The Ninja Academy.
Classroom 3-A.
Kurenai, with her long black hair and crimson eyes, arrived at the classroom early. She was currently chatting with Asuma Sarutobi, who had also come ahead of time.
When she noticed two familiar figures appear at the classroom entrance, she immediately stood up to greet them.
"Rin, Shizune, you two are early today as well!"
Asuma turned his head and saw the two girls walking in arm-in-arm, chatting and laughing as they entered the classroom.
One of them was a cute girl with short brown hair and large, dark-brown eyes. The most eye-catching feature was the pair of purple markings on her cheeks. Her name was Nohara Rin.
The other was a quiet girl with a gentle, pure expression and short black hair. Her name was Shizune.
Both were close friends of Kurenai.
"Good morning, Kurenai!"
"Good morning, Asuma."
After greeting the two, they walked over to the seats beside Kurenai, sat down, and joined the conversation.
As the four of them chatted, the rest of the students gradually arrived in the classroom.
Soon, the bell rang.
The instructor of Class 3-A, Matsuo Seitaro, entered the classroom.
"I'm sorry, Teacher Matsuo—I'm late!" At that moment, a black-haired boy wearing goggles rushed in breathlessly.
Seeing Matsuo already standing at the podium, he hurriedly apologized.
Rin, seated at her desk, couldn't help but shake her head helplessly.
"Obito, what's your excuse for being late today?" Matsuo looked at the boy and asked in a flat tone.
"Because there was an old lady who needed help crossing the road! That's why I'm late!"
Obito explained quickly, but his words immediately triggered laughter throughout the classroom.
Although he was telling the truth, his excuse was nearly identical every single day—so no one believed him anymore.
"But I'm telling the truth!" Being laughed at by everyone, Obito protested loudly.
It was completely useless. Even Matsuo didn't believe him.
Do you have some kind of 'old-lady-attraction' constitution? Why do you meet grandmothers needing help every day?
"Alright, go take your seat."
Obito, who had been anxiously waiting for punishment, was pleasantly surprised when Matsuo let him off so easily.
After sitting down next to Rin, Obito beamed with joy.
"Good morning, Rin."
"Good morning, Obito. You did a good deed again today."
Hearing that, Obito became extremely excited. Rin really is gentle… Only she believes I wasn't late on purpose.
She was the one who helped me on the day I enrolled. When everyone laughed just now, only Rin looked worried for me.
In Obito's heart, Rin had already become the cutest and kindest girl in the entire ninja world. A girl worth protecting for his whole life!
Rin, of course, had no idea what Obito was thinking. To her, Obito was simply a reckless little brother who needed looking after.
"Alright, Obito, pay attention in class." At that moment, Matsuo spoke again from the podium.
"Today, a jōnin will be coming to lecture you all. Everyone must listen carefully." The instant those words were spoken, the entire class exploded in excitement.
The instructors at the Ninja Academy were all chūnin, which was more than sufficient for teaching students who weren't yet full-fledged ninja.
They had never imagined that a jōnin would come to teach them.
Many people present might never receive direct instruction from a jōnin even once in their lives.
No wonder they were so excited.
"Obito, did you hear that? A jōnin is coming to teach us today, so you absolutely have to pay attention!"
Rin was also visibly excited. As a ninja from a civilian background, opportunities like this were incredibly precious.
Still, she didn't forget to remind Obito.
Although Obito was from the Uchiha clan, he was considered the bottom-ranked student in the class. In truth, he wasn't bad at ninjutsu.
It was just that his theoretical scores were terrible, and he often panicked during practical exercises.
After Obito nodded eagerly, Rin turned toward Shizune, seated on her other side.
"Shizune, who do you think the jōnin will be?"
Although Shizune was also from a civilian background, unlike Rin, she once had a jōnin uncle. Unfortunately, he had been killed during the Second Great Shinobi War.
Because of that, she wasn't as frantic as the others, but she was still filled with anticipation.
"No matter which jōnin it is, this is a rare opportunity." She paused slightly, then added softly, "It would be even better if it were a jōnin skilled in medical ninjutsu."
Shizune's words resonated deeply with Rin Nohara.
Having witnessed the cruelty of war, both of them hoped to learn medical ninjutsu—so they could save injured comrades on the battlefield.
"A jōnin teacher, huh? Excellent! I can already feel my youth burning!" Might Guy, clad in his green spandex jumpsuit, was also brimming with excitement.
However, his declaration earned him several disdainful looks.
