Konoha's opening ceremony was even more boring than imagined.
Once all the new students had lined up on the playground, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, began his long-winded speech. The Third Hokage's voice echoed across the playground, filled with nothing but old clichés like, "Where the leaves dance, the fire burns on."
"...So, children, you are Konoha's future..."
Naruto secretly yawned and glanced around from the corner of his eye. Most of the children stood perfectly straight, gazing up at the Third Hokage on the podium with worshipful eyes.
Just then, a commotion rose from the crowd.
"Look over there... that black-haired girl..."
"She's from the Uchiha clan, right? She's so cute..."
"Her eyes are so pretty, like jewels..."
"I want to be friends with her..."
Following everyone's gaze, Naruto indeed spotted Satsuki. She wore a brand-new uniform today, her long black hair neatly tied behind her head. Even among a crowd of children, her innate noble bearing stood out sharply.
Naruto had nearly forgotten about Satsuki's looks—after spending every day with her, he had long grown accustomed to that delicate little face. Only now did he remember that even after a gender swap, this girl was still unquestionably the most beautiful person in the Ninja World.
It was just that the little girls who had swooned over Sasuke in the original story had now all become restless little boys.
When the lengthy Will of Fire speech finally ended, the new students filed into the Ninja Academy's tiered classroom. Naruto casually found a seat and sat down. Naturally, Satsuki took the seat beside him, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Hey, what's going on? Why is she sitting next to that monster?"
"Keep it down! My mom said he was the one who got the