Chapter 2: The Ninja Academy Begins

Quickly finishing my meal, I began inspecting all the rooms.

First, I decided to walk through the entire apartment: the kitchen, bedroom, living room, and bathroom with a shower.

The apartment was small but cozy. From memory, I knew that I lived in one of the houses closer to the center, but not quite in it. My father was a chunin and earned a decent income, though not enough to afford luxurious housing. Since I was his only heir, the apartment rightfully belonged to me.

Father had prepared everything in advance — in a world where shinobi often perish, it was a necessity. He left a will and several tens of thousands of ryo. Additionally, the village paid me a monthly allowance as an orphan since my father died on a mission. I never had to live in poverty.

Cleaning and sorting through things took more time than I had expected. My body was smaller and unfamiliar, but after a couple of hours, I fully sorted everything and felt more comfortable in my new form.

However, it was time to go outside and visit the market — I needed to replenish my food supplies. I didn't want to limit myself to just rice and pasta.

First, I changed clothes: I swapped my pajamas for a dark-blue jacket with a high collar, added a scarf over it, and put on dark-gray breeches.

Leaving the house, I looked over the courtyard of the apartment building from the second-floor height. The day was in full swing. People bustled back and forth along the street. After descending the stairs, I examined the surrounding area. The houses looked fairly old-fashioned but well-maintained.

I had to walk about two hundred meters to the street where the stores were located. As soon as I entered, I was surrounded by the noise of the crowd, shop windows, and the smell of food from cafes.

Choosing not to be picky, I walked into one of the first stores at the entrance. The selection wasn't vast, but that didn't matter much — the prices were reasonable, which was the main thing. I picked up some vegetables, a little meat, and tea.

I love tea, so I immediately grabbed several varieties — my desire to try new flavors overcame my usual frugality. In the end, I paid 214 ryo and left the store.

I wanted to visit the gear store right away, but that would have surely drained my finances. So, abandoning that idea, I headed home.

It was only 12:40, and I had already finished everything. Maybe I should check the scrolls left from yesterday? I thought.

The Next Morning

The alarm went off precisely at 7:00. The sudden sound startled me. Stretching, I quickly opened my eyes. This isn't a dream! I thought, looking around. Scrolls were scattered everywhere — I had gotten too carried away yesterday and miscalculated my stamina.

My child's body was less resilient than I was used to, so I had just passed out from exhaustion. Luckily, the alarm went off on time.

The first day at the Ninja Academy began at 8:00 a.m. I had only an hour to eat, get ready, and make it to school.

Quickly brushing my teeth, I set some rice to cook and dressed in yesterday's clothes, adding only sandals like all ninja wore.

After eating rice with soy sauce, I grabbed my writing supplies, packed them into a bag, and set off for the Academy. The Academy was located at the foot of Hokage Rock — about a kilometer from my house, considering the village spanned about six kilometers.

Fortunately, I already knew the route since I had to come in person to register upon admission.

In fifteen minutes, I was almost at the Academy. From a distance, I could see a crowd of people. Getting closer, I realized that parents were saying goodbye to their children both inside and outside the Academy grounds.

I wasn't interested in that, so I headed straight for the Academy gates.

Suddenly, I remembered something and looked around toward the trees. Strange... those swings where Naruto used to sit weren't here. Maybe I arrived too early?

Turning back, I walked to the security post where an elderly man was sitting. I handed him my registration sheet.

"Excuse me, where is room 104?" I asked.

He lazily glanced at the sheet.

"The first digit is the floor number, the second is the room number," he replied and closed his eyes again.

Apparently, he was constantly bothered with similar questions. That was enough information for me.

Entering the building, I didn't notice anything unusual, so I walked through the hallways in search of my classroom. Passing by various rooms, I saw many children just sitting idly — apparently, they had just enrolled as well.

In two minutes of searching, I didn't encounter a single teacher. They must have had a separate building.

As I approached the classroom, I pondered my future actions. Last night, I had already outlined my main goals: become a strong ninja and survive. The desire to live is inherent in all beings, and becoming strong is a goal for anyone who finds themselves in the shinobi world.

Opening the door, I entered the classroom. It was almost empty — only a couple of boys were sitting at the back, talking about something.

Choosing a seat was quick: I took the front desk. It was the best option for me. Gradually, more students started to gather. I carefully observed them but didn't recognize any familiar faces.

I need to figure out what time period I'm in, I noted mentally.

Next to me, a boy with black hair and a similar outfit sat down. He seemed to want to look like an assassin — all in black. That wouldn't work well for camouflage, in my opinion. He had some sort of crest on his back, but I couldn't make it out. So he wasn't from any particularly famous clan, although I only knew a few clans in Konoha.

I didn't feel like getting acquainted with him. Apparently, he didn't either — he moved away from me and sat with a disinterested expression.

Toward the end, when only a couple of minutes remained, I realized that I hadn't seen Izumo in my class. We must be set to meet later, I thought, shifting my attention to the door.

Exactly one minute before the lesson started, the teacher entered the classroom.

"Good morning! I'm your teacher — Kiharu Satoro," he introduced himself as he walked to the desk.

We had already received introductory information during registration, so I knew that the first few days of training would focus on the basics, not combat aspects.

"Today, we will begin with the foundation essential for every ninja — from genin to Hokage. Without this knowledge, you cannot become a shinobi. So I advise you to listen carefully and grasp what I'm going to say. Understood?"

"Yes, sensei!" most of the students responded.

After Classes

What did I expect on the first day? No one would give valuable information right away. Today's lessons were dedicated to the basics: mathematics, writing, and other fundamental disciplines. The teacher assessed our literacy and ability to perform simple calculations.

Fortunately, I had solid writing and math skills, so there were no difficulties. In my previous education, even higher mathematics had never been a problem for me.

However, there was some useful information — the teacher mentioned that there would be a placement test on basic disciplines a month after enrollment.

That meant I needed to focus all my efforts on mastering the information left by my father. Fortunately, my father Kotetsu had planned ahead and prepared information — even a minimal advantage could play a decisive role.

After classes, I immediately ran home.

That was even better — I would have time to adapt and start intensive training to become stronger.