April 1 — the ninja academy officially began classes.
However, Higashino Makoto did not interrupt his longstanding habit of getting up early to train just because of this.
Higashino Megumi took the day off today. After her son returned from his training and had eaten breakfast, she took him to the academy.
On the academy's training grounds, it was a sea of people. Adults and children were packed together, and people who knew each other were chatting.
Most of them were a parent bringing a child, and some were simply alone, clearly orphans.
There were relatively few cases where both parents were present. It was wartime, and this was Konohagakure, the military base of the Land of Fire.
Higashino Megumi lined up with her son to register. After filling out all the information and receiving a number, she stood off to the side and chatted with Uzuki Sakura.
"There are quite a few more people than in previous years," Uzuki Sakura sighed as she looked at the crowd.
"It's probably because of the war—they expanded enrollment."
Uzuki Sakura looked at her daughter, Yugao, and at Higashino Makoto. Her gaze went slightly unfocused. "I hope the war can end sooner. Otherwise, in the future, even they might be forced onto the battlefield."
Higashino Megumi was also helpless. "Maybe that's the fate of being a ninja."
Uzuki Yūya and Higashino Jirō had always been in the same squad, and this time was the same. They had gone in the direction of the Land of Grass, facing Iwagakure head-on.
At this time, inside the academy, a teacher was shouting something while holding a loudspeaker.
Uzuki Yugao, who had grown taller and already had the bearing of a young beauty, stared at the number tag in Higashino Makoto's hand. "Hey, hey, Makoto-nii—what number are you?"
Higashino Makoto showed her the number. "We're not in the same exam room."
"Hmph, seriously—why do we have to be separated?"
"Don't worry. Be a bit more serious—given your ability, in the end we'll still end up in the same class."
Hearing that they wouldn't be separated later, Uzuki Yugao finally put away her puffed-cheek expression and returned to smiling.
The two of them temporarily parted from their mothers and walked toward different classrooms.
The academy entrance included a written test. The questions covered a wide range, but none were difficult. It was merely a small assessment to check the students' various basic knowledge, making it convenient to assign classes afterward.
In less than an hour, the test ended. Under the guidance of their respective teachers, everyone then went to the training grounds and began rapid laps. On the side, recorders noted the results according to the numbers on the students' bodies.
The academy would combine the average scores of the written test and physical fitness to place them into different classes.
After all, people cannot be treated as the same across the board. Before enrollment, their levels of ability already differed greatly. It was impossible to place poor students and top students in the same class—doing so would leave the top students without a competitive environment, while the weaker students would be so discouraged that they would begin to doubt life itself. Neither outcome was beneficial to a child's growth.
This kind of physical test was naturally extremely easy for Higashino Makoto and Uzuki Yugao. Together with Uchiha Shisui, the three of them ran side by side at the front, their breathing steady. As they ran, they chatted and laughed.
Among them, Shisui spoke the most. He was not a chatterbox, but because after the age of five he had often been confined within the clan for special training and had few chances to go out, now that he had met his only friends, he seemed to have endless topics to talk about.
From Shisui's words, Higashino Makoto caught an important piece of information.
Last June, the head of their clan, Uchiha Fugaku, had welcomed a precious son, who was named Itachi.
In his previous life, the chronology of the Naruto world was actually a complete mess. There were at least three different timelines, each with its own source. After arriving in this world, Higashino Makoto had also discovered that although everyone knew how many years it had been since Konohagakure was founded, and would casually talk about what happened in Konohagakure in a certain year, there was no legally defined Konohagakure calendar. Each country—especially the Five Great Nations—had its own distinct cultural festivals and official calendrical systems.
However, above all of that, the entire world did in fact share a universally recognized standard chronology, known as Ninja Era Year XXX.
Because the history of the shinobi world was severely fragmented, almost no one now knew where this Ninja Era originated.
Higashino Makoto speculated that it should be counted from the time the Sage of Six Paths established Ninshū.
Unfortunately, the people of the shinobi world now all believed that the Sage of Six Paths was merely a legend—a figure belonging to mythology. Whether he had ever truly existed was something no one could provide conclusive evidence for.
Before the end of the Third Shinobi World War, the ages of many famous ninja were also extremely vague and highly controversial. But at least one person's age was certain—that was Uchiha Itachi.
During the Nine-Tails incident, his age was five years old.
From this point alone, Higashino Makoto was able to infer many things.
