Yuji graduated from the Ninja Academy entrance Examination as the highest-ranked student in the entire class.
At this point, he no longer cared whether he stood out or blended into the crowd. Yesterday’s System mission had rewarded him generously simply because he treated every stage of the entrance exam with complete seriousness.
The rewards had been far beyond his expectations.
His Two-Tomoe Sharingan had grown noticeably stronger, and his chakra control had become even more refined. That enhancement was a direct reward from the System after he successfully cleared the final trial.
If things continued like this, then standing at the top was clearly far more profitable than trying to stay unnoticed.
Early that morning, Yuji finished getting ready for his very first day at the Ninja Academy.
His uniform was neat, his forehead protector had yet to be awarded, and his small backpack carried only the essentials. After making sure everything was in place, he silently checked the class assignment posted yesterday.
Class 1-A.
The Academy’s elite class.
Only the highest-scoring students and children from Konoha’s most prestigious clans were placed there.
Just before leaving the house, Yuji habitually opened the System interface floating before his eyes.
[Daily Mission 1]
Become close friends with one person on your first day.
Reward: +0.5 Chakra
[Daily Mission 2]
Receive attention from girls on your first day.
Reward: Chakra Points will be granted based on the amount of attention the Host receives.
[Daily Mission 3]
Defeat one important character.
Reward: Lightning Body Technique evolves into Basic Lightning Release Chakra Mode (A-Rank).
Yuji’s gaze immediately stopped at the third mission.
"..."
The reward was absurdly tempting. The Basic Lightning Release Chakra Mode was the very foundation of the Raikage’s famous Lightning Armor. Even in its beginner form, it completely surpassed the crude Lightning Body Technique he had been using until now.
Its increase in speed, durability, and reaction time would all reach an entirely different level.
The corners of Yuji’s lips slowly curled upward."Looks like today’s target has already been decided."
After closing the System, he walked toward the front door. His father looked up from breakfast.
"First day already?"Yuji nodded. "I’ll be back this afternoon."
"Study hard."
"I will."
Before leaving, Yuji crouched in front of Sayaka and gently pinched both of her soft cheeks.
"I’m off."
Sayaka hugged her rabbit doll tightly and beamed."Good luck, Brother Yuji!"
Yuji smiled helplessly."Of course." He lightly patted her head.
"Take good care of my little bunny while I’m gone."
Sayaka puffed out her chest proudly. "I always do!"
Chuckling softly, Yuji stepped outside.
The streets of Konoha were already lively.
Parents walked alongside excited children wearing Academy uniforms, merchants had begun opening their shops, and the morning air carried the comforting smell of freshly baked bread.
As Yuji walked toward the Academy, he soon noticed a familiar figure.
Obito Uchiha.
Just as expected...Obito was helping yet another elderly woman cross the road.
"Careful, Grandma."
"Thank you, dear."
After safely escorting her across, Obito scratched his head in confusion.
"Grandma..."
"Why do you cross this road every single morning?"
The old woman laughed kindly. "I sleep at my son’s house over there." She pointed across the street.
"Every morning I cross back to open my little shop."
"Oh...I get it." Obito nodded seriously.
Then his expression became increasingly puzzled."...Wait ,if that’s true....why are there so many grandmas crossing in front of me every single day?"
It was one of Konoha’s greatest unsolved mysteries.
For reasons beyond human comprehension, elderly women seemed to materialize from thin air whenever Obito happened to be nearby.
Perhaps destiny had mistakenly assigned him as Konoha’s official crossing guard.
Yuji walked over with a grin."Morning, Obito."
Obito’s face immediately brightened.
"Yuji!"
Finally.
Someone to walk to school with.The two continued down the road together.
After several moments of silence, Yuji suddenly spoke.
"Hey."
"Wanna play Rock-Paper-Scissors?"
Obito blinked.
"...Sure?"
Yuji smiled.
"The loser gets punched in the head."
"...Excuse me?"
Obito stopped walking.He stared at Yuji with open suspicion. "Is this just an excuse for you to hit me?"
"If I lose, you get to punch me."
Yuji answered calmly before adding another sentence.
"And I’ll give you four hundred ryo."
Obito’s eyes instantly sparkled.
"...You should’ve started with that."
As expected...
Money solved at least ninety percent of suspicious situations.
The two faced each other while continuing to walk.
"Ready?"
"Ready."
"Rock!"
Both threw out their hands.
Obito chose Rock.
Yuji revealed Paper.
Obito narrowed his eyes.
"...Hold on."
"I swear your hand changed halfway through."
BONK!!
"AAGHH!!"
Yuji’s fist landed perfectly on top of Obito’s head before the poor boy could finish complaining.
Obito immediately clutched his head while crouching on the ground.
"My skull!!"
"My beautiful skull!!"
At the same moment—
[Mission Complete!]
You have defeated an important character.
Reward Obtained!
Lightning Body Technique has evolved into
Basic Lightning Release Chakra Mode (A-Rank).
Further training is required to unlock its full potential.
Yuji quietly smiled.
Mission accomplished.
He still kept his promise, handing Obito four hundred ryo.
Obito instantly forgot about the pain.
"...Worth it."
He happily counted the money.
Yuji couldn’t help laughing inwardly.
How often did someone get the opportunity to bonk the future Fake Madara... and have him thank you afterward?
Konoha Ninja Academy
The Academy grounds buzzed with excitement as countless new students gathered in front of the main building.
An instructor shouted loudly.
"Class 1-A!"
"Form a line on the left!"
"And don’t switch lines halfway through!"
"You might accidentally switch grades too!"
The children hurried into formation.
Yuji quietly took his place.
Standing beside him was a blonde girl wearing round glasses.
