Chapter 30

AN : You can read chapters published ahead by supporting me (5$) on my p@treon account - p@treon.com/noviceauthor777

Current chapter count in P@treon - 50 Chapters.

"Leaf Shadow Dance!"

Inside the examination room of the Konoha Academy, a relatively short figure launched an attack on his opponent.

"Oh! Using the same move I just used against me?"

In the midst of the battle, Mizutani, the examiner, spoke for the first time. He was a bit surprised to see the Uchiha candidate using the move he had just demonstrated. However, he didn't slow down his movements. With a swift motion, he brought his hands together at his chin, leveraging his height advantage to easily counter Toshiro's attack.

"Konoha Gale!"

Ignoring Mizutani's words, Toshiro capitalized on his smaller stature and agility. He jumped, leveling his head with Mizutani's, and executed a spinning lower kick. Despite his height, the move was identical in effect to the 'Konoha Whirlwind' Mizutani had just used.

Mizutani raised his right arm to block the attack aimed at his head. He then firmly grasped Toshiro's right leg, using his waist to lift Toshiro off the ground. After spinning him around three or four times, he hurled Toshiro away.

With a light twist, Toshiro managed to land on his feet, his body leaning forward as he dragged a long scratch on the ground.

At this time, a large circle of shuriken and kunai lay scattered around Mizutani on the field, remnants of the intense battle he had just fought with Toshiro.

During the close-range hand-to-hand combat, Toshiro gained no significant advantage. His opponent's rich experience allowed him to cut his hoodie several times. If not for his keen senses, he might have been injured.

"Good! The assessment time is up. Both sides, make the seal of reconciliation!"

Hearing this, Toshiro couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Despite holding back in ninjutsu and genjutsu he found the combination of physical skills and kunai combat challenging due to his opponent's experience.

'Ninja is really not a profession that can be mastered easily.'

Hiromi Mizutani, just an old shinobi from Konoha Village, used his extensive combat experience to teach him a vivid lesson. In the battle, Mizutani didn't display overwhelming strength or speed but relied on slightly superior attributes and experience. He mainly used the basic Konoha taijutsu and the three jutsu taught in the academy.

After the assessment, Toshiro was placed in an empty classroom to wait. As time passed, other students who had passed the assessment joined him.

"Kakashi, you're being too cold!"

"..."

"Why, don't you remember me? It's really rude to not even greet your Senpai!"

"..."

At this time, in the classroom, Toshiro was idly teasing Kakashi. Although Kakashi was already going to be a shinobi, he was still just a five-and-a-half-year-old kid. Teasing the future Sixth Hokage is something that he will hold on him forever.

"Speaking of Kakashi, why do you cover your face with a mask? I remember your face was quite handsome before, wasn't it?"

Kakashi, with his usual dead-fish eyes, stared at the annoying guy next to him, finally remembering who this was. He recalled an incident from two or three years ago when he bumped into Toshiro on the street. His father had a talk with Toshiro, and his mother had forced him to apologize.

"Huh! Are you sure? Toshiro, does this guy really have a very handsome face under the mask?"

Uchiha Asuka, sitting next to them, couldn't contain her curiosity. She turned her head, her big black eyes wide with disbelief, and looked up and down at Kakashi's masked face. She had also graduated successfully and was sitting next to Toshiro with a smile, clearly happy to have graduated early and become a ninja.

Even a few classmates nearby pricked up their ears and looked at Kakashi with curious expressions. As the youngest graduate in the room, he had naturally attracted everyone's attention.

"It's not just handsome! I'm telling you, this guy's face under the mask..."

As he spoke, he leaned in close to Asuka's ear, looking mysterious.

"Shut up!"

No matter how depressed he felt, seeing Toshiro act like he was about to reveal his secret made Kakashi's eye twitch. He quickly interjected to interrupt.

"Forget it! Since the person concerned doesn't want to say it, we'll leave it at that."

Before Kakashi could breathe a sigh of relief, he heard Toshiro speak again.

"However, it's really a pity you didn't get to see Kakashi's stunning beauty!"

"Really?"

"Liar, huh?"

"What do you mean by 'stunning beauty'? That sounds too exaggerated!"

Listening to Toshiro, the eyes of those around them were filled with curiosity and inquiry. Even with his typically cold demeanor, Kakashi was exasperated.

'How did such a talkative guy become a ninja?'

'My initial impression was right—this guy is really annoying!'

Unaware of Kakashi's thoughts, Toshiro smiled and narrowed his eyes at the increasingly exasperated Kakashi.

Toshiro didn't mean to tease Kakashi; he just felt that Kakashi needed some emotions other than sadness to avoid being consumed by the grief of his father's death.

Not long after, the classroom began to fill up. The door swung open, and in walked the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, wearing his Hokage robe.

"First of all, congratulations to everyone on becoming full-fledged ninjas of Konoha..."

"..."

"In the place where leaves dance… the fire burns... The Shadow of the fire shines and continues to illuminate the village and allow new leaves to take root."

'No matter where it is, a leader's speech is always like this...'

Toshiro couldn't help but sigh as he listened to the Third Hokage's lengthy speech, which had been going on for over half an hour.

Hiruzen seemed pleased as he looked at the excited new ninjas in the audience after his speech, which had lasted more than an hour.

Even Toshiro had to applaud enthusiastically, blending in with the excited faces around him. He wasn't about to express any contrary opinions on the 'Will of Fire' at this moment, risking unnecessary trouble.

