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A full hour passed.
Amid thunderous applause, Hiruzen wrapped up his speech with a warm smile. His final bow drew even louder cheers from the crowd.
Ken, who had been standing so long his back was starting to ache, couldn't help but sigh. So the Third Hokage wasn't just a master at swinging that massive staff of his—his speaking skills were just as impressive.
With the opening ceremony over, the parents gathered behind the playground were guided out by the teachers.
Following the class assignments, Ken and Itachi headed to their respective classrooms. They weren't in the same class.
Ken was in Class 1-3.
Itachi was in Class 1-1.
With his extraordinary talent, Itachi would graduate at just seven years old. The academy was nothing more than a brief stop for him.
Ken was strong too, but he wasn't stupid enough to graduate early.
Better to upgrade his bloodline first.
When Ken stepped into the classroom, he immediately noticed several gazes falling on him—some of them tinged with hostility.
The Uchiha didn't exactly have the best reputation, and since he was wearing his clan uniform, his identity was obvious.
He didn't react. Calm as ever, he walked to his seat by the corridor and sat down.
Then he started quietly observing the room.
His classmates came from all kinds of clans.
There was someone from the Inuzuka clan, with a small white puppy perched on their head.
A member of the Akimichi clan was stuffing their face, loudly crunching through a bag of chips.
Someone from the Nara clan sat lazily, likely a user of shadow techniques.
There were also students from the Yamanaka, Aburame, and other clans…
"Um… hello. Could you let me pass?"
Not long after he sat down, a little girl mustered up the courage to speak to him.
The moment she finished, she lowered her head again, too shy to meet his eyes.
"Ah, sure." Ken stood up casually and stepped aside to let her in. "I'm Uchiha Ken. Nice to meet you."
"H-hello… I'm Hyuga Hitomi," she replied softly, her voice barely louder than a whisper.
As soon as she finished speaking, her face turned bright red.
Up close, Ken finally got a clear look at her.
Hyuga Hitomi was beautiful. She had a delicate oval face, fair skin, and large, clear eyes. Her long black hair was smooth and glossy, and when she smiled shyly, faint dimples appeared on her cheeks. She had all the makings of a future beauty.
But what stood out most was her pair of pure white eyes—spotless and ethereal.
The Hyuga clan…
Ken shifted his gaze away from her eyes, thinking to himself.
The Hyuga were one of the founding clans of Konoha, possessing the Byakugan, a powerful bloodline ability.
To protect it, the clan was divided into the main family and branch family.
The main family inherited the Byakugan and held absolute authority. They could place the Caged Bird Seal on members of the branch family's foreheads, controlling them completely.
With a single thought, the main family could activate the seal and destroy the target's brain.
They held literal power over life and death.
The mark was both a symbol of the main family's authority—and the branch family's shame.
Ken noticed the white ribbon wrapped around Hitomi's forehead. When she realized he was looking, she instinctively lowered her head, looking small and self-conscious.
She must be from the branch family…
He let out a faint sigh, feeling a hint of sympathy.
The Caged Bird Seal was an ugly thing.
While Ken was lost in thought, Hyuga Hitomi took out a pink lunchbox from her bag. A soft, inviting aroma drifted through the air.
"Ken… I made these myself. Takoyaki. Would you like to try some?"
"My mom said I should get along with my classmates… but I don't have much allowance, so I made these myself."
"They might not be very good… so please don't mind if they're not."
She gently placed the cute pink box in front of him, looking at him with hopeful, slightly nervous eyes.
Ken was a little surprised. He didn't expect her to come prepared with snacks. That was thoughtful.
"I'll try one."
He picked up a skewer and speared a takoyaki.
"Wow—these are really good!"
He quickly ate a couple more and gave her a thumbs-up.
Her cooking was genuinely impressive.
"Really?" Hitomi's face lit up with joy. "My mom said I could even open a stall someday. I didn't believe her before… but now I do!"
After that, she shared the remaining takoyaki with the rest of the class.
Everyone who tried them praised the taste, clearly impressed by her cooking.
Not long after, their homeroom teacher arrived.
His name was Daikoku Funeno. Just in his early twenties, tall and thin, with an unremarkable face—the kind you'd lose in a crowd. He had the strength of a chunin.
The next part was introductions.
With over thirty students, it took more than an hour to get through everyone.
Once that was done, Daikoku Funeno began the lesson.
It was fairly basic—an overview of the five great hidden villages.
The ninja world consisted of five major nations, each corresponding to a powerful hidden village.
At present, Konoha was still the strongest.
It had produced legendary figures like Hashirama Senju, Madara Uchiha, Tobirama Senju, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and Minato Namikaze. It also housed the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, making it the undisputed number one village.
Even though Konoha had lost the Fourth Hokage and Kushina, the Nine-Tails' host, during the Nine-Tails incident, its overall strength still placed it firmly in the top tier.
Next came Kumogakure, followed by Iwagakure, Kirigakure, and Sunagakure.
However, Kumogakure, with the Fourth Raikage and Killer B—who had full control over the Eight-Tails—was rapidly catching up to Konoha.
The weakest was Sunagakure, deep in the desert.
Although some time had passed since the Third Great Ninja War, and the world seemed relatively peaceful, it was only surface-level peace. Beneath it, tension was constantly brewing.
Of the five nations, only the Land of Fire had fertile land, with plains and hills ideal for growing food. The other four countries were largely barren.
The Land of Wind, in particular, was almost entirely desert.
When ninjas couldn't eat well or live comfortably, war became the only way to obtain what they needed.
Peace was never permanent.
Morning classes ended quickly.
Ken ate the bento he had brought from home.
In the afternoon, they had basic training—chakra control, physical conditioning, taijutsu. Nothing new for Ken, but he still kept a low profile and trained seriously.
The first day of school ended with Daikoku Funeno's simple, "Class dismissed."
Most of the students cheered, grabbed their bags, and headed home in small groups.
Just as Ken picked up his bag to leave, a cold voice sounded from behind him.
"Hey, Uchiha… the future Hokage wants to challenge you."
"....."