At the teacher’s signal, the children began their laps. Knowing that good performance meant a better class assignment, Masaki shot forward like an arrow, quickly taking the lead. Shisui ran close behind, determined not to let Masaki get too far ahead. Surprisingly, Iruka kept pace with them, looking just as steady and focused.

As Masaki ran alongside Shisui and Iruka, he couldn’t shake a suspicion, ’Is this kid really Iruka?’ Masaki found it hard to believe that someone like Iruka, who didn’t look particularly athletic, could keep up with him and Shisui. ‘Maybe he’s a transmigrator too,’ he thought.

The first lap ended quickly, with Masaki keeping a steady sprinting pace, enough to catch the eye of the supervising teacher. Shisui and Iruka kept close, and the three of them led the pack. Although many of the kids here came from shinobi families, their physical abilities couldn’t match those of Masaki, Shisui, and Iruka. They formed the first “elite” group, steadily gaining a lead.

One lap, two laps, three laps…

Occasionally, some kids would try to overtake them, but the trio would just speed up, leaving the others trailing behind again. By the eighth lap, Iruka was visibly struggling, and Shisui was only holding on through sheer determination. Both were drenched in sweat, their bangs sticking to their foreheads.

Masaki, though sweating, still looked composed and had energy to spare. Several other children had already dropped out around the fifth or sixth lap—understandably so, given each lap was nearly 600 meters.

As they neared the end, Masaki slowed his pace, jogging alongside his two nearly exhausted companions for the last two laps.

“You’re amazing, Masaki!” Shisui gasped as he collapsed to the ground after finishing.

“Eh, not too bad,” Masaki replied, waving his hand modestly.

“You’re really strong, Masaki,” Iruka added, still catching his breath. “My dad trains me every day, but I didn’t expect you to be this much stronger!”

“Just breathe slowly,” Masaki advised, letting them catch their breath. With their performance, he was confident they’d be placed in a good class. As an Uchiha, it was almost guaranteed he’d be in one of the top classes anyway—status had its advantages.

After a while, the teacher gathered the remaining students, most of whom hadn’t finished the run. Only a small group of about 20 had completed the entire ten laps, but the teacher didn’t seem surprised.

“All right, everyone stand up,” the teacher announced once they’d had enough time to recover. “We’ve finished sorting the classes. Listen up for your assigned class.”

As Masaki suspected, the division was based less on ability and more on family background. Nearly everyone in his class came from prominent clans, with only a few exceptions like Iruka.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

“Masaki, Shisui, we’re in the same class!” Iruka said happily when he heard his name called with theirs. “Please look after me!”

Once the assignments were done, the teacher gave the order to head to their classrooms, and the field cleared quickly as the children scattered.

Masaki, Shisui, and Iruka were placed in Class One, Grade One—a clear sign of a top-tier class. Masaki took it in stride, having expected nothing less. The three made their way to their classroom, with Masaki leading the way and his two companions following, chatting quietly as they went.

Along the way, other students moved aside respectfully, recognizing Masaki’s impressive performance in the entrance exam and his Uchiha status. By the time they reached their classroom, Masaki felt a swell of pride. ‘To dominate Konoha, it starts here,’ he thought.

Leading his friends to the back of the classroom, Masaki picked out seats for them.

“Masaki, why are we sitting all the way in the back?” Iruka asked, confused.

“If you want to study seriously, sit back here,” Masaki replied with a smirk. “Otherwise, those flashy kids up front will distract you.”

Iruka and Shisui looked at the students in the front rows, who seemed ordinary enough to them. Still, they trusted Masaki’s judgment, even if they didn’t fully understand his reasoning, and joined him in the back row, ready for their first day as shinobi academy students.

After a few minutes, more students trickled in, and the classroom filled with lively chatter. Many kids were introducing themselves, some already knew each other, and the noise level quickly rose. Just then, a middle-aged man in a shinobi vest entered, holding a book and wearing a serious expression. The classroom fell silent—kids of this age still felt a certain awe toward their teachers, even those from prominent families.

“Hello, everyone!” the teacher began, introducing himself. “My name is Renji Kitahara, and I’ll be one of your homeroom teachers during your time here at the academy.”

He started with the usual welcome speech, but in the back row, Masaki’s eyes grew heavy, and he began dozing off.

“Masaki! Masaki!” Shisui poked him, trying to wake him.

“Huh? What’s going on?” Masaki asked groggily, blinking at Shisui.

“It’s your turn to introduce yourself!” Shisui whispered urgently.

“Ugh, so boring,” Masaki mumbled, glancing at the teacher who had just called his name.

Clearing his throat, Masaki stood up. “My name is Masaki Uchiha, and I am destined to become the strongest man!”

He said it with all the intensity of a shonen anime protagonist, drawing a few gasps around the room.

“Wow!” one girl with big eyes exclaimed.

“Hmph, all Uchiha kids are too full of themselves!” muttered a Hyuga boy with pale skins.

As expected, the room burst into chatter, with some kids sounding impressed and others rolling their eyes. Even Shisui and Iruka looked at Masaki with admiration.

“Hmm,” the teacher murmured, clearly not taking Masaki’s bold claim too seriously. “All right, next!”

Masaki sat back down, maintaining his confident expression as if he hadn’t just caused an uproar. Then it was Shisui’s turn.

“Hello, everyone. My name is Shisui Uchiha, and I’m going to become the second strongest!” he declared, grinning as he shot Masaki a playful look.

Masaki raised an eyebrow, silently wondering if Shisui expected praise for simply copying his words.

Then it was Iruka’s turn. “My name is Iruka, and I’m going to be Hokage! I’ll protect Konoha with my life!”

A moment of silence fell before the classroom erupted in laughter. Even though they were young, they understood how tough it was to become Hokage.

“Becoming Hokage is a noble goal!” Mr. Kitahara said, offering Iruka an encouraging nod. He shot a less enthusiastic glance at Masaki and Shisui, still bemused by the Uchiha mindset.

After the introductions, Mr. Kitahara continued, “All right, now that we’ve gotten to know each other a little, I hope we can all work together in harmony.” He looked around the room and asked, “Does anyone know what we’ll be learning here at the academy?”