On the school grounds, 175-centimeter-tall Kizaru stood at the very back of the new students' line, towering above the crowd.
On the raised platform at the front of the grounds, Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi was giving a welcoming speech to the new students.
Watching the old—well, middle-aged—Third Hokage ramble on about fire and leaves for nearly half an hour, Kizaru realized for the first time that some parts of the world of Naruto were very similar to the Earth where he had lived in his previous life.
Take speeches by leaders, for example: the same empty words, the same brainwashing, the same endless prattling!
The Third Hokage's speech went on for around forty minutes. Amid the students' "tearful" cheers and applause, the Third Hokage left with a satisfied look on his face.
After he left, the enrollment ceremony suddenly picked up speed.
In ten minutes, the opening ceremony was over, and the new students in each class followed their teacher to their classroom.
The Ninja Academy wasn't particularly strict about student conduct, and everyone could choose their own seat. Since he was the tallest, Kizaru picked a seat by the window at the back of the classroom, figuring it would be considerate to his classmates.
The seat beside Kizaru was empty. Shimura Yoshihiko had wanted to sit next to him, but Kizaru sent him to the front row on the grounds that he should focus on his studies.
After seeing Kizaru perform like a demon king during the entrance exam, none of the other students dared to sit beside him, either.
As it happened, the sons of the Ino-Shika-Cho Clans' heads sat in the row ahead of Kizaru. Nara Shikaku sat directly in front of him, also by the window.
The Shimura Clan had a good relationship with the Yamanaka Clan, one of the Ino-Shika-Cho Clans. When Danzo established Root, the Yamanaka Clan had even sent quite a few ninja to help.
So after taking his seat, Yamanaka Inoichi, the son of the Yamanaka Clan head, politely turned around and greeted Kizaru, showing his goodwill.
Kizaru naturally returned the smile. They exchanged a few words and established a friendly rapport.
Some people showed goodwill, while others were hostile. The new students from the village's two great eye-disease clans, those with Red Eye Disease and those with cataracts, looked at Kizaru with hostility.
Uchiha Inabi and Hyuga Toda had both lost to Kizaru during the entrance exam.
After the Senju Clan disbanded and became part of the village, the Hyuga and Uchiha Clans had become the village's two most powerful ninja clans. As children from prominent clans, both boys were naturally proud, and they were deeply frustrated by their defeat at the hands of Shimura Kizaru.
Their hostility toward Kizaru wasn't born of any deep hatred. They simply refused to accept defeat, and after entering the Academy, their only goal was to beat him.
Like school on Earth, the first day's classes had little substantial teaching. They mostly covered the school rules and moral education.
The teacher in charge of Kizaru's class was named Yamakawa Kiyoshi. He had once been an Elite Chunin in Anbu, but after growing older and starting a family, he had voluntarily requested a transfer to the Ninja Academy as a teacher.
Yamakawa Kiyoshi was a conscientious teacher. After briefly explaining the school rules, he began the first proper lesson.
Yamakawa Kiyoshi knew that lessons on culture and ideology were too dull for children to enjoy. So as he taught, he shared stories from his own experiences, or little tales he'd seen or heard while out on missions.
This approach made the otherwise dull lessons interesting. Most of the students listened eagerly, their eyes gleaming with interest.
Their reaction delighted Yamakawa Kiyoshi. Feeling rather pleased with himself, he surveyed the classroom, then let his gaze settle on the window seats at the back.
Crack!
He hadn't controlled his strength, and the chalk in Yamakawa Kiyoshi's hand snapped in two. Most of the smile vanished from his face.
The reason for his loss of composure was simple: two students at the back by the window had already slumped over their desks, fast asleep.
Taking a deep breath, Yamakawa Kiyoshi decided that he needed to show his authority as a teacher on the very first day.
He knew both students. One was the demon king who had dominated the entrance exam, the Shimura Clan's peerless genius, Shimura Kizaru. The other was the son of the Nara Clan head, who had scored full marks on the written entrance exam: Nara Shikaku.
Recalling the strength Shimura Kizaru had displayed during the entrance exam, Yamakawa Kiyoshi realized with dismay that if he got into a fight with Kizaru, his chances of subduing him quickly and cleanly were less than thirty percent.
If he went all out, Yamakawa Kiyoshi was absolutely certain he could beat Kizaru—at least, that was what he told himself. But as the Elite Class teacher, what kind of dignity and authority would he have left if he had to go all out against a six-year-old who had only just started school, and might have to fight him for a hundred rounds before winning?
Not knowing Kizaru's personality and having carefully weighed the risks of confronting him, Yamakawa Kiyoshi decided to change his approach. It was enough to punish one as a warning to the others.
Picking up the half-broken piece of chalk from his desk, Yamakawa Kiyoshi threw it with the same technique he used to throw a Kunai. It struck Nara Shikaku squarely on the head.
Following Yamakawa Kiyoshi's movement, the students below the platform all turned to look at the back of the classroom.
"Hahaha!"
Seeing Nara Shikaku slowly lift his head after being struck, his face full of misery, the students burst into laughter.
Shimura Yoshihiko, who sat in the first row, naturally turned to look, too. When he saw that the pineapple-headed Nara boy had been hit on the head for sleeping in class, he joined in the laughter.
But as he laughed, Shimura Yoshihiko noticed something was off. Behind the Nara boy, Big Brother Kizaru was also asleep with his head on the desk.
Big Brother Kizaru must have trained too hard last night! Shimura Yoshihiko instantly came up with an excuse for his big brother.
"Nara Shikaku, go stand at the back of the classroom and wake yourself up!" Yamakawa Kiyoshi shouted deliberately, raising his voice to wake Kizaru, who was behind Nara Shikaku.
"What a drag." Rubbing his head, Nara Shikaku didn't try to defend himself. He lifted his bottom from the chair, stood up, and slowly walked away from his seat.
"This is really scary!"
As Nara Shikaku stepped away from his seat, he heard a voice beside him.
Looking at Kizaru, who was leaning back in his chair with a faint smile on his face, Nara Shikaku seemed to understand.
The guy behind him had been the first one to fall asleep at his desk!
Nara Shikaku looked at Kizaru, then turned toward the teacher standing on the platform with a stern expression. He understood at once.
He was the chicken being slaughtered to scare the monkey behind him!
What a despicable teacher! Picking on the weak and fearing the strong!
Grumbling inwardly, Nara Shikaku walked over and stood a short distance to Kizaru's left.