Class 1-B

By the time Lin Ze left the office, a little cold sweat had broken out on his back!

Although he was mentally almost thirty, he couldn't guarantee he could fool this world's shinobi, especially the sharp-eyed Third.

Fortunately, whether because ANBU had brought him back or simply because of his age, the Third and the others hadn't paid attention to Lin Ze's subtle reactions.

Ultimately, Lin Ze was merely an example the Third had chosen to promote the "Will of Fire."

When he returned to the playground, everyone else had already left. Kurenai stood in a corner and hurried over at a jog when she saw him. "What did Lord Hokage say to you?"

"He just encouraged me to study hard and things like that." Lin Ze shrugged.

"Really? You're amazing, Lin Ze!" Kurenai clapped happily.

Watching Kurenai bounce with delight, Lin Ze silently counted himself lucky. This girl is so much easier to fool than the Third...

Lin Ze and Kurenai walked out of the school gates side by side. Nonō and Kurenai's mother were waiting outside.

"How did it go?" Nonō asked.

"Pretty well. I can officially start school tomorrow," Lin Ze answered.

Kurenai's mother smiled. "Kurenai, did you have fun today?"

Kurenai nodded vigorously. "Yes! Lin Ze and I are in the same class. We can go to school together from now on!"

Nonō glanced at the sky and said, "It's getting late. Let's head back."

After saying goodbye to Kurenai and her mother, Lin Ze and Nonō set off back with the children from the Orphanage.

Of the other three children from the Orphanage, only a girl named Rei Uesugi had passed the entrance test. The other two now wore much the same expressions as Might Guy.

Lin Ze didn't know how to comfort them. In truth, entering the Ninja Academy had its advantages and disadvantages. For civilians without bloodline abilities or a talent for ninjutsu, even after becoming shinobi, the very best they could hope for was to work their way up to chunin. Civilian geniuses like the Fourth, Minato Namikaze, were a rare few, after all.

And when war broke out in the Shinobi World later, most of these civilian shinobi would be cannon fodder. Remaining an ordinary person might be a better way to live.

Riiing-

The clear school bell rang through the Ninja Academy. Standing at the entrance to Class 1-B, Lin Ze took a deep breath, pushed the door open, and entered.

Quite a few people were already seated in the classroom, with noisy chatter rising from every direction.

Lin Ze glanced around. There were about thirty students, including Kurenai Yuhi. He didn't recognize any of the others, though he thought the kid behind Kurenai looked a little like Asuma.

"Lin Ze! Over here!" Kurenai Yuhi waved to him from a window seat. The seat beside her happened to be empty, clearly saved especially for him.

Lin Ze walked over and sat down, smiling. "You're here pretty early."

Kurenai's cheeks flushed slightly. "Because I wanted to sit with you..."

This girl certainly is straightforward.

Looking at the blushing Kurenai and thinking of Hinata early in the original story, Lin Ze smiled and shook his head.

As he was thinking, the classroom door opened, and Yamada, the chunin teacher from yesterday, walked in. He clapped his hands, and the classroom instantly fell silent.

"I'm Kenichi Yamada, your homeroom teacher." He looked around, his voice ringing out. "Starting today, you're all shinobi trainees of Konoha!"

Clap, clap, clap!!!

Cheers and applause rose from the students.

Mr. Yamada smiled. "First, let's introduce ourselves. Tell us your names and dreams."

"Starting with the first row on the left!"

The first to stand was a boy wearing glasses in the front row. He adjusted his glasses and said solemnly, "My name is Rinichi Morita. My dream is to become a great shinobi like Lord Third Hokage!"

Another one brainwashed by the Will of Fire... Lin Ze was speechless.

Next, a round-headed little chubby boy shot to his feet. "My name is Izumo Kamizuki! My dream is to join the Military Police Force like my father and guard the village entrance every day. Anyone who has a problem with that gets a swing of my hammer!"

As he spoke, he mimed swinging a hammer and nearly hit the desk, making the entire class burst out laughing.

Lin Ze raised an eyebrow.

Izumo Kamizuki? Isn't he one of Konoha's two gate guardians later on? Well, he certainly achieved that dream.

As soon as Izumo Kamizuki sat down, the tall, thin boy beside him immediately stood.

"Kotetsu Hagane. My dream? To join the Interrogation Department, of course, and dig every secret out of those bad guys. I'll show them the price of keeping their mouths shut!"

Both gate guardians are here. With that teenage edgelord vibe, no wonder he's the man who gets paired with Izumo Kamizuki in the future.

Lin Ze snarked inwardly and glanced at Kurenai, finding her covering her mouth as she giggled.

When Kurenai Yuhi's turn came, the little girl stood with a red face. "My name is Kurenai Yuhi... My dream is to learn powerful genjutsu and protect the people I want to protect."

"Go, Kurenai!" Lin Ze led the applause, only reining himself in after Kurenai shot him a glare.

Just then, the scrape of a chair against the floor suddenly came from the back row.

A boy with a pompadour and a grass root between his lips stood lazily. He was the very child Lin Ze had thought looked a little like Asuma Sarutobi.

"Asuma Sarutobi. My dream? To beat up those self-important jerks, of course. Especially... certain old men."

The whole class instantly fell silent. Even Mr. Yamada froze for a moment. Lin Ze was inwardly amused.

It really is Asuma. He even dares to take shots at his own pops, the Third.

Finally, it was Lin Ze's turn. He stood and said calmly, "Lin Ze. My dream is to become stronger and protect the people who matter to me."

It was brief and clear, without any grand declarations, but Mr. Yamada gave him an extra look, seemingly quite satisfied with his answer.

After the introductions ended, Mr. Yamada began explaining the class schedule.

"Mornings will be academic classes, including Shinobi World history and tactical theory. Afternoons will be practical training, rotating between taijutsu, ninjutsu, and shurikenjutsu."

"In addition, there will be a practical assessment every month. Those with outstanding results can apply to graduate early."

At the words "graduate early," Lin Ze's eyes lit up. Now that's an opportunity.

In truth, the Ninja Academy's academic classes weren't particularly meaningful to Lin Ze; Nonō could teach him those subjects. The practical training in the afternoons couldn't push him to his daily training limits either. Only shuriken throwing and basic taijutsu would be of some use, and even that was limited.

The Ninja Academy wouldn't teach the truly essential clan secret techniques or advanced taijutsu, such as the Uchiha Clan's shuriken-throwing techniques or taijutsu like Might Guy's "Front Lotus." Most of these were secret techniques passed down within clans or learned privately.

But in Konoha, unlike shinobi from clans such as the Uchiha and Hyūga, civilians could only become official Konoha shinobi by graduating from the Ninja Academy.

Naturally, then, Lin Ze wanted to graduate and obtain his shinobi qualification as soon as possible. Whether that meant gaining access to shinobi missions earlier to build practical combat experience or having more time to focus on taijutsu training and developing the Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon, either would be better than staying at school and following the routine!