Laughter and chatter filled the classroom, and Hyuga Satoru was freaking out.
He saw a bald-headed man making the students introduce themselves. As student after student gave their self-introductions, laughter and applause rang out continuously.
Had he not cleared his browser history yet? How had he time-traveled into the Naruto World? And on the very first day of school, no less?
Hyuga Satoru looked around the classroom, and seeing quite a few familiar faces, he instantly panicked even more.
The guy in the first row who proudly spoke of his Hokage father during his self-introduction seemed to be the bounty measurement unit of the future Underground Black Market, whose head was traded for a bounty by a certain top-tier miser.
That edgy white-haired kid in the middle of the second row wearing a black face mask—if he remembered correctly, was the future chakra measurement unit, bound by the law of causality to a tie, who would get beaten down to a single eye in the Third Shinobi World War a few years later.
The goggle-wearing, 2B-grade boy sitting behind him, because of puppy love, would end up killing his master's wife and slaughtering his entire clan, plunging the Shinobi World into a bloody mess, and ultimately dying with not even ashes left of him.
The more Hyuga Satoru looked around, the more panicked he became.
None of these formidable characters from the original work came to a good end; now that he had just time-traveled over, wouldn't his fate be even more tragic?
He cast his gaze toward the fellow who was currently introducing himself.
That guy's teeth gleamed like a flashlight, and his dream was to embody youth to the extreme. He seemed to be the only commoner who defied the heavens and changed his destiny, almost kicking his way to the series finale with a single foot, his dancing skills highly praised by Madara, earning him the title of the strongest taijutsu user.
Yet, despite all that, he would spend the latter half of his life in a wheelchair.
As for the other classmates, Hyuga Satoru didn't recognize many of them. They were cannon fodder among cannon fodder, leeks among leeks, and a huge swath of them would likely be reaped off in the Third Shinobi World War a few years later, with very few surviving until the finale.
It would be fine if he belonged to the Main House; after all, with a bunch of Branch House cannon fodder to protect him, he might just manage to scrape by until the finale as long as he didn't court death. But according to the original owner's memories, not only was he a member of the Branch House, but both his parents were also dead, placing him among the most unfavored class within the Hyuga Clan.
It was over, he was totally cooked.
This wave was a nightmare opening.
Hyuga Satoru's eyes were as dead as ashes.
If you are going to time-travel, fine, but why into the Naruto World where human life is as worthless as grass, and at the crucial timeline of the Third Shinobi World War, the one with the highest mortality rate?
The Kannabi Bridge Battle, the Battle of Kikyo Pass... Hyuga Satoru didn't even dare to imagine how he could possibly survive through them.
Just as Hyuga Satoru was feeling utterly hopeless, a gentle voice pulled him back to reality.
"Student Hyuga Satoru, it's your turn to introduce yourself."
Hyuga Satoru raised his head to see the instructor, Fujino Daikichi, looking at him with a smile, while the other students in the class also focused their gazes on him.
Seeing this, Hyuga Satoru had no choice but to bite the bullet and stand up.
"My name is Hyuga Satoru, I'm from the Hyuga Clan, my favorite foods are ramen and grilled meat, and my dream is... my dream is..."
Hyuga Satoru hesitated for a moment.
"To live until the finale."
The classroom instantly fell silent. The students looked at Hyuga Satoru with astonished and hesitant gazes. To live until the finale???
What kind of nonsense was that?
Fujino Daikichi gave a few awkward laughs and rubbed his sparse crown.
"It seems Student Hyuga Satoru really likes reading comic books in his spare time. A finale and all that—those only exist in comic books, you know! I hope that in your future studies, Student Hyuga Satoru won't indulge too much in comic books!"
"Yes."
Hyuga Satoru gave a perfunctory response and sat back down.
That was close. He had accidentally blurted out his inner thoughts just now because of nervousness, but it seemed no one had paid much attention to him.
After the remaining nameless extras finished their self-introductions, Fujino Daikichi cleared his throat and said, "Alright, students, the self-introduction segment of the school opening is over. Next is our first class, please open your textbooks to Inheritance of the Will of Fire!"
Hyuga Satoru flipped through the red textbook on his desk. The entire text was filled with rhetoric praising the beauty of the Will of Fire, completely devoid of any nutritional value.
Fujino Daikichi on the podium eloquently expounded upon the Will of Fire, and most of the students below listened with great relish.
Hyuga Satoru, however, sat on pins and needles. He flipped through a few more pages and studied them carefully for a long time, only to discern two prominent words written between the lines: pyramid scheme.
Had I fallen into a brainwashing pyramid scheme center?
Is this the extent of Konoha's political propaganda?
The whole book is just preaching about how everyone is family, how we must protect the children, protect the village, and give everything for the village.
The crux of the matter is... I am only 6 years old, and you're already asking me to go to the battlefield and sacrifice myself?
Does this make any sense?
When watching the anime in his past life, Hyuga Satoru hadn't realized it, but after truly time-traveling into it and becoming an insider, he finally discovered just how absurd it was.
Having weathered the initial panic, Hyuga Satoru gradually calmed down.
In the classroom, Fujino Daikichi's recitation of the Will of Fire remained loud and clear, but Hyuga Satoru had already cast his gaze outside the window, his mind frantically sketching out subsequent plans. Today was his first day entering the Ninja Academy and also the beginning of his path as a ninja; he had to formulate a meticulous training plan.
For the sake of his dream—or rather... goal—of living until the finale.
Clack!
Hyuga Satoru pushed open the creaking wooden door, and what came into view was an old courtyard. This was the house his parents had left him; although the space wasn't very large, it had all the essential amenities.
The Ninja Academy's first day of classes consisted entirely of unnutritious lectures explaining the Will of Fire and the like. Not a single practical combat class or ninjutsu class that Hyuga Satoru had anticipated showed up.
He had no memories of his mother; it seemed she had died of dystocia when giving birth to him. His father was a Branch House jonin guard who had died during a mission to protect the Main House. Thanks to that, he was able to inherit his father's house as a young child and gain the qualifications to attend the Ninja Academy.
As a member of the Branch House, he also bore the Caged Bird on his forehead. His future trajectory would likely mirror his father's—becoming a guard for the Main House and "gloriously" sacrificing himself to protect them.
Headache...
Hyuga Satoru rubbed his temples. Not every Branch House father was a Branch House head; having an uncle who was the head of the Main House, his monthly living subsidy was only 1,500 ryo, and after subtracting living expenses, there wasn't much left for his training.
That certain guy who kept shouting about breaking destiny never worried about food or drink, enjoying top-tier treatment within the Hyuga clan, while countless more Branch House members struggled on the poverty line just like him.
Sighing, Hyuga Satoru banished the distracting thoughts from his mind. Now wasn't the time to dwell on those things; after attending classes all day, his stomach was already rumbling with hunger.
Rummaging through the remaining ingredients in the kitchen, he decided to consider his cultivation plan after finishing his dinner.
Life was already tragic enough; he couldn't let his stomach suffer along with it.
Just as he was about to pick up the iron pot to wash it, the unexpected happened. The moment his palm approached the iron pot, the pot suddenly began to vibrate uncontrollably. At the same time, every piece of metalware in the kitchen started shaking continuously, as if playing a symphony of metal.
Hyuga Satoru stood blankly in the middle, a voice ringing in his ears.
[Electromagnetic Force: LV1] [Distance to next upgrade: 2000 EXP]
Before you continue