Today... No One Gets Off Easy!

"I... my dream is to become... become..."

At that point, Yamamoto Ryo suddenly realized that he did not seem to have any dream at all.

He had come to the Ninja Academy only because his parents wanted him to attend.

But if it was a dream, then who could refuse to become the village's one and only, to stand atop that pinnacle revered by countless people?

For no reason at all, Yamamoto Ryo's heart suddenly swelled with boundless ambition.

He raised his head and looked at the pairs of eyes beneath the podium, all fixed on him.

Some came from powerful clans and held noble status.

Some, like him, came from ordinary families and lived frugally every day.

Some had it even worse than him, with no parents and no one to rely on.

But at this moment, we sat in the same classroom. Today, we stood on the same starting line, receiving the same education and learning the same knowledge.

At last, Yamamoto Ryo slowly opened his mouth. Under the gaze of every student, he spoke the two words that everyone in Konoha carried in their hearts.

"Hokage..."

And when those two words left Yamamoto Ryo's lips, let alone anyone else, even he himself froze.

Yamamoto Ryo could not understand why those two words, which should have rung out with such force, sounded so weak when spoken by him.

"Ha ha ha!"

As Yamamoto Ryo's voice fell, the classroom instantly erupted in laughter.

At first, there were only two or three people, but it quickly spread like a plague.

"Why laugh at someone else's dream?"

Listening to the laughter ringing in her ears, Mikoto frowned slightly and spoke without thinking.

"Maybe they aren't laughing at his dream, but at his inferiority complex."

With one hand propping up his chin, Shuji looked at Yamamoto Ryo, who stood awkwardly on the podium, and spoke with a sigh.

He just... really wanted to salvage his image a little...

"Oh~ so that's how it is~"

Mikoto rested her chin on one hand as well, but she was not looking at Yamamoto Ryo on the podium.

She was looking at Hyuga Shuji beside her, who seemed so serious.

Well... Shuji-kun like this... was pretty cute too!

"Mm."

Shuji kept a straight face and slowly nodded.

"The teacher believes in you. You will definitely become Hokage."

Meanwhile, on the podium, just as Yamamoto Ryo was panicking and at a loss, Minami Saho placed a hand on his shoulder and offered him gentle encouragement.

"I... I'll definitely do it!"

With that, Yamamoto Ryo ran straight back to his seat.

"Next student, please."

Standing on the podium, Minami Saho spoke softly.

As one student after another went up to introduce themselves, Shuji gradually formed a general impression of his classmates.

For example, Sarutobi Tetsuya and Shimura Akira, who both aspired to become the Shinobi World's greatest Wind Release ninja.

And Uchiha Mikoto, who aspired to become a kunoichi surpassing Tsunade.

Ah... it was his turn before he knew it...

Sitting in her seat, Uchiha Mikoto curiously watched Hyuga Shuji standing on the podium. What was Shuji-kun's dream?

"Hello, everyone. My name is Hyuga Shuji. My dream is to become a Medical Ninjutsu specialist who surpasses my teacher, Lady Tsunade."

Standing on the podium, Shuji wore a bright, cheerful smile.

"Eh~ can you say something like that at a time like this?"

Shuji had been about to step down when Senju Nawaki's voice suddenly rang out, instantly drawing everyone's attention.

"What if my sister hears that and decides there are some techniques she doesn't want to teach you?"

Shuji turned toward the voice and immediately saw Nawaki's smug face.

Oh, so this was how he wanted to play?

Just as Shuji was about to say something, Hyuga Hiashi beside him reacted first and cut in.

"Exactly. Anyone can talk big. My dream is to become a ninja who surpasses even the First Hokage."

Minami Saho, standing on the podium, froze. For a moment, she had no idea how to smooth things over.

The young heirs of the Hyuga and Senju clans were not people she, as a teacher, could reprimand too harshly.

"You two, get lost~"

Not wanting to make things difficult for the teacher, Shuji laughed and cursed at Senju Nawaki and Hyuga Hiashi, then walked straight off the podium amid the classroom's laughter.

Senju Nawaki and Hyuga Hiashi did not say anything further. They merely sat there, chuckling to themselves.

Sitting in his seat, Shuji silently swept his gaze over Senju Nawaki and Hyuga Hiashi.

Laugh. Laugh all you want. He hoped they could still laugh later.

The introductions continued. Hinagiku's dream remained, as always, to defeat Shuji.

And Konoha's Ino-Shika-Cho's dreams began to grow increasingly strange.

Until...

"My name is Senju Nawaki! My dream is to become a Hokage like my grandfather!"

Senju Nawaki stood on the podium full of energy and loudly declared his dream.

"You can't even beat a Medical Ninjutsu specialist like me, and you want to be Hokage?"

With one hand propping up his chin, Shuji turned his gaze toward Nawaki and spoke sarcastically.

Today... no one was getting off easy!

"Exactly!"

Hyuga Hiashi's voice followed. In that instant, Nawaki's face visibly twisted.

"A Medical Ninjutsu specialist? How many days have you even studied Medical Ninjutsu? What kind of Medical Ninjutsu specialist are you?!"

Nawaki nearly broke down as he spoke to Shuji.

What kind of Medical Ninjutsu specialist fought people with Byakugan and Gentle Fist?!

And that Hyuga Hiashi! Why the hell was he barking along with him?!

"Yeah, you can't even beat a half-baked Medical Ninjutsu specialist."

The corners of Shuji's lips lifted into a gentle smile. He nodded lightly, admitting without the slightest burden that he was a half-baked Medical Ninjutsu specialist.

Hiashi immediately grinned and added without hesitation.

"Exactly!"

By then, Minami Saho had finally figured out the relationship between these children from powerful clans. No longer worried, she simply stood there quietly without saying anything.

"Get lost!"

Nawaki suddenly turned to Hyuga Hiashi and shouted.

That bastard! Had he switched sides that fast?

He had clearly been targeting Shuji with him just moments ago!

With that, Nawaki walked straight toward his seat.

However, he did not sit down. Instead, he stood beside his desk, gave Hyuga Hiashi a ninety-degree bow, and made a welcoming gesture.

"Please~"

When Nawaki turned four and Sarutobi Hiruzen had come to celebrate his birthday, Nawaki's posture had not even been this proper.