Today was Kyuushin and Kushina's first day at the Ninja Academy. After breakfast, Mito personally escorted them to the school. The Academy, having been established only a little over a decade ago, had not yet become a widespread institution throughout the ninja world; at the very least, one did not exist in Uzushiogakure. Consequently, Kushina seemed a mixture of excited and apprehensive, but seeing Kyuushin by her side, she visibly calmed down.[9]
The Ninja Academy was located in the central part of the village, and they arrived after a short walk. A ninja wearing the standard green flak jacket stood at the entrance. Upon seeing the three of them, he immediately greeted them.
"Lady Mito, I didn't expect you to come in person," the ninja said, showing an unusual degree of respect toward Mito.
"It's Yota, long time no see," Mito nodded, then turned to Kyuushin and Kushina. "This is Teacher Yota. He will be your homeroom teacher here at the Academy. You must be well-behaved, alright?"
"Yes," they both answered obediently.
"Alright, Yota, take them inside. I will take my leave now."
The ninja named Yota waited until Mito was out of sight before leading them into the school. "Lady Mito also took good care of me within the clan before," he said, seemingly speaking to both of them. Kyuushin understood; this man must have also been a member of the Senju clan in the past.
As they walked, Yota explained their class situation. As transfer students, they would not start from the first year but would be placed directly into a second-year class. The first year was primarily for literacy, focusing on cultural knowledge and teaching the basics of Chakra refinement. While some ninja clans began this education early, most children from commoner families did not have that advantage. In the second year, cultural knowledge remained a focus, supplemented by practical combat lessons teaching hand seals and the use of ninja tools.[2][3]
"Thinking about it, what I learned within the clan was quite advanced," Kyuushin mused to himself. However, it wasn't fair to compare a clan's elite education with the general curriculum of the Academy.
Soon, they arrived at the classroom for Class 1 of the second year. "Hello, everyone. These two students are transferring to our class starting today. Everyone must get along well, alright?" Yota announced from the podium.
Kyuushin scanned the classroom, noticing it was larger than depicted in the anime, with over thirty students. A few faces stood out: a cool-looking boy with a distinctive hairstyle was undoubtedly from the Uchiha clan; another with a pineapple-shaped haircut was from the Nara clan; a chubby boy secretly eating snacks was from the Akimichi clan; and a boy with short blond hair, looking gentle and harmless, had to be Minato Namikaze.
"The two of you can introduce yourselves first: name, age, likes, dislikes, and your dream," Yota instructed.
"I'll go first," Kyuushin said, glancing at Kushina. He noted that she showed no signs of the explosive introduction from the original story. "My name is Uzumaki Kyuushin, I am six years old. I haven't figured out what I like or dislike yet. As for my dream, you wouldn't understand it if I told you, so I won't say it."
A sudden silence fell over the classroom. Yota covered his forehead. "He didn't say anything except his name."
The room immediately erupted with noise.
"What's so great about this outsider?!"
"Exactly, look at their weird hair color."
Just as Yota was about to intervene, Kushina exploded. "My name is Uzumaki Kushina, and I'm going to be the first female Hokage of this village!"
The class fell silent again, only to be followed by an even louder uproar.
"This girl with the strange hair says she wants to be Hokage?"
"Hahahaha, I'm dying of laughter! An outsider wants to be Hokage?"
"Does she even know what a Hokage is?"
At that moment, Minato Namikaze, sitting in the middle row, stood up and smiled at them. "Hello, everyone. I also want to become the Hokage who is acknowledged by everyone in the village."
The chatter in the class gradually died down. Kyuushin gave him a nod of approval, but Kushina still looked unconvinced. Yota quickly waved his hand. "Alright, alright, go sit in your seats." He pointed out their assigned spots. Perhaps to help them integrate, their seats were not together.
After Kyuushin sat down, he realized his desk mates were two identical-looking young girls.
"Hello," Kyuushin greeted first.
"Hello, I'm Sachiko."
"Hello, I'm Makiko."
The two girls spoke one after the other. On the podium, Yota began a rather uninteresting lecture. Kyuushin turned his head and started chatting with his new desk mates. Makiko, the older sister, seemed more introverted, while Sachiko, the younger one, was more lively and did most of the talking. With his past life's experience, Kyuushin had no trouble connecting with them, and soon even the reserved Makiko would occasionally chime in.
"Where are you from?" Sachiko asked.
"The Land of Whirlpools. Have you heard of it?"
"I know, it's Konoha's ally," the older sister, Makiko, replied, seeming to know a bit more than her younger sister.
"That's right. The swirl symbol on the back of Konoha's uniforms is the symbol of the Uzumaki clan. You didn't know that, did you?"
"Oh!" the two girls exclaimed in unison.
While Kyuushin chatted with the girls, Kushina was having a more awkward time. Her bold declaration had made her classmates hesitant to approach her. At lunchtime, just as she was about to find Kyuushin, several boys surrounded her, mocking her red hair and calling her a tomato.
"Aren't you going to help your friend?" Makiko asked.
"Don't worry, Kushina is very strong," Kyuushin replied, then shouted, "Go, Kushina, beat them up!"
Kushina's face flushed with anger. She had always been a leader back home and had never been treated this way. Hearing Kyuushin's encouragement, she couldn't hold back any longer. She grabbed the wrist of the boy who tried to pull her hair. "Who are you calling a tomato?! Let me tell you, I detest tomatoes!"
With that, she grabbed his collar, swung him around, and slammed him into the other boys, sending them flying. Then, ignoring the others, she sat on the back of the boy who had started it all, beating him wildly until he begged for mercy.
"So cool!" Sachiko exclaimed, her eyes sparkling.
Kyuushin, however, feared Kushina might seriously injure the boy, as she had no sense of moderation. He stepped forward to stop her. "Alright, that's enough. You've made him cry."
Kushina let go, but before she could say anything else, the boy burst into loud sobs and ran away.
Kyuushin ignored him and walked over to a smiling Minato. "Hello, classmate."