Uchiha Sasuke, of course, had no idea about the connection between Indra and Asura's chakra.
So to Uchiha Sasuke, aside from the man he intended to kill, only two people in the world were special: Uzumaki Naruto and Ito Hirofumi!
Ito Hirofumi had also noticed that Uchiha Sasuke seemed to be treating him a little differently than before...
And Uzumaki Naruto had said twice, yesterday and today, that something about him had changed in a way he couldn't explain.
On top of that, Uchiha Madara also seemed to be treating him a little differently than when Ito Hirofumi had first summoned him...
That made Ito Hirofumi think of something interesting. Could it be because he had obtained Indra's Chakra?!
In the original story, the reincarnations of Indra and Asura's chakra gave rise to two pairs of the strongest best buddies in the Ninja World!
They were Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama, and Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke.
Both pairs were classic examples of loving and hating each other at the same time...
So now that he had Indra's Chakra, did that make him the third wheel?!
Had he barged into Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke's tangled love-and-hate relationship?!
At the thought, Ito Hirofumi couldn't help glancing at Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke. Then he hurriedly shook his head. He wasn't into guys; all that passionate romance could be left to the two of them!
He was a man who liked women!
Thinking of that, Ito Hirofumi looked at Yamanaka Ino, who was still holding flowers. Their eyes met, and Yamanaka Ino lowered her head, her cheeks slightly flushed.
Look at that, look at that!!!!
Didn't that prove he was pretty charming after all?!
Ito Hirofumi had noticed Yamanaka Ino's little crush on him a long time ago.
But since they were still at the Ninja Academy, Ito Hirofumi hadn't entertained any other thoughts.
He'd wait until after graduation...
Yamanaka Ino really was quite a catch.
She had delicate features and a slender figure. Among Konoha's younger generation, Yamanaka Ino was definitely one of the prettiest!
And she wasn't just beautiful; she came from a very good family, too.
Her father, Yamanaka Inoichi, was the current head of the Yamanaka Clan. She was a bona fide rich beauty. Marry her, and he could reach the pinnacle of life in an instant!
Besides, the Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi clans were as close as one family!
If he could marry Yamanaka Ino in the future, that would mean securing the support of all three clans!
That would be a significant boost to his future goal of taking control of Konoha.
As Ito Hirofumi was still mulling all this over, he saw Yamanaka Ino shyly walk toward him, holding several flowers.
"Haowen, these are for you... I grew them myself. I hope you like them..."
After speaking, Yamanaka Ino held the flowers out to Ito Hirofumi. She looked terribly shy and lowered her head, too embarrassed to see how he would react.
Ito Hirofumi froze. He hadn't expected Yamanaka Ino to make the first move!
He reached out and accepted the flowers.
"Arigato, Ino!!!
"I really like your flowers, but..."
Hearing Ito Hirofumi's words take a turn, Yamanaka Ino grew nervous. She'd always had a crush on Ito Hirofumi, but this was her first time giving someone flowers!
She'd only decided to do it after overhearing her parents chatting.
Her father had said that when he was young, he used to bring her mother flowers whenever he could, and that was how he eventually won her over.
That story had convinced Yamanaka Ino to pick several of the prettiest flowers she'd grown and bring them to school for Ito Hirofumi.
But what did Haowen mean by "but"...?
Could it be that Haowen didn't want to accept the flowers?!
Then Yamanaka Ino heard Ito Hirofumi continue.
"But... as beautiful as these flowers are, they're still not as beautiful as you! In my eyes, Ino, you're far more beautiful than any flower!!!"
The moment Yamanaka Ino heard those words, her body temperature shot up. Her face turned red like a furnace, and steam began rising from her forehead.
Ito Hirofumi was stunned by the sight!
He'd always thought that steaming was a special skill unique to Hyuga Hinata. He'd seen her steam up more than once when she was around Uzumaki Naruto.
Back then, he'd been more than a little envious of Uzumaki Naruto. What was that, anyway?! Wasn't that the legendary Steam Princess?!
But now... it seemed he could make it happen, too?!!!
After hearing Ito Hirofumi's words, Yamanaka Ino was so flustered she couldn't speak. She staggered back to her seat, wobbling all the way.
Ito Hirofumi was quite pleased as he watched Yamanaka Ino's flustered retreat. Still, he'd wait until after graduation. The budding romance between young boys and girls really was wonderful!
After Iruka-sensei entered the classroom, the students gradually quieted down...
"Class, we'll be holding a practical training session today. After all, this is your final year at the Ninja Academy. Once you graduate, you'll become real ninja, so practical training is essential!
"We'll spend the morning reviewing our academic lessons, then start practical training this afternoon!!!"
Everyone was delighted to hear Iruka-sensei's announcement. Practical training meant they wouldn't have to sit through class.
Uchiha Sasuke, meanwhile, looked at Ito Hirofumi, brimming with fighting spirit. In their past practical training sessions, Ito Hirofumi had been the one who posed the greatest threat to him!
This time, he absolutely wouldn't lose!!!
But at that moment, Ito Hirofumi was sprawled across his desk, fast asleep—or, more accurately, he hadn't fallen asleep at all. He'd entered the Summoning Space.
Iruka-sensei looked at the students in the classroom and couldn't help sighing softly...
His students were all very talented, but they were really difficult to manage.
The nap squad: Uzumaki Naruto, Nara Shikamaru, and Inuzuka Kiba...
Akimichi Choji, who was almost always eating snacks.
Uchiha Sasuke, who was aloof and didn't like talking to people.
The lovestruck Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino: one always focused on Uchiha Sasuke, the other always focused on Ito Hirofumi.
Oh, right, there was also Aburame Shino, who never seemed to be around.
Iruka didn't know why Shino was so easy to overlook. His frighteningly low presence made him a natural-born ninja!
Huh? Who had he just been thinking about...?
Never mind. He'd better get back to the lesson.
Before you continue