"Shingetsu, hurry!"
On Konoha's main street, Kagami Uchiha held Shingetsu's hand and ran flat out.
Beneath the blazing sun, his curly black hair-the only curls in the entire Uchiha Clan-was slightly damp. Paired with those innocent, drooping puppy eyes, Kagami Uchiha looked as adorable as an anxious little puppy bobbing its head. Anyone would have wanted to pat him. In contrast, Shingetsu, whom he was pulling along, was so sleepy she could barely keep her eyes open even while running. Her beautiful black eyes kept closing and opening again, making her look like a little black kitten that simply couldn't wake up.
The sight of two Uchiha kids sprinting on their short little legs was hardly an everyday occurrence. Passersby watched them curiously, and some even recognized Shingetsu, who had appeared with Madara half a month earlier. A question rose in their minds:
"Isn't that Lord Madara's daughter? Where's she going?"
The onlookers' gazes followed the pair all the way to the Ninja Academy gates. By then, a Shinobi had already jumped onto the roof and was taking down the curtain marked "Entrance ceremony" above the doorway.
"Don't take it down! Aaaah!"
Seeing that they wouldn't even make it to the entrance ceremony, Kagami let out an utterly miserable wail. Now they had truly embarrassed themselves in front of the entire village. Still half-conscious and desperately sleepy, Shingetsu suddenly felt that this scene looked familiar. She rubbed her head and thought for a while before finally realizing:
How did I end up stealing Uchiha Kenji's thunder and doing this before he could?
When the late-arriving Kagami and Shingetsu rushed into the classroom, their seated classmates looked at them with awe, as though they were two heroes prepared to face certain death.
To be fair, that assessment was well founded. The consequences of angering Tobirama Senju wouldn't be much better than death.
Yet Tobirama Senju didn't scold them. He merely gave them a long look, as if searing these two reckless brats into his memory. His red eyes resembled the ghosts and demons of stories, sending chills down their spines.
"Now that everyone has finally arrived, let's begin the introductions."
Annoyed as he was, he wasn't about to pick a fight with two children. Withdrawing that frightening gaze, Tobirama Senju briefly organized his thoughts and introduced himself to the bewildered students:
"Tobirama Senju. I'll be your teacher for the next six years. I like grilled fish, and my dream is to protect this village."
Having said that, he once again looked at Shingetsu, who appeared to be standing obediently to one side but was actually about to close her eyes again. His piercing gaze stabbed like a blade, jolting her awake.
"Uchiha Shingetsu, you go first."
Under that sharp gaze, Shingetsu hurriedly straightened up. Everyone else also turned their curious eyes toward her. The Uchiha surname alone was enough to draw plenty of interest.
"Uchiha Shingetsu. My dream is to become a top-tier fighter and help my master and my clan. I like sweet things best, and the things I hate most are natto and dango."
Tobirama Senju's gaze shifted slightly. The master Shingetsu mentioned was undoubtedly Madara Uchiha.
This child had always been kept well hidden, only beginning to walk around the village openly half a month ago. That was also when his older brother, Hashirama Senju, had happened to meet her and come up with the idea of teaching her together with Madara Uchiha.
Though few people knew it, Tobirama Senju was one of the exceptionally rare sensory Shinobi.
His ability to sense chakra was extremely powerful. At this very moment, for example, no one's chakra inside or outside the classroom could escape his perception. Among them, Uchiha Shingetsu's chakra signature was particularly unusual.
Her enormous chakra reserves far exceeded those of the other Uchiha present, and even seemed to surpass those of Senju and Uzumaki children her age.
If Shingetsu hadn't possessed both Uchiha looks and an Uchiha surname, and if that uniquely cold Uchiha aura hadn't been constantly spilling from her body, he would absolutely have mistaken her for another genius born to the Senju Clan based on her chakra reserves alone.
Since when did the Uchiha Clan have a freak with this much chakra?
Tobirama Senju couldn't help marveling. A disciple chosen by Madara Uchiha was certainly never going to be ordinary. Now he only wanted to know what this child would grow into under Madara's influence.
Would her existence be good or bad for the village?
At that moment, even Tobirama couldn't answer that question. He could only hope that the next six years at the Ninja Academy would help her, along with all the other children in the classroom, develop a sense of belonging to Konoha rather than limiting their loyalties to their clans.
But that was something for six years down the road. Tobirama considered Shingetsu's words again, noticed the subtle contradiction, and couldn't help asking:
"...Aren't dango sweet? Why do you hate them?"
In response, Shingetsu didn't even raise her head. She simply told him expressionlessly:
"I've eaten so much dango that I'm sick of it."
"..."
Tobirama Senju sighed inwardly. What a willful, troublesome, inherently evil little Uchiha brat. He had a feeling that this child would grow into someone every bit as difficult to handle as Uchiha Izuna.
"Next. Kagami Uchiha, your turn."
"Kagami Uchiha. I like dango, and there's nothing I particularly hate. My dream is to become a strong fighter in my clan and protect the people around me."
After speaking, the curly-haired boy shifted his gaze slightly, sneaking a glance at the black-haired girl standing beside him. Naturally, that little gesture didn't escape Tobirama Senju's notice, and he couldn't help reflecting:
Childhood friendship really is a beautiful bond.
"You two, don't be late again. Find somewhere to sit. Hiruzen Sarutobi, your turn."
Finally released from standing as punishment, Shingetsu and Kagami hurried away and sat among the Uchiha children. Out of fewer than thirty students, the six Uchiha kids had unwittingly claimed a sizable stretch of territory. The only comparable group was the little circle of five Senju children.
