Twelve chairs stood empty in front of the application desk at the Konoha Ninja Academy.
The children and their caregivers were all standing outside.
It was not that no one wanted to go in.
It was that every application ended with the same oath.
I voluntarily pledge allegiance to Konoha and agree to comply with the Shinobi Village's training and future mission assignments.
The head of the school explained that the oath had been in use for years.
The Ninja Academy taught chakra, ninja tools, and the basics of missions. After graduation, students might join the Konoha Ninja Roster.
The village provided teachers, facilities, and safety, so naturally it needed assurance that students would not someday use what they learned on behalf of an enemy.
Yayoi's eldest son, Shuo, placed his Notched Moon Travel Document on the desk.
"I just want to learn to read."
At the Gray Bridge Checkpoint, he had already learned that a piece of paper could keep people from pretending they did not recognize him.
But he could only recognize his own name and a few common symbols. He could not read the restrictions on the back of his Travel Document or the old orders presented at checkpoints.
"Literacy classes are part of the Ninja Academy too," the head said.
"So to learn to read, I have to agree to carry out missions first?"
The head fell silent.
The application treated enrollment, education, and future roster membership as a single matter.
For families who had lived in Konoha for generations, those three steps often followed the same path.
For children without village registration, the very first step required them to decide where their future selves would belong years down the line.
Gen unfolded the class schedule.
The first two morning periods were literacy and arithmetic.
The