Fated Encounter

He walked straight through the hallways and courtyards.

He arrived at the floor located at the westernmost end of the Ninja Academy.

This was the designated gathering place for the incoming freshmen every year.

It was no different from the original story.

Iruka brought Naruto into the class he was responsible for. It was clear that this class could be considered a gathering of the descendants of all the prominent families among this year's freshmen. Despite the seemingly balanced distribution—with what appeared to be a portion of children from commoner backgrounds—in reality, the class Iruka oversaw was the most important one for this year's intake.

Naruto had been assigned directly to this classroom due to the unique nature of his identity.

And the moment Naruto followed Iruka into the classroom, it was already bustling with noise.

Looking around, the many figures present were those Naruto was most "familiar" with. This familiarity referred to his knowledge of the original story; in this life, however, it was Naruto's first time meeting almost everyone here.

Except for one white-clad silhouette.

In fact, she was the first place Naruto's gaze focused upon after stepping into the classroom.

Shoulder-length hair, bright eyes, and a timid expression.

She radiated a faint, unintentional aura of unease.

The princess of the Hidden Leaf Village's prestigious Hyuga clan—Hinata Hyuga.

Setting aside his past life, Naruto had always held a great fondness for this Hyuga princess, who lacked even a hint of arrogance.

In this life alone, that accidental encounter over a year ago was enough to leave an incredibly deep impression of this pure white girl in Naruto's heart.

"Hinata Hyuga..."

Looking at the girl's face, which seemed no larger than a palm, the expression in Naruto's pupils softened slightly.

Because she was of the Hyuga clan, even though she had not yet awakened her eyes, Hinata's perception was still a cut above the average person. Almost the moment Naruto's gaze lingered on her for half a second, Hinata immediately noticed him. As she subconsciously raised her head and their eyes met, Hinata's small eyes widened slightly, and just as a trace of astonishment appeared on her small face, Naruto gave a gentle nod with a soft smile.

This single, slight gesture was all it took.

Hinata's cheeks flushed crimson instantly. Steam seemed to rise from her forehead, visible to the naked eye. She immediately lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously twisting her hair, making the girl appear all the more endearing.

This only made the expression on Naruto's face grow even gentler.

"Naruto, go ahead and find a seat."

This exchange of glances lasted only a few seconds. Not only did the other students in the class fail to notice, but even Iruka, standing at the front, missed the small interaction between Naruto and Hinata. After tapping the desk to quiet the classroom's noise, he turned his head and spoke softly to Naruto beside him.

"Yes, Iruka-sensei."

Naruto responded immediately, then walked toward the innermost part of the classroom. Following the aisle along the wall, he went straight to the back of the room and sat down in a seat by the window.

There was no need for excessive contact or communication right now.

After all, his identity was highly sensitive.

A chance meeting when they were younger, a single special interaction—the higher-ups of the Hidden Leaf wouldn't care about that. The main branch of the Hyuga clan wouldn't pay it much mind either. But if he were to try and get close to Hinata Hyuga now, even if he truly had no ulterior motives and simply wanted to be near her, it would be interpreted in other ways by the Hidden Leaf's leadership and Hinata's father, Hiashi Hyuga.

In short, it came back to the same point: until he possessed the true ability to protect himself, every action he took had to be handled with extreme caution.

Play the part well!

That was the most important thing he needed to do right now.

As he walked toward the back row, these thoughts flashed rapidly through Naruto's mind.

Don't be too conspicuous.

Follow the routine.

Slowly improve his strength according to his established plan.

Once his body was strengthened to a certain degree, he would start trying to see if he could make contact with the Nine-Tails inside him.

As long as he could reach the Nine-Tails, Naruto had a certain degree of confidence that he could persuade the tsundere Kurama to help him. After all, the advantage of knowing the plot gave Naruto plenty of room to maneuver. As for other matters, they were not things Naruto could consider at the moment.

Naturally, there were many figures in this classroom that Naruto was already familiar with, including the "Konoha 12" from the original story. Excluding Naruto, eight of them were in this classroom; these people were almost all the core next generation of the various ninja clans in the Hidden Leaf Village.

There were very few ninjas in the original story who could truly be called commoners.

That would likely be Sakura Haruno and Rock Lee.

Even Tenten, who appeared to be of commoner birth—just look at how she flaunted her wealth in every battle. It was clear that this seemingly ordinary girl was anything but, for otherwise, how could a ninja from an average family afford to squander so much money?

Of course, none of these people had anything to do with Naruto at the moment.

Naruto had no intention of getting close to them as he had in the original story.

It should be said that in this second life, Naruto didn't just want to survive; he wanted to gain more. Companions? Perhaps some among these people would become his allies, but more would likely become his enemies in the future!

Naturally, at this stage.

Naruto was even less interested in them.

Only when he passed by a certain dark-haired boy who looked quite "cool" did his footsteps and gaze falter slightly.

But it was only for a fleeting moment.

Even that dark-haired boy didn't notice.

Naruto resumed his stride, walking straight to the back row and finding a seat far away from all the other students in the classroom, where he sat down quietly.

"Sasuke Uchiha..."

He said nothing more.

His expression didn't even change.

With a gaze that drifted as if naturally, he merely paused for a fraction of a second on the fan-shaped emblem on the back of the boy's shirt as he swept past, the name surfacing in the depths of his heart.

Iruka, standing at the podium below, naturally didn't notice Naruto's small gesture.

However, when he saw Naruto sit in the most secluded spot in the classroom.

Iruka's expression shifted slightly.

And this change in emotion lasted only for an instant.

The next second.

A smile returned to Iruka's face.

Clap, clap, clap, clap.

He clapped his hands lightly.

Drawing the attention of everyone present.

"Everyone is here. Today is your first day at the Ninja Academy. I am your instructor, Iruka Umino. First, I would like to congratulate you all. Over the next six years, you will learn everything there is to know about being a ninja here—not just practical combat, but theory as well. To become an excellent ninja, both are indispensable. I hope that in the coming six years, each of you will study hard, follow your teacher's guidance and arrangements, and grow into truly excellent ninjas after graduation!"

Iruka Umino spoke in a steady voice, scanning the thirty or forty children present as he spoke softly.