It was a beautiful day. The sky was clear, and the sun was shining.
Musashi Ryomiya, having reached enrollment age, stood on the Ninja Academy playground with a small backpack on his back. On the podium, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was droning on and on.
"Children, today is the day you enter the academy. Here..."
"Where the tree leaves dance, one shall find flames. The fire's shadow will..."
"Let me emphasize one more point..."
"It mainly includes three aspects..."
Bored out of his mind, Musashi looked around.
Hmm, not many familiar faces.
Itachi Uchiha stood in line. His refined, handsome features stood out among the sea of little brats.
Standing next to him was a little girl with a similar vibe. She looked vaguely familiar to Musashi.
Thinking back, wasn't she the Uchiha girl who treated him like a suspicious character way back when?
She's pretty cute. Is she Itachi's girlfriend? What was her name again?
Beside him, Daiki Nojiri looked like he was in physical pain listening to the Hokage's sermon.
Yes, this guy enrolled with him.
The Nojiri family had been merchants for generations, but after Daiki was brought back by Musashi, his family decided it was necessary for him to learn some ninjutsu at the academy.
Plus, since Musashi was enrolling, Daiki begged his family elders, and they managed to squeeze him in too.
Daiki endured a little longer, then couldn't take it anymore. "Musashi, how about we sneak off? This old geezer is too boring."
Musashi said, "You go ahead. I want to listen carefully to Lord Hokage explain the Will of Fire!"
Daiki curled his lip. "Tch! Like I don't know you?"
On stage, the Third Hokage's speech was finally winding down.
"Children, in the days to come, some of you will stand out, and others will fall behind."
"I hope that no matter what, you cherish your time. Grow quickly in these precious years, become the leaves that shelter Konoha from the wind and rain, inherit the Will of Fire, and build a broad future for the village!"
"...Alright, that is all for today."
The speech ended. Musashi immediately started clapping enthusiastically. Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at him and gave a kindly smile.
Musashi looked excited and clapped even harder!
After the opening ceremony, the students were led by teachers to their respective classrooms.
Musashi charged ahead!
Just when the teacher thought he was an eager student, Musashi quickly claimed the back row seat by the window!
Good ventilation, good lighting, nice view. This seat was practically made for him. This is the Main Character Seat.
Putting down his bag, Musashi let out a satisfied breath.
Finally, he found the feeling of slacking off in class again!
A figure moved beside him. He thought it was Daiki, but when he turned, he saw Itachi Uchiha.
Itachi was staring blankly at Musashi's seat. His eyes held a multitude of meanings.
I wanted that seat.
But someone took it.
Musashi couldn't help but grin.
"You want it? I got here first. Call me Big Brother Musashi, and I'll give it to you!" (Musashi was technically six months older than Itachi).
Itachi didn't say a word. He looked at Musashi's seat, then at the window seat in the row ahead. After hesitating for a few seconds, he sat down next to Musashi.
Daiki Nojiri, arriving just then: (⊙.⊙)?
His first instinct was to rush over and grab the seat back.
But seeing the Uchiha fan crest on Itachi's clothes and sensing the "big shot" aura, he hesitated.
Then he started to agonize over the decision.
There were three seats per table. Should he choose the last seat in the same row? Or the seat in front of Musashi?
The seat in front was closer, but it was inconvenient to turn around and goof off during class.
The seat in the same row was further away, but he could still pass notes and pass undetected.
He decided. He would take the seat in the same row, right next to the annoying Uchiha kid!
But before his butt could hit the chair, a hand firmly gripped his shoulder and shoved him aside.
"Hey! Who has the nerve—" He choked on his words halfway through.
Another Uchiha. And a girl.
Ignoring the jealous glares of many other girls, she sat directly next to Itachi.
Her big eyes stared at Musashi and Itachi, sparkling with curiosity.
"Itachi, do you know this person?"
You didn't even wait for me before sitting next to him!
"Uh, yes," Itachi said.
"How do you know each other?" the girl pressed.
"Ha! Know each other? We're way closer than that!" Musashi suddenly leaned in, threw an arm around Itachi's shoulder, and laughed. "I'm Itachi's Big Brother!
