After the Anbu left, the class settled into its usual routine and began a new day of lessons. Ryosuke assigned Xue Ge a seat near the back, where the desks were still relatively empty.
"Today, we'll continue our history lesson. Last time, we discussed how the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, was still one of the younger members of the Senju Clan..."
Ryosuke mainly taught the history of the shinobi world, and that history was as vivid and dramatic as a manga, so most of the students listened attentively. Only a few children from major clans showed little interest, having learned it all before.
Not long after Xue Ge sat down, a girl beside him with blue hair and red eyes whispered, "Hello, my name is Jangu Muzi. Welcome to school."
Xue Ge turned his head slightly and nodded to Muzi.
Muzi smiled, her eyes narrowing, then pointed at her own left eye. "Your hair is covering your left eye."
At that, Xue Ge lifted the hair over his left eye and tapped his eyeball with his knuckle. A series of hollow knocks sounded.
Muzi froze for a moment. Xue Ge let his hair fall back into place and said softly, "It's blind."
"...Oh, sorry..." Muzi ducked her head, and Xue Ge shook his.
Neither said anything more, and both began listening to the lesson. After a while, Xue Ge closed his eyes and quietly began molding chakra.
Class passed quickly. The moment Ryosuke left after the lesson, the room erupted into chatter. Quite a few students looked Xue Ge over, and some gathered around him.
"Hey, new guy! I'm Obito Uchiha. Nice to meet you." Obito Uchiha was the most outgoing of the lot. He was friendly with everyone and introduced himself to Xue Ge without the slightest hesitation.
Hearing him, Xue Ge opened his eyes and glanced at Obito.
"..."
He nodded, then closed his eyes again.
"...Huh?" Obito tilted his head in confusion.
"He has a disability..." Rin murmured from behind Obito. Although Xue Ge's prosthetic hands had a covering that made them look much like real hands, their color was noticeably different from his skin.
Remembering how Xue Ge had been wheeled in and needed crutches to walk, Rin guessed there was probably something wrong with his legs as well.
A war orphan. How awful... How could he still attend the Ninja Academy like this? Or rather, why would he come to the Ninja Academy in this condition?
Rin speculated sympathetically that he must want revenge on whoever had caused all of this.
Unlike the noisy crowd around Xue Ge, the area around Kakashi had finally quieted down, allowing him to lean back in his chair and read with his usual dead-eyed look.
Still, he had plenty on his mind.
I've never heard of the Ninja Academy accepting a transfer student before. Getting in this way isn't normal. And the Anbu even brought him here themselves. That Xue Ge probably has quite a background.
Hmm, I'll ask Dad when I get home and see if he knows anything through the Anbu. Maybe someone impressive has finally shown up.
Kakashi yawned. Life at the Ninja Academy was far too boring. If someone interesting didn't show up soon, he would have to find a way to graduate early.
After the last morning lesson, the Ninja Academy had a full two-hour lunch break. The children could eat or sleep during that time, and they could go home if they wanted, though hardly anyone ever left.
The students took their lunch boxes and left the classroom, chatting and calling to their friends as they searched for somewhere to eat. Before long, Xue Ge was the only one left.
Xue Ge let out a long breath, took a dose of nutrient solution from the bag he carried, and swallowed it. After all these years, he had grown used to its bitter taste.
That counted as lunch.
After putting away his trash, Xue Ge took his crutches and left the classroom. At the edge of the field, he found a corner to leave them in, then began jogging around the track.
He called it jogging, but Xue Ge was still much faster than an ordinary person running. He could complete a lap of the four-hundred-meter track in just over half a minute. It looked more like a sprint.
The summer sun was scorching, and the lone figure racing around the field soon drew everyone's attention.
On the rooftop, Kakashi, Obito, and the others sat near the edge eating their lunches. They all noticed a black figure running around the field.
"Huh? That fast? Wait, isn't that Xue Ge?" Obito's mouth fell open. "Hey, hey, why was he in a wheelchair if he can move like that? I thought he had a disability!"
"Hmm, maybe it's a personal preference." Kakashi quickly lifted his mask and popped an octopus-shaped sausage into his mouth. Chewing, he said, "Everyone has their little quirks. It's normal."
"Like how you like wearing a mask?" Obito asked with a grin.
"But he's really fast." Asuma Sarutobi walked to the rooftop's edge and rubbed his chin. "Sheesh... I don't think I could keep up with him."
"Huh? Hmm... Wait, I don't think I could either." Obito compared that speed to his own, then his face fell. "What the heck? Why am I still at the bottom?"
"He's barefoot, too," said Rin, who had the sharpest eyes. "Looks like someone incredible has joined our class..."
"..." Kakashi raised an eyebrow. Yeah, I hope he really is incredible. At least life would be a little more interesting.
In the office downstairs, Muzi and Ryosuke were eating together. They were father and daughter.
Watching Xue Ge run through the window, Muzi asked between bites, "Father, how did our new classmate Xue Ge get hurt? His eye..."
"He's a war orphan. It's nothing unusual." Ryosuke, who had fought in the Second Shinobi World War years ago, waved a hand. Severed arms and legs were commonplace on the battlefield.
After watching a little longer, Muzi said, "He runs so fast."
"Yes. Be kind to him from now on, Muzi. That boy is sure to make something of himself." Knowing a little of the inside story, Ryosuke chuckled. "And he really has had a hard life."
"Okay." Muzi nodded.
As Xue Ge ran around the field, a boy in a green bodysuit with a bowl cut suddenly darted up beside him and began running with him.
"Oh! Let's run together, classmate! Sweating beneath the sun-you're full of youth, too!"
"Ohhh! Burn, youthful passion!"
The bowl-cut boy shouted so excitedly that even Xue Ge, who had intended to ignore him, couldn't help looking over.
"...Who are you?"
"My name is
Might Guy! My fellow student!"
"...Xue Ge Waterbird River."
"Right! Xue Ge Waterbird River! All right! If I can't finish fifty laps, I'll do ten thousand frog jumps!"
"..."
Xue Ge had a feeling he probably wouldn't get along with this bowl-cut boy.