In September, the Ninja Academy Opens!
A week had passed since Shisui and Saitama had that barbecue together.
Shisui's father had also agreed to Saitama's request, so from then on, Saitama would visit Shisui's house in the mornings to practice swordsmanship together.
The origin of Shisui's sword techniques had quite an impressive background.
Shisui's grandfather, Uchiha Kami, had once been a member of the Konoha Military Police Force and had also served as part of the Second Hokage's elite guard unit.
The sword style they practiced, the Konoha-ryū Kenjutsu, had its roots in the style used by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, who was renowned for his mastery of both Water Release and kenjutsu.
One of the most famous inheritors of this style was the so-called "Eternal Genin" Kosuke Maruboshi, a legendary figure who, like Might Duy, earned respect not through rank, but through perseverance and skill.
Therefore, if one mastered this sword style, they could certainly stand among the elite!
Saitama also kept up his chakra refinement and hand seal practice without slacking.
His chakra control was improving steadily, and his proficiency with hand seals was becoming more fluid by the day.
Although he had yet to formally learn ninjutsu, he often read through the scrolls his late parents had left behind, practicing the basic techniques such as the Transformation Jutsu, Substitution Jutsu, and Clone Jutsu, which were commonly referred to as the Three Basic Academy Techniques.
Today was the opening day of the Ninja Academy. The day before, Saitama was informed by Lady Kaka that more than a dozen children from the Uchiha clan would be enrolling this year—Shisui among them.
Early in the morning, Saitama said goodbye to Lady Kaka, telling her to rest easy at home, and walked briskly toward the Academy.
Along the way, he encountered several clan members.
If he knew them, he greeted them warmly. Even if he didn't, he would still nod politely.
The clan was already used to Saitama's mature demeanor, so no one found it odd.
Before long, Saitama reached the edge of the Uchiha district.
"Saitama! Saitama!"
Just as he stepped onto the village streets outside the Uchiha compound, he heard a familiar voice.
Of course, it was Shisui.
"Oh, Shisui!" Saitama waved back and also politely greeted Shisui's mother, Uchiha Mikan.
"Good morning, Auntie."
"Good morning, Saitama."
Mikan smiled gently at him. After spending the past week together, she had grown fond of this polite, sensible child.
"Let's walk to school together, Saitama," Mikan offered kindly.
She had learned about Saitama's background and understood why he enrolled alone, but chose not to mention it.
"Sure, let's go together," Shisui chimed in.
"Okay, let's go."
As they approached the Academy, the streets became crowded.
When they finally arrived at the school gates, Saitama was surprised to see just how many people were there.
It reminded him of school entrance ceremonies from his previous life.
Sure enough, no matter the world, some things stayed the same!
Although it was called a ninja school, as long as children reached a certain age, any child in Konoha could enter the Ninja Academy.
However, not everyone who entered would become a ninja. Only those who passed the graduation exam would earn the right to be called Konoha Shinobi.
Thanks to their Uchiha clan status, Saitama and Shisui had pre-registered and were able to enter the Academy directly.
Uchiha Mikan remained outside the school gates like any other worried mother.
Once inside, they arrived at the large training ground.
A crowd of new students had already gathered—at a glance, there were easily several hundred.
As they stepped onto the field, they drew curious looks.
Saitama noticed that despite being children, many had already formed small groups.
There were children from the Inuzuka clan, easily identifiable by the red fang marks on their cheeks and the puppies at their sides; a group of Hyūga, with their distinctive pale eyes; and a group of silent boys in dark glasses, clearly Aburame clan.
Nearby, the Uchiha children, with their black hair and high-collared shirts, stood in a cluster.
Meanwhile, a large group of civilian children stood separately, highlighting the divide between clans and commoners.
Naturally, Saitama and Shisui joined the Uchiha group.
"What are they doing, Saitama?" Shisui asked, puzzled.
"Probably just showing off their family pride or something," Saitama replied under his breath.
He didn't dare say it too loudly—after all, he himself was from a prestigious family.
They chatted idly until the registration ended.
By now, the playground was packed with nearly five hundred children, and the area was buzzing with chatter, sounding more like a marketplace than a school.
Many of the students, having overcome their initial shyness, had already started making connections.
"Hey, are you from the Uchiha clan?"
A dark-skinned boy suddenly approached Saitama, looking at him curiously.
"Uh, yes. My name is Uchiha Saitama."