The First Kiss

The whole class was dumbfounded. It was as if some mysterious force had frozen the scene in place, making it unbearably romantic.

After a long moment, Sakura let out a startled cry.

The eerie atmosphere in the classroom melted away like ice, and things slowly returned to normal.

"No! This can't be real! My dream guy's first kiss! It was supposed to be mine! No!..."

Ino came to her senses, gritting her teeth as steam practically poured from her golden hair.

Sakura, meanwhile, somehow summoned enough strength to turn around and punch the desk beside her, which was nearly as tall as she was, into pieces.

The boys nearby turned pale with fright and hurried away in tiny steps, keeping a safe distance.

Naruto still hadn't moved.

Though he looked as if he were enjoying it, he remained frozen in the same passionate-kissing pose.

But the moment their lips met, his heart had already turned to ash.

It's over. My first kiss is gone. It was supposed to be for my goddess, Sakura.

And now it's gone to this bastard I can't stand!...

At the thought, an unwilling tear slowly rolled down his cheek.

At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to die...

Shikamaru had just turned around with great difficulty, his arms pinned to his sides, when he saw the passionate scene unfolding before him.

His brows furrowed, and then he shuddered instinctively.

Staring at the two still kissing behind him, he said with a twitch of his mouth, "I... I was wondering why I suddenly felt a chill down my back after that nap. So that's what it was..."

What was it?

Shikamaru didn't finish the thought.

The next moment, he reacted as if he'd been startled.

Without worrying that he might expose his abilities, he immediately used his family's secret technique, Shadow Possession Jutsu, flinging the desk in his way aside and bolting for the exit...

He looked utterly disheveled, but his eyes brimmed with the joy of having survived a disaster...

"No, this is way too shocking!..."

"Oh! I get it now! Naruto likes guys!..."

"No wonder he suddenly went crazy earlier. He said he was standing up for Sakura, but his real target was getting close to the Sasuke he had a crush on?..."

"His name's Sasuke? No wonder Naruto likes him. He's pretty handsome, I have to admit. He almost caught up to me..."

"Will you shut up? With a face like yours, even an Explosive Tag would count as plastic surgery. And you think you can compare yourself to Sasuke?..."

"I know this is forbidden love, but for some reason, I suddenly want them to get together and become a couple. Boohoo...(sobs)."

"Wait, aren't any of you wondering how Sasuke feels right now?..."

Sakura's cry instantly returned the room to its previous clamor.

The students whispered among themselves.

The boys' imaginations ran wild, while the girls couldn't help conjuring up scene after scene of utterly vulgar romance between two boys...

The scene was a complete mess, on the verge of spiraling out of control.

While everyone was either devastated, shocked, or excited, a supremely confident voice rang out through the noisy classroom:

"You can't just take my first kiss whenever you feel like it."

"You, Naruto, couldn't do it. And no one else could, either—unless they were a beautiful girl..."

The voice wasn't loud, but it seemed to possess a strange magic. Once again, it silenced the classroom.

The students froze.

Then they all turned toward the voice.

They saw a young man in a black shirt and shorts, leaning quietly against the wall with his eyes lowered and his arms crossed.

A breeze drifted in through the window, lifting a lock of hair over the boy's forehead and setting it gently in motion.

Like the boy himself, it seemed relaxed and carefree.

He looked as if he were using the legendary Art of Showing Off.

Yet somehow, it didn't feel obnoxious at all.

It was as if this was exactly how the art of showing off was meant to be done—this was what made it so satisfying!

It was as if this were the highest level of showing off!

"H-how are there two Sasukes?..."

"Could that be his younger brother, Yusuke?..."

The onlookers exclaimed in astonishment.

Sasuke was still in his seat, kissing Naruto.

How had another identical Sasuke appeared against the wall in the blink of an eye?

As if to explain things to the curious crowd, the next moment—

A bang rang out in the classroom.

Then—

The Sasuke who was still kissing Naruto suddenly burst into a cloud of white smoke and turned into a log about the length of a lower leg.

Its cut surface was perfectly smooth and clean. It was obvious that it had been prepared in advance, not dug up from the Ninja Academy...

"T-that was the Substitution Technique!..."

Shikamaru came from a wealthy family, so he understood at once. Without a care for anything else, he cried out in shock.

Unlike Shikamaru, the many ordinary students were completely dumbfounded, with no idea what had happened in that split second.

"No! No! Sasuke's first kiss is still there! It's still there!..."

Ino, who had already given up hope, came back to life in an instant, her beautiful eyes sparkling.

Sakura carefully shifted a few steps to the side.

She seemed afraid that the desk she had smashed with one punch might ruin her ladylike image in Sasuke's eyes. Blushing shyly, she lowered her head.

"Unless they're beautiful girls? Was Sasuke hinting at me just now?..."

At almost the exact same time, Ino and Sakura both thought of what Sasuke had just said.

Their fingers twined together as their cheeks flushed red. Like two ripe apples, they stood bashfully in place, ready for him to pick...

Everyone had their own thoughts, and the classroom once again fell into an eerie silence.

What no one noticed was that—

Iruka had quietly opened the classroom door at some point. He stared blankly at Sasuke nearby, looking utterly bewildered.

For Sasuke to perform the Substitution Technique, a proper ninjutsu, at his age—before graduating from the Ninja Academy or becoming a Genin—

That was truly remarkable.

But what shocked Iruka was—

At that critical moment just now—

Forget an ordinary Genin—even Iruka, a Chunin, might not have been able to react in time and use the Substitution Technique to escape.

So how had Sasuke managed it?

In other words, just how incredible was Sasuke?

"Is this the boy who's the only surviving member of the Uchiha Clan?..."

The first thing Iruka noticed was the clan crest on Sasuke's back.

He had so many students at the Ninja Academy.

So, honestly, he couldn't remember most of their names, apart from students like Shikamaru and Ino, who belonged to the three great clans.

Of course, Naruto was a special case. The Third Hokage had privately instructed Iruka to give him special care...

But from that day on—

Iruka was certain he would never forget one person.

That person was Sasuke.

A young man wearing the Uchiha Clan Crest.

A rising star who was about to shine in Konoha!