Konoha: Starting with Sage Mode

The same applies to Noda Taiga, who is standing nearby.

Unlike Kirito, the two of them grew up in an orphanage and, due to their low self-esteem, never interacted with other children outside the orphanage.

Previously, they weren't so nervous because Kirito was there to rely on. Now that Kirito is about to leave, they immediately become restless.

"No problem, believe in yourselves. You were trained by me, Kirito, and your hard work has paid off. So, there's absolutely no problem. Also, I'll always be there to support you."

Kirito comforted him.

He knew why the two were so restless; it was simply because they lacked self-confidence. Without their parents to rely on, they always felt inferior to their peers.

They were already at a disadvantage from the start.

However, they are no longer the same as before.

Over the past month, his two underlings and Yakushi Nonou have also been working hard to become stronger in their own ways.

Among them, Yakushi Nonou has naturally made the greatest progress. She has completely mastered the Three Body Techniques. Her two younger brothers are almost there, but they have also successfully cultivated chakra and mastered the Substitution Technique, the easiest of the Three Body Techniques to learn.

Among all the new students, not counting those from ninja clans, his two underlings were definitely among the most outstanding.

After all, very few ordinary freshmen at this age successfully cultivate chakra.

Children with parents and children without parents ultimately put in different amounts of effort.

Reassured by Kirito, Yamazaki Heizo and Noda Taiga felt their tension ease. Recalling the power they had gained over the past month, a sense of confidence took root in their hearts. They then said to Kirito in unison, "Yes, Kirito-nii."

……

Kirito and Nawaki were assigned to Class A, and their homeroom teacher was Wasabi Mitarai. She was a short-haired, beautiful woman with a great figure and dressed in revealing clothes, but her expression was a bit cold. You could tell at a glance that she was a cool and aloof older sister who was not easy to get along with.

The students shared a table in groups of three. Kirito's seat was in the last row by the window, and Nawaki sat next to him on his right. It was undoubtedly Mito's doing.

But to his utter surprise, the person sitting to his left was Uchiha Chizuru.

Left hand: Uchiha; right hand: Senju.

Kirito suddenly felt immense pressure.

"Hey, good morning!"

Once Chizuru, the aloof little girl, sat down, Kirito greeted her in a friendly manner.

You need to maintain good neighborly relations, otherwise all sorts of problems will definitely arise in the future.

"Hmph, don't talk to me."

Chizuru turned her head away unhappily, showing no intention of getting along with Kirito.

"Hey, what do you mean, you bastard Uchiha?"

Nawaki was certainly impressed by Chizuru. When Chizuru sat to Kirito's left, Nawaki kept staring at her. Now that he saw his good brother being bullied, he immediately stood up for Kirito, stood up, and pointed at Chizuru angrily.

"You worthless Senju, you are not worthy to speak to me."

If Chizuru's attitude towards Kirito is one of disgust, then her attitude towards Nawaki is one of indifference; she doesn't even look at Nawaki.

"You bastard, I'll teach you a lesson."

Nawaki is a typical impulsive person who never thinks before acting. He was instantly enraged by Chizuru's attitude and rolled up his sleeves, ready to hit her.

But before the crime could be committed, a loud shout rang out.

"Nawaki, Kirito Tohsaka, and Chizuru Uchiha, all of you, go outside and stand as punishment."

On the platform, Wasabi Mitarai stared coldly at the three of them, exuding a terrifying aura that kept strangers at bay.

Nawaki saw his grandmother's shadow in Mitarai Wasabi and immediately became obedient.

Kirito was somewhat bewildered.

Why does even he have to go out and stand as punishment?

Is he already being labeled a troublesome student on the very first day?

Chizuru chose to ignore it.

A mere Chunin.

What right do you have to order her around?

She's an Uchiha.

Soon, she was brutally beaten by Konoha Chunin and temporarily became obedient.

Why are you attacking me too?

Kirito stood in the corridor with a large bump on his head and a bruised and swollen face, feeling extremely frustrated.

