Ninja Academy

The next day, blinding sunlight pierced through the window and spilled into the room.

Ueno Kei's eyes twitched as he slept soundly in bed. He slowly opened his eyes, turned his head to glance at the alarm clock on the nightstand, and seeing it was 6:30 AM, he climbed out of bed. He patted his cheeks, exhaled a breath of stale air, yawned, scratched his head, and changed into his clothes.

He entered the bathroom next to the bedroom to wash up.

Although the Ninja Academy didn't require reporting until 8:00 AM, Ueno Kei felt that arriving early was always better than being late. After washing up, he prepared a simple meal for himself, finished it, and strapped on a light blue backpack.

He headed straight toward the Ninja Academy.

On the way to the academy, Ueno Kei encountered many children being led by their parents, as well as many others who were walking alone and appeared slightly older than him.

Some must be my peers, while others are likely the upperclassmen. At the very least, the vibe is different, Ueno Kei thought to himself after glancing at them.

By the time he reached the academy gates, over a hundred children had already gathered. Everyone wore expressions of intense curiosity and excitement, chatting happily with the parents beside them.

Those accompanied by parents were likely his peers. Ueno Kei secretly sized up these children who would soon become his classmates.

At that moment, two individuals caught his attention: a boy and a girl.

The girl stood beside a middle-aged man. The reason she caught Ueno Kei's eye was that her attire was remarkably similar to certain garments from his past life.

She wore a pink qipao and a side-buttoned top from an ancient country, and her hair was styled in a traditional bun from that same land.

This made Ueno Kei seriously wonder if the girl might also be from the same world as him; otherwise, it would be too much of a coincidence. So far, this was the first time he had seen such attire in this world, though he couldn't rule out the possibility of a coincidence.

Should I go and test her? Ueno Kei thought about it, but ultimately abandoned the idea. After all, it was too dangerous, and he didn't want to become a lab rat.

He could figure it out slowly; there was no need to rush.

The other boy who caught Ueno Kei's attention did so because of the aura he exuded and his eyes, which were completely pale. It seemed he was a member of the Hyuga clan, a prestigious family in Konoha.

During the few months he had spent in Konoha, Ueno Kei had made a deliberate effort to learn about the village.

He had gathered information on the Senju and Uchiha clans founding Konoha together, the Hyuga's Byakugan, the existence of the Anbu, the Uchiha's independent territory, and other related facts.

Furthermore, the boy's cold, "stay away" aura deeply concerned Ueno Kei. It was not the behavior of a six-year-old, and he was the only other child besides Ueno Kei who wasn't accompanied by parents.

Connecting this to the boy's expression and other details, Ueno Kei had a rather grim suspicion.

Just as Ueno Kei was lost in his wandering thoughts, three Konoha ninja dressed as Chunin walked out of the academy gates. These three ninja wore gentle smiles; after all, as academy teachers, there was no need to be too rigid with the newly enrolled children.

When the three Chunin appeared, the various noisy sounds at the gate ceased abruptly. The parents led their children and looked at the three ninja with respect. In a place like a ninja village, a ninja was highly respected by ordinary villagers because they not only handled mission requests but also served as protectors during times of war. Without these ninja, the villagers of Konoha could not live peaceful and quiet lives.

Therefore, aside from the parents who were also dressed as ninja, the eyes of the others held undisguised respect for the three, which naturally fueled their desire for their own children to become great ninja!

The eldest-looking ninja in the middle smiled and scanned the crowd.

He gave a light cough and spoke, "Parents and children, I am an instructor at the academy, Chunin Muto Masatomo. From today on, I will be your homeroom teacher until you successfully graduate in six years. Now, children, please line up in order. Parents, you may head back now. From now on, it is best to let the children walk to and from school themselves; there is no danger in Konoha."

"Understood, we leave them to you, teacher."

"Please take good care of our children, Ninja-sama."

"Yes, yes, Konoha is definitely the safest place."

As soon as Muto Masatomo finished speaking, a chorus of agreement rose from the crowd. Afterward, the parents gave their children a few final instructions and left one after another.

The hundred or so young children, including Ueno Kei, were organized by the other two Chunin into lines to complete the academy registration process.

Once all the children had successfully registered, Muto Masatomo led them to their classroom. He signaled for everyone to give brief self-introductions.

After explaining the rules for commuting and distributing textbooks, he checked his pocket watch. The hands pointed past 1:00 PM, so he waved his hand to signal that the students were free to go home.

The group shoved their books into their bags, happily slung them over their shoulders, and squeezed out the classroom door, heading straight for home. Ueno Kei, however, packed his books unhurriedly.

His gaze swept inadvertently over the pale-eyed boy before he walked slowly out of the classroom.

Tomorrow is the first official day of class; there will be plenty of time later, Ueno Kei thought as he walked toward his home.

While his classmates were introducing themselves, Ueno Kei had paid close attention to the pale-eyed boy and the girl in the qipao.

The boy was named Hyuga Neji, and the girl was named... Hyuga Neji's introduction was just like the aura he exuded—his tone was cold, and he simply said, "My name is Hyuga Neji," before sitting down.

This only solidified Ueno Kei's belief that either something had happened in the boy's family or the child had an inherent personality problem.

When Ueno Kei returned home, he found that his house had already been shamelessly occupied by a "bully." Seeing the blond brat messily rummaging through his bed and lying on it fast asleep, Ueno Kei felt both annoyed and amused.

As if sensing Ueno Kei's return, the eyelids of the boy on the bed, Uzumaki Naruto, twitched. He saw Ueno Kei fiddling with books at the dining table.

He immediately jumped up and slid over to Ueno Kei's side, his eyes shining as he looked at the books in Ueno Kei's hands.

They included The Complete Ninja Compendium, Fundamentals of Ninjutsu, and Lectures on Chakra.

Ueno Kei gave Uzumaki Naruto a light chop on the head with his hand. Naruto clutched his forehead, putting on a wronged expression as he looked at Ueno Kei, who shook his head in exasperation.

Then, under Uzumaki Naruto's expectant gaze, he opened a book.

The two of them sat at the narrow dining table, flipping through the books with great interest. Uzumaki Naruto's interest stemmed from a child's curiosity, while Ueno Kei's was driven by his fascination with the special power of ninjutsu, which was so different from anything in his previous life!