Three days later, the Ninja Academy officially opened.
Early in the morning, sunlight streamed through the classroom windows while the students gradually gathered inside.
Might Guy sat quietly in the last row beside the window.
He was still wearing the green uniform awarded by the System, though honestly, it did not look much different from his usual clothes.
At the moment, only around a dozen students were seated throughout the classroom.
Might Guy calmly swept his gaze across the room one by one.
In the front row sat Kakashi Hatake, whom he had already met once before.
Silver hair.
A mask covering the lower half of his face.
Even at six years old, the boy already looked cold and mature beyond his age.
Beside Kakashi sat a brown-haired girl with a gentle smile on her face.
Further behind was Kurenai Yuhi.
Her wine-red eyes occasionally glanced toward the back of the classroom for some reason, although she immediately lowered her head whenever their gazes nearly met.
Near the wall sat a boy lazily chewing on a toothpick.
Beside him was another child with his hands buried inside his pockets and an expression full of arrogance.
In the row behind them sat a boy casually twirling a crow feather in his hand.
Next to him sat another child with heavy dark circles beneath his eyes who occasionally coughed lightly.
A quiet purple-haired girl sat nearby with a calm expression.
Meanwhile, three boys occupied the corner of the classroom together.
One wore sunglasses.
One looked unusually arrogant.
And the final one remained completely silent.
At the back sat a girl with her hair tied into buns.
Her cheeks puffed slightly as though she were secretly hiding food inside her mouth.
Might Guy stared for a moment.
Was that... a dumpling?
Finally, seated near him in the corner was a gloomy-looking boy with a naturally intimidating expression.
He sat silently by himself while staring downward at the desk.
Might Guy looked at each familiar face quietly.
Every single person here would become a well-known figure within Konoha's future.
However, he did not say anything.
He simply leaned back in his chair while waiting quietly.
Not long afterward, the classroom door opened.
A man wearing a Chunin flak jacket slowly walked inside.
He had brown hair and a gentle smile.
"Good morning, everyone."
He stood at the podium and looked toward the class warmly.
"I'll be serving as your homeroom teacher from now on."
Might Guy stared at him for a moment.
The man looked strangely familiar.
Yet for some reason, he could not immediately remember where he had seen him before.
"Before class begins, let's start with introductions."
The man picked up a piece of chalk and wrote his name neatly across the blackboard.
"My name is Umino Iruka."
"I am twenty-seven years old."
"I enjoy reading and taking walks."
After speaking, he smiled slightly.
"Also, I have a child at home around your age."
"His name is Iruka Umino."
Might Guy froze briefly.
Iruka's father?
The man who would later die during the Nine-Tails attack in the original story?
"Alright."
Umino Iruka placed the chalk down before smiling toward the students.
"Now it's your turn."
"Please come up one by one and introduce yourselves."
"You can say your name, age, and things you like."
His gaze shifted toward the front row.
"Let's begin with you."
Kakashi silently stood up and walked toward the podium.
His expression remained indifferent as he glanced toward the class.
"Kakashi Hatake."
"Six years old."
After saying only that, he immediately returned to his seat.
The classroom fell silent for a moment.
Umino Iruka smiled awkwardly before nodding.
"Very concise."
"Next."
The brown-haired girl beside Kakashi walked up next.
She smiled gently toward everyone.
"My name is Rin Nohara."
"I'm six years old."
"And I like... spending time with everyone."
After bowing politely, she happily returned to her seat.
Kurenai Yuhi nervously walked toward the podium next with her head lowered slightly.
"My name is Kurenai Yuhi."
"I'm six years old."
"And I like..."
Her face suddenly reddened slightly.
"...green."
After speaking, she subconsciously glanced toward the corner of the classroom before hurriedly lowering her head and returning to her seat.
Might Guy blinked slightly.
Likes green?
Then he noticed that the tips of Kurenai's ears were completely red.
"Next."
A boy with an arrogant expression casually walked up with both hands stuffed inside his pockets.
"Asuma Sarutobi."
"Six years old."
"I like..."
Halfway through speaking, he casually pulled a cigarette pack from his pocket and skillfully opened it.
Umino Iruka's expression instantly darkened.
He immediately snatched the cigarettes away.
"Children are not allowed to smoke."
"Confiscated."
Asuma clicked his tongue unhappily before stuffing his hands back into his pockets and walking away.
The next student walked toward the podium.
The moment he arrived, his hand also slipped into his pocket.
Umino Iruka immediately became alert again.
Fortunately, the boy only pulled out a toothpick and casually placed it between his teeth.
"Shiranui Genma."
"Six years old."
Only then did Umino Iruka secretly relax.
Genma casually returned to his seat while chewing on the toothpick.
The next boy walked forward quietly.
