It was that time of year again—the start of a new term at the Konoha Ninja Academy.
With the demand for shinobi decreasing and the overall quality of life improving, fewer people were willing to become ninjas.
This year, the number of new students had hit a record low.
No one was surprised, though. There was only one new class, and even then, it had fewer than thirty students.
Almost all of them came from shinobi families, with very few civilian-born children among them.
...
On the first day of class, the six-year-old newcomers gradually made their way into the classroom.
Since the teacher had yet to arrive, familiar faces gathered in small groups, whispering amongst themselves.
As class time approached, the chatter slowly died down, and the classroom settled into an expectant hush.
"Hurry up, Sasuke!"
"Naruto, don't call me Sasuke! Call me big brother!"
With the sound of hurried footsteps, two little boys burst into the classroom, one chasing after the other.
The boy in front had bright blonde hair and striking blue eyes. His sunny smile gave him an approachable and friendly aura.
The boy behind him had jet-black hair and matching dark eyes. His delicate features and fair skin, combined with his pouty expression, made him look rather adorable.
"Wow! That's Naruto Uzumaki, Lord Hokage's son! He's so cool!"
"And that's Sasuke Uchiha, the Uchiha clan head's youngest son. I just want to kiss him!"
Many of the students instantly recognized the two boys, and some of the more precocious girls blushed at the sight of them.
Among them were two particular girls—one with short, shoulder-length pink hair and a broad forehead, and another with neatly cut blonde hair adorned with a small blue hair clip on the left side.
Both were equally flushed, though it was unclear which boy had caught their attention more.
"I'm not calling you that! You're only a few months older than me!"
"A few months is still older! And if you don't call me big brother, I'll tell my godmother!"
Naruto and Sasuke stood at the doorway, bickering without restraint, completely oblivious to the fact that their teacher had already arrived behind them.
The seated students instinctively shrank back in their seats but couldn't bring themselves to look away.
"What's with all the noise?"
"Class is about to start. If you're not in your seats in the next second, do you want to get smacked?"
At the sound of the stern voice, both Naruto and Sasuke flinched as a hand landed firmly on each of their heads.
"Oww—!"
In perfect sync, they clutched their heads, wincing from the impact, before turning around with teary eyes to see who had struck them.
The moment they realized who it was, they bolted straight to their seats without another word.
"Don't let me catch you doing that again."
"Yes, Nagato-sensei!"
Now seated, Naruto and Sasuke suddenly became the picture of obedience.
"Alright, everyone. I am your teacher, Nagato."
"Barring any unforeseen events, we will be spending a long time together."
"During that time, I hope you all learn to get along."
As he spoke, Nagato cast a meaningful glance at Naruto and Sasuke, his distinctive black-and-white Rinnegan eyes making the gesture all the more striking.
His crimson bangs, which had once covered his eyes, were now parted to the sides, revealing his gaze in full.
After a brief pause, he continued
"Now, why don't you all introduce yourselves briefly?"
Nagato placed the handouts on the podium and gestured for the children in the front row to start.
"My name is..."
"My name is..."
Before long, it was the turn of a girl with short pink hair.
"My name is Sakura Haruno. I like cherry blossoms and hope to be friends with everyone."
Sakura spoke politely, bowed, and then sat down.
"She's so cute!"
Naruto stared at Sakura without blinking and nudged Sasuke with his elbow.
"Boring."
Sasuke showed no interest, his cold expression dampening the mood.
"Hello, everyone! My name is Ino Yamanaka. I like pudding and pork belly, but I hate sashimi."
"My family owns a flower shop, so feel free to stop by and buy some flowers."
Ino flashed a bright smile, instantly charming a group of boys.
"She's looking at you."
Naruto nudged Sasuke again.
"You're so annoying."
Sasuke glanced at Ino, making brief eye contact. Ino's face turned red in an instant.
"Hopeless romantic."
Sasuke muttered two words under his breath before quickly turning away.
"You only get fired up when training with Itachi."
"You're hopeless."
Naruto's sharp remark left Sasuke momentarily speechless.
The introductions continued, and as the eldest daughter of the Hyūga clan, Hinata also drew a lot of attention.
When it was Naruto's turn, he jumped up eagerly.
"Hey, everyone! I'm Naruto Namikaze."
"My dream is to surpass the Fifth Hokage and become the Sixth Hokage!"
His bold declaration echoed through the classroom, but most of the students looked skeptical.
Only Nagato gave him an encouraging glance.
"My name is Sasuke Uchiha, and my goal is to become someone like Lord Kawakaze."
Sasuke stood up coolly, stated his ambition, and sat back down without another word.
His introduction drew even more snickers.
Everyone thought the two of them were a perfect pair—one was just as boastful as the other.
Once everyone finished introducing themselves, Nagato offered a few words of encouragement before officially starting the lesson.
...
The dry, theoretical lecture quickly made the students drowsy.
Naruto, for some reason, felt especially sleepy and was tapped on the head several times by Nagato before he managed to endure until the end of class.
But the moment the lesson was over, his energy returned. He sprang to life and hurried over to Sakura.
"Hey, let's be friends!"
Naruto slapped his hand on Sakura's desk and stared straight at her.
"O-Of course."
Looking at Naruto's handsome face, Sakura became so nervous that she stuttered.
"Then come with me to the convenience store to grab some snacks."
"My treat."
Faced with Naruto's enthusiastic invitation, Sakura shyly agreed.
"Bring me a soda."
As Naruto was stepping out of the classroom, Sasuke casually assigned him an errand.
"Got it."
Without looking back, Naruto made an OK gesture and left with Sakura.
...
"Naruto just can't sit still."
"First day of school, and he's already taking a girl to buy snacks."
Shikamaru glanced at Chōji, making a comment. He had known Naruto since they were little.
After all, his father was still one of Minato's closest aides.
"If he brings you something, share some with me."
"I'm almost out of chips."
Chōji didn't care about much else. He just knew that Naruto was always generous with his friends.
"All you ever think about is food."
Shikamaru rolled his eyes and swiped the last chip from Chōji's bag.
"That was my last one."
"If you steal my final chip again, I'll challenge you to a duel."
Chōji crumpled the empty bag in his hands, his round face turning red with frustration.
"Yeah, yeah. What a pain."
Shikamaru slumped onto his desk, his lazy demeanor on full display.
Just as he was about to close his eyes, something interesting caught his attention.
Ino had finally mustered the courage to approach Sasuke.
Before she could even speak, Sasuke looked up at her.
"U-Um… Hi."
"Can we be friends?"
Ino nervously stretched out her hand, slightly lowering her head to avoid eye contact.
"Hello."
"Don't bother me unless it's important. Thanks."
Out of politeness, Sasuke gave her hand a brief shake before turning away.
"Tsk, tsk… That's rough."
Watching Ino walk away in disappointment, Shikamaru couldn't help but sigh.