Sasuke after school

The man who would become Hokage...?

Sasuke froze for a moment, while his classmates either covered their faces in embarrassment or burst out laughing.

The Son of the Fox Demon, becoming Hokage?

Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous.

"Really? I believe you'll succeed someday."

After a brief silence, Sasuke said those words. His declaration pierced straight through the laughter in the classroom like an arrow through the clouds, leaving everyone staring at him in stunned disbelief.

Shikamaru Nara, one of the few classmates who held no particular prejudice against Naruto, heard Sasuke's words, and a flicker of surprise appeared in his normally unmotivated eyes.

"Sasuke... He's changed so much..."

Naruto stood rooted to the spot. If the affection in his heart could be displayed as a number, Sasuke's score would have been climbing rapidly.

It had shot from a mere 10 points-someone he remembered-straight up to a full 60.

And what did 60 points mean?

Once Naruto recovered, he broke into a broad grin, suddenly reached out with both hands, and seized Sasuke's hands. "Sasuke! I had you all wrong! You're actually a really great guy!"

Sasuke was bewildered, practically covered in question marks. He hastily pulled his hands out of Naruto's grip and replied, "What's gotten into you all of a sudden? Have you lost it?"

"Hehe, I'm just so happy!"

Naruto scratched the back of his head and grinned, showing no intention of returning to his seat.

The girls around them looked on with envy and jealousy. The most intense reactions came from a pink-haired girl and a blonde.

Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka.

Sakura Haruno was Naruto's female lead, while Ino Yamanaka belonged to the clan representing the "Ino" in Konoha's famous Ino-Shika-Cho trio.

Sakura Haruno: Aaaah, I want to talk to Sasuke too!

Ino Yamanaka: You're such a chicken. If you want to go, just go! Coward!

Sakura Haruno: Why don't you go, then? Don't you like Sasuke too?

Ino Yamanaka: Tsk, tsk, tsk. I'm observing, waiting for a better chance to make my move. You wouldn't understand~

Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka stared each other down. Neither said a word, but each could imagine exactly what the other wanted to say. Lightning seemed to crackle between their eyes.

The strange atmosphere in the classroom lasted until Iruka-sensei walked in.

"All right, all right. Quiet down, everyone. Class is starting." Iruka tapped his desk helplessly, and the commotion gradually died down.

Iruka raised his head and looked at Naruto, who was grinning happily for some unknown reason, then at Sasuke, who had only just returned and had displeasure written all over his face. His stress immediately multiplied.

"Today, we'll be studying the history of shinobi. Everyone, turn your textbooks to page thirty..."

Class dragged on, long and dull. It wasn't that Iruka's teaching was unprofessional, but as far as Sasuke was concerned, his sister had already taught him everything being covered-and some parts in even greater detail.

Sasuke closed his eyes, making a token effort to listen while actually refining his chakra. At an age when most people couldn't even learn ninjutsu yet, he could proudly declare that he could already spit out a fairly sizable Great Fireball!

It had grown from one-tenth the size of his sister's to a full quarter of hers!!!

An impressive improvement!

Sasuke was very pleased with his progress. During the bell exercise, however, he still couldn't snatch the bells from Chinatsu.

Sasuke: Why does it feel like my sister keeps getting stronger...?

And so, with Sasuke "meditating" and "training," the school day soon came to an end.

After Iruka-sensei left the classroom, no one got up to leave. Sasuke alone began packing his bag.

"Sasuke! Let's go to Ichiraku Ramen together! I... I can treat you!"

Naruto came over to Sasuke again. After giving it a great deal of thought, he had finally decided to treat his "good friend" Sasuke to a meal!

Of course, this wouldn't be covered by the money Chinatsu had paid in advance, because Naruto had already eaten his way through all of that...

At Naruto's invitation, all the girls around them wore expressions that said, "He beat us to it!" Even if Naruto hadn't acted, though, they would have been too shy to approach Sasuke in the end.

No, wait. Hold on. Why?

These girls had instinctively treated Naruto as a "romantic rival." Hey, come on. These two were going to grow into full-grown men!

Watching from the sidelines, Shikamaru Nara couldn't help laughing. Perhaps this boring life at the Ninja Academy was about to become interesting.

"Sorry, I'm going straight home."

Sasuke rejected Naruto's suggestion to visit the ramen shop on the spot. He finished packing his bag, rose from his seat, and headed outside.

Seeing this, Naruto hurriedly packed his own bag and followed him at a brisk pace.

Naruto: "You're going home this early? It's still early!"

Sasuke: "It's not early. Besides, being out is boring."

Naruto: "Being out is boring? It's got to be more fun than staying home, right?"

Sasuke: "Home is way more fun than being out."

Naruto and Sasuke traded remarks as they walked out of the classroom. These two really were the very picture of "Grumpy and Dimwit."

As they approached the Ninja Academy's gates, Sasuke immediately turned to scan his surroundings. He even activated his one-tomoe Sharingan, all to find his sister.

"Here. Over here."

Chinatsu, who was leaning against the wall beside the Ninja Academy's gates, spotted them too and waved.

"Sis!"

The moment Sasuke saw Chinatsu, he transformed from "Grumpy" into "Captain Happy" and ran over to her.

"Sis, why are you waiting over here?"

"There's a wall to lean against. It's more comfortable than just standing around."

Chinatsu answered with a grin, thinking that if only the Naruto world had motorcycles, she would absolutely sit on one while waiting for Sasuke to get out of school. That would be so cool.

"Oh, isn't this Naruto? We meet again." Chinatsu looked at Naruto beside Sasuke with a surprised expression.

She had sent Sasuke to school partly to keep him out of the spotlight, and partly to let him get to know Naruto. After all, the two were the reincarnations of Indra and Asura. Even if they didn't interact now, their lives would inevitably become intertwined in the future.

Looking at Chinatsu, Naruto instantly lowered his head shyly. He had been so natural when talking to Sasuke, yet the moment he saw Chinatsu, his ability to speak dropped several levels.

Chinatsu chuckled softly, then said, "What was it you said last time? Next time? Well, would you like to come over to our house this time~?"

"Y... yes!!!"

Naruto immediately nodded in excitement. After turning her down last time, he had gone home, calmed down, and regretted it so much that he'd rolled around on his bed. This time-this time, he absolutely had to go!

"All right, then. Let's head home."

Smiling, Chinatsu stepped behind them and placed a hand on each boy's shoulder.

Objective one: Correct Sasuke's personality (in progress)

Objective two: Keep Naruto and Sasuke from becoming enemies (in progress)

Objective three: Reclaim Shisui Uchiha's Sharingan (in progress)

Excellent. Everything was "in progress"!

Chinatsu hummed a cheerful tune, but her behavior caught the eye of a certain old man who frequently spied on Konoha through a crystal ball.

"Something seems a little off about this girl..."