Senju Gen

Uchiha Yuan smiled and greeted Hatake Harukaze. "Hatake, I hope you don't mind if I sit here."

Hearing this, Hatake Harukaze was visibly taken aback. He had not expected Uchiha Yuan to speak to him.

He looked at Uchiha Yuan's smile and found not a trace of falseness in it.

Uchiha Yuan's gaze was very clear, unlike the gazes of the others he had encountered before, which carried disgust and malice.

Hatake Harukaze spoke softly. "Please, have a seat, Uchiha. I don't mind."

As soon as he finished speaking, Hatake Harukaze turned away.

His expression was cold, and his eyes stared blankly ahead. He seemed unwilling to interact with others.

Uchiha Yuan did not mind. He quietly sat there with his arms folded.

The classroom was filled with the chatter of students, making the surroundings noisy.

Suddenly, Hatake Harukaze heard a voice by his ear. "Hatake, what do you think of the recent rumors about the Uchiha?"

Hatake Harukaze turned around in alarm and scanned the room, before his gaze finally landed on Uchiha Yuan.

Facing his gaze, Uchiha Yuan smiled slightly and nodded.

After a moment of silence, Hatake Harukaze said, "Uchiha, I don't understand what you mean."

Uchiha Yuan revealed a mocking smile and transmitted his voice, "These sudden rumors remind me of the rumors that appeared overnight six years ago, targeting the Konoha White Fang."

Hatake Harukaze's expression immediately changed. He stared straight at Uchiha Yuan for a long while without saying anything.

A young ninja in his twenties entered the classroom. He was Sarutobi Retsu, the homeroom teacher of Class 9.

"Today, we'll be learning about Amegakure."

"This ninja forehead protector bears the symbol of the Rain ninja."

"Amegakure is located in the Land of Rain. Its leader is Hanzo of the Salamander, known as the demigod of the Ninja World. Konoha has three great shinobi—Orochimaru, Princess Tsunade, and Jiraiya—who are known in the Ninja World as the Sannin. That title came from Hanzo of the Salamander."

"...The Land of Rain lies northwest of the Land of Fire. Due to its year-round rainy season, vast inland lakes have formed..."

Over the next several classes, two more ninja instructors took turns teaching them knowledge about ninja skills.

For example, how to identify traps and make traps; how to conceal traces and perform simple wound treatment.

Most students from Ninja Clans already knew this knowledge, and bored expressions appeared on their faces.

After the cultural classes came outdoor training.

After all, the Ninja Academy specialized in training combat-capable ninja, so outdoor training was the most important course.

Through training classes, academy students strengthened their bodies and learned combat techniques.

This included shuriken throwing practice, Taijutsu training, Chakra extraction, and the Three Basic Techniques, along with other basic E-rank ninjutsu.

Led by a burly, short-haired ninja instructor, the students began running around the Training Ground behind him.

One lap around the Training Ground was roughly a kilometer. After several laps, about half the students had already fallen far behind, gasping for breath with stiff legs that could barely move.

These were all students from civilian backgrounds.

Those still able to keep running were split into two groups. Five remained close behind the short-haired instructor, while another nine trailed some distance behind. Though drenched in sweat, they continued following steadily.

Uchiha Yuan was among those nine. Sweat streamed down his face, but compared to the heavy breathing around him, his own breathing remained even. His running steps showed no disorder and remained steady and powerful.

Uchiha Yuan did not want to stand out too much, so he had been hiding his abilities.

Entering the Ninja Academy was equivalent to entering the village's field of view.

For civilians, performing outstandingly, displaying considerable ninja talent, and gaining the village's attention was a good thing.

But he was an Uchiha, and one from a branch family at that.

He would not display loyalty to the village like Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi. Even if he did, the Konoha High Command led by Hiruzen Sarutobi would not trust him. They would only use him.

Otherwise, given the fame Uchiha Shisui had earned as Body Flicker Shisui during the Third Shinobi War, if the Konoha High Command had given Shisui a mid- or high-ranking position in the village, they could definitely have soothed the resentment of the Uchiha Clan.

What would happen to an Uchiha genius who did not display loyalty to the village?

If he were from the Uchiha Clan's main branch, the Konoha High Command might have some reservations.

But if he were merely from a branch family of the Uchiha Clan, then that genius might disappear without a trace.

In fact, over the past few years, several Uchiha clansmen who had displayed exceptional talent had met with accidents and died suddenly.

There were many geniuses in the Ninja World, but only geniuses who grew up were truly geniuses.

The five students closely following behind the short-haired instructor were Hatake Harukaze, Uehara Isami, Hyuga Kagami, Yūhi Murasaki, and Senju Gen.

Yūhi Murasaki was a delicate and lovely girl with smooth, long purplish-red hair.

Senju Gen was a boy with long black hair and a constant smile on his face.

The Senju Clan had declined for many years. In recent years, fewer than ten Senju clansmen had enrolled in the academy.

Yet because of his surname, Senju Gen was unquestionably the center of Class 9. Whether they came from Ninja Clans or civilian families, the students all sought to be close to him.

"Pay attention. There's one lap left, and I'm speeding up," the short-haired instructor suddenly said.

Then his speed abruptly increased, instantly opening up a huge gap.

Hatake Harukaze and the other four hurriedly accelerated to catch up, but the short-haired instructor only grew faster and faster.

Before long, Yūhi Murasaki was the first to give out and was left far behind in the blink of an eye.

Hyuga Kagami came next, followed by Uehara Isami. There were only a few seconds between them.

In contrast, not only were Hatake Harukaze and Senju Gen not left behind, they gradually caught up with the short-haired instructor.

"As expected of the Senju Clan, the clan of the First Hokage. Their reputation is well deserved. Senju Gen can actually keep up with Teacher Tano Riki."

Among the nine running at a slower pace, a boy with paint on his face spoke as he ran. He was from the Inuzuka Clan.

At the same time, he cast an undisguised glance at Uchiha Yuan behind and to the side.

"Harukaze is no slouch either. He's keeping up with Teacher Riki's speed too," said a girl.

However, several snorts sounded after the girl spoke.

"How is that Hatake brat worthy of being compared to Senju Gen?"

"Exactly. The Senju produced the First Hokage, the Second Hokage, and Princess Tsunade, one of the Sannin.

But the Hatake Clan produced a coward like the White Fang, who brought shame to the village."

Hearing this, Uchiha Yuan's brows furrowed slightly as he swept his gaze over the boys who had spoken.

He had not expected the effects of the White Fang incident to still remain years later.

At that moment, a civilian boy first glanced at Uchiha Yuan, then spoke up. "The Senju and Uchiha are both renowned great clans. Judging by Senju Gen's performance, he truly lives up to his noble clan background. He's amazing."

As soon as the boy finished speaking, several gazes turned toward Uchiha Yuan almost simultaneously.

Uchiha Yuan let out a heavy breath and said coldly, "Hmph. Is a ninja's strength determined by who runs faster? How boring."

The final lap ended, and the students stood where they were, panting heavily.

Especially the last group of students from civilian backgrounds. They all collapsed onto the ground, their chests heaving violently.

At that moment, Uehara Isami walked up to Uchiha Yuan and looked at him smugly. "Uchiha Yuan, don't run away after school."

Seeing Uchiha Yuan gasping for breath, the lingering worry in Uehara Isami's heart vanished.

This Uchiha brat was nothing to worry about. His opponents had always been Hatake Harukaze and Senju Gen.