The atmosphere at the Academy gates was electric. The new batch of students the ones who would eventually become the legends of the Hidden Leaf had just finished their entrance exams.
Ryan leaned against the roof's edge, his eyes scanning the crowd with the precision of a thermal camera. He saw Kakashi, standing apart with his silver hair and a wooden sword, looking like a miniature soldier. But his gaze shifted to another boy one wearing a spandex suit and a bowl cut, his face drenched in sweat but his eyes burning with a terrifying fire.
Might Guy, Ryan thought. He kept pace with Kakashi's running lap for lap. His physical stats are already breaking the scale, even without a drop of chakra in his system. If I don't recruit him, I'm failing as a scientist.
Beside him, he saw the others: Asuma Sarutobi, looking entitled; Kurenai Yuhi, already showing signs of high-level spiritual energy; and Obito, who was busy tripping over his own shoelaces while trying to look "cool."
"Time for the welcome party," Ryan whispered.
Just as the instructors were about to dismiss the new students, two blurs descended from the roof.
WHOOSH.
Ryan and Genma landed simultaneously in the center of the gate, the dust swirling around them. The "Ice Beast" and the "Gatekeeper" stood as a wall between the freshmen and the exit. The air temperature around Ryan dropped instantly, a light mist curling around his boots.
The newbies froze. Even Kakashi's hand twitched toward his wooden blade.
"Listen up, you fresh meat," Genma said, casually leaning on a fence post and flicking his toothpick. "This is Ryan-sama. In this Academy, his word is physics, and his physics are law. You'll address him as Big Brother. If any of you feel like your 'clan pride' is too heavy to carry, you can try to move it—by going through me first."
The silence was broken by a scoff. Asuma Sarutobi stepped forward, his hands in his pockets, trying to look unimpressed for the benefit of Kurenai, who was standing nearby.
"Big Brother?" Asuma laughed, his voice dripping with arrogance. "Do you think just because you've bullied some seniors, we're going to bow down? My father is the Hokage. I don't take orders from civilian orphans who play with ice cubes."
Genma let out a sharp, barking laugh. "A kid with a backer. How original. Tell me, Asuma-kun, does your father's title give you faster reflexes? Or does it just make you louder?"
Asuma's face flushed a deep red. "You want to find out? I've been training with elite Sarutobi guards since I could walk!"
"Fine by me," Genma straightened up, his eyes turning cold. "Training Ground 2. Right now. Let's see if that Sarutobi blood has any fire in it, or if it's just hot air."
The news spread through the Academy like a wildfire. Within ten minutes, Training Ground 2 was surrounded by hundreds of students. Even the teachers stayed in the shadows to watch. This wasn't just a spar; it was a clash between the "Old Academy Order" and the "New Clan Blood."
Ryan sat on a high branch of a nearby tree, his legs swinging casually. He noticed Kakashi standing in the front row, his arms crossed, watching with intense focus.
"Ready, brat?" Genma asked, standing in a relaxed stance that made him look completely open.
"I'll make you regret this!" Asuma shouted. He rushed forward, his speed impressive for a six-year-old, pulling a training kunai. He moved in a zigzag pattern—a classic Sarutobi skirmish tactic.
Predictable, Ryan analyzed from above. Vector: 45 degrees. Momentum: High. Defensive awareness: Zero.
Asuma lunged, swinging the kunai in a horizontal arc. Genma didn't move his feet. He simply tilted his head back, the kunai whistling past his nose by a fraction of an inch.
"Missed," Genma whispered.
Asuma growled, following up with a flurry of stabs. Genma moved like a ghost, his body swaying with a "lazy" grace that made Asuma look like he was fighting the wind.
"Is that all?" Genma taunted.
"Fire Style: Ash Pile Burning!" Asuma tried to blow a cloud of soot, a miniature version of his clan's signature move.
Genma didn't even use a hand sign. He took the toothpick from his mouth and spat it with a burst of Wind Chakra.
THWACK!
The toothpick moved like a bullet, slicing through the smoke and pinning Asuma's sleeve to a wooden training post behind him. The force was so great it yanked Asuma off his feet.
"W-what?" Asuma struggled, trapped.
Genma appeared in front of him in a blur, another toothpick already between his teeth. "In this world, titles don't block kunai. Ryan-sama taught me that. You're fast, kid, but you're loud. A ninja should be a whisper, not a tantrum."
Ryan hopped down from the tree, landing softly next to Genma. He looked at the shocked faces of the freshmen—Obito's jaw was on the floor, Guy was staring at Genma's legs with wide-eyed respect, and Kakashi... Kakashi was looking at Ryan.
Ryan walked up to the pinned Asuma and patted him on the head like a lost puppy.
"Welcome to the Academy, Asuma-kun," Ryan said, his voice smooth and terrifyingly calm. "I think you'll find that here, the 'Will of Fire' burns a lot cooler than you're used to."
He turned to the rest of the crowd. "Anyone else want a lesson in physics? Or are we all ready to be brothers?"