Chapter 4: The Ninja Academy
Six months later, Hidden Hot Water Village.
Year 8 of the Hidden Hot Water Era, the golden month of October.
Thirteen-year-old Kael Cross left his home and walked toward the Ninja Academy.
Over the past half-year, he had gradually adapted to life in the Shinobi World. Unlike Konoha's famous "Will of Fire," the Hidden Hot Water Village was a place that had forgotten war. The shinobi here yearned for peace and hadn't been threatened by the major shinobi nations for a long time.
After Kael demonstrated a minor affinity for "Beast Taming," and with his official identity as a villager from Clearwater Village in the Land of Hot Water, he was quickly noticed by the Hidden Hot Water shinobi. He was accepted into the village's Ninja Academy as an older transfer student. The village even provided him with a two-bedroom apartment, treating him exceptionally well.
With that, Kael had a new identity: Ninja Academy Student.
The only thing was, this student was a bit on the older side.
At thirteen, he was placed in the third year of the six-year academy system. It was now October, the second semester of his third year. Most of his classmates were only ten years old.
The Hidden Hot Water Village wasn't large, but it was home to many ordinary villagers. As Kael walked, a gentle, friendly smile graced his lips. He didn't hesitate to show kindness to the simple, honest folk he passed on the street.
It was 8 AM, and the autumn breeze carried a slight chill.
The number of kids on the street began to grow, most of them a full head shorter than Kael. At thirteen, his body was in the middle of a growth spurt. He ate well, too; the village gave him a living stipend of 500 Ryo each month, which was more than enough for his daily expenses.
Kael blended in with the crowd as he walked into the Ninja Academy.
The entrance was as bustling as a marketplace, with many parents bending down to give their children last-minute instructions before school. Kael watched the scene with interest, feeling a sense of nostalgia for his previous life. Given his mental age, he felt no sense of loss or loneliness; after all, before he'd been reincarnated, he was old enough to be a father himself.
The Land of Hot Water was a minor country in the Shinobi World, and its territory wasn't large. Correspondingly, the Ninja Academy was also small, with few students, at least in Kael's opinion.
The people here valued peace and hadn't experienced the horrors of war for many years. Even the Second Great Shinobi War, which had engulfed almost the entire world, had somehow skipped over the Land of Hot Water. Without war, the people had little reason to push their children into the extremely dangerous profession of a shinobi.
As a result, each grade level in the Hidden Hot Water Academy had only one class, with about thirty to fifty students. This meant the village only produced thirty to fifty new Genin each year. From this small detail, one could guess the whole picture. The village's overall strength was definitely not that impressive.
Kael confidently walked into the third-year classroom and took his seat in the last row, at the very back. The classroom was arranged in tiers, with each long desk spanning about four meters and two one-meter-wide aisles separating the rows.
There was already another student sitting at his desk. To his left, by the window, sat a quiet, chestnut-haired girl about ten years old. She rested her chin in her hands, her gaze fixed on the world outside, revealing only a delicate and refined profile.
Kael followed her gaze out the window but saw nothing but a grove of withered trees.
"You're here so early again, Rei!"
The girl's head snapped up in pleasant surprise. She turned slightly, and her face, still soft with a bit of baby fat, broke into a bright smile.
"Good morning, Kael-kun!"
Kael couldn't help but smile back, though a bit helplessly. "Good morning..."
She said this every morning. At first, he'd felt incredibly embarrassed, but by now, he was mostly numb to it.
He turned his attention to the textbooks on his desk. There wasn't much they were required to learn; the books were mostly for broadening the students' general knowledge. For Kael, the only truly useful information came directly from their instructor, such as... the Chakra Control Technique.
History of the Shinobi World, The Origin of Hidden Villages, The History of the Hidden Hot Water, War and Peace...
He had placed War and Peace on the very top of the stack, a deliberate move to show his supposed desire for peace. It was all part of his cover story. He had told the village that his home, Clearwater Village, had been targeted by Jashinists. His parents and fellow villagers were slaughtered, and he, filled with hatred for the terrorists, had fled to the Hidden Hot Water Village, hoping to become a shinobi and avenge them.
It was a tragic story for a child, so it was only natural for him to project a deep longing for a peaceful life.
He was staring blankly at the book when a soft voice pulled him from his thoughts.
"Kael-kun, are you daydreaming...?"
"What?" Kael turned to his left. Rei was looking at him with a gentle expression. "What did you say? Sorry, I zoned out for a bit, I didn't hear you," he asked quietly.
"...I was just asking if you're okay. You looked a little upset just now..." Rei said softly after a moment's hesitation.
Kael paused. "Did I? Uh... I guess I was just thinking about something unpleasant," he lied with a smile.
Before long, a Hidden Hot Water shinobi in his forties walked into the classroom. This was the third-year instructor, Inoshita Rino. He wore the village's forehead protector, its symbol simple, almost like a child's doodle: three diagonal slashes over a horizontal line.
He scanned the room, did a quick headcount, and nodded slightly. Looking at these energetic children, he felt a mix of pride and worry.
Recently, the Feudal Lord of the Land of Hot Water had been putting more pressure on the village, and they were severely short-staffed. These children might have to be sent out to face those cruel fanatics...
The Land of Hot Water had not been peaceful lately. The evil followers of Jashin seemed endless. After disappearing for a while, they had recently started their horrific village massacres again.
At that thought, his gaze shifted to the right, landing on the boy who was a head taller than the other children.
That poor kid, he thought. His parents killed by those damned Jashinists, his village wiped out... He must be in constant pain...
He sighed and shook his head slightly, then cleared his throat to begin the day's lesson.
"Today, we will be covering shuriken-jutsu..."
"Sensei!"
Just then, another voice cut through the classroom.
While the instructor was writing on the blackboard, Kael stood up, raising his hand, his face a perfect mask of eager curiosity.
"Kael-kun? Is there something you need?" the instructor asked, turning to him with a puzzled look. The other students also turned to stare at Kael.
"Sensei, I want to know if it's true that a shuriken can be thrown eight hundred miles away!"
The instructor's face darkened, and he fought the urge to smack the troublemaker. "What do you think you are," he retorted irritably, "Kakuzu?"
"Bwahahahahaha!"
The entire class erupted in laughter.