Konoha, 41st Year — Early Spring
A cool morning breeze twisted through the streets, fresh and soft. People woke with slight shivers but couldn't help inhaling deeply to savor spring's sweet fragrance.
Not many people were out yet, but those who were had bright expressions full of hope. With the new year just beginning, everyone was excitedly preparing to welcome a fresh chapter in their lives.
Almost a year had passed since the end of The Second Great Ninja War. Though the wounds of war hadn't fully healed, people had learned to bury them deep. After all, life must move forward. (Don't jump down my throat about the timeline just yet — there'll be a special chapter explaining everything later.)
"Phew, almost overslept," muttered Kei Yamakei as he jogged briskly along. Thinking about what was happening this morning caused him some embarrassment.
Unlike other Chunin 'resting' at The Ninja Academy, becoming a teacher had always been his dream. Which directly led to — he'd been too excited last night to fall asleep easily!
When the alarm went off that morning, he should've sprung up with a fish-like flip right away. But he'd slept so deeply that he wriggled around in bed like a fish on dry land before drifting off again.
Fortunately, he wasn't too late... Checking his watch showed it was already 7:20. Kei let out a quiet sigh of relief. "Today's just registration day — no newbie would show up this early anyway!"
Approaching the school gate, there was no one near the registration area.
Seeing this scene, Kei finally relaxed the tension in his heart.
"Told ya no one'd be here this early..." Just as Kei adjusted his collar ready to enter campus looking his most energetic, a small figure suddenly caught his peripheral vision, instantly freezing his smile.
It was a little boy holding a broom. Though not even as tall as the broom itself, his sweeping movements looked perfectly practiced — clearly not someone doing it just for show to make a good impression.
Then Kei suddenly noticed something else — after a whole vacation period, the campus was actually spotlessly clean without even a single fallen leaf.
"Cough cough, that student over there..."
Hearing Kei's voice, the boy turned around excitedly and immediately ran over. "Teacher!"
"Erm... You didn't come here yesterday already, did you?" Kei asked cautiously while observing the pristine campus.
"No way! Actually I only came two hours ago," the boy replied shaking his head vigorously.
"Oh, then that's fine..." Good grief, what am I saying?! Oh my god, this is so embarrassing! Immediately thinking about how even a child had outdone him, Kei mentally screamed inside while maintaining a calm exterior expression. "You did very well."
This must be one of those teachers with a lot going on inside..., the boy mused, watching Kei Yamakei's expression shift.
At the same time, Kei recovered from his awkward situation and noticed another thing — two hours was more than enough to clean the entire campus thoroughly. This proved not only high efficiency, but also strong determination.
Kei Yamakei instinctively put himself in the other's shoes. If it were him at that age, he wouldn't have been able to endure spending ten minutes on such a boring task like cleaning.
Those who can withstand temptation and remain unmoved by external distractions are true ninjas... Kei gave a satisfied nod. He didn't know how much talent Seiki had, but with this kind of discipline, he was sure the boy would grow into a great ninja.
At the very least, he should be better than me... Smiling, Kei walked toward the nearby registration desk. "Come on over. Let's finish the enrollment procedures quickly so you can take your school documents home and rest early."
"Name?"
"Seiki Shimaseki."
"Age?"
"Five years old."
"Parents?"
Shimaseki hesitated briefly before replying somberly, "...They fell in battle!"
Kei's right hand froze while he was making notes. "Sorry, I didn't know you..."
Inside his heart, he regretted his decision. He was definitely too young and inexperienced—his preparations clearly hadn't been thorough enough.
He should've just skipped those kinds of sensitive questions altogether.
Shimaseki gently bit his lower lip and shook his head slightly. "It's been two years already. I... I don't cry about it anymore."
He was only three when he lost them? Kei felt an ache in his chest. While the village did provide subsidies for families of fallen ninja, surviving independently as a three-year-old child was still extremely difficult.
No wonder he's so strong-willed... Sighing inwardly, Kei looked at Shimaseki with even more tenderness.
After completing the registration, Kei handed the enrollment documents to Shimaseki. "Alright, go home early too."
"That place is too lonely." Shimaseki said, expression darkening.
Oh no, Kei thought to himself. It seemed he had stepped on another landmine!
Fortunately, Shimaseki recovered quickly. Clenching both small hands tightly, he looked up at Kei eagerly. "Teacher, let me stay here and help out!"
Kei instinctively wanted to refuse. Though he was just a newly hired teacher, letting a student assist on the first day might cause senior teachers to laugh at him.
But seeing the sincere look in Shimaseki's eyes, his refusal got stuck in his throat, unable to come out.
He must long for the liveliness at school because he resists loneliness so much... Thinking he understood the boy's thoughts, Kei found it even harder to say no. "Well...alright then."
"Ah! Great!" An excited Shimaseki cheered.
Seeing Shimaseki—who usually acted so mature for his age—finally showing childish excitement suited to his actual age, Kei smiled fondly as well.
