tightened.
There was more to this Ninja Academy than met the eye!
At this stage, the Ninja Academy's curriculum was simple.
It covered basic knowledge that every ninja needed, such as wilderness survival skills, how to track an enemy by their footprints, and how to identify the effects of various medicinal herbs.
The more advanced lessons only covered how the human body produced Chakra.
As for actually using Chakra to perform ninjutsu or genjutsu, they hadn't gotten to that yet.
When it came to Taijutsu...
The students mostly practiced sparring with one another and throwing ninja tools.
Just like now, after lunch, the students had come out to the playground. Some chased each other around, while others sparred.
"Naruto, Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba."
Shinji spotted even more familiar faces on the playground.
But Naruto was a year below him, and they tended to spend time in different areas. They didn't really interact.
Shinji shifted his gaze to the students in his own year.
He saw Neji, wearing a serious expression. Rather than spar with the others, he'd gone off by himself to practice the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist against a wooden post.
After watching for a while, Shinji's expression grew grave.
Neji was about the same age as him—only eight—but his Taijutsu already looked exceptionally sharp.
According to the original owner's memories, he couldn't match Neji in Taijutsu. He'd lost badly every time they'd sparred.
And Shinji, a transmigrator, was even worse.
The children in the Shinobi World were nothing like the kids in his old world. The seven- and eight-year-olds here were nimble, moving smoothly between offense and defense as they dodged and struck. Their blows were powerful, as if they were all martial arts masters.
Are they really eight?
He'd thought that now that he had a Mangekyō Sharingan, he could look down on all the brats at the academy.
But after watching them, he realized that without using his Sharingan, he probably couldn't even beat the nameless nobodies in his class.
Never mind taking on someone like Neji, who'd already earned himself a reputation as a genius.
This won't do. If my fundamentals are too weak, then even with a Mangekyō Sharingan, I won't be able to bring out its full power!
The power of a Kekkei Genkai varied depending on who wielded it.
Besides, the Mangekyō Sharingan was something that came at a cost. He couldn't just use it recklessly without limit.
At the same time, he realized there was another problem.
Setting aside the Mangekyō Sharingan, his abilities fell far short of the original owner's. That genuine Uchiha had been second only to Neji in their year. Shinji guessed that, right now, he was probably at the bottom of the class.
If he couldn't close the gap soon, he might arouse the suspicions of someone paying close attention.
This is such a pain. I'm no good at fighting!
He was frustrated. Knowing what the problem was didn't mean he could fix it right away.
Just then, Haku walked over, looking hopeful. "Shinji, can I practice Taijutsu with you?"
Afraid he'd give himself away, Shinji cursed inwardly. But on the surface, he shook his head. "You're too weak."
Haku hurriedly apologized. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked."
Seeing Haku apologize so sincerely, Shinji felt a little embarrassed.
He knew it was suspicious that Haku had turned up at the Ninja Academy in Konoha, and that there had to be some kind of scheme behind it. Still, he had to admit Haku was considerate and easy to get along with.
By evening...
The Ninja Academy let out.
Shinji walked back to his apartment, turning over everything he'd seen and heard at the academy that day.
At the end of the street, he realized Haku was heading the same way. After a little small talk, he asked in surprise, "You're the one who lives next door to me?"
Haku nodded. "Shinji, I hope we'll get along."
"Oh."
Shinji nodded.
Back home, Shinji flopped onto his bed and let his thoughts wander.
He couldn't make sense of Haku and Karin showing up at the Ninja Academy in Konoha and becoming his classmates.
"Was this the butterfly effect? Or a parallel world?"
He shook his head, putting the thoughts aside one by one. His hand drifted to his chest.
The deep knife wound that had once exposed bone had completely vanished after treatment with Medical Ninjutsu. Even so, he still sometimes remembered the moment just before the original owner died.
The experience of dying was awful.
[The plane is under invasion.] [Countdown: 1] [Prepare yourself. The invasion will begin after midnight tonight.]
Shinji shot upright and looked at the clock on the wall.
It was 8:05 p.m. Less than four hours remained until midnight!
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