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***
"Yeah."
Itachi Uchiha nodded, although with his level he could have graduated two years ago.
But he had only attended the Ninja Academy for just over a month before falling into a coma for two whole years.
There has never been such a graduate in the history of Konoha's Ninja Academy.
When he returned to the Ninja Academy, he not only wanted to reclaim the experiences he had neglected and lost, but also to avoid attracting the attention of other Konoha high-ranking officials.
Although Minato Namikaze is different now as the Hokage than he was two years ago, less trouble is better, and Itachi himself is not in a hurry to graduate.
With his current level, even if he becomes a ninja, he will not be able to accomplish the things he expected.
Itachi no longer lacks experience as a ninja, so compared to the frequent missions he would need to carry out after becoming a ninja, he will have more time to practice at the Ninja Academy.
"However, when you return to school, you'll need to take a small test," Minato chuckled and said.
"You were in a coma for two years, and your classmates have already completed two years of courses. So you need to prove to the teachers and everyone else that you can keep up."
He glanced at Fugaku Uchiha and Mikoto Uchiha beside him and said, "But I believe that this shouldn't be a problem for you, a member of the Uchiha clan."
Within the Uchiha clan, any child who would become a ninja was expected to study far ahead of their peers.
Although Minato didn't know Itachi's strength two years ago, this simple test was no problem for him.
"I understand," Itachi replied.
"Is Itachi-nii really that powerful?"
Naruto Uzumaki exclaimed in front of Kushina Uzumaki.
"We've all had two more years of classes than him, so how can he still catch up?"
"Of course he is," Kushina ruffled Naruto's hair and smiled.
"Because before anyone else even entered the Ninja Academy, Itachi-nii had already undergone a lot of arduous training."
She looked at Minato and said, "Although Itachi's level is fine, you should at least give him some time to recover. He's only just been released from the hospital."
"Auntie Kushina, that's not necessary. I've almost recovered after these few days in the hospital," Itachi interrupted.
"Is that so?" Kushina nodded.
"Amazing!"
Naruto looked at Itachi with admiration.
At this moment, Sasuke Uchiha, who was sitting directly across from him, curled his lips and said, "What's the big deal? Brother is already very strong."
His eyes were filled with pride.
"You've clearly never seen Itachi-nii's strength, have you?" Naruto asked back.
He knew Sasuke was only less than three months older than him, and Itachi-nii had only just woken up.
"Thatā¦"
Sasuke couldn't find a reasonable explanation after being asked this question.
"Hehe."
Seeing his speechless expression, Naruto's face lit up with a smug smile.
"What are you laughing at!" Sasuke looked a little embarrassed and irritated, glaring at Naruto.
This was the first time he was stumped by a topic Naruto had raised.
"What a joke, you idiot!" Naruto continued to challenge.
They both clenched their fists, their eyes locked fiercely.
"Sasuke!" Mikoto reached out and grabbed Sasuke's arm.
"Naruto, you better behave yourself," Kushina directly held Naruto's head down.
Although she was smiling, she already had a gloomy look on her face as she glanced over.
Gurgle.
Seeing the sign of his mother's anger, Naruto swallowed and suddenly became quiet and obedient.
Fugaku and Minato beside him pretended not to notice.
"These two little bratsā¦" Itachi twitched his lips and smiled bitterly.
Although the fate of the Fourth Hokage's family has changed, the relationship between Naruto and Sasuke doesn't seem to have improved much.
Itachi was discharged from the hospital on Saturday, so he had to wait until Monday to return to the Ninja Academy.
Konoha's pursuit of Orochimaru is still ongoing, but it hasn't been very effective.
Early in the morning, Itachi put on a weighted sandbag like he did two years ago and jumped out of the house.
Although his physique has improved in the past two years, he hasn't done weight training during that time, so he needs time to get used to it at the beginning.
As expected, on the road of training, he met Izumi Uchiha, who was also training.
Izumi was very happy to learn from Itachi that he would return to the Ninja Academy tomorrow.
Monday morning.
At the appointed time with Itachi on Sunday, Izumi arrived at Itachi's door.