I'm Musashi Ryomiya. We've met before."
"Met before?" The girl sized Musashi up. His features were decent, but what on earth was he wearing? It was hideous. (The green spandex strikes again).
If she had met him, she would remember.
"Impossible. We definitely haven't met."
"You just remembered wrong. A year ago, at Ichiraku Ramen. You and Itachi ran into me and Daiki. Forgot already?" Musashi reminded her.
The girl thought for a moment, then her eyes went wide. "Wait... those two sneaky little beggars were you two?!"
Daiki, having sat in the row in front, turned around to protest. "Hey hey hey, what 'little beggars'? We were beautiful young men who risked our lives to bring important intel back to Konoha."
The girl looked them up and down.
Hmm, one is a weirdo with decent looks but terrible fashion sense, and the other is a pervy white-haired boy.
Whatever, I'm done looking.
"I'm Daiki Nojiri, he's Musashi Ryomiya. What's your name?" Daiki asked.
"Izumi. Izumi Uchiha."
Izumi wanted to ask more about Itachi and Musashi's relationship, but Itachi brushed it off with "Met on the battlefield."
"Hello students, I am your homeroom teacher, Mizuki. Next, please introduce yourselves."
Looking at the younger version of Mizuki on the podium, Musashi paused for a second.
But thinking about it, Mizuki at this stage was probably just a regular teacher, so it didn't matter much.
"Hello everyone, I'm Shinritsu Okamura. My hobbies are..." Students introduced themselves excitedly or nervously. Musashi listened for a bit, then lost interest.
It was all "dream of becoming Hokage," "dream of becoming the strongest ninja," "dream of being Hana's boyfriend," and so on. It was laughable.
"I'm Daiki Nojiri. I like drawing and beautiful women. I hate ugly women. My dream is to become a world-renowned master artist!"
"Tch!~ Likes beautiful women? Look at yourself first, weird white-haired kid."
"Yeah! And hating ugly women? That just sounds annoying!"
Boos erupted in the classroom after Daiki's intro, but he didn't care.
Then it was Musashi's turn.
"I am Musashi Ryomiya. I like training that burns with Youth. I hate people who try to make me lazy. My dream is to become an excellent ninja like my father and Big Brother Guy."
"He looks... okay, I guess."
"But he's so weird!"
"Yeah, super weird. What is 'Youth training'? And who is Big Brother Guy?"
"Whatever, boring boys. Let's look at the handsome Uchiha guy."
"I am Itachi Uchiha. I like a peaceful life. I hate fighting. My dream... I don't have one yet."
A plain introduction, but it still caused whispers among the girls.
"So handsome!" "Really handsome!" "His tone is so cool, I love it!" The voices couldn't be hidden.
Instantly, many boys shot him hostile glares.
"I am Izumi Uchiha. I like cats. I hate dirty things. My dream is to live a life I enjoy..."
"I am..."
Life at the Ninja Academy was peaceful and boring.
After school started, the curriculum began. It focused mainly on Ninja History, the Will of Fire, Chakra Extraction, and similar subjects. Things like intelligence gathering, infiltration, and disguise were for older students.
In every subject, Musashi and Daiki's performance was incredibly average.
Itachi Uchiha was different. He and Izumi were far ahead of the rest of the class.
Whether answering questions in class or during outdoor sparring practice, the two of them drew gasps of admiration and worship.
And jealousy from their same-sex peers.
Musashi witnessed several boys lose control of their facial expressions because Itachi was hogging all the admiration.
However, after witnessing Itachi's strength, those boys smoothly transitioned from "He's too arrogant, let's take him down!" to "Itachi is awesome, let's follow him!"
If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.
School days are nostalgic, but actually going back to school is a different story. Before long, Musashi grew tired of school life.
The main reason was that school seriously cut into his Taijutsu training time.
He needed to train. He needed to increase his strength.
Only power could give him a slight sense of security.
Suddenly, he turned to look at Itachi beside him.
If I remember correctly, the current Itachi should already be sending a Shadow Clone to school.
After thinking for a moment, he suddenly packed his bag and started walking out.
"Izumi, if the teacher asks, tell him I have diarrhea!" With that, he ran out of the classroom.