April 1st; the Ninja Academy officially opened.
Yet Higashino Shin didn't let that stop his years-long habit of early-morning training.
Higashino Megumi had taken the day off; once her son finished his workout and ate breakfast, she took him to the school.
The academy training ground was packed—adults and children jostling together, friends chatting with friends.
Most came with one parent; some stood alone, obviously orphans.
Few had both parents present—wartime, and this was Konoha Village, the Land of Fire's military hub.
Megumi queued with her son to register, filled in the full paperwork, collected a numbered plate, then stood to one side talking with Uzuki Sakura.
"There are so many more kids than last year," Sakura murmured, surveying the sea of people.
"Probably an expanded intake because of the war."
Sakura looked at her daughter Yūgao and at Shin, her gaze losing focus. "I hope this war ends soon—otherwise even they might be dragged onto the battlefield."
Megumi sighed. "Perhaps that's simply a Ninja's fate."
Uzumaki Yuwa and Higashino Jiro were still in the same company; this time they'd been sent toward the Land of Grass, straight at Iwagakure.
Inside the grounds a teacher was shouting through a megaphone.
A slightly taller, already budding beauty, Yūgao peered at the numbered tag in Shin's hand. "Hey, hey, Shin-nii, what number are you?"
Shin showed her the plate. "We're not in the same exam room."
"Hmph, why'd they have to split us up?"
Don't worry—take it seriously. With your skill we'll end up in the same class anyway."
Reassured they wouldn't be separated, Yūgao dropped her puffed-cheek pout and smiled again.
The two of them left their mothers and headed for different classrooms.
Enrollment included a written test—broad but easy, just a quick check of basics so the staff could sort the classes.
In under an hour the test was done; under their proctors' lead the kids regrouped on the field for timed laps, while record-keepers noted numbers for scores.
The academy would average written and physical marks to assign classes.
After all, people can't be lumped together—prior skill levels vary wildly. Putting weak and top students side-by-side would rob the strong of competition and crush the weak; neither helps growth.
For Shin and Yūgao the run was effortless; alongside Uchiha Shisui the three led the pack, breathing evenly and chatting as they jogged.
Shisui talked the most—not from gabbiness, but after being cloistered in clan training since five he rarely got out, and with only a handful of friends he had plenty to say.
From his chatter Shin caught a key piece of news.
Last June their Clan Chief, Uchiha Fugaku, had a son: Itachi.
In his past life the Naruto timeline had been a mess—at least three conflicting chronologies. Since arriving here Shin had found that while everyone knew how many years Konoha had existed and spoke of "Konoha year X," no legal village calendar existed; each nation, especially the Five Great, kept its own festivals and official eras.
Above them all, however, stood a single accepted standard: "Ninja Era XXX."
With history's gaps, almost no one knew when that count had begun.
Shin guessed it started when the Six Paths Sage founded ninjutsu.
Sadly, modern Ninja treated the Sage as a myth—no proof he'd ever lived.
Before the Third War ended, many famous shinobi had fuzzy, hotly debated ages—except one: Uchiha Itachi.
During the Nine-Tails Attack he had been five.
From that single fact Shin could deduce plenty.
The war's high-intensity phase would last only three-to-four years, then taper off. After Konoha's Nine-Tails incident tensions would flare again—skirmishes with Kumogakure, Hidden Mist probing the east—but the world would avoid a fourth great war.
For example, he was originally five years older than Itachi, and Itachi would be five years older than the future 'Number-one Hyperactive, Knucklehead Ninja,' which meant Higashino Shin was ten years their senior.
He could deduce plenty more along those lines, but Higashino Shin didn't actually care much.
What he should focus on now was to keep growing stronger and survive this war.
His goal had never changed: to live a brilliant life; cultivating strength was simply insurance for that goal. As for changing the world—he'd decide based on his mood and whatever heights he could reach.
---
The physical test continued. After a dozen laps the originally chaotic column stretched into a long, snaking line circling the academy training ground.
Students like Higashino Shin, Yūgao, and Shisui ran at the very front with ease. Those behind tried to overtake them, only to find the gap remained constant; when they sped up, the trio ahead instantly sensed it and accelerated as well.
Uzuki Yūgao, though struggling, gritted her teeth and held on so she could stay in the same class as Higashino Shin and Shisui.
Further back were children from major and minor clans, identifiable by their clothing and distinctive traits. The featureless ones might be shinobi descendants or civilian Ninja who'd received early Family training—like Higashino Shin himself.
Those who hadn't trained beforehand, or hadn't even drawn out Chakra, all lagged at the rear, some already gasping and unable to continue.
Gradually the entire group split into three sections: a small cluster at the front, another small cluster at the back, and a large mass in the middle.
Ninjas are highly efficient; shortly after the physical test ended, the class roster was posted on the notice board.
As Higashino Shin had guessed, his name appeared alongside Uzuki Yūgao's—including Uchiha Shisui's—right at the top of the first list.
Put plainly, this was an elite class.
He also spotted two vaguely familiar names in this class: Hyuga Tokuma and Aburame Muta; he had some impression of them.
As for the rest, even if the surnames rang loud, he couldn't put faces to them.
Yet while skimming the other rosters, he noticed an extremely familiar name in one of the rear classes—a person who would one day change, even save, the entire Ninja World.
There's a saying that sums it up: every Ninja alive will owe him a kowtow.
That person was Iruka Umino.
Turned out he was the same age as Higashino Shin.
Thinking of him, Higashino Shin recalled another—Mizuki—but that guy was actually two years older than Iruka and hadn't graduated yet.
Once the rosters were up, children who saw their names cheered, yet some stood outside the crowd, faces full of sorrow; many even burst into tears.
Their parents comforted them from the side.
These were the students who'd been cut—those weak on basics and poor in the physical test. Not everyone can become a Ninja.
Even if admitted, whether they could graduate in six years was uncertain; upon graduation they'd barely manipulate Chakra, and entering Ninja battles would only get them killed.
Soon the successful students lined up on the training ground while parents stood behind the formation.
Up front, a simple platform had been erected. Moments later the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, arrived in his iconic Kage attire and began the customary speech.
As everyone knows, the Third's stature is regrettably short; without a platform his dignity would suffer.
The speech didn't last long—this was the Ninja World, not some bureaucratic meeting.
Its content was the usual will of fire.
Below the stage, Higashino Shin listened with a blank face; Uzuki Yūgao on his left looked puzzled, whereas Uchiha Shisui on his right was visibly thrilled, as if hearing the ultimate truth guiding his life.
After the speech, amid collective applause, Shisui asked curiously, "Shin, someone like you should grasp the Hokage's meaning. Don't you have any thoughts?"
"Thoughts?" Higashino Shin turned to him. "My thought is: let the Kunai fly for a few more years."
Uchiha Shisui & Uzuki Yūgao: "???"