…
Before long, a ninja with a pineapple-like hairstyle, wearing a Konoha forehead protector and a green flak jacket, pushed open the classroom door and walked in.
There was a horizontal scar across the bridge of his nose, but his face carried a warm, approachable smile.
"Hello everyone, I'm your instructor at the Ninja Academy. My name is Iruka…"
He stepped onto the podium and introduced himself.
"He's here… Iruka."
Kazama Shin looked at the man on stage and thought to himself.
Iruka wasn't a particularly powerful ninja—just an ordinary Chunin.
But—
He was a great teacher.
Despite lacking overwhelming strength, in the original story, he was one of the people who had the greatest impact on Uzumaki Naruto.
Aside from the Third Hokage, he was the first to truly acknowledge and care for Naruto.
Watching familiar figures from the original story appear one after another before his eyes, Kazama Shin couldn't help but feel a ripple in his heart.
…
"Next, everyone will come up one by one and introduce yourselves. You can talk about your hobbies and interests so your classmates can get to know you…"
Iruka said with a smile.
Following his gesture, the introductions began.
"My name is…"
"I'm…"
Most of the names were unfamiliar to Shin—people who never appeared in the original anime, but were very real in this world.
"My name is Uchiha Sasuke!"
When it was Sasuke's turn, he walked up with a deliberately cool demeanor, stated his name, and stepped down immediately.
Yet that alone was enough to send the girls into an uproar.
"So his name is Sasuke… he's so cool!"
"…"
The reason for the excitement was just that simple—
Which made Naruto extremely annoyed.
"My name is Haruno Sakura…"
Soon, Sakura, Ino, Shikamaru, and the others also completed their introductions.
Then—
Naruto couldn't wait any longer and rushed up onto the stage.
"Hello everyone! My name is Uzumaki Naruto! My dream is… I'm going to become Hokage and make everyone in the village acknowledge me!!! Hahaha!"
The moment Naruto stepped up, Kazama Shin raised an eyebrow, already sensing trouble.
And sure enough—
Halfway through—
Naruto did exactly what he expected.
He stepped onto the podium desk, hands on his hips, loudly declaring his ambition to become Hokage while laughing boldly.
"Idiot."
Uchiha Sasuke muttered coldly.
The classroom erupted in whispers and pointing.
Shin noticed—
Although many students looked at Naruto with distance, likely warned by their parents not to get close to him—
There were still plenty who simply saw him as a normal kid.
But after this display—
They immediately categorized him as a "fool."
After all—
Becoming Hokage was an incredibly lofty dream.
…
Iruka wasn't shocked by Naruto's ambition—
He was startled by his behavior.
Still, as a teacher, he awkwardly laughed and coaxed Naruto back to his seat.
But as he watched Naruto return, his expression turned slightly complicated.
"This child…"
He recognized Naruto as the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki.
His own parents had died during the Nine-Tails' attack.
Though kind-hearted, Iruka couldn't help but feel conflicted toward Naruto at first.
…
"Hello everyone, my name is Kazama Shin! As for my dream… well, I suppose I want to become Hokage and protect this village."
When it was his turn, Shin stepped onto the stage naturally.
With a calm smile, he spoke his thoughts.
"Wow, so his name is Kazama Shin…"
"Shin… Shin…"
Just like with Sasuke, the girls immediately became excited.
The boys, meanwhile, could only stare in silence.
But when they heard that Shin shared Naruto's dream of becoming Hokage—
The classroom fell into a brief hush.
Looking at his confident, composed expression—
The slight upward curve of his lips—
The warmth he seemed to radiate—
No one laughed.
Instead, they were struck by the weight of his ambition, and many showed admiration.
"Why does everyone want such a troublesome position like Hokage…"
Shikamaru muttered lazily, slumped over his desk.
"Sleeping sounds much better…"
…
"What the heck… why didn't they react like that when I said it…"
Naruto muttered to himself, watching as everyone admired Shin's declaration.
When he had said the same thing—
They had looked at him like he was an idiot.
…
"So this is that genius…"
Iruka looked at Shin with clear approval.
As a fellow civilian, and seeing Shin recognized as a talented prodigy, Iruka naturally felt a sense of closeness.
"That's a great goal. Becoming Hokage isn't easy, Shin—you'll have to work hard!"
Hearing Iruka encourage him so openly, Shin was slightly surprised.
But he nodded in response.
At the same time, he thought to himself—
"With my identity as a civilian genius, if I don't raise the banner of becoming Hokage… how else am I supposed to protect myself…"