Going to School

As time slipped away, the weather gradually shifted. The air, once heavy with a lingering, sultry heat, felt as though it had been brushed aside by an invisible hand, and the temperature slowly began to drop.

The wind no longer carried the scorching intensity of Natsuhi, but instead held a hint of chill, gently brushing against people's faces and hair.

Meanwhile, the leaves that were once a vibrant, dripping green had quietly begun to take on a faint, golden hue.

And for this season, there was nothing more fitting than...

"Young Master Qile, it is time to wake up! Today is an important day, is it not? Did you not say you would accompany Kagami to the Ninja Academy?" Yeling's soft voice echoed through the room.

Qile, who had been hoping to linger in bed a little longer, sat up with great reluctance the moment he heard those words.

It must be said, waking up early every day was pure torture.

He recalled that evening when Madara had told him he would be leaving the next day.

Sure enough, several months had passed since that day, yet there had been no sign of Madara.

During this time, Qile had been training diligently according to his established plan, and Kagami had always been by his side.

Of course, there were occasional exceptions, such as when Kagami had urgent matters at home that required his attention, preventing him from joining the training.

It is worth noting that the matter of Kagami attending the Ninja Academy had finally been settled, and today was the day he was to report for enrollment.

Currently, within the entire Uchiha Clan, Kagami was the only child being sent to the Ninja Academy.

It was not that there were no other children of age, but the elders of those families seemed unwilling to let their children receive an education at the academy.

To avoid being branded with the "big hat" of the Uchiha Clan not supporting the Hokage's work, Uchiha Yan, as the guardian of Kagami, had "voluntarily" sent him to the school.

Come to think of it, Kagami attending the Ninja Academy was not entirely a bad thing. After all, he could gain access to knowledge and experiences not available within the clan, thereby broadening his horizons and increasing his insight.

As for whether Kagami would face bullying at school, there was no need to worry. One had to remember that Kagami carried the Uchiha name! Especially while Madara had yet to depart from the clan, no one would dare to provoke him lightly.

Every morning, everything proceeded according to the usual routine: after waking up, dressing, and washing, Qile would stand in the courtyard, bleary-eyed, and begin practicing his hand seals repeatedly.

"Oh, sorry Qile, I'm late again!" After quite some time, Kagami finally appeared, moving at a leisurely pace, his face filled with guilt.

To this, Qile simply shrugged helplessly, not saying a word.

Since they had started training together months ago, Kagami was perfect in every way, save for one thing!

He loved to be late!

Roughly calculating, he was late at least seven or eight days out of every ten, and over time, even Qile had grown accustomed to it.

Once the two finished their training and had breakfast, they took Yeling and set off toward the Ninja Academy.

As soon as they stepped onto the campus, Qile spotted Sarutobi Hiruzen and the other three busy assisting and guiding the new students. When those on the other side noticed their arrival, they immediately hurried over to greet them.

"Eh? I remember you all graduated, right? Why are you appearing here now? Shouldn't you be out performing various missions?" Qile looked at the group before him with confusion, his eyes sparkling with curiosity.

Perhaps it was due to his presence that the developments of the original plot had undergone some subtle changes.

As it stood, Tobirama had not taken Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others under his wing for personal instruction; instead, a Jonin named Senju Heye had been appointed as their teacher.

Upon learning this, Qile, who had been hoping to steal techniques from Tobirama, felt a sudden sense of frustration, as if all the suffering he had endured over the past few months had been in vain.

"Sigh, don't even mention it!" Utatane Koharu sighed helplessly, complaining with a bored expression, "It's all Teacher Heye's fault! He insisted that there weren't enough teachers in the school and that we needed to come over to help receive the new students. It's so annoying; I don't want to do this boring work at all!"

As she spoke, she kept fiddling with her fingers, clearly having no interest in the task of receiving new students.

At this moment, Mitokado Homura suddenly seemed to recall something and asked thoughtfully, "Say, Kagami, today is your enrollment day, isn't it? So, are you here to report today?" After saying this, he scratched his head, appearing not entirely certain if his memory was accurate.

Hearing this, Kagami nodded slightly, answering with a hint of nervousness in his tone, "Yes... that's right, today is indeed the day I officially enroll."

Seeing him like this, Utatane Koharu wore a mischievous smile. She strolled over to Kagami's side and said in a teasing tone, "Hehe, let me tell you, I just received some important news. There's going to be an entrance assessment later! Only those who perform well will be able to enter the elite classes."

Upon hearing this, Qile's eyes suddenly lit up. He felt as if he had been injected with adrenaline and hurriedly pressed, "Really? When does it start? Is it a ninjutsu duel?"

Qile had been feeling bored, but the prospect of watching a battle instantly perked him up!

At this, Danzo, standing to the side, curled the corner of his mouth. Having spent months with him, he understood Qile's personality all too well. He took over the conversation unhurriedly, "As for that, we aren't entirely sure of the exact time. However, in my opinion, based on last year's procedure, I expect the Hokage will have to give a speech first, and the assessment will only begin after he finishes."

Sure enough, when Qile heard that he had to listen to a speech first, the enthusiasm that had just ignited was doused as if by a bucket of cold water, instantly vanishing without a trace.

However, at this moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen stepped forward, slapped Qile on the shoulder with force, and laughed heartily, "Hahaha, Danzo is just trying to scare you! Actually, it wasn't the Hokage who gave the speech last year; it was Tobirama who stood in for him."

"Think about it! The Hokage didn't come the first year, so it's even less likely he'll come this year; after all, the Hokage is very busy! So, you can rest easy!"

"Besides, you should know Tobirama's style, right? It's swift, accurate, and ruthless! So he'll only say a few simple words."