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The next afternoon, during the first class, the weather was bright and sunny with fluffy white clouds in the sky. The chirping of cicadas could be heard from outside the classroom, creating a pleasant ambiance.
Iruka wrote a few lines on the blackboard, turned to face the students, and smiled as he asked, "If tomorrow were the end of the world, who would you most want to be with?"
Naruto continued working on his shogi pieces…
"What kind of apocalypse are we talking about?" Kiba asked.
"For example," Iruka began, "what if aliens invaded or the moon fell down?" His sentence was cut off before he could finish.
At first, Naruto didn't think much of it, but then something felt off, so he quickly interrupted, "The moon won't fall!"
"Why not?" Iruka asked with a smile.
After speaking with the Third Hokage recently, Iruka had learned more about Naruto's past. He also noticed changes in Naruto's behavior in class lately. Deciding to change his attitude toward Naruto—at the very least acting like a proper teacher—this seemed like the perfect opportunity. Naruto rarely interacted with anyone outside of class, and even during lessons, he often spaced out. Now that Naruto had spoken up for the first time, Iruka saw this as a chance.
Why? Naruto thought internally. Can I tell you your mouth is like a cursed prophecy machine? If you go on about Earth splitting in half or some divine descent, how am I supposed to survive? Please stop jinxing me—I'm afraid if you keep going, I'll have no way to fight back.
"Because I'm going up there to get married!" Naruto declared confidently.
Because you're getting married, the moon can't fall? Does it listen to you now?
Though Iruka thought this, he didn't say it aloud. Instead, he asked, "So, who do you want to be with the most?"
"Well…" Naruto pondered. I'd like to go back and be with my family, but I also want Hinata to be there too. But that's impossible.
Just as he was about to answer, Iruka interrupted with a smile, "Write it down and save it."
The entire class erupted into chatter, writing all sorts of answers.
Naruto wrote his response and then noticed Hinata finishing hers. Deciding to tease the little girl, he scooted closer to her.
"So, Hinata-chan, who did you write down?" Naruto leaned over, pretending to peek at her paper.
Hinata quickly covered it up, her face turning red as she asked, "What about you, Naruto-kun? Who did you write?"
Internally, she felt a mix of anticipation and worry.
Seeing Hinata's flushed cheeks, Naruto decided to continue teasing her. Leaning closer, he whispered in her ear, "Me? Of course, I wrote Hinata-chan."
"Eek…" With a thud, Hinata fainted.
Naruto sighed, slapping his forehead. Great, I went too far again. Looks like no one will talk to me this afternoon.
Two classes later, Naruto and Sasuke headed to the rooftop to train, only to run into Iruka along the way.
"I'm heading out, Iruka-sensei," Naruto greeted cheerfully. After noticing Iruka's change in attitude toward him, he decided to greet him warmly—he still liked Iruka from watching anime.
"Hmm," Iruka nodded, clearly surprised by Naruto's greeting.
Watching Sasuke and Naruto disappear from sight, it took him a moment to realize something important—he was their homeroom teacher, and they were skipping class!
Turning around, he rushed to the rooftop, only to find no trace of them.
After three or four days of morning training, both Naruto and Sasuke could climb trees. Naruto decided to practice walking on water the next morning while continuing to spar with the tree in the afternoon.
"Sasuke, follow me."
The next morning, Naruto stopped Sasuke just as he was about to climb another tree. Why do you always pick fights with trees? Can't you let them rest for a couple of days?
"Oh."
Beside the small grove flowed a narrow stream, less than a meter and a half wide. Naruto didn't care—it wasn't a bathtub.
"We've climbed trees; now it's time to hit the ocean… wait, wrong—I mean, it's time to hit the water." Naruto quickly corrected himself.
He demonstrated for Sasuke, concentrating chakra into his feet and stepping onto the surface of the water. After holding on for half a second, he fell into the river with a splash.
Half a second was enough for Sasuke to understand. Walking on water required the same chakra control as climbing trees, but unlike stationary trees, water flowed, so the amount of chakra needed to constantly adapt.
With that in mind, Sasuke focused his chakra and stepped onto the water—but promptly sank with a splash.
Neither of them cared much since neither lasted long, and neither had the right to laugh at the other. They climbed out and tried again.
Thirty minutes before class, deep in the woods, two boys wearing nothing but their underwear sat by a fire, drying their clothes. They couldn't return to class without drying off first.
Naruto sat comfortably, feeling the warmth of the flames.
Sasuke, however, felt awkward. He wasn't used to sitting nearly naked beside someone else and found it hard to relax.
"You've got a nice build, kid," Naruto teased. Sasuke's pale skin and well-defined muscles from training made him look quite fit.
"Huh? What? What do you mean?" Sasuke froze. The Naruto he knew was usually serious—why was he suddenly saying things like this?
"It's nothing. Just complimenting you."
"Oh… thanks," Sasuke replied absentmindedly. After Naruto's comment, his mind couldn't catch up, and he responded automatically.
That was just how Naruto was—quiet around people he didn't know well but extremely talkative once he became familiar with them.
Many modern people were like this: serious when unfamiliar, but once you got to know them, you'd think, Is this guy an idiot? And vice versa—they probably thought the same of you.
During the next two classes, Naruto zoned out, practicing Sage Mode as usual. Years of effort had yielded no progress, but leaving his mind blank felt natural to him.
During break time, Hinata, believing Naruto might not feel shy after yesterday's comments, brought him a bento box.
Naruto almost cried when he saw Hinata's blushing face as she handed him the lunch.
I thought you'd never bring me another one! he thought. Why did you suddenly take it back last time when everything was fine?
He accepted the bento solemnly, as though receiving a wedding ring, and smiled brightly.
"Thanks, Hinata!" Naruto grinned, looking like a fox who'd stolen a chicken. Realizing how inappropriate that expression was, he quickly adjusted it to resemble a nine-year-old child instead.
"I-It's no problem…" Hinata stammered, twiddling her fingers nervously while avoiding eye contact. Her ears burned red.
Finding her adorable, Naruto pinched her cheek lightly, causing her to faint for an entire class period.
Naruto resolved not to tease Hinata like this during class anymore—it was interfering with her studies. While he didn't care much, she obviously did.
At noon, Naruto and Hinata sat together on the rooftop, eating lunch.
The homemade bento was delicious, bringing tears to Naruto's eyes after years of store-bought meals.
"Doesn't it taste good, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked softly, worried it might not suit his taste.
"It's amazing! Hinata, your cooking skills are incredible!" Naruto exclaimed.
Finally, this single dog had someone bringing him food. Someone kindhearted had taken him home, even though the girl ate more than he did…
As for where Sasuke ate lunch? Who cares? If you dare interrupt my alone time with Hinata, I'll risk being trapped in Itachi's Tsukuyomi to wipe out the last Uchiha heir.
And so, Naruto spent his lunch enjoying Hinata's bento, dinner providing grilled meat, saving some snacks for her late-night meal, and escorting her home at 6:30 PM. Life felt blissful.
That is, until the shogi match against Kurama began…