Itachi had already packed his belongings, and Mikoto and Sasuke escorted him out to the courtyard.
After Izumi, Mikoto, and Sasuke exchanged greetings, Itachi turned back to his mother and brother and said, "I'm going out!"
"Be careful!" Mikoto chuckled and waved at Itachi and Izumi.
They both nodded and headed to school.
"Nothing has changed at all," Itachi sighed wistfully as he gazed at the Ninja Academy gates.
He and Izumi walked into the school together.
Two years later, Itachi's class was no longer the freshman classroom on the first floor.
Led by Izumi, Itachi arrived at the door of the new classroom.
"Come in," Izumi said, stepping aside as they reached the closed door.
Itachi glanced at Izumi, who seemed a little uneasy, and then reached out to push the door open.
"Bang!"
The door opened with a thud.
To Itachi's left and right, students hidden behind doors and walls ripped colorful ribbons.
With his perceptiveness, Itachi had already spotted them.
When the sound rang out, he dodged the falling streamers with a slight leap forward.
After entering the classroom, Itachi turned and looked at the two students standing to the left and right of the main door.
"I told you, Itachi would definitely dodge." Izumi said, unsurprised, as he entered.
The girl, hiding behind the classroom door, had previously appeared excited but now seemed slightly frustrated.
As Izumi finished speaking, she stepped forward, naturally throwing her arms around his neck, and said, "Izumi, did you tell everyone about our plan beforehand?"
"No," Izumi said.
"For Itachi, dodging an 'attack' of this magnitude wouldn't be a problem."
The boy on the other side smiled and looked at Itachi.
Even after two years, Itachi still remembered every name in the class vividly.
The girl's name was Makino Oto, and the boy's was Ariki Kimura, who had sat in the row in front of Itachi and Izumi.
"Everyone, come out!"
Ariki shouted, and a dozen students hiding at the end of the hallway immediately came running out.
A dozen students rushed into the classroom at once, so Itachi took several steps back before everyone could stand.
Itachi was stunned, because it was still early for class.
But from the looks of it, he naturally understood the whole story.
The bottom of his dark pupils gradually flickered with emotion.
Izumi stood at the front of the group, surrounded by a dozen students. She smiled at Itachi.
Then everyone looked at each other, and at Itachi at the same time, and said in a voice that was not very consistent,
"Itachi, welcome back!"
...
"Thank you!" Itachi Uchiha said with some emotion.
In his previous life, he remained calm no matter how dangerous the situation.
But once again, he was moved by these children who were now his "peers."
No one is naturally aloof, and Itachi's previous indifference was forced upon him.
Itachi's personality was indeed more withdrawn and calm than the average person.
Yet, he was still deeply moved by the scene before him.
In reality, people don't necessarily have to be on equal terms to build friendships.
Perhaps the students before him were vastly different from Itachi in terms of thought and ability.
But companionship and friendship require only a sincere and warm heart.
That's all that's needed.
This is the most precious thing Itachi has gained since his rebirth.
"You're so polite. We're all classmates," Ariki Kimura said with a smile, stepping out of the crowd.
"Itachi, are you feeling better now? Is it okay to come to school so soon?"
"It's fine," Itachi replied, trying to smile.
At the Ninja Academy, he had the impression that, aside from Izumi Uchiha, he had difficulty getting along with the other students.
Initially, Itachi's ability to connect with Izumi stemmed from a sense of guilt.
So, when they saw Itachi smilingly respond to Ariki, they were stunned for a moment, then gathered around and began to ask about his current situation.
Despite the cacophony of voices, Itachi could hear them clearly and patiently answered each question.
Izumi stood quietly nearby, delighted by Itachi's transformation, a smile gradually spreading across her face.
Only half the class had arrived early to celebrate Itachi's return, so more students began to arrive.
The homeroom teacher, Junpei Kanhara, had also arrived early.
Seeing that Itachi was no longer seriously ill, he smiled with relief.
Since it was still early for class, Junpei Kanhara took Itachi to his office and handed him a test.
It was the one Izumi and the others had taken for their graduation the previous semester.
