April 1st—the Ninja Academy officially opened.
Yet even on such a day, Shin refused to break the routine he had kept for years. He rose early, completed his morning training, and only then prepared to leave.
Megumi had taken the day off. After Shin finished breakfast, she personally escorted him to the Academy.
The Academy training grounds were already packed. Adults and children crowded together, voices overlapping as friends reunited and parents exchanged greetings.
Most students came with one parent. Some stood alone—clearly orphans. Very few had both parents present.
It was wartime, after all. And this was Konoha, the military heart of the Land of Fire.
Megumi queued with her son to register, completed the paperwork, collected a numbered tag, and then stepped aside to chat with Uzuki Sakura.
"There are so many more kids than last year," Sakura murmured, surveying the sea of faces.
"Probably expanded enrollment because of the war," Megumi replied.
Sakura glanced at her daughter Yūgao, then at Shin. Her gaze softened, then drifted. "I hope this war ends soon. Otherwise… even they might be dragged onto the battlefield."
Megumi sighed quietly. "Perhaps that's simply a ninja's fate."
Uzuki Yuwa and Higashino Jiro were still assigned to the same unit. This time, they had been sent toward the Land of Grass—straight into Iwagakure's direction.
Inside the grounds, an instructor shouted instructions through a megaphone.
Yūgao—already taller than most her age and showing the first hints of future beauty—leaned over to peek at the numbered tag in Shin's hand.
"Hey, hey, Shin-nii, what number are you?"
Shin showed her the plate. "Looks like we're not in the same exam room."
"Hmph. Why do they have to split us up?"
"Relax," Shin said calmly. "Take it seriously. With your ability, we'll end up in the same class anyway."
Reassured, Yūgao dropped her puffed-cheek pout and smiled again.
The two left their mothers and headed toward different classrooms.
Enrollment began with a written test—broad but simple. It wasn't meant to be difficult, just a basic screening to help sort students by foundation.
Less than an hour later, the exams ended. Under their proctors' guidance, the children regrouped on the training field for timed running laps, while record-keepers logged results.
The Academy would average written scores and physical performance to assign classes.
After all, not everyone could be lumped together. Prior training varied wildly. Putting top students beside complete beginners would only stunt one side and crush the other.
For Shin and Yūgao, the run was effortless. Alongside Uchiha Shisui, the three led the pack, breathing evenly as they jogged—casually chatting as if this were a stroll.
Shisui spoke the most.
Not because he was talkative, but because since age five he had been confined almost entirely to clan training. With few chances to go out—and even fewer friends—he had plenty to say.
From his chatter, Shin picked up a key piece of news.
Last June, the Uchiha Clan Head, Fugaku, had welcomed a son. Itachi.
In Shin's previous life, the Naruto timeline had been a mess—at least three conflicting chronologies.
But after arriving here, he discovered something interesting: while everyone referenced "Konoha year X," the village had no unified legal calendar.
Each nation, especially the Five Great, used its own systems.
Above them all, however, existed a single widely accepted standard:
"Ninja Era XXX."
Almost no one knew when it began.
Shin guessed it started with the founding of ninjutsu by the Sage of Six Paths—though modern ninja largely regarded the Six Paths Sage as a myth.
Before the Third Ninja War ended, many famous shinobi had disputed ages.
Except one.
Uchiha Itachi.
During the Nine-Tails incident, Itachi had been five. That single fact let Shin deduce a great deal.
The war's most intense phase would last only three to four years before tapering off. After the Nine-Tails attack, tensions would flare again—skirmishes with Kumogakure, probing actions from the Hidden Mist—but the world would narrowly avoid a Fourth Great War.
Originally, Shin was five years older than Itachi.
And Itachi was five years older than the future so-called "Number One Hyperactive, Knucklehead Ninja."
Meaning Shin stood a full ten years ahead of that generation.
He could extrapolate much more, but he didn't care. What mattered now was growing stronger and surviving the war.
His goal had never changed: to live a brilliant life. Strength was merely insurance.
As for changing the world—he would decide later, depending on his mood and how high he could climb.
The physical test continued.
After more than a dozen laps, the once-chaotic group stretched into a long, winding line circling the training field.
Students like Shin, Uzuki Yūgao, and Uchiha Shisui remained firmly at the front, running with ease.
Those behind attempted to overtake them, only to find the distance unchanged. Whenever someone sped up, the trio instinctively accelerated as well.
Uzuki Yūgao struggled, teeth clenched but refused to fall behind—determined to stay in the same class as Shin and Shisui.
Further back were children from major and minor clans, identifiable by clothing and distinct traits.
The more nondescript ones were likely shinobi descendants or civilian ninja who had received early family training—like Shin himself.
Those with no prior training—some who hadn't even extracted Chakra—lagged far behind, already gasping, some unable to continue.
Gradually, the group split into three clear tiers: a small cluster at the front, a small cluster at the rear, and a large mass in between.
Efficiency defined ninja administration.
Not long after the physical test ended, the class rosters were posted on the notice board.
Just as Shin had expected, his name appeared at the very top of the first list—alongside Uzuki Yūgao and Uchiha Shisui.
An elite class.
He also spotted two vaguely familiar names: Hyūga Tokuma and Aburame Muta. He recognized them, though only faintly.
Scanning the other lists, however, his eyes paused on a name buried deep in one of the rear classes.
A name belonging to someone who would one day change—perhaps even save—the entire Ninja World.
There's a saying that fits perfectly: Every ninja alive will owe him a bow.
Umino Iruka.
To Shin's surprise, Iruka was the same age as him.
That reminded him of another name—Mizuki. But that man was two years older than Iruka and still hadn't graduated yet.
When the rosters went up, cheers erupted from those who found their names.
Others stood frozen, faces pale, some breaking into tears as parents rushed to comfort them.
These were the students who had been cut. Those weak in fundamentals and physical ability.
Not everyone could become a ninja.
Even among those admitted, many wouldn't graduate six years later. Barely able to manipulate Chakra, stepping into battle would only get them killed.
Soon, the accepted students lined up neatly on the training ground, parents standing behind them.
A simple platform had been erected at the front.
Moments later, the Third Hokage—Sarutobi Hiruzen—arrived in full Kage regalia and began the customary address.
As everyone knew, the Third Hokage's height was… regrettably modest. Without a platform, his dignity would have suffered.
The speech was brief. This was the Ninja World, not a bureaucratic assembly.
Its theme was the same as always: the Will of Fire.
Below the stage, Higashino Shin listened with a blank expression.
Uzuki Yūgao to his left looked confused, while Uchiha Shisui to his right appeared genuinely moved as if he had just heard a truth meant to guide his entire life.
When the applause faded, Shisui leaned over and asked curiously, "Shin, someone like you should understand what the Hokage meant. Don't you have any thoughts?"
"Thoughts?" Shin turned to him calmly. "My thought is simple."
"Let the kunai fly for a few more years."
Uchiha Shisui & Uzuki Yūgao: "???"