Among this year's new students in the Shimura family, besides Kizaru, there were three other children who entered the Academy. All of them were carefully selected by the family, promising young talents with good potential.
The three children, two boys, and a girl were named Shimura Shinobu, Shimura Yoshihiko, and Shimura Yuki, respectively. Among them, Yoshihiko was the grandson of the third elder.
The Shimura clan, in the village, stood shoulder to shoulder with the Sarutobi clan as the second-tier ninja clan. During its prosperous period, it boasted over eight hundred members and nearly two hundred ninja, among which the jounin (especially elite jounin) numbered close to twenty.
With Danzo in the leadership, acting as the Hokage's aid and establishing the Root, the family made enormous sacrifices to support Danzo. Over the ten plus years of Danzo establishing the Root, the family's population dwindled from over eight hundred during its prosperous period to just over five hundred. The number of family ninjas was halved, leaving only around a hundred, a significant blow to the clan's vitality.
However, these great sacrifices also brought significant gains. With the family's unwavering support, Danzo firmly grasped control of the Root. His power and status in the village reached the top tier.
With Danzo's increasing power, the number of businesses the family occupied in the village grew steadily. The family's businesses expanded, establishing closer ties with the nobility of the Land of Fire. Their land holdings within the Land of Fire more than doubled.
Simultaneously, leveraging the Root's responsibilities, Danzo amassed numerous intermediate and high-level ninja techniques, even forbidden techniques, for the family.
Currently, the Shimura family was at its strongest and yet most vulnerable in the past fifty years.
For the Shimura clan, what they needed most was time for development. If they could convert the benefits reaped in these past years into strength, they wouldn't have to worry about being deprived by other clans.
The appearance of Kizaru was a joyous event for the Shimura family. As long as Kizaru could grow successfully, the benefits gained by the Shimura family in recent years wouldn't be under threat by other clans. Moreover, having a top-tier powerhouse like Kizaru would bring even more advantages to the family in the future.
Due to this, the family's care and support for Kizaru were comprehensive and without regard for costs.
Among Kizaru's peers, every child could practically hear the parents and elders praising Kizaru and cautioning them.
"Kizaru is the future clan leader. You must respect him and not offend him!"
This was something every child in the Shimura clan had heard.
To the parents, Kizaru was the perfect child from another family's perspective!
Growing up in such an environment and with Kizaru's amiable nature, every child in the Shimura clan who was of the same age admired him greatly. They took pride in their relationship and closeness to Kizaru.
For instance, Shinobu, Yoshihiko, and Yuki, the three of them knowing they would be classmates with Kizaru, were filled with joy.
Among the three, Yoshihiko's face was filled with pride upon learning he would be in the same class as his big brother. He was boasting to his friends proudly.
"Hahaha!" In the envious eyes of the group of friends, Yoshihiko, with hands on his hips, laughed heartily, looking towards the sky.
"Tch!"
Apart from Kizaru, the only girl among the three newcomers this year was Yuki. She had a pair of bold eyebrows. Seeing Yoshihiko's smug laughter, she let out a cold snort, feeling somewhat unwilling.
For Yuki, she also held a great admiration for her brother, Kizaru. Both of them had similar backgrounds—both their parents sacrificed due to Root missions, and both were taken care of by the clan during their childhood. Due to these shared experiences and her strong personality, Yuki idolized Kizaru fervently.
In this entrance exam, due to an error, Yuki didn't make it into the elite class. Consequently, she couldn't become classmates with Kizaru, which left her feeling regretful.
"Yuki, are you jealous of me?" Yoshihiko, who heard Yuki's cold snort, and not liking this woman who often stuck with Big Brother Kizaru, said, "Hahaha! Who asked you not to work hard, and always harass Big Brother Kizaru? Your failure to enter the elite class this time is the result of your usual laziness!"
"You!" Yuki was irritated, glaring fiercely at Yoshihiko with her bright, large eyes. "At the end-of-year exams, I will challenge you and snatch back the elite class position from your hands, you jerk!"
"That so?" Yoshihiko arrogantly lifted his head, displaying a disdainful expression.
"Alright, stop it, both of you!" The gentlest of the bunch, the very cultured Shinobu, stood between the two, looking worried, attempting to intervene.
"Shinobu, get out of the way!" Annoyed by Yoshihiko's attitude, Yuki pushed Shinobu aside, preparing for a good competition with Yoshihiko.
"Yuki, I'm not trying to cause trouble, but with Yoshihiko's attitude, even I can't tolerate it." Beside them, a small boy with fox-like eyes and glasses said.
"Hey, hey, hey!"
Kizaru, who was about to bring his three little admirers to attend the Academy's opening ceremony, hadn't approached yet but heard the troublemaking voice of his little fox-eyed brother.
"Shintaro, you troublemaker! Stirring up mischief again, huh?"
Kizaru stomped his foot and instantly appeared behind Shintaro, the fox-eyed Shimura, pressing his right hand directly on the little fox's head, rubbing it vigorously.
Caught off guard, Shintaro's small face flushed slightly. This little fellow also greatly admired and liked Kizaru!
"Don't touch my head, I've grown up!" After being rubbed for about fifteen seconds, Shintaro seemed to realize and promptly pushed away Kizaru's right hand.
"You!" Kizaru chuckled, shaking his head, bending down, extending his index finger, and lightly tapping Shintaro's forehead.
Kizaru, who was the "leader of children" in his previous life, after being reborn into the Naruto world, had a very close relationship with his peers in the clan.
When he was three or four years old, the mentally mature Kizaru would voluntarily help adults take care of these little ones and play with them.
This was one of the reasons why Kizaru was so popular among the children in the clan.
Kizaru understood Shintaro very well. He was the grandson of the elder and had been very intelligent since childhood. However, being a premature child, he had always had health issues, and his ninja aptitude was quite ordinary.
For this grandchild who lost his parents at a young age, the elder was very heartbroken and cherished him dearly. The elder didn't want his grandchild, who had poor health and mediocre talent, to suffer. Thus, there was no plan for Shintaro to become a ninja.
The only hope the old man had for his grandchild was for him to live a safe and happy life!
Because of this, Shintaro, who deeply desired to become a ninja and attend the Academy with his big brother Kizaru, was very envious of the three.
"Big Brother Kizaru, you will definitely become the strongest ninja in the future!" Shintaro looked up at Kizaru, his eyes shining brightly.
"That's for sure!" Kizaru replied without hesitation.
After saying that, Kizaru straightened up and looked at the three little ones gathered around.
"Yoshihiko, Yuki, Shinobu, are you ready to go? We'll be late if we wait any longer!"
"I'm all set, Big Brother Kizaru!"
"Big Brother Kizaru, let's go!"
"Okay, Big Brother Kizaru!"
The three little ones replied separately. With their heads held high and chests out, they proudly followed Kizaru towards the gate, under the admiring gazes of their peers.