"Raidō Namiashi."
"Six years old."
Then he immediately went back down.
Next came the boy with sunglasses and the crow feather.
"Aoba Yamashiro."
"Six years old."
As he spoke, he lazily adjusted his sunglasses before continuing to play with the feather in his hand.
The pale boy with dark circles under his eyes coughed lightly before speaking next.
"Gekkō Hayate."
"Six years old."
After him, the quiet purple-haired girl walked calmly toward the podium.
"Yūgao Uzuki."
"Six years old."
The next student confidently stepped onto the platform while adjusting his sunglasses proudly.
"My name is Ebisu!"
"I'm six years old!"
"And in the future, I will definitely become an elite Ninja!"
After speaking, he provocatively looked toward Kakashi.
Unfortunately, Kakashi completely ignored him and continued staring out the window.
Ebisu immediately clicked his tongue unhappily before returning to his seat.
The bun-haired girl quickly trotted toward the podium next.
Her cheeks were still moving suspiciously.
"Anko..."
Gulp.
"Mitarashi!"
"Six years old!"
"I like..."
Gulp.
"...dumplings!"
Umino Iruka looked helplessly at her bulging cheeks.
"Anko."
"You are not allowed to eat snacks during class."
Anko blinked innocently.
"I'm not eating anything."
"Then what is inside your mouth?"
Anko immediately swallowed everything inside before opening her mouth widely.
"Ahhh~"
"See? Nothing!"
Umino Iruka could only wave his hand helplessly.
Finally, the gloomy-looking boy slowly stood up.
"Morino Ibiki."
"Seven years old."
After speaking, he immediately sat back down silently and continued staring at the desk.
At this point, everyone had already finished introducing themselves.
Only Might Guy remained.
Umino Iruka looked toward the back corner.
"The final student."
"Please come up."
Might Guy stood up before calmly walking toward the podium.
After reaching the front of the class, he stood upright confidently.
Then he flashed a bright smile full of white teeth before suddenly raising a thumbs-up toward everyone.
"Might Guy!"
"Six years old!"
"I like training and Taijutsu!"
"And youth exists to—"
"BURN!!!"
Bang!!!
At the exact moment Might Guy finished speaking, the classroom door suddenly burst open violently.
A figure rushed into the room at full speed.
Unfortunately, he immediately tripped over his own feet.
Plop!
He crashed face-first onto the floor.
The classroom instantly fell silent.
Might Guy still stood at the podium with his thumb raised awkwardly in the air.
The boy on the floor quickly climbed back up while rubbing the bump on his forehead.
Dust covered his face as he scratched his head sheepishly.
"Sorry!"
"I'm late!"
Umino Iruka smiled helplessly and waved his hand.
"It's alright."
"You're just in time."
"Go ahead and introduce yourself too."
The boy blinked briefly before immediately grinning brightly.
He walked directly onto the podium beside Might Guy.
Then he confidently faced the class and raised a thumbs-up.
"Yo!"
"My name is Uchiha Obito!"
"And I am the man who will become Hokage someday!"
The classroom became completely silent.
Kakashi continued staring outside the window, although the corner of his eye visibly twitched.
Rin covered her mouth while laughing softly.
Kurenai secretly glanced toward Obito before quietly glancing toward Might Guy again.
Asuma clicked his tongue.
Ebisu adjusted his sunglasses with an expression that clearly said this idiot is insane.
Anko nearly spat out her hidden snack.
Morino Ibiki slowly raised his head, glanced at Obito once, then lowered it again.
Meanwhile, Might Guy stared at the boy missing one front tooth while grinning foolishly at everyone.
Then he suddenly laughed.
This guy...
Was he seriously this goofy when he was young?
[Bond Triggered: Gathering of the Stars]
[Reward: Monk Value +50]
The instant Obito finished speaking, a System notification suddenly echoed inside Might Guy's mind.
Might Guy's smile immediately became even brighter.
Free rewards always made people happy.
Obito noticed Guy suddenly smiling at him and immediately became annoyed.
"Hey! Thick Eyebrows!"
"What are you smiling at?!"
"Are you looking down on me?!"
Might Guy rolled his eyes lazily.
He genuinely could not be bothered arguing with a six-year-old Obito.
Fortunately, Umino Iruka quickly stepped between them before clapping his hands together.
"Alright, alright."
"Introductions are finished."
"Everyone return to your seats."
Might Guy shrugged casually before walking back toward his seat.
Obito clicked his tongue before also finding an empty chair and sitting down.
At the front of the classroom, Umino Iruka picked up the chalk once more.
"From today onward, all of you are official students of the Konoha Ninja Academy."
"And now..."
"We will begin your first lesson."
He turned around before writing four large characters across the blackboard.
[Will of Fire]