Uchiha Itama could clearly feel many different gazes sizing him up.
Some were starry eyed girls like Sakura and Ino.
The boys wore envy and jealousy, because none of them drew so much attention from the girls.
People in this world matured frighteningly fast.
There were also a few with odd eyes.
Itama sensed a faint hostility.
He was not surprised. After the village leadership began marginalizing the Uchiha, such hostility would naturally appear.
Either they believed the rumors spread by the elders, or they belonged to them.
AHEM.
A young man stepped before the group and cleared his throat.
"Hello, everyone. From today on, I will be your teacher. My name is Yamashiro Aoki."
"If you run into any problems, you can come to me."
"Now follow me to the classroom."
Yamashiro Aoki led them inside.
"Find any seat you like."
Itama headed for a corner.
He had no interest in any of his classmates, nor did he want to mingle.
A few girls gathered their courage and drifted closer to him.
They did not dare sit right beside him, choosing the seats in front and behind instead.
Soon everyone was seated.
Yamashiro Aoki swept his gaze around.
"I will first explain this term's curriculum."
"It will be divided into two parts."
"One part is the cultural classes, mainly in the morning."
"I will have the textbooks delivered shortly."
"The second part is the ninja courses, mainly in the afternoon. This term we will focus on shuriken throwing, kunai usage, physical conditioning, and basic taijutsu."
A young man poked his head in from the hall.
"Aoki, the books are ready. Do you want to pick them up now?"
"All right, I am coming."
Aoki looked to the class.
"The books have arrived. Who wants to help me carry them? I need ten students."
Hands shot up at once.
"Me!"
"Me!"
One after another, as if it were an honor and something fun. They scrambled for it, though it meant nothing at all.
Itama turned his head and looked out the window.
He had no interest in the coursework. He only came to the Academy because it was the Leaf's rule, and Fugaku did not want the village leadership to notice him.
The hostility toward the Uchiha was already blatant at the top.
And the business with Itachi made Fugaku even more wary.
If Itama reached the age but did not enroll, it might draw the elders' attention.
Even if they missed it, Itachi would not.
So Fugaku wanted him to pretend to be an ordinary, mediocre Uchiha.
Seated in the corner, Itama quietly refined chakra.
His current strength had reached chunin level.
The teacher at the lectern was only a chunin.
In a real fight, Yamashiro Aoki might not even be his match, so Itama did not expect to learn much from him.
As for cultural classes, he was even less interested.
Naruto's grades in those were nearly zero, and he handed in a blank paper in the written chunin exams.
He still became Hokage and handled his duties. That proved the Academy's culture classes were useless.
The education from Itama's previous life was more than enough.
The bell rang for the break.
Itama walked out of the classroom.
Several students exchanged looks and followed.
He glanced back.
"Trouble on the first day. That is the Uchiha's situation in the Leaf."
He shook his head.
Then he clapped his hands.
"Shadow Clone Technique."
POOF!
A clone appeared at his side, while his true body slipped into a nook.
He clapped again.
"Transformation Technique."
POOF!
He became a chubby upperclassman.
The clone quickened its pace.
Those students hurried after it.
THUD!
They slammed into the chubby boy Itama had become.
"Where did you brats come from?"
The chubby boy scowled and lunged at them. A flurry of punches and kicks sent the boys sprawling. He dusted off his hands.
"Hmph. Watch where you are going."
"Next time, I will not go easy on you."
"Scram."
The students scrambled up and fled in all directions.
Itama returned to the classroom, cast an indifferent glance at the bruised boys, withdrew his gaze, and went back to his corner seat, laying his head on the desk.
Yamashiro Aoba walked in.
Two figures followed behind him.