For example, the high-intensity phase of this great war likely lasted only about three to four years. After that, it would gradually subside. Following the Nine-Tails incident in Konohagakure, there would be a rebound: friction between Konohagakure and Kumogakure would intensify, Kirigakure would continuously make small moves in the east, but in the end it would not once again evolve into a full-scale shinobi world war.
For example, he had originally been five years older than Itachi. Itachi would be five years older than the future Nine Rookies, which meant that Higashino Makoto was ten years older than those people.
Many similar things could still be inferred, but Higashino Makoto did not actually care very much about them.
What he needed to do now was to continue becoming stronger and survive this war.
His goal had never changed—to live a wonderful life. Training to become stronger was the guarantee of that goal. As for changing the world or anything like that, it depended on his mood, and also on how high he could ultimately stand.
...
The physical fitness test was still ongoing. The originally chaotic formation, after running more than ten laps, was stretched into a long line due to the individual differences among the students, winding around the academy's training grounds like a snake.
Those like Higashino Makoto, Yugao, and Shisui were running at the very front and were always completely at ease. Some people behind tried to overtake them, but found that the distance between them remained constant. Whenever they accelerated, the three at the front seemed to notice immediately and accelerated as well.
Although Uzuki Yugao was somewhat strained, in order to be in the same class as Higashino Makoto and Shisui, she clenched her teeth and forced herself to persist.
Most of those behind were children from large and small clans. Many could be identified from their clothing and certain characteristics on their bodies. As for those without distinctive features, they might be descendants of shinobi clans, or they might be civilian ninja who had received training from their families in advance—similar to Higashino Makoto.
Those who had not received prior training, and who had not even refined chakra, all fell to the very back. Some were already panting heavily and could no longer hold on.
Gradually, the entire group was pulled into three segments: a small cluster at the front, a small cluster at the back, and a large mass in the middle.
The efficiency with which ninja handled affairs was very high. Not long after the physical fitness test ended, the class assignment lists were posted on the bulletin board.
The facts proved that Higashino Makoto's guess had been correct. His name and Uzuki Yugao's name appeared in the same class, along with Uchiha Shisui, on the very first list.
Put more plainly, this was an elite class.
Aside from that, he also saw two somewhat familiar names in this class—Hyūga Tokuma and Aburame Muta. He had some impression of these two.
As for the others, even if their surnames were thunderously famous, he truly could not recognize the people themselves.
However, while quickly skimming the other class assignment lists, he saw an extremely familiar name in one of the classes toward the back. This person would, in the future, change—or even save—the shinobi world.
There was a sentence that could summarize him very well: every ninja in the entire shinobi world would have to kowtow to him once.
He was Umino Iruka.
So it turned out that he was also the same age as Higashino Makoto.
Mentioning him made Higashino Makoto think of another person—Mizuki. However, that fellow was actually two years older than Iruka and had not yet graduated.
After the class lists were posted, those children who saw their names on them cheered with joy, but there were also some who stood outside the crowd, faces full of sadness. Quite a few even broke down crying.
Their parents comforted them at the side.
These were the students who had been eliminated. They were children whose basic knowledge was insufficient and whose physical fitness test results were also poor. Not everyone could become a ninja.
Even if they were allowed to enroll, it was uncertain whether they could graduate after six years. And even if they did graduate, they would only be existences barely capable of using chakra. Intervening in battles between ninja would have no meaning other than offering themselves up as targets.
Very soon, the children who had successfully enrolled lined up on the training grounds, while the parents stood behind the formation.
At the front, a simple podium had already been set up. Before long, the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, arrived wearing his signature Hokage attire and began the routine speech.
As everyone knew, the Third Hokage's height was somewhat regrettable. Without setting up a platform for him to stand on, it would detract from the old man's dignity.
The speech itself did not last long. This was the shinobi world, not some bureaucratic conference.
The content was also the customary Will of Fire.
Below the stage, Higashino Makoto listened with a completely expressionless face. On his left, Uzuki Yugao looked somewhat confused. On his right, Uchiha Shisui wore an excited expression, as if he had heard life principles that would guide his direction.
When the speech ended and everyone applauded together, Shisui asked curiously, "Makoto, if it were you, you should be able to deeply understand the meaning Hokage-sama was conveying, right? Don't you have any thoughts?"
"Thoughts?" Higashino Makoto turned to look at him. "My thought is to let the kunai fly for a few more years."
Uchiha Shisui, Uzuki Yugao: "???"
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