Could He Like Me?

What the hell??!

Since when did Naruto become so popular?

Iruka glanced at Naruto in astonishment.

Could it be that the son of the Fourth Hokage is just built differently?

Gold will always shine!

Iruka coughed awkwardly twice.

"These teams were arranged based on everyone's strength."

"It's an order from above, so there's nothing I can do to change it."

Iruka shifted the blame directly onto the higher-ups.

He hadn't expected such a massive change either.

He didn't know anything.

He didn't understand anything.

When in doubt, just blame the higher-ups!

Iruka silently gave himself a thumbs-up for his quick thinking.

"Huh?? They can actually do that?!"

"I really wanted to be on a team with Naruto."

"Me too."

"..."

Iruka said, "Alright, everyone, stop arguing. I will now announce the team rosters."

"Listen carefully, don't get into the wrong groups..."

While Iruka was reading the list.

Naruto scanned the girls in the classroom.

He quickly found the figure of Hinata, one of his wives.

Sakura Haruno, sitting nearby, opened her mouth.

She wanted to say something.

But seeing that Naruto had no intention of paying her any mind.

She ultimately chose to keep her mouth shut.

She was filled with curiosity about the current Naruto.

Curious about what he was looking for.

Following Naruto's line of sight.

Her gaze met with Ino Yamanaka.

Then, Naruto flashed a handsome smile.

To be precise.

He was smiling at little Hinata, who was sitting behind Ino Yamanaka.

From Sakura Haruno's awkward angle.

It looked as if Naruto was smiling at Ino Yamanaka.

A girl's sixth sense is often much sharper than a boy's.

That is an undeniable fact.

Not long after Naruto cast his gaze over.

Ino Yamanaka felt it.

She subconsciously glanced toward Naruto.

And saw him smiling at her.

Thump-thump...

Ino Yamanaka's heart began to race.

She didn't know where to put her hands.

Putting them on the desk felt wrong, and keeping them under the desk felt uncomfortable.

Naruto... he... he couldn't possibly like me, could he?

I remember he used to chase after that violent girl, but has he finally discovered my charm?

Mmhmm... if he asks me out, should I play hard to get before saying yes~

Bang-

Hinata had been shy since she was a child.

How could she handle Naruto, the one she held in her heart, staring at her so directly?

Her face flushed red in an instant.

Wisps of white steam could clearly be seen rising from her little head.

Sakura Haruno felt as if her heart had been pierced by something.

It was incredibly painful.

The boy who had been a little lapdog, chasing after her and begging her to be his girlfriend.

Had suddenly gone off to pursue another girl.

This feeling of losing something.

It was somewhat saddening.

It's an illusion... just an illusion...

Think about it... I... I don't even like Naruto that much anyway.

Sakura Haruno comforted herself.

With Naruto's current powerful sensory abilities.

He could easily perceive Sakura Haruno's actions beside him.

Sakura Haruno was quite good-looking.

But compared to Tsunade.

She was far inferior.

Her early development was as steady as an old dog.

But her later growth ended up being trash.

Perhaps it was because Sarada was just too formidable.

Children, after all.

One must pay close attention to nutritional balance from a young age!

And the current Naruto was not someone who couldn't live without you, Sakura Haruno!

Are you kidding me?

You still want me to continue being a lapdog?

What kind of pipe dream are you having?!

To be reasonable, if you had any self-awareness, you should be the one acting as the lapdog.

The teams were divided in the morning.

It was just as Naruto had expected.

Iruka had prepared this roster of team assignments long ago.

It was identical to the three-person squads from the plot of his previous life.

Many female students who hadn't been assigned to a team with Naruto.

Expressed strong protests one after another, demanding that Iruka re-edit the small teams!

Iruka looked helpless.

He continued to pass the buck to his superiors.

Stating that he was just a wage earner.

Everything depended on the will of those above.

He perfunctorily brushed off this batch of students.

And then slipped away!

Because the class he had been teaching had all graduated.

The rest would be taken over by other Jonin instructors.

It was no longer his business.

Afternoon... outdoors.

"How should I put this, your first impression on me is quite poor."

"Oh right, there is a mission tomorrow."

"The meeting place is that small stream on the south side of the village."

"There is only one requirement: do not eat anything in the morning."

Said Kakashi, wearing his black mask.

Teaching genin.

He had no interest in this whatsoever.

If not for the insistent demands of Hiruzen Sarutobi.

He could be lounging anywhere in the village right now.

Lying down and reading Jiraiya's bestselling novels.

Damn it.

Reading novels was far more interesting than teaching you lot.

Though he thought this to himself.

In reality, he was under some pressure.

One was Sasuke, the last remaining ninja of the Uchiha.

Back when he was in the Anbu.

He had some history with Itachi Uchiha and Shisui Uchiha.

Speaking of the Uchiha.

His other eye was a gift from his late friend, Obito.

His connection to the Uchiha clan.

Could be described as quite deep.

On the other side was Naruto.

The son of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze.

Minato had once been his own instructor.

For a moment.

Kakashi was filled with emotion.

Things have changed, and people are gone.

The tides of fortune turn.

When I was a child, your father taught me.

Now it is my turn to be responsible for teaching you.

"Kakashi-sensei, may I ask why we shouldn't eat?"

Sakura Haruno raised her small hand and asked curiously.

Sasuke didn't speak.

But one could see a hint of curiosity in his eyes as well.

Naruto, who knew exactly what kind of trick Kakashi was pulling.

Laughed inwardly.

He's making you go hungry so you'll try to snatch the bells from his hands.

Kakashi was a jonin, after all.

And a famous one at that—the Copy Ninja of Konoha!

Making three rookies who had just graduated from the academy try to snatch bells.

Was asking a bit much.

It was clear that Kakashi's requirements for his students were quite harsh.

However, Naruto was no longer some rookie.

Snatching a bell was a piece of cake, wasn't it?

"Don't ask. You'll understand tomorrow. Alright, remember what I said."

"I have business to attend to, so I'm leaving."

Kakashi waved his hand.

He heard Jiraiya had released a new work.

It was already a bestseller in all the major bookstores.

If he didn't hurry.

It might be sold out again.

In an era where entertainment was severely lacking.

Finding a bit of fun was hard!!!

Kakashi left.

There was no need for Naruto to stay behind any longer.

Just as I was preparing to leave.

"Ding-dong..."

"Option One: In an era where entertainment is pitifully scarce, how can life be without a shred of joy? Go to the bookstore, purchase the work [Icha Icha Paradise] written by Jiraiya, and share it with ten companions."

"Reward: Ninjutsu Chidori"

"Option Two: Wander around the village aimlessly."

"Reward: One Idler's Stone (just an ordinary stone with the characters for 'idler' carved into it)."

PS: That's all for today's update. If everyone helps out by watching the free ads, I'll add another chapter tonight!

The performance is decent. By the way, don't forget to click the "urge for more" button~

If the urges break 600 before eight o'clock tonight, I will add a chapter immediately. I keep my word~