"Girl Training—pah!" Seimi spat in his mind. From the very first day he crossed into this world, that so-called Good Teacher System had bound itself to him.
As a small child—and a Branch Family member of the Hyūga—Seimi had wisely kept his head down. He didn't show off, didn't act rashly, and lived quietly within the clan for six years.
Then, just a few days ago, an order from the Main Family arrived—along with a notice of enrollment from the Ninja Academy—and that finally triggered his first training subject.
Driven by a compulsive need to clear red notification dots, Seimi opened the system's Achievement tab.
[Target: Hinata Hyūga]
[Achievement Unlocked: First Report—Became a Ninja Academy Student]
[Reward: Unclaimed]
The achievement interface resembled a branching tree. There was one clear main path: Enrollment → Genin → Chunin → Jonin → Hokage, with additional nodes labeled "To Be Unlocked."
Off the main line were countless gray, hidden branches—secret achievements that could only be discovered by experimentation.
Seimi muttered silently: Claim reward.
[Reward distribution in progress…]
[Reward issued: Bloodline Density Increased.]
The instant the mechanical voice fell silent, a stream of pure, invigorating energy surged outward from his heart, coursing through his entire body. The sensation was intoxicating—like the rush of victory after an intense competition.
And yet… like love, it came swiftly, and vanished just as fast.
Something that should have left a lasting impression somehow didn't. When he tried to grasp what had changed, he realized—there was nothing tangible left behind.
As for how much his "bloodline density" had actually increased, Seimi had no idea. After all, he didn't exactly have a reference point to compare it with.
Before long, the sounds outside the classroom grew louder and louder.
Under Kiba's expectant gaze, the door finally swung open, and a sleepy-looking kid with spiky "pineapple" hair was practically thrown inside.
He was followed by a chubby boy and a blonde girl with a sleek ponytail—and outside the door stood a stone-faced man with the same pineapple hairstyle.
Iruka exchanged a few words with the older man, then followed him out of the classroom.
As soon as they left, Akimichi Chōji grabbed the groggy Nara Shikamaru off the floor and asked while heading toward the back seats, "Shikamaru, didn't your dad say something about the Hokage just now?"
Shikamaru yawned. "Yeah… something about picking someone up."
Chōji wanted to keep asking, but seeing how half-asleep his friend looked, he let it go.
Meanwhile, the blonde girl behind them, Yamanaka Ino, scanned the room. Her eyes quickly landed on Hinata Hyūga, the only other girl present so far.
Without hesitation, she ditched her two friends, walked right over, sat down beside Hinata, and smiled brightly. "Hi! I'm Yamanaka Ino."
"I'm… Hyūga Hinata," came the soft reply.
To Seimi's mild surprise, Hinata didn't shrink back or freeze up. She responded normally—albeit in her usual whispery tone.
"This puppy's adorable! What's his name?"
Ino deftly picked up a topic, and the two girls began chatting comfortably.
At the same time, Chōji and Shikamaru took seats behind Seimi and Kiba. Before long, a pudgy hand reached forward, patting both their shoulders.
When they turned around, a freshly opened bag of potato chips was already being offered to them.
"I'm Akimichi Chōji," the boy said cheerfully, "and this guy's Nara Shikamaru—my friend."
"Nice! I'm Inuzuka Kiba!" Kiba replied enthusiastically, immediately grabbing a handful of chips.
A look of visible pain flashed across Chōji's round face.
"I'm Hyūga Seimi," Seimi said, taking only a few chips. That tiny act of restraint earned him Chōji's instant goodwill.
Seeing that Shikamaru still hadn't lifted his head, Chōji added with a chuckle, "Don't mind him. He's not ignoring you—he's just not fully awake yet. He's actually a really good guy."
The classroom slowly filled up. Many of the students had clearly known each other beforehand, and small groups naturally formed.
Then, the door slid open again—and in walked a boy with spiky black hair and an expression as cold as steel.
His dark eyes swept the room, tinged with a trace of arrogance.
I have to study in the same class as this lot? Hmph. None of them could even compare to a single toe of my brother's.
Uchiha Sasuke shoved his hands into his pockets and strode straight to a seat at the very front.
His aloof attitude instantly rubbed several classmates the wrong way—but before anyone could say a word, a high-pitched squeal split the air.
"So handsome!"
No one knew which girl screamed first, but like a spark in dry grass, it spread instantly.
"Handsome!"
"Ahh, Sasuke-kun!"
Within seconds, every girl in the room was shouting—except one.
Hinata, seated beside Seimi, remained perfectly silent, confusion flickering in her eyes.
"Ino… are you under some kind of genjutsu?" she whispered timidly.
Ino laughed. "Nope, just fangirling."
"Fangirling?" Hinata repeated blankly.
Ino thought for a moment, then explained, "It's when a girl sees a really good-looking guy, gets shy, maybe starts screaming or acting silly because her heart's all fluttery."
Hinata tried to process that explanation—but still couldn't make sense of it.
Just then, the classroom door opened once more. This time, it wasn't a student—it was Umino Iruka.
The moment he entered, the classroom went silent.
Though he didn't look particularly pleased, Iruka forced a smile as he stepped up to the podium. Picking up a piece of chalk, he wrote his name neatly across the blackboard.
"My name is Umino Iruka," he said. "I'll be your teacher for the next six years."
Then he gestured toward the doorway. Only then did everyone notice a small figure standing outside.
The child wore a bright yellow jacket and clung nervously to the doorframe, peeking inside with just half his face showing. His blue eyes were wide and clear—filled with a strange mix of hope and longing.
The room instantly buzzed with whispers.
Hinata stared at those blue eyes, and in that instant, her mind flashed back to that snowy night three years ago.
But before she could chase the memory further, a careless voice beside her cut in—snapping her thoughts in two like a rope pulled taut.
"Hey, Seimi," Kiba said, pointing. "What's that blue mark on your forehead?"
All the color drained from Hinata's face. The faint blush that had just begun to rise vanished completely, leaving her as pale as her eyes.
And every expression in the room—curiosity, confusion, pity—was reflected clearly in Uzumaki Naruto's gaze.