The classroom was small, with four rows of long tables crowded with about thirty students.
The teacher pushed the door open and walked in, holding a class roster. He stepped up to the podium and swept his gaze across the room before speaking in a asured tone.
"I am your horoom teacher. Starting today, I will be in charge of your basic courses."
"First, we'll do introductions. One by one—stand up, state your na, and tell your goal."
He opened the roster and read the first na.
A boy from the Sarutobi clan stood up, his back as straight as a wooden post.
"Sarutobi—my goal is to beco an excellent ninja, protect Konoha, and live up to my family's expectations."
He sat down.
Then ca the Hyuga.
"Hyuga—to protect Konoha and carry on the glory of my clan."
Sat down.
Then the Akimichi.
"Akimichi—to protect Konoha and not fail—"
Kitahara Kaede leaned back in his chair.
*Protect Konoha, excellent ninja, family expectations.*
It was the sa circular rhetoric over and over, as if the parents had all been issued a standardized answer sheet before the start of the term.
The teacher called another seven or eight nas, and every single one was cut from the sa mold. Even the horoom teacher began to drift off.
Until—
"Jiraiya."
The white-haired youth snapped to his feet.
He slamd both hands onto the table and tilted his chin up, his voice louder than everyone else's combined.
"My na is Jiraiya!"
He scanned the classroom, his expression as solemn as if he were announcing a world-changing event.
"My goal—is to beco the strongest ninja in the world!"
He paused. Everyone assud he was finished.
But he didn't sit down.
"And then—I'll save every beautiful girl in the world!"
The classroom fell silent for a heartbeat before erupting into chaos.
Several scions of noble clans in the front row turned to look at him, their expressions suggesting they had just spotted a new species at the zoo. Two students sitting together whispered to each other, not even bothering to hide their laughter.
Tsunade, sitting next to Kitahara Kaede, rested her elbow on the table. With a deadpan expression, she uttered two words.
"Pervert."
Her voice wasn't loud, but the classroom was small; the students in the surrounding rows heard her clearly.
Another wave of laughter exploded.
Far from being annoyed, Jiraiya shot Tsunade a wink.
"This is called universal love! You just don't have the vision!"
The teacher stared at him for two seconds. Without offering a critique, he made a mark on the roster and flipped the page.
Jiraiya slumped back into his seat with a smug grin, though his hand beneath the table clenched tightly. He had felt every single one of those looks.
He had no clan, no prestigious surna, and no background.
But so what? He would prove that he wasn't inferior to any of them.
The teacher tapped the desk and turned to the next page.
"Orochimaru."
The classroom fell silent.
A black-haired boy in the corner stood up. His movents were slow—not out of hesitation, but a lack of urgency. He stood at the boundary where the shadows t the sunlight, his pale face devoid of emotion.
Golden slitted pupils scanned the room.
"Orochimaru."
His voice wasn't loud, but every word was crisp.
"My goal—is to master every ninjutsu in existence and understand the fundantal essence of all formulas."
No wasted words. As soon as he finished, he sat back down.
This ti, no one laughed.
It wasn't that they were intimidated; it was that his tone had been far too calm. It sounded less like a goal and more like the statent of an inevitable fact.
The teacher's pen paused on the roster for a second. He gave Orochimaru a long look, said nothing, and flipped the page.
After those two spoke, the atmosphere in the room beca strange. The "sense of normalcy" established by the first twenty-odd students had been completely dismantled.
"Tsunade."
Tsunade stood up. She flicked her blonde ponytail and planted her hands on her hips.
"Tsunade. My grandfather was the First Hokage, and my great-uncle was the Second Hokage."
She paused, her expression becoming intensely serious.
"Therefore, I will also beco an excellent ninja."
The teacher nodded and prepared to flip the page. But Tsunade didn't sit down yet.
"Also—"
Tsunade's voice rang out again.
"I'm going to win all the money from every casino in the ninja world!"
The teacher's pen stopped.
The classroom went silent again. This ti, it was different from Orochimaru's turn. Orochimaru's silence had been cold; this silence was pure bewildernt.
Two seconds later, a boy in the corner let out a muffled snort of laughter, quickly covering his mouth.
Tsunade's gaze snapped toward him.
The boy imdiately shrank back.
She sat down, tidied her hair, and looked perfectly composed.
Watching from the side, the corner of Kitahara Kaede's mouth twitched.
*Win all the money from every casino in the ninja world.*
Given her future reputation as the "Legendary Sucker," this was likely the most absurd goal ntioned in the classroom today.
"Hagoromo Kaede."
Kitahara Kaede stood up.
A few students who knew of the Hagoromo clan gave him a second glance—an old-guard family that had allied with the Senju during the Warring States period. Although their numbers had dwindled, their foundation remained.
"Hagoromo Kaede."
His voice was flat.
"My goal—is to protect the people I cherish."
That was it. He was even shorter than Orochimaru.
He sat down.
His answer didn't cause much of a stir. Most students lumped it in with the "protect Konoha" crowd, seeing no real difference.
But the teacher's hand paused. He looked at Hagoromo Kaede, his lips moving as if he wanted to say sothing, but in the end, he simply wrote the na on the roster without speaking.
In the corner, Orochimaru's gaze lingered on the boy's back.
*Not "protect Konoha."*
*Not "beco an excellent ninja."*
*But "the people I cherish."*
The scope had narrowed. It had shrunk from "everyone" to "the people I cherish."
At this age, most people couldn't distinguish between "what they should say" and "what they actually wanted to say." The first twenty people had said what they *should* say.
This person had said what he *wanted* to say.
Orochimaru withdrew his gaze, his finger tapping unconsciously on the desk.
*Interesting.*
Not very, but just a little.
Just as Kitahara Kaede's backside hit the seat, a hand reached over and tugged on his sleeve.
Tsunade leaned in, tilting her head and lowering her voice.
"The people you cherish?" She blinked. "Who?"
Kitahara Kaede didn't look at her. He fished sothing out of his pocket and placed it on the corner of her desk.
A piece of candy.
Tsunade looked down at the candy, then back up at him.
"Don't change the subject."
"Didn't you bet that soone would make a fool of themselves today?"
Tsunade paused.
Kitahara Kaede jerked his chin in Jiraiya's direction.
"The bet was won. What kind of dango do you want?"
Tsunade's attention shifted instantly. She unwrapped the candy, popped it into her mouth, and spoke mufflely, "Tricolor dango. Two skewers. Your treat."
"Deal."
As Tsunade chewed the candy, her eyes drifted toward the window. Although she had won the bet, that sentence was still lingering in her mind.
*The people I cherish.*
She couldn't explain why, but she felt as if her own na should be included in that answer.
But he hadn't ntioned her.
She wanted to press him, but felt that doing so would make her seem too invested.
Tsunade bit down hard on the candy.
*Forget it. He's not going anywhere anyway.*
Jiraiya propped his arm on the table, resting his chin on the back of his hand. He watched the two of them.
One giving, one receiving.
They spoke in low, casual tones. Occasionally, Tsunade would lean over, the tip of her blonde ponytail brushing against the boy's shoulder.
Jiraiya watched them for a few seconds. He couldn't quite put his finger on the feeling.
When he looked away, he happened to et Orochimaru's eyes.
The two of them locked gazes for a brief mont across the room.
Orochimaru withdrew his sight expressionlessly, as if he had accidentally spotted a common insect on the side of the road.
Jiraiya pursed his lips.
There were certainly a lot of weirdos in this class.
...
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