Ninja Academy

The next day, glaring sunlight streamed through the window into the room.

Ueno Kei stirred in his sleep, then slowly opened his eyes. He turned to look at the alarm clock beside his bed. It was six thirty. He got up, patted his cheeks, and let out a breath. After yawning and scratching his head, he got dressed.

Then he went to wash up in the bathroom next to his bedroom.

Although the Ninja Academy didn't start until eight, Ueno Kei figured it was better to arrive early than late. After getting up and washing, he made himself a simple breakfast. Once he had eaten, he slung a light blue backpack over his shoulders.

He headed straight for the Ninja Academy.

On the way, Ueno Kei passed many children being escorted to the Ninja Academy by their parents, as well as plenty of children going alone who looked a little older than he was.

Some of them are probably in my year, and others must be upperclassmen. At least, they feel different, Ueno Kei muttered to himself as he glanced at them.

By the time he reached the Ninja Academy gates, over a hundred children had already gathered there. They all looked curious and excited, chatting happily with their parents.

Those who had been brought by their parents were probably mostly his classmates. Ueno Kei secretly sized up the children who would soon be in his year.

Two of them caught his attention: a boy and a girl.

The girl stood beside a middle-aged man. What drew Ueno Kei's attention was how much her clothes resembled some of the outfits from his previous life.

She wore a pink qipao and a traditional Chinese jacket with a diagonal front, and her hair was styled in a traditional Chinese bun.

Ueno Kei couldn't help wondering if the girl had come from the same world as he had. Otherwise, what were the odds? So far, she was the first person he'd seen in this world dressed like that. Of course, it could still be a coincidence.

Should he try to test the waters later? After thinking it over, Ueno Kei gave up on the idea. It was too dangerous. He didn't want to become a lab rat.

He'd figure it out in time. There was no need to rush.

The other boy who caught Ueno Kei's attention stood out because of his aura and his eyes. They were completely white. He seemed to be a member of Konoha's prestigious Hyuga Clan.

After spending the past few months in Konoha and making a point of learning about it, Ueno Kei had become quite familiar with the village.

He knew about the Senju and Uchiha Clans founding Konoha, the Hyuga's Byakugan, the Anbu, the Uchiha's separate district, and other such things.

The boy's cold, unapproachable air also caught Ueno Kei's attention. It was nothing like what you'd expect from a six-year-old. He was also the only other child there, besides Ueno Kei, who hadn't been brought by his parents.

The boy's expression and other little details gave Ueno Kei a bad feeling.

While Ueno Kei's thoughts wandered and he let his imagination run wild,

three Konoha Ninja dressed as Chunin came out of the Ninja Academy gates. All three wore warm smiles. They were teachers at the Ninja Academy, after all, so there was no need to be too strict with the children just starting school.

As soon as the three Chunin appeared, the hubbub at the gate died away. The parents stood with their children and watched the Ninja respectfully. In a village like this, ordinary villagers held Ninja in high regard. Ninja could carry out missions for them, and in wartime, they protected the common people. Without them, Konoha's villagers couldn't have lived in peace.

So, apart from the parents who were Ninja themselves, the others showed no attempt to hide their respect for the three Ninja. It only made them all the more eager for their children to grow up to become great Ninja.

The oldest-looking Ninja in the middle smiled and swept his gaze over everyone.

He cleared his throat, then said, "Parents and children, I'm Muto Masatomo, a Chunin and a teacher at the Ninja Academy. Starting today, I'll be your homeroom teacher, until you graduate successfully in six years. Now, please line up in order. Parents, you can head home. From now on, it's best to let the children travel to and from school by themselves. Nothing dangerous will happen in Konoha."

"All right. We'll leave them in your hands, Sensei."

"Please look after our children, Ninja-sama!"

"That's right. Konoha is the safest place there is."

As soon as Muto Masatomo finished speaking, the crowd chimed in. After giving their children a few parting instructions, the parents began to leave.

With the other two Chunin organizing them, the more than one hundred children, including Ueno Kei, lined up in order and registered for the Ninja Academy.

Once all the children had registered, Muto Masatomo led them to their classroom. After having everyone give a brief introduction, he went over a few rules for getting to and from school and handed out their textbooks. He glanced at the pocket watch in his arms. The hands had already passed one in the afternoon, so he waved to let the students know they could go home.

The children casually stuffed their books into their bags, then happily slung them over their shoulders and squeezed out the classroom door, racing home. Ueno Kei calmly packed up his books.

His gaze happened to pass over the white-eyed boy. Then he walked slowly out of the classroom.

Classes don't officially start until tomorrow. There'll be plenty of time, Ueno Kei thought as he headed home.

When his classmates introduced themselves, Ueno Kei had paid special attention to the white-eyed boy and the girl in the qipao.

The boy was named Hyuga Neji, and the girl was named—. Hyuga Neji's introduction matched his cold demeanor. In a chilly voice, he'd simply said, "My name is Hyuga Neji," then sat down.

That only strengthened Ueno Kei's suspicion that something had happened in Hyuga Neji's family, or that there was something wrong with the boy's personality.

When Ueno Kei returned home, he found that his place had already been shamelessly taken over by a little thug. The sight of the blond rascal messing up his bed without a care in the world

and snoring away on top of it left Ueno Kei both annoyed and amused.

As if he'd sensed Ueno Kei's return, Uzumaki Naruto stirred. He opened his eyes and spotted Ueno Kei arranging books at the dining table.

He sprang up and darted over to Ueno Kei, staring excitedly at the books in his hands.

The Complete Ninja Encyclopedia, Ninjutsu Basics, A Guide to Chakra, and so on.

Ueno Kei gently tapped Uzumaki Naruto on the head with the edge of his hand. Naruto clutched his forehead and put on a wounded expression as he looked at Ueno Kei. Ueno Kei could only shake his head, exasperated.

With Naruto watching eagerly, he opened the books.

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