First Meeting

Chapter 2: First Meeting

The next morning, Kagato woke up early. He was dressed in gray, with the Uchiha clan's distinctive fan emblem on his back. Perhaps it was because he was born into the Uchiha clan, but Kagato was quite handsome.

Following the path from memory, Kagato soon arrived at the Ninja Academy. He entered the classroom. The layout of the academy was exactly as Kagato remembered: a tiered classroom with three rows. The first thing he saw was Sasuke, sitting in the back of the middle row.

He's really early, Kagato thought. Sasuke now is still an innocent boy, without the profound bitterness and hatred after the clan massacre, without hatred as his driving force, so he isn't an exceptionally outstanding person.

Next to him, in the row in front of Sasuke, sat a gray-clothed boy with his hands behind his head and two triangular red stripes on his face. It was Kiba Inuzuka. However, Kagato didn't see his Akamaru. It was possible it was hiding under his desk.

These two were the only people who arrived earlier than Kagato. Kagato considered himself early, yet someone had still beaten him to it. Sasuke was probably woken up by Itachi, so it was normal for him to be earlier. As for Kiba Inuzuka, Kagato guessed it was his "Hokage Dream" at play. When people find motivation, they tend to be exceptionally diligent, so it wasn't surprising.

"Ah, it's Kagato! My brother is really something, waking me up so early and telling me not to fall behind Kagato. Sigh, Kagato, why are you so diligent? You woke up so early, and you're only a little faster than me."

As soon as Sasuke saw Kagato, he greeted him enthusiastically. Kagato's reputation as a genius meant that most of his peers in the Uchiha clan knew him, or at least had heard of him. Sasuke greatly admired his brother, who was a genius, and he had a very good impression of Kagato, who also bore the title of genius.

Kagato shrugged and said helplessly, "I can't help it, my father is too strict."

Saying his father was strict was just an excuse. Kagato knew very well why he was always so diligent. Others might strive for a moment of passion, but he was striving for his own life. The concepts were different.

"A genius of the Uchiha clan..."

Kiba Inuzuka glanced at Kagato, muttered softly, and then ignored him.

From this alone, Kagato felt the crisis of the Uchiha clan. He, a genius of the Uchiha clan, was not admired by his peers. This was different from Sasuke in the original story. When Kagato watched the anime in his past life, he remembered that Sasuke was admired by many girls at the Ninja Academy, but he wasn't.

It wasn't that Kagato craved admiration, but this situation made him realize that the relationship between the Uchiha and Konoha was deteriorating further. People from prominent Konoha clans like Kiba Inuzuka had likely been warned by their parents not to interact too much with Uchiha members during this period.

Although the matters between the Uchiha and Konoha were confidential, those prominent clans probably didn't know the details. However, many people were good at observing subtle cues. Many prominent clans had likely already noticed the unusual relationship between the Uchiha clan and Konoha.

It was likely that only after the Uchiha clan's massacre would these clan disciples be allowed to interact further with Uchiha members.

Of course, Kagato's lack of popularity wasn't the only reason. There were many others. For example, it was the first day of school. Although Kagato was called a genius by the Uchiha clan, many people probably wouldn't acknowledge him without seeing his true abilities.

Also, the Uchiha clan was generally arrogant and looked down on others, which was another reason many people in Konoha disliked them. Therefore, many people wouldn't approach the Uchiha proactively, especially boys. Everyone had self-esteem and no one wanted to be looked down upon by the Uchiha.

Kagato didn't bother with Kiba Inuzuka. He had no interest in fawning over someone who was cold to him. Every moment from now on needed to be spent breaking through his own predicament.

Sitting down next to Sasuke, Kagato started chatting with him.

"Sasuke, is Brother Itachi free today?"

"Are you going to ask him for guidance again? Okay, we can go together after school. But he usually just brushes me off with something like 'next time'."

"It's always good to try. What if Brother Itachi has time today?"

"That's true. Brother is such a genius. If he's willing to teach us, we'll definitely become the best students in our year!"

Kagato continued to chat with Sasuke like this. Gradually, more people arrived. Some were unfamiliar faces, while others were people Kagato knew very well – the future Konoha Twelve Chunin.

Sakura Haruno, who kept looking at Sasuke as soon as she entered, and Ino, who kept looking at Kagato.

At this age, they were far from being in love. At most, they had developed a good impression due to Sasuke and Kagato's good looks. Moreover, they were still young and hadn't taken their parents' warnings to heart.

Of course, Sasuke and Kagato, like brothers, unanimously chose to ignore this. Sasuke didn't care, and Kagato's time was precious; he didn't have the inclination to consider what others thought of him. Even if everyone in the world had a good opinion of him, it wouldn't matter in the face of Itachi's sword on the day of the clan massacre.