It was a test of Itachi's theoretical knowledge.
Five minutes later, Itachi finished the test.
Junpei Kanhara glanced at it with a hint of surprise, then began to review the papers.
Of course, Itachi had gotten full marks on a test of this level.
"As expected of an Uchiha," Junpei Kanhara could only sigh.
The first year of the Ninja Academy curriculum focused primarily on theoretical study, while the majority of the subsequent class time was devoted to practical exercises.
Today, Itachi's grade shared the training ground with students in the grade above them.
Itachi's assessment began after the other grade's training had completed.
Itachi walked into the slightly crowded training ground and casually threw several wooden shuriken in his right hand.
Clang!
The wooden shuriken all hit the center of the target, forming a circle.
Although Itachi had decided to hide his true strength in the Ninja Academy, he was still the son of the Uchiha clan leader.
Everyone in the training ground stared at the target in amazement.
"Hey, is this kid really in a coma for two years and just returned to the Ninja Academy today?" a senior student asked one of Itachi's classmates with a slightly surprised look on his face.
"Yeah, yeah," the boy, the same age as Itachi, nodded.
Most of the students in the class couldn't help but smile bitterly.
They had assumed that even if Itachi could keep up with their two years of training, he would at best be average in the class.
"Is this what they call a genius?"
Ariki Kimura muttered, looking at Izumi, who stood not far away with a nonchalant expression.
He then remembered what Izumi had said after their sparring match a few days ago.
And Itachi's next taijutsu sparring target was him.
He had thought he could have a good fight with Itachi now, but judging by the situation, it was just wishful thinking.
Junpei Kanhara, who was standing next to him, also looked at Itachi in astonishment, then at Ariki Kimura.
"Kimura-san," he began, but Ariki smiled bitterly and said, "Teacher Kanhara, looking at the situation, there is no need to continue the test."
"That won't do," Junpei Kanhara shook his head. The rules cannot be changed at will.
"I heard there's a girl named Uchiha Izumi in your class who's quite capable. Since that boy's already scared, let her take over," a senior boy said.
He quickly searched Itachi's class and spotted Izumi, whose clothing bore the Uchiha family crest.
His words instantly piqued the interest of many students.
They had never seen two freshmen, both from the Uchiha clan, sparring.
Even Ariki Kimura looked at the teacher with anticipation, saying, "If it's Izumi, then there shouldn't be any problem."
Junpei Kanhara frowned, then looked at Izumi.
Her frown clearly indicated she didn't want to fight Itachi. Junpei Kanhara was momentarily perplexed.
"Haha, Izumi won't fight because she's afraid the eldest son of the Uchiha clan will lose face?" a boy in Itachi's class suddenly said jokingly, looking at Itachi with envy.
With Izumi's talent and looks, it was only natural that many boys in the class were attracted to her.
When the boys saw the unusual relationship between Izumi and Itachi, some naturally became jealous.
He thought his words would embarrass Itachi, but little did he know that doing so would only make Izumi dislike him even more.
Of course, a child his age couldn't think things through completely.
But after hearing what he said, if Izumi still refused, even if it was unintentional, it would damage the reputation of the Uchiha clan and its leader.
Faced with such a child's provocation, Itachi naturally didn't care.
However, seeing that Ariki Kimura was hesitant to come forward, and all eyes were on Izumi, making her look a little embarrassed, Itachi looked at Izumi and chuckled, "Izumi, it's just a normal sparring match. Don't go against my words, it's okay."
"Yes," Izumi nodded, not wanting to disobey.
With a light tap of her toes, she landed in front of Itachi on the training ground.
Everyone in the training ground looked over, curious.
Izumi already had some fame within the Ninja Academy, and many dubbed her the "Uchiha Prodigy."
They wanted to see how the Uchiha clan leader's eldest son, who had entered the Ninja Academy with Izumi as first place two years prior, fared after losing two years' progress.
"Sparring, begin!" Junpei Kanhara announced.
Swish!
As soon as the words fell, Izumi, before the students' eyes, transformed into a dark shadow and swooped down towards Itachi.
....
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