Class Assignments

At dusk, the afterglow of the setting sun spilled across the streets and alleys of Leaf Village, draping the entire village in a warm golden coat.

Kushina skipped her way to Rogge's home, her vivid red hair especially dazzling beneath the sunlight.

As she entered the house, Kushina's face was full of excitement, though there was also a trace of regret.

"Rogge, I brought good news! The class assignments are out! Sadly, I wasn't assigned to the same class as you."

As she spoke, she flopped down onto the tatami and gently sniffed the thin blanket that carried Rogge's scent. The familiar smell made her feel at ease.

Rogge, busy in the kitchen, heard Kushina's words. As he skillfully stir-fried the food in the pan, he replied, "It's fine. Jiraiya, the jonin leading Team Seven, can use senjutsu chakra. You'll definitely learn the real deal under him!"

The kitchen was filled with the aroma of food. Rogge focused on the dishes in the pan, but his thoughts were on Kushina's future.

"Besides, Team Seven has Lord Hokage's nephew, Kakuhei Sarutobi, and Minato Namikaze, the top genius of the Ninja Academy. Those two are really strong!"

Hearing that, Kushina said in a somewhat frustrated tone, "That's exactly why I feel so much pressure!"

She frowned, sat up, and looked at Rogge working in the kitchen.

Sunlight streamed through the window onto her, illuminating her slightly troubled expression.

Rogge smiled and continued, "You're a genius too! You're Konoha's next generation Nine-Tails jinchuriki. The Uzumaki Clan's bloodline gives you not only enormous chakra reserves and incredible vitality, but you've also successfully mastered the secret technique, Adamantine Sealing Chains."

The spatula in Rogge's hand kept moving as images of Kushina's savage performance in battle surfaced in his mind.

The title Blood-red Chili Pepper was no joke.

"Fine, when I think about it that way, I'm not bad either. But why can't I beat Minato Namikaze?" Kushina grew even more dejected. She rested her chin in both hands, her eyes full of confusion.

Rogge smiled. "Minato Namikaze's greatest strengths are his speed and combat talent. He's turned the basic three jutsu into all kinds of tricks, and his taijutsu is strong too. That's why you lost to him. That's why I always tell you: ninja aren't warriors. Ninja are more like assassins, focused on killing in a single strike."

Rogge's voice was calm and confident. He understood the essence of ninja combat well.

Yes, during the Ninja Academy's practical examination for early graduation a few days ago, Kushina had lost to Minato Namikaze.

Although she had Adamantine Sealing Chains, Minato Namikaze had fooled her with a simple Substitution Jutsu. She had bound thin air.

After only three exchanges, Minato Namikaze had ambushed her from behind and placed a kunai against her throat. She had lost immediately!

Before long, Rogge finished preparing three dishes and a soup.

The fragrance of the meal filled the entire room, making it irresistible.

Rogge and Kushina sat down together at the table, enjoying the warm moment.

They ate and chatted at the same time.

After having dinner with Kushina, Rogge sent her on her way.

The sun had gradually sunk below the horizon, and the sky was tinged with a faint purple.

Rogge stood at the doorway, watching Kushina's receding figure.

At that moment, a plump little white slug crawled in through the windowsill.

Rogge knew it was Tsunade's summoned beast... a descendant split off from the Slug Sage.

The slug's body was soft and squishy, like a giant jelly, slowly wriggling along.

It gave off a fresh scent that made one feel refreshed and relaxed.

"Rogge, Lady Tsunade will be your jonin instructor starting tomorrow. She told you to gather on the rooftop of the Ninja Academy's D1 teaching building at exactly eight tomorrow morning." The slug's voice was soft and sweet, like that of an adorable girl.

"Alright, thank you. Please thank Teacher Tsunade for me when you return as well. I'll report in on time tomorrow." Rogge smiled and reached out to pat the slug's little head.

It was bouncy and soft, just like touching jelly.

"Alright... Then I'll be going back now." The slug wriggled like a worm, turned around, crawled down the windowsill, and left.

Watching the slug depart, Rogge found summoned beasts rather interesting.

"Team Eight? Other than me, the other two genin are Mikoto Uchiha and Hizashi Hyuga. Heh."

Rogge sat by the window, gazing into the night outside as he quietly pondered.

"One is from the Uchiha Clan, and the other is from the Hyuga Clan. Konoha's two major clans have both placed someone beside me. What are they trying to do?"

Rogge could not understand the meaning behind Hiruzen Sarutobi's arrangement, but he did not care.

Before absolute power, every scheme and conspiracy was nothing but a paper tiger!

The next morning, sunlight filtered through gaps in the leaves, scattering patches of light across the ground.

Rogge got up early. After washing up, he headed toward the rooftop of the Ninja Academy's D1 teaching building.

He arrived at the rooftop of the Ninja Academy's D1 teaching building before eight.

