Off to School!

I do not know what Lord Fugaku discussed with the school administration, but after entering the academy, I was guided by a ninja to the door of a classroom. The ninja called out the teacher currently giving a lecture and introduced me with great earnestness.

--Introduced me?

I felt a small flicker of surprise. Looking at the humble teacher before me, I suddenly understood why.

My current identity is the eldest son of Uchiha Fugaku. Fugaku is the captain of the Konoha Military Police Force, and the Uchiha are one of the founding clans of Konoha Village. Their status is transcendent and their influence immense; even if they are in decline, their reach remains.

I am a second-generation official!

It seems there is nothing strange about them being in awe of me.

I also bowed to show my respect.

"Hello, Teacher. I am Uchiha Akatsuki."

My childish voice was calm and clear, carrying into the increasingly noisy classroom and sending ripples through the air.

"You may call me Teacher Nagai." Nagai's smile was gentle, looking remarkably like Umino Iruka. "I will get some forms for you to fill out, and then you may come in for class." He smiled and pushed the door open, while the ninja behind me bowed slightly and turned to leave.

Only when I stepped into the classroom did I realize what it felt like to be the center of attention.

This was clearly a class for older students. As soon as I entered, the crowd of boys and girls stopped their chatter and looked at me in surprise. I met their gazes; some of the boys' faces were already sharpening, while the girls were quite pretty, some already possessing delicate curves. The air of youth and boisterousness filled the room, radiating outward.

Compared to them, I was like a little chick, immature and small, completely out of place.

"Little cutie, you must have the wrong classroom." A girl in the front row flashed a smile at me. "The freshman department is on the first floor."

I glanced at her, but before I could reply, Nagai pulled me onto the podium.

"Akatsuki, don't be afraid. Introduce yourself." He patted my shoulder encouragingly.

I thought for a moment and began: "My name is Uchiha... Akatsuki. 'Ak' for crimson, 'tsuki' for the moon. I am four years old, and I specialize in Fire Release ninjutsu, taijutsu, and shuriken manipulation."

As I said this, I frowned slightly and shut my mouth.

I had run out of things to say.

I suddenly realized that I had been here for four years, and aside from training, I had absolutely nothing else to talk about!

What a pathetic life!

Watching the silent students, Nagai broke into a sweat and whispered a reminder: "Akatsuki, that's too serious! Talk about your hobbies and your dreams!"

"Hobbies?" I frowned slightly. My mind flashed through three-colored dango, red bean cakes, shrimp tempura, and all sorts of delicious, colorful foods.

After a moment of thought, I swallowed the words "eating" and replaced them with a term more befitting my status.

"I enjoy training."

The pretentiousness was instantly maxed out!

Saying you like training at the Ninja Academy is no different than saying you like studying at a regular school.

How asking for a beating!

Sure enough, upon hearing this, some showed expressions of admiration, others looked repulsed, and one boy laughed mockingly, stood up, and pointed at me: "His name is Akatsuki, it sounds like some kind of ghost or monster, disgusting!"

Before Nagai could scold him, my figure flickered, and in the next instant, I appeared on top of his desk.

The boy shivered and fell backward in fright. I grabbed his collar to keep him from hitting the floor and asked him softly: "Tell me, which ghost do I look like?"

"I... you... let go!" He tried to pry my hand off, but unfortunately, his strength was inferior to mine, and he couldn't break free at all.

"Tell me, which ghost do I look like?"

The boy's face before me was pale and immature, his cheeks still carrying some baby fat, making him look quite cute. But his eyes were heavy, deep as wells, his water-colored lips pressed tightly together, and his entire face was terrifyingly calm, making anyone who looked at him feel a chill!

"Speak." I pulled upward with force, and the boy's face turned another shade of white. He gripped my arm tightly with both hands, but still could not break free.

"Akatsuki!" Nagai shouted and ran toward us.

"Of course, of course you look like the ugliest, most disgusting! Most evil one!" He was terrified, screaming and struggling desperately. Tables and chairs clattered, and books fell to the floor in an instant.

I loosened my grip, let him go, and jumped off the desk, looking bored.

Tch, and here I thought I might actually learn the origin of my name.

"You, you all saw that, right? He's just a coward, he didn't dare do anything to me!" The boy recovered slightly and forced a laugh, and the quiet classroom gradually grew noisy again.

"Akatsuki... are you alright?" Nagai first scolded the troublemaker named "Kusama Shigeo," then noticed my state was off and leaned down to comfort me.

I shook my head.

"Akatsuki, your father said you are very talented, so I think you can choose your own seatmate." Nagai suddenly said with a smile.

Hm? My eyes widened slightly.

Choosing one's own seatmate is usually the privilege of top students.

I did not refuse this decision. I looked around with some anticipation, but the gazes that met mine were either guarded or wary, and the rest were filled with ridicule, mockery, or fear.

In short, none of them were kind.

Isolation had arrived so suddenly and so logically.

Nagai also realized something was wrong. He had likely intended to use the seatmate selection to curry favor with me, but he hadn't expected it to turn out like this, instead ruining his good intentions.

Kusama Shigeo's seat was in the last row. Since I couldn't choose the back, I could choose the front. I walked down the steps, scanning the seats with my peripheral vision, trying to find a spot to escape being the target of everyone's hostility.

However, all the empty seats were either piled with books, blocked by others, or the cold glares shooting from beside them made it impossible for me to approach.

I sighed heavily in my heart and braced myself to keep walking, but just as I stepped down the last two stairs, someone gently tugged on my right hand.