She Will Work Hard

Unlike Ryosuke's previous life, where school ended after five and often included evening self-study.

The Ninja Academy let out very early; the day's classes ended at just three o'clock.

However, the end of classes did not mean there was nothing else to do.

Just like in his previous world, where many families capable of bearing the financial burden enrolled their children in all kinds of after-school tutoring programs, the same situation existed in this world.

After three o'clock, it could be called dismissal, or it could be called free activity time.

Students who did not want to study or work hard could leave the academy whenever they wished. The teachers would no longer restrain them.

As for the children willing to remain at the academy and continue learning, the teachers would teach them according to their actual circumstances.

Whichever students usually worked harder, or had better relationships with them, were the ones they would guide.

Therefore, even after dismissal, a huge number of students still remained at the Ninja Academy, working hard. Neji Hyuga was among them.

This was very realistic. Even though the village's higher-ups knew about this, they did not interfere much or try to make the academy's environment fairer, because this was also part of a ninja's education.

There had never been absolute fairness in this world. Moreover, on a ninja's path toward power, many factors would determine their future, and those factors could not possibly be fair either.

Of course, this only applied to ordinary classes.

A situation like this would not occur in the Elite Class Neji Hyuga attended, where only students with outstanding entrance scores could enroll.

Nearly all the students in that class came from clans. They had no need to curry favor with teachers for better educational resources.

When these clan-born children remained at the academy, it was more to take the opportunity to spar with other students from their year and accumulate practical combat experience.

Honestly, this differed somewhat from what Ryosuke had understood, though he had expected it.

In his previous life, he had lived in a world without magic, in an ordinary technological age, where all kinds of laws maintained social order.

Yet even then, many people struggled desperately just to eat their fill or rise above others.

In this cruel Ninja World, as long as one stopped moving forward or showed even the slightest slackness, one could very well lose one's life while carrying out missions in the future.

In such an atmosphere, who would treat being a ninja as something to play around with? Besides, children in this world generally matured early.

Perhaps only those who were isolated, excluded from that atmosphere, and felt neither urgency nor a sense of crisis could play around so carefree.

There was no rule that only students of the academy could enter. After entering, Ryosuke and his group of four easily found Neji Hyuga simply by asking a student.

Neji's reputation in the academy truly was not small.

Standing at the edge of the Ninja Academy's vast Training Ground, Hinata asked Neji beside her expressionlessly, "Brother Neji, can you tell me who among your year is worth paying attention to?"

She still remembered what Ryosuke had said: they had come to find out roughly what level she needed to reach if she wanted to become first in her year.

Neji paused slightly, seeming somewhat surprised by Hinata's expression and tone, but he quickly responded, "Of course, Lady Hinata."

Meanwhile, Ryosuke, unable to find that blond kid among the crowd on the Training Ground, withdrew his gaze in disappointment and turned his attention to their conversation.

The main reason he had come to the academy this time was to see whether he might run into Naruto.

But perhaps Naruto had not enrolled yet. Still, by all rights, he should have failed graduation twice.

If, in the original story, Naruto graduated at the same age as Sasuke and Hinata, then he should have enrolled two years early. But apparently... that was not the case.

"There are three from the Uchiha Clan."

As expected, the first people Neji introduced from the chaotic crowd on the Training Ground were the Uchiha, the great clan whose status in the village was equal to theirs.

Two boys and one girl stood at the edge of the Training Ground as well.

All three wore dark blue tops embroidered with the fan-shaped clan crest on their backs.

Standing on the Training Ground, they seemed utterly out of place with the surrounding atmosphere. They swept their cold, arrogant gazes across everyone on the field, occasionally looking toward Ryosuke's group—more precisely, at Neji Hyuga.

"They are extremely proficient in taijutsu, ninjutsu, and Genjutsu."

"The thing they enjoy most every day is defeating the endless stream of people who come to challenge them after school. It satisfies their petty vanity." Neji introduced them with disdain in his voice.

"Then... have you challenged them, Brother Neji?" Hinata asked curiously, though her tone remained cold.

It seemed she had spent a long time hypnotizing herself over this period and imitating her former state.

Since leaving home, she had maintained it well, except when speaking with Ryosuke, when she would break character.

"Me, challenge them?!"

Neji raised his voice as though he had been insulted.

But after Ryosuke and the two guards behind him looked over, he quickly reined in his emotions. "They should be the ones challenging me. Whether in practical combat or theory classes, I have remained first in our year."

"Then did you win, Brother Neji?" Hinata asked again.

"Of course. Although they are strong, I am still superior."

Neji Hyuga said proudly, "Since we are talking about the Uchiha, Lady Hinata, there is something I need to remind you of."

"In previous years at the Ninja Academy, it has basically always been the Hyuga Clan and the Uchiha Clan competing against each other. In my year, I have already defeated them and taken first place, protecting the Hyūga's standing."

"As a member of the Main Family, you absolutely cannot lose to an Uchiha from your year when the time comes. If you lose, it will disgrace the Hyuga Clan and bring shame upon the clan head and the main branch. Do you understand?"

After saying that, he looked at Hinata very seriously.

This time, the two guards behind Ryosuke did not look at Neji. Instead, they turned their gazes toward Hinata.

As ninjas, they had also gone through their student years and witnessed the rivalry between the Hyuga Clan and the Uchiha Clan.

If Hinata truly could not measure up to the Uchiha of her year, then the entire Hyūga would lose face with her. After all, only the Main Family could bear the name Hyūga.

In an instant, Hinata, who had been expressionless and maintained her facial expression so well, felt a little flustered inside.

She felt the immense pressure the three people beside her placed upon her.

It was not pressure from Momentum, but pressure from words and responsibility.

Just as Hinata faced the three of them, feeling somewhat at a loss and nearly unable to maintain her expression and state of mind as she lowered her head again.

Ryosuke stepped forward at just the right time, shielding her behind him. He smiled at Neji. "She will work hard."