Rejecting Sakura

At the briefing, the ninja class assignments for the graduates were just as Naruto remembered from his previous life.

Team 7 consisted of Naruto, Sakura Haruno, and Sasuke Uchiha.

Team 8 consisted of Hinata Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka, and Shino Aburame.

Team 10 consisted of Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, and Choji Akimichi.

Then there was Team 3, who had graduated from the Ninja Academy a year before Naruto and the others: Neji Hyuga, Rock Lee, and Tenten.

Konoha's Twelve Elites had now taken shape.

Naruto silently considered the traits and backgrounds of the ninjas in the other teams, and could not help marveling at the Third Hokage's diversified expansion of Konoha's ninja system.

Team 3 specialized in taijutsu, Team 8 in sensory abilities, and Team 10 in tactics.

Team 8 and Team 10 in particular.

All six members of those two teams came from prominent clans of the Hidden Leaf Village. They possessed their own inherited secret techniques and would not become deeply involved in Konoha's teaching system.

Even the Hokage could not easily insert them into teams of ordinary ninjas.

The Third simply grouped members of those prominent clans together according to the characteristics of their Kekkei Genkai or secret techniques, forming teams that enhanced those specialties.

However, among the four ninja teams containing Konoha's Twelve Elites, Team 7 was probably the only one not formed entirely according to the logic of specialization.

During the Nine-Tails' Rampage twelve years ago, the public did not know it, but Konoha's upper ranks knew the Nine-Tails had wreaked havoc on the village because it had been controlled by the Sharingan.

Following that logic, once Naruto, the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki, became a ninja, he would naturally be assigned to Kakashi's team, led by a man renowned throughout the ninja world for the Sharingan.

And as the last member of the Uchiha Clan in Konoha, Sasuke Uchiha could only rely on Kakashi, who possessed one Sharingan, for instruction in how to use it.

The Third had also surely considered that if Naruto ever lost control because of the Nine-Tails, Sasuke could use the Sharingan to control it and prevent another Nine-Tails' Rampage.

To control the Nine-Tails' rampage, Kakashi, a counterfeit outsider to the Uchiha Clan, naturally could not do it.

Only Sasuke, once he had grown stronger—the legitimate heir of the Uchiha Clan—could accomplish that.

The Fourth Hokage's legacy, the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki.

The Uchiha orphan, the true bearer of the Sharingan.

One had an atrocious reputation among the public, while the other had an atrocious reputation among the upper ranks.

With Naruto and Sasuke placed in the same ninja team, the third member of their three-person squad required careful consideration.

First, no member of Konoha's ninja clans could possibly be included. That left only an ordinary ninja without a powerful background.

And whether it was Naruto, who possessed Uzumaki Clan blood, or Sasuke, who possessed a powerful Kekkei Genkai, both had extremely high potential.

Therefore, even if the third member came from an ordinary background, they still needed some exceptional skill.

That made Sakura Haruno, who had earned perfect scores in ninja theory at the Ninja Academy, the best choice.

Getting full marks on the written exam already proved that she was good at learning.

As long as she developed properly, even if Sakura Haruno was not suited for frontline combat, she would eventually become indispensable in logistics.

In the original story, Sakura Haruno had also understood her own strengths and weaknesses, choosing to study medical ninjutsu under Tsunade according to that reasoning.

But to Naruto, the current Sakura Haruno...

She was still just a naive girl who had grown up pampered as an ordinary person in an ordinary family.

Her head was filled with Sasuke Uchiha.

"Naruto!"

After the briefing ended, the official team formation would have to wait until that afternoon, when they met their assigned Jōnin instructors.

There were two hours of lunch break in between. After lunch, there would hardly be any rest time left.

But Naruto knew Hatake Kakashi, the man assigned to Team 7, would be several hours late.

He was not going to stupidly wait in the classroom.

After the Scroll of Seals incident, Naruto had successfully brought the Shadow Clone Technique out into the open.

Since crossing over, this was the first time he could train openly.

