"Hello, everyone. I'm Sarutobi Atoma, your sensei for this class. It's a pleasure to meet each and every one of you. Before we dive into the course, I'd like to take a moment to get to know you all better.
Let's kick things off with some self-introductions—share your name, age, likes, dislikes, and dreams. We'll go in order from left to right in the first row, then reverse from right to left in the second row, and so forth."
He then directed his attention to a student with a hedgehog-like appearance in the first row. The student stood up with a sense of pride and confidently expressed,
"I'm Uchiha Tenko, a proud five-year-old. My favorite pastime is engaging in competitions with members of the Hyuga Clan, and, well, let's just say I'm not their biggest fan. My dream is to demonstrate that the Uchiha Clan stands as the epitome of Dojutsu prowess."
"Uchiha?!"
"Dojutsu?!"
The new recruits couldn't contain their curiosity, and discussions erupted instantly. In the rear row, a student sporting a pineapple-shaped hairstyle furrowed their brow, surveyed the scene, and muttered, "Uchiha? What a troublesome clan."
Sarutobi Atoma cleared his throat, exerted a calming presence with a subtle hand gesture, and indicated for the next student to share. There wasn't much for him to comment on regarding Uchiha Tenko's introduction, understanding that the deep-seated history between the two clans wasn't within a teacher's power to resolve.
"Gekko Chomei, my hobby is..."
The self-introductions of the next few students went off without a hitch, and Sarutobi Atoma breathed a sigh of relief. However, shortly thereafter, a student with soft, flowing hair and a smooth forehead confidently rose and declared,
"Hyuga Sento, six years old. My hobby is dedicated practice of the Gentle Fist. I'm not particularly fond of the Uchiha Clan. As for dreams, well, I'm currently living it, considering the Hyuga Clan stands as the paramount Dojutsu family, and there's no need for me to prove it!"
"What do you mean?!"
Upon hearing this, Uchiha Tenko promptly stood up, directing his gaze towards the other end where Hyuga Sento was seated. Hyuga Sento, undeterred, met his stare head-on.
"Next!"
In a swift motion, Sarutobi Atoma interrupted, singling out a student in the second row. A boy, wrapped in a windbreaker, rose and declared, "I'm Aburame."
Once the introductions concluded, he took his seat, and Sarutobi Atoma snapped back to attention, admitting, "Sorry, could you introduce yourself again? Sensei got a bit distracted and missed it."
"Aburame Shibi."
As Aburame Shibi settled back into his seat, Sarutobi Atoma once again honed in on the moment. Realizing that, beyond the name, he hadn't caught much, he observed that other students also appeared slightly perplexed, as if collectively wondering, "Did someone just speak?"
However, continually pressing Aburame Shibi for another introduction would be somewhat disheartening, so he shifted his attention to the student next to Aburame Shibi—a girl who stood up and enthusiastically declared,
"I'm Inuzuka Tsume, just on the brink of turning five. My hobby revolves around training dogs, and I'm not particularly fond of cats! My dream is to carve my path as the first female Hokage!"
Inuzuka Tsume's voice resonated loudly, and given Aburame Shibi's unique situation, even the usually attentive Sarutobi Atoma found his ears itching.
Soon, one student after another initiated their self-introductions, and Tatsuma attentively observed his fellow classmates. Yamanaka Inoichi, Nara Shikaku, and Akimichi Choza from the Ino-Shika-Cho trio particularly piqued his interest.
Yet, a red-haired girl was notably absent from their class at the moment. Tatsuma speculated that she hadn't enrolled yet, recalling that the fiery girl was a transfer student.
With thirty individuals in a class, it was soon Minato and Tatsuma's turn. Minato, feeling a bit reserved, refrained from explicitly stating his ambition to become the Hokage. Instead, he conveyed a desire to evolve into a dependable ninja akin to the Hokage.
After Minato concluded his introduction, Tatsuma rose to his feet and stated, "I'm Sakamoto Tatsuma, five-years-old. My hobby revolves around making friends and engaging in joint training with them."
At this moment, Minato involuntarily shivered, but Tatsuma brushed it off, pressing on, "Currently, there's nothing I particularly dislike. My dream is simply to earn people's recognition."
