Three days later.
The Ninja Academy.
Might Guy sat in the back row by the window.
He wore the school uniform the system had given him.
Twelve students sat scattered around the classroom.
He glanced over them.
In the front row sat Kakashi, whom he'd met once before.
Silver hair, a mask, and a cool, aloof look.
Beside him was a brown-haired girl with a gentle smile.
Farther back sat Yuhi Kurenai, whom Guy had once rescued.
Her wine-red eyes kept sneaking glances toward the back. He had no idea what she was looking at.
Against the wall sat a boy with a toothpick in his mouth.
Beside him was a little brat with a cocky look, his hands in his pockets.
In the row behind them, a boy held a crow feather.
Beside him sat someone who kept coughing, with dark circles under his eyes.
A purple-haired girl sat quietly nearby.
In the corner, three students huddled together.
One wore sunglasses, one had a haughty look, and the third was taciturn.
In the last row sat a girl with her hair tied in buns.
Her cheeks kept moving. Who knew what she was sneaking bites of?
Maybe... dango?
Finally, beside Might Guy, sat a boy with a gloomy stare.
He sat alone in the far corner and looked unsettling.
Guy looked over them one by one.
They were all familiar faces.
But he said nothing. He just leaned back in his chair and waited.
Before long, the door opened.
A man walked in.
He had brown hair, wore a Chunin vest, and smiled warmly.
"Hello, everyone." He stood at the front of the classroom. "I'm your homeroom teacher."
Might Guy looked at him, finding him somewhat familiar.
But he couldn't remember who he was.
"Let me introduce myself first."
The man picked up a piece of chalk and wrote his name on the blackboard.
"My name is Ikkaku Umino. I'm twenty-seven years old."
"I like reading and taking walks."
"Oh, and I have a child about your age at home, too. His name is Umino Iruka."
Might Guy froze.
Was this... Iruka's father?
The one who died in the Nine-Tails Attack in the original story?
"All right."
Ikkaku Umino put down the chalk and smiled at the class.
"Now it's your turn."
"Come up one by one and introduce yourselves."
"You can tell us your name, age, and what you like."
He looked toward the front row.
"You can start."
The silver-haired boy stood up and walked to the front.
He glanced at the class.
"Hatake Kakashi. Six years old."
Then he returned to his seat.
The classroom fell silent for a second.
Ikkaku Umino smiled and nodded. "Good. Next."
The brown-haired girl walked up with a gentle smile.
"My name is Nohara Rin. I'm six. I like... playing with everyone."
She bowed, then jogged back to her seat.
Yuhi Kurenai walked up with her head down, her face a little red.
"My name is Yuhi Kurenai. I'm six. I like... green."
After speaking, she glanced quickly toward the corner, lowered her head again, and hurried back to her seat.
"Green?"
Guy froze for a moment, then noticed that the tips of Kurenai's ears seemed to have turned red.
"Next."
A boy with a cocky look walked up, his hands in his pockets.
"Sarutobi Asuma. Six years old. I like—"
As he spoke, he casually pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and started opening it with practiced ease.
Ikkaku Umino's face darkened.
He snatched the pack away.
"Kids can't smoke. I'm confiscating these."
Asuma curled his lip, shoved his hands back in his pockets, and returned to his seat.
The next boy stood and walked to the front.
As soon as he reached the podium, he started reaching into his pocket, too.
Ikkaku Umino tensed at once, ready to snatch away whatever he found.
But soon, he relaxed.
The boy pulled a toothpick from his pocket and put it in his mouth.
"Shiranui Genma. Six years old."
Ikkaku Umino breathed a sigh of relief.
Genma returned to his seat with the toothpick in his mouth.
The next boy to come up was taciturn. He said, "Namiashi Raidō. Six years old," and went back to his seat.
Then came the one with sunglasses, still holding a crow feather.
"Yamashiro Aoba. Six years old." He pushed up his sunglasses and went back to playing with the feather.
Next was the boy with dark circles under his eyes. He gave a couple of soft coughs.
"Gekko Hayate. Six years old."
The purple-haired girl walked up quietly.
"Uzuki Yugao. Six years old."
