The Ninja Academy's enrollment ceremony had begun. The Fourth Hokage had arrived on the raised platform in the schoolyard, and the noisy grounds instantly fell silent.
A handsome, blond-haired young man stepped onto the platform, wearing a white ceremonial robe with "Fourth Hokage" printed on the back.
The blond young man reached up and lifted his large Hokage hat, revealing a youthful, handsome face brimming with vitality.
He called out loudly to the students below, "Students, first of all, congratulations on your enrollment. You will become ninja in the future, and I hope every one of you succeeds in your studies..."
Standing below the platform, Ruri thought, Is this the legendary Yellow Flash, Konoha's Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze? The father of the protagonist, Naruto Uzumaki?
Watching the young man speak confidently on the platform, Ruri found it hard to imagine the astonishing strength hidden behind that handsome, youthful face. He truly deserved to be called the youngest Hokage in history, one of the most gifted characters in the original story.
The children standing beside Ruri gazed at the figure on the platform with excitement and admiration. The Hokage held the highest position in all of Konoha and was its supreme leader, the goal every aspiring ninja longed to reach.
"Mom, is that the Fourth Hokage? He's so handsome!"
"Dad, I'm definitely going to be as amazing as the Fourth Hokage someday!" several children below the platform told their parents.
I really didn't expect the Fourth Hokage, the Yellow Flash, to be here. I thought that old man, the Third Hokage, would be giving the speech! Ruri thought as he watched the figure speaking passionately onstage.
If events follow the original plot, Naruto and Sasuke will both be born this year, and the Nine-Tails will descend on Konoha when they're born. I wonder what exact day it will happen! The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze... will I ever get another chance to see him after that?
After the Fourth Hokage finished his impassioned enrollment address, it was time to assign the students to their classes. Ruri paid close attention to this part; after all, these would be his classmates.
"Quiet down, everyone. We'll now begin assigning classes," the Fourth Hokage said from the platform.
After the first few classes had been assigned, it was finally time for Ruri's class.
"Next is the student roster for Class Five: Akagimaru, Inoue Reion, Ruri Hyuga, Momokusa Harukawa, Uchiha Itachi, Reika Hyuga..."
Ruri barely reacted when he heard that he had been assigned to Class Five. His strength was already far beyond this level, so it really made little difference which class he entered. He did not particularly care.
But when Ruri heard Uchiha Itachi's name, his expression changed. I didn't expect him to end up here after all.
Ruri looked at the people around him but could not spot Uchiha Itachi, so he quietly activated his Byakugan. After a year of frenzied training, his Byakugan had reached the third stage. Activating it without hand seals was no longer difficult for him.
With his Byakugan active, Ruri did not turn to look around. Instead, he secretly used its three-hundred-and-sixty-degree vision to scan the crowd, trying to locate Uchiha Itachi.
After a short while, Ruri finally spotted him through his Byakugan, not far behind him: a little boy with black hair and two creases running down his face. An adult stood beside him.
The man beside him was presumably his father, Uchiha Fugaku, the current head of the Uchiha Clan and captain of the Konoha Military Police Force.
Looks like I really am in the same class as Uchiha Itachi. Life won't be so boring from now on! Right, there's one more thing I need to confirm: whether he was the one following me that night! Ruri thought.
Before long, Minato Namikaze finished assigning all the students to eight classes, with thirty students in each.
"Standing here, I would once again like to congratulate you and welcome you to the Ninja Academy. The days ahead may not be easy, but whether it's training or anything else, I hope you all take it seriously! All right, your class instructors will now take you to your classrooms!"
Once he finished speaking, each student was led to their classroom by their respective class instructor.
Ruri followed his instructor to his classroom. The instructor walked inside, wrote his name on the blackboard, and began introducing himself to everyone.
"Welcome, students. My name is Asuma Sarutobi, and I'll be your instructor from now on!"
Ruri still remembered a few things about Asuma Sarutobi. In the original story, Asuma Sarutobi was a powerful ninja who always liked to have a cigarette in his mouth. Ruri had never expected him to become his teacher here.
The students gradually found seats and sat down. Spotting an empty seat, Ruri slowly walked over and took it. His desk mate was a little girl named Momokusa Harukawa.
The little girl had beautiful, long black hair. His first impression of her was that she was very quiet and shy, just like Hinata Hyuga as a child.
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