"Old man Sandaime, take care! I'll definitely work harder!"
"Alright~ Grandpa is looking forward to your growth."
On this day, the Sandaime arrived.
He brought Naruto an admission letter to the Academy.
After the Third Hokage left, Naruto looked at the extra ninja tool pouch in his hand.
"Wooden?"
"Haha, you're so generous! I thought you would at least give me a standard-issue Academy tool pouch."
Then, he closed the door and tossed the wooden practice weapons into the corner.
His gaze shifted to the brand-new ninja tool pouch on the table.
This pouch was filled with specially crafted kunai and shuriken.
The materials were superior to those of the standard ninja tools most genin used.
Of course, it was the little rich lady who sent them to him every day.
"If I remember correctly, shinobi spend a fortune on ninja tools every month… In this world, we're basically mercenaries."
Shaking his head, Naruto started cleaning his room.
He carefully erased all traces of his secret training.
Tomorrow, he would report to the Academy.
He didn't know if anyone would snoop around his place.
It was always better to be cautious.
"At school, the Anbu probably won't spy on me."
"Iruka-sensei is only a chūnin, so I can be bolder when training in secret."
After making all the necessary preparations, Naruto lay on his bed, closing his eyes as if taking a nap.
In reality, he was secretly controlling his chakra.
Now, his fine chakra control had reached an advanced level.
Even his enhanced strength could be manipulated at will.
"Tsunade's path is an option… but I should wait until graduation… No, if everything goes well on the Uchiha Massacre Night, I'll have access to the Scroll of Seals."
"Mokuton should be my trump card—no need to reveal it too soon."
"Namikaze Minato… Calling him Senju Minato wouldn't be too far-fetched."
—
The Next Day
In the morning, after washing up, an Anbu knocked on Naruto's door.
Following the masked shinobi, Naruto arrived at the Academy gates.
A large crowd had already gathered.
Most of the children were accompanied by their parents.
The air was lively—everyone chatting and congratulating each other on passing the entrance exam.
Naruto, however, was an exception.
His admission required no assessment.
Even if he had failed the test, he still would've been accepted into the Academy.
The moment Naruto arrived, the cheerful conversations among the adults fell into silence.
"Is it him?"
"Why is he here too?"
"I really don't understand what Hokage-sama is thinking, letting that thing enter the Academy!"
"Shh! Do you have a death wish?"
"Hmph, damn brat. I'm just worried about my kid's safety."
"..."
Disgust and resentment filled their expressions.
Even those who had only recently moved to Konoha shared the same attitude.
"Listen carefully, you must never go near that boy. You're not allowed to speak to him. No contact whatsoever, understand?"
"Inoue, the same goes for you. That kid is dangerous. Stay away from him."
"..."
Whispers and hushed warnings spread among the parents.
The children, clueless about the situation, simply mimicked their parents' disgusted expressions.
"Dad, what's different about that kid?"
"There's no difference. If you want to be friends with him, that's up to you. Don't let others decide for you."
"Dad?"
"Don't ask me. Shikamaru will figure it out for you."
"Ino, aren't you going to ask your father?"
"Why would I? The three of us have known Naruto for a long time. He's strong, knows a lot of things, and he's also really good-looking~"
"Hey! Why did he just walk past me? I even greeted him!"
At that moment, a familiar childish voice called out:
"Ino~"
"It's Sakura-chan."
Yamanaka Inoichi: "…..."
Why do I suddenly have a bad feeling? My body feels cold… Maybe I caught something.
Naturally, there was always some level of communication between the major clans.
The Inuzuka and Aburame clans had a fairly good relationship.
At some point, the patriarchs of the five great ninja clans had gathered together.
"Did you see that?"
"We're not blind."
"I thought you didn't need eyes, just your nose to sniff people out."
"That kid… He really looks like him."
"Yeah, with that long blond hair… Once he grows a little older, it'll be even more obvious."
"Tch, what's the point of secrecy? Just look at his face. Then look up at the Hokage Monument—it's the exact same one!"
—
"Tomorrow is the official start of the semester. We've already assigned your class, so just head there yourself."
The Anbu left a cold remark before vanishing with a Shunshin no Jutsu.
Naruto took the class information form with a blank expression.
Just as he was about to leave, he noticed something.
The usual whispers cursing him had died down significantly.
Turning around, he saw them.
Two figures—one adult, one child—walking through the crowd.
"Uchiha?"
The Uchiha's presence drew gasps of surprise from many parents.
"Oh my god, he's in the same grade as the Uchiha heir… Komaru, you should learn from him!"
"They're an arrogant bunch, but you can't deny their talent."
Most parents shared the same sentiment.
Meanwhile, the little girls' eyes sparkled as they stared at Sasuke.
"So cool~"
"Yeah, he's exactly my type~"
"I wasn't talking about Sasuke. I meant someone way more handsome than him. I don't feel anything for Sasuke."
"What? Ino, isn't Sasuke the most handsome?"
"He's alright. But he acts all distant just to look cool."
Sakura: "…..."
Then don't fight me over him!
"Sasuke's got fans," Ino's mother chuckled.
Sasuke folded his arms. "So troublesome."
At that moment, his gaze shifted.
The instant he saw Naruto, he hesitated for a fraction of a second before looking away.
With just one glance, he had recognized him.
Jinchūriki.
The son of the Fourth Hokage and the previous Nine-Tails Jinchūriki.
Among the great ninja clans, Naruto's identity was no secret.
Plus, his hair was longer than in the original timeline.
The resemblance to the Fourth Hokage was even stronger.
But that wasn't why Sasuke had paused.
For some reason, he felt an odd sense of familiarity with Naruto.
It was a strange but undeniable connection.
Still, he quickly frowned.
Was it really safe to let a Jinchūriki attend the Academy?
Seeing the way people treated Naruto, he didn't think they were wrong.
Even though he knew Naruto was the son of a hero.
—
"What are you standing around for?"
"Come on! Let's go buy you some clothes. You're coming to my house for dinner—celebrating our first day at the Academy tomorrow~"
Just as Naruto was about to leave the crowd unnoticed,
A small hand grabbed his.
"Really? I just stayed in bed a little longer, that's all."
"You came alone?"
"Did those people talk bad about you again?"
Little Tenten wasn't one to let things slide.
She shielded Naruto like a mother hen, pulling him along with her.
Her adorable face was full of warning.
"See this? If you come to my shop to buy ninja tools again, I'm doubling the price!"
"And you!"
"Hmph! You still haven't paid for the kunai from last time!"
"You, and you—don't think I didn't see you hiding!"
For a moment, many ninja parents averted their gazes.
A group of girls, already impressed by Naruto's looks, now found themselves even more interested.
"Naruto~"
Suddenly, a short-haired blonde girl waved at him.
The moment Tenten heard a girl's voice, her guard shot up.
Naruto nodded, about to respond—
"Let's go! Too many people here. Clothes first!"
Tenten shot Ino a deep look before dragging Naruto away.
It was a clear declaration of war.
"Hmph, no one has ever managed to outshine me—remember that!"
"Ino, Sasuke-kun looked at me~"
"He's so cool! Do you think he's interested in me?"
Ino: "…"
…
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