“Ding!
Successful act of slacking.”
“Obtained 20 Lazing Points.”
Ding!
“Check-in initiated.”
“Check-in Location: Ninja Academy.”
“Check-in Time: 10:08–14:08.”
In the end, Naruto was still dragged back to the classroom.
Iruka didn’t drink his poisonous chicken soup.
Instead, he smashed it onto the ground.
Amid the whispers of his classmates, Naruto received his textbooks and was assigned to the very last row.
He shared a desk with a completely nameless background character.
Iruka continued arranging for the students to go up and introduce themselves.
Naruto looked around.
There were quite a few familiar faces.
All of the Konoha Twelve were here, although Sasuke hadn’t yet developed his usual cold expression.
Bored, Naruto opened his brand-new textbook and started reading.
But the moment he opened it, he regretted it again.
There was no other reason.
He was illiterate.
He couldn’t understand a thing…
Although transmigrating into this world had given him the ability to understand the local language and communicate normally, the original Naruto himself hadn’t known more than a handful of written characters.
However, the local written language was completely different from what he was used to.
By guessing and piecing things together, Naruto could still understand a little.
There were only two textbooks for first-year students at the Ninja Academy.
One seemed to be a mathematics textbook, filled with various geometric diagrams and the like.
The other was probably some sort of brainwashing course about the Will of Fire.
Being unable to understand the written language completely extinguished Naruto’s last remaining desire to work hard.
After all, he was a transmigrator.
He had originally planned to take the academic route and become a top student, so Iruka would have less reason to bother him.
But now…
Heh.
A person had to know when enough was enough.
If he couldn’t become a top student, then he might as well peacefully become a salted fish.
“Ding!
Successful act of slacking.”
“Obtained 20 Lazing Points.”
The system once again detected Naruto’s slacking behavior and rewarded him accordingly.
The students introduced themselves one after another.
Soon, it was Naruto’s turn.
Naruto didn’t make a fuss and simply walked up to the podium.
Along the way, the students whispered among themselves.
They were all curious about what kind of person this student was—the one who had been late, tried to skip class, and ultimately been dragged back by the teacher.
“My name is Uzumaki Naruto.
I’m six years old.”
Such a familiar name.
Most of the students looked puzzled.
The Third Hokage had issued strict orders regarding Naruto’s identity.
Any ninja who revealed the truth, whether intentionally or unintentionally, would be treated as a traitor.
Almost every student in Naruto’s class came from a family with some connection to the ninja world.
Naturally, their upbringing was very different from that of ordinary villagers who knew nothing.
At this moment, most of the students were trying to remember where they had heard the name Naruto before.
Meanwhile, Naruto simply stepped down from the podium and walked back to his seat…
There was no foolish grin.
No passionate declaration like, “My dream is to gain the recognition of everyone in the village and become Hokage!”
He had finished his introduction.
One sentence.
Short and to the point.
Then he stepped down.
“Ding!
Successful act of slacking.”
“Obtained 20 Lazing Points.”
The system immediately issued another notification.
Naruto himself was stunned.
That counted as slacking too?
He had been completely sincere!
Back at the podium, a vein on Iruka’s forehead began twitching again.
Could you be any more obviously perfunctory?!
“Naruto!
Get back here!”
“You finished your self-introduction in one sentence?
That’s disrespectful to your classmates and your teacher!
It’s also disrespectful to yourself!”
The students stared at him in stunned silence.
Teacher Iruka was scary!
Naruto was equally confused.
“What am I supposed to say?”
Naruto returned to the podium and scratched his head in bewilderment.
Iruka took several deep breaths before glancing at the time.
Because he had gone out to catch Naruto, the first class was already almost over.
“Tell us about your hobbies and your dreams.”
Iruka tried his best to keep his voice calm.
“There are five minutes left until class ends.
You’re not leaving until you finish!”
“…”
Naruto was speechless.
Forget the system.
Couldn’t even Iruka sense the sincerity hidden between his words?
Fine.
Then don’t blame him for serving some poisonous chicken soup…
If he corrupted Iruka’s students, he wasn’t taking responsibility.
“I don’t really have any hobbies, and I don’t have any dreams.”
Naruto looked across the entire class with his dead-fish eyes.
“If I had to name something…”
“Sleeping and fishing.
I don’t know if those count.”
At the back of the classroom, Shikamaru, who had been pretending to attend class while actually sleeping, suddenly opened his eyes.
“Anyway, working hard is impossible.
Absolutely impossible in this lifetime.”
“Because working hard doesn’t necessarily guarantee results, but not working hard guarantees that you won’t be disappointed… At least, that’s what I think.”
Shikamaru’s eyes widened.
He almost couldn’t resist applauding.
What a profound statement!
So I’m not alone in this world!
Iruka’s face had already darkened to the color of charcoal…
But he still took a deep breath and suppressed his anger.
“Then tell us what you want to do in the future, Naruto.”
Iruka was still trying to salvage the situation.
No matter what Naruto said, he could guide him in the right direction.
After all, without hard work and determination, any dream would eventually become nothing but a bubble.
“Uh…”
“If possible, I think I’d like to… become a janitor and sweep the floors or something.”
Naruto spoke tentatively.
The janitor standing at the entrance was already over sixty.
Naruto was only six.
If he could take over the job right now, wouldn’t that save him more than fifty years of detours?
Of course, Naruto didn’t dare say that out loud.
He had already sensed the murderous aura coming from Teacher Iruka.
The students burst into laughter.
“Did I hear that right?
He actually wants to be a janitor!”
“This is the Ninja Academy, hahaha!”
“That’s hilarious!
My stomach hurts from laughing!”
Naruto curled his lips.
These brats really didn’t understand the benefits of slacking.
But then—
“That’s enough!”
A little girl with a flushed face stood up from the front row.
The entire classroom instantly fell silent.
“Naruto-kun isn’t like what you think!
He just wants to help everyone in his own way!”
“If everyone becomes ninjas and goes out on missions, then… then…”
The girl’s voice grew quieter and quieter.
Naruto’s dead-fish eyes widened further and further.
He didn’t even notice the system notification anymore.
Wait…
Hinata…
Who taught you this incredible ability to completely misunderstand what someone just said?