First Day at the Ninja Academy

Konoha, Year 54.

It was enrollment day at the Ninja Academy.

Early in the morning, Naruto woke up at dawn.

It was his first day at the Ninja Academy. No matter how mature he was, he could not suppress the excitement and anticipation in his heart.

After making himself an exquisite breakfast and preparing a bento for lunch, Naruto washed up and got dressed.

He wore a white robe similar to that of a Bleach Squad Captain, with black lining beneath it.

Naruto even put on a pair of black-rimmed glasses.

He looked into the mirror.

The young man in the mirror was gentle and refined. The six cat-like whiskers on his delicate face instead gave him a distinctive air.

"This brat is pretty handsome." Today was an important day for Naruto, so Nine-Tails had unusually not immersed himself in games.

Naruto now possessed some of Minato Namikaze's gentleness, yet he was also different.

Nine-Tails could sense that Naruto was hard on the inside and soft on the outside. His heart was prouder than anyone else's.

Just as he had said before: "I disdain power that is not my own."

Even so, the Chakra Naruto used was still his own.

"Heh heh, brat. No matter how proud you are, you still have to rely on this old man's power."

"Fourth, just as you wished, I have become Naruto's power. But remember, he and I are merely using each other. I feel no sympathy for him whatsoever. To me, he is nothing more than a tool!"

Nine-Tails snorted coldly.

"I am no longer the same as before. Now, I can think as well. I will help Naruto grow, and I will personally watch him pass judgment on Konoha."

Nine-Tails gave a sinister laugh.

He did not believe in Naruto's talk of "becoming Hokage."

He had a premonition that Naruto would definitely bring him a tremendous surprise in the future.

To witness that wonderful scene, he decided to lie dormant inside Naruto for the time being.

Inside Naruto, Aizen was also quietly watching everything unfold.

He adjusted his glasses, the corners of his lips curving upward.

Time truly was fleeting.

In the blink of an eye, Naruto had reached the age to enroll. At last, he could catch a glimpse beneath the mysterious veil of the ninja world.

If the Chakra system proved worthy of study, then he might as well use a few Bleach for experiments.

A cold glint flashed through Aizen's eyes.

It was getting late. Naruto put on his weights, packed everything he needed into his backpack, then opened the door and ran toward the Ninja Academy at the center of the village.

Naruto's appearance quickly drew the villagers' attention.

"Huh? Why is he dressed so handsomely today?" Several villagers hesitated for a moment before whispering among themselves.

Many villagers had now begun using "him" instead of terms like Nine-Tails Fox Demon or monster.

"Today seems to be the first day of the Ninja Academy. He can't be a student, can he?"

"My God, he can become a ninja? Wouldn't that be too dangerous?"

"Probably... not? At least, he hasn't hurt anyone so far."

Fortunately, although many villagers refused to admit it, Naruto's changes had left a fairly good impression on them.

These shifts in perception were all subconscious.

Ignoring the murmurs, Naruto hurried toward the Ninja Academy.

The area before the Ninja Academy was packed with people, all parents handling enrollment procedures for their children.

Once Naruto appeared, even more gazes turned toward him—some disgusted, some astonished, and some even captivated.

"He's so handsome." A few little fangirls who did not know the situation immediately clasped their faces and swooned.

But their parents quickly warned them not to get close to Naruto, or else he would bring them misfortune.

Naruto passed through the crowd and directly handed his personal information to the teacher in charge of registration.

The registration teacher's gaze was fairly calm. After quickly processing the paperwork, he allowed Naruto through.

After politely thanking the teacher, Naruto headed toward the classroom, maintaining a perfectly gentle smile all the way.

This made quite a few parents think, Setting aside his identity as the Nine-Tails Fox Demon, he is actually a very polite child.

Of course, such thoughts only flashed through their minds.

When Naruto pushed open the classroom door, it was already nearly full. His arrival drew everyone's attention, accompanied by the startled cries of several young girls.

"He's so handsome! Is this handsome guy our classmate?"

"He looks so gentle and elegant."

"He feels even more charming than Sasuke."

"He smiled at me! Oh my God, I'm falling for him."

"Sure enough, compared to the cold Sasuke, I still prefer this kind of gentle, tender boy."

The praise in the classroom left Naruto somewhat at a loss.

But he quickly recovered, revealing a gentle smile as his eyes swept across the classroom.

Soon, he saw Sasuke sitting by the window, pretending to look aloof as he waved at him.

Two girls surrounded Sasuke: one blonde, the other with hair as pink as cherry blossoms.

Sasuke was quite popular.

Naruto smiled helplessly and walked toward Sasuke.

"Um, my name is Sakura Haruno. You can call me Sakura."

"My name is Ino Yamanaka, I..."

Before he could get close, he heard the two girls chattering as they introduced themselves. Looking at Sasuke again, Naruto saw nothing but helplessness on his face.

A cold-faced guy really was devastatingly effective on girls this age.

"Morning, Sasuke." Naruto greeted Sasuke.

"Mm, morning." Sasuke nodded and looked at Naruto.

Naruto saw a plea for help in Sasuke's eyes.

"Th-this handsome guy and Sasuke really... each have their own appeal." The moment Naruto appeared, Sakura and Ino became flustered and huddled together to whisper.

"Excuse me, could you move aside?" Naruto stood before Sakura and Ino and asked gently.

Golden sunlight streamed through the window, highlighting Naruto's warm, sunny smile. Sakura and Ino were instantly entranced.

"This way, please." They hurriedly stepped aside, their eyes filled with admiration as they looked at Naruto.

Mature, sunny—the image of the boy-next-door big brother straight out of a manga.

This classmate was perfect.

"How have you been lately?" After taking his seat, Naruto asked softly.

"Pretty good. Mother made us bento. Let's call Rock Lee over to eat with us at noon." The corners of Sasuke's lips lifted, drawing even more shrieks from the students.

Sakura and Ino curled up in seats to the side, gazing at the exchange between the two beautiful boys as if bewitched.

Their thoughts ran wild, even progressing to the point where one of them had children later on.

But then they faced a troubling question.

Which one would they choose?

Just then, Iruka entered the classroom and wrote his name on the blackboard.

"Umino Iruka."

"Hello, everyone. I am your teacher, Umino Iruka. Please come up and introduce yourselves—your hobbies, names, things you dislike, and things you like." Umino Iruka's gaze swept over every student's face.

It finally stopped on Naruto's face for several seconds, his expression complicated.

"His look is strange." The alert Naruto immediately frowned.

Within that gaze, he sensed hatred, sympathy, and even a trace of struggle.

What a complicated look.

Who was he?