When the other children in the class saw Kirito, Nawaki, and Chizuru being brutally beaten by Mitarai Wasabi, they all fell silent and became very well-behaved.

The three members of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio were also in the same class as Kirito and even sat together. They had initially gloated over Kirito and Nawaki's misfortunes, but now they sensed something was amiss and each thought to themselves:

"How scary, I absolutely must not make her angry."

"This is so troublesome. It's probably going to be difficult to sleep in class from now on."

"I'll treat her to snacks later. I think she'll allow me to eat snacks in class."

……

"Hello everyone, I am Mitarashi Wasabi, a Chunin, and I will be your class teacher for the next six years. Now, please introduce yourselves, stating your hobbies and dreams, starting with the first row."

Wasabi Mitarai was very satisfied with the students' current attitude. She instantly returned to the podium and smiled.

The beauty's approachability is no joke. Mitarashi Wasabi is a cool and aloof beauty, but when she smiles, her approachability increases dramatically. The kids all develop a liking for her and then stand up in an orderly fashion to introduce themselves.

Soon, it was the turn of the three members of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio.

Yamanaka Inoichi introduced himself first, saying that his hobby is growing flowers and his dream is to open a flower shop.

"Congratulations, Haiyi, your dream will come true."

Kirito, who was standing in the corridor, nodded upon hearing this.

Next is Shikaku, whose hobby is sleeping, and whose dream is to be an ordinary ninja, marry an ordinary wife, and live a simple and uneventful life.

"Sigh~, Shikaku, your dream is a bit difficult. Your brain won't allow you to do it."

Kirito shook his head.

It's Ding's turn. His hobby is eating, and his dream is to eat all the delicious food in the world.

"I hope you can achieve it, Dingza."

Kirito sighed, then felt a tickle in his nose and picked at it.

"Pfft~"

Suddenly, a faint laugh caught his attention.

He looked in the direction of the sound and found Chizuru peeking at him, but she was very perceptive. As soon as he turned his head away, she looked away and put on a cold and aloof expression again.

Was she laughing just now? What was she laughing at?

Kirito looked at Uchiha Chizuru with a puzzled expression, but seeing her arrogant demeanor, he gave up on communicating with her and continued to concentrate on listening to his classmates' self-introductions.

But not long after, he heard faint laughter again.

This time, he heard it clearly; it was Chizuru laughing.

He immediately turned his head, and Chizuru had returned to normal, looking at him with a cold expression.

Were you laughing just now?

Kirito asked.

"..."

Chizuru remained silent, but her eyes unconsciously looked elsewhere.

"It's really you."

Kirito found the evidence, and then wondered why Chizuru was laughing.

Was it the classmates' self-introductions that were funny?

Or is it something else?

He began to put himself in the other person's shoes and thought about the problem from their perspective, eventually finding the answer in himself.

Suddenly, he pressed his finger against the bridge of his nose, mimicking a pig's snout, and even made grunting pig noises.

"Pfft~"

Chizuru, who had been secretly watching Kirito, suddenly widened her eyes and couldn't help but laugh out loud, then quickly covered her mouth.

"It's really you."

Kirito wiped the spittle off his face and smiled.

"Shut up."

Chizuru blushed and shouted.

"Pfft~"

Kirito is playing dumb again, and Chizuru can't help but laugh out loud once more.

Kirito looked at Chizuru, who was blushing, baring her teeth, and glaring at him with murderous intent, and suddenly found her quite amusing.

I never knew you were this kind of Uchiha.

My threshold for laughter is incredibly low.

Nawaki, standing to the side, was a little confused. He had just shifted his attention slightly when he realized that his good brother had gotten together with that Uchiha with the wide forehead.

No.

He wanted to join in too, and immediately pointed at Chizuru, saying, "Broad forehead, come at me if you have a problem."

Chizuru was already furious and embarrassed, but since Nawaki had said so, she wouldn't hold back.

She can't beat Kirito, but she can beat an idiot, right?

He decisively formed a hand seal.

Die, you foolish Thousand Hands.