"Is this seat taken?" Minato asked.
Senba withdrew his gaze and looked ahead. "No."
"Then, may I sit here?"
"Go ahead."
Minato smiled, sat down beside him, and placed his small schoolbag neatly beside the desk.
"My name is Namikaze Minato." He extended his right hand for a handshake. "And you?"
"Uchiha Senba," Senba shook his hand.
Minato's smile became even brighter. "Senba-kun, please take care of me from now on!"
"Mhm."
Senba let go of his hand and cast his gaze back out the window, but he didn't miss the way Minato's eyes inadvertently swept over the clan crest on his cuff as he sat down.
What the surname "Uchiha" meant in Konoha was something even a six-year-old child vaguely knew.
Yet Minato showed no extra reaction; he didn't deliberately distance himself, nor was he overly enthusiastic. He just sat down naturally, as if sitting next to any other classmate.
Senba withdrew his gaze and scanned the classroom; he wanted to see who else from this generation was familiar.
The first thing that caught his eye was a girl with spiky hair in the corner. She was slumped on the desk, boredly stroking a small black pup in her arms.
'She should be Inuzuka Tsume, the future head of the Inuzuka Clan and Kiba's mother.'
A few seats away from her sat two boys with similar faces. Hyuga Hiashi and Hyuga Hizashi. However, unlike Hiashi's clean forehead, Hizashi's forehead was wrapped with a cloth strip, hiding the cage seal.
Another familiar brown-haired boy sat by the window on the other side of the classroom.
Nawaki.
The grandson of the First Hokage and the younger brother of Tsunade.
"We're actually in the same class." The only information Senba knew about him was his death at twelve years old.
A small character like him only had a minor role in Tsunade's story, and there was no mention of how talented he was. But since he had the blood of Senju and Uzumaki, he should be pretty gifted.
His gaze lingered on Nawaki for a moment, feeling that he looked quite a bit like Konohamaru.
Nawaki seemed to sense something and turned his head, meeting Senba's gaze directly. He froze for a moment, then gave a friendly smile.
Senba nodded slightly, and his gaze continued to move.
The parents of the future main cast—Minato, Tsume, Hiashi, Hizashi, and Shibi Aburame—nearly half of them were in this class.
The Ino–Shika–Chō trio was a year older than them and was already second-year students, while Uzumaki Kushina wouldn't arrive in Konoha for another three years.
Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto were even older and had already graduated from the Ninja Academy.
Nine-year-old Mikoto was already a Genin, and twelve-year-old Uchiha Fugaku had even become a Special Jonin, currently serving as a squad leader in the Konoha military police force.
'This generation is full of talents.'
Or rather, every Konoha generation was full of talents.
From the Sannin generation, to Minato's, then Kakashi's, and finally, the Naruto generation.
Konoha was truly a blessed village.
As Senba's thoughts wandered, a light cough interrupted his thoughts.
The female teacher stood in front of the podium, holding a roster with a gentle smile on her face.
"Alright, everyone quiet down for a moment."
She cleared her throat, her gaze sweeping across the classroom. "My name is Aoyama Shizuka, and I will be your homeroom teacher for the next six years. You can call me Aoyama-sensei."
She paused, making sure everyone was listening. "Before we officially start class, I'd like everyone to get to know each other first."
Aoyama Shizuka pointed to the seat by the door in the first row. "Let's start from over there and take turns introducing yourselves. Say your name and your dream."
The first boy to stand up was so nervous he nearly knocked over his desk.
His face flushed red, but his voice was surprisingly loud. "I-I'm Taro Yamamoto! My dream is to become Hokage and protect Konoha!"
Aoyama-sensei nodded gently, signaling him to sit down.
Next was a girl with pigtails who shyly gave her name; her dream was to open a dessert shop.
One after another, the students behind them stood up. Some wanted to become powerful ninjas, some wanted to inherit the family business, and several boys shouted the slogan of "becoming Hokage."
When it was the brown-haired boy's turn, he stood up abruptly, moving with such force that his chair slid back half an inch.
"I'm Nawaki!" His voice boomed, his eyes shining brightly. "My dream is to become the Hokage that is even more amazing than my grandpa!"
The classroom went silent for a moment. The students naturally knew his identity.
Nawaki, the grandson of the First Hokage.
A few secretly exchanged glances, but Nawaki seemed completely oblivious, still holding his head high with a brilliant smile on his face.
Aoyama-sensei nodded with a smile: "Very good, Nawaki-kun; please sit down."
As Nawaki sat back down, he subconsciously puffed out his chest.
Senba looked away; he was just like the future Naruto... No, it should be said that Naruto was just like him.
At this time, Konoha had not yet become decayed, and almost everyone's dream was to become the Hokage.
The self-introductions continued.
"I'm Ryota Yamanaka! My dream is to open a flower shop!"
"I'm Kenji Akita! My dream is... to eat my way across the whole world!"
Amidst the laughter, Aoyama-sensei couldn't help but smile as well.
Finally, the introductions reached the blonde boy sitting next to Senba.
"My name is Minato Namikaze." His voice was soft yet clear enough for even those in the last row to hear. "And my dream is to become the Hokage."
He spoke calmly, without Nawaki's passion or the nervousness of the others, yet his confidence was in full display.
Senba glanced at him before looking away. Who could imagine that this soft-looking blond boy would grow into someone that would force the shinobi to abandon their mission upon meeting him?
The self-introductions were nearing their end.
"I'm Shibi Aburame." In the corner of the back row, the boy wearing a trench coat and sunglasses stood up. "My dream is to be noticed by everyone."
He sat down immediately after speaking, but no one in the classroom spared him a second glance; clearly, he hadn't been noticed.
When it was his turn, Senba stood up, causing the classroom to fall silent once they noticed the Uchiha crest on his clothes.
Senba ignored their looks and introduced himself. "I'm Uchiha Senba, and my dream is to become the Hokage."
In order to get the system's ultimate rewards, becoming the Hokage was one of his goals.
Though he understood the immense difficulty, especially for an Uchiha like him. But he still wanted to give it a try.
As long as he gets strong enough, anything is possible.
Aoyama-sensei was the first to start clapping. "Very good, Senba-kun; please sit down. Alright, everyone has finished their introductions, now..."
She picked up the textbook on the podium and was about to say something when a sudden voice interrupted her.
"An Uchiha wants to be Hokage too?"
The voice wasn't loud, sounding like a mutter to oneself, but everyone heard it.
Senba turned his head, his gaze passing over several rows of desks to land on a boy. That child was looking down, seemingly fiddling with a pencil in his hand, as if he hadn't been the one to say those words.
The atmosphere in the classroom froze for a moment. Some looked at Senba, some exchanged glances, and some lowered their heads, pretending they hadn't heard a thing.
If he remembers correctly, his name should be Shimura Hito.
'Is the entire Shimura clan hostile to the Uchiha?'
Senba wasn't in the mood to argue with a kid and simply sat back in his seat.
Minato glanced at him, but Senba ignored him and looked out the window. Someone from the Uchiha family wanting to be Hokage?
The corners of his lips rose slightly. Of course that's not all.
owed... which is why he never planned on becoming Hokage through normal means.