“What a weird teacher.
Sasuke, what do you think about him?”
The students Iruka had chosen returned to the classroom as instructed.
They had only just settled into their seats when Ino, who was incapable of remaining quiet for very long, turned to strike up a conversation with Sasuke beside her.
Before Sasuke could answer, however, Sakura angrily snapped at Ino from the other side.
“Stay away from Sasuke, Ino-Pig!”
“Oh my, isn’t that the ugly freak with the enormous forehead?”
“Ino-Pig!”
“Forehead Freak!”
Sasuke frowned as the two girls argued, clearly annoyed.
“You two are so irritating.
Can’t you be quiet?”
“How could you, Sasuke…?”
“Don’t be so cold, Sasuke.”
Naruto curled his lips and muttered unhappily, “Why is it always Sasuke, Sasuke with every girl?
What’s so great about that guy?”
“Women are like that.
They only like handsome and capable shinobi.
That’s why women are such a pain.”
Shikamaru yawned as he complained.
The moment he finished speaking, a loud crunch, crunch sounded from behind him.
He didn’t even need to turn around to know that the fattest student in the class was replenishing his energy again.
“N-Naruto…”
Naruto suddenly heard a timid voice.
When he turned around, he found a somewhat familiar girl looking at him with a faint blush on her face.
“What is it?”
“Um…
your hand seems to be injured.
If you don’t mind…”
Hinata took a small bottle of medicine from her pocket.
For some reason, she didn’t dare look Naruto in the face.
Turning her head away, she held the bottle out to him.
That simple gesture seemed to have exhausted all her courage.
Even without meeting his eyes, she squeezed her own shut tightly.
Naruto accepted the medicine with a confused expression.
Only then did he notice the dried blood filling the gaps beneath his dirty fingernails, clearly left over from the earlier test.
“Oh, this?
It’ll heal pretty quickly even if I leave it alone, but thanks anyway, um…”
This is so awkward…
Naruto suddenly realized that he couldn’t remember her name.
Fortunately, Shikamaru couldn’t stand watching any longer and quietly reminded him, “Her name is Hyūga Hinata.
Seriously, she sits right in front of you every day.
How can you not even know her name?”
“Isn’t it obvious?
This idiot Naruto sleeps through class every day, just like you.
How would he know who’s sitting around him?”
Kiba, with a small puppy resting on top of his head, propped his chin up with one hand and stated the obvious.
Shikamaru scratched his head, looking as lethargic as ever.
“You should at least remember people’s names.
Don’t let appearances fool you—I’ve memorized the names of everyone in our class.”
“That’s only because your brain works better than Naruto’s.”
Naruto immediately became unhappy at that remark.
Nobody enjoyed being told they were stupid—unless they were genuinely too stupid to understand the insult.
Just as he was about to argue, a calm voice spoke from in front of him, so composed that it somehow made everyone uncomfortable.
“Compared to something so trivial, I’m more interested in why Iruka-sensei used that test to select students for special training.”
“If you ask me why, it’s because teachers generally don’t treat their students differently.
Even students from prominent clans are treated the same way.
Otherwise, the parents of those who aren’t selected might become dissatisfied, and the Academy could find itself in trouble.”
“Yet Iruka-sensei chose to do exactly that.
I can’t understand his reason.”
Shino’s words caused everyone to fall into thought.
However, even Shikamaru, whose mind was the sharpest among them, couldn’t figure it out, much less anyone else.
Naruto was even more straightforward.
After thinking about it for a moment without coming up with anything, he loudly declared:
“Forget it!
Starting today, the nine of us are comrades who’ll be taking that Violent Teacher’s special training together!
Everyone, let’s get along from now on!”
Naruto flashed a bright, sunny smile.
Yet the only person who seemed affected by it was Hinata, sitting beside him.
Everyone else simply ignored his declaration, offering no response whatsoever.
“N-Naruto…
let’s get along…”
Hinata’s voice was so quiet that it was practically audible only to herself.
When no one responded, a trace of disappointment appeared on Naruto’s face.
Sakura suddenly noticed the evaluation sheet Iruka had handed her before leaving.
She had completely forgotten about it when Ino immediately started pestering Sasuke after they returned to the classroom.
Now that she finally had time, she began looking it over.
“Wow!
Just as expected of Sasuke—he got a perfect score!
Kiba, who’s in second place, only got seventy-three points.
Sasuke really is amazing, just like the person I admire should be!”
“Hmm…
everyone else’s scores are pretty close.
Damn it, I only got seventy points—the same as Ino-Pig!”
Sakura continued muttering as she read through the sheet.
But when she reached the final name, she suddenly let out a startled cry.
“N-No way!
That’s impossible!!”
Sakura’s outburst immediately attracted everyone’s attention.
Her friend and rival, Ino, noticed that even Sasuke had turned his attention toward Sakura and immediately snapped in annoyance, “What’s with all the shouting, you big-foreheaded freak?”
Unusually, Sakura ignored Ino’s provocation.
She continued staring at the sheet on the desk in disbelief, as though something utterly bizarre were written on it.
“It’s just an evaluation sheet.
What’s so strange about it?
Let me see.”
Curious, Kiba walked over and picked up the sheet.
“Sasuke getting a perfect score is normal.
Everyone else’s scores are pretty close since none of them managed to stand completely upright.
Anyway, with an idiot like Naruto at the bottom, he was on all fours at the time and couldn’t even manage a crouch.
At most, he should’ve gotten—”
Kiba suddenly stopped.
He stared at the sheet as though he had seen a ghost, his face filled with disbelief.
“What’s wrong with you two?”
Ino snatched the sheet from Kiba’s hands.
Before long, her expression became just as shocked as Sakura’s had been.
Then all three of them simultaneously turned to look at Naruto and shouted in unison:
“Why did you get a perfect score?!”
“Huh?
What perfect score?”
Naruto looked utterly confused.
At that moment, Ino’s hand slipped, and the evaluation sheet fell to the floor.
Everyone’s eyes immediately turned toward it.
The next instant, they all looked at Naruto with strange expressions.
Written clearly on the last line were the words:
Uzumaki Naruto — Perfect Score!
“”Whaaaaaaaaaat?!!!!””
Even Naruto himself was dumbfounded.
He knew his own performance better than anyone.
Although he hated to admit it, during the test he hadn’t even managed to rise into a crouch.
He had been a complete dead last.
Getting a passing score would already have been surprising enough.
How could he possibly receive the same perfect score as Sasuke, who had taken first place?
“You lot, we’re still at the Academy!
What kind of behavior is all this shouting and carrying on?!”
Iruka had entered the classroom without anyone noticing.
After placing a large bag on the teacher’s desk, he scolded them with obvious displeasure.
But even after being taught a lesson twice, Naruto, who feared neither heaven nor earth, picked up the evaluation sheet and pointed at his score.
“Sensei, Sensei!
What’s going on with my score?
Did you make a mistake?”
The others also looked at Iruka in confusion, waiting for an explanation.
The result was simply too unbelievable.
Iruka had no reason to favor Naruto, and none of them could understand why Naruto—the class’s perennial dead last—had received a perfect score.
“Heh~ I give you a perfect score, and you’re still unhappy about it?
Do you really want to be the dead last that badly?”
“Uh, that’s not it, but isn’t this strange?
I obviously…”
Iruka raised a hand, signaling Naruto to stop.
“Alright.
That’s exactly what I was about to explain to you all.
Sit properly and listen carefully.”