"Is there something you need me to do, Iruka-sensei?"
Haruno Sakura asked instinctively.
"Oh, it's like this. Do you know Naruto from our class?"
Iruka looked gently at the little girl before him as he spoke.
Then, Iruka explained what this was about.
Naruto had always been mischievous, but whenever he was alone, he became very reserved.
Iruka was worried that Naruto might develop psychological problems and hoped that Haruno Sakura could spend more time around him.
"Sakura, Naruto may be very naughty, but he isn't bad by nature. When no one's around, he's actually a very well-behaved child."
"And the rumors in the village... they're all false."
Seeing that the little girl before him had remained silent, Iruka assumed that she was unwilling.
"Why me? Ino and Hinata don't seem to have much prejudice against Naruto either, do they?"
Haruno Sakura tilted her head in confusion.
"Uh..."
To be honest, Iruka was also baffled, but it couldn't be helped. This was an arrangement from the Hokage.
As for Ino and Hinata, he had no idea.
"Because Sakura... Sakura... is very kind... haha... uh..."
After struggling for a long while, Iruka finally managed to squeeze out such a lame excuse.
Stare...
Haruno Sakura looked at him speechlessly. He actually thought of such a childish excuse to fool a kid.
Seeing that the little girl clearly did not believe him, Iruka gave an awkward laugh, trying to brush it off.
What a difficult task. The Hokage actually wanted him to deceive a child...
Just as Iruka was agonizing over it, Haruno Sakura let out a soft sigh.
"Fine, then."
"So, Sakura, you agree?!"
Iruka was overjoyed, but before he could celebrate, a small hand stretched out before him.
"What is this for, Sakura?"
"Money. Who goes visiting someone for the first time empty-handed?"
"Iruka-sensei wouldn't expect a penniless child like me to pay for it, would he?"
!!!
Oh, great Hokage!
To complete the Hokage's task, he actually had to pay out of his own pocket!
With a pained expression, Iruka reluctantly took three bills from his Maneki-neko wallet and handed them to Sakura.
Three hundred ryo?
Looking at the bills in her hand, Haruno Sakura nodded in satisfaction.
In this world, the purchasing power of three hundred ryo was enough to let a six-year-old have fun for an entire day.
There might even be a little left over for Haruno Sakura's own pocket.
"So, Sakura, what did you come to me for?"
Only after seeing the little girl accept the money did Iruka finally breathe a sigh of relief and ask.
Sakura had come to him of her own accord, so she must have something she wanted to ask of him.
"Um, Iruka-sensei..."
Night.
Haruno Sakura sat alone on the rooftop, gazing into the distance in melancholy.
Iruka had not immediately agreed to her proposal. Instead, he told her to go home and said he would give her an answer in a couple of days.
"Sigh..."
Sakura took out the three hundred ryo Iruka had given her from her pocket.
Get close to Naruto.
How could this possibly be homework that Iruka had the authority to assign?
This was clearly a task the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had issued to her through Iruka.
Had Hiruzen Sarutobi happened to see what occurred yesterday...
Still, this was good too. It meant she had entered the Hokage's sight ahead of schedule.
But the more she thought about this plot, the more familiar it seemed...
Form bonds with an important figure in the village, grow up together as companions, then naturally fall in love, get married, and have children...
Isn't this Namikaze Minato's script?!
Fuck!
I'm after the Yin Seal, but that old bastard Hiruzen Sarutobi is after my body?!
Aaahhh!
So annoying!!!
Do I really have to sacrifice my looks?!
Hokage Building.
Hokage's Office.
At that moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, looked at the pink-haired little girl in the Crystal Ball, who had suddenly started freaking out in place for no apparent reason, utterly puzzled.
This child... was quite unusual...
Was she troubled over how to approach Naruto tomorrow?
"Hokage."
"Sakura... she's a very good child..."
Iruka stood before Hiruzen Sarutobi and spoke hesitantly.
"Hmm, I know."
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded.
In a single day, Hiruzen Sarutobi had investigated the Haruno Family so thoroughly that there was nothing left to hide.
Her background was clean, and her family was ordinary. When Konoha was first founded, her great-grandfather had brought his entire family to Konoha. They could be considered thoroughly loyal Konoha natives.
Over the past several decades, the family had produced one or two ninja, but their aptitude had been ordinary as well.
Now, only Haruno Yashiro remained.
And once Haruno Sakura grew up and married, barring any surprises, this branch of the Haruno Family would disappear entirely.
"Sakura wants to skip a grade."
Hearing Iruka's words, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at him with confusion in his eyes.
Skip a grade?
A civilian Ninja Academy student wanted to skip a grade?
"It's like this..."
Iruka recounted everything that had happened during the day to Hiruzen Sarutobi in full detail.
After hearing it, Hiruzen Sarutobi fell silent for a moment.
She wanted to skip a grade because she could no longer learn anything new in class?
So... was she a genius?
Looking at the little girl in the Crystal Ball, resting her chin in her hands as she sat on the rooftop in the evening breeze, Hiruzen Sarutobi hesitated for a long time.
He had specifically selected her to be the person who would form a bond with Naruto.
Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted to recreate the story of Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina.
But if Haruno Sakura skipped a grade now, then without question, her chances to interact with Naruto would decrease significantly.
And with Naruto's personality, asking him to catch up to a Haruno Sakura capable of skipping grades was simply asking too much...
But if he stopped Haruno Sakura from skipping grades, was he supposed to leave such an unpolished jade gathering dust at the Ninja Academy?
Hiruzen Sarutobi leaned back in his chair and contemplated this for a long time.
"Since she wants to skip a grade, give her the opportunity. Give her all the study materials for her current grade, and in one month, test her yourself."
"If she passes, give her the second-year materials. But she will remain in your class."
"Until she has finished all the materials for all six grades."
Hiruzen Sarutobi decided to give Haruno Sakura an opportunity.
To Konoha, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki's deterrent value far exceeded his combat strength on the battlefield.
After all, in no era had Konoha ever used a tailed beast in battle.
During the First Shinobi World War, there had been the Second Hokage. During the Second Shinobi World War, there had been the White Fang and the Legendary Sannin. During the Third Shinobi World War, there had been the Yellow Flash...
Therefore, properly cultivating the next generation was imperative.
Haruno Sakura, Haruno Sakura. Let me see your talent.
I hope you do not disappoint me.
Before you continue