On the Ninja Academy's training grounds, the dawn was gentle, and the rising sun cast its warmth over young faces brimming with energy.
The students stood in orderly rows at the center of the grounds. Their quiet conversations gradually faded, and every gaze turned toward the podium.
The Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, slowly stepped up to the podium. Dressed in his Hokage robes, he looked imposing yet kind, his sharp, resolute gaze sweeping over the crowd.
Tobirama cleared his throat, and his steady, resonant voice rang across the grounds:
"New students, from this day forward, you officially embark on your own path as ninja. As Konoha ninja, you bear the important duties of defending the village, protecting your comrades, and preserving peace in the shinobi world. This path will inevitably be filled with challenges and hardship. I hope each of you will work hard to meet them."
Thunderous applause followed his words, everyone's eyes shining with hope and determination for the future.
Among the crowd, Shinichi and Tsunade wore solemn expressions as they watched Tobirama on the podium attentively. But no one noticed that these two were actually just Shadow Clones.
The real Shinichi had taken Tsunade to the banks of the Naka River, far from the Ninja Academy, to put their grand slacking-off scheme into action.
Along the banks of the Naka River, the water babbled softly, and the clear surface glittered in the sunlight.
They found a comfortable patch of grass to sit on. Shinichi rested his hands behind his head and gazed leisurely at the clouds, a blade of grass between his lips and a satisfied smile on his face.
Tsunade had already rolled up her trouser legs and stepped barefoot into the cool river. Holding a little fishing spear carved from a branch, she stared eagerly at the small fish swimming beneath the surface.
"Shinichi, hurry up and help me! Stop lying there slacking off all by yourself!" Tsunade turned and shouted irritably at him on the bank.
Shinichi lazily rolled over and replied without a care, "Little Tsunade, I'll leave the physical labor to you. I'm just here for moral support. A professional slacker can't go getting involved willy-nilly."
Tsunade gritted her teeth in anger, snatched a stone from the water, and threw it at Shinichi. "You colossal lazybones! I must have the worst luck in the world to end up skipping class with you!"
Shinichi deftly dodged her little attack, remaining utterly unconcerned. "Don't get mad, little Tsunade. You catch the fish, and I eat them. Isn't that a win-win partnership?"
Speechless, Tsunade sighed and shook her head. She decided to ignore him and turned back to watch the fish, though a helpless yet gentle smile quietly crept into her eyes.
The clear river flowed slowly, warm sunlight falling softly over them. Every now and then, a fish leaped from the water with a splash.
Meanwhile, back on the distant Ninja Academy grounds, Shinichi's and Tsunade's Shadow Clones still stood solemnly in line, silently enduring the drawn-out torment of the opening ceremony.
Perhaps this easygoing, leisurely routine was their ideal version of "Ninja Academy life."
"Hey, Shinichi, were you about to fall asleep back there? The Second Hokage's speech was amazing!" Jiraiya clapped Shinichi on the shoulder, beaming.
Shinichi gave him a lazy glance and a faint smile. "It was all right, but anyone would get sleepy listening for that long."
On the Ninja Academy grounds, the morning sunlight fell gently over the new students, lighting their faces with youthful vitality, while a breeze stirred the hems of their clothes.
After the ceremony, the students headed toward their classrooms in little groups, lively chatter rising across the grounds.
Shinichi's Shadow Clone stretched lazily and was about to slip into the classroom to find a quiet corner where he could keep zoning out, when Jiraiya hooked an arm around his neck from behind.
"Hey, hey, Shinichi! I heard you're the big genius in our year. How about we go to the training grounds after school and spar?"
Shinichi waved his hand with a wry smile. "Sparring is such a hassle. I'm not interested in fighting..."
Beside him, Orochimaru cautiously tugged at Shinichi's sleeve and said softly, "Big Brother Shinichi, since everyone's looking forward to it, why don't we go?"
Shinichi sighed helplessly and nodded. "Fine, fine. Since you're all so eager, I'll take things a little seriously for once."
Standing nearby with her arms folded, Tsunade couldn't help curling her lip. "You can actually take things seriously? How come I've never seen it?"
Nara Shinsuke adjusted his glasses and said calmly, "Don't say that, Tsunade. Shinichi might be a little lazy most of the time, but he's reliable when it counts."
Nara Shinsuke was a good friend Shinichi and Tsunade had met by chance at Yakiniku Q.
At their first meeting, Shinichi had assumed he was just another ordinary member of the Nara Clan. To his surprise, their personalities turned out to be a perfect match—the same easygoing laziness, the same philosophy of coasting through life, and the same wariness and resistance toward anything called "hard work."
As they sat around the grill, leisurely turning the meat and discussing "how to get the most enjoyment out of life with the least effort," a sense of mutual appreciation quickly grew between them.
"Life is all about knowing how to enjoy yourself."
"A ninja's dignity won't put food on the table."
"Training matters, sure, but sleep and good food are the foundations of survival."
After their conversation, each felt as though he had found his own reflection in the other. They hit it off at once, immediately became friends, and founded the mighty "Salted Fish Alliance," vowing to carve out a comfortable path for slackers in the turbulent shinobi world.
From then on, Yakiniku Q became their regular meeting place. Whenever Raishin dragged Shinichi off for hellish training, Tobirama Senju forced Tsunade to study Medical Ninjutsu, or the elders of the Nara Clan nagged Nara Shinsuke, the three would gather there to grill meat, drink juice, and complain about life's hardships, lamenting, "The ninja world is too rough. We slackers are the ones who have it right."
Yet to everyone else, they were the lazy genius of the Uchiha Clan, the future legend of the Senju Clan, and a prospective heir of the Nara Clan...
