Once Naruto settled into his seat, the students in the front row struck up a conversation with him.
Introductions were made, giving everyone a basic sense of one another.
Little did Naruto know, in a quiet corner of the classroom, a girl with short, lavender hair and Byakugan eyes was watching him, her small face faintly flushed, her thoughts a mystery.
After all the students had introduced themselves, Iruka led them to pick up their textbooks. Then, a familiar scene unfolded for the students.
A crowd immediately swarmed around Naruto and Sasuke.
Naruto, too, began to get a preliminary feel for his classmates. Some were from prominent clans, others were commoners. From these initial interactions, there were a few he thought might be worth befriending.
"Sasuke, Naruto, hi! I-I-I'm Haruno Sakura. I hope we can be good friends," a pink-haired girl said, pulling a blonde girl along with her, her face adorably shy.
"I'm Yamanaka Ino! We introduced ourselves earlier, but I bet you didn't remember. Make sure you remember now, okay?" Compared to the seemingly timid Sakura, Ino was much more outgoing and vibrant.
"Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino, is it?" Naruto said with a gentle smile. "You're both very pretty. I'll remember you."
Sakura and Ino beamed at Naruto's praise.
Beside them, Sasuke couldn't help but roll his eyes, muttering to himself. Naruto sure doesn't hold back when complimenting girls, but he's always so damn strict about my training results.
Sasuke was, after all, still a kid. After grueling training, he always hoped for a word of praise from his partner. But every time, all he got was Naruto's mild, "Not bad, but you still need to work harder."
It left Sasuke feeling incredibly frustrated; he yearned for some genuine commendation too.
The subsequent ninja classes were exceedingly dull. Iruka covered only the most basic knowledge, things Naruto had already learned from books. Besides the fundamentals, Iruka also taught about the Will of Fire, the spirit of a ninja, and similar concepts. Naruto was long since intimately familiar with these. If it came to understanding the Will of Fire, he could absolutely be considered a master. He could probably even write a sequel to it.
After school.
Naruto and Sasuke walked side-by-side to the entrance, waiting for Rock Lee. The three of them then headed towards the training grounds together.
As soon as they stepped onto the field, they saw Naruto's clones already training with fiery enthusiasm.
"Naruto! You've been secretly training with Shadow Clones!" Sasuke's eyes widened, his voice rising.
"Not really," Naruto replied with a smile. "I've always used Shadow Clones for training, quite openly."
"But I thought you'd take it easy on the first day of the Academy!"
"That's just what you thought. You've known me for so long; do I seem like the type to slack off?" Naruto dropped his backpack and began to stretch. "If anything, you're the one who slacked off today, Sasuke."
"Hmph. I admit, the thought of slacking did cross my mind today," Sasuke said, a little ashamed. He quickly dropped his own bag and started stretching too.
Looking over at Rock Lee, they saw he had already begun his warm-up run.
"Lee really is the hardest worker," Sasuke couldn't help but comment.
"I don't have your kind of talent, so I can only rely on hard work," Lee said, scratching his head sheepishly, flashing a wide, toothy grin.
"You're already number one year," Sasuke said, a hint of sourness in his tone.
In a recent practical combat session, Rock Lee had made a stunning impact, defeating various classmates and instantly establishing himself as the strongest in their grade. He had even defeated the previous top student, Hyuga Neji, successfully demonstrating how a commoner dedicated to Taijutsu could indeed overcome a genius.
Ever since getting to know Naruto, Sasuke's motivation to train had grown daily. To surpass Naruto, he had pestered Itachi for various methods to get stronger. He would also occasionally use the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu to aid his training. However, his recovery speed, total chakra reserves, and pain tolerance were inferior to Naruto's, so he could, at most, use only one shadow clone to assist him. And even then, he'd need several days to recover afterward.
This made Sasuke keenly aware that if he blindly focused only on Taijutsu, he would never be able to catch up to Naruto and Lee. So, with Itachi's help, Sasuke had begun to delve into ninjutsu and chakra nature transformations. Although his progress was slow, he was at least making some headway.
Everyone began their respective training routines. Naruto, however, sat cross-legged on the grass, closed his eyes, and placed Kyoka Suigetsu in front of him. The Reiatsu within him surged and circulated as Naruto entered a serene, almost ethereal state. He focused on the subtle sensations in the air, also becoming aware of the ninja monitoring them from nearby.
Naruto remembered Aizen-sensei once saying that mastering a Zanpakuto's Shikai was merely the beginning; beyond it lay the even more powerful Bankai. Moreover, there were nearly a hundred Kido spells, all requiring even greater control over one's Reiatsu.
As things stood, the power of a Shinigami clearly offered him a greater boost than ninja abilities. To possess the strength to protect himself, Naruto spent a significant amount of time each day cultivating his Shinigami powers.
Nearby, Sasuke glanced curiously at the dark green blade of Kyoka Suigetsu. He had once asked Naruto why he was so attached to that particular sword, carrying it with him everywhere.
Naruto would always give a knowing smile and say, "When you can force me to use its Shikai, then you'll understand this sword's true power."
Shikai? What's that?
With this question burning in his mind, Sasuke pushed himself relentlessly, hoping that one day he could uncover the full extent of Naruto's strength.
Becoming an Academy student hadn't changed Naruto's life much. He continued to amass his power, not yet having even used Kyoka Suigetsu's Shikai.
In the days that followed, Naruto grew familiar with his classmates. The prominent members of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio—Yamanaka Ino, Akimichi Choji, and Nara Shikamaru—were all individuals he had mentally bookmarked as potential friends. The families they represented were pillars of Konoha's strength. Naruto had high hopes for Nara Shikamaru; he knew Shikamaru possessed a brilliant intellect, often able to see to the heart of matters. Akimichi Choji was a good sort too; though a bit of a glutton, he was the type who would go through hell and back for his friends. As for Yamanaka Ino, aside from being a bit boy-crazy, she didn't have any major flaws.
What surprised Naruto a little was that Ino and Sakura didn't seem interested in his "warm, gentle guy" persona. Instead, they both fawned over Sasuke, the cool, aloof type—the kind that "you always want what you can't have." Every day, to and from school, they would cling to Sasuke, trying their best to show off.
This gave Sasuke a massive headache. He had even appealed to Naruto for help at one point.
Naruto, however, was on the sidelines, happily enjoying the drama.
In the otherwise mundane life of the Ninja Academy, the fledgling romantic stirrings between the young boys and girls served as a rather amusing diversion.
Compared to Sasuke, Naruto—always gentle, like a friendly older brother—was clearly more easily liked and trusted by their classmates.