Chapter 26
Konoha, Year 57—April.
Cherry blossoms were in full, brilliant bloom across the village.
The Ninja Academy welcomed its newest batch of students for the entrance ceremony.
On the training field, dozens of children of appropriate age stood in neat formation, lined up by height.
The air buzzed with voices. The atmosphere of the ceremony was thick with youthful tension and anticipation.
Most of the kids stood red-faced with excitement, chattering nonstop.
Behind the student formation stood the parents.
Civilian parents cheered their children on enthusiastically, while clan parents mostly maintained reserved, dignified expressions.
Uchiha Fugaku had changed out of his Military Police captain uniform into formal traditional robes. He stood with arms crossed in an inconspicuous spot among the parents. Beside him, Uchiha Mikoto smiled softly.
Not far away stood Hyūga Hiashi, head of the Hyūga clan.
The two clan leaders did not exchange greetings. Instead, both their gazes—subtle and indirect—drifted toward the same spot in the new-student lineup.
There stood a blond boy wearing an orange-style short-sleeved vest.
Unlike the other children—who kept turning their heads, scratching and fidgeting as they looked toward their parents—
Naruto Uzumaki had no parents attending.
But he didn't feel lonely.
He turned toward the parents' section.
The red-robed, fox-eared figure that he saw every day stood prominently in the front row. Even if no one else could see him, it still felt like participation.
Naruto refocused. He reminded himself to stay calm and composed. Hands naturally at his sides, eyes half-closed—as though the surrounding noise no longer concerned him.
"Inhale… exhale…"
He silently recited the breathing formula Xuanming had taught him.
"If the heart is as clear as ice, even heaven's collapse brings no alarm… A crowded place like this is the ultimate test of heart cultivation. Try to pick out the sound of wind through the leaves amid all the human voices."
Naruto quietly set himself a small goal—to divert his attention.
He was excited about starting school, of course—but years of cultivation had taught him how to restrain his emotions.
Gradually, he slipped into a state resembling standing meditation.
To ordinary parents, the sight looked strange.
"Hey, look at that demon-fox kid…"
"What's he doing? Sleeping standing up?"
"Hmph. Sure enough, he's a freak—even at a formal occasion he's acting like that."
"How can someone like that be in the same class as my child…"
But to those who knew better, it was entirely different.
Uchiha Fugaku watched Naruto's motionless posture and steady, deep breathing. A trace of admiration flickered in his eyes.
"His temperament is truly steady. Over these three years, he has consistently shown a calmness that doesn't belong to a child."
Hyūga Hiashi gave a slight nod of agreement.
The parents' whispers soon faded. After all, their hostility toward Naruto stemmed from his identity as the demon fox.
But over so many years, Naruto had never provoked them or pulled pranks to deepen their dislike.
Rumors that old naturally soften over time. A little more understanding had begun to appear.
When Naruto finally calmed his mind and opened his eyes, the Third Hokage—Hiruzen Sarutobi—had already stepped to the front of the crowd.
The entire field naturally fell silent, waiting for the Hokage to begin the entrance ceremony.
Hiruzen cleared his throat and delivered the same speech he gave every year.
"Today we welcome a new group of students. Congratulations on your enrollment. In the future, you will learn here what courage, perseverance, and responsibility truly mean…"
"From now on, pursue your own ninja way with all your effort…"
"At the same time, always remember the Will of Fire. As long as leaves dance in the wind, the fire will burn. The shadow of the flame will illuminate the village and nurture new leaves to sprout…"
The Hokage spoke with deep emotion.
Half an hour passed.
Then an hour.
At first the children listened attentively. Later they began nodding off.
Even the usually serious and prideful Sasuke had shifted positions several times, brows furrowed in impatience.
Only Naruto remained in the exact same posture—quietly listening to Grandpa Third from beginning to end, without so much as a sway.
Hiruzen watched all the children's reactions from the stage. When he saw that Uzumaki Naruto had listened attentively the entire time, the tension in his brow finally eased.
At last—when the children were on the verge of tears from boredom—Hiruzen concluded his speech.
"…That is all I wish to teach you."
"Now, students, please refer to the class roster and proceed to your assigned classrooms and homeroom teachers."
On the academy bulletin board at the entrance,
the class assignments were already posted.
Familiar names—Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura, Hyūga Hinata, Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Chōji, Inuzuka Kiba…
All appeared in the same row as Uzumaki Naruto.
No surprise—there was no randomness. The class lists had been carefully arranged behind the scenes by the higher-ups.
Children of the major clans were almost always placed in the same class—Year 1, Class A.
In truth, ninja clans were not required to send their children to the academy to become ninja.
Clans had the right to train their own members internally, passing down secret taijutsu, genjutsu, and ninjutsu.
Many clan children surpassed genin level purely through family instruction and could be directly recommended by their clan for the Chūnin Exams.
After all, clan secret techniques were not taught at the academy. The academy was primarily the path for civilian children to become ninja.
But because the academy had been personally founded by the Second Hokage,
and every subsequent Hokage (except the First) had close ties to it, the purpose was clear: to prevent the ninja clans from operating as independent factions like in the Warring States era. Clan children needed exposure to other ninja from the village.
So most clans sent at least some children to the academy.
After dismissal, most students rushed to find their parents and families.
Uzumaki Naruto said quick goodbyes to Hinata and Sasuke, then headed straight to his assigned classroom.
He was the first student to arrive.
He casually chose a seat in the middle row by the window, flopped forward onto the desk, and prepared to rest his mind.
Grandpa Third's speech had finally ended—but honestly, listening to it felt like not listening at all. His head still felt swollen.
Not long after, the classroom door slid open.
A chūnin wearing a forehead protector with a scar across his nose entered, holding an attendance roster.
It was Umino Iruka.
He hadn't expected anyone to be in the classroom already. Curious, he looked over—wanting to see which student had arrived first.
He had already reviewed the background information on every student.
Naruto heard the door and opened his eyes. Their gazes met.
The air suddenly froze.
In that instant, the smile that had begun to form on Iruka's face stiffened.
—The Nine-Tailed Demon Fox.
The monster who had killed his parents.
That night of blazing fire and disaster flooded back uncontrollably.
The countless nightmares over the years, the emotions he had suppressed—all surged into his eyes.
Hatred. Fear. Disgust. Rejection. Incomprehension…
This class was a personal assignment from the Third Hokage. He had been informed in advance that Uzumaki Naruto would be in his class and asked whether he would accept.
Reason told him the child was innocent—though the resistance in his heart remained.
In the end, he didn't know why—perhaps out of gratitude for the Third's trust—he had accepted the role of homeroom teacher.
"Hm?"
Naruto—sharp in perception—noticed the complex look in Iruka's eyes.
He lifted his head. Those clear blue eyes met Iruka's gaze directly.
There was no provocation, no hostility—just a calm, transparent stillness, as though he could see straight through everything.
Iruka's heart jolted.
This child's eyes… why are they so… clean?
Isn't the evil Nine-Tailed Demon Fox sealed inside him?
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