But they knew that a slacker's dream was their true lifelong pursuit.
Meanwhile, a short distance away, the girls gathered to whisper among themselves, occasionally casting curious looks at Shinichi.
"That silver-haired Uchiha Shinichi really is something special!" whispered a girl named Hyuga Yuki, a flicker of excitement in her eyes.
Hyuga Yuki was born into the Hyuga Clan's Main Family. As the eldest daughter of its chief elder, she had received strict family instruction since childhood.
"Yeah! I heard he's super lazy, but incredibly strong!" said the girl beside her, her eyes full of admiration.
The girls' chatter reached Tsunade's ears. She rolled her eyes and snorted disdainfully. "Hmph, he's fooled all of you. That guy is a complete lazybones. He's not reliable at all!"
Just then, a voice with a slight chill to it came from behind the crowd:
"Hmph. Does someone that lazy even deserve to be called a genius?"
Everyone turned to look. A petite black-haired girl stood a short distance away, her delicate features carrying an aloof chill. With her arms folded, she stared coldly at Shinichi, her expression tinged with contempt and arrogance.
Jiraiya scratched his head and muttered, "Who's that? She looks like someone you don't want to mess with."
Nara Shinsuke adjusted his glasses and explained quietly, "Her name is Uchiha Kanon. I heard she's the Uchiha Clan's newest rising genius this year."
Shinichi gave Kanon a lazy glance and said casually, "Oh, it's little Kanon. If you like that boring genius title, feel free to take it. I don't want it."
Uchiha Kanon immediately frowned, glaring at Shinichi with a dark expression. "Uchiha Shinichi, you're an absolute disgrace to our Uchiha Clan!"
Shinichi yawned, shrugged, and replied placidly, "A disgrace, then. It's not like it'll hurt me."
Everyone was caught between laughter and exasperation. Tsunade muttered, "Shinichi, you certainly don't slack off when it comes to talking back."
Orochimaru, however, looked at Kanon with complete seriousness. His golden slit pupils flickered as he said firmly, "Big Brother Shinichi isn't a disgrace. He's a true genius!"
Surprised by Orochimaru's defense, Shinichi glanced at him, a little more warmth and appreciation entering his eyes.
Uchiha Kanon gave a cold snort. Without another word, she turned and left the crowd, leaving them with the sight of her proud, aloof back.
Tsunade rolled her eyes and said helplessly, "You really are something. School's barely started, and you've already managed to offend someone completely."
Shinichi waved dismissively. "It's fine. There'll always be people who don't like you. You just get used to it."
The sunlight remained warm, shining over the lively youngsters as the curtain quietly rose on their lives at the Ninja Academy.
From Shinichi and Tsunade's first meeting until now, everything had taken place under Tobirama Senju's covert surveillance. The two simply hadn't noticed.
As one of Konoha's founders, Tobirama Senju never casually overlooked anyone worth watching.
And this unusual Uchiha brat had clearly succeeded in catching his attention.
An easygoing, lazy Uchiha who thought of nothing but slacking off all day was far too unusual.
Though Shinichi had grown up in the Uchiha Clan, he bore little resemblance to the traditional image of an Uchiha.
He had neither a burning desire to fight nor an overwhelming hunger for power. Instead, he seemed more like an indifferent spectator, carefree and astonishingly lazy.
If that were all, Tobirama Senju might not have paid him much attention.
However, during an incidental chakra scan, he had discovered that this brat possessed more chakra than many elite jonin!
A mere five-year-old brat has such astonishing Chakra reserves?
This made Tobirama Senju frown, his mind filled with conflicting thoughts.
A ninja's talent could take many forms. Some possessed vast amounts of chakra but poor control; others had an innate gift for combat but lacked foresight.
Yet Shinichi... not only did he possess powerful chakra, but he also displayed a bafflingly "lazy" attitude.
He was like a flame that had yet to ignite, hidden amid clouds and mist, impossible to see through or pin down.
Was he putting on an act? Or did a true genius have no need to deliberately show off?
What made Tobirama even more curious was that Shinichi's meeting with Tsunade had unexpectedly created a peculiar balance.
Tsunade was straightforward and naturally competitive, yet Shinichi could always defuse her anger with a few casual words, leaving her exasperated but unable to reject his presence.
This subtle bond gradually brought them closer, and their personalities underwent quiet changes without either of them realizing it.
Tsunade had originally been blunt and somewhat proud. As Hashirama Senju's granddaughter, she had carried high expectations from an early age, growing accustomed to handling things on her own and proving herself through strength.
Yet Shinichi's presence was like a breath of fresh air, overturning her old assumptions.
This lazy, easygoing fellow never seemed to care what others thought, nor did he deliberately pursue strength.
Every quip and every careless smile gradually helped Tsunade loosen her fixation on "getting stronger" and learn to enjoy the little pleasures of everyday life.
She was no longer simply Tsunade, always thinking about "becoming the strongest." She learned to complain with a smile, to slack off, to act a little spoiled, and to view the world with a lighter heart.
Her world was no longer filled solely with "responsibility." It was also brightened by moments of innocent wonder.
Tobirama Senju saw all of it.
He could tell that the course of Tsunade's growth was quietly changing, and the key to it all was that inscrutable Uchiha boy.
This Uchiha brat really was rather interesting.
"What exactly... is this kid thinking?" Tobirama Senju narrowed his eyes slightly, having already resolved to keep watching.
After all, the Uchiha Clan was not to be underestimated, and this Uchiha who defied all expectations had aroused his keen interest.
A farsighted leader would never overlook any piece that might change the future.
Before you continue