When he left the office, Sora's back was damp with cold sweat.
Although he was mentally almost thirty years old, he could not guarantee he could deceive the ninja of this world, especially the sharp-eyed Third Hokage.
Fortunately, whether it was his identity as someone brought back by the Anbu or his age on display, people like the Third did not pay attention to Sora's minor behaviors.
In the end, Sora was just a model the Third used to promote the "Will of Fire."
Returning to the playground, everyone else had already left. Kurenai stood in a small corner and, seeing Sora come out, hurried over with small running steps. "What did the Hokage say to you?"
"Just things like encouraging me to study hard." Sora shrugged.
"Really? Sora, you're so amazing!" Kurenai happily clapped her hands.
Looking at Kurenai's joyful demeanor, Sora thought to himself, 'This girl is much easier to handle than the Third...'
Sora and Kurenai walked side by side out of the school gate. Nonō and Kurenai's mother were waiting at the entrance.
"How was it?" Nonō asked.
"It was okay. I can officially enroll tomorrow." Sora replied.
Kurenai's mother smiled. "Kurenai, were you happy today?"
Kurenai nodded vigorously. "Yes! Sora and I are in the same class. We can go to school together from now on!"
Nonō looked at the sky. "It's getting late. Let's go back."
After saying goodbye to Kurenai and her mother, Sora and Nonō walked back with the children from the orphanage.
Among the other three from the orphanage, only a girl named Uesugi Rin passed the entrance test. The other two currently wore expressions similar to Might Guy's.
Sora didn't know how to comfort them. Actually, there were pros and cons to entering the ninja academy. For civilians without bloodline limits or ninjutsu talent, becoming a ninja meant they could at most strive to become a Chunin. Civilian geniuses like the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, were after all rare.
And when the Great Ninja Wars erupted later, most of these civilian ninja would become cannon fodder. Perhaps staying an ordinary person was a better way to live.
...
Ding ling ling.
A crisp class bell rang in the ninja academy. Sora stood at the door of First Year, Class B, took a deep breath, and pushed the door open.
Many children were already seated in the classroom, and noisy sounds rose and fell.
Sora glanced around. There were about thirty people. Yūhi Kurenai was among them. As for the others, Sora didn't recognize any of them, only feeling the child behind Kurenai somewhat resembled Asuma.
"Sora! Over here!" Yūhi Kurenai, seated by the window, waved at him. There happened to be an empty seat next to her, obviously saved specifically for him.
Sora walked over and sat down, smiling. "You came quite early."
Kurenai's cheeks turned slightly red. "Because I wanted to sit with you..."
'This girl is quite straightforward.'
Looking at the blushing Kurenai and thinking of the early Hinata from the original story, Sora smiled and shook his head.
As he was thinking, the classroom door was pushed open. The Chunin teacher from yesterday, Yamada, walked in. He clapped his hands, and the classroom instantly quieted down.
"I am Yamada Kenichi, your homeroom teacher." He looked around the room, his voice loud and clear. "Starting today, you are Konoha's trainee ninja!"
Clap clap clap!
Cheers and applause erupted from below the podium.
Teacher Yamada smiled. "First, let's do self introductions. Tell everyone your name and your dream."
"Starting from the first row on the left!"
The first to stand up was a bespectacled boy in the front row. He adjusted his glasses and said very seriously, "My name is Morita Rinichi. My dream is to become a great ninja like the Third Hokage!"
'Another one brainwashed by the Will of Fire...' Sora felt speechless.
Immediately after, a chubby boy with a round head sprang up. "My name is Kotetsu Hagane! My dream is to join the Military Police Force like my father, guard the village entrance every day, and smash anyone who causes trouble with a hammer!"
As he spoke, he mimed swinging a hammer, almost hitting the desk, causing the whole class to burst into laughter.
Sora raised an eyebrow.
'Kotetsu Hagane? One of Konoha's two gate guardians later! Well, this dream certainly came true.'
As soon as Kotetsu Hagane sat down, a tall, thin boy next to him immediately stood up.
"Kamizuki Izumo. My dream? Of course to join the Interrogation Unit, dig out all the secrets of those bad guys, and let them know the price of staying tight lipped!"
'Both gate guardians are here. This edgy aura, the man who can form a duo with Kotetsu Hagane in the future.'
Sora internally thought, then glanced at Kurenai and found she was covering her mouth, trying not to laugh.
When it was Yūhi Kurenai's turn, the little girl stood up, her face red. "My name is Yūhi Kurenai... My dream is to learn powerful genjutsu and protect the people I want to protect."
"Go Kurenai!" Sora led the applause, only stopping when Kurenai shot him a glare.
At that moment, the sound of a chair scraping against the floor suddenly came from the back row.
A boy with a spiky hairstyle and a blade of grass in his mouth stood up lazily. He was the child Sora thought resembled Sarutobi Asuma.
"Sarutobi Asuma. My dream? Of course to beat up those self important guys, especially... certain old men."
The whole class instantly fell silent. Even Teacher Yamada was stunned for a moment. Sora was inwardly amused.
'It really is Asuma, daring to diss even his own father, the Third.'
Finally, it was Sora's turn. He stood up and said plainly, "Sora. My dream is to become stronger and protect important people."
Concise and clear, without grand declarations, but Teacher Yamada took an extra look at him, seemingly satisfied with his answer.
After the self introductions ended, Teacher Yamada began explaining the course schedule.
"Mornings are for academic classes, including ninja world history and tactical theory. Afternoons are for practical training, rotating between taijutsu, ninjutsu, and shurikenjutsu."
"Also, there will be a practical assessment every month. Those with excellent results can apply for early graduation."
Hearing the words "early graduation," Sora's eyes lit up. "This is an opportunity."
Actually, the academic classes at the ninja academy weren't very meaningful for Sora. Nonō could teach him those. The afternoon practical training couldn't reach his daily training limits either. Only shuriken throwing and basic taijutsu were somewhat useful, but their effect was limited.
The truly core clan secret techniques or high level taijutsu, like the Uchiha clan's shuriken throwing techniques or Might Guy's taijutsu, were not taught at the ninja academy. These were mostly clan inheritances or secretly learned techniques.
But in Konoha, civilians were different from clan ninja like the Uchiha or Hyūga. They could only become official Konoha ninja by graduating from the ninja academy.
Therefore, Sora naturally hoped to graduate early and obtain ninja status. That way, whether it was starting missions earlier to accumulate practical experience, or having more time to focus on taijutsu training and developing the Azure Dragon Fruit, it would all be better than staying in school and following the set routine!