Ninja Academy

Naruto headed toward the Ninja Academy along the route he remembered.

His pace was neither fast nor slow. His white trench coat swayed lightly as he walked, while the black high-collared bodysuit made him look countless times sharper than before in the morning light.

Several middle-aged women sweeping the roadside looked up at Naruto. Their brooms paused, and a flicker of hesitation crossed their eyes.

"Is that...?"

"The... Fourth Hokage?"

"N-No way!"

Their mouths fell open, but they did not dare say more. They lowered their heads and resumed sweeping.

Naruto paid no attention to their gazes.

As he rounded the final corner before the Ninja Academy, he spotted two familiar figures in the distance.

Sasuke leaned beneath a tree by the school gates, his hands in his pockets, while Sakura stood beside him.

Naruto walked over and casually raised his right hand in greeting.

"You two got here early."

Sasuke and Sakura turned their heads at the same time.

Then they both froze.

It was Naruto's voice.

Sasuke's pupils contracted slightly when he saw Naruto.

Who was this blond, blue-eyed guy in front of him?

His hair was a little longer than Naruto's had been, the golden strands over his forehead naturally parted to either side, revealing his full eyebrows and forehead protector.

He wore a neatly tailored black bodysuit beneath a short white trench coat. The coat was left unbuttoned, and its hem drifted behind him whenever the wind blew.

Beneath his forehead protector, he wore a calm smile. He was completely unlike the dead last who always bared his teeth in a foolish grin.

This dead last is really trying to act all smug.

Sasuke made the cold assessment inwardly.

He was not sure why he felt a little annoyed. Maybe it was because Naruto's outfit seemed to be quietly surpassing his own.

Sakura's reaction went in an entirely different direction.

His golden hair fell naturally along both sides of his face, giving him a cleaner, more capable youthful air than usual.

The black high-collared shirt made his shoulders look level and straight, while the white trench coat fluttered gently in the morning breeze. Compared to that sloppy orange tracksuit from before, it was like something from an entirely different dimension.

Sakura subconsciously compared him to Sasuke, then let out a scream deep in her heart that only she could hear.

So Naruto can actually be this handsome if he seriously cleans himself up?

No, no, no...

Damn it, Sakura, what are you thinking? You like Sasuke!

Naruto can't compare to Sasuke at all!

Sasuke will always be the most handsome!

Naruto just changed his clothes. He's still the same dead last underneath!

That's right, that's exactly it!

After completing an entire internal debate to convince herself, Sakura coughed and resumed her reserved expression.

She looked away from Naruto and toward Sasuke's profile, confirming that her heart did indeed beat faster when she looked at Sasuke. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief.

The three of them then headed down the corridor toward Classroom 301.

Quite a few genin taking the exam had already gathered in the academy building. Members of various teams lined both sides of the hallway. Some lowered their heads to inspect their ninja tools, while others huddled together to discuss tactics. The air was filled with the tense excitement of a major battle about to begin.

Naruto walked slightly behind the other two, with Sasuke in front and Sakura at Sasuke's side.

As they passed through the middle of the corridor, whispers began to rise from both sides.

"Hey, look at that blond guy."

"Blond hair, blue eyes, black clothes with a white coat... that color scheme, that presence... don't tell me he's..."

"No way. The Fourth Hokage already..."

"But he really looks too much like him. Look at the way he walks, and the color of his hair. He looks exactly like the Fourth Hokage's statue on Hokage Rock..."

"I heard the Fourth Hokage's wife really was pregnant back then..."

"Shh, don't talk nonsense!"

"We're not allowed to mention that."

Gazes converged on him from every direction—some curious, some astonished, some carrying a measure of scrutiny.

Naruto's expression did not change. A faint smile rested on his lips as he neither explained nor denied anything.

He had already seen clearly in the mirror just how much his current appearance resembled that of his father, Minato Namikaze.

People could guess whatever they wanted. The more they guessed, the less likely they were to act rashly.

In an arena like the Chūnin Exams, where various forces probed one another, a newcomer from the village who bore a startling resemblance to the Fourth Hokage carried complicated implications all on his own. That was more effective than any warning level.

Walking in front, Sasuke could hear the whispers behind him.

His hand clenched slightly in the pocket of his shorts, then relaxed.

He did not know what he was thinking.

The Fourth Hokage?

What did he have to do with Naruto?

But he had indeed noticed that after returning from the Land of Waves, Naruto's gait, the rhythm of his speech, even his expression when he was quiet, had all changed.

Sakura's curiosity, meanwhile, felt like it was being scratched again and again by a cat's paw. The more it was scratched, the itchier it became.

Every few steps, she could not help sneaking another glance at Naruto, studying his profile and hair, comparing him to the stone-carved face of the Fourth Hokage on Hokage Rock.

After struggling with herself for half the corridor, Sakura finally could not hold back any longer. She stepped closer to Naruto.

"Hey, Naruto, they're saying you really look a lot like the Fourth Hokage!"

"Look, look! Blond hair, blue eyes, and even your build is about the same!"

"You really look exactly like him. Haven't you heard what they've been saying?"

Naruto turned his head to look at Sakura, a faintly amused expression on his face. He replied casually, "Sakura, that was the Fourth Hokage. It's probably just a coincidence."

"Right, right, I think it's a coincidence too."

Sakura nodded thoughtfully. As far as she had always known, Naruto was an orphan with no relatives anywhere in the village. A lofty figure like the Fourth Hokage could not possibly have any blood relation to Naruto.

It was probably just a coincidence.

Blond hair and blue eyes were rare, but not unheard of.

Yes, that was it.

Sakura successfully convinced herself, then turned her attention back to Sasuke.

The three of them turned onto the stairs and headed for the third floor.

At the end of the second-floor corridor, a flight of stairs led up to the floor where Classroom 301 was located. But when they reached the hallway between the second floor and the landing, they found a huge crowd gathered not far ahead.

The crowd completely blocked the corridor, making it impossible to get through.

At the center of the crowd stood a large doorway, with a sign above it reading 301.

Two genin stood at the entrance. One was tall and thin, while the other was of medium height and somewhat stocky. Both wore Konoha forehead protectors and stood with their arms crossed over their chests, wearing deliberately fierce expressions.

On the ground before them, several genin who had been beaten black and blue clutched their stomachs as they crawled away.