Dawn's first light crept across the horizon, a faint streak of silver whitening the sky.
Still half-asleep, Ye Mizunotsuki was rudely awakened by a series of urgent knocks on the door. He rolled over several times, groaning in protest, before finally sitting up in bed. Sunlight filtered through the window, spilling across his face, warm and gentle.
"Ugh… who's knocking so early in the morning!?"
Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Ye suddenly froze — right, this wasn't Kirigakure anymore. He was in Konoha.
Then he remembered Kakashi's words from yesterday.
"Tomorrow, someone will come to take you to register at the Academy."
The knocking continued.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Ye sprang out of bed, hastily pulling on his clothes while shouting, "Coming! Coming!"
Creak!
Standing outside was an ANBU — his identity betrayed by the animal mask covering his face. A short sword hung across his back as he looked down at Ye, whose head barely reached his chest.
"By order of the Hokage," the man said flatly, "I'm here to take you to register at the Ninja Academy."
"Right now?"
"Immediately."
Ye wanted to ask if he could at least eat breakfast first, but the cold indifference in those eyes made him swallow the words. He just nodded and muttered, "Fine. Lead the way."
The two left his new home one after the other. Gluttony, of course, was left behind to guard the place.
The Ninja Academy — the cradle of Konoha's strength.
Every year, countless new students entered its doors, and countless elite ninja emerged from them — the pillars that upheld the village. From the fallen White Fang to the Legendary Sannin, from the now-renowned Minato Namikaze to the future Copy Ninja Kakashi — for all of them, the Academy was where it all began.
Many believed that Konoha's ability to produce prodigies generation after generation stemmed from this very institution.
This year's enrollment period had long ended… yet today, two unexpected visitors arrived.
"Teacher Kurai, this is an official order from the Hokage. I'll leave this child in your care."
"Of course. That's my job."
The middle-aged man who replied had a calm, ordinary look about him — except for the missing arm. He studied Ye curiously, wondering who this boy was.
Personally recommended by the Hokage himself, after admissions have already closed?And placed not in the beginner class, but directly into the graduation class — the final year before becoming a ninja?
The kid looked barely six or seven. Most of the students in the graduation class were at least eight or nine!
"So this guy's my teacher for the year?"
Ye was also sizing up the one-armed instructor. The man's face screamed "background character" — the kind of person you could lose in a crowd and never notice again.
Kurai noticed Ye's gaze drifting toward his missing arm and grinned. "Lost this in battle. The Hokage offered to let me retire, but I felt I could still serve in another way. So I came here — to teach the next generation what I've learned. That's the Will of Fire."
Ye blinked. Then he went silent.
No wonder Konoha stood as the strongest of the Five Great Villages — strong enough to dominate the entire shinobi world in this era, strong enough that even Madara Uchiha had tried to weaken it before dying.
So this is the Will of Fire, huh?
Having lived in the bloody mists of Kirigakure for years, Ye had never seen such spirit before. For the first time, he felt a spark of respect.
"I'll leave him to you, then. I've got other orders."
The ANBU nodded curtly, made a hand seal, and vanished without a trace.
"Come on," Kurai said, lowering his head slightly. "I'll take you to your class."
Ye followed him through the halls, his small steps quiet but steady.
"This is it."
They stopped before a classroom. Kurai opened the door, and the noisy chatter inside immediately fell silent.
Dozens of young eyes turned toward Ye all at once.
"Wow, he's so pretty!"
"I'm gonna make him my girlfriend!"
"His skin's so white… is he sick or something?"
…
Several veins popped on Ye's forehead. Pretty, fine — he could live with that. But girlfriend?
Are you kidding me!? I'm a boy! You wanna duel with me or what!?
Ye knew what he looked like — the Yuki Clan was known for producing beautiful men and women with delicate, almost androgynous features. Even among them, he'd been considered "adorable."
But this level of gender discrimination? Unacceptable.
Without a word, Ye's chakra flared.
With a soft hum, several icy spears materialized before him — glimmering with frost. In the next instant, they shot forward like bullets, stabbing neatly into the desk of the loudmouthed boy who'd just called him "girlfriend."
White Ice Thrust!
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Three ice spikes embedded themselves perfectly in a row. The boy yelped and dove under his desk — the smell of fear (and something else) spreading through the air.
The entire classroom froze.
Dozens of kids stared, wide-eyed and trembling.
"That was… a jutsu?"
"And… ice? Did he just use Ice Release!?"
The Yuki Clan's Ice Release was famous across the shinobi world — but these were just kids. Most had only heard of it in bedtime stories.
Even Kurai was shaken. His eyes widened as he stared at the boy standing calmly beside him.
"Instant-cast Ice Release… incredible," he thought, utterly stunned. "Even with one arm, I doubt I could beat this child…"
Then the realization hit him.
Mizunotsuki… Yuki… could it be… that Yuki Clan? From Kirigakure?
No wonder the Hokage himself had intervened.
"Ahem… um, Ye, why don't you introduce yourself?" Kurai finally said, still trying to recover.
"Alright, Teacher Kurai."
Ye nodded politely. Despite being stronger than the man, he still respected his spirit.
"My name is Ye Mizunotsuki. Gender — male. That's all."
A brief silence.
Kurai forced a smile. "You all heard that, right? Ye is a boy. Now then, Ye, please find an empty seat."
Ye nodded again and quietly walked to a secluded corner.
Blend in with the group? No thanks, he thought. Especially with a bunch of brats.
He took his seat, and under Kurai's composed guidance, the chaos gradually faded. Class resumed as if nothing had happened — except now, every pair of eyes in the room was filled with respect… and a hint of fear.
"Hey, Yugao… that new guy's kinda cool!" whispered one girl.
"Shh! Don't joke around, Anko. Kurai-sensei will hear you. Pay attention!"
Ye, meanwhile, was gazing out the window, completely unaware that he had already caught the curiosity of two girls.