On the school playground, the 175-centimeter-tall Kizaru stood at the back of the freshman queue, towering over the others.
On the elevated platform in front of the playground, the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, was delivering a speech for the new students.
Observing from afar, the fire and leaf-themed ramblings of the middle-aged Third Hokage... lasted almost half an hour. For Kizaru, it was the first time he noticed that certain aspects of the ninja world were strikingly similar to certain facets of his past life on Earth.
For instance, the leadership speeches—same old nonsense, brainwashing, and verbosity!
The Third Hokage's speech went on for about forty minutes. Amidst the "tears of joy" and applause, the Third Hokage left with a satisfied expression.
After the Third Hokage's departure, the proceedings for the induction ceremony suddenly accelerated.
In just ten minutes, the opening ceremony concluded smoothly, and the new students, guided by their teachers, proceeded to their respective classrooms.
The management of students in the Ninja Academy wasn't too strict; everyone got to choose their seats freely. Due to his concern for his classmates, Kizaru, being the tallest, chose the back seat by the window in the classroom.
The seat next to Kizaru was left empty. While Yoshihiko wanted to sit next to Kizaru, Kizaru, using the pretext of focusing on studying, urged him to sit in the front row.
After witnessing Kizaru's demonic performance during the entrance test, none of the other students dared to come and sit with him.
However, in the front row in front of Kizaru, sat the legitimate son of the heads of the Nara, Yamanaka, and Akimichi clans. Among them, Nara Shikaku sat directly in front of Kizaru, also by the window.
The Shimura clan had a good relationship with the Yamanaka clan among the three Ino-Shika-Cho clans. When Danzo formed the Root, the Yamanaka clan also sent many ninjas to help.
Therefore, after taking their seats, as the son of the head of the Yamanaka clan, Yamanaka Inoichi politely turned around to greet Kizaru, expressing his goodwill.
Kizaru naturally smiled back and exchanged a few words, establishing a preliminary friendly relationship.
As some showed friendliness, others showed hostility. The newcomers from the two largest eye ailments families in the village, the Uchiha and Hyuga, looked at Kizaru with enmity.
Uchiha Inabi and Hyuga Toda, both lost to Kizaru in the entrance exam.
After the Hyuga clan dissolved and integrated into the village, the Hyuga and Uchiha became the two strongest ninja clans in the village. As children from prestigious families, both of them naturally held pride in their hearts. They felt somewhat aggrieved for being defeated by Kizaru and harbored resentment.
However, their animosity towards Kizaru wasn't deep-seated. It was merely a result of their unwillingness to lose. After they entered school, their sole goal was to defeat Kizaru.
The first-day curriculum, similar to Kizaru's experience back on Earth, didn't include much substantial teaching. It mainly consisted of explanations about school rules and moral education.
The responsible teacher for Kizaru's class was Yamakawa Kiyoshi, a former elite Chunin of the ANBU. As he grew older and married, he proactively requested a transfer to become a teacher at the Ninja Academy.
As a teacher, Kiyoshi was quite responsible. After briefly explaining the school rules, he began the formal class session.
Kiyoshi knew that the cultural and ideological classes could be very dull, and the children might not like it. Therefore, during his teaching, he combined some of his own experiences or small stories he had seen or heard during missions.
This teaching method made the otherwise dull ideological classes more interesting. Most students listened with enthusiasm, their eyes reflecting genuine interest.
The students' reactions pleased Kiyoshi. He looked around the classroom, feeling content, and his gaze eventually settled at the back of the classroom by the window.
"Snap!"
Failing to control the force, Kiyoshi's chalk snapped in half, wiping away most of his smile.
The reason for his embarrassment was simple. At the back of the classroom by the window, two students were fast asleep, their heads resting on the desks.
Taking a deep breath, Kiyoshi felt that on the first day of school, he had to demonstrate his authority as a teacher.
Kiyoshi knew both students well. One was the overlord of the entrance test, the prodigious talent from the family, Kizaru. The other was the son of the head of the Nara clan, Shikaku, who scored full marks in the entrance cultural exam.
Recalling Kizaru's strength displayed during the entrance test, Kiyoshi sadly realized that if he were to confront Kizaru, there was less than a thirty percent chance of easily and effectively subduing Kizaru.
If engaged in a full-on battle, Kiyoshi was confident in his ability to defeat Kizaru (at least that's what Kiyoshi believed). However, as the teacher of the elite class, going all out to subdue a six-year-old newcomer on their first day might require his full effort, possibly engaging in hundreds of rounds of combat. Where would that leave his dignity and authority as a teacher?
Without understanding Kizaru's character and carefully evaluating the risk of taking action, Kiyoshi decided to change his approach—using a show of strength to warn others.
Picking up the broken chalk from the desk and employing a technique similar to throwing a kunai, Kiyoshi threw the chalk, accurately hitting Shikaku's head.
The students below the platform followed Kiyoshi's action, turning their heads towards the back of the classroom.
"Hahaha!"
...
Watching the sudden attack, Shikaku slowly raised his head with a troubled expression, eliciting laughter from the students.
Sitting in the front row, Yoshihiko naturally turned to look behind and upon seeing the pineapple-haired Nara kid, who got hit on the head by the teacher for sleeping in class, he also burst into laughter.
But as the laughter continued, Yoshihiko sensed something amiss. Behind the Nara member, Kizaru, his big brother, was also sleeping on the desk.
"Big brother Kizaru must have trained too hard last night!" Yoshihiko instantly came up with a reason for his elder brother's situation.
"Shikaku, stand at the back of the classroom and make sure Kizaru wakes up!" Kiyoshi deliberately shouted in a loud voice to wake Kizaru up, disrupting the class.
"How troublesome!" Rubbing his head, Shikaku didn't bother to defend himself. He stood up from his chair and walked out of his position.
"What a scary teacher!"
As Shikaku walked out of his place, he heard a voice from his side.
Looking towards Kizaru, who had a faint smile on his face and was leaning against the backrest, Shikaku seemed to realize something.
This guy behind him was the first one to fall asleep on the desk!
Shikaku glanced at Kizaru and then turned to the teacher standing at the platform with a serious expression, immediately understanding the situation.
He was being used as an example to show Kizaru behind him!!!
What a despicable and cowardly teacher!
Complaining in his mind, Shikaku stood in a position not far from Kizaru's left side.