Ninja Academy.
"My name is Gin. As you can see, I'm an Uchiha — though some people aren't too happy admitting that."
Gin shrugged casually, looking completely indifferent, which made the Uchiha students in the class glare at him fiercely. If it weren't for Instructor Inoue standing up front, they would've taught him a lesson right then and there.
They had never seen an Uchiha with such poor talent before.
Standing at the front was Inoue Satoru, a young man wearing a green ninja vest and a Konoha forehead protector. Despite his youth, his hair was already completely white. Inoue coughed lightly, feeling a headache coming on. He didn't even need to think about it — this kid was definitely going to be a problem.
They already had one troublemaker in class... now there was another?! Big problem!!
"Gin, thank you for your introduction. Please take your seat," Inoue said.
Gin crossed his arms and sat down. Around him, he could hear whispers. His ears twitched slightly.
After all, his basic inner energy training had enhanced all his senses, hearing included.
"Isn't he the Uchiha who failed the ninja exams two years in a row?"
"How did he end up in our class?"
"Yeah, weren't all the ones who failed supposed to be dumped into Class C?"
The Ninja Academy was divided into three classes: A, B, and C. Officially, they said there was no difference, but in reality, it was obvious:Class A was mostly made up of children from ninja clans or extremely talented civilians.Class B had a few less-gifted clan kids and mostly civilians.And Class C... well, it was the infamous class — where those who washed out of being ninja ended up.It was jokingly called the "trash collection site."
By all logic, Uchiha Gin, who had already failed once, should have been sent straight to Class C. His Uchiha name had kept him in Class B before, but this time even that shouldn't have saved him. Yet somehow... he was back in Class A.
No one knew what happened.Gin didn't care either — in fact, he was quite happy.
Because—
Gin turned his head to look at the blond boy beside him and grinned, flashing his teeth.
"Hey, you're Namikaze Minato, right? I've heard you're the eternal top student around here."
Namikaze Minato looked at Gin's mischievous smile and answered with a perfect, sunny smile of his own.
A pure face-off: Evil vs. Good.
(Gin, muttering: "Hey, I'm not the evil one here!")
"It's just the result of hard work. I look forward to learning with you this year, Gin-senpai," Minato said politely.
"Good, good," Gin said, slapping Minato's shoulder like an old buddy, clearly hinting he'd be taking care of him from now on.
Just then, Gin felt a surge of killing intent from behind.
Turning his head, he spotted a red-haired girl glaring murderously at him. Her mouth moved silently, but no sound came out.
Reading her lips — a basic ninja skill — Gin understood perfectly:
"What are you planning to do to my little brother?!"
Gin responded with what he thought was a dazzling smile, giving her a big thumbs-up.
BAM!Uzumaki Kushina slammed her fist onto the desk, grabbing the entire class's attention.
The infamous "Red-Hot-Blooded Habanero" wasn't called that for nothing.
She immediately lashed out, shouting, "What are you all staring at?!"
Everyone quickly looked away, terrified.After all, she was the legendary girl who had beaten up a full-fledged ninja before even graduating.
"Focus on the lesson, Kushina," Inoue Satoru said, trying not to provoke her.
With no reaction from Kushina, the class continued.
Gin ignored the burning stares from behind and dozed off as the lecture dragged on.
Aside from these two familiar faces, the rest of the class meant nothing to him.
Minato, embarrassed, gave Gin a helpless smile.Meanwhile, Gin could practically feel Kushina's killing intent oozing toward him.
Not that it mattered. He was just so sleepy.
Between the murderous aura and Inoue's boring lecture, Gin fell into a deep nap.
There wasn't much worth listening to anyway. The final year's curriculum boiled down to three things:
Brainwashing with the "Will of Fire."They constantly droned on about how the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, had gloriously expanded the village. Plus a little about the First and Second Hokage's sacrifices.Real achievements? You had to dig for those yourself.
Ninjutsu Training.
Sparring Exercises.
When the dismissal bell rang...
Several Uchiha students tried to corner Gin.After all, he was an embarrassment to the clan — an Uchiha with no talent. Forcing him to quit seemed like a good idea.
Unfortunately, dropping out was something only civilian students could do. For an Uchiha, it was unheard of.
On the twilight path home, boys and girls strolled under the setting sun.
The golden light highlighted Kushina's side profile, giving her an almost sacred glow.
Minato blushed slightly.
Kushina, completely unaware, growled in frustration:"Minato! You're my little brother! Don't give that jerk a good attitude!"
