April 1st, Year 38 of the Hidden Leaf Calendar.
Click!
The camera's shutter snapped, capturing the official group photo of the new class of Konoha's Ninja Academy.
And with that, the entrance ceremony was over.
The quiet crowd instantly erupted into chatter. Students and parents alike began heading toward the school gates, full of energy and anticipation for what came next.
Shuuichi Hoshishita walked side by side with Might Guy as they made their way home—until a familiar figure stumbled breathlessly toward the academy.
Late. Again.
Uchiha Obito.
His eyes scanned the thinning crowd, visibly dejected. He'd missed it.
From a few steps away, Kakashi Hatake turned slightly and muttered just loud enough:
"Late to the entrance ceremony too… Typical."
Obito grit his teeth. That guy always had something smug to say.
Shuuichi stopped as well, quietly enjoying the little drama unfolding. He knew the history. Obito used to be the golden boy among their group—until Kakashi showed up and flipped the script.
Obito, Rin, and Kakashi were all close friends before even joining the Academy. Unlike Shuuichi, who had grown up in the orphanage and only had other orphans as companions.
"Here! I got this for you!"
Rin Nohara beamed as she handed Obito a folder.
"Eh?" Obito blinked. His scowl vanished instantly, replaced with a blushing grin."Thanks, Rin!"
A moment straight out of a nostalgic memory.
Shuuichi smiled softly, then gave Guy a pat on the shoulder.
"Let's go."
Guy followed along, still watching the trio behind them.
"Hey, Shuuichi… do you know them?"
"More or less."
"That white-haired kid… he's the son of the famous White Fang."
"Ah, so another rival joins the fray."
"He's really good. We've got our work cut out for us."
"Then let's double our training today."
"(⊙_⊙;)"
When they finally arrived at Shuuichi's new home—a modest place left behind by his late parents—it was already spotless.
Nonō Yakushi, the orphanage caretaker, had brought some of the older kids to help clean and tidy everything up.
Even Might Duy was there, enthusiastically tackling the heaviest chores like a true beast of burden.
After that, they all chipped in to cook lunch. Shuuichi had bought the ingredients earlier after morning training, and there was way too much to eat alone.
So of course, Might Duy stayed too. Waste not, want not.
By 1 p.m., lunch was over and the house cleaned again. Might Duy and Guy said their goodbyes and headed out.
Shuuichi walked Nonō and the others to the door.
"Don't worry, Director. I'll take good care of myself," he promised with a smile.
She gave him a warm look.
"I believe in you. But if anything ever becomes too much, don't hesitate to come back to the orphanage."
"I will."
She handed him a thick notebook.
"This is a copy of my personal notes on medical ninjutsu. A gift for your new journey."
"You can always come to me if you need help."
Eyes lighting up, Shuuichi accepted the notebook and gave her a grateful hug.
"Thank you."
She gently ruffled his hair.
"From today onward, you're on your own now, Shuuichi. Go shine out there."
"Mm…"
He watched as she and the other orphans walked away. The "Witch of the Field Hospital" was actually barely in her twenties herself—still young, still tied to Danzo's secretive Root organization.
He'd long suspected it. Nonō had frequent disappearances, unexplained trips. He'd connected the dots.
Kabuto won't show up until after the Third Ninja War. That means Nonō's spy missions won't truly ramp up for another decade.
Ten years.
Shuuichi closed the door behind him, notebook in hand.
Ten years… to become a Jonin.Ten years to make a name for myself—strong enough to rival the Legendary Sannin… maybe even the White Fang.Or maybe… strong enough to kill Danzo.
It wasn't impossible.
Danzo, after all, would still be active in the field during the next decade. He wasn't yet the shut-in powerbroker he'd become later.
But the man was no slouch. Those wind-style jutsu of his? Rare even in the entire ninja world.
Shuuichi shook off the thoughts and walked into his new study.
The house his parents left him had two bedrooms, one living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom. He'd turned the second bedroom into a study.
On the desk were two scrolls—inheritances from his parents.
His father, a Chunin, had left behind two Fire-Style jutsu: Flame Bullet and Dragon Fire Technique, both classified as C-rank.
His mother, a Genin with wind chakra—rare in Konoha—had left behind Gale Palm, a C-rank Wind-Style technique.
Not a lot, but it was something.
He placed Nonō's notebook on the desk alongside the scrolls, but didn't open it right away.
Instead, his attention turned inward—to the Trait Tree in his mind.
There was a surprise waiting.
The "Student" trait had finally lit up fully after the entrance ceremony.
But even better… a prompt had appeared.
Trait Fusion Available:
Combine "Student" + "Self-Discipline"
→ Result: Scholar
Condition:
Possess both traits and study with 100% focus for at least 100 hours.
Effect:
The apex of learning.
×10 Focus.
+100% Cognitive Speed.
Original trait effects are retained.
Shuuichi's heart pounded.
Even at just ×1 focus, he'd experienced moments of clarity so intense he could block out everything around him—noise, movement, distractions. All gone.
If ×1 focus was that strong… ×10 must be insane.
"I might actually forget to eat and sleep…"
And on top of that—cognitive speed.
Faster thoughts. Faster reactions. Mental clarity.
"This isn't just useful for studying... this is combat potential."
"Cognitive speed is essentially neural response time, right?"
In short: this wasn't just a scholar's perk. This was a ninja's weapon.