[Office]
"Iruka, relax."
Umino Ikaku raised his hand and patted his son's shoulder, his voice steady and encouraging.
"Being assigned to this class is Lord Hokage's recognition of you. Do a good job, and becoming a department head or minister in the future won't be difficult."
"Sigh..."
Iruka held the documents nervously, his brows slightly furrowed, his voice full of unease.
"But this is my first time being a teacher, and I'm taking over such an important class right away... I'm afraid I won't do well."
"Ah, what's there to be afraid of?"
Umino Ikaku laughed heartily and patted his chest as he recalled.
"When I first became a homeroom teacher, wasn't I also in charge of the second-generation ninja class? Kakashi, Asuma, and Kurenai were all my students."
"I remember one student was late and didn't come to collect the materials. I panicked on the spot, and it was Lord Arisu who came and got me out of trouble. Looking back now, it wasn't a big deal at all."
His father's words were like a calming pill, and Iruka's tense shoulders gradually relaxed.
Iruka took a deep breath and nodded heavily.
"I understand, Father."
After saying that, he picked up the lesson plans and attendance list from the desk and walked out of the office.
———
The classroom was already noisy. The sounds of desks and chairs bumping together mixed with laughter and chatter.
Naruto was naturally outgoing. At the moment, he had his arm around the indifferent-looking Shikamaru and was talking animatedly. Choji and Kiba Inuzuka were gathered nearby, and the few of them quickly got along.
As for the Hyuga clan, they had moved as a whole to Mount Myoboku during the years of chaos.
At this moment, there was only an unknown Hyuga child in this classroom.
So Hinata, who should have been in this classroom, was probably attending kindergarten or elementary school at Mount Myoboku right now.
Uchiha Sasuke was still as quiet as ever. He rested his chin with one hand and looked out the window with an indifferent expression, but in reality, he was secretly using the corner of his eye to observe Naruto and Yukio in the front row.
Before coming here, his father and brother had repeatedly reminded him that the Hokage's son and Lord Arisu's son were in the same class as him.
"I hope these two who carry everyone's expectations aren't too weak," Sasuke thought to himself.
"Ahhh! Sasuke-kun is so handsome!"
"Yukio is super handsome too! What do I do? I can't choose!"
Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino sat side by side with their hands supporting their faces. Their eyes almost sparkled as their gaze drifted back and forth between Sasuke and Yukio, letting out excited whispers.
Nara Shikamaru lazily rested his chin in his hand and glanced around the classroom.
"Tsk, all the heirs of the major clan leaders are gathered in this class..."
Despite his young age, he was frighteningly mature. Since childhood, he had already figured out Konoha's power structure.
He knew who had the final say, who held real power, and which clan had the deepest foundation. He understood it better than anyone.
At this moment, Yukio was chatting casually with Aburame Shino.
Just then, the classroom door was gently pushed open.
Iruka slowly walked in.
The noise suddenly died down, and dozens of eyes turned toward the young homeroom teacher.
"Alright everyone, quiet down."
Iruka waved his hand somewhat nervously.
"Sigh... the Hokage's son, the clan leaders' sons, the heirs of the families..."
Looking around, Iruka saw that the entire class was filled with second-generation ninja children.
He had been wondering what he would do if these children refused to listen to him.
Unexpectedly, the children quickly quieted down and looked at Iruka obediently.
"Alright, now let's introduce ourselves!"
Iruka smiled and moved on to the next part.
"I'm your teacher, my name is Umino Iruka. You can call me Teacher Iruka. I like Ichiraku Ramen near the Hokage Building."
"If any of you like it too, you can come with me! My dream is to educate the next generation.", Iruka said with a smile.
As soon as Naruto heard Ichiraku Ramen, his eyes lit up.
"That, that! Teacher, I like Ichiraku Ramen too! Dad, Mom, and I often go there!"
Iruka smiled and nodded.
"Good, now it's your turn to introduce yourselves."
Yukio, sitting in the front row, slowly stood up.
"Hello everyone, my name is Yukio. My dream is... for peace in the ninja world, so there will never again be ambitious people who start wars. My favorite food is the meals my father cooks."
After Yukio finished, Iruka clapped his hands.
"That's a very nice wish. And liking your parents' cooking, it seems Yukio is someone who loves his family.", Iruka said approvingly.
"My turn, my turn!", Naruto couldn't hold himself back any longer and raised his hand as he stood up.
"Hello everyone, my name is Naruto Namikaze. My favorite food is Ichiraku Ramen, and my dream is to become a Hokage like my father. No! An even greater Hokage than my father!", Naruto said loudly.
After that came Sasuke, Nara Shikamaru, Haruno Sakura, Ino...
———
[Mount Myoboku, Kindergarten]
"Hello everyone, my name is Hyuga Hinata."
Wearing a school uniform, Hinata introduced herself.
"Hello everyone, my name is Otsutsuki Toneri."
A silver-haired child also stood up and introduced himself.
"Hyuga Neji.", Hyuga Neji stood up and spoke calmly.
At the Sage Hall, Arisu used the Telescope Technique to watch Konoha's enrollment ceremony and Mount Myoboku's enrollment ceremony at the same time.
"Hyuga Hinata, Otsutsuki Toneri, Hyuga Neji. These people are now at Mount Myoboku. Hinata may never cross paths with Naruto in this life."
"I didn't expect that I would accidentally break up a couple."
"But if Naruto comes to Mount Myoboku in the future, maybe he and Hinata will still form a bond."
Arisu felt that Naruto would probably marry Haruno Sakura in this life.
Hyuga Hinata was at Mount Myoboku. She didn't know Naruto at all since childhood, and Toneri might even get to her first.
Unless Naruto got the chance to come to Mount Myoboku in the future and then steal Hinata away.
"Sage, Hikari wants to see you."
White Zetsu appeared.
A trace of hesitation appeared on Arisu's face. To be honest, ever since marrying Tsunade, he had intentionally avoided seeing Kaguya.
He had also never told Kaguya that he had married Tsunade and had children.
Arisu realized that Kaguya liked him. With Kaguya's extreme personality, once she found out, she would very likely become obsessive.
If that happened, things would be troublesome.
"Since it's Hikari, let her come in."
Arisu nodded slightly.
Soon, Hikari walked in wearing a white short-sleeved shirt and jeans.
"Hikari, it's been a long time..."
Arisu put on a smile.
Hikari struggled inwardly. She first bowed and asked, "Sage, why haven't you gone to see Sister Kaguya?"
Arisu's warm smile remained unchanged.
"My time isn't particularly plentiful. What's wrong?"
Hikari lightly bit her lip.
"Sage, Sister Kaguya asked me to pass along a message. She said... she wants to see you."
Hearing this, Arisu thought for a second.
"Let's talk about it after I've finished handling matters in the human world.", Arisu spoke with a warm smile.
"No, Sister Kaguya wants to see you right now!", Uchiha Hikari said again.