Naruto Free-Rides on Ino

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were led out of the classroom by Kakashi and brought to a high platform.

Leaning against the railing, Kakashi said to everyone, "All right, let's introduce ourselves first. Tell us what you like, what you dislike, what your dreams are, and so on."

"Wait a second, Sensei. You should go first," Sakura hurriedly said.

"Me?" Kakashi said blandly. "My name is Kakashi Hatake. What I like and dislike is confidential. As for dreams, I don't really have any. I do have quite a few hobbies, though."

"So all we learned was his name!" Naruto's complaint made Sasuke and Sakura nod in full agreement.

"I'll go first, I'll go first," Naruto said. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki. I like movies and ramen. I hate people who spoil things and ruin the experience. My hobbies are training with Shadow Clones, reading, and watching movies. As for my dream..."

As he reached the end, Naruto's face turned serious, and his voice rose loud and clear. "One day, I'll surpass every Hokage before me!"

Kakashi looked calm on the surface, but inwardly, he was quite surprised. To surpass every Hokage... that's some ambition. The Hokage said Naruto had changed a lot since becoming a ninja. Still, he likes movies?

Smiling with narrowed eyes, Kakashi said, "Then work hard, Naruto. Oh, and just like you, I hate spoilers too. Next."

Sasuke and Sakura looked at Naruto strangely. Was this really the dead last they knew?

"My name is Sakura Haruno," Sakura said. "As for what I like... perhaps I should say who I like?"

With a bashful expression, Sakura secretly glanced at Sasuke, while Sasuke remained as cold and unruffled as ever.

"My future dream..." Sakura covered her face shyly. Then, when it came to what she disliked, her expression instantly changed. She looked at Naruto with utter disgust. "What I hate most is Naruto."

Naruto showed no reaction, while Kakashi rolled his dead fish eyes and weakly complained, "Girls at this age care more about romance than ninjutsu."

Sasuke began, "My name is Sasuke Uchiha. There are quite a few things I dislike, and nothing in particular that I like. Dreams are just things people say. I'm not interested in them. I have my own ambitions. I will revive the Uchiha Clan, and kill that man!"

The wind blew. Kakashi wore an expression that said he had expected as much, while Sakura thought Sasuke looked incredibly cool and handsome right now.

"All right, that concludes the introductions," Kakashi said seriously. "Tomorrow, the four of us will conduct a wilderness survival exercise. This exercise will be nothing like what you had at the Ninja Academy."

"If you fail the survival exercise, you'll be sent back to the Ninja Academy for further training. Only by passing it can you truly be recognized as Genin. And just so you know, more than sixty percent of graduates are sent back." Kakashi's expression looked somewhat sinister, and Sasuke and Sakura were both frightened.

Seeing Naruto's unconcerned, highly motivated appearance, Kakashi asked in surprise, "Naruto, you don't seem scared at all."

"Is being scared useful, Kakashi-sensei? Whatever kind of survival exercise it is, bring it on. I won't back down. The path to becoming Hokage won't end here for me," Naruto said firmly.

Sasuke's hands trembled as his gaze sharpened. Why did this dead last seem afraid of nothing? When did Naruto become so brave?

Sasuke took a deep breath. If even Naruto was not afraid, then what did he have to fear?

The three of them accepted the forms Kakashi handed over, which listed all the requirements for the survival exercise. Before leaving, Kakashi's ever-visible right eye looked kindly at them. "Oh, and don't eat breakfast. You'll throw up."

Whoosh!

Kakashi vanished directly with the Body Flicker Technique. Naruto looked on with considerable envy. The Body Flicker Technique was one of the high-level Three Basic Body Techniques, not some simple ninjutsu. He wanted to leave that stylishly too.

"Sasuke, um, want to get something to eat together? To celebrate being assigned to the same class..." Sakura shyly walked over to Sasuke's side and gathered her courage to invite him.

Sasuke looked at her coldly. "Boring."

After saying that, Sasuke glanced at Naruto as he left, then went home himself, leaving Sakura alone on the platform, standing in the wind in complete disarray.

Naruto arrived at Ichiraku Ramen and ordered a large bowl of ramen from the owner. He had already learned everything about tomorrow's survival exercise from Awen's memories, so he was not worried at all.

"Naruto, you dead last. Of course you'd be here." The curtain was lifted, and a blonde, blue-eyed girl walked in with her head held proudly high as she looked at Naruto.

"Ino!" Naruto swallowed the ramen in his mouth and asked in surprise, "Why are you here? Are you guys done already? Right, you were assigned with Shikamaru and Choji—the Ino-Shika-Cho of Konoha."

"Oh? You actually remembered that!" Ino was somewhat surprised. She sat down beside him, leaving one empty seat between them.

Ino looked at Naruto with interest, then tossed him a flirtatious glance. "Oh? You've been paying attention to me? A dead last like you actually knows about this? Could it be that you don't like Sakura anymore, Naruto, and have started liking me instead?"

Naruto looked at her as if she were an idiot. He could not understand how Ino had come to that conclusion. He felt it was better not to speak. Based on Awen's memories, if he opened his mouth, someone with Ino's temperament would definitely pester him endlessly. Better to quietly focus on eating.

Food is life. Food is soul, Naruto silently chanted in his heart.

Ino's expression stiffened, and her face turned red. Don't misunderstand—it was from anger. Naruto of all people actually dared to ignore her. She did not like Naruto, but for some reason, she was just furious.

Business came first. Ino let out a long breath and said, "I heard from Asuma-sensei that Team 7's Jonin instructor is Kakashi Hatake. My father told me about him. He was once a famous genius in Konoha."

Naruto, who had been buried in his food, froze and looked toward Ino.

Ino revealed a fox-like, triumphant smile. "What? Interested? This is what being a ninja is about. Intelligence is also an important foundation. If you know information about your Jonin beforehand, you might have an easier time passing. Naruto, you don't want to fail to become a Genin, do you?"

Naruto had seen those familiar words in Awen's memories. Gathering intelligence—if Ino had not mentioned it, he might truly never have thought of it. If Kakashi knew he had gathered information, maybe he would even gain a better impression and have an easier time passing.

"Ino, thank you for telling me. I'm going to find Iruka-sensei right away!" Although Naruto already knew everything, after finishing his Ichiraku Ramen, he gratefully waved goodbye.

As Ino watched Naruto's retreating back, her world instantly turned black and white. What the hell? Naruto didn't play by the rules. Wasn't he supposed to ask me directly?

"Damn it, Naruto! You're even more annoying than Sakura! Damn it!" Ino shouted furiously. She also put away the love letter she had prepared to give Sasuke Uchiha. She had wanted Naruto to help her secretly deliver it to Sasuke behind Sakura's back.

Instead, Naruto had gotten a freebie and refused to play by the rules. Naruto had now surpassed even her rival Sakura in Ino's ranking of most hated people.

"I won't let you get away with this, Naruto!"