As introductions went on, it was finally Minato's turn.
"My name's Minato Namikaze! I like tri-color dango, don't really dislike anything, and my dream is to become Hokage!"
He grinned brightly—the very picture of a sunny, cheerful boy.
Watching him, Sarutobi Reiji nodded to himself. Forget introductions—this is all about building your image. As long as your "character" is solid, no amount of trouble can bring you down.
When Minato stepped back, Reiji strode forward, grinning.
"I'm Sarutobi Reiji. I like patting people's heads, and I hate it when people pat mine." Then his expression sharpened, voice firm. "I'm a man destined to become Hokage!"
"Hokage—I'll definitely be the one!"
"You wish! I'm the one who's gonna be Hokage!" A spiky-haired boy with face-paint streaks slammed his desk and stood, eyes blazing.
Reiji recognized him—Inuzuka Ryo of the Inuzuka clan. Another kid with a Hokage dream.
Reiji blinked, then shot back, "Keep dreaming! When I become Hokage, I'll make you one of my advisors!" He hesitated, then added hastily, "Same goes for Minato!"
Minato's face darkened. Wow, thanks—you get to be Hokage and I get to be your advisor? Great deal.
"When I become Hokage, you will be the advisor!" Ryo barked.
Their homeroom teacher, Yamanaka Kiyoshi, rubbed his forehead helplessly. This was supposed to be introductions, not a Hokage debate. "Next," he said, knocking the desk for quiet.
Reiji slipped back into his seat beside Minato with an awkward smile. Ryo huffed, muttering, "I'm the one who'll be Hokage, you'll see…"
Meanwhile, in the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi set down his crystal ball, a faint smile curling his lips.
"Sarutobi Reiji, huh? It seems the Will of Fire is already being passed down…" His expression turned wry. "Now then, time to… inspect the village's public order."
Of course, Reiji had no idea he'd just caught the Hokage's eye.
Once everyone finished, the opening ceremony ended. Classes were dismissed early—today was just for getting acquainted. Actual lessons would start tomorrow, but they'd already been given their textbooks.
Walking home with Minato, both boys carried standard-issue Academy books.
"So the Third Hokage's the strongest Hokage, huh?" Minato said, flipping through the history text that praised Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Professor of Ninjutsu.
Reiji glanced over but stayed quiet—while a tiny headpat emoji popped above Minato's head.
It was one of the Duel Arena's features. Anyone who'd entered that space could see the little emotes Reiji projected. Unfortunately, he only had three: Respect Seal, Headpat, and Smirk.
Minato froze, staring up. "Huh? What's that?"
Reiji didn't answer—he swapped it for Smirk. It looked annoyingly smug.
"It's part of my ability," Reiji said at last. "You can use them too once you're inside the Arena."
"Really?" Minato stroked his chin, though for some reason that headpat icon made him feel oddly… insulted.
"This Will of Fire Compendium sure is something," Reiji muttered, shaking the booklet.
"It's the will of the village!" Minato said proudly, lifting his chin.
Reiji held back a sigh. What's that got to do with you, exactly…? He didn't say it aloud. The whole book was basically one slogan—The Will of Fire—followed by pages of stories about ninja who lived and died for it. To Reiji, it was pure propaganda—but hey, the masses loved it.
Closing the book, he turned to Minato. "I'm heading home first. Come by tonight."
"Eh?" Minato blinked, then nodded. "Alright, I'll come over."
Carrying The Will of Fire, Reiji walked home looking every bit the devoted idealist—earning admiring glances all the way.
Back in his room, he sat at his desk, rubbing his chin. He had no tragic backstory, no grand mission to save or destroy the world. He just wanted to live quietly. But in the ninja world, peace required power.
Right now, the Second Great Ninja War wasn't over yet, but at least the Leaf wasn't desperate enough to send children. That meant four or five more years of relative peace. The Academy graduated at ten—not twelve like the later generations.
With that in mind, Reiji picked up his pen and began to write.
At the top of the page: "Reflections on the Will of Fire."
He wasn't writing for himself—it was for anyone who might one day read it. In Konoha, the safest way to live was to brand yourself a model believer in the Will of Fire—a loyal little leaf. He called it his Emergency Survival Strategy. After all, this was still the window when Danzō was only starting to go dark, and the Third hadn't yet gone senile—the safest time there'd ever be.
By the time he looked up, the sky had turned red with sunset. He glanced at the ten or so filled pages and nodded. "Hah, still got it." A single prompt, ten pages of rambling—truly the product of a Chinese education.
A knock sounded at the door.
Reiji tucked the "reflection" away and opened up—Minato stood there with a lunchbox. Seeing the darkened room, Minato sighed and handed it over. "I knew you hadn't eaten. I made this—hurry up and eat."
"Minato, you're a lifesaver!"
Reiji flipped the lid: tempura and sushi sandwiches. Minato turned on the lamp, shaking his head. "If Grandma Eimi hadn't told me you hadn't been downstairs all day, I wouldn't have known to bring food."
From the windowsill, yesterday's paper crane shivered—thin ink bleeding into a new word across its crease: "TONIGHT."