Chapter 15: First Day of Class!

"Today is the entrance ceremony. Classes will start tomorrow. How about introducing yourselves first?"

Iruka stood in front of the podium, looking at the students below, but unfortunately, no one responded after he spoke those words. The silence in the classroom was awkward, leaving the young teacher at a loss.

"Naruto, you go first."

With no other choice, Iruka had to pick on Naruto. He was the only one he was somewhat familiar with in this classroom.

"No problem!"

Naruto, sitting next to Hinata, jumped up and leaped over a few desks to reach the blackboard. He wrote his full name on it.

"Uzumaki Naruto. My favorite thing is Ichiraku Ramen . My dream is to become the Hokage, and my life goal is to marry into the Hyuga family."

After Naruto finished his self-introduction, the classroom fell into silence, followed by uproarious laughter. Everyone burst into incredulous laughter.

"Did he just say 'marry into'?"

"Haha! Becoming the Hokage and marrying into a family don't go together at all! Is this guy an idiot?"

Classmates didn't hold back their ridicule towards Naruto, but he remained unfazed, maintaining a natural smile.

"Naruto-kun, come down. Come down!"

Hinata blushed in the audience, and several girls started looking in her direction.

"Next."

Iruka, with a stern face, pushed Naruto back to his seat. However, thanks to him, the atmosphere in the classroom eased, and students started introducing themselves more freely.

"Nara Shikamaru. Don't bother me with trivial matters, especially big ones. My dream is to live a lazy life every day."

"Akimichi Choji. My favorite is the barbecued meat at Yakiniku Q. My dream is to be engulfed by an ocean of grilled meat. And I'm not fat; I'm just big boned!"

"Inuzuka Kiba. My favorite thing is Akamaru, and I hate cats. I'll also strive to become a Hokage, Naruto!"

"If you can do it, bring it on!"

"Aburame Shino. My favorite thing is bugs. If anyone is interested in raising bugs, you can consult with me."

"Yamanaka Ino, I like flowers. If you accidentally upset me, you better watch out."

"Haruno Sakura. My favorite thing... (She looked at a certain boy in blue) is sweets. I don't particularly dislike anything. I want to grow up to be a good wife."

"Hyuga Hinata. My favorite thing... (She looked at Naruto) My dream is to become someone worthy of standing beside the Hokage."

"Uchiha Sasuke."

After Sasuke finished his self-introduction, the classmates stopped talking and stared at him with unfriendly eyes. As the sole survivor of the Uchiha clan, Sasuke had always been the center of attention. Now, as he entered the ninja academy, everyone finally had a chance to get a closer look at the last heir of the prestigious clan.

"Alright, since everyone has completed their self-introductions, take your textbooks and go home early. Remember to come to class tomorrow."

Iruka also had some knowledge about Sasuke's situation and wanted to help him diffuse the tension. However, he received an urgent message and hurriedly left the classroom after speaking.

"Sasuke, have we met somewhere before?"

Before Sasuke returned to his seat, Naruto turned his head and looked at him. For some reason, he had an impulse to argue with Sasuke, which he couldn't suppress.

"Who said we have? Loser."

Sasuke had also been keeping an eye on Naruto, but he was better at controlling his emotions. Now, unable to resist Naruto's provocation, he finally lost his cool.

"Do you want to fight?"

"Am I supposed to be afraid of you?"

Both Naruto's and Sasuke's faces showed signs of anger, and they stared at each other with intense gazes, sparks flying in the air. However, they forgot one thing: Naruto was standing on top of the desk.

"Class is over! Class is over! What should I eat when I go home today?"

Choji, with his round body, stood up from his seat. His gaze had been fixed on the bag of chips in his hand, not paying attention to his surroundings. Suddenly, he bumped into Naruto's back.

"Ah, sorry..."

Choji realized he bumped into someone with considerable force. The boy named Naruto staggered and fell towards Sasuke's seat.

"Uh!"

The whole world fell silent.

Hinata, who was trying to calm Naruto, stopped.

Sakura, who was listing the handsome guys with Ino, fell silent.

Shikamaru, who was about to yawn, held it back.

Everyone's gaze shifted to Naruto and Sasuke, whose mouths accidentally touched each other.

"Ah! Ahh!"

Sakura screamed. No matter what, she believed Sasuke's first kiss should have been hers. Why did it turn out like this? Why was her Sasuke's first kiss stolen by another guy?

"Gross!"

Both Sasuke and Naruto realized what happened and immediately knelt on the ground, retching.

"I'll kill you! I'll definitely kill you!"

"These are my lines! Being kissed by a man is disgusting!"

"Thank goodness Naruto-kun kissed me yesterday. Otherwise..."

At this moment, the only one feeling fortunate was probably Hinata. Thinking about the scene from yesterday, she blushed again. But at least Naruto's first kiss was preserved.

...

