Enrollment

Early in the morning, the chirping woke Jimo from his bed.

Looking through the window, Jimo saw parents bringing their children to register for school.

After quickly getting ready, Jimo headed to the playground to meet up with everyone. From a distance, he spotted Naruto sitting dejectedly on a swing beneath a crooked tree outside the gate.

The parents and children all glared at Naruto with hostile expressions, muttering curses under their breath.

"I wonder what the Third Hokage was thinking, letting that fox monster enroll."

"What if it hurts my child?"

When they saw Jimo walking toward Naruto, quite a few people tried to stop him, but he ignored them all.

"Hey, Naruto! Why are you sitting around here instead of going inside?"

Jimo gave Naruto a gentle push, sending the swing soaring high.

"I..."

"You what? Come on! Take me to register. I don't even know how to enroll!"

Those words suddenly gave Naruto a burst of energy. It had been a long time since anyone had asked him for help.

The Nine-Tails had been sealed inside Naruto against his will. Looked at another way, Naruto was the one keeping the Nine-Tails imprisoned inside his body. He ought to be a hero.

Many of the parents watched Jimo pull Naruto along and moved aside to let them pass.

Quite a few parents even told their children not to associate with that freak who hung around with the Fox Brat.

"Anyone who's friends with a fox is bound to be a freak, too."

One parent said with disdain.

"You can insult me all you want," Jimo said, having heard the man's muttered curses.

"But if you dare insult the first friend I've made... go on, guess whether I can take you out!"

A thick killing intent radiated from Jimo's eyes. The man felt a chill run down his back and fell flat on his face.

"I was just messing with you. You're way too easy to scare."

Jimo made a face, then pulled Naruto along and hurried over to the registration staff.

"Friend...?" Naruto muttered.

The Anbu agents hidden nearby wiped away their cold sweat. They could tell that Jimo really meant what he'd said... That killing intent had been no joke.

The classes were soon assigned, and a teacher with a scar across the bridge of his nose stepped to the front. He had a warm smile and seemed as kind as an older brother next door.

"Ahem! We have a new student joining our class today!"

With that, he beckoned Jimo inside.

"Hey, everyone! I'm Jimo! I'm glad to be here studying with you."

"Oh! Jimo, you're in our class!" Naruto greeted him boisterously.

Nearby, a girl who'd been sneaking glances at Naruto looked at him a few more times, then fainted with a dreamy look in her eyes.

"Quiet, Naruto!" Iruka-sensei called, unperturbed.

"Oh! That's the guy who walked into school with Naruto!" A boy with strange markings painted on his face cuddled his puppy and chatted with his friends about what had happened that morning.

"What an interesting guy..." The chubby boy glanced briefly at Jimo, then went back to eating his chips.

"My dad said this guy nearly tore down a wall in the Hokage's office last night... The Third Hokage even said he might be stronger than Lady Tsunade when it comes to raw strength... Being in the same class as someone like that sounds like a real pain..." The pineapple-haired boy with dead-fish eyes glanced listlessly at Jimo, then went back to napping on his desk.

On the other side of the room, a pink-haired girl and a blonde girl whispered to each other at their desks.

"He's so handsome! He's the sunny, good-looking type! He's just as handsome as Sasuke," the blonde girl said, watching Jimo.

"He's handsome in a different way from Sasuke, but my Sasuke is still better-looking," the pink-haired girl argued.

"Mine, obviously! You broad forehead!"

"Mine! Ino-pig!"

Meanwhile, Sasuke, the subject of their argument, glanced at Jimo, then turned his gaze out the window.

"As expected... Uchiha Sasuke was born with a sourpuss face," Jimo remarked.

"Jimo, why don't you... why don't you sit with Naruto?" Iruka-sensei said, pointing to the seat beside him.

"Yeah!" Naruto cheered.

"Quiet, Naruto!"

After a morning of lessons, Jimo had more or less figured out what Chakra was. It was something like Ki from Dragon Ball.

He asked Iruka for the scrolls on the Three Basic Techniques. As he left, Iruka reminded him not to overstrain himself while refining Chakra.

There was no denying that the Young Goku Template gave him an absurd talent for martial arts. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to imitate the Kamehameha after seeing it just once.

Jimo studied the scrolls all afternoon and learned the Transformation Technique, Clone Technique, and Substitution Technique.

The system also informed him that, because he'd grasped how to use Ki, he had unlocked the "Kamehameha Imitation."

When Jimo went to return the scrolls, Iruka assumed he'd been discouraged and hurried to reassure him.

"Don't worry, Jimo. Most students need several weeks to get the hang of these... Ah!"

Right in front of him, Jimo used the Transformation Technique to turn into the Third Hokage, startling Iruka.

"This kid... Is he a genius? He only studied the scrolls for a few hours, and he's already learned the techniques?"

After seeing Jimo off, Iruka rushed to the Hokage Building to report what had happened.

"Oh? So this kid's a genius?" The Third Hokage watched Jimo practicing the Transformation Technique with Naruto through the Crystal Ball, looking intrigued.

"Hey, hey! Jimo, I recently developed a really awesome technique! Wanna see?"

Naruto said excitedly.

"Sure. I just learned the Three Basic Techniques, too."

"Huh! In one afternoon? It took me ages to learn the Transformation Technique! I'm still not very good at the Clone Technique!"

Naruto was downcast for a few seconds, then enthusiastically introduced his Sexy Technique.

"Sexy Technique!"

After a puff of white smoke, a gorgeous blonde woman with twin ponytails appeared in front of Jimo.

Fortunately, Jimo's will was strong, and he wasn't fooled.

But elsewhere in Konoha, an old man with a pipe and a young teacher with a scar collapsed to the ground, their noses bleeding profusely.

"Iruka..."

"Yes, Lord Hokage..."

"That child, Jimo, lacks common sense. Make sure you teach him properly. It's fine for him to spend time with Naruto, but remember... Don't let him pick up Naruto's habits..."

"Yes..."

The two of them managed to finish speaking, then passed out.

Unaware that he'd taken down two people at once, Naruto was still discussing with Jimo why his Clone Technique wasn't working.

The next day, Iruka announced the subjects for everyone's graduation exam. Since Jimo had quickly mastered the Three Basic Techniques, the Third Hokage had specially approved him to graduate alongside this class.

"You've all been at the Academy for quite a while, and you've already mastered the basics. Tomorrow is your graduation exam, so make sure you get plenty of rest today. Don't overstrain your Chakra!"

Jimo spotted the figure behind Iruka and smiled, a hint of mischief hidden in his expression.

"Mizuki? Is the story starting this soon?"

Jimo looked at Mizuki meaningfully. He was really looking forward to seeing that iconic scene.