A Blessing That We Were Born in the Same Village

In the back row of the large classroom, Haruno Sakura, the pretty girl in a red qipao with pink hair, glanced at Naruto with disdain.

As far as she knew, Naruto was always getting into trouble. Today, he'd even picked a fight with his classmates.

She quietly turned her head and looked at the boy beside her: Sasuke Uchiha, cool and handsome in a blue shirt and white pants, and the top student in their grade every year since they were little. Her eyes crinkled with delight.

Sasuke rested both elbows on the desk and interlaced his fingers beneath his chin.

He was perceptive. From the moment Naruto approached the group, Sasuke had been paying attention, and he'd heard the entire conversation.

What puzzled him was that Naruto had always ignored them before. Yet today, he'd actually confronted their taunts—and shown off some impressive Taijutsu.

Real fights between ninja were nothing unusual. Everyone in the classroom just wanted to know how it would end—or how long Naruto would last before they beat him down.

Only Hinata Hyuga, the shy girl born with the Byakugan, was beside herself at her desk, clenching her hands helplessly.

Back in the ring of fighters, a cold smile spread across Naruto's face. In the cramped aisle, he darted and blocked the seven attackers, then seized every opening to land a hard punch.

All seven had bruises on their faces, while Naruto remained unscathed. Calm and composed, he relished the chance to hone the instincts of his frail body.

The Chakra inside him surged with vitality as he fought. He was born for battle—and he only grew stronger the longer it went on!

The other students' gazes gradually shifted from amusement to disbelief. That change in mood made the seven bullies feel the burning pain of their injuries all the more keenly.

The humiliated weaklings could no longer bear the thought of the dead-last kid they'd bullied for six years finally fighting back. It was even more painful than getting crushed by the class's top student, Sasuke!

One of them drew a Kunai. Then all seven had their Kunai out!

The blades' keen edges were no longer something fists could stop. They slashed and stabbed at Naruto's arms and legs, even trying to pin him down with a blade at his neck.

Naruto's smile widened, nearly stretching from ear to ear. The rush of adrenaline finally gave him a taste of real, burning excitement.

"Good! Bring it on!"

He didn't use a Kunai or even think to defend himself. He only attacked—charging forward!

His left hand shot out, fast and steady, seizing the Kunai wielder's wrist. He shoved forward and charged.

Then he spun, dragging his opponent around to shield himself from the other six, and drove his fist forward with crisp precision.

A punch to the face! Another! And another!

At last, he snatched the Kunai away, turned the bloodied hostage around, and pinned his head against his left shoulder. The blade's tip pierced his neck, drawing a thin line of red.

The fight was over.

The moment the six were forced back by the hostage's body, they'd lost all control of the fight.

The students watching had gone from doubtful to dumbfounded.

Naruto kept smiling. "You should be grateful. Grateful that you were born in the same village as me. That's the greatest honor you'll ever have."

His eyes seemed unfocused as he spoke, as if he were announcing an ironclad truth to everyone.

Bored, he shoved the sobbing hostage away, then casually found an empty seat and sat down again.

After standing awkwardly for a few seconds, the group slunk back to their seats.

The classroom fell silent, tense and heavy. Behind Naruto, Haruno Sakura was especially conflicted by the fact that he'd ignored her completely.

He'd won. Why hadn't he come over to brag to her?

She might have disliked Naruto, but she'd always known he liked her.

Whenever he came near, she felt uncomfortable and drove him away in disgust, but she'd long since gotten used to his pestering.

Ding!

The class bell rang.

Iruka walked in with a clipboard. He looked around and noticed that the usually noisy classroom was strangely quiet.

After confirming all twenty-seven students were present, he cleared his throat. "Everyone, look over here and pay attention."

A row of bruised and swollen heads lifted.

Iruka paused, but didn't ask questions. It wasn't unusual for boys to get into fights. He got straight to the point. "You've all graduated from the Academy and been entered into the ninja registry. You're now real ninja."

"But you're all rookies, so the village will divide you into nine teams of three, with one Jonin assigned as each team's instructor."