This was her only little brother figure — no way she was letting someone snatch him away!Even if Minato's soft-hearted nature sometimes annoyed her.
Suddenly, a body dropped from a tree with a crack!
"Ahhh!" Kushina screamed and hid behind Minato.
Seeing clearly who it was, she stormed forward, her hair practically whipping around like angry snakes.
"You damn Uchiha idiot!!"
It was just Uchiha Gin, hanging upside down from a branch.
"Hey, you started it by badmouthing me," Gin said, grinning. "So scaring you is just karma."
"I wasn't scared!!" Kushina retorted stubbornly.
"That's not really the point right now," Gin said, shaking his head. Honestly, when it came to tsundere types, he preferred blondes.
Looking at Minato, Gin grinned.
"Minato, want to have a friendly match?"
After all, this was Namikaze Minato, one of the few real prodigies of the ninja world.Gin had been eyeing him for a while.
Minato scratched his head, wanting to refuse — he didn't like sudden fights.
But Kushina stepped in, standing protectively in front of him, hands on her hips.
"If you wanna mess with my little brother, you have to get through me first!"
"No thanks," Gin said, shaking his head. "I'm afraid if I hit you, you'll cry and bring me even more trouble."
Also, if she accidentally let the Nine-Tails leak out a little, he'd be doomed.
"I'll make you cry first!!"Kushina roared and charged at him, throwing a fast, heavy right hook, slicing the air with a loud whoosh.
Too bad — no matter how strong a punch is, it's useless if it misses.
Gin simply stepped back a bit, letting the punch pass by harmlessly.Kushina immediately followed with a left hook — also dodged with ease.
No matter how fierce Kushina's attacks became, Gin effortlessly weaved through them, his hair barely ruffled by the air currents.
Kushina eventually stopped, panting hard.
Meanwhile, Gin hadn't even broken a sweat, grinning like a cat who caught a canary.
"That's it? That's all you've got?"
"BASTARD!!"
Kushina, furious, swung a high roundhouse kick. Gin simply leaned back, dodged, and casually kicked her supporting leg, causing her to spin and faceplant into the ground.
Hands behind his back, Gin struck a lofty pose.
"That's called the 'Falling Goose Style.'"
"I'LL KILL YOU!!"
Kushina jumped to her feet, furious, but Minato quickly ran up and held her back.
"You're no match for him. Let me handle it."
Kushina glared at him suspiciously.Minato smiled warmly, giving her a reassuring look.
"Beat him up, Minato!!" she yelled.
Minato nodded confidently, then walked toward Gin.
The two stood facing each other.
A breeze passed between them.
Without a word, both moved at once.
They became two blurs crashing together, fists and kicks clashing so fast it sent gusts of wind flying, lifting Kushina's hair and sleeves.
She stared in shock.
"They're so strong... Are they really just academy students?"
One was the eternal top student Namikaze Minato.The other was the so-called "trash" Uchiha Gin.Yet their taijutsu skills were already stronger than many full-fledged ninjas.
Kushina could brawl through sheer strength — but these two were different.They fought with speed and technique.
In the midst of battle, Minato realized he was in trouble.
Every clash with Gin felt heavy, like punching iron blocks hidden inside sleeves.
Plus, Gin's reaction speed was insane.
He fought like a machine built purely for combat, switching from offense to defense instantly.And worst of all — Minato hadn't landed a single hit.
Only taken hits.
Gin's punch smashed into Minato's face—
POOF!Minato turned into a log — a substitution jutsu!
He reappeared behind Gin, kicking swiftly.
In a flash, Gin used the log to lift himself into a spinning kick, landing a heavy blow to Minato's chest and sending him flying backward.
BANG.
Minato skidded across the ground, quickly adjusting to kneel.
A sharp kunai was already pressed against his forehead.
Gin smiled brightly.
"You lose."
Minato scratched his head and smiled back, not discouraged at all.
"I lost."
Then, turning to the dumbstruck Kushina, he said sheepishly, "Looks like I can't beat Gin-senpai."
"Big deal," Kushina scoffed, "he's just a bully picking on younger kids."
After all, Gin was two years older.
Minato, however, turned serious.
"A loss is a loss."
Seeing Minato so serious, Kushina huffed and turned away.
"You guys don't get it," Gin said with a sly smile."My strength has a secret."
"You wanna learn it?"
At that moment, Gin revealed his true intentions:
"I'll teach you guys!"