Naruto, the Boy from Hexi

This was the day the Ninja Academy opened for the new school year. For most children, it was the day that would change their fates.

Sakura got up early and carefully tended to her brilliant cherry-colored hair. After washing and dressing, she meticulously organized her books, ninja tools, and various little things she might need for her studies. She was a careful person, and she would never be careless about the major event of attending the Ninja Academy.

Accompanied by her parents, Sakura arrived at the Academy and completed her registration without a hitch. Given how sensible and careful she was, Sakura could have handled these trivial matters alone, but her parents insisted that they had to take leave from work to attend their daughter's important first day of school, and she agreed. Watching them rush around among the parents, resolving a mountain of trivial matters before waving goodbye and leaving, young Sakura faintly understood what familial affection felt like.

Having parents with you really is wonderful. Sakura thought this to herself. But Naruto... He has been living alone all this time. It must be hard for him, right?

Huh? Why did I suddenly think of Naruto? Sakura suddenly realized that she seemed to have been paying too much attention to that foolish fox lately. Standing by herself, she blushed.

"Sakura, why are you blushing? Are you thinking about some boy?" A familiar, crisp female voice suddenly rang out beside her. Sakura knew at once that her best friend Ino had arrived.

"Of course not!" Sakura's embarrassment was suddenly exposed, and the blush on her face instantly deepened.

"You still say no! Your face is so hot it's practically smoking!" The energetic blonde girl threw her arms around Sakura and began poking and prodding her. "Tell me quickly, which handsome boy is it?"

"You idiot, Ino! Let go of me!" Sakura fought back as well, and the two young girls' fair, youthful bodies instantly became tangled together, creating a rather alluring sight.

"Wow! He's so handsome!" A wave of female shrieks suddenly rang out around them. "Is that little lord Sasuke of the Uchiha Clan? He's so good-looking!"

Sakura and Ino stopped and looked toward the young Uchiha Sasuke, who was surrounded by the crowd. At this age, Sasuke was indeed a beautiful youth who could be described as handsome. With a head of flowing black hair, deep black eyes, finely defined and striking features, and fair skin, he was more than enough to attract a large group of fangirls.

This was probably Sasuke's first time encountering such an enthusiastic scene. Surrounded by a group of chattering girls, he blushed and shyly hid behind his older brother, who had accompanied him to register.

Only then did the group of precocious fangirls notice that Sasuke's older brother was also an exceptionally handsome man. They began discussing him animatedly. "Is that the genius Uchiha Itachi? I heard he graduated from the Ninja Academy early and entered the Anbu. He's so strong, and he's so handsome too!"

Ino could not escape the fate of being captivated by handsome boys either. With red stars practically shining in her eyes, she said to Sakura, "Sasuke is so handsome! He'll be our classmate from now on too, right? I think I'm in love!"

"Yeah, he is pretty handsome." For some reason, Sakura was not nearly as excited.

"Huh?" Ino keenly noticed that her best friend was reacting differently than usual. "You weren't captivated by Sasuke? Don't tell me you really have someone you like?"

"Of course not!" Sakura herself could not explain it. She clearly should not have anyone she liked, so why did she feel so guilty?

"I know you so well. How many boys you know is something I would know too, isn't it?" Ino ignored Sakura's feeble denial and analyzed the situation on her own. "Could it be that Naruto?"

Sakura instantly bristled and said in embarrassment, "H-how could that be?" The blush that had barely faded immediately spread across her face again.

"It really is!?" Ino said in surprise and excitement, gossiping away. "That boy is actually not bad. It's just that he's rather ordinary-looking, not very strong, and always filthy. He's not attractive at all, is he?" Ino gradually looked at Sakura as if she had completely lost her mind.

Sakura could only weakly continue denying it. "That's why there's no way I could like him."

Ino continued pestering Sakura, trying to pry out more details. She was so excited that she even forgot about watching the handsome Sasuke, letting him disappear into the crowd.

"Wow! Another handsome boy!" The fangirls let out another wave of shrieks. At that moment, however, Sakura and Ino were busy discussing the gossip and had no time to look over.

But just as Sakura and Ino were locked in an evenly matched battle, they suddenly felt the surroundings fall silent and the atmosphere turn strange. Why are those girls watching us? Sakura and Ino exchanged glances, feeling deeply uncomfortable.

When they turned around, they saw a handsome boy standing beside them. He had eye-catching golden hair, brilliant azure eyes, and wore an elegant white ceremonial robe that fluttered in the breeze. He was looking at them with a warm, sunny smile—or, more precisely, he was looking at Sakura.

"This is great, Sakura!" The boy smiled happily. "Big Brother Tahm was right. We can attend the same class from now on!" As he spoke, he reached out to take Sakura's hand on his own initiative. After more than a month of training together, physical contact between them had long since become natural to him.

"Y-you!" Ino was the first to react. "Are you Naruto!?" Sakura also stared at Naruto in shock, completely stunned by his dramatically changed appearance. She did not even realize that Naruto was holding her hand in front of everyone.

"That's right!" Naruto remained as carefree as ever. Grinning proudly and not humble in the slightest, he asked, "Do I look more handsome now?"

Only then did Sakura react to Naruto's somewhat rude gesture. Embarrassed and annoyed, she said, "Don't just grab my hand like that, Naruto!" Yet there was hardly any disgust in her tone.

"So that handsome boy already has a girlfriend?" The fangirls around them began discussing it noisily, with no intention of lowering their voices. Some of them recognized Naruto, the not-so-famous Konoha legend, and cried out in astonishment, "Isn't he that fox demon boy? He became so handsome after only a few days apart!"

Naruto felt secretly delighted by all the praise. The boy who had once been hated by everyone could actually receive this much attention. If Tahm had been there, he probably would have shouted the classic line, "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river." Unfortunately, Tahm was a toad, so he could not become the Boy from Hexi.

However, those voices made Sakura's ears flush red with embarrassment.

"Haha!" Naruto laughed loudly, his emotional intelligence failing him at the crucial moment. "Big Brother Tahm was right after all. If I change my appearance, Sakura will like me!"

"I don't like you at all! You idiot, Naruto!" Sakura suddenly unleashed her ferocious second personality. Blushing shyly, she punched Naruto in the chest, looking rather like she was giving him "little punches against the chest."

But Sakura's inborn monstrous strength was no little punch. One blow sent Naruto practically crumpling apart, and he had to brace himself against a table to keep from falling over. Naruto did not look the least bit hurt, though. Instead, with a strange sense of happiness, he said, "Sakura's punches are still as powerful as ever!"

Sakura could no longer endure the fangirls surrounding them, who were watching with either envy or jealousy. She called Ino over and dragged Naruto into the classroom like a salted fish.

Meanwhile, inside the Hokage's Office, the Third Hokage was watching everything through a crystal ball. He looked at Naruto's familiar outfit, then glanced at the familiar face carved into Hokage Rock outside the window, and felt deeply moved.

Without realizing it, Naruto had reached school age too.

The Third Hokage once again saw the figure of a toad appear in his mind. Tahm of Mount Myoboku... What kind of changes will you bring to this era?