"So boring..."
Naruto slumped over his desk, occasionally glancing at Iruka, who was lecturing passionately at the front, and then at the classmate seated to his right.
From time to time, he looked out the window to his left.
A perfect example of zoning out and being completely distracted.
"Naruto, stop squirming around! Do you have fleas or something?"
Sasuke, who shared the desk with Naruto and sat to his left, scolded him with irritation.
"Naruto! Stand outside and listen to the lesson!"
Without even looking back, Iruka continued writing furiously on the blackboard while speaking.
He couldn't be bothered to even glance at Naruto, whom he found insufferable. Paying him too much attention only made things worse.
...
Hearing Iruka's command, Naruto pouted and stood up.
Sasuke stifled a laugh; this guy ended up standing outside the classroom almost every day.
Naruto glared at Sasuke, then reluctantly left the classroom, muttering to himself.
"If only I could perfect the Shadow Clone technique, I'd stop coming here. This is so annoying—always making me stand outside. Why not just let me go home early? Don't they realize standing burns more energy? When I become a ninja, I'll definitely teach Iruka a lesson for picking on me all the time. It wasn't even me talking earlier; it was Sasuke! All I did was look around a bit..."
As Naruto stepped outside, Sasuke calmed his mind and focused on his books. He'd already learned everything Iruka was teaching and had started studying next year's material.
Thanks to being influenced by Hiruzen Sarutobi, Sasuke no longer solely focused on strength. He understood the importance of knowledge, especially when still weak—it helped distinguish right from wrong.
...
"Naruto..."
Hinata, a short-haired girl with pale eyes, softly murmured Naruto's name as he walked out. Her index fingers fidgeted nervously.
Meanwhile, Ino Yamanaka and Sakura Haruno were staring dreamily at Sasuke's focused profile, their eyes filled with longing.
It was as if they were imagining a life where they married Sasuke, monopolizing him, and living happily ever after. They had probably even picked out baby names by now.
Kiba Inuzuka, on the other hand, was busy playing with his little pup.
Shino Aburame, wearing sunglasses, sat quietly in the corner while small bugs crawled over his head. To an uninformed observer, it might have looked like he hadn't washed his hair in ages, attracting swarms of tiny insects.
...
Taking advantage of the noise Naruto made while leaving, Choji Akimichi swiftly reached into his bag of chips, grabbed a handful, and stuffed them into his mouth. He then covered his mouth with his chubby hand, waiting for the chips to soften from saliva before chewing.
Eating one chip at a time didn't deliver enough flavor, but thanks to Naruto's distraction, he could now indulge himself.
The rich taste and texture of the chips made him ecstatic. Chips were best enjoyed in big bites.
Shikamaru propped his right elbow on the desk, resting his cheek on his hand, while spinning a pen with his left hand.
"This is starting to feel personal," Shikamaru muttered under his breath.
Then he sighed, bored out of his mind.
"Man, what a dull life... I wish I could just go out and play. What about you, Choji?"
Caught in his thoughts, Shikamaru addressed Choji, who was sitting ahead of him.
"Mm-hmm..."
Choji turned around, his cheeks puffed out, nodding with a muffled response.
"At this rate, your chips won't last until the end of class," Shikamaru commented, noticing the crumbs at the corners of Choji's mouth.
"Huh?"
Choji froze for a moment before responding with a startled noise.
Watching Choji pull out a scroll from his backpack, Shikamaru shook his head in silence. He'd never understand the world of a foodie.
...
"What's the situation with the Hidden Mist Village?"
In the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi, holding a document, asked a kneeling ninja in front of him without looking up.
"They're using the same old rhetoric, claiming that Konoha broke its promises of good faith. They accuse us of using the alliance as a pretext to wreak havoc and cause destruction in their village."
Hearing this, Hiruzen frowned slightly and put down the document.
If it weren't for his troublesome son frequently bringing it up, he might have forgotten about this entirely.
When it came to negotiations, the more proactive side often ended up at a disadvantage.
"By the way, has Kakashi returned yet?"
Hiruzen suddenly remembered that he hadn't seen Kakashi in quite some time—his unique mask and distinctive hairstyle had been absent lately.
"Lord Kakashi hasn't been heard from since he left the village on his last mission. It's highly possible that he was killed..."
The ninja from the Anbu responded somberly to Hiruzen's inquiry.
"Impossible. He's the son of the White Fang of Konoha. He wouldn't go down so easily. He's probably run into some trouble. Those rogue ninjas wouldn't have the power to defeat him. Send someone to investigate!"
Hearing the words from the Anbu, Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes gleamed sharply, exuding a powerful aura like that of a tiger awakening from slumber, pressing down on the Anbu before him.
...
"Yes!"
"White Fang… I never expected things to end like this. I only wanted to… Sigh."
In the empty office, a wistful sigh escaped Hiruzen Sarutobi's lips.
Both Might Guy and Kurenai, two of his most capable jōnin, were trapped in the Hidden Mist Village, and Kakashi's whereabouts were also unknown. For a moment, he felt as though he had no one competent to rely on.
That was why such a sigh slipped out.
The prestige of Konoha's White Fang had once been unmatched. Yet, due to his own misjudgment, he had almost been forced to resign in disgrace.
White Fang was originally the best candidate for the Fourth Hokage. However, at the time, Hiruzen's personal bias had swayed him—he didn't want the Hokage title to fall into the hands of an outsider.
So he had subtly suggested something to Danzo, knowing full well Danzo's relentless ambition to become Hokage.
Exploiting Danzo's mindset, he let them fight amongst themselves, intending to stay behind the scenes and clean up afterward.
But he had underestimated Danzo's ruthlessness. Before he could react, White Fang was utterly defeated by Danzo's schemes.
It turned out Danzo understood human nature—and White Fang's weaknesses—far too well.
Even Hiruzen had not foreseen that the heroic warrior and Hokage candidate would ultimately take his own life.
Hiruzen had never truly wanted White Fang to die; he simply didn't want him to become Hokage.
But it was too late. Even Orochimaru, the other potential candidate, had long been under Danzo's manipulation.
Back then, Danzo had been closer to becoming Hokage than ever before…
Thankfully, Minato had risen to the occasion. After some maneuvering and Hiruzen's efforts to package him as the ideal candidate, Minato successfully shattered Danzo's ambitions.
Still, even in defeat, Danzo had found ways to disgust him.
And not just a little—Danzo had left him deeply repulsed.
His most promising apprentice, Orochimaru… Sigh.
...
"Go to the Hidden Mist Village again and find out what this new Mizukage wants. Are they planning for war?"
Hiruzen fixed his gaze on the Anbu captain he had summoned and issued his command.
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
To Hiruzen, the Hidden Mist Village's unreasonable detention of Konoha's people was an overt display of hostility—a ploy aimed at Konoha.
Two groups had already been sent over the past six months, yet they had returned without even a trace of Might Guy or Kurenai. This left Hiruzen seething with frustration.
The idea that Might Guy and Kurenai would cause trouble in the Hidden Mist Village was utterly ridiculous.
It was nothing more than a baseless accusation made to justify their actions.
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