Sei stood at the school gate, watching the orange figure in the distance yelling at Hokage Rock.
A playful smirk naturally tugged at the corner of his lips.
That was Naruto Uzumaki, currently being shooed away by a few villagers with disgusted looks, yet still grinning open-mouthed without a care in the world.
“Sei!
Morning!” A cheerful voice called out from behind.
Sei turned around to see Ino Yamanaka jogging over.
Her signature long, silky blonde hair, cascading like a waterfall, gleamed under the sunlight, tied neatly into a high ponytail that bounced playfully with her steps.
“Morning, Ino,” Sei replied politely, his gaze lingering for a moment on her iconic blonde hair.
Among this year’s batch of students, the Yamanaka Clan’s blonde hair was indeed highly recognizable.
“Phew…
I barely made it.” Ino stopped in front of Sei, panting slightly.
Because she had run so fast, her fair cheeks carried a delicate pink flush.
“My dad even praised you when he got home yesterday.
He said you’re a very polite genius.
We agreed to walk to class together today, so why didn’t you wait for me?” “Uh, sorry, I forgot,” Sei scratched his head awkwardly.
“Let’s go, we’re almost late!
We have a practical combat class today, and everyone is talking about your kick from yesterday.” As the two walked into the classroom side-by-side, the originally noisy room fell into a bizarre silence.
Everyone wondered why they were arriving together, especially a certain pink-haired girl with a wide forehead.
Sasuke sat by the window, arms folded behind his head, looking cold and aloof.
However, his eyes, locked onto Sei, betrayed the inner turmoil he was feeling.
On the other side, Naruto was crouching on his desk, scowling as he sized up this newcomer who was “stealing all the girls’ attention.” “Hey!
Are you the guy who kicked Sasuke flying?” Naruto suddenly leaped right in front of Sei, pointing a finger at his nose.
“My name is Naruto Uzumaki, the man who will become Hokage!
Don’t think you can walk all over this place just because you’re good-looking!
I’ll defeat you sooner or later!” Looking at the energetic boy before him, Sei could feel the vast but chaotic Chakra swirling inside him like an abyss.
He couldn’t help but sigh inwardly: *Except for his whiskers and personality, he is the spitting image of Minato Namikaze.
Are they blind?
With such a massive reserve of Chakra, leaving it unguided is practically begging for scraps while sitting on a gold mine.* “The Hokage, huh?
That’s an ambitious goal.” Sei reached out and patted Naruto’s shoulder gently.
A trace of extremely subtle and gentle medical Chakra flowed through his palm, soothing Naruto’s meridian pathways, which had been slightly disrupted by his agitation.
Naruto, who had still been shouting, suddenly froze.
He felt an unprecedented coolness wash over his entire body.
The chronic anxiety and frustration built up from the villagers’ cold shoulders miraculously settled down.
“Did you rush out the door too fast, Naruto?
You have breadcrumbs on your collar.” Sei smiled, tidying the boy’s collar.
His tone was as warm as an older brother’s.
“Keep working hard, future Lord Hokage.” Naruto’s face flushed red.
He scratched the back of his head and let out a goofy, embarrassed chuckle.
“Ah…
well, you’re actually not a bad guy!” “Alright, everyone line up!
Head to the training field!” Iruka pushed the door open, breaking the subtle atmosphere.
On the training field, the atmosphere became exceptionally tense due to Sei’s presence.
“Today’s training will cover basic Taijutsu and practical sparring,” Iruka said, opening his ledger.
“First match: Sasuke Uchiha versus…
Sei!” The announcement caused an immediate stir.
Yesterday had been a private duel, but today was an official assessment under the watchful eyes of the entire class.
Sasuke took a deep breath and slowly walked to the center of the field.
Today, he had specially changed into tight-fitting training gear that was easier to move in.
His eyes were sharp, looking as if they could kill.
Meanwhile, Sei still had a lazy demeanor, his black hair fluttering in the wind, hands shoved deep in his pockets.
“Sei, I won’t be careless today,” Sasuke spat through gritted teeth, his hands blurring into a rapid sequence of hand signs.
“Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!” A massive fireball roared forward, the scorching heat wave forcing the surrounding students to retreat.
Iruka gasped, about to step in to intervene—this was clearly far beyond the scope of a student spar.
Yet, Sei didn’t even budge.
The moment the flames were about to consume him, a *poof* of white smoke erupted.
The fire burned a solid wooden log, while Sei materialized under a tree not far behind Sasuke.
Sei pressed his index and middle fingers together, resting them precisely against the back of Sasuke’s head.
“Sasuke, on a real battlefield, if you fail to hit your target with a high-consumption Ninjutsu like that, you’re already dead,” Sei’s voice rang softly in Sasuke’s ear, carrying an undeniable note of authority.
Sasuke froze, cold sweat trickling down his temple.
He hadn’t even seen how Sei got behind him!
“That was close, my clothes almost got singed.
You’re really amazing, Sasuke.” Sei withdrew his hand, instantly reverting back to his bright, harmless self.
“Iruka-sensei, I’d like to request a break.
My heart is beating so fast after dodging that fireball.
I need to go to the infirmary for observation.” The entire class stared with deadpan expressions.
*Sasuke didn’t even touch a hair on your head, and now you’re telling us your heart is beating too fast?* Iruka’s mouth twitched, and he waved his hand, dismissing Sei.
Watching Sei’s departing figure, a wave of shock washed over him.
*This kid’s mastery over Chakra is already beyond that of an ordinary Chunin.
What kind of problem student did Lord Hokage dump on me?* Sei walked out of the training field.
Once he was sure no one was around, he bit his finger behind a large tree.
“Summoning Jutsu.” A tiny Katsuyu materialized once more.
Through shared vision, Sei could see Tsunade, who was far away in a tavern near the border.
“Master, the teaching quality in Konoha is really sub-par.
I almost couldn’t resist using my monstrous strength to beat the Uchiha orphan to death just now,” Sei grumbled, rubbing his slightly sore ankle.
“Be patient, you brat!” Tsunade’s voice crackled through Katsuyu, accompanied by the noisy clatter of rolling dice in the background.
“The old man Third Hokage is keeping an eye on you.
Remember, you went there to study, not to wipe out clans.
I thought it was something important.
Don’t bother me with such trivial matters in the future.
Don’t ruin my game.
Go cool off somewhere else!” Sei looked at Katsuyu, who was mimicking Tsunade’s annoyed expression, and sighed.
“Thanks for your hard work, Lady Katsuyu.” “It’s quite alright.
Lady Tsunade is just like that.
If there’s nothing else, I shall take my leave.” Katsuyu voluntarily released the Summoning Jutsu and disappeared.
Sei sat on a bench in the distance, bored out of his mind watching the kids play-fight.
He watched as Naruto, eager to prove himself after seeing Sei defeat Sasuke so easily, rushed into combat only to be knocked out in three moves.
The others found opponents of similar strength and sparred gently.
However, there was an exception: a boy with pineapple-like hair was sleeping on a bench across from him.