"Hey—still not up yet?"
The voice from outside the window jolted Uchiha Seiji out of her sleep.
She cracked her eyes open, pulled the curtain back slightly, and squinted. "What, Kakashi? What is it?"
"Today's the official start of the Academy year, isn't it? We're supposed to be in the same class, right?"
"…Oh, is that so…"
Seiji gave a small nod.
Previously, she'd been placed in Class B. Even though she had passed the entrance exam, her parents were long gone. With no proper training at home, her written test results had only been average.
But this time was different. In her year, even though she hadn't shown off much during the assessments, not even the geniuses of Class A had been her match.
This year, her class assignment was Class A.
And that wasn't just any class—it was the one filled with the brightest talents. To put it plainly, it was the "protagonist class" of this generation.
Other classes, like Class B? In the future, most of them wouldn't even qualify as background extras.
They wouldn't appear in the story at all.
"…But isn't it still early?"
Seiji glanced at the clock, sat up slowly, and let the blanket slide off, revealing her chest that had begun to show a woman's shape.
"It's only six."
"Well, you went to bed early last night, didn't you? And what if something happens? My dad wants us both to head out early. He's going too."
"…I see."
Seiji picked up a sheet of paper lying on her desk.
"Got it. I understand. Go on ahead, I'll be there soon."
"Fine, but don't take forever. I don't want to wait around for you."
"Mm."
She answered casually, then switched off the alarm she had set for herself.
"Still feels a bit too early…"
The paper in her hand was the class roster for Class A.
"Uchiha Seiji, Hatake Kakashi, Sarutobi Asuma, Ebisu, Morino Ibiki, Yūhi Kurenai, Uchiha Obito, Nohara Rin, Tsurugi Tōrō, Hyūga Hakuen…"
The first several names were all familiar to her—characters who, in the story, actually mattered.
"…Looks like this year might be interesting after all."
But there was one name glaringly absent: Might Guy.
Seiji frowned slightly and pulled up her system panel to dig through the information. In her memory, Guy was supposed to be in Kakashi's class.
"Is this the butterfly effect… or… ah, found it. Huh. So he didn't pass the exam at first?"
Guy hadn't made it through the Academy entrance test. He had only been admitted later as a reserve student. And the moment he entered, he was placed directly into Class A—clear evidence of the Hokage's confidence in his potential.
In truth, within Konoha, Class A wasn't some absolute distinction of genius versus mediocrity. But the fact remained: most of the students in Class A would one day become well-known names. That much was reality.
Altogether, including Seiji, there were twenty students in Class A. When Guy eventually joined as a reserve, that would make twenty-one.
And in the original story, the class had only twenty.
Out of those twenty… more than half would die. Of the characters she knew by name, at least nine. Nearly half gone.
"Phew—"
Seiji let out a slow breath as she slipped into her usual outfit.
By now, she had grown taller, but the clothes seemed to adjust with her, fitting exactly as they always had. Not a single change.
"Well then… today's the day. Time to head to the Academy."