Time passed quickly, and soon three years had gone by.
By now, Uchiha Tatsumi had reached the fifth grade at the Ninja Academy. In other words, after one more year, he could officially graduate and become a full-fledged shinobi.
The classroom in June was stifling with heat. Outside, the branches and leaves of several large plane trees drooped, casting flickering shadows into the room.
From the trees came the constant, piercing cries of cicadas, their buzzing filling the classroom with a relentless rhythm.
After a while, it felt like even one's heartbeat was being influenced by the sound.
Uchiha Tatsumi, sitting at his desk, lowered his head and dozed off.
He was just about to fall into a deeper sleep when a dark green leaf floated down from a branch and landed squarely on his head.
Startled, Tatsumi woke up and looked around. On the podium, Uncle Nishimura was still droning on, oblivious.
"Now, let's assume the Second Hokage-sama fills a 100-cubic-meter pool with water. The Second Kazekage makes a small hole in the pool, allowing one liter of water to leak out every minute. How long would it take for the Second Hokage-sama to fill the pool completely? We assume no other variables..."
Uncle Nishimura's voice was monotonous and relentless, like a Genjutsu technique that put you to sleep. Tatsumi's brain felt like it was turning to mush—he couldn't make sense of a single word.
"..."
At this time, there was still a while before the final exams. It was a period meant for relaxation and lazing about.
Yet the noisy cicadas outside, combined with the sweltering heat, made it impossible to relax.
Uchiha Tatsumi scowled at the distant noise, frustrated.
So noisy!! How could anyone sleep in peace like this?
Tatsumi threw a fierce glare toward Uncle Nishimura on the podium.
At this moment, Uchiha Tatsumi's only desire was to escape the classroom and find a shady tree under which to sleep soundly.
After all, that was the true way to enjoy a summer day.
Yes, now was the season of summer—the season that stirred up the hearts of young boys. And so—
"Watergate, let's escape! Let's flee this classroom that shackles our souls!" Tatsumi urged silently with his eyes toward his friend Namikaze Minato.
"Uh... okay," Minato hesitated briefly but finally squinted and nodded in agreement.
"Exactly! I can't take this boring class any longer!" Nawaki (Rope Tree) added, blinking eagerly.
"——Alright, let's prepare to escape from Uncle Nishimura's class," Tatsumi nodded solemnly.
"Right. It's already summer, and yet we're still stuck here in class. That's just wrong! And in a room like this—"
"Forget about learning ninjutsu, it's hard enough just breathing!" Nawaki, sitting next to Minato, grumbled, his usually cheerful face now wrinkled in displeasure.
"Besides, just looking at Uncle Nishimura's ugly mug makes my chest feel tight. It's like being trapped under an S-rank Genjutsu."
"This oppressive environment, combined with the psychological interference caused by Uncle Nishimura, is basically on par with torture techniques from the Yamanaka Clan..." Nawaki said, glaring at Nishimura with open dislike.
Uncle Nishimura, nicknamed "Blackface" due to his perpetually grim expression, stood at the podium teaching energetically, despite the oppressive heat. Not a single bead of sweat marred his muscled frame—a testament to his years of physical training.
As expected of a legendary chūnin—his stamina was not to be underestimated.
Originally, Tatsumi had considered using a Shadow Clone to attend class in his place.
Unfortunately, after a previous incident where his clone accidentally dispelled during taijutsu training—causing a female classmate to burst into tears and cry for days—the Academy had officially banned the use of Shadow Clones during lectures.
Tatsumi shifted his gaze toward Uchiha Mikoto, who was sitting nearby.
Even in this hellish environment, Mikoto was diligently taking notes. Truly worthy of being called the pride of the Uchiha Clan!
Then he glanced forward to where Uzumaki Kushina was seated. Her brilliant red hair was tied up because of the heat, and she was completely lost in a dream, drooling slightly from the corner of her mouth.
Amazing. Even in this heat, she could sleep so soundly. A true representative of the "problem children" of the Uzumaki Clan.
"By the way, Tatsumi, how exactly are we going to sneak out? Uncle Nishimura's a chūnin. If we get caught, we're headed straight to the principal's office!" Nawaki whispered.
"Come on, Rope Tree, you sounded so confident just now, but you don't even have a plan?" Tatsumi clicked his tongue. "If you're that soft, how will you ever become Hokage?"
"Ugh, fine, you're right. What do we do, then?"
As Tatsumi, Nawaki, and Minato whispered among themselves, they kept their voices low and mouths barely moving, practicing a basic ninja skill: silent communication.
"Suppose the Third Hokage fights the Raikage," Uncle Nishimura continued obliviously. "After using a Fire Release, he deploys a series of explosive tags. Now, write down the chemical combustion equation for the explosion—"
"No, at this rate, I'm going to die here!" Rope Tree whispered in desperation, his face pale.
From behind, Nara Shikaku leaned forward and whispered, "Hey, Tatsumi, Minato, if you're planning to sneak out, count us in. I can't survive another minute in this heat."
"Me too! If this keeps up, my snacks will melt!" Akimichi Chōza added in a small voice.
Clearly, their quiet rebellion was gaining momentum.
Despite Uncle Nishimura continuing his lecture, practically all the students—except for the sleeping Kushina and the studious Mikoto—were subtly coordinating their escape.
"If we all flee together, even a chūnin can't catch everyone," Tatsumi reasoned.
Besides, Uncle Nishimura didn't have the multiple Shadow Clone jutsu like Kushina did.
"Everyone agrees? No holding grudges if someone gets caught, got it? Nod if you're in," Tatsumi signaled.
All around him, subtle nods spread through the classroom.
Of the fifty students present, forty-eight were preparing to escape...
"..."