Only strength was the truth.

Then came Shikamaru Nara, with a look of utter disdain, completely embodying the phrase "school is such a hassle." Following him was the chubby Choji Akimichi, along with Shino Aburame and Hinata Hyuga.

As soon as Hinata entered the classroom, like Sakura and Ino, she looked around. However, she seemed unable to find the person she was looking for and dejectedly lowered her head.

At this point, everyone Kagato knew had arrived. The rest were unfamiliar faces, and Kagato didn't know who any of them were.

Most of the future Konoha Twelve Chunin were in this classroom, only missing the previous year's trio: Rock Lee, Neji, and Tenten.

Most importantly, Kagato hadn't seen the person he most wanted to see.

Hmm, late again? Such a familiar style... Kagato thought silently.

Soon, everyone found a seat. A ninja with a forehead protector and a scar on his face entered the classroom. He clapped on the lectern, signaling for everyone to be quiet.

"Hello, students. I will be your teacher for the next six years. My name is Iruka. You can call me Teacher Iruka. Now, please introduce yourselves in order so I can get to know you."

As he spoke, the person at the front on the far right shyly stood up under Iruka's gaze, fidgeting nervously as he prepared to introduce himself.

Just then, the door, which Iruka had closed, was suddenly flung open. A blond-haired boy in yellow clothes stood at the doorway, panting heavily.

From beginning to end, Kagato finally observed someone with a truly serious demeanor. Before this, Kagato hadn't paid much attention to most of the Konoha Twelve Chunin. But now, with the appearance of this blond-haired boy, Kagato couldn't help but look at him seriously.

Naruto Uzumaki, the absolute protagonist of the Hokage, the son of the Fourth Hokage, and the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

Looking at the panting boy, Kagato smiled faintly. He was indeed late. In the past, when Kagato watched the Naruto anime, he had put himself in Naruto's shoes. Now, he had become one of the characters, standing on the other side of Naruto. Thinking about it felt rather strange.

Iruka naturally knew Naruto, or rather, it was impossible for him not to. The scene of the Nine-Tails rampaging was still vivid in his memory. It had mercilessly taken the lives of Iruka's parents before being sealed into Naruto's body by the Fourth Hokage.

Before today, Iruka had rarely interacted with Naruto because he feared he might not be able to control himself and do something he shouldn't. But now, he had to interact with this boy, secretly called the "Demon Fox" by the villagers.

After much thought, Iruka finally spoke calmly, "What's your name?"

Iruka knew Naruto's name, but he still asked. He told himself that the person in front of him was not the Demon Fox, and that he was meeting him for the first time.

Naruto knew he was late, and he smiled sheepishly, scratching his head.

"Heh heh, um, my name is Naruto Uzumaki!"

Iruka nodded.

"You're late. Today's your first day, so I'll let it slide. Find a seat."

Kagato watched Iruka silently. It seemed Iruka still held some reservations about Naruto, understandable given that his parents died at the hands of the Nine-Tails.

However, six years at the Ninja Academy was a long time. It was enough to change a person's perspective. This teacher, who currently harbored reservations about Naruto, would occupy a very important position in Naruto's life in the future. Iruka was an excellent teacher.

Next, the self-introductions continued. These children couldn't really articulate their hobbies or aspirations, so they basically just stood up and said their names.

When it was Kagato's turn, he stood up decisively without any hesitation.

"My name is Uchiha Kagato. Please guide me."

He sat down immediately, and the person behind him continued their introduction.

However, Kagato's name was clearly quite special.

"Uchiha Kagato? Is he a genius from the Uchiha clan?"

"If he's a genius, what makes him different?"

"Genius? Hmph, I bet he's just average."

The others whispered amongst themselves, a mix of admiration, doubt, and disdain.

At this moment, Naruto overheard Sakura and Ino, who were sitting in front of him, discussing Kagato. Eager to gain attention, Naruto naturally paid close attention to someone who was drawing everyone's discussion, and so he asked quietly.

"Hey, Sakura, why do they call that Uchiha Kagato a genius?"

Sakura replied as a matter of course.

"Of course, it's because he's very outstanding."

Naruto continued to ask.

"Outstanding? What's outstanding about him?"

Sakura was momentarily speechless. Everyone said Kagato was a genius, but they couldn't quite pinpoint why.

Meanwhile, Sasuke, sitting next to Kagato, also overheard some of the doubts directed at Kagato. He wanted to retort, but Kagato stopped him.

"There's no need."

Annoyed, Sasuke turned and whispered to Kagato.

"Kagato, you have to show those people what an Uchiha genius is!"

Kagato sighed inwardly but replied verbally.

"I will."

Sasuke also possessed the unique pride of the Uchiha clan.