The gentle morning sunlight spread across the vibrant village of Konoha, heralding the beginning of a new day.
Breathing in the fresh air that had long since disappeared from his previous world, Iruka leisurely made his way toward the Ninja Academy.
Judging by the relaxed expression on his face, it was hard to imagine that he had gone through a brief but intense clash the night before.
Come to think of it, I still don’t really understand the power system of this world.
If everyone is as strong as that ANBU captain named Itachi was last night, I’d better keep my head down from now on.
But that’s probably impossible.
I don’t know exactly how strong the Hokage is, but he doesn’t seem completely invincible.
And the Hokage is universally recognized as one of the strongest people in the village, representing, to some extent, the pinnacle of this world’s fighting strength.
If that’s the case, then that ANBU captain must be one of the elite among the elite.
There can’t be many shinobi that strong in the entire village.
“Mm…”
Iruka swallowed the last bite of bread in his mouth, then let out an entirely unceremonious burp.
One moment, he had been pondering something serious; the next, an utterly pointless thought surfaced in his mind.
Breakfast really is best with fried dough and soy milk.
I just can’t get used to sliced bread.
Come to think of it, should I get a cat?
Living alone is seriously boring.
I wonder if the dorm manager would allow it?
Or should I just keep one in secret?
Iruka had always been someone who liked to think.
The only problem was that his thoughts often went off in completely inexplicable directions.
He even had the distinguished record of blurting out things like “barbecued pork rice” while fighting an enemy—words that had absolutely nothing to do with the situation.
That habit had never changed.
Just then, the corner of Iruka’s eye caught sight of a familiar figure.
In an instant—
In less time than it took to draw a breath, the countless thoughts swirling through Iruka’s mind vanished without a trace, replaced by an inexplicable sense of melancholy.
It was a young woman dressed in the white uniform of a ramen shop, a white headscarf tied around her head in stark contrast to her long black hair.
Compared with the somewhat scatterbrained girl he had met yesterday, however, the young woman now carrying an armful of ingredients with both hands exuded an air of competence and efficiency.
“Ayame…”
Iruka murmured her name but had no intention of going over to greet her.
They could hardly be considered acquaintances; all he knew was her name.
On top of that, after the awkward scene last night, he genuinely had no idea how he was supposed to greet her.
Better to just pretend I didn’t see her.
Just as he was thinking that, Iruka suddenly heard Ayame cry out in alarm and instinctively turned to look.
He saw that she seemed to have stepped on something, causing her right foot to twist at an unnatural angle.
Having lost her balance, she was about to fall to the ground.
Iruka hurriedly circulated his chakra as his ability sprang into action.
“Vector Control!”
In an instant, the force field within a small area around Ayame came completely under Iruka’s control.
Manipulating the directions of the forces within that space, he caused the forces acting upon every object to cancel each other out in less than a second, bringing everything to a complete standstill.
For a moment, the area around Ayame seemed as though it had been frozen in time.
Just made it…
Iruka let out a sigh of relief and walked over to her side.
With a hint of reproach in his voice, he said, “Honestly, you should know your limits.
Why didn’t you ask the old man to come help you carry all this stuff?”
As he spoke, Iruka used the force field to move the ingredients into a pile beside them.
Only then did he release his ability, allowing Ayame to fall into his arms.
Of course, he wasn’t trying to take advantage of her.
It was simply unavoidable.
He couldn’t exactly let her land flat on her backside, could he?
Only then did Ayame finally realize what had happened.
Since Iruka had been standing to her side, she hadn’t recognized him immediately.
But when she realized she was leaning against the chest of an unfamiliar man, her face instantly flushed, and she reflexively tried to pull away.
The moment she tried to put weight on her foot, however, a piercing pain shot through her ankle.
She couldn’t help letting out a soft cry as cold sweat broke out on her forehead.
“Don’t move around.
You’ve sprained your ankle.
Honestly, what a hassle.”
Iruka sighed helplessly and helped her crouch down before warning her, “This might hurt a little, so bear with it.”
At that moment, Ayame finally got a clear look at Iruka’s face.
Seeing that it was the man who had stared blankly at her all evening the night before, an unnatural blush suddenly appeared on her pale face despite the pain.
Now!
Although Iruka had no idea why Ayame had suddenly become distracted, it was undoubtedly a good opportunity for him.
He had been wondering how to divert her attention, and this worked out perfectly.
Without another moment of hesitation, Iruka silently activated his ability.
Crack.
Ayame suddenly felt a sharp pain in her ankle and cried out.
Fortunately, the pain lasted only an instant, and she soon felt sensation returning to her foot.
“Go home and apply some medicine, then get some rest.
And remember, don’t push yourself too hard.
I’m sure the old man wouldn’t want to see you like this either.”
As he spoke, Iruka helped Ayame to her feet.
Only then did she fully realize that Iruka had helped her.
Otherwise, not only would all the ingredients she had bought have been ruined, but she herself would have been seriously injured as well.
“Thank you.”
Ayame thanked him softly.
Iruka shook his head and replied casually, “I’m fairly familiar with the old man, after all.
Helping out with something like this is only natural.”
“Oh…”
Ayame answered quietly before falling silent.
That was clearly unusual.
Normally, she was an energetic girl who was every bit as lively as any boy.
Even around strangers, she was never particularly reserved.
But for some reason, whenever she remembered the intense, unblinking gaze Iruka had given her the night before, she found herself unable to look him in the eye.
Iruka, on the other hand, didn’t notice anything strange about her behavior.
After all, he barely knew Ayame and naturally had no idea what she was usually like.
Seeing her act this way, he simply assumed she was normally a shy and timid girl and didn’t think much of it.
Instead, he found himself troubled by what to do next.
Normally, he should escort the mobility-impaired Ayame back to Ichiraku Ramen.
But the moment he recalled the meaningful look the ramen shop owner had given him the night before, Iruka instinctively shuddered.
Until that misunderstanding had been cleared up, it was probably best to avoid seeing the old man for a while.
So he immediately ruled out that option.
Should he find someone else to take her home?
Judging from her apparently shy personality, she probably wouldn’t readily accept help from a stranger.
And sending her to the hospital over such a minor injury seemed a little excessive—almost disrespectful to the medical-nin.
Why don’t I know any medical ninjutsu…?
Wait.
That’s not the only problem.
Come to think of it, I don’t know any ninjutsu at all.
Shaking his head, Iruka cast aside his jumbled thoughts.
For some reason, an incredibly stupid idea suddenly popped into his mind.
Without thinking it through, he asked Ayame, “Are you in a hurry to get back?
If not, would you like to come to the Ninja Academy with me?
We have some spare medicinal herbs there.
You can rest until school is over, and then I’ll have Naruto take you home.
How does that sound?”
“Um…
Dad had something to do and went out earlier.
He probably won’t be back until tonight, so…
I have time.
Um…
as long as it won’t be too much trouble…”
“What trouble could there be in watching those little brats attend class?
Then it’s settled—wait, huh?
What did you just say?
The old man isn’t home?”
Ayame nodded.
“I think an old friend from a long time ago came to visit him.”
Hearing that, Iruka’s eye twitched.
Deep in his heart, it felt as though ten thousand wild horses had just stampeded through his soul, and he nearly broke down on the spot.
Why the hell didn’t you tell me that earlier?!