Introducing Ourselves

The classroom wasn't big. Four rows of long desks crammed in thirty-odd students.

The teacher pushed open the door, a roster tucked under his arm. He walked to the front of the classroom and stood at the podium.

His gaze swept across the room before he spoke in an unhurried voice.

"I'm your homeroom teacher. Starting today, I'll be in charge of your basic courses."

"Let's start with introductions. One at a time, stand up, give your name, and tell us your goal."

He opened the roster and read out the first name.

A boy from the Sarutobi Clan stood up, his back straight as a post.

"Sarutobi—my goal is to become an excellent ninja, protect Konoha, and live up to my clan's expectations."

He sat down.

The Hyuga Clan's turn.

"Hyuga—to protect Konoha and uphold my clan's honor."

He sat down.

The Akimichi Clan's turn.

"Akimichi—to protect Konoha and live up to..."

Kitahara Kaede leaned back in his chair.

Protect Konoha, become an excellent ninja, live up to the clan's expectations.

The same old phrases went around in circles, like every parent had handed their kid the same standard answer before school started.

The teacher called on seven or eight more students. They were all cut from the same cloth.

Even the homeroom teacher was starting to look distracted.

Until—

"Jiraiya."

The white-haired boy sprang to his feet.

He planted both hands on the desk and lifted his chin, his voice louder than all the others put together.

"My name is Jiraiya!"

He looked around the classroom, wearing an expression as serious as if he were announcing something incredible.

"My goal—to become the strongest ninja!"

He paused. Everyone thought he was done.

But he didn't sit down.

"And then—to save every beautiful girl in the world!"

The classroom fell silent for a beat, then erupted.

Several boys from prominent clans in the front rows turned to look at him as if they'd spotted a new species at the zoo.

Two students sitting together whispered to each other, not even bothering to hide their laughter.

Beside Kitahara Kaede, Tsunade propped an elbow on the desk and said flatly, "Pervert."

Her voice wasn't loud.

But the classroom was small, and everyone in the rows around her heard her perfectly.

Laughter erupted again.

Jiraiya wasn't offended. Instead, he winked at Tsunade.

"That's what I call loving everyone! I'm on a whole different level!"

The homeroom teacher watched him for two seconds, made no comment, wrote something on the roster, and turned the page.

Jiraiya plopped back into his seat, the corners of his mouth still turned up.

But the hand resting under his desk clenched briefly.

He'd felt all those looks just now. Every single one.

He had no clan, no surname, no connections.

So what? He'd prove he was just as good as anyone else.

The homeroom teacher tapped the desk and turned to the next page.

"Orochimaru."

The classroom fell quiet.

The black-haired boy in the corner stood up.

He moved slowly, not hesitantly, but without any hurry.

He stood where the sunlight met the shadows, his pale face expressionless.

His golden, slit-pupiled eyes swept across the classroom.

"Orochimaru."

His voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear.

"My goal—to master every ninjutsu in the world and understand the essence of every technique."

He said nothing more. Once he was done, he sat back down.

This time, no one laughed.

It wasn't because they were intimidated.

His tone had been so calm, as if he were stating a decision already made.

The homeroom teacher's pen paused over the roster for a second.

He glanced at Orochimaru but said nothing, then turned the page.

After the two of them spoke, the atmosphere in the classroom grew a little strange.

The "normality" the first twenty-odd students had established had been shattered by those two.

"Tsunade."

Tsunade stood up.

Her golden ponytail swished as she put her hands on her hips.

"Tsunade. My grandfather is the First, and my great-uncle is the Second Hokage."

She paused, her expression utterly serious.

"So I'm going to become an excellent ninja too."

The homeroom teacher nodded and was about to turn the page.

Tsunade hadn't sat down yet.

"And also—"

Tsunade's voice rang out again.

"I'm going to win all the money in every casino in the Shinobi World."

The homeroom teacher's pen stopped.

The classroom fell silent again.

It wasn't like it had been with Orochimaru.

That time, the silence had been cold.

This time, everyone was dumbfounded.

Two seconds later, a boy in the corner snorted with laughter, then hurriedly covered his mouth.

Tsunade's gaze swept over to him.

The boy ducked his head.

She sat down, straightened her hair, and looked completely at ease.

Watching her from beside her, Kitahara Kaede's lips twitched faintly.

Win all the money in every casino in the Shinobi World.

Given her future luck as the "Legendary Sucker," that was probably the most outrageous goal in the classroom today—more outlandish than everyone else's combined.

"Hagoromo Kaede."

Kitahara Kaede stood up.

A few students who knew of the Hagoromo Clan glanced at him—the old clan had allied with the Senju during the Warring States period. Its numbers had dwindled by now, but its roots remained.

"Hagoromo Kaede."

His voice was even.

"My goal—to protect the people I hold dear."

That was it.

Even shorter than Orochimaru's answer.

He sat back down.

His answer barely made a ripple in the classroom.

Most of the students filed it under "protect Konoha," along with the others. There wasn't much difference.

But the homeroom teacher's pen paused.

He looked at Kitahara Kaede, his lips parting as if he wanted to say something. In the end, he simply wrote down the name on the roster without a word.

In the corner, Orochimaru's gaze rested on his back.

Not "protect Konoha."

Not "become an excellent ninja."

"People I hold dear."

The scope had narrowed.

From "everyone" to "the people he held dear."

At that age, most people still couldn't tell the difference between "what they were supposed to say" and "what they wanted to say."

The first twenty-odd students had all said what they were supposed to say.

This boy had said what he wanted to say.

Orochimaru looked away, his fingers tapping absently on the desk.

Interesting.

A little, but interesting.

Kitahara Kaede had barely touched his seat when a hand reached over from beside him.

It tugged at his sleeve.

Tsunade tilted her head and leaned closer, lowering her voice.

"The people you hold dear?"

She blinked.

"Who?"

Kitahara Kaede didn't look at her.

He took something from his pocket and set it on the corner of her desk.

A piece of candy.

Tsunade looked down at the candy, then up at him.

"Don't change the subject."

"Didn't you bet someone would embarrass themselves today?"

Tsunade paused.

Kitahara Kaede nodded toward Jiraiya.

"You won the bet. What kind of dango do you want?"

Tsunade's attention took a turn.

She peeled off the wrapper and popped the candy into her mouth. "Three-Color Dango. Two skewers. You're paying," she said around it.

"Sure."

Tsunade chewed the candy and glanced out the window.

She'd won the bet, but his words still lingered in her mind.

The people he held dear.

She couldn't explain why, but she felt like her name should have been in that answer.

But he hadn't said it.

She wanted to ask, but she thought that asking would make her seem too invested.

Tsunade bit down hard on the candy.

Whatever.

He wasn't going anywhere.

Jiraiya propped an arm on the desk and rested his chin on the back of his hand.

He watched the two people in front of him.

One handed something over, and the other took it.

They chatted quietly now and then. Sometimes Tsunade tilted her head toward the boy, her golden ponytail brushing his shoulder.

Jiraiya watched them for a few seconds.

He couldn't quite name the feeling.

When he looked elsewhere, he happened to meet Orochimaru's gaze.

The two of them stared at each other across a few students for a brief moment.

Orochimaru expressionlessly looked away, as if he'd accidentally spotted a bug by the roadside.

Jiraiya pursed his lips.

There sure were a lot of weirdos in this class.