On the first day of school, the most important matter was class assignment.
After the Third Hokage left,
the students gradually dispersed, each heading off to find their assigned classrooms.
Most of the parents had already departed as well.
…
"Ah, Shin! Look—we're in the same class!"
Uzumaki Naruto quickly found his class and was pleasantly surprised to discover that Kazama Shin was in it too.
He immediately ran over to tell him.
"Oh? Is that so?"
Hearing this, a glint flashed through Shin's eyes.
The same class as Naruto—
That meant he had also been placed into the elite class?
After all, most of the students in this class were from Konoha's major clans.
For a civilian like him to enter this class—
That was no small feat.
But Shin didn't dwell on it, only letting a faint smile form at the corner of his lips.
"Being classmates with the Rookie Nine… that's not bad at all."
He thought to himself.
Then he and Naruto headed toward their classroom.
…
"Ninja Classroom 101… Ninja Classroom 101…"
Naruto squinted at each classroom door, carefully checking the numbers while muttering under his breath.
"Over here, Naruto!"
Kazama Shin stood at the first classroom in the corner and called out to him.
Hearing him, Naruto hurried over and checked the number on the door.
"That's right! Haha, this is our class!"
Naruto laughed excitedly.
—
Pushing the door open, Kazama Shin walked in.
There were already some students inside.
A few of them seemed familiar with each other, chatting in small groups.
As Shin entered, many eyes turned toward him.
"Ah, he's so handsome!"
"Wow! Finally, there's a cute guy in our class!"
"…"
The girls in the classroom immediately lit up, their eyes sparkling as they whispered excitedly.
Their gazes lingered on him without restraint.
Meanwhile, most of the boys showed expressions of clear "hostility."
"Haha, Shin! Are they saying I'm handsome?"
Naruto, who had followed him in, seemed to have caught the girls' chatter. His face broke into a wide grin, practically drooling with excitement as he whispered to Shin.
Shin, who had just been thinking about how early these girls matured, simply curled his lips slightly.
He didn't bother to shatter Naruto's illusion and silently walked over to a seat and sat down.
"I've already seen quite a few familiar faces…"
In that brief moment, Shin had already scanned most of the classroom.
In the third row, seated in the middle, was Yamanaka Ino—her hair tied in a ponytail with a side fringe across her forehead. She was also the first girl to react to Shin's appearance.
Beside her sat Haruno Sakura, with pink hair and her slightly prominent forehead.
Further back, in the fifth row, Nara Shikamaru was sprawled over his desk, looking utterly bored, while Akimichi Choji sat next to him, constantly eating, already showing a bit of a round belly.
Then there was Hyuga Hinata, sitting quietly in the middle, her pale eyes lowered as she kept to herself.
All of them—
Future key figures.
The Rookie Nine.
"Looks like Sasuke isn't here yet…"
Shin muttered softly.
But just then—
"Ah! Another handsome guy!"
"So many good-looking boys today…"
A commotion broke out near the door.
Shin looked over and saw Uchiha Sasuke walking in.
Gone was the cute demeanor he had shown in front of his brother.
Now, his face was cold and aloof, exuding a quiet arrogance.
"Tch… what's with that cool act?"
Naruto, who had also found a seat, muttered bitterly.
He had finally realized—
Those compliments earlier hadn't been about him.
After Shin had casually taken a seat, all the attention had followed him, completely abandoning Naruto.
That realization dealt a heavy blow to his self-esteem.
And now, seeing Sasuke receive even more attention—
Naruto felt even more annoyed.
It seemed the two of them were destined to be rivals.
…
More students gradually entered the classroom.
Among them were other familiar faces—
Inuzuka Kiba of the Inuzuka clan.
Aburame Shino of the Aburame clan.
The class was now almost complete.