Naruto found his classroom.
The students were still in the middle of introducing themselves.
There were forty students in the class, and they were already nearing the end of the introductions.
“Reporting in.”
Naruto stood at the classroom door.
The students inside immediately turned their attention toward him.
Iruka frowned.
As the homeroom teacher, he had initially assumed that Naruto had been transferred to another class when he failed to show up.
He had planned to ask about it after class.
He never expected Naruto to simply be late.
On the very first day of school…
The students began whispering among themselves, and Iruka was also getting a little angry.
“If you don’t want to come to school, then don’t come at all!
Being late on the very first day… What a terrible student you are, Naruto!”
The moment the words left his mouth, Iruka realized that he might have gone too far.
Those were rather harsh words to say to a child.
But just as he was about to tell Naruto to hurry back to his seat…
“Then… okay.”
“I’ll head home first, Teacher.”
Naruto turned around and left.
A terrible student who was late on his very first day?
Fine, then.
He was going to be the dead-last student anyway.
Skipping class meant zero points, while taking the exams would probably get him one point.
What difference did it make?
He would have to attend the Ninja Academy for a full six years.
Six years of getting up early every day and being yelled at.
Just thinking about it gave him a headache.
He might as well go home and sleep.
Or go fishing.
Since he didn’t want to attend school anyway, why stay here?
Goodbye.
Naruto had already made up his mind.
First, he would buy some chili powder.
Then he would go home, grab his fishing rod, and head out fishing.
The fish he caught yesterday had tasted pretty good.
The only problem was that the environment had been ruined by the presence of that scheming old bastard.
Today, it would just be him.
He would sprinkle some chili powder on the fish, and it would definitely be delicious.
“Ding!
Successful act of slacking!”
“Obtained 20 Lazing Points!”
Iruka stood at the podium.
He was completely stunned.
For a full two minutes.
Wait…
Why did he leave?
“Everyone, look through the textbooks you were given.
I’ll be right back.”
Iruka first stabilized the class, then immediately rushed out of the classroom.
He happened to see Naruto’s figure disappearing around the end of the corridor.
“Naruto!
Get back here!”
Iruka shouted, but Naruto didn’t even bother responding.
This infuriated Iruka.
He hurried after him.
Meanwhile, inside the classroom—
The students were equally stunned by what had just happened.
Ino: “I’m not seeing things, right?
He actually just left?”
Choji: “Maybe he didn’t have breakfast.
Munch, munch…”
Shikamaru: “What just happened?”
Hinata: “Naruto-kun… he looked kind of cool.”
Kiba: “Amazing!”
…
By the time Iruka caught up with Naruto, Naruto was almost at the school gate.
It was incredible.
How could a six-year-old kid walk so fast?
“Naruto!”
Iruka appeared in front of him and blocked his path.
Naruto froze for half a second.
“Is there something else, Teacher?”
Iruka was completely dumbfounded.
How could this kid ask that with such a calm expression?!
When other students were reprimanded, they would obediently stand there and admit their mistakes.
But this guy?
Without saying a word, he had simply turned around and walked away.
In the blink of an eye, he was almost out of the school!
Iruka felt a headache coming on.
This was difficult.
Extremely difficult.
“Who told you that you could leave?
Get back inside!”
Iruka lowered his voice.
After all, the other classes were also in session.
Naruto looked at Iruka’s serious yet anxious expression and thought for two seconds.
“Teacher, I don’t want to go back.”
Iruka froze.
Looking at Naruto’s listless dead-fish eyes, he suddenly found himself unable to figure out what this kid was thinking.
Had he not woken up properly?
“…Why?”
“Because I can’t learn anything.”
Naruto spread his hands and answered honestly.
“I’m too stupid.
I’m useless at everything, and I can’t learn anything.
If I go back to class, I’ll definitely be the dead last.”
The moment he finished speaking—
“Ding!
Successful act of slacking.”
“Obtained 20 Lazing Points.”
Iruka froze again.
This child…
Was he really this pessimistic?
Like many of the villagers, Iruka had once hated Naruto because his parents had died at the hands of the Nine-Tails.
Even now, the deaths of his parents remained a painful wound that sometimes brought tears to his eyes late at night.
He had observed Naruto.
During the previous two years, he had even tried to vent his anger on the child.
But Iruka eventually discovered…
He couldn’t do it.
Putting aside Naruto’s identity as the Nine-Tails’ jinchuriki—
Naruto was still just a child.
No one had taught him anything.
No one cared about him.
He was pitiful.
Perhaps that was why the Third Hokage had assigned Naruto to his class?
The other teachers were not particularly willing to teach Naruto.
Iruka took a deep breath.
He knew that this was the moment when he needed to act like a teacher.
“Naruto… thinking that way is wrong.”
“No one is born standing at the top.
Even the Hokage worked extremely hard when he was young.”
“Even if you started from a very low point, you haven’t even tried yet.
You haven’t worked hard.
How can you know that you can’t do it?”
Iruka patiently tried to teach him.
Naruto listened.
But he merely shook his head.
“Teacher, if someone like the Third Hokage worked so hard from childhood…”
“Then what use is there in someone as useless as me working hard?”
Iruka’s face darkened.
Naruto spread his hands, looking completely like a salted fish.
“Opportunities should be left to those who are prepared…”
Iruka’s anger level: 80%.
Naruto continued:
“I can’t compete with them, but I can give my share to someone else…”
“Teacher, what are you doing?”
Iruka, who had finally reached his limit, grabbed Naruto and lifted him straight off the ground.
“Get back to class!
Right now!”