"Ryu-Sama, we're ready to go." Kimimaru said stoically. He and Haku were very close and seemed almost like brothers to me since they arrived. Maybe because they shared difficult lives, not that I cared. Young Kaguya wore an open yukata with a belt and short pants. No props as he could make his own ninja weapons from the bones. He had been healed thanks to becoming a shinkki and didn't need to worry about the consequences of recklessly using his bloodline. He was cute, but not the girly type like Haku. In other words Kimimaru was a handsome and virile man. Haku was more...feminine. Although his clothes are masculine, his face didn't help. Anyway he wore clothes similar to Kimimaru, but he was properly covering his childish body. He had no feminine curves, but his small body and flat clothes made an androgynous impression difficult to swallow... sometimes I imagined myself dying his soft lips at night... in a big bed and in the company of dozens of other beautiful ones women.
"Let's go. I'm ready. Where's Karin?"
"She's in her room trapped in a fuinjutsu project. I don't think we'll see her anytime soon." Haku replied smiling as usual.
"Well, she won't be able to go to the gym if she doesn't go today… Well, nothing to be missed in that case. Let's go."
And we went.
The ninja academy welcomed new students annually and had several classes, with class A being the one that would have jounin sensei in the future. This class was usually where clan members met and would be taught together. The others, where civilians studied, would supply the ranks of the genin corps (popularly called cannon fodder). A common practice. Of course, if there were talented civilians they would be added to the A class as well.
We arrived at the ninja academy with time off. I hadn't had breakfast. He had woken up late and didn't want to waste time, now he was hungry. Sigh. I grabbed a large piece of cake from my inventory and started eating while waiting for the tests to begin.
To enter the ninja academy, I, as a civilian, would need to pass aptitude tests. This meant that I would have my chakra activated by a sensei chuunin at the end when the written and physical tests were completed. Clan members usually already possessed their chakras from a young age and therefore did not pass these tests and would go straight to the privileged class.
In Haku and Kimimaru's case, they already had their chakra so I was the only one who would have my chakra awakened, but first I had to complete the tests.
The written test was in plain ridiculous words. Basic math operations, an essay on the will of fire, a quiz on my motivation to be a ninja, and so on.
The physical test was even easier for me, at least. Run a few laps on an obstacle course at a specific time. I passed easily.
Then came the chakra aptitude tests. This one was interesting. Most civilians did not have their chakra activated and doing this without the help of ninjas was frowned upon so only civilians who wanted to become ninja awakened their chakras. In my case, I could have my chakra unlocked independently, but that would be a stupid thing to do. I was a nobleman with no valid reason to know certain things. Haku and Kimimaru had assumed the identity of collateral members of the Satoru clan so it wasn't strange that they had chakra, but me? If I knew more than usual I could be labeled a spy from other villages and killed. Even if they found out in the future that this was not the case, my divine self could not resurrect... Well, I could, but I think I understood.
"So you still don't have chakra?" A ninja who was administering the tests asked. He was familiar. Pineapple-shaped hair... it would be a Nara... but he didn't have the typical calculating aura of a Nara, nor the lazy expression.
"I just trained physically since I was young... I had no use for chakra as I didn't have access to ninjutsu."
"I understand. My name is Umino Iruka and I went to guide the chakra through your body to unlock it, okay?"
Ah, so he was Iruka. The teacher of the main characters.
"Yes, Iruka-sensei, please take care of me. My name is Akashi Ryu." I responded with respect and modesty. I could see the man nod in approval before saying:
"Sit here." He pointed to a small mat in front of him and I proposed. As soon as I settled in, I felt the man's palm on my back. "I will guide my chakra through its channels until it is able to feel a similar energy within your body... when it happens try to pull the energy from the center of gravity into your chakra paths and let it spread through your body." The explanation wasn't bad and it didn't take me long to notice my own chakra.
It was potent. Cold and hot at the same time, if that was possible. Pleasant and easy to handle.
"I feel the chakra, sensei. Its confortable."
"Hahaha... Yes, usuallyIt's. I will take my chakra from you now. Begin to flow your own chakra through your body for your nodes to unblock. It will take a few minutes, don't rush."
"Yes, sensei." She said and I followed his advice while postponing the process as long as possible. I could have just made the chakra run without any difficulty, but it wasn't good to get so much attention. That's why it took me a long time.
"You did well." Iruka said with a smile. "You also have plenty of chakra for your age. Here are the documents and their class schedule. We'll start today's class in 2 hours after the Hokage's speech."
"Got it, sensei." I spoke. "In that case, I'm leaving now. I hope we can see each other again in the future."
I walked out of the room and headed to the gym square where Hiruzen would deliver his speech on the will of fire. Haku and Kimimaru were already waiting for me and I just positioned myself between them.