The next student with sunglasses walked up, pushed them up, and looked proud of himself.
"My name is Ebisu! I'm six! I'll definitely become an outstanding elite ninja!"
After speaking, he shot Kakashi a challenging look.
Kakashi ignored him and stared out the window.
Ebisu curled his lip and went back to his seat.
The girl with her hair tied in buns walked up, her cheeks still moving.
"Mitaraishi... mm... Anko! Six years old! I like... mmm... dango!"
Ikkaku Umino looked at her stuffed cheeks, somewhat at a loss.
"Anko, you can't eat snacks in class."
Anko blinked. "Mmm... I'm not eating anything."
"What's in your mouth?"
Anko hurriedly shut her mouth, swallowed whatever was inside, then opened it wide.
"Ahh! There's nothing in there!"
Ikkaku Umino waved a hand helplessly.
The last boy, the one with the gloomy stare, stood up.
"Morino Ibiki. Seven years old."
He returned to his seat and kept staring at the desktop.
After all twelve had introduced themselves, it was finally Might Guy's turn.
Guy stood up and glanced around the classroom.
Hatake Kakashi, Nohara Rin, Yuhi Kurenai, Sarutobi Asuma, Shiranui Genma, Namiashi Raidō, Yamashiro Aoba, Gekko Hayate, Uzuki Yugao, Ebisu, Mitaraishi Anko, and Morino Ibiki.
And himself, Might Guy.
Konoha's golden generation.
They were all in this classroom.
Still, it seemed one person was missing.
Could that guy be late again?
"Last one."
Ikkaku Umino looked toward the corner.
"Come on up."
Guy walked to the front of the classroom.
He stood up straight, smiled, and flashed a set of white teeth.
Then he faced everyone and gave a sharp thumbs-up.
"Might Guy! Six years old! I like training and Taijutsu! Youth is all about—"
"Burning!!"
"Bang!"
The moment Guy finished speaking, the door burst open.
Someone rushed in.
He was running so fast that his left foot caught on his right,
and he went sprawling face-first onto the floor.
The classroom fell silent for a second.
Guy stood at the front, his thumb still raised.
The person on the floor got up, a bump on his forehead and dust on his nose. He looked around and scratched his head.
"Sorry! I'm late!"
Ikkaku Umino smiled and waved a hand. "It's all right. You can introduce yourself, too."
The boy froze, then grinned.
He walked up to the podium and stood beside Guy, facing the class.
"Hey!"
He gave a thumbs-up, too, showing a missing front tooth. His eyes shone startlingly bright.
"Listen up! My name is Uchiha Obito! I'm going to become Hokage!"
The classroom fell utterly silent.
Kakashi stared out the window, but the corner of his eye twitched.
Rin covered her mouth and laughed.
Kurenai sneaked a glance at Obito, then another at Guy.
Asuma clicked his tongue.
Ebisu pushed up his sunglasses, wearing an expression that said, "This guy's nuts."
Anko nearly spat out the snack in her mouth.
Ibiki looked up at Obito, then lowered his head again.
Guy stood beside him, looking at the boy with the missing front tooth, grinning like an idiot.
He couldn't help laughing.
This guy.
Was he really this goofy now?
[Bond Triggered: Gathering of Stars]
[Reward: Monk Points +50]
As soon as Obito finished introducing himself, the system notification rang out in Guy's mind.
Guy grinned even wider.
It was hard not to be happy about a free reward.
Obito saw Might Guy suddenly laugh. Thinking Guy was mocking him, he bristled.
"Hey, hey, hey! Bushy Brows! What's that supposed to mean? You think you're better than me?"
Guy rolled his eyes and couldn't be bothered to answer.
Ikkaku Umino stepped between them and clapped his hands.
"All right, all right. Introductions are over. Everyone, back to your seats."
Guy shrugged and walked down from the platform.
Obito clicked his tongue and found an empty seat.
Ikkaku Umino walked to the front of the platform and picked up a piece of chalk.
"Starting today, you are students at the Konoha Ninja Academy."
"Next, you'll have your very first lesson at the Ninja Academy."
He turned around and wrote four large characters on the blackboard.
[Will of Fire]