Growing up fast might be admirable... but it always comes with a price.
"Teacher, is there anything I can do to help?" After calming down a bit, Shimaseki asked Kei eagerly.
Rubbing his chin thoughtfully, Kei tried to think of any chores that'd be suitable for little Seiki.
Surely he couldn't assign all the registration duties to the boy!
"I've got it!" Kei's eyes lit up. He snapped his fingers and said, "Here's the plan—I'll show you around the school first. Once other students finish enrolling, you can guide them through familiarizing themselves with places like the classrooms, playground, cafeteria, and so on."
Although he was a newly hired teacher, Kei Yamakei had graduated from this Ninja Academy ten years ago. Thanks to a quick scout around the campus a few days prior, he could still navigate its basic layout.
"Mm-hmm!" Seiki Shimaseki nodded repeatedly in agreement.
The Ninja Academy wasn't particularly big—especially when compared to what Seiki Shimaseki remembered from another world.
Within fifteen or so minutes, Seiki Shimaseki followed behind Kei Yamakei and toured the entire academy grounds.
When they returned to the registration desk, the school remained empty except for the two of them.
No wonder—they'd arrived way too early!
Perhaps feeling awkward just standing there waiting, Kei Yamakei entertained Seiki Shimaseki with various amusing stories and tidbits about ninja life during this time.
Finally, at 8:20, new students began arriving.
The figure entering their line of sight was a little girl with blood-red eyes like rubies.
"La-la-la-la~" she sang merrily, skipping along with a light step.
Spotting Kei Yamakei, her eyes lit up as she quickly approached the registration desk, tilting her head up to ask, "Are you the teacher?"
"Mm, my name is Kei Yamakei—you can also call me Teacher Yamakei," Kei Yamakei tried hard to maintain a smile that was both "kind yet authoritative."
"What's your name, young lady?"
To Seiki Shimaseki and Kei Yamakei, the expression just looked over-the-top and awkward.
This teacher seems a bit awkward... Though thinking this inwardly, she politely answered him, "Kurenai Yuhi. My name is Kurenai Yuhi—'Yuhi' like the setting sun, and 'Kurenai' like deep crimson red."
"Kurenai Yuhi?" Seiki Shimaseki kept his face expressionless while silently gathering information about the girl.
Soon enough, Kei Yamakei completed Kurenai Yuhi's registration.
"Seiki Shimaseki, why don't you take Kurenai on a quick tour of the campus?"
"Yes sir."
They walked out side by side. Midway, Kurenai tilted her head sideways, studying Seiki Shimaseki curiously as she asked, "Senior Shimaseki, were you specially brought here by Teacher Yamakei to help out?"
Truth be told, she'd been curious about Seiki Shimaseki ever since noticing him beside Teacher Yamakei, but good manners prevented her from asking directly before now.
Seiki Shimaseki paused mid-step, turning his head slightly with some embarrassment. "Miss Kurenai Yuhi, actually I'm also a freshman who just enrolled today."
"Huh? Sorry." Instead of taking offense, Kurenai sincerely apologized.
After all, it was she who assumed Seiki Shimaseki was an upperclassman without confirmation.
"No worries—it was partly my fault for not introducing myself earlier either," Seiki Shimaseki smiled brightly. "Let me do that properly then. My name is Seiki Shimaseki. Hope we can hit it off nicely from now on!"
Beaming with apparent delight, Kurenai Yuhi nodded enthusiastically. "I'm Kurenai Yuhi. Let's support each other and do our best from now on!"
Then with slight confusion, she added, "Since we're both freshmen, why did Teacher Yamakei have you assigned to show me around campus?"
Had it not been for this arrangement, she wouldn't have mistaken his identity in the first place.
Slightly embarrassed, Seiki Shimaseki chuckled softly. "Actually, I volunteered. We'll all be classmates soon anyway—I wanted to contribute however I could."
Kurenai didn't give it much thought and simply clapped her hands in praise. "You're such a kind person!"
She then blushed slightly. "As for me, I wouldn't have the patience to help everyone the way you do. Compared to you, I'm really not good enough."
Seiki smiled gently and said, "Kurenai, you don't need to compare yourself to me. Everyone's special in their own way. If you keep doubting and putting yourself down, you'll only end up unhappy. Promise me you'll be happy just being yourself, okay? Only then can we each find our own forest."
"Yeah!" Kurenai's eyes sparkled. What Seiki said was so sweet!
...
Besides Kurenai, Seiki also guided many "celebrities," such as Ibiki, who was never seen without a stern look on his face, Shizune, who was often seen with her little ninja pig, Mizuki, who always had a gloomy aura around him, and Asuma, the troubled teen who almost missed registration.
Even those classmates who, in the original timeline, wouldn't have even ranked as walk-on characters received warm attention from Seiki.
And so, by the very first day, everyone already knew one name — Seiki Shimaseki!
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