Her long hair was tied neatly behind her head, and she held a theory notebook so thick that it looked capable of knocking someone unconscious.
Her name was Hana Sato.
Although she came from a civilian family rather than a ninja clan, her family owned one of Konoha’s wealthiest trading companies.
She had ranked second overall in yesterday’s entrance examination.
Rumor even claimed that during the endurance test...
...she somehow managed to read a strategy book while running fifty laps.
She only tripped once.
A remarkable improvement, apparently.
She glanced toward Yuji.
"Good morning."
Her voice was calm and composed.
The moment their eyes met...
Her cheeks gradually turned pink.
She quickly adjusted her glasses.
"My name is Hana Sato."
"I don’t usually enjoy unnecessary conversations..."
"...but I’d like to become your friend."
Yuji smiled politely.
"I’m Uchiha Yuji."
"Nice to meet you too."
Ding!
[Daily Mission 1 Completed!]
Reward: +0.5 Chakra
Yuji blinked.
...That was it?
Making friends was surprisingly simple.
Either the System had incredibly low standards...
...or he was much easier to approach than he had imagined.
The school bell echoed throughout the Academy.
Students entered the large lecture hall before taking their seats in orderly rows.
Moments later...
The Third Hokage walked onto the stage.
His white Hokage robe fluttered gently as he raised one hand.
"My children..."
"Welcome..."
"...to the Konoha Ninja Academy."
"This is where your journey as shinobi truly begins."
"This is where you will learn the meaning..."
"...of the Will of Fire."
Yuji leaned slightly toward Hana.
"I’ll bet you five ryo he mentions the Will of Fire."
Without even looking at him, Hana answered calmly.
"There’s a 99.8% probability."
"The remaining 0.2% exists only if he accidentally wore the wrong ceremonial robes and canceled today’s speech."
Yuji nearly burst out laughing.
The Hokage continued speaking.
"As long as both the young and the old continue protecting it..."
"...the flames of Konoha will never fade."
A student sitting in the front row raised his hand.
"Lord Hokage!"
"Yes?"
"What happens if the fire goes out?"
The Third Hokage smiled kindly.
"Then..."
"...we light it once more."
The boy nodded seriously.
"Oh."
"So we have backup matches."
"What a relief."
Hana quietly whispered,
"...Matches were not listed in today’s curriculum."
Yuji immediately bit his lip to stop himself from laughing out loud.
When he glanced sideways...
Hana was pretending to take notes.
Her ears, however, had already turned completely red.
After the ceremony ended, a young instructor stepped onto the stage.
"My name is Kishomoto."
"I’ll be your homeroom teacher."
He looked...
...only slightly older than the students.
"And perhaps only slightly more confident."
He cleared his throat.
"The rules are simple."
"Be disciplined."
"Respect your classmates."
"And please..."
"...don’t blow up the training desks."
One student immediately raised his hand.
"Sensei..."
"Can the desks explode?"
Kishomoto fell silent for several seconds.
"...Starting today..."
"...hopefully not."
The entire classroom laughed.
The self-introductions soon began.
One student after another walked to the front.
Finally—
"Uchiha Yuji."
The instant Yuji stood up...
Nearly half the girls in the classroom instinctively turned toward him.
[System Notice]
Mass female attention detected.
Calculating Chakra Points...
Yuji slowly looked up at the ceiling.
Mission Two...
...had officially begun.
"My name is Uchiha Yuji."
"Nice to meet everyone."
That was all.
Two seconds later—
"He’s so cool..."
"He’s handsome..."
"He barely talked..."
"...which somehow makes him even cooler."
[Additional Attention Detected.]
Yuji silently accepted the System notifications.
Sometimes...
Doing absolutely nothing was surprisingly effective.
Next came Hana.
She walked to the front with obvious stiffness.
The instant her eyes accidentally met Yuji’s—
She coughed.
"My name is Hana Sato."
"My theory score was one hundred."
"My physical score was ninety-eight..."
"...because I paused for two seconds to record my opponents’ breathing patterns."
"I enjoy reading."
"My goal..."
"...is to become an elite shinobi."
Kishomoto blinked.
"...That’s certainly one way to use those two seconds."
The classroom chuckled softly.
Hana quietly returned to her seat, hiding behind her oversized notebook once again.
The morning lesson covered the fundamentals of chakra and chakra control.
Yuji listened attentively.
Although...
His father had taught him nearly everything years ago.
Beside him, Hana suddenly spoke in a low voice.
"I remember your chakra affinity results."
"Sixty percent Lightning."
"Forty percent Fire."
"The balance isn’t ideal."
"You’ll need specialized training."
Yuji smiled.
"Thanks for the free analysis."
His attention wandered around the classroom.
He noticed children from many famous clans.
Uchiha.
Hyuga.
Aburame.
Sarutobi.
And several others.
Yet...
None of their faces matched anyone he remembered from the original Naruto story.
Did they all...
...die during the Third Shinobi World War?
Yuji unconsciously frowned.
Beside him, Hana simply nodded before returning to her notes.
Her cheeks were faintly pink once again.
Lunch break finally arrived.
The classroom emptied in an instant as students flooded toward the courtyard.
Yuji escaped beneath the shade of a large tree, hoping to enjoy a quiet lunch alone.
Unfortunately...
Peace apparently wasn’t part of today’s schedule.
Three girls approached while carrying neatly prepared lunch boxes.
"Yuji-kun!"
"Would you like to try my homemade dango?"
Another girl quickly stepped forward.
"I made rabbit-shaped onigiri!"
A third girl timidly offered him a bottle of water.
"And..."
"...here’s some water."
"You might get dehydrated..."
"...from being too handsome."