An uneventful night passed.
Early in the morning, Naruto opened his eyes, put on his clothes, and tied his headband around his forehead.
After finishing the magic of “Wash and Brush Magic” and “Make Clothes Clean Magic”, he went out.
When the classroom door was pushed open, quite a few people had already arrived inside.
Naruto’s gaze habitually swept around…
Then it landed in the corner.
Hyuga Hinata was sitting there, her two hands resting on the edge of the table, her white eyes quietly gazing toward his side.
Their gazes gently collided.
Naruto was slightly stunned, then showed a gentle smile and nodded at her.
Hinata’s face turned red almost instantly, then she lowered her head, her lips moved, and she softly said: “Naruto-kun, mor…
morning.”
That voice was too soft, so soft it was like talking to herself, and even she almost couldn’t hear it clearly.
Naruto didn’t hear it, but he didn’t mind either, withdrew his gaze, and continued walking toward his seat.
Uchiha Sasuke was sitting in the middle of the classroom, staring at Naruto, his lips pressed into a straight line, wanting to speak but hesitating.
Naruto didn’t stop his footsteps and sat down in his seat.
Sasuke’s hands clenched slightly.
He heard something when he went out this morning.
Yesterday afternoon, Uzumaki Naruto fought with Mizuki at the school gate, and the opponent couldn’t even put up any resistance.
Mizuki was a teacher at the Ninja Academy, a dignified Chunin, and his practical combat experience was much richer than his own.
A Genin who had just graduated easily subdued a Chunin?
Sasuke wouldn’t have believed such a thing in the past.
But now, he had seen Naruto’s performance in the actual combat exercise with his own eyes, and personally experienced that kind of pressure, so he couldn’t help but believe it.
Dissatisfaction gradually surged in Sasuke’s heart.
What on earth did this loser do?
What method did he use?
This question had been spinning in his head all morning.
He had already asked once in the classroom that day, and the answer was: “Start practicing seriously.”
This was an answer that even a child wouldn’t believe.
Afterward, the people in the classroom gradually increased.
Shikamaru pushed the door open, yawning, his eyes half open and half closed, walked over to his seat and sat down, leaned back against the chair, and glanced at Naruto.
“Morning.”
Choji followed closely behind, holding half a bag of potato chips in his hand.
Seeing Naruto, he raised his hand slightly as a greeting.
Before his butt was even warm, someone walked over in big strides.
Inuzuka Kiba stopped in front of Naruto’s desk, placed both hands on the edge of the table, leaned forward, and wore a thick expression of curiosity on his face.
“Hey, Naruto,” Kiba asked carelessly, “is what happened yesterday true?
Did you beat up Teacher Mizuki at the school gate?”
“Didn’t beat him up.” Naruto raised his eyes, his tone calm, “Just stopped him.”
“Stopped him?” Kiba didn’t believe it, leaning closer again, “I heard he couldn’t even fight back, what on earth did you use…”
“Just ordinary Ninjutsu.” Naruto interrupted him and smiled, “I was lucky, he let his guard down.”
Kiba opened his mouth, wanting to keep asking, but Naruto had already turned his head away.
Kiba scratched the back of his head, too embarrassed to press further, muttered “Fine”, and turned back to his seat.
Not far away, Sasuke’s ears twitched slightly.
His sight fell on the table, but he couldn’t read a single word into his mind.
“Ordinary Ninjutsu?
Lucky?
Let his guard down?”
He didn’t believe a single word.
But since Naruto wouldn’t say, he had no choice.
Not long after, the classroom door was pushed open again.
Sakura and Ino came in almost at the same time.
Ino walked in front, her short blonde hair tied into a ponytail.
Entering the door, she swept around the classroom first, saw Sasuke’s position, and her gaze paused for a moment.
Sakura walked around her directly, walked quickly to the empty seat next to Sasuke, and sat down.
“Good morning, Sasuke-kun.” Her voice carried a trace of undisguised joy.
Sasuke gave a “Mn”, his gaze still falling on the table.
Sakura’s lips curled up slightly, then quickly flattened.
After a while, Iruka pushed the door open and came in.
The originally fragmented noises in the classroom quickly quieted down.
Iruka stood behind the podium, cleared his throat, and his gaze swept across every student.
“Congratulations to everyone for graduating smoothly.”
“Starting from today, you are no longer students.”
“You will become official Ninjas, grouped in teams of three, led by a Jonin to execute missions.”
He lowered his head and glanced at the list in his hand. Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
“Next, I will announce the grouping list.”
Iruka read group after group of names.
The students whose names were called stood up with varying degrees of tension and expectation on their faces.
“Team 7, Sakura Haruno…”
Sakura’s heart trembled slightly.
“Uzumaki Naruto…”
Sakura’s expression stiffened for a fraction of a second, and she turned her head to glance in Naruto’s direction.
That blonde-haired boy was lowering his head looking at a scroll, not paying attention to this side.
A trace of complex look flashed across the bottom of her eyes.
These past few days, Naruto’s changes were too huge.
He actually defeated Sasuke in the actual combat exercise, the rumors of fighting Mizuki yesterday, and that kind of…
Calmness that was completely different from before.
Sakura couldn’t tell what kind of feeling that was, but being assigned to the same class as him always made her feel that the atmosphere would become somewhat subtle.
Iruka’s voice continued: “Uchiha Sasuke.”
Sakura’s lips immediately curled up, and that sense of loss was washed away cleanly by this sentence.
Almost reflexively, she turned her body to the side, facing Sasuke beside her, lowering her voice and speaking: “Sasuke-kun, please take care of me from now on!”
Sasuke turned his head to look at her, gave a soft acknowledgment, which counted as a response.
Iruka finished reading the remaining list and closed his notebook.
“Alright, now everyone wait in your seats, your guiding Jonins will come over one after another to lead people away.”
The sound of talking sounded in the classroom again.
Group by group, people were led away, and the vacant seats became more and more numerous.
Finally, only three people were left in the classroom.
Naruto sat by the window, Sasuke sat in the middle of the classroom, and Sakura was next to Sasuke.
None of the three people spoke.
Time passed minute by minute.
The sun outside the window rose a bit higher, and the light shone obliquely in from the window.
Sakura’s patience couldn’t hold out first.
She glanced at the clock on the wall, a trace of complaint in her tone.
“Why is this guiding Jonin coming so slowly?”
Naruto nodded, supporting his chin with one hand: “Indeed slow.”
Sasuke sat there, his brows furrowing slightly, but he didn’t speak.