The First Day

The perspective returns to the present.

After Iruka left, the atmosphere in the classroom instantly livened up.

Amidst the chatter of the children, various small cliques gradually began to form.

As some children talked, they started gossiping about their classmates, labeling who was timid and easy to bully, who was gloomy and best left alone, who seemed like a nuisance, and even complaining that Hyuga Ningxue was arrogant.

Among them, one boy who had been discussing Hyuga Ningxue felt that this person was too stuck-up and found his attitude grating. Furthermore, since he wanted to be the boss of the class, he decided to strike while the iron was hot and give this detestable guy a taste of his authority.

This boy, who intended to issue the warning, had freckles on his face and was named Jiantaro.

Since he had made up his mind to be the class leader, he decided he had to bully this person who annoyed him.

He brought along a few other boys who were equally dissatisfied with Ningxue, intentionally raised his voice, and walked toward the back of the classroom.

"Hey, you from the Hyuga clan."

Jiantaro stopped in front of Ningxue's desk and rudely tapped on the surface with his hand, creating a rhythmic thumping sound.

"What was that attitude of yours just now? Are you looking down on us?"

Ningxue's gaze slowly shifted away from the scenery outside the window to look at this uninvited guest.

There was not a ripple in his pure white eyes—no anger, no shock, just as still as a stagnant pool.

Yet, this look, which didn't even register him as a person, was more infuriating than any words could be.

"I'm talking to you!" Jiantaro felt he was losing face, and his tone grew even sharper.

The surrounding noise died down, and many eyes were drawn to the scene.

Naruto maintained a carefree appearance, seemingly indifferent to the commotion, but one could tell from his eyes that he intended to intervene if things turned physical.

Sasuke, sitting in front, frowned slightly, seemingly finding such provocation low-class. (However, as Sasuke had not yet experienced the clan massacre, his heart was still kind, and he did not care for such behavior.)

Ningxue spoke, but only uttered two cold words.

"Idiot."

It was a simple insult, yet delivered with ultimate satisfaction.

"You!" Jiantaro's face flushed with rage, and he reached out to grab Ningxue by the collar.

Although he didn't quite understand the nuance of the insult, the fact that it was meant to belittle him was clear enough.

However, his hand froze halfway.

Because at this moment, Ningxue knew clearly that without resorting to physical violence, the best way to handle this was through intimidation.

So, he employed a combination comparable to a flashlight held under one's chin.

From the boy's perspective, it was as follows:

You want to make a move, but you find the other party's eyes are hollow, and faint veins are bulging at the corners of his eyes.

He pulled a face that was incredibly uncanny and eerie, his brows slightly raised, giving off a feeling of profound emptiness.

Coupled with his long white hair and the atmosphere he created using a touch of ice-attribute chakra, it enveloped the boy in an instant.

The moment their eyes met, the boy felt as if he had seen a ghost.

"A ghost!!!!"

He hurriedly let go, stumbled back a few steps, and fell to the floor.

"No, he's a monster! No! He's a ghost!"

The boy was so terrified he was babbling incoherently.

Oh, you foolish child, a scary face is enough to leave you with psychological trauma.

Scared into a spineless coward, unable to even stand—oh my, how truly pathetic.

"What's going on?"

His companions were also startled. Looking at Jiantaro's state and then at Hyuga Ningxue, who had returned to his expressionless state—looking at them as if they were trash—they couldn't help but feel a chill run down their spines.

They subconsciously took a few steps back; no one dared to help Jiantaro up, let alone step forward to provoke him.

The surrounding students were stunned, completely unable to understand what had happened.

"What's going on? What's wrong with him?"

"I don't know... I just saw him reach out, and then suddenly..."

"Did Hyuga-kun do something to him?"

"He didn't do anything... he just... looked at him?"

Naruto widened his eyes, looking completely confused.

"Eh? What's happening? Why did that guy fall down on his own? And why is he screaming like that?"

He had expected to step in and mediate, but for some reason, the boy had suddenly collapsed and started shrieking.

Sasuke's brow furrowed even deeper.

He felt that this was a potential rival; for a fleeting moment, he had sensed chakra.

"Hmph, what a troublesome guy, as expected." Shikamaru muttered, turning his face away from the desk.

"Delicious." Crunch, crunch.

Choji remained cradling his potato chips, munching away, expressing his approval of this good show.

Kiba curled his lip.

"Tch, scared stiff already? Even Akamaru has more guts than you!"

"Woof!" Akamaru agreed.

The atmosphere in the classroom turned somewhat silent and strange, with everyone looking over, wanting to see how things would develop.

At this moment, Hyuga Ningxue was laughing inwardly.

Brats are brats, after all. My assessment: just another roadside weed.

He ignored the strange gazes around him, sat back down, and turned to look out the window.

He didn't say a third word throughout the entire ordeal.

What a drag. I really don't like children. What will I eat tonight? Will my dear father be sewing his clothes again? A grown man, where does he get such a hobby?... Should I bring something tasty home for Mom?... Wind Style?... Large-scale? What should I practice?

Of course, these were his inner thoughts.

In the end, it was Iruka who broke the deadlock.

He had intended to enter the classroom right on time after finishing his lesson plans, but after standing at the door for a moment, he felt the classroom was far too quiet, so he came in to see what was going on.

As soon as he entered, he saw Jiantaro shivering and babbling on the floor, looked at the strange expressions of the other children, and then at Hyuga Ningxue, who was clearly detached from the situation, feeling a massive headache coming on.

"What happened?" Iruka hurried over to help Jiantaro up.

"T-teacher... he... a ghost... white..." Jiantaro pointed at Hyuga Ningxue, still terrified.

Iruka looked at Hyuga Ningxue, his tone as calm as possible.

"Student Hyuga, what is this..."

"Oh, Teacher, he came over to knock on my desk and then accidentally fell over." Hyuga Ningxue replied indifferently.

Iruka certainly didn't believe this, as the child was clearly terrified out of his wits.

"He... he just now..." Jiantaro tried to accuse him, but upon seeing the look Hyuga Ningxue shot his way, he couldn't bring himself to say:

"He made a ghost face to scare me, and then scared me limp."

There were two reasons: he was afraid, and it was too embarrassing.

For a moment, he stuttered and stammered, feeling utterly aggrieved.

"Alright, alright, it's fine, it was probably just a misunderstanding."

Iruka could only try to smooth things over, gently patting Jiantaro's back to soothe him.

"Classmates should get along with each other; you shouldn't go around knocking on other people's desks, understand?"

"U-understood," Jiantaro could only say, feeling stifled.

"Understood."

Hyuga Ningxue, on the other hand, was much more natural.

Seeing this, Iruka could only sigh helplessly. He then addressed the whole class.

"Alright, everyone back to your seats, get ready for class."

...Before long, the bell rang.

The subsequent cultural and basic theory classes were dull and boring for Hyuga Ningxue, but necessary.

With an adult's mindset, he learned everything very quickly.

Of course, he just slept through math class; there was no other reason, as what they taught at six years old was basically simple addition. (If he could, he would rather practice chakra, but of course, this was school, and he wouldn't dare.)