The next day, I woke up early.
I did light stretching first. Then I washed up and got dressed. For breakfast, I had bread, milk, and a boiled egg. Simple. Clean. Good enough.
Then I left for the Ninja Academy.
It took me about twenty minutes to reach there by light jogging.
One thing I have noticed about myself over the past few years. I have a lot of stamina.
A ridiculous amount.
I do not get tired easily. Even after long runs or long training sessions, I still feel like I can keep going. Maybe it is Uzumaki vitality. Maybe something else. Either way, I am not complaining.
When I reached the Academy, I slowed down.
It was bigger than I expected.
In the anime, it looked like a single building.
In reality, it was made up of several buildings connected together. Some looked older. Some looked newer. They were probably built over time as the village grew.
The main building was easy to identify. There was a large tree in front of it.
A swing hung from one of its branches.
And above the entrance was a giant sign with the kanji for "fire."
This was it.
A chūnin stood at the entrance gate, guiding the children.
"All new students, gather at the training ground behind the Academy!" he called out.
I followed the crowd.
When we reached the back, I stopped for a moment.
In the distance, I could see it clearly.
Hokage Rock.
Four massive stone faces carved into the mountain.
I had seen it before from far away.
But up close…
It was magnificent.
For a second, I just stared at it.
My face would look good up there too.
Should I aim to become Hokage?
…Nah.
Too much paperwork.
Too much responsibility.
Too much trouble.
I shook my head and looked around. There were far more students than the anime showed.
Way more than thirty.
If there were only thirty students per year, the village would run out of ninja quickly.
Now this made more sense.
There were dozens of kids gathered here.
Many of them clearly belonged to shinobi clans.
I could see Hyūga kids with pale eyes and calm expressions.
Aburame kids with their high collars and serious faces.
Inuzuka kids with small puppies beside them.
Uchiha kids with their clan symbol on their backs.
Clan children were easy to identify.
They wore clothes with their clan symbols.
They carried themselves differently too.
More confident.
More trained.
More aware.
Then there were the civilian children.
How could I tell?
Simple.
No clan symbols.
Just normal kids in normal clothes. And there were a lot of them. More civilians than clan kids.
Let's see who comes out on top.
The chunin instructor raised his voice.
"Form lines! Fifteen students in each line! Quickly!"
The training ground became noisy for a few minutes as children rushed to stand in order. Some pushed. Some argued. Some tried to stand near their friends.
I quietly took a place in one of the lines.
Once everyone settled down, I saw someone walking toward us.
An old man.
Wearing the Hokage robe.
Holding a smoking pipe.
Oh.
Finally.
Hiruzen Sarutobi.
The Third Hokage.
The Professor.
The so-called "God of Shinobi."
The teacher of my father's teacher.
I watched him carefully.
It was strange.
He had never personally contacted me.
Not once.
Everything regarding me had been handled through others.
Yet here he was, smiling gently at the new generation.
The moment the kids recognized him, the mood changed.
Excitement turned into respect.
Even the loud ones became quiet.
Most of them looked shocked that the Hokage himself had come to greet them. The surrounding chūnin raised their hands.
"Silence! Lord Hokage will speak!"
The ground became quiet.
Here it is, I thought.
Time to witness his famous influence.
In my previous life, everyone talked about Naruto's Talk no Jutsu. But very few talked about Hiruzen's influence.
He was the one who planted the Will of Fire deep inside a lonely child.
He was the one who guided Naruto to protect the same village that treated him badly.
That kind of influence was not small.
The Third Hokage stepped forward. He looked at us, one by one, with warm eyes.
Then he began to speak.
"Now that you have entered the Academy," he said calmly, "we will teach you the ways of a Konoha shinobi."
His voice was steady and gentle.
"We will train you to become full-fledged ninja of the Hidden Leaf Village."
He paused slightly.
"This Academy was created by the Second Hokage. He personally taught many students here… including me."
Some children whispered in awe.
"I still remember the days I spent here," he continued. "The training. The lessons. The battles. The friendships."
His eyes softened for a moment.
"The ninja who graduate from this Academy protect our village. They ensure that your families remain safe and that peace continues."
He looked at all of us again.
"Soon, it will be your turn."
The air felt heavier.
"You will carry forward the Will of Fire, as the First Hokage taught us."
Some children straightened their backs.
"The Will of Fire means loving your village. Protecting it. Supporting each other. Standing strong even in difficult times."
His voice grew slightly firmer.
"Carry the Will of Fire in your hearts brighter than anyone else. Show the world that the fire of Konoha burns stronger than any storm."
He tapped his pipe lightly.
"Train hard. Strengthen your body. Strengthen your mind. Endure hardship. Never give up."
Then he smiled.
"And with that… I welcome you, future ninja, to the Academy of the Hidden Leaf."
For a second, there was silence.
Then, the excitement that had been building inside the children finally exploded.
Cheers.
Laughter.
Shouting.
Some kids jumped in joy.
Some waved their hands.
Some looked at each other with shining eyes.
Dreams were being born right now.
I watched quietly.
The speech was simple.
But effective.
Even I could feel a small spark inside.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was not weak with words.
Not at all.