Chapter 7: Challenging Sasuke? (1/2)
"Iruka."
Mizuki brought Haru to the playground and greeted Iruka.
Haru looked around and noticed that dozens of students had gathered here, with Uchiha Sasuke naturally being the center of attention.
Especially among the female students, their gazes were almost glued to Sasuke, appearing infatuated.
In contrast, Naruto Uzumaki was isolated in a corner.
Although he didn't seem to mind, he looked somewhat lonely.
After all, the current Naruto was just a six or seven-year-old child.
If Naruto were to film a vlog now and upload it to Youtube, comments like "Naruto, Naruto, hug me, Mom!" or "Protect the prince!" would probably flood the screen.
However, Hinata, who was in the same class, was not present.
It seemed she hadn't fully recovered yet and was still resting in the hospital.
"Ah, Mizuki."
Iruka turned around and responded to Mizuki, holding a notebook that seemed to be used for recording grades.
Soon, Iruka also noticed Haru standing next to Mizuki.
"You must be the student mentioned by the Third Hokage?" Iruka smiled and said.
Although it was somewhat unusual to enroll in the ninja school at the age of thirteen, Iruka didn't mind this matter.
"Yeah." Haru nodded, confirming his identity.
"Well then, Iruka, from today on, I'll leave him in your care." Mizuki emphasized but showed no intention of leaving. "Today is a practical lesson."
"Indeed, for ninjas, physical skills are a vital part, even listed as one of the combat techniques in ninjutsu," Iruka explained.
In reality, he was saying this for Haru's benefit.
"Alright." Iruka concluded his casual chat with Mizuki and waved for his students to gather.
However, instead of standing next to Sasuke, Naruto was suddenly pushed aside by Sakura, who rushed over.
"Sasuke-kun." Sakura whispered as she greeted Sasuke, only to find her rival, Ino, standing on the other side of him.
"Ino pig, why are you standing there?"
"That should be my line, big forehead. That spot should belong to Naruto."
'Cough cough.'
Seeing the female students squabbling over who should stand next to Sasuke, Iruka cleared his throat to silence them.
Meanwhile, Sasuke stood with his hands in his pockets, looking disinterested.
"Are today's female students really this precocious?"
Iruka couldn't help but mentally complain about the situation and then began to explain the current circumstances to everyone.
Starting today, Haru would be a transfer student learning alongside them at the ninja school.
"Introduce yourself, Senju-kun." Iruka said with a smile.
Rather than a strict teacher, he seemed more like a friendly neighbor.
However, at this time, Iruka had just recently become a Chūnin teacher, and to maintain good relationships with his class, he often distanced himself from Naruto in certain matters.
For instance, he completely ignored Naruto's situation this time.
"Um." Haru nodded and began to introduce himself to the others.
"My name is Senju Haru. I don't have anything I particularly like or dislike, and my dream is to become Hokage and revive the Senju clan."
In reality, Haru was well aware that the Third Hokage had a hobby.
In his spare time, he would sit in his office and observe others through a crystal ball.
According to Haru's understanding, this was a technique called the Telescope Technique, which allowed one to observe others from a distance as long as they understood their chakra attributes.
In general,
The Third Hokage used this technique to monitor Naruto's every move, ensuring that the Jinchuriki would not run into trouble.
And now, not only had he displayed his chakra to Hiruzen, but Naruto was also here.
If he guessed correctly, Hiruzen was probably observing him in secret right now.
Thus, his words were essentially intended for Hiruzen to hear.
He wanted to make it clear where he stood: to become Hokage and revive the Senju clan.
Given his identity, that statement was also quite normal.
"I'm going to be the next Hokage! It's me, Naruto Uzumaki!"
Suddenly, Naruto jumped up from the crowd, pointing at Haru and shouting.
However, his declaration drew laughter from others.
"Ahahaha, the bottom of the barrel wants to become Hokage? That joke never goes out of style!"
"Yeah, if Naruto can be Hokage, then I could become the God of Shinobi!"
"Exactly."
"No self-awareness at all."
"You guys!" Hearing the mockery, Naruto's face turned red as he shouted back, "I will definitely become Hokage and gain the village's recognition!"
"That's enough, Naruto." Iruka sighed helplessly. The Hokage had always been the most respected person in the village.
And as long as the Nine-Tails was inside Naruto, he could never become Hokage.
Although this was a cruel thing to say, it was better for him to see reality.
"You…"
But just as Iruka was about to say something, Haru directly interrupted him.
"Then you should work hard, Naruto." Haru smiled.
Naruto froze, completely taken aback.
Regarding his dream, he had mentioned it more than once.
Yet every time he spoke, he was met with ridicule, especially from the adults, whose gazes were cold and distant.
These had long since become his norm.
But who would have thought that the person standing before him would not only refrain from mocking him but instead encourage him to do his best?
Especially with his gaze and smile, as if he genuinely believed Naruto had a chance of becoming Hokage.
In an instant, Naruto stood there, stunned in front of Haru, with tears welling up in his eyes.
'Crying?'
Haru was also taken aback. In the world of Naruto, Naruto was quite strong and always managed to smile through any hardship.
"Ah, it's nothing." Naruto quickly rubbed his eyes, saying, "It's just sand. I got sand in my eyes."
Seeing Naruto, Iruka felt as though something in his heart had been tightly gripped.
Meanwhile, the other students were somewhat confused by the current situation.
When did Naruto become such a crybaby?
"Cough cough."
Noticing the awkward atmosphere, Iruka had to shift everyone's attention.
"Alright, since Senju-kun is here, let's continue the class."
He then flipped through the grade list.
Due to Hinata's absence today, there was an open slot on the list.
It just so happened that there was one spot left for Sasuke.
The Uchiha clan and the Senju clan, huh.
"Senju-kun, do you want to challenge the top student, Sasuke?" Iruka said with a smile.