This alone showed just how cruel and dark this world was.
After all, in the country where Kei had lived in his previous life, the only things five- or six-year-old children had to think about each day were what to eat and what to play.
But in this world, slaughter was the only main theme, a terrifying daily reality that even children just a few years old had to adapt to and learn ahead of time!
Wasn't the famous Kakashi Hatake from the original story exactly like that!?
Many people saw only Kakashi's genius in graduating at five and becoming a Jonin at twelve, but to Kei, this was the truest reflection of the Shinobi World's cruelty. Just how twisted did things have to be to send children only a few years old onto the battlefield to kill!?
This was a bloody, terrifying world where people devoured one another.
So this world is wrong. It has to change!!
He walked up to the classroom door.
Looking at the dozens of five- and six-year-old children already gathered inside, their faces lit with excited, delighted smiles, Kei unconsciously clenched the hands he held behind his back as he thought silently.
But only a moment later, Kei deliberately cast that thought aside. When he had to give everything he had just to stay alive, talking about changing the world was far too arrogant, even foolish.
Recognizing my own position and circumstances first is what a smart person would do!
Kei silently shook his head inwardly. Having readjusted his mindset, he followed the staff member into the classroom with a calm expression.
The signature blue-and-white clothing, the hexagonal snowflake emblem embroidered on their lapels, paired with the same slightly icy bearing passed down through their clan.
They're from the Yuki Clan!
They really do all have black eyes and black hair.
"They're all pretty handsome."
But aren't they a little too cold?
That's exactly what makes them so great!
They're still better than those others, anyway, right?
Right? Right?
Almost instantly, they drew the eyes of every child present. The boys were mostly curious and envious, while for the girls' reactions, one could simply refer to the scene of Uchiha Sasuke's appearance in the original story.
Calling them lovestruck would indeed have been an exaggeration.
But there was still a tiny bit of admiration!
The children of this world matured unusually early.
And that applied to every aspect!
Not just one thing.
Among this group of children, however, there were also a few distinctive figures studying Kei and his two companions with different looks in their eyes.
Two had a pair of conspicuous little red dots on their foreheads, rings of dark red eyeshadow around their eyes, and hairstyles parted in the middle in something like a lightning bolt. This was the standard look of Kirigakure's Kaguya Clan!
Another had a head of white hair, and his seemingly casual parting of his lips revealed sharp, pointed teeth. This little boy was clearly from the last of Kirigakure's three great clans-the Hozuki Clan!
Although these three came from different clans, at this moment, the gazes they directed at Kei and his companions were perfectly aligned!
The naked aggression they revealed.
It left Kei and his companions feeling as though needles were pricking their backs.
Kazeki's and Shinya's expressions naturally darkened at once. Considering themselves the most outstanding representatives of their generation in the Yuki Clan, neither could tolerate this almost condescending gaze from others.
They glared fiercely back, the chill deep within their eyes growing incredibly intense.
One could only say that, precocious as they were.
They were still children, after all.
Their magnanimity and mindsets were still rather childish, and almost everything they thought showed on their faces.
The veteran Ninja Academy teacher behind them, already over forty, immediately noticed the quiet contest between these children of great clans in his class. But to him, this was a familiar sight. Over his past ten years of teaching, similar things had already happened several times!
Almost every year, children from Kirigakure's three great clans-the Minazuki Clan, the Hozuki Clan, and the Kaguya Clan-engaged in similarly fierce contests at the Ninja Academy. Barring any surprises, the graduation examinations each year also saw the fiercest clashes between youngsters from those three great shinobi clans!
Although Kei was somewhat interested in these peers from the Hozuki Clan and the Kaguya Clan, after only a glance, his attention was drawn to another figure.
Green eyes, reddish-brown curls crossing over one another. Although her clothes and bearing felt entirely different from those in the original story, her familiar face, merely much younger and more innocent, was memorable enough.
Almost the instant he saw her.
Kei recognized who this pretty figure was.
Mei Terumi!
Kei's gaze sharpened slightly as he silently spoke the name of this girl who was still only a child.
That was right. This currently petite, delicate figure was the Fifth Mizukage, the strikingly beautiful yet dignified woman who only appeared much later in the Shippūden storyline of the original story.
Although, judging by her age, Mei Terumi had probably been born around Konoha Year 32 and was indeed of his generation, Kei truly had not expected the coincidence of being in the same class.
This really is quite a nice coincidence!
Kei's eyes flickered as he thought to himself.
Of course, his gaze lingered for only an instant before he moved it away with feigned nonchalance.
He did not want to cause any misunderstandings.
Then Kei walked down and deliberately chose a seat in a corner near the window, while Shinya and Kazeki, who had come with him, naturally took the remaining empty seats in the very middle of the classroom.
Almost the instant they sat down.
Several people nearby began itching to approach them.
Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap!
However, at the very moment Kei and his companions took their respective seats.
The middle-aged teacher who had walked up to the lectern lightly clapped his hands, stopping those students while drawing everyone's attention.
"Everyone in Class Three is here now. I am Minato, and I will be your instructor for the next several years. Today is your first day at school, so let me congratulate you first. However, this is only your first step. Over the next several years, you will learn everything related to being a shinobi here-not just practical combat, but theoretical knowledge as well. Both are indispensable if you want to become an outstanding shinobi. I don't care what your backgrounds are. Once you enter the Ninja Academy, you have only one identity: students. I don't want to see the slightest slacking from anyone. I hope every one of you will study diligently, follow your teacher's guidance and arrangements, and become an outstanding shinobi who serves the village in a few years. Do you understand!?"
Then, with an utterly serious expression, he swept his gaze across the dozens of children below as he spoke in a deep voice.