Early morning.
Toki cupped cold water and splashed it on his face.
This was a habit carried over from his previous life; the stimulation of cold water could quickly wake him up, ready to face a busy day.
After wiping the water from his face, Toki suddenly noticed a black, rhomboid mark on his palm.
"What is this?"
Toki reached out to rub it, discovering that it seemed to grow from his skin and couldn't be removed.
Its rhomboid shape reminded him of the Yin Seal he had seen yesterday.
The Yin Seal was used to seal Chakra, and compared to yesterday, the only significant difference in himself today was the extraction of Chakra. Therefore, this thing was most likely also related to Chakra.
"Is this also some kind of Sealing Technique?"
Uzumaki Toki finished washing up, changed his clothes, and walked to the living room to look for the others, but he only saw Kushina.
"Jushinnai-jie jie, where did Sensei go?"
Kushina shook her head: "Tsunade-jie jie went out with Mito Grandma early this morning. Do you need something?"
Toki remembered what Tsunade had said, that Kushina was an expert in Sealing Technique, so he showed her his palm.
"I'd like you to take a look at this for me."
"This is?"
Kushina frowned slightly, took his palm, and leaned her face close, so close that Toki's fingertips could almost feel her breath.
After a while, Kushina released his hand: "I'm not sure either. Let's go to Ninja School first, and then we can ask Mito Grandma tonight."
"Okay."
Toki nodded and walked with her towards the Ninja School.
Kushina walked very slowly, intending for Toki to memorize the way. Since he was a transfer student and hadn't even enrolled yet, there was no such thing as being late.
On the way, she also talked about things related to the Ninja School, such as dismissal time, how to handle lunch, and what courses there were… By the time she had finished speaking, the two of them had arrived at their destination.
First Grade Class A, this was the class Toki would be attending. The average age of the students in the class was five, while Toki was already nine. However, due to his years of wandering and malnutrition, he didn't look much older than the other children.
Toki felt quite helpless; after all, he was just a child, and his ability to acquire food in a chaotic world was very limited. Although things had improved after he met those three people, his height still hadn't increased.
Kushina gently knocked on the door, calling out the teacher who was in the middle of class.
Yoshinaka Yuki came out and closed the classroom door behind him, asking, "Oh, it's Kushina. Why are you back?"
Before she could speak, Uzumaki Toki handed him the enrollment application and proactively said, "Hello, Sensei. Jushinnai-jie jie came to take me to school today."
"I see."
Yoshinaka Yuki nodded, took the enrollment application, and began to look at it.
'Uzumaki Toki… so he's a child of the Uzumaki Clan, no wonder Kushina brought him. The enrollment application is fine, and it even has Hokage-sama's stamp.'
"Alright, I understand."
Yoshinaka Yuki put away the enrollment application and said to Toki, "Go into the classroom and find a seat first. I'll go prepare your textbooks. See you later."
"Thank you, Sensei."
Uzumaki Toki nodded, pulled open the classroom door, and, under everyone's gaze, walked to the back of the classroom, picking an empty seat by the window.
Seeing that the teacher didn't follow him in, the classroom immediately became lively, with most people's attention on the newly arrived Uzumaki Toki, eager to see what he was like.
Fortunately, his deskmate was a quiet, emotionless boy wearing a mask, who didn't actively speak to him.
After a while, Yoshinaka Yuki walked into the classroom holding several books and beckoned to Toki: "Come up and introduce yourself."
Hearing this, Toki immediately walked to the front of the classroom, picked up a piece of chalk, and wrote his name on the blackboard.
"My name is Uzumaki Toki. From now on, I'll be your classmate. Nice to meet you all, please take care of me."
Yoshinaka Yuki then said, "Do you have any dreams, hobbies you like, or things you dislike, so everyone can get to know you better?"
Uzumaki Toki thought seriously: "Hmm… I don't have a dream yet. What I like is a warm bed, and what I dislike is being hungry, and damp, cold environments."
As soon as he finished speaking, Yoshinaka Yuki led the applause, and a round of applause also erupted in the classroom.
At the back of the classroom, Kakashi Hatake couldn't help but mutter, "What simple and unpretentious preferences."
In the seat in front of him, Rin Nohara turned around, her voice soft: "Who wouldn't want to stay in a warm bed for a little longer?"
Kakashi's gaze shifted slightly, falling on Rin's deskmate: "That's why Obito is late every day."
Hearing this, Uchiha Obito immediately turned around to retort: "I told you, I met an old grandma who needed help on the way!"
"Alright, take your textbooks and return to your seats. We'll continue with the lesson." Yoshinaka Yuki's words brought silence back to the classroom.
As soon as Toki returned to his seat, his white-haired deskmate leaned in proactively, lowering his voice: "My name is Kakashi Hatake. Nice to meet you."
Hearing this name, Toki tilted his head slightly: "What a coincidence, Kakashi. Hokage-sama even mentioned you to me last night."
"Hokage-sama?" Kakashi Hatake was startled. His original intention was to just say his name and end the conversation.
"Yes, Hokage-sama said that since I'm new here, I could try to make friends with Kakashi Hatake, Kurenai Yuhi, and Asuma. I suppose he was praising your approachability."
Kakashi Hatake silently recited the three names and immediately understood, saying, "It's nothing, it's just that the three of us happened to be the top three in the entrance exam."
"But… since Hokage-sama said so, if you don't understand anything, you can ask me," he added.
Toki chuckled softly: "Thank you."
Ending the conversation, he flipped through the textbooks in his hand and picked one he was interested in to start reading.
Toki had never been exposed to Ninja knowledge before, and he temporarily couldn't understand what Yoshinaka Yuki was teaching. Instead of wasting time pretending to understand, it was better to read and learn on his own.
"The ninja code."
First Rule: No matter how dire the situation, a mission must never be abandoned. The mission must always come first!
A mission… Is it like a soldier's duty to obey orders?
In other words, the essence of a Ninja is actually that of a soldier.
But what if the mission received is wrong?
No, whether a mission is wrong should have a standard. The key is who should set this standard? Who should judge it?
Toki flipped further back, but couldn't find the answer in this "ninja code," so he could only continue reading.
Second Rule: In the Village, Ninjutsu must not be used against unarmed villagers.
This rule is quite reasonable. If all Ninja followed this, then extraordinary power would be reined in.
As the saying goes, a hero's martial arts can violate prohibitions, so a certain degree of restraint is necessary.
Third Rule: Keep Village secrets strictly confidential.
Fourth Rule: Absolutely respect comrades, and never kill comrades. Emphasize teamwork, and do not act with reckless courage.
Upon reading this, Toki had another question.
If an order is received that requires killing or betraying a comrade, meaning the first and fourth rules conflict, what choice should a Ninja make?
In the history of his previous life, such incidents were not uncommon, which is why Toki had this question.
"That's strange." Toki couldn't help but murmur.
"What did you say?" His deskmate, Kakashi, had sharp hearing and pressed for an answer.
Toki hesitated for a moment, then told Kakashi his thoughts, but he didn't dwell on it, ending the topic with one sentence.
"The Village would never issue an order to kill a comrade. You're overthinking it."