"I'm Hiruzen Sarutobi, and my dream is to become a hero who protects the village, just like our teacher! My favorite foods are hijiki and poached sardine balls."
Most of the Ninja Academy's first students came from established Shinobi Clans, and their ages varied. There were older children born before the village's founding, such as Hiruzen Sarutobi, Shimura Danzō, and Kagami, as well as younger children born afterward, such as Shingetsu and Miki. Perhaps because of their similar backgrounds, their dreams were remarkably alike. Apart from Hiruzen Sarutobi, practically all of them wanted to become strong fighters like the adults in their clans.
The village had only been founded a few years ago, so its influence naturally couldn't rival that of the clans. Still, hearing so many answers like that left Tobirama Senju somewhat displeased. He began considering how he could strengthen the village's influence in everyone's hearts.
"My name is Hinata Kotoma, and my dream is..."
The girl with pale eyes and a layer of gauze wrapped around her forehead stood up. When she reached the subject of her dream, her lips moved hesitantly, and a bewildered, empty white light flickered in her eyes. She thought for a long time without continuing.
The children, who had already lost interest in the nearly identical introductions, turned their attention to her. Under everyone's gaze, the girl silently lowered her head a little further.
Is she a member of the Hyuga Branch Family?
Noticing the gauze on the girl's forehead, Shingetsu immediately reached that conclusion. She looked around and discovered that the few Hyuga students all had white ribbons tied around their foreheads. Every one of them was a Branch Family child.
Of course. How could those hopelessly hidebound elders of the Hyuga Main Family bear to send their own children to school?
In the end, Hinata Kotoma, whose head hung so low it seemed about to sink into the dust, still couldn't figure out what her dream was. She could only look for help from Tobirama Senju, who was frowning in thought.
"...I'm sorry, I can't think of anything I want to do right now. Teacher, may I skip this?"
"Yes. Sit down."
For members of the Hyuga Branch Family branded with the Caged Bird Seal, "dream" was far too heavy a word. Shingetsu looked sympathetically at the Branch Family girl named Hinata Kotoma.
"Yakushi Chinatsu. My dream is to become someone as gentle and kind as the director, and to grow up safely together with my little brothers and sisters. As long as it's food, I like it."
The last student to introduce herself was a brown-haired girl wearing glasses. She smiled gently, radiating the warm, approachable air of an older girl from next door. She also looked to be the oldest of the children.
Hearing that surname, Shingetsu looked at her curiously. Yakushi sounds so familiar. Isn't that Kabuto Yakushi and Yakushi Nonō's surname?
So Konoha already had an orphanage this early.
"All right, put your things away. Now follow me to the training ground."
Once all the students had finished introducing themselves, Tobirama Senju set down his book, paper, and pen, urging the children to put their belongings away and follow him. Of all the students, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who knew Tobirama best, asked curiously:
"Teacher Tobirama, aren't we having lessons?"
"Of course we are, but not right now. Lord Hokage is coming to attend the school's opening ceremony. We're going to welcome him."
What? Hashirama Senju is coming too?
At the thought of facing that difficult, scheming Hashirama Senju again, this time with his dear, equally devious little brother Tobirama watching from the sidelines, Shingetsu's face instantly turned deathly pale.
Meanwhile, in the faculty office in the classroom building, Senju Toka and Uchiha Hōkaku-who were not only fellow teachers but even had their desks placed together-glared at each other through a murderous atmosphere. Each wished they could use the pen in their hand as a kunai and stab straight through the other's detestable face.
"Hahahahaha!"
Two Shinobi who were laughing so hard they could barely stand straight walked into that murderous atmosphere. If Shingetsu and Kagami had been there, they would have recognized them as the two who had taken down the curtain earlier.
"Teacher Tōka, Teacher Hōkaku, did you hear? It's only the first day of school, and some fearless little brats already showed up late!"
"Whose little brats had the nerve to be late on the very first day?"
Senju Toka was furious. The Ninja Academy had only been completed because the Senju Clan had worked overtime for the past half month. During that time, Hashirama Senju had used Wood Release to build houses every single day, Tobirama had nearly gone bald devising lesson plans, and she, Senju Toka, had swallowed a bellyful of dust just hauling bricks and painting walls!
Whose little terrors dared show such contempt for all her hard work? She'd teach them a proper lesson!
"Hah. Who else could it be but your Senju?"
Uchiha Hōkaku sneered, seizing the opportunity to slip in a jab.
"Hey, what gives you the right to make such baseless accusations? Only your Uchiha would do something that brazen!"
"Teacher Tōka's right. It really was Uchiha children who were late."
The two Shinobi chuckled and confirmed Tōka's words. Now it was Tōka's turn to gloat. She immediately burst into a string of outrageously smug laughter. In contrast, Uchiha Hōkaku's face darkened completely, and he snapped the pen in his hand clean in two.
"Who was it?"
Hōkaku's expression was utterly grim. He had a feeling this would spread through Konoha's Streets and Alleys. The Uchiha Clan had lost all dignity!
At that thought, he clenched his fists until his knuckles cracked. Once he found out who was responsible, he would drag that child out and give them a thorough beating!
"Let me think... Oh, I saw her when I passed the classroom. Her name was-was Uchiha Shingetsu! Right, and Kagami Uchiha too."
"..."
The instant they heard that name, Senju Toka's and Uchiha Hōkaku's expressions froze. How-how had their kids caused trouble again?
Before you continue