Over the past few days, he had become somewhat engrossed in training with Shadow Clones.

The accumulated fatigue after dismissing them had left Naruto exhausted, so he was preparing to go home and get some proper sleep.

But Sakura Haruno suddenly called out to him.

Naruto stopped and glanced back at Sakura Haruno. She was still holding a lunchbox in her hands.

Only then did Naruto remember that, according to the original plot, Sakura Haruno should have been looking for Sasuke to eat lunch with right now.

Her later remarks about orphans had even indiscriminately insulted more than half of Konoha's people.

That was why girls like Sakura Haruno, who had been born into ordinary circumstances in the ninja world, had originally lived in an entirely different world. Before growing up, it was only natural that she would be so unlikable.

"I don't know where Sasuke is."

Before Sakura Haruno could ask anything else, Naruto answered first in an indifferent tone.

With that, Naruto started walking again and ignored Sakura Haruno.

He was exhausted and had no interest in dealing with her.

Naruto did not particularly dislike Sakura Haruno. He simply could not be bothered with her.

After all, although Naruto in the original story had a miserable background, the upper ranks had forbidden anyone from discussing it.

Without knowing the full story, to eleven- or twelve-year-old Sakura Haruno, Naruto was nothing more than an outrageously bold troublemaker.

He had no manners, maliciously defaced even Hokage Rock, a symbol of authority, and always clung to her without reading the room.

In any case, early on in the original story, neither Naruto nor Sakura Haruno had much emotional intelligence. Since they were both like that, neither had any right to criticize the other.

Sakura Haruno's main reason for disliking Naruto in the original story was that she felt he was always interfering with her romance with Sasuke.

But in this world, where Iruka Umino had unexpectedly died during the Nine-Tails' Rampage...

Neither the original Naruto nor the current Naruto had any interest in her at all.

Naruto had barely interacted with her. At the Ninja Academy, Naruto was not even as familiar with Sakura Haruno as he was with Hinata Hyuga.

And because of Iruka's death...

The gloomy, ferocious aura the original Naruto of this world constantly gave off had made Sakura Haruno afraid of him for a long time.

"No, I came to find you, Naruto!"

Seeing that Naruto was truly about to leave, Sakura Haruno hurriedly called after him.

Sakura Haruno's words made Naruto pause. He studied the Sakura Haruno before him again.

Perhaps Naruto's formerly unapproachable hostility had left too deep an impression on her. As Naruto stared at her now, Sakura Haruno actually appeared somewhat restrained.

"Me? Why?"

Naruto asked curiously.

Why was this girl suddenly looking for him instead of pestering Sasuke Uchiha?

"We've already been assigned to the same team, so we'll be spending a long time together from now on..."

Sakura Haruno raised the lunchbox in her hands.

"So I thought Team 7 could have lunch together or something... But I couldn't find Sasuke. I only found you, Naruto."

"It's a little unfortunate that I couldn't find Sasuke, but I don't know you at all either, Naruto. We barely spoke at school... So how about the two of us have lunch together first and get to know each other? As for Sasuke, we can all eat together next time..."

Seeing that Naruto had not responded to her proposal for a long time.

Sakura Haruno hesitated for a moment, then cautiously asked, "Is that okay?"

"No."

Naruto answered.

This time, he truly did not intend to pay Sakura Haruno any more attention.

After being held up by Sakura Haruno for so long, the drowsiness he had been suppressing rushed straight to his head.

Besides, according to his plan, he would defect from Konoha after the Chunin Ninja Exams.

There was no need for him to waste effort on something as pointless as "getting to know each other."

Watching Naruto leave, Sakura Haruno lowered the hand holding her lunchbox.

The Sasuke she liked had never shown the slightest interest in her.

And when she saw Naruto alone, she had finally dispelled her fear of him and worked up the courage to speak to him.

Yet Naruto had rejected her without the slightest hesitation.

Was I really that unattractive?

Sakura Haruno fell into self-doubt.