"Good morning, Sakura-chan~~"
Early in the morning, the moment Haruno Sakura stepped into the classroom, an excited voice rang out.
A Blond Kid enthusiastically moved closer to Sakura.
Sure enough, he had two completely different personalities when he was alone and when he was around others.
At that moment, the students in the class were all drawn in by Naruto's actions.
After all, rumors about Naruto had spread throughout the village. Even though fewer people in this class looked at Naruto through tinted glasses than people outside did, they still cared to some extent.
"Morning, Naruto."
Haruno Sakura smiled and greeted Naruto before returning to her seat alone.
"Hehe~~ Sakura~~"
Naruto grinned foolishly and tried to move closer again, but Iruka, who had arrived right behind him, forced him back with a stern look.
"Na... Naruto..."
In a corner of the classroom, a black-haired little girl with pale eyes cautiously watched the blond boy.
"Alright, everyone, quiet down!"
"Today, we'll learn..."
As usual, Iruka began the day's lesson. Sakura took out her notebook, but after listening for around fifteen minutes, she had already put down her pen.
This was a lesson on the throwing angles of Shuriken...
With the knowledge from her past life and this body's natural talent, she quickly understood what Iruka was teaching.
She stared blankly out the window...
The blue sky was so blue...
That tree outside really looked like a tree...
Just as Haruno Sakura was spacing out, Ino quietly pushed over a small note.
Looking at the little girl beside her with beige-blond hair, who was pretending nothing had happened, Haruno Sakura took it and read it.
Sakura, Naruto seems to like you!
Haruno Sakura turned to glance at Naruto in the back row of the classroom. That guy was staring at her like a creep, but the moment she looked back at him, he hurriedly shifted his gaze elsewhere as if nothing had happened.
Haruno Sakura's mouth twitched...
Alright, it had already begun...
The painful life of being pursued by a man for ten years...
Honestly, if Haruno Sakura had truly been a girl inside and out, she might have accepted him.
After all, who could be chased by someone for ten years without being moved?
But damn it, she was a man!
Naruto, Lady Hinata of the Hyuga Clan is your true final destination.
Goodbye, and don't let the door hit you on the way out!
Haruno Sakura directly ignored Naruto's gaze and wrote a sentence on the note.
You're overthinking it.
Just as Haruno Sakura was about to push the note back to Ino, a hand pressed down on it.
"Sakura, come to my office after class."
Iruka casually pocketed Sakura's note.
"Yes..."
Haruno Sakura answered calmly.
Oh, no...
Did I get Sakura into trouble...
Ino stared blankly at the sight, her heart filling with unease.
Sakura had always been one of the top students in class. Would Iruka-sensei think less of Sakura because of her...
The class passed with difficulty amid Ino's anxious worrying. Iruka put away his teaching materials and beckoned Sakura over in a calm tone.
"Come on, Sakura."
I knew it!
I really did get Sakura into trouble. Iruka-sensei looks so scary!
Ino wished she could bury her head in her desk, completely playing ostrich.
"It's okay, Ino."
Haruno Sakura gently stroked Ino's beautiful hair and smiled.
Wuwuwu, Sakura is so understanding. Even now, she's still comforting me~~~
After comforting Ino, Sakura followed Iruka to the teachers' office.
Iruka did not mention the note. Instead, he took a thick stack of books from beneath his desk and placed it in front of Haruno Sakura.
"These are all the first-year teaching materials. In one month, I'll give you a separate examination."
Hearing Iruka's words, Haruno Sakura's eyes brightened slightly. But then Iruka changed his tone and looked sternly at the pink-haired little girl before him.
"Sakura, you need to understand."
"We are ninja. Good grades alone aren't enough to skip a grade."
"During this period, you'll need to learn all this knowledge, and you'll also need to possess a certain level of combat ability."
"Endurance, speed, strength, concealment, intelligence-gathering ability—these are all things a ninja must master."
"And even if you pass all of that, you'll still face a second-year Ninja Academy student as your opponent."
"You must defeat them before you can receive the second-year teaching materials."
Iruka looked at the little girl before him. His tone was calm, but it allowed no argument.
"Because you're skipping a grade, the examinations you face will be far stricter than those of students taking normal examinations."
"Even if the first-year examination is easier, I still won't go easy on you."
"Do you understand?"
Iruka had made himself clear. He hoped Sakura would back down in the face of difficulty.
And skipping grades in peacetime was far more demanding than it had been during wartime.
He did not know why Haruno Sakura was so set on skipping grades, but he was only carrying out orders.
Besides, in his view, there was nothing wrong with peacefully spending six years at the Ninja Academy. It was one of the rare quiet periods in a Konoha ninja's life.
"I know. I'll definitely pass."
Haruno Sakura looked at Iruka with determined eyes.
Looking at the stubborn little girl before him, Iruka felt a toothache. All those words for nothing...
"Oh, right, this is..."
Iruka took out the little note he had confiscated from his pocket.
"It's nothing. Ino simply misunderstood."
Haruno Sakura calmly glanced at the note in his hand, then picked up the stack of books and headed toward the classroom.
Iruka looked at Sakura's sharp handwriting on the note.
Was Ino really just overthinking it?
Still, Sakura's handwriting really was impressive...
--
When Sakura returned to the classroom, Ino immediately hurried over nervously.
"Sakura, are you okay?"
"Iruka-sensei didn't make things difficult for you, did he?"
Haruno Sakura placed the books in her hands on the desk, then smiled and patted Ino's head.
"I'm fine."
"Don't worry, Ino."
Ino stared blankly at Haruno Sakura before her.
Sakura... was so gentle...
She had clearly needed Ino to take care of her before...
But this change in Sakura unexpectedly felt rather nice.
She really wanted to rely on Sakura's side...
"Huh? Then what is this?"
Ino looked toward the books Haruno Sakura had placed on the desk.
"Do you remember what I told you before?"
"These are everything we need to learn in our first year."
Sakura casually picked up the topmost book as she spoke.
The first book was about how to gather and use Chakra.
Sakura could already gather Chakra beneath her feet for Tree Climbing, so she could basically skip this book after giving it a quick glance.
Then the second book was "The Twelve Hand Signs"...
Before you continue