A few months later, Naruto had become quite familiar with the school. Some people still saw him as a monster, but others didn't. He had made quite a few friends, even Choji was willing to share a piece of his potato chips with him, except Sasuke, of course.

"Today's physical education class will focus on taijutsu. Is there anyone willing to come up for a sparring session?"

Iruka, who had already prepared himself to be ignored, suddenly saw two people stepping forward from the crowd, instinctively standing inside the circle.

"Naruto, do you want to spar with Sasuke?"

"Yeah, get ready to be defeated, Sasuke! I'm going to pay you back for that humiliation from that day!"

"You dare say that, dead last."

Sasuke looked disdainfully at Naruto. Compared to him, who excelled in all subjects, Naruto could only be considered dead last, with terrible grades in all subjects.

"Experience what it's like to be defeated by a dead last! Ouch, why did you hit me, Iruka-sensei?"

Naruto rushed forward but was struck on the head by Iruka's fist. He rubbed the spot where he was hit and asked discontentedly.

"Did you forget something before the sparring?"

"Oh, right. Hi there, let's do our best."

Reluctantly, Naruto walked up to Sasuke and extended two fingers, intertwining them with Sasuke's fingers, performing the Seal of Confrontation.

"Begin!"

With Iruka's command, Naruto charged towards Sasuke, but as soon as he raised his fist, he saw Sasuke already in front of him. Sasuke grabbed Naruto's collar and extended his right foot to trip him at the back of his heel. Naruto immediately lost his balance and fell to the ground, seeing Sasuke's fist grow larger in his eyes.

"I don't even need taijutsu to defeat you."

Sasuke, who originally intended to punch Naruto's nose off-center, suddenly stopped his hand, and his fist paused in front of Naruto's nose. He didn't know why, but he felt a hint of reluctance, unable to bring himself to harm him.

"The match is over."

Iruka finally realized what had happened. Ordinary people might not notice, but he had just calculated the speed at which Sasuke closed in on Naruto and concluded that it was not inferior to that of an average Chunin.

"Alright, I know you're not satisfied. Keep working hard for next time. Come, let's do the Seal of Reconciliation."

Iruka patted Naruto's head comfortingly. Naruto seemed to have not expected to be defeated so quickly, and he hung his head dispiritedly.

"Yes..."

But Iruka was wrong. Naruto wasn't feeling down; he was pretending to go for the reconciliation seal with Sasuke. However, as soon as their hands made contact, Naruto grabbed Sasuke's collar. Unexpectedly, Sasuke had also been prepared, and he grabbed Naruto's collar too. The two of them tumbled to the ground, wrestling with each other.

"You, Naruto!"

"Hehe, all's fair in love and war. Haven't you learned that phrase?"

"Who gave you the confidence to think a sneak attack could defeat me?"

"Hey, you dared to hit my face!"

...

"Ouch, be gentle."

After class, Naruto sat on a chair in the playground while Hinata gently applied ointment to his face. His face was bruised and swollen, and whenever she touched a painful spot, Naruto couldn't help but cry out in pain.

"Serves you right. Who told you to sneak attack Sasuke and get hit by Iruka-sensei?"

Hinata mischievously tapped Naruto's wound, causing him even more pain. She complained about his bad temper.

"Don't underestimate me. I managed to hit Sasuke too."

"Naruto-kun, why do you dislike Sasuke so much? You get along well with everyone except him. Why?"

Hinata couldn't quite understand. She knew Naruto was a kind-hearted boy deep down, but whenever he faced Sasuke, he always picked a fight and made him angry, as if intentionally causing trouble.

"I don't know either. Every time I see him, I have this strange feeling of familiarity, like I can't just leave him alone. Maybe he doesn't have any friends at school."

"But why do you keep bothering him every day?"

"No, it's not like that. Although we argue every day, I can sense that Sasuke enjoys it too."

"I don't really understand your relationship..."

"Oh, school's over. Hinata, you should go home. I'm going for a walk."

Naruto heard the school bell ring and stretched lazily. He picked up the ointment Hinata gave him and ran off.

"Naruto-kun... I wanted to invite you for dinner."

...

Although it was called a walk, Naruto walked purposefully toward the edge of the lake in Konoha. As expected, he saw Sasuke sitting on the short bridge, lost in thought. Sasuke also sensed something and turned to look at Naruto. This was the place where they first came to catch mudskippers together.

"Hmph."

Seeing Sasuke looking at him, Naruto snorted and turned his head away, increasing his pace as he walked ahead.

"Tsk."

Sasuke was even more displeased with Naruto's attitude. He touched his cheek that had been grazed by Naruto's fist. On average, Sasuke had to hit Naruto three times for Naruto to hit him once, but it still hurt.

Rolling sound

The sound of a small round box rolling to Sasuke's feet caught his attention. On it was engraved the medical symbol of Konoha. After opening the box, a fragrant ointment came into Sasuke's view.

"Hmph, heh."

"Hehe."

Under the evening sun, the two boys involuntarily revealed happy smiles.