The First Day of School

After Iruka finished explaining the basic school rules and the course schedule, a warmer smile appeared on his face as he clapped his hands.

"Alright, students, let's get to know each other. Starting from the first row, everyone take turns introducing yourselves! You can share your name, what you like, what you dislike, and your dreams for the future!"

Hearing this, the children below immediately began to chatter.

Naturally, the first to step up was Uzumaki Naruto, who sat in the front row.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto!! I'm six years old. My dream is to become the strongest Hokage and make everyone in the village acknowledge me! Even though it seems like everyone doesn't like me right now, I'll train with all my might, and one day I'll achieve my goal! I love Ichiraku Ramen the most, and I hate waiting three minutes for instant noodles."

His voice was loud and confident, but the surrounding children cast disdainful looks his way.

Naruto, of course, didn't care in the slightest.

Iruka-sensei gave a somewhat strained smile but still offered encouragement.

"That's a great dream, Naruto! Keep it up!"

Next was a boy with freckles.

"My name is..."

Just like that, it was soon Uchiha Sasuke's turn.

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. I like tomatoes, I dislike sweets, and my dream is to become a ninja even stronger than my brother and become the captain of the Konoha Military Police Force."

This cold, aloof introduction, combined with looks that could rival any protagonist, caused many of the girls nearby to gaze at him with infatuation.

Haruno Sakura stood up, snuck a glance at Sasuke, and her face flushed slightly.

"I'm Haruno Sakura! I like..." She darted another quick look at Sasuke.

"...I dislike big foreheads! My dream is..." Of course, she was too embarrassed to say the rest, covering her face and squirming in place.

Next to rise was Yamanaka Ino.

"I'm Yamanaka Ino! I like flowers and handsome guys! I dislike big foreheads and people who are full of themselves!"

"What did you say?" Sakura glared at her.

"I wasn't talking about you," Ino retorted.

Sparks flew between the two instantly. Iruka hurried to smooth things over.

Nara Shikamaru stood up with a yawn.

"Nara Shikamaru. I like watching clouds in peaceful places, I dislike troublesome things, and my dream... I guess I'll just be a ninja."

Akimichi Choji chewed on a snack.

"Akimichi Choji! I like barbecue and snacks, and I dislike people who waste food! And people who call me fat. My dream is to eat all the delicacies in the world!"

Hyuga Hinata stood up timidly.

"My name is... Hyuga Hinata... I, I like..."

She snuck a glance at Naruto.

"I... I like sweets. I don't have any dislikes... My dream is... to become stronger."

After saying this, she seemed to have used up all her strength and slowly slid back into her seat.

Aburame Shino adjusted his sunglasses.

"Aburame Shino. I like observing insects. I dislike people who disturb insect habitats. My dream is to find new species."

Inuzuka Kiba hugged his Akamaru.

"I'm Inuzuka Kiba! This is Akamaru! We love fighting and eating meat the most! I dislike weaklings! My dream is to become Hokage!"

Finally, it was Hyuga Ningxue's turn.

Only then did everyone realize there was still one person left in the back.

He should have been a very conspicuous person, yet somehow, no one had noticed him.

"Hyuga Ningxue. I like quiet, I dislike noise and seafood. I have no dream." (In truth, it was to break this damned Caged Bird, but could he say that?)

He sat back down after speaking, silently watching the scenery outside the window.

This concise and direct way of introducing himself annoyed quite a few people.

Moreover, they found that this person seemed even more irritating than Sasuke. (Simply put, these kids felt he was acting too cool.)

However, some girls still cast stunned looks his way; they hadn't expected such a handsome boy to be sitting behind them.

Thus, a variety of strange gazes were directed at him all at once.

Iruka-sensei paused for a moment, trying to offer some encouragement. "Uh... Hyuga-kun? You can take your time finding a dream..."

A moment later, the bell rang, marking the end of the first lesson of the school year, leaving the rest of the time for a break.

"Alright, students, it's break time now." With that, Iruka gathered his things and walked out of the classroom.

"Hey, hey, did you see that white-haired guy at the back? Hyuga Ningxue?" a freckled boy spoke up first, his tone clearly annoyed. "What kind of attitude is that? 'No dream'? Who is he trying to act cool for?"

"Exactly, exactly!" another thin, tall boy chimed in, deliberately mimicking Ningxue's tone and expression. "'I like quiet, I dislike noise'—tch, as if we're bothering him!"

"Aren't all the Hyuga like that? Look at Hyuga Hinata, her voice is as quiet as a mosquito's. But this one is even worse; she doesn't even bother to acknowledge anyone."

Someone tried to summarize, but they clearly confused Ningxue's demeanor with Hinata's introversion.

As for that idiot Uzumaki Naruto, he went straight for a face-to-face roast.

"What the... that guy..." Naruto didn't lower his voice in the slightest. "She's even more stuck-up than someone from the Uchiha clan..."

"Hey, look, look, Hyuga-kun is so handsome. She feels so cool and aloof, so quiet."

A girl whispered to her close friends.

"I still think Sasuke-kun is cooler, sitting there like that, unlike that guy who looks so gloomy."

"What a drag."

Shikamaru lay on his desk, the surrounding chatter making him feel incredibly annoyed.

Beside him, Choji was still stuffing snacks into his mouth, crunching away.

Sasuke remained in his seat, striking a pose, completely indifferent to the adoring gazes of the girls around him.

He watched Hyuga Ningxue.

"What a strange person."

Shino remained silent as ever.

Kiba.

"Hmph! That guy doesn't look like she can fight at all! Right, Akamaru?"

Akamaru.

"Woof!"

Hyuga Hinata, meanwhile, snuck glances at her clanswoman.

She listened to the discussions of her classmates, wanting to say something, but she didn't dare.

She knew this member of the branch family, but they weren't close. After all, that hair color was far too unique.

The subject of the discussion, Hyuga Ningxue, didn't care about these voices at all. At this moment, she was still wondering if she should learn a wide-range Wind Style ninjutsu.

Back to Iruka.

He had just placed his lesson plans in the office and slumped into his chair in the classroom.

He rubbed his temples gently, his head aching as he thought about the problem children in his class.

Through today's self-introductions, he clearly realized that whether they were from prestigious clans, minor families, or commoner backgrounds, the children in his class all had issues to some degree.

It wasn't that they had psychological problems.

It was just that they were harder to handle, more difficult to discipline, and far more unpredictable than average children.

He rocked his chair gently and murmured to himself.

"The future looks bleak."