The classroom grew noisy again. Students looked around and called out who they wanted to be with. The loudest voices belonged to the girls, all calling for Sasuke.

"Quiet." Iruka raised a hand to settle them down. "To balance each team's strength, I've already assigned the teams."

He lifted the clipboard and began reading out the names and team numbers.

"Team Seven: Haruno Sakura, Uzumaki Naruto, and Sasuke Uchiha."

Naruto hadn't cared much about the teams, but when he heard the result, his eyebrows still rose.

Iruka had said the teams were meant to be "balanced," and Sasuke Uchiha was widely recognized as the top student.

That meant the teacher still thought Naruto was the worst of them all. He couldn't accept that.

He raised his hand. "Iruka Sensei, I'd like to request a different team."

Iruka had expected this. He planted his hands on his hips. "Why?"

Naruto stood up to answer. "You said the teams were meant to be balanced, but I don't think this one is."

Mischievous kids needed a stern talking-to before they'd listen. Iruka raised his voice as he explained, "Sasuke has the best grades, and Little Sakura is a top student too. And you? You came in last!"

Naruto replied, "But I'm confident I can beat him. The best should be on a team with someone even better. That isn't balanced."

Normally, the classroom would have burst into laughter and mockery. But now, only two people responded.

Sasuke said, "You can beat me?"

Haruno Sakura said, "You can't beat Sasuke!"

Naruto had a mature mind, but he couldn't deny that Sakura was cute. She was the first girl he'd ever fallen for, his first love—the one he'd wanted for himself.

A man couldn't help feeling something special for the first girl he liked. But Sakura had denied him just to defend Sasuke, and it left him displeased.

He looked straight at Sasuke. "Want to fight?"

Their eyes met, and Sasuke nodded without hesitation.

"Stop!" Iruka thought Naruto had improved, but he still didn't quite believe him. After all, Naruto had been making outlandish boasts since he was little.

More importantly, Iruka hadn't assigned Team Seven. Lord Hokage had personally chosen it.

What the children wanted didn't matter.

He had no choice but to use the unreasonable authority of an adult. "Stop fooling around! Sit down! I haven't finished reading the teams!"

The three sat down, their silent clash continuing.

After reading out the final three teams, Iruka tapped his clipboard. "The teams have been decided, and they won't change! The instructors have been assigned too. They'll come get you from the classroom this afternoon. That's all. You're dismissed for lunch."

Whoosh!

Naruto and Sasuke stood at the same time and headed for the door.

Iruka immediately stepped in front of them, holding out a finger. "You two stay here and wait quietly!"

The other students took their lunch boxes from their desks and gathered with their newly assigned teammates to eat outside.

Naruto wanted Iruka to witness his strength, but there was no rush. He was going to win anyway, so the outcome was nothing to worry about.

Sasuke was just as confident. He returned to his seat, took out the rice balls wrapped in seaweed that he'd made himself, and ate them slowly.

Naruto had been away from school too long and had forgotten to bring his own lunch. He wasn't hungry, so he quietly waited.

But then something happened that annoyed him.

Haruno Sakura didn't go outside to eat. Instead, she carried her pink lunch box over to Sasuke's desk and lifted the lid. "Sasuke, are you just having rice balls? My mother made this lunch, and it's really good. Want to try some?"

Sasuke coldly shook his head.

But Haruno Sakura persisted. "Come on, try some. Rice balls alone aren't nutritious, and you're still growing."

Naruto didn't like watching this, but butting in would only make him look petty. He turned his head away.

When he turned, he saw a girl in a loose white hoodie, with short blue-black mushroom-cut hair and pure white eyes. She was holding a three-tiered red lacquered lunch box and slowly making her way toward him.

It was Hinata Hyuga.

Haruno Sakura's gesture had reminded her that it was a perfectly reasonable thing to do, so she gathered her courage and copied her.

Her cheeks bright red, she lowered her head and said, "Naruto, did you forget your lunch? Would you like to share mine? I can't finish it by myself."