First Day at the Ninja Academy

Naruto strode down.

His face wore an open, confident smile.

Without those six whisker marks, his entire bearing was completely different from that in the Original Work. Combined with his already handsome features, Naruto stole the attention of every child his age present at that moment.

Those little girls who had previously only swooned over Sasuke were now staring at Naruto in a daze as well!

After all, compared to Sasuke—

Naruto's halo was clearly several levels brighter!

The Uchiha Clan was indeed a prestigious family in Konohagakure, but could it compare to the position of Hokage!?

Not to mention that the Fourth Hokage had died in battle protecting the village only six years ago. That naturally added a special aura to Naruto, the Hokage's orphaned son!

"Young Master Naruto is so handsome, just as expected!"

"No wonder he's the Fourth Lord's son!"

"Young Master Naruto will definitely become a great ninja like the Fourth Lord in the future!"

"Ah! What should I do? I like Sasuke-kun and Young Master Naruto now!"

"It's so hard to choose!!!"

The commotion they caused was obvious.

These Little Ones truly seemed to wish they could hang their eyes directly on Naruto.

"Hmph!"

At that moment, Uchiha Sasuke, who had always been the center of attention until then, felt somewhat displeased!

It was not that he truly cared about those swooning girls. It was simply a child's instinct—the natural discomfort of having something that had belonged to him taken away by someone else!

"Ahem, all right. Everyone is here now, so settle down. I'm your homeroom teacher for the next six years at the Ninja Academy, and I'll also be responsible for teaching you theoretical knowledge—Umino Iruka! I hope that over the next six years, you will listen carefully to your teachers' guidance, study hard, live up to the expectations of your parents and teachers, and become outstanding ninja in the future!"

Iruka rested both Hands on the podium and looked at the fifty or sixty Little Ones below with a serious expression, speaking in a calm yet stern tone.

"Yes, Teacher Iruka!"

Whether these children had truly taken his words to heart or not—

The moment Iruka finished speaking—

They all straightened their backs and Responded in unison.

At the very least, to them—

Iruka, clad in Konoha's standard-issue vest, carried a certain degree of authority!

Iruka nodded in satisfaction as well.

As an educator, he naturally understood that education was not something achieved overnight. These children had only just entered the Ninja Academy, and Konoha was entirely different from what it had been a few years ago. He could not set the bar too high for them at the start; he had to guide them little by little!

"Mm, very good. Next, let's get to know each other. Unless something unexpected happens, you'll all be studying together at the Ninja Academy for six years, so you should first get acquainted with one another! Let's start with you, little one! Just briefly tell us your name, your dream, and what you like!"

Iruka pointed at a little boy seated by the door on the left side of the first row and continued.

"Yes, Teacher Iruka!"

After being pointed out by Iruka, the little boy showed no stage fright at all. He stood up excitedly.

Turning sideways to face most of his classmates, he said loudly, "My name is Okazaki Tomoya. I like dango! My dream is to become someone respected by others!"

"Mm, very good. Next!"

"My name is Matsuoka Yoshitsugu. What I like most is all kinds of cars! My dream is to drive around the entire world!"

"My name is..."

One self-introduction followed another.

Almost every little one bravely introduced themselves.

Everyone liked different things, but most of their dreams were roughly the same!

Either they wanted to become great ninja, or they simply wanted to become Hokage!

That was only natural.

Among children born in the Five Great Shinobi Villages who entered the Ninja Academy to study, most aspired to become the Kage of their own village!

After all, that represented not only status and strength, but also the respect, love, and devotion of countless people!

Only those born into ninja clans, such as Shikamaru, Shino, and Kiba, gave somewhat different self-introductions!

As for Uchiha Sasuke—

He remained very much his current self.

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. There's nothing I particularly like. My dream is to become as outstanding a ninja as my brother!"

It was not the coldness that came after his emotions changed drastically later on.

It was merely a deliberately affected pose.

But the little girls loved that sort of thing!

Especially when paired with Uchiha Sasuke's cool appearance.

"Ah!"

"Wow, Sasuke-kun!"

"So cool!"

The eyes of most of the little girls immediately turned into hearts!

This was the first minor climax in the classroom.

The second naturally came with Naruto's self-introduction.

"Hello, everyone. My name is Namikaze Naruto. What I like is Ichiraku Ramen. There's nothing I particularly dislike. My dream for the future is to become a great Hokage like my father!"

The same style.

The same words.

The only difference was that the education and living environment he had received since childhood had left this Namikaze Naruto with less mischief and playfulness, and more of a polite, refined air!

"Ooh, ooh, ooh! Just as expected of Young Master Naruto!"

"Young Master Naruto!"

"So this is the Fourth Lord's son!"

"Yabai! Hontoni Yabai!!"

He was absolutely the center of attention, the one upon whom every gaze was focused.

Namikaze Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke!

They had unquestionably become the central figures of their class and their year!

Though the plot had changed, fate seemed to remain constant—the competitive spirit had been stirred in advance!

Naruto could be set aside for the moment.

Uchiha Sasuke had already regarded Naruto as someone he absolutely had to defeat!

At this point, Uchiha Sasuke still admired his brother immensely, and even before enrolling, his goal had always been fixed on first place.

Because that was a position his brother had once reached with ease!

He considered himself a genius of the Uchiha Clan, so he had to follow in his brother's footsteps!

"My name is Uzumaki Menma. There's nothing I particularly like. My dream for the future is to gain Recognition from many people!"

As the introductions continued—

It was finally Menma's turn.

His demeanor remained calm, and his words came out softly.

Not many people present paid much attention, but when Naruto heard Menma's self-introduction and subconsciously turned to look at him, his expression froze slightly.

An inexplicable emotion surfaced in his heart.

For that brief instant, Naruto felt that Menma seemed just a little familiar?

As though he shared a deep connection with him, but that feeling vanished in less than a second.

It left Naruto feeling somewhat dazed.

Yet from beginning to end, Menma did not spare Naruto an extra glance. After finishing his self-introduction, he quietly sat down.

After Naruto looked at Menma once more and felt that everything seemed normal again—

Naruto, being rather carefree by nature, stopped dwelling on it.

Perhaps it had only been a momentary illusion.