The Beginning of Love

The benefits brought by status and power were things Ryosuke had never enjoyed when he enrolled in school in his previous life. But in this life, he felt them clearly.

Whether it was the teacher filling out forms at the gate earlier or the teacher guiding them after they entered the school, both had been exceedingly warm and attentive.

Now that they had arrived at the training grounds, they received the same special treatment.

And this treatment did not come from the adults, but from the children themselves.

The seats on the training grounds had no assigned names. First come, first served.

Yet even so, the students who had lined up early silently sat in the back. Only children from families like Ryosuke's went straight for the first few rows.

Like now, the very front was occupied by the Hyūga, Uchiha, Hiruzen, and other Great Clans.

Then came the Yamanaka Clan, Nara Clan, Akimichi Clan, and other second-tier clans.

After that were smaller families and ninja households, followed only then by ordinary civilians.

Without any adult influence, these precocious children had instinctively divided themselves by rank.

"Hyuga Ryosuke?"

A puzzled voice sounded beside Ryosuke. Turning around, he saw Ino Yamanaka, whom he had once met in the park, sitting behind him.

"Hello."

Ryosuke nodded politely in response to her question.

He then shifted his gaze slightly and greeted Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akimichi, and Sakura Haruno beside her in turn.

The group of four seemed close. Even Sakura Haruno, who came from an ordinary ninja household, had managed to sit near the front with them.

Sitting beside him, Hinata was clearly more familiar with the four than Ryosuke was, and she turned around to greet them as well.

"I'd occasionally heard Hinata mention you, but other than that time at the park, I never had the chance to meet you properly." Ino spoke brightly, naturally friendly as ever.

"Sorry. The training schedule my father set for me was always behind, so I could only use my rest days to catch up." Ryosuke casually made up an excuse.

He had always stayed at home. Even on rest days without training assignments, he rarely went out.

But Hinata was different. She occasionally went out on rest days to wander around the village.

Beside them, Shikamaru narrowed his lazy eyes slightly. "Even your rest days are used to catch up. The Hyuga clan head must be pretty strict with you, huh?"

"Yes, Father is very strict with me."

Ryosuke nodded and replied with a smile, "He hopes I can make up for Hinata's shortcomings and become a sword in her hand."

"Is that so..."

Shikamaru withdrew his probing gaze.

He was no stranger to Ryosuke.

That distant exchange of looks at the park had left a deep impression on him. He had always felt that this person was not simple.

According to the intelligence gathered by his clan, Hyuga Ryosuke had been chosen by Hyuga Hiashi as a son-in-law because of his decent talent.

When Ryosuke had answered so casually just now, Shikamaru had thought he was trying to hide his abilities. But it seemed he had simply been too sensitive.

He was only a child. What was there to hide?

The smile on Ryosuke's face never changed. After answering Shikamaru's question, he casually chatted with the others, hoping to build some friendship with his future classmates.

They talked about the school's teachers and their plans after graduation.

Hinata occasionally chimed in from beside him.

But most of the time, she maintained that silent posture of pretending to be an expert without speaking.

The children around them were all from clan families. Seeing their small group chatting, they began speaking up as well, joining their conversation.

In contrast to their lively gathering, Sasuke Uchiha, seated only one chair away, looked as though he had been excluded. He seemed very alone.

He did not take the initiative to speak, nor did anyone around him take the initiative to talk to him.

Ryosuke took a moment to observe him. Sasuke, still only a child, was clearly unaccustomed to this atmosphere. Though he forced himself to look cool, subtle movements in his body betrayed hints of anxiety.

"The Hokage has arrived."

The atmosphere continued until someone shouted from behind them. Only then did the group around Ryosuke, who had been discussing things quietly, fall silent.

Dressed in red, draped in a white robe, and wearing the Hokage's conical hat.

A slightly hunched figure strolled in from the entrance of the training grounds and climbed the steps one by one to the raised platform before Ryosuke.

Hiruzen Sarutobi!

His cloudy eyes swept over the crowd beneath him from within a wrinkled face covered in age spots.

In the five years since coming to this world, this was not the first time Ryosuke had seen Hiruzen Sarutobi. As Hokage, he often attended various village events and occasionally even visited the Hyuga family.

But this was the first time he had observed Hiruzen Sarutobi from so close.

Honestly, Ryosuke's first impression was not that he was imposing, nor that he was powerful. It was that... he was old.

Really... far too old.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, already in his sixties, looked far older than many elderly people his age.

His hunched body was thin and small because all his bodily functions had already begun to age and deteriorate. If Ryosuke had not known the plot and known that Hiruzen Sarutobi would live at least until his disciple Orochimaru came to kill him, he would have thought the man might pass away tomorrow.

The pressure this village had placed upon him had already drained his life ahead of time.

It was hard to imagine how, with such a body, he had lived until Naruto graduated, until Orochimaru launched his invasion of Konoha, and even retained the strength to fight Orochimaru.

"I am Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage of Konoha and also the principal of this school."

His hoarse voice rang out, while the smile on his face was benevolent.

Hiruzen Sarutobi introduced himself first. As he spoke, his eyes continued to sweep over the crowd.

Under Ryosuke's observation, his gaze paused for several seconds on Sasuke Uchiha, Hinata Hyuga, and Shikamaru before quickly moving to the rows farther back.

"Naruto, come sit in the front."

Rather than beginning his speech immediately, he suddenly called out to the solitary Naruto in the last row.

The entire training grounds fell silent at once. Everyone turned their heads and looked toward Naruto Uzumaki in the back row.

Those gazes were complicated. Some carried hatred, some confusion, but most were filled with contempt.

In the last row, Naruto Uzumaki looked somewhat at a loss.

"Come sit in the front. You can hear more clearly up here."

Hiruzen Sarutobi waved to him kindly.

Then, under the watchful eyes of so many people, Naruto Uzumaki stood up nervously. As the others made way for him with complicated looks in their eyes, he carried his chair to the very front row and sat beside Sasuke Uchiha.

"You should be behind me."

Under these circumstances, Sasuke Uchiha's concern was strangely focused on that, something Ryosuke had not expected.

Was he thinking about being first even now? It was only a seat.

But then, Ryosuke could clearly sense Naruto's emotions changing.

Their gazes met in the air. Sasuke Uchiha's eyes were full of contempt and pride, while Naruto's held confusion and incomprehension.

Then his gaze shifted to the side, sweeping over everyone in the first few rows. The next moment, he froze completely.

"He didn't sense hatred or alienation from Sasuke Uchiha, or from us..."

Ryosuke guessed why he had gone blank.

With Uzumaki Clan blood in his veins and the Nine-Tails within his body, Naruto possessed exceptionally strong innate senses and could detect the hostility of those around him.