The next morning, in the school classroom, Naruto propped his chin on his hand and idly flipped through the "Mastery of Sealing Jutsu" on his desk. The surrounding students were chatting in small groups, a relaxed atmosphere of a new semester filling the air.
Just then, the classroom door was gently pushed open, and a familiar figure walked in. It was Satsuki.
She was the same as always, her long black hair falling smoothly, a hint of coolness on her fair cheeks. She walked straight to the seat next to Naruto and sat down, saying softly, "Good morning."
It seems she really thought she fooled everyone with the "skiing" excuse...
Naruto couldn't help but complain inwardly, but on the surface, he replied casually, "Morning, Satsuki."
Satsuki nodded slightly, then opened her textbook, looking as if she were engrossed in her studies. However, Naruto keenly noticed that the tips of her ears seemed a bit red. It seemed her "slip-up" last night had not been completely forgotten.
But after a night to cool down, her shyness seemed to have been forcibly suppressed...
Naruto secretly breathed a sigh of relief. If Satsuki had actually become all shy and awkward because of that sentence, he wouldn't have known how to deal with it. At least now, they could maintain their usual way of getting along.
However, just as Naruto thought the morning would pass peacefully, an unexpected voice suddenly came from the side.
"Um... your name is Naruto, right? Do you have a moment?"
Naruto turned and saw a little blond loli standing in front of him, a slightly nervous smile on her face.
Ino Yamanaka?
He knew her, of course. In the original story, she was the "Ino" of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio among the Konoha 12. She had a crush on Sasuke, but now... Sasuke had become Satsuki. Would Ino still be interested in her like in the original?
"Yes, I'm Naruto," he said with a friendly smile. "You're Ino Yamanaka, right? What can I do for you?"
Ino seemed surprised that Naruto remembered her name. Her eyes widened slightly. "You know me? That's great!"
She leaned in a little closer and asked in a low voice.
"Um... are you and Satsuki close? I wanted to ask what her hobbies are...?!"
The question left Naruto a bit stunned. In the original story, it was understandable for Ino to like Sasuke; it was a little girl liking a handsome boy. But now Sasuke was a girl! Could it be that even with the gender swap, the Emo Kid's charm was still that powerful?
Ino's words suddenly caught in her throat.
Her usually energetic voice was cut off as if by some invisible force. The smile on her face froze, and her pupils contracted slightly.
...So, so scary.
Her gaze uncontrollably shifted to Naruto's side—there, Satsuki was quietly looking at her.
No, it was more like "staring" than "looking."
Deep within those dark black eyes, something cold was churning, like a bottomless, icy pool.
A layer of cold sweat instantly broke out on Ino's back... Wh-What is that look?!
Just yesterday in class, Satsuki had been cool and elegant, but now, her eyes held an undisguised hostility.
"Hmm? What's wrong, Ino?" Naruto asked in confusion, looking at Ino's suddenly frozen expression, which even held a hint of fear.
"Um... it's nothing! ...I'm so sorry!"
Ino took a sharp step back, quickly bowed in apology, and then turned and ran, not even daring to look back.
"...Huh?"
Naruto looked at Ino's rapidly retreating figure in a daze, completely baffled as to what had just happened.
He turned his head in confusion and looked at Satsuki beside him. However, Satsuki's expression had already returned to its usual coolness, as if that momentary terrifying glare was just an illusion.
"...Satsuki?" Naruto asked tentatively.
"Hmm?" Satsuki tilted her head slightly, her tone innocent.
"Ino just now..."
"I don't know," Satsuki cut him off cleanly, then casually opened her textbook. "Maybe she suddenly remembered something."
On the other side, Ino had fled back to her seat, her face frighteningly pale, her chest heaving.
"So? Did you find out?"
Beside her, a little pink-haired loli immediately leaned in, her eyes shining with anticipation. "Satsuki... what are her hobbies?"
Ino Yamanaka, who had originally been amused by her friend's sudden interest in someone of the same gender, suddenly grabbed Sakura's shoulders.
She took a deep breath and said in a serious tone.
"I think you'd better stay away from that person, Sakura."
"Huh? Why?" Sakura was completely unable to understand her friend's sudden warning. She had been eagerly awaiting the information Ino could dig up on the cool Uchiha heiress.
Ino's expression became unusually grave. "Listen to me! This path is very dangerous! I was almost killed just now!"
"Killed? I don't understand what you're talking about..."
"Just listen to me!"
Completely unaware of the near-incident, Naruto began his lesson. Iruka's lecture today was on teamwork and survival skills for ninja on missions.
Things like identifying poisons, purifying water sources, and techniques for tracking and counter-tracking.
Naruto found it quite useful. Learning outdoor survival skills in school was a fresh experience.
After the morning lessons, the scent of lunch gradually filled the classroom. Satsuki, as usual, took out her carefully prepared bento box.
She was about to call Naruto over to eat with her when she noticed his gaze was thoughtfully directed towards the back of the classroom.
"What's wrong, Naruto? Didn't you make lunch? You can have some of mine."
Naruto shook his head. He had made a bento today, and a lot of it. His goal... was naturally to make new friends, to establish bonds and get system points.
"Satsuki, you know? We used to train together because we didn't know anyone else our age. But now..." his gaze swept over the students gathered in small groups in the classroom.
"Since we're in the Ninja Academy, of course we should make some friends."
Snap.
A faint sound came from Satsuki's chopsticks.
Naruto... wants to make friends? Satsuki's eyes narrowed slightly. The image of that blond girl fleeing in panic this morning suddenly flashed in her mind.
She slowly put down her chopsticks, a perfect smile on her lips. The sunlight from behind her cast a faint shadow on her delicate face, making the smile seem particularly profound.
"I see... so who does Naruto want to be friends with?"
Naruto pointed enthusiastically at the pineapple-headed boy and the little fatty at the back of the classroom. "Look at those two. I told you yesterday, they're the heirs of the Nara and Akimichi clans."
His voice was filled with an undisguised excitement. "That's the next generation of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio. If I could become friends with them..."
Satsuki's gaze followed Naruto's finger. Shikamaru was lazily leaning against the window, while Choji was engrossed in unwrapping his bento, his face filled with anticipation for his meal.
...They're boys?
The realization made Satsuki's eyes widen slightly. She suddenly understood something. Could it be!
In Satsuki's understanding of Konoha's social circles, she was the heiress of the Uchiha clan, but Naruto, though talented, was an orphan with no background... if their family backgrounds didn't match in the future...
Satsuki's heart suddenly raced... If Naruto wants to establish himself in Konoha, he really does need to build his own network.
I see... he's even thought that far ahead...
"Oh, I see," Satsuki's voice suddenly became cheerful, and she nodded. "You're right. You should get along well with them."
Naruto was taken aback for a moment. He hadn't expected Satsuki to agree so readily. He felt that something was off with her reaction, but her sudden good mood left him baffled.
"Well... I'm heading over then?"
"Mhm, go on," Satsuki said with a smiling wave, watching as Naruto walked towards the back of the classroom.
-------
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