A corridor and courtyard stretched straight ahead.
They arrived at the building on the westernmost side of the Ninja Academy.
This was where the new students gathered every year.
It was exactly the same as in the original story.
Iruka led Naruto to the class he was in charge of. It was obvious that this class was filled with the heirs of this year's most prominent families. Though some children of ordinary people were among them, making the class seem evenly balanced, in truth, the class Iruka oversaw was the most important one among this year's new students.
Because of his special status, Naruto had also been assigned directly to this classroom.
And when Naruto followed Iruka into the classroom,
it was already bustling with noise.
Looking around, Naruto saw many faces he knew best—or rather, he knew them from the original story. In this life, almost everyone here was someone he was meeting for the first time.
Except for that white-haired figure.
In fact, after stepping into the classroom, she was the first person his gaze settled on.
Her short hair brushed her ears, her eyes were bright, and her expression was timid.
A faint air of unease seemed to radiate from her, as if without her even realizing it.
The princess of Konoha's prestigious Hyuga Clan—Hinata Hyuga.
Even setting aside his previous life, Naruto had always been very fond of this Hyuga princess, who showed not the slightest trace of spoiled pride.
And just in this life alone, their chance encounter more than a year ago
had been enough to leave an especially deep impression of this pure white girl in his heart.
"Hinata Hyuga..."
Looking at the girl's face, which seemed barely larger than a palm, Naruto's gaze softened slightly.
As a member of the Hyuga Clan,
even though she hadn't awakened her eyes yet, Hinata was still more perceptive than an ordinary person. Naruto's gaze had lingered on her for barely half a second before Hinata noticed it. She instinctively raised her head, and when her eyes met Naruto's, they widened a little. Her small face had just begun to show a hint of surprise when
Naruto gave her a gentle smile and a slight nod.
That tiny gesture alone
made Hinata's cheeks flush instantly. It was as if steam were visibly rising from her forehead. She quickly lowered her head, and the unconscious way she toyed with her hair made her seem all the more endearing.
That made Naruto's expression grow even gentler.
"Naruto, go ahead and find yourself a seat."
The brief exchange of glances lasted only a few seconds. None of the other students noticed it, and even Iruka at the front of the room missed Naruto and Hinata's little interaction. After lightly tapping the desk to quiet the class, he turned to Naruto and spoke softly.
"Yes, Iruka-sensei."
Naruto answered at once, then headed toward the back of the classroom. He followed the aisle along the wall all the way to the rear and took a seat by the window.
There was no need to get too close or talk too much just yet.
After all, his identity was sensitive.
An accidental meeting when they were children,
a brief, unusual encounter—
Konoha's High Command wouldn't care about those.
The Hyuga Main Branch wouldn't pay them much attention, either.
But if he tried to get close to Hinata now, even if he had no ulterior motives and simply wanted to be near her, Konoha's High Command and Hinata's father, Hyuga Hiashi, would read something else into it.
In short, until he had the ability to protect himself in any real sense,
he needed to be extremely cautious with every move he made.
He needed to play his part well!
That was what mattered most to him right now.
As he made his way toward the back row, Naruto rapidly turned these thoughts over in his mind.
Don't draw attention.
Take things one step at a time.
Build up his strength slowly, according to plan.
Once his body was strong enough,
he would try to make contact with the Nine-Tails inside him.
As long as he could reach the Nine-Tails,
Naruto was fairly confident he could persuade the arrogant Kurama to help him. After all, knowing the story gave Naruto plenty of room to maneuver. As for anything else, it wasn't something he could worry about yet.
There were many familiar faces in the classroom, including the Konoha 12 from the original story. Aside from Naruto, eight of them were here. Almost all were the next generation of the major shinobi clans in Konoha.
The only shinobi who could truly be called common-born in the original story
were probably Sakura Haruno and Rock Lee.
Even Tenten, who looked like she came from an ordinary background—just look at how she flaunted her wealth in every fight. It was clear she wasn't from just any family. Otherwise, what ordinary shinobi family could afford to let her burn through so much money?
Of course, none of these people had anything to do with Naruto right now.
Nor did he intend to get close to them like he had in the original story.
He wanted more than just to survive this time around. Companions? Some of these people might become his allies, but even more of them might become his enemies in the future!
Naturally, at this stage,
he was even less interested in them.
The only time his steps and gaze paused was when he passed the dark-haired boy who looked so "cool."
But it lasted only an instant.
The boy didn't even notice.
Naruto resumed walking and went straight to the last row, finding a seat far away from all the other students and settling down quietly.
"Sasuke Uchiha..."
He said nothing.
His expression didn't change at all.
His gaze drifted past as if quite naturally, lingering for a fraction of a second on the fan-shaped symbol on the back of the dark-haired boy's clothes. Deep in his heart, a name surfaced.
Iruka, standing at the front of the classroom, naturally didn't notice Naruto's small gesture.
But when he saw Naruto take the most secluded seat in the room,
Iruka's expression shifted ever so slightly.
The change in his mood lasted only an instant.
The next moment,
a smile returned to his face.
"Clap, clap, clap."
He lightly clapped his hands,
drawing everyone's attention.
"Everyone's here. Today is your first day at the Ninja Academy. I'm your homeroom teacher, Umino Iruka. First, let me congratulate you. Over the next six years, you'll learn everything there is to know about being a shinobi here—not just practical combat, but theory as well. Both are essential if you want to become an excellent shinobi. I hope that over the next six years, every one of you will study hard and follow your teachers' guidance and instructions, so that after graduation, you can truly grow into excellent shinobi!"
In a steady voice, Umino Iruka looked over the thirty or forty young children gathered there and spoke softly.