Making Friends and the First Lesson

"Alright students, let's all introduce ourselves."

The homeroom teacher clapped his hands, prompting everyone to begin their introductions. The class size was quite small, with only about thirty students divided into three groups, each consisting of five tables with two students per table.

Hyuga Shinichi began observing his classmates. Some were juniors from various clans, while others were commoners he had never seen before—likely characters who never appeared in the anime or manga. After all, the "Golden Generation," including Namikaze Minato, the older generation of Ino-Shika-Cho, and the future heads of other clans, had not yet reached school age.

However, a few students did pique Hyuga Shinichi's interest, specifically Inuzuka Gai, who sat in the row ahead of him. Or rather, he was interested in the small puppy lying on top of his head.

Having spent his past life scrolling through short videos, he recognized the tail-wagging puppy as a hybrid wolf-dog. It looked like a cross with a North American gray wolf, sporting a coat of solid Black Charcoal.

It looked adorable enough that he wanted to ruffle its fur. In Hyuga Shinichi's memories, Akamaru was just as small as a puppy, yet grew to be massive. This gray wolf hybrid would likely grow even larger; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it could swallow a small child in one bite.

Beside Inuzuka Gai sat Aburame Tomohiro, who was bundled up so tightly that even his face was obscured by his collar, black goggles, and a hood, giving off a "stay away" vibe.

What interested Hyuga Shinichi about him was his pet—a centipede crawling from his right sleeve onto the desk. For the Aburame clan, keeping insects wasn't unusual, but a centipede was an arthropod, not an insect. Plus, wasn't it a problem that it ate other bugs?

A moment later, a swarm of ants crawled out from Aburame Tomohiro's left hand. Seeing that the centipede didn't attack the ants and was just doing its own thing, Hyuga Shinichi found it strange. Perhaps it was kept specifically for its toxicity.

A voice pulled Hyuga Shinichi's attention back, as it was now Nawaki's turn to introduce himself.

"My name is Nawaki! My dream is to become a Hokage like my grandfather who can protect everyone! Please look after me!"

Nawaki's words earned a round of applause. After bowing to thank everyone, he slowly sat down, leaving only Hyuga Shinichi, who hadn't introduced himself yet.

"Hello everyone, my name is Hyuga Shinichi. Please look after me."

At this, the class didn't applaud but instead stared at Hyuga Shinichi. He looked far too young; most of the students here were four or five years old, meaning they would be ten by the time they graduated from the six-year academy.

"Hey, how old are you?"

The speaker was Inuzuka Gai from the front row. He had noticed Hyuga Shinichi staring at his ninja dog earlier but hadn't said anything. Now, seeing how young Hyuga Shinichi was, he became curious.

"I'm two years old, turning three in a few months. Please look after me, Inuzuka Gai."

Hyuga Shinichi answered loud enough for the whole class to hear, flashing a bright smile and extending his hand for a shake.

This caused some of the girls in the class to squeal. Although Hyuga Shinichi was still very young, his features were handsome, and combined with his cheerful smile, he was the quintessential sunny little boy.

The lethality of this was too much for the girls to handle; after all, he was the perfect candidate for a "raising" project.

Hyuga Shinichi couldn't help but think that children in the world of Naruto were truly precocious.

Inuzuka Gai blinked, then reacted with a grin, reaching out to shake his hand. "Hahaha, I'm a year older than you. I'll have your back from now on, so come find me if you need anything."

"Woof!"

The hybrid wolf-dog on Inuzuka Gai's head wagged its tail and barked, and one could sense the affinity it felt toward Hyuga Shinichi.

Nawaki joined the conversation, and Aburame Tomohiro, who had been sitting next to Inuzuka Gai pretending to play with his bugs while actually listening in, was also pulled into the chat by Hyuga Shinichi.

The teacher on the podium allowed the students ten minutes of free time to socialize. Once the time was up, he clapped his hands to get everyone's attention and announced the start of the formal lesson.

The Ninja Academy curriculum was divided into five subjects: Theory, Physical Training, Mindset, History, and Practical Skills. Naturally, the new students started with theory. The first lesson was: What is chakra?

Chakra is a power born from the combination and stimulation of spiritual energy and physical energy. Every person's chakra nature is different, and there are five main attributes: Fire, Water, Wind, Lightning, and Earth.

The lesson didn't go into much detail about Yin and Yang attributes, as not everyone could access them. Finally, it was noted that while chakra volume could be increased through training, everyone had their own limit.

After the day's classes ended, the four of them walked home, chatting and laughing. When they reached an intersection where their paths diverged, Nawaki spoke up.

"It's still early, do you guys want to come over to my place to hang out?"

"Maybe next time. Today I have to go back and train in my clan's secret techniques with Black Charcoal. After all, not everyone is a genius who can master the Kekkei Genkai at such a young age."

Black Charcoal was the name of the hybrid wolf-dog. Inuzuka Gai replied while hugging the pup with both hands, subtly taking a jab at Hyuga Shinichi.

They had become friends over the course of the day, and knowing that Hyuga Shinichi had already awakened his eyes made them all envious—especially an active kid like Inuzuka Gai, who would rather be playing than training in clan techniques.

"Yeah, same here."

Seeing that Inuzuka Gai and Aburame Tomohiro both had things to do, Nawaki turned to Hyuga Shinichi, his look asking, "What about you?"

"Sigh, I have things to do too, but seeing how pathetic you are with no one to play with, I'll reluctantly come over to your place as a guest."

The three of them looked speechlessly at Hyuga Shinichi, who was putting on a pained expression. They all knew Hyuga Shinichi was from the Hyuga main branch; he certainly had nothing to do at home, and no one would stop him if he wanted to spend the night out.

After saying goodbye at the intersection, Inuzuka Gai and Aburame Tomohiro went their separate ways, leaving only Hyuga Shinichi to follow Nawaki toward the Senju clan compound.

Upon entering the Senju compound, Hyuga Shinichi observed his surroundings. Though it was a clan compound, it looked more like a small village of only a dozen households, mostly inhabited by elderly people with very few young ones.

After hearing Nawaki's explanation, he understood why the population was so sparse.

When Konoha was first built, many clans and commoners joined. Although they lived in the same village, they weren't truly united. The First and Second Hokage thought that as one of the founding clans, the Senju should lead by example.

They encouraged the Senju to integrate into the Konoha family without relying on their surname. Even if there wasn't a single person left with the name Senju, they would all carry the blood of the Senju, truly becoming the "Senju of the Forest" that connected everyone in Konoha.

As for the other founding clan, the Uchiha, they didn't follow this path due to the nature of their Kekkei Genkai.

The elders living in the Senju compound now were those who were already old at the time and didn't participate in the integration. They lived there to protect their final memories, upholding the honor of the Senju clan even without the name.