Tatsuma refrained from uttering grandiose words; at his age, publicly declaring a commitment to maintain peace in the ninja world would likely come across as empty rhetoric in such a formal setting.
Following Tatsuma, only two students remained. After the introductions, Sarutobi Atoma commenced the distribution of textbooks. In the Ninja Academy, students not only participated in combat lessons but also engaged in equally crucial theoretical classes.
However, when Tatsuma received his textbook and began perusing its pages, he quickly realized that the content wasn't aligned with his expectations. In Tatsuma's mind, the textbook should have delved more into topics like the history of the ninja world and the profound concept of the Will of Fire.
As Tatsuma scrutinized the pages, he discovered that the textbook placed a heavier emphasis on the introduction of ninja tools and Ninjutsu. Moreover, it meticulously detailed the distinctive attributes of ninjas from various villages, while the historical content seemed somewhat perfunctory.
"Perhaps it's because things haven't settled down yet," Tatsuma muttered to himself. Such textbooks fell short of meeting the comprehensive developmental needs of morality, philosophy, artistic expression, and history. They appeared to be tailored solely to cultivate ninja combat skills.
In these turbulent times, Konoha couldn't afford the luxury of letting children grow comprehensively and slowly. Instead, they required batches of ninja reserves.
Minato noticed the furrowed brow on Tatsuma's face and inquired, "What's wrong?"
Tatsuma shook his head and admitted, "I just find the content a bit challenging to grasp."
Minato, was still too young. Tatsuma knew that explaining it might not make things clearer and could potentially complicate matters.
Upon hearing him, Minato smiled and reassured, "No problem. If you ever find something confusing in the future, I can help you out."
"Then, I'll trouble you in the future."
In the subsequent period, Sarutobi Atoma addressed important aspects of their study routine, covering topics such as class hours, break times, and the concept of school terms.
While these details might seem unnecessary for discussion within this classroom, considering the children from ninja families had their parents to handle such matters, the question lingered about who would take care of these logistical aspects for orphans like Tatsuma and Minato.
Once Sarutobi Atoma concluded his remarks, other ninja academy senseis arrived to introduce themselves and present their teaching materials. Sarutobi Atoma, likely with visits to other classes in mind, exited the room.
It took the entire morning to settle these minor details.
Before the formal afternoon classes, a break allowed some children to leave the ninja academy, likely heading home for lunch.
Tatsuma and Minato, already armed with their lunch boxes, intended to fetch some hot water to accompany their meals. In that moment, Nara Shikaku, with his distinctive pineapple-shaped hair, accompanied by Yamanaka Inoichi and Akimichi Choza, approached the two.
"I overheard you mentioning that you enjoy making friends, correct?" Shikaku remarked as Tatsuma pondered the purpose of their visit. Tatsuma nodded and inquired, "Indeed. I recall you expressing earlier that you don't appreciate engaging in meaningless socializing."
However, Shikaku, in this moment, revealed a smile and remarked, "With you two, it's bound to be meaningful socializing. Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Nara Shikaku, and these are Yamanaka Inoichi and Akimichi Choza."
"Hello."
"Hey, nice to meet you."
Inoichi nodded, and Choza, while quickly swallowing a chip, also offered a nod toward Tatsuma and Minato. He, however, maintained a vigilant grip on the remaining chips in his hand.
Tatsuma didn't mind, already familiar with the Akimichi Clan's protective attitude toward their food from his past life. He reciprocated with a nod and a smile, stating, "I'm Sakamoto Tatsuma."
After their introductions, Tatsuma glanced at Minato, who also offered a smile and added, "I'm Minato Namikaze."
"Well, I won't disturb your lunch. If you have time, let's play shogi together sometime," Shikaku suggested.
Shikaku's enthusiasm was measured; that was in line with his personality. Having approached the two for a social interaction, partly influenced by his father's advice, he soon departed with Inoichi and Choza.
"It appears not all ninja clan descendants are arrogant," Minato observed, forming a positive opinion of the trio. Tatsuma concurred, stating, "These guys are definitely worth befriending. Good job, Minato. You've already garnered attention so quickly."
Upon hearing the phrase "well done, Minato," Minato subconsciously twitched, sensing that Tatsuma might be gearing up to propose another challenge. However, upon witnessing Tatsuma heading straight to the water source, Minato's interest waned a bit.
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