"Yo, Haru, do you think you'll get into the special css?" Naruto asked casually, completely oblivious to the fact that Haru was already on a different level than them.

  "I think... I definitely will," This wasn't just simple confidence; it was conviction. But as he said this, Naruto wasn't even listening, his mind wandering as he looked at the roadside.

  "Naruto?" Haru asked, a bit concerned. Usually, the somewhat goofy Naruto was constantly sticking to Haru. But now he seemed to be lost in thought!

  "Idiot," Sasuke said directly, seeing Naruto still spacing out.

  "Ah, um. Ah! Sasuke, say that again!" Suddenly, Naruto seemed to realize something, turning back to gre at Sasuke. Meanwhile, a series of whispers came from behind them: "Wow, that's Haru! So cool!"

  "Yeah, and that guy called Sasuke is cool too!"

  All three of them heard these words. Of course, Naruto also noticed that the girls hadn't mentioned him. The impatient Naruto was about to rush over to argue his case. After all, the girl he liked was nearby! He had to show off a bit.

  "You..." His upper body had just turned when his mouth was covered, and he was forcibly pulled back.

  "Haru! What are you doing?!" Naruto was extremely well-behaved towards Haru, not daring to object for some reason.

  Haru vigorously wiped his hand on Naruto's clothes while telling him with a gentle smile, "Let's speak with strength. We're future ninjas now. What's the use of just looking good?"

  "That's right! I'm going to become the strongest Hokage!" Naruto's attention was immediately diverted. Of course, ninjas spoke with strength. Looking good wouldn't get you any favors on the battlefield.

  "If you don't look good, you won't get a girlfriend," Sasuke's finishing blow directly dragged Naruto, who was walking on the right path, down from his pedestal.

  "Sasuke, you big dummy! Sasuke, you big idiot!" These two's daily routine would probably never change.

  ...

  "We're here," Haru said calmly, without trying to stop Naruto and Sasuke. The effect, however, was completely different on the two of them.

  Naruto ran off again. Sasuke, on the other hand, turned around with a dramatic air, his eyes fixed on Haru, and raised his fist arrogantly, saying, "The Uchiha are undefeated! Haru, I will defeat you here!"

  Huh? Haru was instantly dumbfounded, his steps faltering slightly. On the first day of school, Sasuke had already issued a challenge? What deep-seated hatred was this?

  "Sasuke, calm down. You have to follow through with what you say. Otherwise, wouldn't that be another disgrace to the Uchiha name? You should know that very well, so I'll give you a chance to take it back," Haru once again dispyed a calmness and composure far beyond a six-year-old child. Where would such a young child consider these principles? Sasuke clearly hadn't. "I don't care, I must defeat you! In the name of the Uchi—" This time, his mouth was also covered.

  "It's fine if you want to defeat me, but don't bet on the Uchiha. You can't afford to lose," Then he wiped his hand on Sasuke's clothes and went to find Naruto. He had run off too far.

  "I... can't afford to lose?" Although Sasuke had a slight case of mysophobia, he didn't notice the saliva he had just wiped on his clothes. He was still pondering Haru's words. What did he mean by saying he couldn't afford to lose? Could it be that his strength wasn't worthy of carrying the Uchiha name? Maybe so. After all, he was just a little kid who hadn't even awakened his Sharingan. No one would care.

  "Still not worthy, huh? I'm far from being as excellent as my brother," Thinking of his brother, Sasuke felt a little happier. After all, his gentle brother was his goal and the motivation that urged him to continue training.

  "Brother..." After that, he raised his head and walked confidently towards the school.

  Iruka-sensei was still standing at the entrance of the school building, announcing the css assignments and rankings to each incoming student.

  "Yo, it's Sasuke. Ranked second, special css! Go on in, Naruto and Haru are waiting for you. You're in the same css."

  "So warm. Iruka-sensei's teaching must be great," Sasuke thought. Don't let Sasuke's seemingly aloof exterior fool you; he had quite the inner monologue. Perhaps reality only pyed out once, but his mind repyed different scenarios over and over.

  "Sasuke's here. Let's go find our instructor," Haru said, leading the way.

  Although he had no idea where the cssroom was or who the instructor was.

  "Haru, your css is on the training grounds. Some students are already there!" Iruka's warm reminder came from behind him. Haru felt as if he had been granted amnesty, letting out a heavy breath. Pretending to know what you're doing wasn't an easy task.

  From afar, a shout came, "Big Brother Haru! I could smell you from way over there! Hurry up and come over!" With such a good sense of smell and calling Haru big brother, this was clearly Inuzuka Kiba. He really kept his word, a loyal little brother.

  "Yo, Haru, want some chips?" Choji still had his chips in hand, and in his mouth.