Two people were already waiting there.

One was a black-haired girl around ten years old. She stood quietly there as the breeze gently brushed through her hair, making her seem especially gentle.

The other was a Hyuga Clan boy with a pair of Byakugan. His gaze carried a hint of determination and vigilance.

It was worth mentioning that this boy looked almost exactly like Hiashi Hyuga, whom Rogge had encountered in the clan ranking tournament.

Only their temperaments differed slightly.

He took a deep breath, then raised a hand and greeted them.

"Hello!" Rogge's clear, bright voice echoed across the rooftop.

"Y-you're Rogge, the genius ninja who defeated Uchiha Iwa, right? I'm Mikoto Uchiha. Nice to meet you. Please take care of me." Mikoto Uchiha revealed a shy smile, her eyes bright and clear.

Uh... Uchiha Iwa?

That was ancient history.

The news that Rogge had killed Uchiha Shu and Uchiha Shimizu in the dueling arena had been sealed away by Konoha's higher-ups. Naturally, the Uchiha Clan would not deliberately publicize something so humiliating, so it was perfectly normal that Mikoto Uchiha did not know about it.

After all, she was only an ordinary genin of the Uchiha Clan.

"Hello. We'll be classmates from now on, so please take care of me too." Rogge smiled and shook hands with the petite black-haired beauty.

"Tch!" Hizashi Hyuga, who wore a gloomy expression, glanced up at Rogge and said, "You're Rogge, right? I heard you defeated Hiashi Hyuga in the clan ranking tournament. I want to fight you."

Hizashi Hyuga's eyes were filled with challenge, his body tense as if he were ready to fight at any moment.

Rogge shook his head. "You're not my opponent. Forget it."

Rogge's tone was calm, as though he were merely stating a fact.

He knew exactly how terrifying his current strength was, so he did not want to waste time on meaningless battles.

"What?" Hizashi Hyuga glared viciously at Rogge and said coldly, "You dare look down on me? Today, I have to fight you!"

Hizashi Hyuga's heart was filled with anger. He felt that he had been insulted.

His Byakugan stared fixedly at Rogge, as though he wanted to see through him completely.

Rogge looked disdainful as he mocked, "The Caged Bird Seal doesn't feel too good, does it?"

A trace of pity appeared in Rogge's eyes.

The Byakugan, the Hyuga Clan's inherited bloodline limit passed down through generations, was an exceptionally powerful ocular technique.

To ensure that the Byakugan, this powerful bloodline limit, would not spread beyond the clan, the Hyuga Clan divided itself into two branches: the main family and the branch family.

The main family were the true inheritors of the Hyuga Clan, bearing the responsibility of protecting and carrying forward the clan.

The branch family were the guardians of the Hyuga main family, responsible for protecting them.

The main family could have only one heir. If the main family had multiple descendants in the same generation, only one child could inherit the main family, while all the others became members of the branch family.

In other words, only one person from the main family could exist in each generation.

Following this pattern, even after a thousand years, the Hyuga Clan would have only one main family.

The branch family would forever remain the main family's guardians.

When branch family children reached the age of three, the Caged Bird Seal would be branded onto their foreheads. Members of the main family could use this curse mark to control and destroy the brain nerves of branch family members, thereby controlling them.

Only after death could the curse mark be removed. The seal could also restrict the Byakugan's abilities, leaving a blind spot in its three-hundred-and-sixty-degree vision.

Once branded with the Caged Bird Seal, one could never escape it for the rest of one's life, doomed to the tragic fate of being a "servant, bodyguard, sacrifice."

The main family heir of this generation was the eldest son, Hiashi Hyuga. Hizashi Hyuga was his twin younger brother. Merely because he had been born a few minutes later, the brothers' destinies were worlds apart.

That was why Hizashi Hyuga's personality was so gloomy and irritable. At the slightest disagreement, he would resort to violence.

"Are you mocking me?" Hizashi Hyuga clenched his teeth. Veins bulged at his temples as he directly activated his Byakugan.

His heart was filled with anger and unwillingness. He did not want others to look down on him.

Rogge still shook his head. "I'm not mocking you. I just think you're a little pitiful, being born into such a heartless clan."

"Damn it!" Hizashi Hyuga felt humiliated, so he immediately struck with Gentle Fist—Eight Trigrams: Air Palm.

By striking the air to create an impact, it used shockwaves to damage the opponent's body.

Ordinarily, the Hyuga Clan's taijutsu was very strong.

Unfortunately, he had encountered Rogge.

Rogge merely used Armament Haki to form an invisible suit of armor over his body, blocking Hizashi Hyuga's Air Palm.

Rogge's heart remained completely calm. He knew that his strength far surpassed Hizashi Hyuga's.

"Stop! Don't fight! It's almost eight, and Teacher Tsunade will be here soon!" Mikoto Uchiha shouted from the side.