"My name is Hanekawa. I don't have many hobbies, but my dream is to become a ninja like the Hokage."
Hanekawa's true dream was to survive, but that would sound strange. So, he said what every ninja academy student was expected to say: he wanted to become Hokage. It was like saying you wanted to be a scientist in his past life. He was also smart, saying "a ninja like the Hokage" instead of "the Hokage," which was a subtle show of loyalty to Hiruzen while Danzo was watching him.
"I will be the ninja who becomes Hokage in the end!" Obito Uchiha shot up from his seat, shouting with pride. Rin instinctively pulled on his sleeve, but he didn't budge.
"Childish," Kakashi Hatake said without a change in expression. He wasn't a three-year-old child; he was a mature five-year-old! If he was going to become Hokage, he wouldn't debate it with words—he would do it with actions.
Looking at Obito, Hanekawa was reminded of a dark joke: If you can't be the Hokage, then you'll just have to be the Hokage.
"What's so great about being Hokage?" Asuma Sarutobi slowly rose, his voice low. "I'm going to surpass the Hokage!"
The classroom went silent. Everyone knew he was the Third Hokage's son. Hanekawa's expression was complicated. As someone who knew the future of the story, he knew how unrealistic Asuma's statement was. His talent was limited. He wasn't even a standout amongst the jonin, let alone someone who could surpass Hiruzen.
"It's good to have a dream, but to achieve it, you have to study hard," Eiichirō said, clapping his hands to get everyone's attention. "Hanekawa, the seat by the window in the back is for you."
The desks were set for three students each, and as a transfer student who was two months late, Hanekawa was put in the last row. He didn't mind; the back row by the window was a classic protagonist spot.
His deskmate was a girl with short black hair. Meeting her gaze, Hanekawa said, "Hi, I'm Hanekawa." As a spy, you could either be invisible or be a social butterfly. His system and his looks wouldn't let him be invisible.
"I'm Shizune. It's nice to meet you," Shizune said with a smile.
Hanekawa was surprised. Shizune? Is she still at the academy? In the original story, Tsunade developed a fear of blood after the deaths of Nawaki and Dan Kato. This was a devastating blow for a medical ninja, so she left the village with Shizune to wander and gamble.
Hanekawa touched his chin. Is Tsunade still in the village? He looked around. In front of him were Kakashi, Rin, and Obito. In front and to his left were Kurenai, Asuma, and another boy he didn't recognize.
"Today's lesson is The History of Konoha. Everyone, please turn to page 13," Eiichirō said, pulling Hanekawa from his thoughts.
Hanekawa flipped through the book, stopping at the table of contents. There were four chapters: The Sage of Six Paths, Hashirama Senju, Tobirama Senju, and Hiruzen Sarutobi.
He flipped to the first chapter and felt a sense of wrongness. It said the Sage of Six Paths created all kinds of ninjutsu and established the rules for ninja teams, including the rule that every team of three should have a medical ninja.
Wait a minute. Didn't Tsunade propose that? Was history rewritten, or was something else going on?
"The First Hokage established the Village Hidden in the Leaves during a time of war and wrote the Ninja Code, which forbids drinking and gambling on missions..." Eiichirō went on.
Hanekawa came to his senses. This is unofficial history, right? Hashirama was known for drinking and gambling. He flipped to the end of the book and saw that Hiruzen Sarutobi was the author.
Well, that explains it. This is a work of propaganda. He could already guess what was written in the fourth chapter.
The bell rang. Eiichirō left, and the classroom quickly became noisy.
"Kurenai..." Asuma started, but he saw Kurenai jump out of her seat and run toward Hanekawa. He clenched his fists. If this kept up, he'd lose completely.
"Hanekawa, are you getting used to it?" Kurenai asked after greeting Shizune.
"Yeah," Hanekawa nodded. As a former college student learning elementary school content, he felt right at home. In his past life, he was a tutor who regularly "destroyed" elementary students.
"This is for you," Kurenai said, pulling out a notebook. "These are all the key points I've written down over the past two months. It should help you."
"Thank you," Hanekawa said earnestly.
"I'll see you at lunchtime," Kurenai said, waving and leaving.
"You two know each other?" Shizune asked, curious.
"Kurenai's father is my teacher," Hanekawa explained.
"A jonin teacher?" Shizune's eyes widened. Normal students had to wait until they graduated to be assigned a sensei. Hanekawa's situation was beyond her comprehension.
"Do you know Lady Tsunade?" Hanekawa asked, taking advantage of her surprise.
Shizune shook her head. Hanekawa felt that sense of wrongness again. He realized something was amiss. In the original series, Tsunade and Dan met at a meeting to discuss adding medical ninjas to teams. But now, the Sage of Six Paths had already done that.
This world has changed in ways I don't understand. Was this the butterfly effect from my transmigration? Hanekawa couldn't find an answer, so he stopped thinking about it.
It was soon lunchtime. Students either went home or found a place to eat. Hanekawa closed his book and saw Kurenai standing in front of him. Her ruby-red eyes sparkled in the sunlight, looking exceptionally beautiful. Nearby, he could feel Asuma's resentful gaze.
"You two eat," Shizune said, leaving to find Rin.
Kurenai took her seat.
"Are you and Asuma close?" Hanekawa asked, opening his lunch box.
"Not really. We're just desk buddies," Kurenai said, annoyed. "But he's always bothering me."
"I see." Hanekawa picked up a piece of fried shrimp with his chopsticks. As a "pure love warrior," he never "stole" from others. But since they weren't close, he didn't feel any guilt.
Author's Note: There will be a reasonable explanation for the Sage of Six Paths later. It's not a plot hole or a parallel world.