  Everyone who had performed well yesterday was here, even Sakura and Ino were in this css. There were ten of them in total... no, why were there three more people over there? He hadn't seen them yesterday.

  Could it be that even the Ninja Academy had a backdoor for admissions? Although the answer seemed obvious, Haru really began to doubt it.

  "My name is Haru. Nice to meet you!" Haru took the initiative, extending an olive branch. Among the three, a boy with extremely thick eyebrows stood up and gave a perfect ninety-degree bow, presenting his bowl-cut hair to Haru.

  "Just a handshake..."

  "My name is Rock Lee! Pleased to make your acquaintance!" Haru was a bit flustered. He really just wanted to shake hands and get to know these three people a little, not to take on disciples or anything. This boy, who looked a year or two older than him, just seemed to be overreacting in his eyes.

  "You..."

  "Are you doubting our identities? We are geniuses from the previous year, specially recruited into this css. I must say, what qualifications do you have to make the higher-ups of Konoha create a special css? Is it fate again?" Another boy sitting in the corner spoke, clearly with some hostility. And Hinata, in another corner of the room, twitched and trembled, like a child who had done something wrong.

  This boy also had white eyes. Haru had some guesses. He had heard the stories of the Hyuga cn's main and branch families. But, who was this boy in front of him? So resentful of fate, he must be a member of the branch family. But so arrogant, even calling himself a genius, Haru couldn't recall such a person.

  "No need for pleasantries. My name is Hyuga Neji. I will send you back to the regur css one by one. In the face of fate, you are powerless!" This guy named Neji also had extreme confidence and felt that no one here besides himself was worthy.

  Haru possessed strength beyond his age, and the slowly accumuting arrogance naturally began to show.

  "Hyuga Neji. I'll be watching," After saying that, he turned and walked away.

  "You arrogant old geezer! Watch me beat you ft!" Naruto was even more unable to stand this. After all, he was third among the new students, yet he was being belittled by a senior student he had never met and whose strength he didn't know, especially with the girl he liked present. How could he endure this?! "Naruto, don't embarrass yourself," Sasuke said. After thinking at the school gate, he now had a slightly clearer understanding of the situation. He really wasn't strong enough, at least not as strong as Haru, and he could feel the pressure emanating from that Hyuga genius, so he naturally agreed with Haru's choice.

  "What! You think I'll embarrass myself?! I..." His mouth was covered again, and he was forcibly dragged away.

  "Haru, interesting," Neji, still sitting in pce with his arms crossed, was somewhat concerned about the boy from just now. He had spoken like that, yet he remained calm and composed, unlike the blond boy beside him who was so irritable. Such qualities at a young age were very rare. "This is also fate, I suppose."

  The hurdle Neji couldn't overcome was probably fate.

  The fate of being imprisoned for life as a caged bird.

  By the main family.

  Half an hour had passed since the supposed start of css, but the instructor still hadn't appeared. Temperaments like Kiba and Naruto's had long since run out of patience, and they eagerly set up a bunch of children's traps at the entrance, in the hallway, and so on.

  Another half hour passed, and finally, a white-haired person wearing a jōnin uniform, a bck mask, and a Konoha forehead protector covering their left eye walked over.

  "You're our instructor, right? Why are you te!" The first to question him was surprisingly Sakura, pointing angrily at the newcomer's nose from a distance.

  "Sorry I'm —"

  "Bckboard Eraser Technique, great success, hahahahahaha!" A series of ughter came from Naruto, who was now rolling on the ground. "A jōnin couldn't even dodge such a trap, hahahahaha!"

  "You go give me..."

  "Floor Colpse Technique, great success! Hahaha!" This time it was Kiba's trap. A rge wooden pnk directly colpsed downwards, and the surrounding splinters of wood wrapped around the instructor's shins.

  "You little brats..." he muttered, "Looks like I won't get you to listen properly without giving you a little shock, huh?" A dead fish eye calmly scanned everyone present. The next second, the person disappeared.

  Shadow Clone Technique! Multiple Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!

  Twelve shadow clones plus the original body, corresponding to thirteen students, instantly sealed all the students into the ground.

  "On my way to school, I saw a stray cat and returned it to its mother. I was looking for it for a long time. Sorry I'm te."

  Only now did he begin his formal apology. This opening was truly peculiar. Now, all the students were completely subdued. You had to know that even Haru, or the two pairs of Byakugan from the Hyuga cn, hadn't sensed such an attack.

  This was a jōnin. His strength was indeed powerful.

  "My name is Hatake Kakashi. I am proficient in ninjutsu, have some knowledge of taijutsu and genjutsu, and am known as the Copy Ninja. For the next four years, during your process of becoming stronger, I will be your instructor. Remember, you are studying two years less than the regur css, so there's a natural reason why you need to master things even better. So, please treat me well."