Chapter 23: First Day at School

~ Push the story forward with your Power Stones

~ Every 400 PS = Bonus Chapter!

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Konoha Ninja Academy.

When Rinjin arrived at the school gate, the stream of children had long since disappeared.

The warm morning sunlight filtered through the green leaves in the treetops, casting patches on the ground, creating a peaceful and leisurely atmosphere.

At the school entrance, a middle-aged ninja wearing a green vest stood straight, holding a small notebook and scribbling in it.

Seeing Rinjin approach, the middle-aged ninja paused briefly, then strode towards him.

"Rinjin?" the middle-aged ninja asked with furrowed brows, checking his notebook.

Rinjin nodded.

The middle-aged ninja, without further ado, snapped his notebook shut with a 'snap' and introduced himself at lightning speed.

"I'm Ōzora Chūryū, you can call me Teacher Ōzora. Now, Rinjin-kun, follow me!"

With that, he headed decisively towards the school building, and Rinjin quickened his pace to keep up.

Seeing Rinjin following, Ōzora Chūryū opened his notebook again and began reading mechanically as they walked.

"Rinjin, orphan, originally from the Land of Hot Water, arrived in Konoha with a merchant caravan over half a month ago."

Rinjin nodded repeatedly as he listened.

"I understand your situation now. Let me explain the school rules to you.

The Ninja Academy was founded by the Second Hokage, Lord Tobirama. It's the fundamental training ground for all Konoha ninjas.

Here, you'll learn about the Will of Fire, master the basic three ninja techniques, and acquire knowledge essential for a rookie ninja's survival."

Ōzora Chūryū cleared his throat.

"Ahem... Since it's your first day, I'll spare you from copying the Will of Fire, but remember this: classes start at 9 AM and end at 3 PM.

Two classes in the morning, one in the afternoon.

We have history classes, theory classes, and practical classes..."

As he rambled on, Rinjin secretly rose on his tiptoes to peek at Ōzora Chūryū's notebook.

Good grief! The tiny writing filled every inch of the page. Could this guy be actually serious, unlike Mizuguma?!

However, Rinjin had never gotten along well with such strictly serious people.

In one ear and out the other, Rinjin yawned as he walked alongside Ōzora Chūryū.

Soon, they passed through the school's front courtyard, walked past the swing that would later become the future Fourth Hokage's favorite spot, and entered a three-story building.

"First and sixth grades are on the first floor.

Second and third grades are on the second floor.

Fourth and fifth grades are on the third floor."

"Teacher Ōzora, which grade am I in?"

Rinjin wasn't sure how Lord Hiruzen had arranged his placement. Given his circumstances, he should have been placed in first grade.

However, age-wise, he could actually be in second grade.

Hearing this question, Ōzora Chūryū's expression suddenly turned peculiar. Instead of answering immediately, he asked:

"Rinjin-kun, do you have any relatives among Konoha's higher-ups?"

"No," Rinjin shook his head honestly.

"Then... did you receive any basic ninja training before enrolling?"

Hearing this, Rinjin was momentarily stunned.

Had Lord Hiruzen told this guy about him? No, no, no! That couldn't be - this was classified information about Konoha's infiltration of Amegakure. The higher-ups wouldn't share such sensitive information with a regular Academy teacher.

Realizing this, Rinjin gave a self-deprecating smile and shook his head.

Ōzora Chūryū's expression grew even more peculiar.

"Then it's very strange why they would place a student with no basic training directly into second grade?"

Rinjin felt a slight thrill of joy inside.

Being in second grade meant he would only need to spend a year in this school full of kids - which was actually good news for him.

Still muttering to himself, Ōzora Chūryū led Rinjin up the stairs to the second floor.

Since not many students qualified to become ninjas, each grade only had one class.

This meant that each floor, besides the teachers' office, only had two large lecture halls.

Reaching the second floor, Ōzora Chūryū and Rinjin entered a lecture hall right next to the stairwell.

The classroom was empty, with books, papers, and scrolls scattered messily on the desks. It seemed the students had just left.

While Ōzora Chūryū continued rattling off about the Academy's rules and regulations, appearing determined not to waste a single second, Rinjin held his head in exasperation.

"Teacher Ōzora, where are the other students?"

Interrupted mid-speech, Ōzora Chūryū shot Rinjin an annoyed glance and replied curtly: "This period is combat training, everyone's at the training ground behind the building."

"Then, Teacher Ōzora, should I go to class?"

This guy was just too talkative - in just this short while, Rinjin felt like strangling him with his own intestines.

"You may, but since you arrived at the gate, you've asked five questions and interrupted me seven times, so I'm going to delay you for five minutes."

With that, he flipped through his notebook and started reading again.

Rinjin rolled his eyes in exasperation and sat down at a random desk, holding his head.

He finally understood why Zhi Zun Bao wanted to kill Tang Seng with one strike - being lectured like this was worse than being sliced to pieces.

Rinjin felt like he was back in his previous life, sitting in a classroom.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Ōzora Chūryū's thin lips stopped moving, and peace returned to the world.

Rinjin excitedly stood up and looked at Ōzora Chūryū:

"Teacher Ōzora, let's hurry to the training ground. I can't wait to meet my dear classmates!"

Seeing this, Ōzora Chūryū nodded with satisfaction.

Although this kid kept interrupting him, had inexplicably skipped from first to second grade, and was late on his first day, as long as he could get along with his classmates, he was a good kid!

Thinking this, Ōzora Chūryū beckoned to Rinjin and pointed to a corner in the last row:

"Rinjin-kun, there are no other vacant seats in the classroom for now, so you'll have to make do with that one."

Rinjin looked and inwardly rejoiced, nodding repeatedly like a pecking chick.

The corner was perfect! He could sleep when bored, and when not sleeping, he could peek out the window at the scenery - it was practically custom-made for someone like him who was just there to kill time.

After settling the seating arrangement, Ōzora Chūryū led Rinjin out of the building.

Behind the school building, on a spacious training ground, a group of children were paired off, exchanging kicks and punches under the guidance of two ninja instructors.

Even though they were just seven or eight-year-olds, their movements showed clear technique and discipline in their advances and retreats.

They traded blows back and forth, their childish grunts and shouts filling the air.

Two teachers in green vests moved among them, constantly correcting the students' movements.

Rinjin, who had initially shown some interest, quickly lost it.

How to put it... While it certainly showed the ninja fighting style, with both sides either blocking or dodging, it completely lacked the intensity of real combat. Compared to this, Rinjin still preferred Kumogakure's taijutsu style.

Bold and decisive, hitting hard - now that was exciting!

Closest to Rinjin, a black-haired boy was pinning down a silver-haired boy.

Notably, the silver-haired boy showed exceptional fighting spirit, still struggling and flailing even while pinned down.

The kid on top of him had his hand around the other's throat, wearing an particularly punchable expression of arrogance.

Rinjin's gaze swept over the scene, and his lips curled into a slight smile.

"Heh~ An evil little Uchiha."