Like his father, Might Duy, Guy had no talent for ninjutsu or genjutsu and was forced to focus solely on taijutsu.
Because of this, many students at the Academy looked down on him. Some even deliberately ostracized him.
"Thank you for your support!"
Seeing Guy flash a thumbs-up and reveal his dazzling white teeth, those who had been scornful instantly recoiled with expressions of disgust, quietly moving farther away.
Guy noticed their reactions, but with his indomitable spirit, he didn't care in the slightest.
He only wanted to train hard, become stronger, defeat his lifelong rival Kakashi—
And bring honor to himself and his father!
The calmest people in the classroom were Kurenai and Asuma Sarutobi.
Kurenai's father, Yūhi Shinku, was a jōnin, so she had never lacked jōnin-level guidance.
As for Asuma Sarutobi, he was the son of the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Naturally, he had even less need for such instruction.
"Asuma, do you know which jōnin is coming?" Because of her father, Kurenai knew quite a few of Konoha's jōnin.
Asuma shook his head. He hadn't heard anything about it from home.
"Silence!" Matsuo spoke sharply, and the noisy classroom immediately quieted.
At the same time, a man with blue hair, golden eyes, and sunglasses walked in with a relaxed smile.
The person who arrived was none other than Hirakawa Aoshi.
The Medical Ninja Training Program had officially begun. According to Aoshi's plan, a specialized medical training class would be established at the Ninja Academy.
However, before its formal implementation, he intended to conduct introductory lessons in every class.
Only once enough students developed genuine interest would the specialized class truly have meaning.
Today, it was the turn of Class 3-A.
"Big Brother Aoshi!" Kurenai immediately stood up, her face filled with surprise and delight.
She had never expected the visiting jōnin to be someone she knew so well.
"Long time no see, Kurenai." Aoshi smiled as he responded, his gaze sweeping calmly across the classroom.
There were many familiar faces here.
Kurenai—small and adorable now, yet destined to grow into a mature beauty.
Asuma Sarutobi—the rebellious youngest son of the Third Hokage.
Obito Uchiha—the future mastermind.
Rin Nohara—Obito's white moonlight, gentle to everyone.
Shizune—the ageless beauty who would follow Tsunade after graduation.
Might Guy—the true taijutsu master who would nearly kick Uchiha Madara to the end.
There were also familiar figures like Ebisu, Genma Shiranui, Raidō Namiashi, and Aoba Yamashiro.
A gathering of future elites. Aside from Naruto Uzumaki's generation, this was the era Aoshi knew best.
"It's Hirakawa Aoshi—the Hero of Konoha!"
"I can't believe it! It's really him!"
"I must be dreaming—getting taught by someone like that?!"
Not only does Kurenai recognize him. Almost everyone did.
After all, he was the genius currently making waves throughout Konoha.
The classroom, which had only just quieted down, erupted once more.
Aoshi was already used to such scenes.
Seeing Matsuo struggling to calm everyone down, he said casually, "Teacher Matsuo, it's fine. I'm happy everyone is this enthusiastic."
"In that case, I'll leave it to you, Lord Aoshi." Matsuo bowed respectfully and left.
For an ordinary chūnin like him, standing beside a Konoha Hero naturally made him lower his posture unconsciously.
"Alright, everyone—please settle down." Aoshi stepped up to the podium and wrote his name on the blackboard.
His voice was gentle. Yet the classroom instantly fell silent. Not a single sound remained.
If Matsuo had seen this, he would have been furious. Why weren't you this obedient when I was teaching?!
"It seems everyone already knows me. My name is Hirakawa Aoshi, and I'll be your instructor today.
You may ask me any questions you like."
The moment he finished speaking, a hand shot up—it was Kurenai.
"Big Brother Aoshi, are you going to teach us some amazing jutsu today?" Her question was exactly what everyone else wanted to ask.
In their eyes, a figure like Aoshi wouldn't come unless he planned to teach something extraordinary.
Looking at their eager faces, Aoshi smiled faintly.
"As for powerful ninjutsu—no."
"Huh…" A wave of disappointment rippled through the class.
"However…" Aoshi continued calmly. "I will introduce you to the power of medical ninja."
In that instant, Rin Nohara and Shizune's eyes lit up.
Kurenai also showed interest. And just as Aoshi began explaining the true value of medical ninja—
Back in the Konoha Prison, inside Danzō's private solitary cell, the figure of Orochimaru suddenly appeared.