"Young Love" Harms People...

The first day of April, in the 42nd year of Konoha, the Ninja Academy officially opened its doors.

At the entrance ceremony, aside from the chunin who would be teaching the students in the coming years, the Third Hokage also made a timely appearance before the crowd.

"...Lord Third Hokage holds the title of 'The Professor' and is the man currently standing at the pinnacle of the ninja world!"

"..."

The chunin instructor Ryosuke Kimura had a look of fanaticism in his eyes as he raised his voice to introduce him, puffing out his chest with pride.

"Wow!"

The first-year students, seated in rows on the rooftop, couldn't help but tilt their heads back in awe. Against the backdrop of the massive stone faces of the Hokage, the Third Hokage exuded the aura of a powerhouse.

"Alright, Ryosuke, saying I stand at the pinnacle is a bit of an exaggeration!"

"Where the leaves dance, the fire burns; the future belongs to these young children."

"Yes!"

Hearing the instruction, the chunin teachers responded in unison. The Third Hokage nodded in satisfaction, then removed his Hokage hat, revealing a kind and gentle smile as he began his self-introduction:

"I am the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen..."

"..."

As the Hokage began his routine speech, some sensitive youths cast their gazes toward Sarutobi Asuma. Being the son of the Hokage was, in many people's eyes, an incredible status!

Seemingly sensing the attention from all sides, Sarutobi Asuma lowered his head and let out a "tch." There was no look of reverence on his face, and he deliberately turned his head away from his father in front of him.

The rebellious youth caught the attention of Kurenai Yuhi nearby. Seeming to notice the girl's gaze, Asuma instinctively tried to look cool, whispering:

"He's just an old man too busy with work to take care of his family."

When the speech concluded, Shu Furukawa, standing at the back of the crowd, joined the other youths in applauding and cheering. The Ninja Academy included history and political-style courses; the Will of Fire needed to be instilled from a young age.

Under the guidance of their homeroom teacher, the youths began to return to their classrooms, chatting and laughing.

Next came the self-introductions. Most students held great expectations for their future life at the Ninja Academy.

"They say we're allowed to graduate early; we can learn the upper-grade curriculum ahead of time!"

Ebisu looked toward Kakashi and Shu Furukawa in front of him as he mentioned this news; he was eager to witness the rise of geniuses.

"I'll strive to complete my studies within three years and become a qualified ninja!"

Before the two in front could speak, Might Guy had already widened his eyes, clenched his fists, and loudly announced his goal. The result was immediate mocking laughter from those around him.

Children judge by appearances; Guy was wearing somewhat wrinkled, old clothes and looked weak at a glance. More importantly, many were aware that Might Guy's father was an "eternal genin."

"How about it, Shu? Want to have a contest to see who graduates early?"

"Ninjutsu, taijutsu, and individual courses aren't difficult; all that's left are the team and tactical lessons."

"At the latest, I'll have my forehead protector in half a year!"

With his hands in his pockets, Kakashi walked toward the classroom while low-key showing off his strength to the Shu Furukawa beside him. Most of his peers couldn't match his learning speed.

"Next time, Kakashi. I plan to study medical ninjutsu."

"Just the sheer volume of textbooks is enough to give me a headache!"

Shu Furukawa shook his head slightly with a gentle smile, patting the silver-haired boy on the shoulder, inadvertently expressing his own Will of Fire:

"Unlike ninja games, saving more comrades during missions requires professional medical ninjutsu. I will protect you all."

As soon as he finished speaking, Kakashi turned his face away in a huff, while Genma Shiranui and the surrounding youths began to cheer loudly. His clean and handsome appearance was clearly more likable:

"As expected of Shu, still so reliable!"

"I really want to be on the same team as Shu after graduation..."

"Shu really is different!"

"..."

In the hallway, Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was watching the youths enter the classroom, clearly heard the previous conversation. He lowered his head, resting a hand on his hat, a satisfied smile on his face.

The speech was a great success; the seeds of the Will of Fire had been sown.

In the front row by the window of the tiered classroom, Shu Furukawa, having completed his own Will of Fire speech through his self-introduction, sat down calmly.

Possessing a mature soul, daily interactions weren't difficult; listening was enough. Hearing familiar names from his memories, Shu Furukawa turned to look:

"I am Rin Nohara, I like strawberries, and my dream for the future is to become an excellent kunoichi."

With a pink top, short brown hair, dark brown eyes, and two purple adhesive strips on her cheeks, the girl introduced herself with poise. Sounds of "cute" echoed through the classroom.

Next, the square-jawed Ibiki Morino spoke nervously for quite a while, and the wide-eyed Tobitake Tonbo nearly wrote an "essay" on the spot.

Kakashi's somewhat casual introduction left many dissatisfied, and Might Guy's loud declaration was ignored.

Shizune, sitting beside him, noticed that Shu Furukawa seemed to be looking at notes on medical knowledge. The girl gathered her courage and asked in a low voice:

"Are you planning to join the Medical Corps, Furukawa-kun?"

"Yeah, we can go register together this afternoon."

Shu Furukawa smiled and answered quickly, while Shizune, a look of delight on her face, nodded hurriedly, though she kept glancing at his profile from time to time, wanting to strike up another conversation but feeling too shy.

After the entire class had finished their introductions, their homeroom teacher, Ryosuke Kimura, frowned slightly, scanned the room, and spoke up to confirm:

"Obito Uchiha?!"

Confirming the boy's absence, Ryosuke Kimura didn't say much, continuing to encourage the students before outlining the curriculum for the coming week and distributing registration forms.

Obito was an orphan who received little care within the Uchiha clan, and just as Ryosuke Kimura was about to assign someone to collect his form, a student in the classroom volunteered for the task:

"Teacher, leave Obito's registration form to me!"

"That would be a trouble for you, then. Remember to remind him not to be late again."

Ryosuke Kimura was very satisfied with Rin Nohara's initiative and added a smiling reminder at the end, understanding that the Uchiha clan lived far away and occasional tardiness was to be expected.

The girl nodded energetically as she took the document folder, a scene that immediately sparked jealousy among some of the boys.

Just as the banner at the school gate was being taken down, a boy wearing goggles was sprinting toward the entrance at full speed:

"Crap! Crap! Crap!"

"I absolutely cannot be late today..."

Obito Uchiha was drenched in sweat, and upon seeing the entrance ceremony banner being removed, he realized exactly what he had missed and stopped in his tracks, dejected.

As the crowd emerged from the school gate, chatting and laughing, Obito's mood sank even further.

Although some of the boys recognized their classmate from the Uchiha clan, driven by jealousy, most chose to ignore him.

"Late for the entrance ceremony? A guy like you has no right to enter the Ninja Academy; you've been eliminated early!"

Kakashi, who had gotten to know Obito while gathering "intel," stopped in his tracks and spoke with a sarcastic edge while standing with his back to him, even throwing his hands up in mockery.

"It's okay!"

"I picked up your registration form for you; just fill it out and you can enroll smoothly."

Rin Nohara's energetic voice rang out, and Obito, who had been about to argue with Kakashi, hurriedly turned his head while clutching the document folder. Seeing the girl's smiling face, he became so nervous he began to stutter:

"M-my form? Thank you for the help!"

Shu Furukawa, who had turned around to call out to Kakashi, witnessed this scene. Seeing the boy with his hands pressed together, his face turning redder and redder from shyness, he could only silently complain:

Puppy love really ruins people...