Prelude to Skipping a Grade

"Good morning! Sakura-chan~~"

The moment Haruno Sakura stepped into the classroom early in the morning, an excited voice rang out.

A blonde kid eagerly approached Sakura.

So he really has two different personalities, one in front of outsiders and one when it's just us.

At this, the classmates were drawn to Naruto's actions.

After all, rumors about Naruto were spreading all over the village. Even though this class didn't view Naruto with as much prejudice as people outside, they still couldn't help but pay attention.

"Morning, Naruto."

Haruno Sakura greeted Naruto with a smile before returning to her seat alone.

"Heh heh~~ Sakura~~"

Naruto grinned foolishly, thinking he'd approach her again, but was forced back by Iruka's stern gaze as he followed closely behind.

"Naru...Naruto..."

In a corner of the classroom, a black-haired little girl with white pupils cautiously watched the blonde boy.

"Alright, everyone, settle down!"

"Today we'll learn..."

Iruka began the day's lecture as usual. Sakura took out her notebook and put down her pen after listening for about fifteen minutes.

This was a lesson on the throwing angle of shuriken...

With her knowledge from her previous life and the excellence of this body, 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, a small piece of paper was quietly pushed towards her by Ino.

Looking at the light beige-haired girl beside her, who was pretending to be unconcerned, Haruno Sakura took it and read.

Sakura, Naruto seems to like you!

Haruno Sakura glanced back at Naruto, who was sitting in the back row of the classroom, and found him staring at her like a pervert. Seeing her look back, he pretended nothing was happening and quickly averted his gaze elsewhere.

Haruno Sakura's mouth twitched...

Alright, it's starting...

The painful life of being pursued by a man for ten years...

Honestly, if Haruno Sakura were truly a girl inside and out, she might have given in.

After all, who could resist someone pursuing them for ten years without being moved?

But damn it, he's a man!

Naruto, Hinata, that Hyuga young lady is your true destiny.

Farewell and good luck!

Haruno Sakura completely ignored Naruto's gaze and wrote a sentence on the paper.

You're thinking too much.

Just as Haruno Sakura was about to push the paper back to Ino, a hand landed on the paper.

"Sakura, come to my office after class."

Iruka casually pocketed Sakura's note.

"Yes..."

Haruno Sakura responded calmly.

Oh no, this is bad...

Did I cause trouble for Sakura...

Ino, standing beside her, was a bit stunned and felt uneasy in her heart.

Sakura has always been the top student in the class. Would Iruka-sensei's impression of Sakura worsen because of me...

The rest of the class passed with Ino in a state of worried dread. Iruka put away his teaching materials and beckoned Sakura with a flat tone, saying:

"Come on, Sakura."

I-it's just as I thought!

I really did cause trouble for Sakura. Iruka-sensei's expression is so scary!

Seeing this, Ino wished she could bury her head in her desk, completely playing the ostrich.

"It's okay, Ino."

Haruno Sakura gently patted Ino's beautiful hair and said with a smile.

"Waaah, Sakura-chan is so understanding, comforting me even now~~~"

After comforting Ino, Sakura followed Iruka to the teacher's office.

Iruka didn't mention the note. Instead, he pulled a thick stack of books from under his desk and placed them in front of Haruno Sakura.

"These are all the textbooks for the first year. I'll give you a special exam in a month."

Listening to Iruka's words, Haruno Sakura's eyes lit up slightly. But then Iruka's tone shifted, and he looked at the pink-haired little girl with a slightly stern expression.

"Sakura, you need to understand."

"We are ninjas. The abilities we possess aren't just about good grades to skip a grade."

"During this time, you not only need to learn all this knowledge but also develop certain combat skills."

"Endurance, speed, strength, stealth, information gathering – these are all things a ninja must master."

"Furthermore, even if you pass everything, you will still have a second-year ninja academy student as your opponent."

"You must defeat him to receive the second-year textbooks."

Iruka looked at the little girl before him, his tone calm but leaving no room for doubt.

"Because you're skipping grades, the exams you face will be far more rigorous than those of students taking the normal exams."

"Even though the first-year exams will be relatively easy, even so, I won't go easy on you."

"Do you understand?"

Iruka had said what he needed to say, hoping Sakura would give up.

Moreover, skipping grades in peacetime was far more demanding than in wartime.

He didn't know why Haruno Sakura was so fixated on skipping grades, but he was just following orders.

In his opinion, spending six peaceful years at the ninja academy wasn't a bad thing. These were rare quiet days in a Konoha ninja's life.

"I understand. I will definitely pass the exam," Haruno Sakura said, looking at Iruka with determined eyes.

Seeing the stubborn little girl before him, Iruka felt a slight headache. All that talking was for nothing...

"Oh, and this is..."

Iruka took out the small note he had confiscated from his pocket.

"It's nothing, Ino just misunderstood," Sakura said, glancing indifferently at the note in his hand. She then picked up the stack of books and headed back towards the classroom.

Iruka looked at the sharp handwriting on the note from Sakura.

Was I really overthinking it?

But speaking of which, Sakura's handwriting is really good...

When Sakura returned to the classroom, Ino immediately leaned in nervously.

"Sakura, are you okay?"

"Did Teacher Iruka give you a hard time?"

Sakura placed the books in her hands on the desk and then smiled, patting Ino's head.

"It's okay."

"Don't worry, Ino."

Ino stared blankly at Sakura.

Sakura... is so gentle...

She used to need me to take care of her...

But this change in Sakura feels surprisingly good.

I really want to rely on Sakura...

"Eh, then what are these?" Ino looked at the books Sakura had placed on the desk.

"Do you remember what I told you earlier?"

"These are all the things we need to learn in the first year," Sakura said, casually picking up the top book.

The first book was about how to gather and use chakra.

Sakura could already gather chakra at the soles of her feet to climb trees, so she could basically pass this book with just a couple of glances.

Then the second book was "Twelve Hand Seals for Hand Signs"