"And I, as Lady Tsunade's disciple, the Third Hokage's grand-disciple, hereby swear that I will remember the Will of Fire, and act as its promoter, inheritor, and practitioner."
"I will fulfill my duties as a ninja, carry out Konoha's decisions, and strictly follow Konoha's discipline."
"I will strive forward, courageously climb to new heights, and become a pillar of strength beneficial to Konoha and the ninja world!"
As the speech neared its end, Aoba's tone gradually rose.
Looking at the teachers, students, and parents below, who had also been stirred by his wave of chicken soup, he raised his fist.
"I will study for the sake of Konoha's resurgence!"
With that said—
Clap! Clap! Clap!
A round of enthusiastic applause erupted.
All the children, whose expressions were originally sleepy, were suddenly full of energy. Their faces flushed with excitement.
They shouted loudly.
Seeing the excited looks on the children's faces below, Aoba also showed a faint smile.
'Looks like... I really does have a knack for speeches.'
After finishing his speech, Aoba walked toward the resting platform to the side.
From far away, he saw Sarutobi Hiruzen nearly grinning from ear to ear.
"Aoba, your speech was even more brilliant than I imagined," Sarutobi Hiruzen patted Aoba on the shoulder. He was genuinely happy now.
'To study for the sake of Konoha's resurgence. Now that is a true inheritor of the Will of Fire.'
'Talent, thought, education, discipline—what Konoha lacks is exactly this kind of pillar!'
'Today's speech should also inspire more people to contribute to Konoha's future.'
After Aoba stepped down from the stage, Sarutobi Hiruzen went up.
Looking at the still-excited children below, and having just heard such an excellent speech, he couldn't resist the urge to speak.
"Aoba's speech just now was very moving. Even this old man couldn't help but feel stirred. So next, let me say a few more words…"
.
.
.
.
[One hour later.]
"Where tree leaves dance... one shall find flames... the fire's shadow will illuminate the village... and once again tree leaves shall bud anew."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's speech finally ended. With that, today's opening ceremony concluded successfully.
Looking at the little hands now red from clapping, and teary-eyed kids clearly moved by that "sun-like" brilliance…
After the speech ended, next came the start of classes for the older students and class placement for the new ones.
As expected, Aoba and the others were placed in the same class.
Except for Hyuga Neji and Rock Lee, who had enrolled earlier, the rest of the Konoha Eleven were all in this class.
This was a true 'Crown Prince' class.
"Come quick, let's sit here together!"
"Aoba-senpai, can we sit here?"
"No way!" ×4
"School is such a pain…"
A pineapple-headed boy entered the classroom, looking totally unmotivated.
After glancing around the class, he walked to the last row with a chubby little boy.
Only after they sat down did they suddenly realize, someone was already there.
"Huh? Shino, when did you get here?", Shikamaru was a bit surprised. Even if he was used to it, he was still shocked.
Shino adjusted his sunglasses, "I was the first to arrive."
"…"
"Well, mind if we sit here?"
Shino didn't say anything. He silently moved a few seats inward.
Shikamaru and Choji sat down.
Choji immediately pulled out a bag of chips from his backpack, "Shikamaru, I just saw Ino. Wanna go say hi?"
Shikamaru slumped on the desk, still half-asleep, "Forget it. She's definitely stuck to that annoying guy Aoba right now."
"Aoba... That speech just now was amazing. Ino… the white-eyed girl, the pink-haired girl, and the bun-haired girl... So many girls are sitting next to him."
Choji widened his eyes, "That Naruto and a black-haired boy are sitting there too!"
Shikamaru lifted his head and glanced at the two boys, "Such a drag…"
Shikamaru couldn't even imagine. If he were surrounded like that, he'd probably suffocate.
And Aoba really did feel it was kind of troublesome right now.
Maybe because of his speech this morning, combined with his sunny and handsome looks, he was now super popular in class. Especially among the girls.
Each of them wanted to sit next to him.
Tenten, Ino, Sakura, and Hinata exchanged a glance and instantly understood one another.
They had formed an unbreakable alliance.
When it came to facing a common 'enemy,' they were always highly unified.
'Four are already a lot, no more allowed!'
After a brief eye contact, Hinata and Sakura sat in front of Aoba, somewhat reluctantly. Tenten and Ino took the seats to either side.
Naruto and Sasuke sat behind Aoba.
Originally, many people wanted to sit with Sasuke too, but Naruto's natural 'do not approach' aura warded them off.
"Why not? Why won't you let us sit next to Aoba?"
"Yeah, who made you boss? Mind your own business."
The four girls had just firmly rejected them, and a few bolder girls weren't happy about it. They tried to force their way to sit beside Aoba.
"We said no!"
The four girls refused to give an inch.
They were all trained fighters. No matter how hard these other girls tried, they couldn't compete with them.
"Who even are you to Aoba? What gives you the right to stop us?"
Realizing they couldn't win, the little girls began to feel wronged.
"Aoba, tell them. What are we to you?", Tenten nudged Aoba with her elbow, thinking this matter should be decided by him.
Aoba didn't hesitate. He stood up straight, face serious, "They're all girls I like!"
"?"
Silence!
Though Aoba didn't speak loudly, everyone in the class heard him.
In that moment, the entire classroom fell into a dead silence.
Even Shikamaru at the back couldn't help but lift his head and gaze in admiration at the guy in the center of attention.
Aoba, on the other hand, kept a calm expression.
The past was the past. The present is the present.
Don't treat the present like the past. He wasn't some powerless nobody anymore.
Now he had strength, background. Even confronting Hiashi Hyuga wouldn't be a problem. So what if he liked a few more girls?
Besides, the four girls were getting along quite well now. As long as Aoba kept things balanced, there'd be no "either her or me" love war.
By stating things clearly now and solidifying their status, he could increase their favorability and promote harem harmony, while also avoiding future issues.
He definitely wasn't into that whole 'walking fan club' kind of vibe.
"Hmph! A guy who only drowns himself in girls... one day, he'll lose to me!", Sasuke's irritated voice shattered the silence.
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