After giving the students a gentle smile, the Third Hokage turned and left without lingering.

At this moment, several ninjas in green vests stepped forward, holding a large wooden box filled with neatly stacked forehead protectors.

"So cool, are those our forehead protectors?"

"I can't wait to wear mine!"

Konoha's propaganda work had clearly been effective. As soon as the young ninjas saw the forehead protectors, their eyes lit up with excitement. Some even talked about going home to show their parents.

Toshiro, however, couldn't share their enthusiasm. He was the first to step forward and receive his forehead protector, accepting it from the teacher with a smile. Yet he didn't put it on his head right away.

He faced a dilemma that left him slightly embarrassed. Due to a childhood whim and his dream of wandering the land like a ronin, he had grown a single ponytail.

Wearing the forehead protector posed a challenge. He could either lift his ponytail high, like Iruka, or tie it low, like Kakashi's father, the White Fang of Konoha.

After some thought, he decided to tie the forehead protector around his arm. After all, he couldn't let his hairstyle get messed up!

"Congratulations to everyone on receiving your forehead protectors. I would like to remind you that at nine o'clock tomorrow morning, everyone should gather in Classroom B for assignments," the teacher announced with a smile, watching the excited faces of the young ninjas.

Toshiro, amid the crowd, felt a pang of regret. 'It's a pity I won't be part of them!' He had hoped to experience the normal life of a ninja squad. After all, love triangles are always the most interesting, he mused.

As the students slowly filed out of the classroom, Toshiro decided to visit his previous class to say goodbye to everyone.

'There's about a month until the New Year. After that, it will be four years since I came to this world. Have I really been here that long? The memories are starting to blur! Finally becoming an official ninja means I need to train even harder.'

Recognizing his own shortcomings, he pondered this as he walked home.

"Isn't that Obito? What are you doing here alone?" he asked, running into a familiar face unexpectedly.

"Toshiro-neesan, why are you here? Congratulations on graduating as a ninja!"

"Thank you! But why are you out of the academy at this time? What are you up to?"

Toshiro found himself in a dilemma when dealing with Obito. Reflecting on Obito's future actions and the shadowy influence of Madara, he hesitated.

Currently, Obito is a sunny, optimistic boy. Being a war orphan raised by his widowed grandmother, he had a deep empathy for the elderly in Konoha Village. Whenever he saw someone in need, he would drop everything to help, even if it meant being late for the academy. His teachers, aware of his kind nature, often overlooked his tardiness.

Despite often being teased by his classmates for his lack of strength, they were not repelled by his cheerful and helpful demeanor. Instead, they were willing to be friends with him. Even within the Uchiha clan, he faced no oppression, as he was stronger than many children who had yet to refine their chakra.

Obito was proud to be a member of the Uchiha clan. However, in Toshiro's eyes, Obito wasn't suited to be a ninja. His inability to control his emotions was a significant drawback, as an essential criterion for ninja training was the ability to maintain a calm and composed mind at all times.

This kid is so impulsive, often tearing up, and unable to handle pressure well. His mental resilience is extremely poor, and he doesn't seem particularly bright. Although this might help him awaken his Sharingan due to the emotional triggers, his overall IQ is concerning. It's no wonder Madara chose him for the Tsukiyomi project in the end.

"Ahh! No! No! Neesan! Listen to me!" Obito exclaimed, caught skipping class. Although Toshiro wasn't a teacher, he was still a senior in the family. Obito's face turned red with embarrassment as he quickly stood up to defend himself.

"Alright! You don't have to explain it to me. Just looking at your expression, I can tell you're upset about Kakashi's early graduation," Toshiro said.

"Hmm," Obito murmured, his mood sinking again. He sat back on the bench, head down, looking dejected.

'This guy's emotions are really easy to read. His mood changes like the weather in June!'

"Toshiro-neesan, do you think I can catch up with a genius like Kakashi?" Obito suddenly asked, lifting his head to look at his senior.

'I'm not Nohara Rin, why are you asking me these questions?'

Toshiro silently groaned inwardly but didn't avoid the question. Instead, he sat beside Obito, glanced at him, and spoke lightly.

"You're being foolish. Let me give you a simple example."

"Take yourself as an example. If you do nothing and laze around every day, your strength increases by 1 unit daily. If you exercise moderately, your strength increases by 1.1 units daily, and if you train hard, it increases by 1.2 units."

"Do you know what the difference is after a year?"

"And what about the difference after 10 years, 20 years, or 30 years?"

Listening to Toshiro's words, Uchiha Obito, whose mind was a bit dull, fell into a state of confusion. With his current age and knowledge, he couldn't fully grasp Toshiro's meaning. But he vaguely understood that he was being encouraged to train hard.

"Think about these questions yourself. I'll leave you to it."

"Obito~"

A pleasant child's voice called out Obito's name from afar. Toshiro decided not to give him any more motivational talks and got up to leave.

'This guy's emotions are better left for Rin to handle.'

He had thought about this long ago. While he could advise Obito, he couldn't delve too deeply. Considering Uchiha Madara lurking in the shadows and the havoc Obito would wreak after becoming a dark guy, the thought was overwhelming.

'Should I take advantage of his young age and deal with him now...'

AN : With this the Academy ARC has ended.

You can read chapters published ahead by supporting me (5$) on my p@treon account - p@treon.com/noviceauthor777

Current chapter count in P@treon - 50 Chapters.