Sasuke Wants to Be Friends with Denji

As the head of the Akimichi Clan, Akimichi Choza had already arranged for a dedicated chef to arrive at their home this morning to prepare meals specifically for him.

After having the chef pack some extra braised beef and grabbing a bag of military rations, Denji and Choji headed off to the Ninja Academy together.

On the way to the academy, Akimichi Choji noticed that people were staring at him all along the road, which was different from usual.

At first, Choji thought he had gotten food stains on himself while eating, but he soon realized they weren't looking at him.

They were looking at Akimichi Denji, who was walking beside him.

Although they were both from the Akimichi Clan, Akimichi Denji was lean and quite handsome, with refined features and fair skin; if you didn't know better, you wouldn't even guess he was an Akimichi.

Denji smiled faintly, "Get used to it. Kids are purely visual creatures."

Handsome guys are treated the same way in every world.

He had long since grown accustomed to this kind of treatment.

The two of them didn't arrive particularly early, and there were already quite a few people in the classroom.

Uchiha Sasuke's eyes lit up when he saw Akimichi Denji walk into the room.

But seeing Akimichi Choji following beside him, he hesitated.

His older brother had told him to make friends with Denji and learn from him.

His brother was a powerful ninja, so naturally, Sasuke would listen to his advice.

However, he didn't want too many people to know about this.

After all, he was a noble Uchiha; taking the initiative to make friends with others would damage the Uchiha reputation if word got out.

And so, Sasuke remained hesitant.

Denji looked at the strange Sasuke, feeling as though the boy looked a bit constipated.

He glanced above Sasuke's head, where a line of text floated: [Brother's Mission].

Denji was surprised; it sounded so strange, like some sort of "master's mission."

He didn't understand it, but he respected it.

Hyuga Hinata saw Denji enter the classroom, and her eyes drifted toward him involuntarily.

When Denji caught her gaze, she shyly turned away, pretending to read her book.

Feeling Denji walking straight toward her, Hinata couldn't help but blush as she looked at him.

She spoke in a soft, timid voice, "Den... Denji-kun."

Akimichi Denji looked above her head, but there was no wish, leaving him feeling disappointed.

He had originally wanted to farm a wish from Hinata, and since Hinata was a big eater, he had specifically brought extra breakfast.

It didn't matter; sooner or later, he would run into a time when he could.

Denji placed the rice ball and braised beef jerky on Hinata's desk, "I was afraid you might be hungry, so I brought this for you."

Then, he turned and headed back to his own seat.

Sasuke witnessed all of this and had a sudden realization, finally understanding his brother's intention.

Denji had demonstrated how to make friends right in front of him.

All he had to do was follow that example and befriend Denji.

So, was this also part of his brother's plan?

Just as he was about to make his move, he saw a girl with blonde bangs and a fishnet-style outfit walk in happily, shouting, "Good morning! Denji-kun!"

Sasuke's footsteps couldn't help but come to a halt once more.

I was clearly here first.

"Good morning."

Denji nodded in response.

Having received a response, Ino appeared exceptionally excited, striding over to sit down next to Denji.

"Denji-kun is looking extra handsome again today!"

Haruno Sakura, walking behind her, couldn't help but sweat at her best friend's infatuated display.

She didn't understand why Ino had become so enthusiastic about the new transfer student.

Although he was decent-looking and didn't have that fat Akimichi build, Sasuke was still the best-looking one, after all...

The conversation she had with Ino yesterday flashed through Haruno Sakura's mind.

"Don't you like Sasuke? Why are you so interested in Denji-kun now?"

"You don't understand! Denji-kun is also very handsome! Plus, Denji-kun actually talks to you. Sasuke-kun is just so cold."

"If you clear Denji's special route, you might even unlock a special hand-holding CG."

Regardless, Ino-pig had now shifted her target and fallen for Denji.

With one less rival competing for Sasuke, she was more than happy to see it.

The Ninja Academy schedule consisted of theory classes in the morning and practical combat training in the afternoon.

Iruka stood in the open field and began, "Today, we will learn shurikenjutsu."

"As ninjas, there are many times when you must use ninja tools to harass a target, buying yourselves the time needed to cast ninjutsu."

"You may also face situations where your chakra is depleted; at such times, you must rely on ninja tools to fight."

As he spoke, he distributed several shuriken.

Because shuriken were specialized ninja tools, they were quite expensive despite being basic equipment.

Each student only received ten shuriken.

Akimichi Denji looked at the tools in his hand, curiously feeling their weight.

The shuriken and kunai in the world of Naruto were specially crafted; only ninjas used such throwing weapons.

The high-attack, low-defense nature of ninjas dictated that most were agile, assassin-style fighters.

Shuriken and kunai were perfectly suited for this style, whether for long-range attacks or backstabbing, fitting the ninja profession perfectly.

However, this also meant they were notoriously difficult to use, requiring specific techniques.

In particular, the fact that shuriken were sharpened on all four sides with no handle made them feel almost inhuman to wield.

Iruka demonstrated the grip, flicking a shuriken from his hand.

It flew straight and true, hitting the dead center of the target.

Akimichi Denji followed suit, holding the shuriken, preparing, aiming, and throwing!

The shuriken flew limply toward the space above the target, missing by at least the width of a full target.

Seeing Akimichi Denji miss, Naruto walked over with a grin, "Newbie! I knew you couldn't do it!"

He had been discouraged yesterday after seeing Akimichi Denji master the Transformation Technique in a single afternoon.

Now, seeing Akimichi Denji miss, his confidence had returned!

A newbie was a newbie, after all.

"Let me demonstrate for you."

Naruto threw a shuriken, which nailed the very edge of the target.

"Just hold it like this, aim, and launch."

He showed Akimichi Denji the grip in more detail and threw again, putting force into the shot.

"Like this?"

Akimichi Denji tried to follow along, adjusting his grip.

"Not bad!"

Although it still missed, the throw was no longer weak and limp.

Akimichi Denji praised him, "Your shuriken throwing is really good, Naruto."

Hearing this, Naruto laughed happily, beaming as he patted Akimichi Denji on the shoulder, "Of course, this great me's shuriken skills aren't half bad."

Sasuke looked at Naruto's smug face, then glanced at the shuriken that had barely grazed the edge of the target.

Anyone who didn't know better might think Naruto had hit a bullseye.

But he quickly realized that this was perhaps what his brother wanted him to learn.

From Akimichi Denji: the art of social interaction.

Sasuke raised his hand and threw two shuriken; they whistled through the air and struck the dead center of the target.

Akimichi Denji continued to practice, quickly exhausting his ten shuriken.

Only one of them had barely managed to hit the target.

A notification appeared on his system panel: [Shurikenjutsu (Uninitiated)].

Akimichi Denji pursed his lips, preparing to go pick them up to practice again.

Although shuriken became less useful in the later stages, they were still very important in the early game.

The key was that this was a skill that could be improved simply through practice.

It was just a hassle that he had to go retrieve them after every throw.

Very troublesome.

Sasuke watched, realizing his opportunity had arrived.