With the personal recommendation of the Third Hokage, Senju Haruto's enrollment process became much smoother.
Now I just need to find Iruka-sensei at the Academy to finalize my admission… and complete the sign-in task while I'm at it.
After five years in Konoha, Haruto knew the village's streets like the back of his hand. From the Senju compound, it took him barely half an hour to reach the Ninja Academy.
Hiruzen had already instructed the Academy staff to take special care of him.
"You must be Senju Haruto."
The moment Haruto stepped through the school gates, a chūnin instructor called out to him.
Haruto's eyes flickered with mild surprise. The man greeting him was none other than a rather infamous figure in the Naruto world—Mizuki-sensei.
"That's right," Haruto replied with a nod.
He knew Mizuki to be sly, petty, and envious—but that didn't concern him. In fact, if Mizuki really tried to trick him into stealing the Scroll of Seals, that wouldn't be such a bad thing. He could simply learn whatever forbidden techniques were inside… and then walk away whistling.
"Senju-kun?" Mizuki had noticed Haruto zoning out and raised his voice, calling his name several times.
"Ah, nothing," Haruto said, shaking his head with a small smile. "Just thought of something that made me happy."
"Something happy? I see… I can understand that."
Mizuki's smile was warm and friendly. If you didn't know his true nature, you could easily be fooled by his "kind older brother" act.
"Guess how I recognized you at a glance," Mizuki said, gesturing for Haruto to walk with him. He would give him a little tour while they talked.
"This?" Haruto pointed to the emblem on his chest—the crest of the Senju clan.
He was hardly famous enough for everyone in the village to know his face. But the Senju emblem was another matter entirely.
"That's right. You're quite clever, Senju-kun," Mizuki said, his bright smile never faltering.
Inside, though, he pitied the boy. Normally, any child of the right age could enter the Academy, train as a shinobi, and graduate to become a genin. But Haruto was already thirteen—an age when most were graduating, not enrolling.
If you were truly gifted, you might even be a jōnin by now. Kakashi Hatake and Itachi Uchiha were examples of such prodigies. And every time Mizuki thought about people like that, envy twisted in his gut.
The Senju clan, huh… he thought with a silent sigh.
If it were any other family name, it wouldn't matter much. But "Senju" was steeped in history.
The First Hokage, Hashirama Senju—the God of Shinobi.The Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju—cold and unyielding.Even in Tsunade's generation, the Senju name carried weight. She was unmatched in medical ninjutsu, one of the legendary Sannin.
And then there was Haruto… thirteen years old, not repeating a grade, but only now entering the Academy.
If Mizuki was right, the Third Hokage had likely allowed his admission out of pity. Honestly, with someone like Haruto, the odds of him ever becoming a genin—let alone graduating smoothly—were slim.
Another Naruto Uzumaki, Mizuki thought with a sneer.
Every time he saw that little fox brat trying to prove himself, it was almost funny. No matter how hard Naruto worked, he'd never be a real shinobi. Same with Haruto.
"This is your first time here, right?" Mizuki asked casually.
"No. I came five years ago, but I couldn't get in. This time, it's thanks to the Third Hokage," Haruto replied offhandedly.
Before officially becoming a student, he had to accompany Mizuki to the administrative office to register.
They didn't run into any other students along the way.
"I see," Mizuki said, nodding, his pity deepening.
Still… if I play this right, I might get some unexpected results.
As a chūnin instructor, Mizuki already knew that the Hokage's office housed a certain scroll—the Scroll of Seals—containing numerous forbidden techniques. If he could get his hands on it…
"What year will I be placed in?" Haruto suddenly asked.
The Academy wasn't large, with only a few dozen students per year. In less than a few minutes, the two reached the door to the administrative office.
[Ding. Congratulations, Host—sign-in location reached. Sign-in process starting.Warning: Leaving early will be considered sign-in failure!]
Progress bar:1%…23%…
"So the trigger is here, huh," Haruto murmured to himself. On the way in, he had been wondering why the sign-in assistant hadn't responded yet. It seemed this time, the required location was much more specific.
66%…100%…
[Sign-in complete!Reward: Full mastery of all five chakra natures—Wind, Lightning, Fire, Water, Earth.]
The moment the voice faded, Haruto felt a strange, profound energy flood his body and merge with him completely.
"All five chakra natures…" he muttered in mild surprise.
As someone who had seen the Naruto world before, he understood the significance of chakra affinities.
He wasn't sure if every shinobi technically possessed all five natures but only excelled in one or two, or if most people only had one or two to begin with. Naruto, for example, specialized in Wind Release. Sasuke excelled in Lightning and Fire.
But now, Haruto could use Wind, Lightning, Water, Fire, and Earth—all five—with ease.
Interestingly, no new sign-in task appeared after this one.
Looks like the sign-in missions don't come back-to-back.
Still, the rewards from just the first two had been incredible. It made him even more excited for what lay ahead.
"All right, stop daydreaming," Mizuki's voice broke in.
Haruto looked up to see that Mizuki had already finished processing his enrollment paperwork.
"Now I'll take you to your class. Ready?" Mizuki asked with his trademark smile.
"Of course," Haruto answered briskly, eager to get started.
But when Mizuki led him to the classroom door, they found it completely empty.
"Oh… right," Mizuki said after a moment, realization dawning. "Iruka's class has practical training today."
Then he turned to Haruto, his eyes glinting. "Looks like your luck… isn't so great."
The kids in Iruka's class might be younger than Haruto, but they'd all entered through the normal process. In a live combat exercise, Haruto would probably just get beaten up.
And Mizuki… was looking forward to it.
The worse Haruto got pummeled, the easier it would be to manipulate him into stealing the Scroll of Seals.