Enjoying the benefit of being excused from taijutsu training, Shiranui Genma silently observed his classmates on the training field, all drenched in sweat.
Aside from the first year, Class 1 of every grade at the Ninja Academy was mainly reserved for students who skipped grades. The next few classes were considered the "elite classes," while those further down the line were ordinary—or rather, "cannon fodder" classes.
Class 5 was undoubtedly an elite class. Many of his classmates were characters with names and faces in the original series.
The first to catch his eye were the two who had been with him in the infirmary yesterday—his two desk partners: Might Guy and Ebisu.
The thinner one, with a playful personality and unserious look, was Ebisu. The other, in a green jumpsuit with thick eyebrows and big eyes, was unmistakably Might Guy.
Might Guy needed no introduction—future pinnacle of taijutsu in the ninja world.
As for Ebisu, in the original story he would go on to become Sarutobi Konohamaru's tutor. Like Shiranui Genma, he was a third-rate side character. A closet pervert, he was also the very first jonin to be defeated by the Sexy Jutsu.
Even now at eight years old, Ebisu already showed signs of his future lecherous tendencies. By comparison, Guy was much duller, with his head full of nothing but youthful passion. In and out of class, he trained hard, the only one in class who never complained about the taijutsu instructor.
Besides his two desk mates, the class also included Uchiha Obito, Nohara Rin, Hayate Gekkō, Sarutobi Asuma, and Yūhi Kurenai (Note 1).
Kakashi, though admitted in the same year, wasn't in their class—or even in the same grade. In fact, he had skipped half a year ahead and was already in Grade 6, Class 1. He would probably graduate the following year.
…
Taijutsu class finally ended, and amid a chorus of weary cheers, the students of Grade 2, Class 5 made their way back toward the classroom in small groups.
Only one exception remained—Guy, who, despite class being over, continued his own training: frog jumps.
In fact, not just during taijutsu class—whenever he got the chance, he trained on the field. He had been this way since the very first day of enrollment.
Ebisu, meanwhile, ran straight over to Genma, giving him a friendly slap and grinning.
"Man, I'm so jealous of you. You probably won't have to train for the next few days."
Genma casually stood, hands in his pockets, and started walking toward the classroom.
"What's the next class?" he asked.
"Should be Life Studies. Hey, Genma, I just found a copy of Make-Out Paradise yesterday. Want to check it out…?" Ebisu leaned on Genma's back, chattering as they walked.
The first and second-year curriculum was very basic, with only four subjects: "Ninja General Studies," "Taijutsu," "Literacy," and "Life Studies."
Among these, Ninja General Studies covered the most material, and in most cases, the general studies teacher also doubled as the homeroom teacher.
For Grade 2, Class 5, the homeroom teacher was the chubby man Genma had seen yesterday in the infirmary—Funeno Daikoku.
All four subjects were mostly general knowledge, taught superficially and without much difficulty.
As for ninjutsu, it was only mentioned briefly in General Studies; teachers would not actually instruct students in ninjutsu techniques.
Only when students entered the third year would the academy formally offer a "Ninjutsu" course, teaching ninjutsu theory and the most basic techniques.
After all, the Ninja Academy existed to train genin—and genin were commonly called "taijutsu ninja." But they also carried another, far more resounding title:
Cannon Fodder.
Solid taijutsu—that was the most essential quality of a proper cannon fodder.
As expected, Life Studies turned out to be another boring class. The dull teacher droned on straight from the textbook, covering knowledge most kids had already learned at home.
Even though the current Shiranui Genma had resolved to study harder, after barely ten minutes of the lecture, he still found himself fighting off sleep.
Meanwhile, Ebisu kept boasting about the copy of Icha Icha Stories he "found with great difficulty" (not Jiraiya's version). But as someone who in his previous life had been a well-read young man, Genma's heart was utterly unmoved by such entry-level material.
…
The day's lessons quickly came to an end.
After school, Shiranui Genma returned home alone. He ate a simple meal, then lay on his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.
The world of Naruto was certainly exciting, but it was anything but peaceful. Though he hadn't been a hardcore fan, he still knew about the Third Shinobi World War.
If nothing unexpected happened, in just three to five years, that war would break out.
If he simply followed the academy's standard pace of study, when the flames of war arrived, he would most likely still be just a genin. On a battlefield where even the Five Kage could perish, what chance would a mere genin have? He would be nothing more than true cannon fodder.
When that time came, his fate would depend on sheer luck—whether he could somehow cling to life.
That was unacceptable. Over the next few years, his top priority had to be mastering as much knowledge and as many skills as possible, to become a true shinobi capable of surviving the deadly chaos of the war.
And to become a true shinobi, ninjutsu was indispensable.
The most basic ninjutsu wouldn't even be taught until the following year. Until then, aside from taijutsu training, the academy's lessons offered him no real improvement to his nonexistent strength.
He had to do something.
—There was no way he would ever be cannon fodder. Not in this life.
With that thought, Genma immediately rolled out of bed and ran straight into what had once been his parents' bedroom. He rummaged through drawers and boxes until, at last, he pulled a slightly worn notebook from an old, almost moldy storage chest.
On the cover was written a name:
Shiranui Yukima.
"This must be it," Genma thought silently.
It was his father's study and mission notebook, a record of everything he had learned and experienced in his life—intended to be passed down as a family legacy.
Shiranui Yukima might not have been a famous shinobi, but he had at least been a chunin. Judging from his school record, he was no dullard. Had he not lost his right arm, it was entirely possible he could have become a jonin.
For Genma, his father's lifetime of knowledge would be more than enough to study all the way up until the outbreak of the Third Shinobi World War—at the very least, it would let him get a head start in learning ninjutsu.
Besides this notebook, he had nothing else to rely on.
Nodding to himself, Genma patted off the dust and opened his father's notebook.
Note:
According to official data (e.g., Naruto: The Jin no Sho pages 208–211), the ages of these characters differ significantly—for example, Hayate Gekkō should only be about three years old at this point, so he couldn't possibly be a second-year student. However, both the manga and anime (e.g., manga chapter 599's academy entrance ceremony) show these characters entering in the same year.
There are many such inconsistencies—for example, Kakashi and Obito being the same age, entering the same year, graduating at different times, yet ending up in the same team. Also, Kakashi, who should have long been a chunin, still participated in the Chunin Exams with Obito and Rin.
Given these canonical bugs, this novel adjusts their ages slightly. At entrance, characters are set to be between 5–7 years old. Similarly, Kakashi's graduation age, jonin promotion, and the timing of that promotion will also be slightly modified.