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"What a joke! My foot stepped into the school gate first!"
Rock Lee didn't care and laughed loudly, "Today, we must also put in our best effort!"
"Naruto!"
"Oh, you too, Lee!"
The two went their separate ways, completely ignoring the strange looks from others, and walked towards their respective classrooms.
"[Host, while the class hasn't started, continue to practice the Chakra Refining Technique. Don't relax for a single moment!]"
Naruto had gradually gotten used to being exploited.
"Alright, right away!"
He immediately dashed towards his seat.
His figure brushed past Sakura Haruno.
"Nar..."
Sakura Haruno was about to say something, but she found that Naruto completely ignored her, as if she didn't exist in his eyes.
Her raised hand stopped in mid-air, frozen.
Turning her head, she saw that Naruto had already quickly taken his seat and immediately began his practice.
Although Sakura Haruno still didn't like Naruto, she couldn't help but feel a bit lost.
"Naruto..."
"What's wrong with that guy?"
If it were the old Naruto, what would he do at this time... "Good morning, Sakura-chan!"
He would definitely be all smiles, wildly waving his hands to greet her, then shamelessly rushing over... But, this is fine too.
Sakura Haruno shook her head, glad she wouldn't be pestered by that guy anymore.
Anyway, my heart only belongs to Sasuke.
As she thought this, she heard a chorus of girlish cheers and reflexively turned to look. Sure enough, amidst a flurry of girls, she saw that longed-for face.
"Sasuke-kun!"
Sakura Haruno's heart stirred, and her expression instantly changed as she rushed forward, showering him with questions.
"He's still so handsome..."
"But, why does he look so tired? Did he not sleep well last night?"
"Do you want something to drink?"
"Get out of the way!"
Sakura Haruno was startled and quickly stepped back, clearing the path.
"Sasuke-kun..."
Sasuke walked indifferently through the crowd, treating the girls' concern and flattery as mere background noise.
He seemingly casually glanced at Naruto, his expression subtly changing, and his brows furrowed again.
"Damn it..."
Sasuke gnashed his teeth, clenching his fists, recalling the scene he witnessed yesterday... "Diao Che Wei, do you really want to surpass me?"
"Don't dream!"
He, too, quickly sat down, his eyes filled with determination, and immediately forced himself into a state of practice.
The girls immediately began to chatter and discuss.
Ino Yamanaka also moved closer to Sakura Haruno.
"What's wrong with Sasuke-kun?"
"Although he said he didn't care, it seems to me that he was really provoked by that Naruto guy..."
"The old him, though he also worked hard, wasn't this restless..."
Sakura Haruno was both doubtful and worried, looking at the diligently practicing Sasuke, then glancing back at the even more diligent Naruto.
For a moment, she didn't know what was happening to this world.
She knew in her heart that what Ino said was probably true.
Could it be... Sasuke cares about Naruto, even more than he cares about her?
How could that be... How could that annoying Diao Che Wei compare to her, who was beautiful and academically excellent?
However... Sakura Haruno's heart pounded, and a feeling of suppressed frustration arose within her.
Ino Yamanaka added, "It's not just Sasuke-kun, but Hinata too..."
Her mind was delicate and sensitive, far more so than her outwardly carefree demeanor suggested.
Sakura Haruno looked towards Hinata and indeed found that she was also paying attention to Naruto, and like him, was working doubly hard, already beginning her practice, as if she were following in Naruto's footsteps... What's going on... How did this world suddenly start revolving around Naruto?
This is simply too absurd?!
Just a mere Diao Che Wei, and what's more, a guy who used to only revolve around her, like a fawning lapdog, how could he suddenly...
Her heart stirred.
Used to... So that's already in the past?
Naruto, what kind of magic is hidden within that guy?
Sakura Haruno couldn't help but truly focus her attention on Naruto for the first time... Chapter 20 Iruka: My son has grown up and is promising... "Hmm... He still looks so ordinary..."
"Compared to Sasuke-kun, both his appearance and temperament are far inferior..."
This was the first time Sakura Haruno had carefully observed Naruto.
Then... Why do Hinata and Sasuke-kun value him so much?
Hard work? Focus?
But these are only from the last two days... Before that, he seemed to be good for nothing.
Sakura Haruno shook her head, trying her best to understand, but still failed.
"Never mind, I don't need to worry about Naruto."
Although she said that, Naruto's transformation was like a thorn in Sakura's heart.
Ino Yamanaka's thoughts were far more delicate than Sakura Haruno's.
Similarly, she possessed insight beyond her age.
Although she didn't fully understand the relationship between Naruto and Sasuke, she subtly perceived something.
It was a tacit understanding born of shared experience.
As the daughter of the Yamanaka clan head, she vaguely knew what had happened to Sasuke.
Though they were both orphans and outwardly seemed to dislike each other, deep down, they probably had a sense of huddling together for warmth... This was Ino Yamanaka's understanding.
As for Hinata... She seemed to have been paying attention to Naruto for a long time.
Something must have happened between them.
But this was beyond what Ino could guess.
Ultimately, her liking for Sasuke, Hinata's liking for Naruto, Naruto's liking for Sakura, and Sakura's liking for Sasuke, were essentially no different.
However, with Naruto's sudden change, his attitude towards Sakura also seemed to have subtly shifted.
This abruptly shattered the chain.
Especially since Hinata and Sasuke are now both very focused on Naruto, Sakura probably can't understand or accept these things for a while...
Ino Yamanaka sighed and shook her head.
The concerns of young boys and girls are truly complex...
During the classes that day, Naruto was still incredibly driven.
However, the ridicule from his classmates had greatly diminished.
When Naruto first started changing, most people thought he was just a flash in the pan, wouldn't last long, and even openly mocked his small goal of getting into the top ten in the assessment a month later.
But now, he continued to persevere as before, and those taunts slowly subsided.
Even those who completely ignored Naruto could feel that, because of his transformation, the atmosphere in the entire classroom was changing.
From Uchiha Sasuke to Hyuga Hinata, and then to Sakura Haruno, Ino Yamanaka, everyone seemed different from before.
Even Inuzuka Kiba, seeing Naruto's efforts, involuntarily forced himself to work harder.
Of course, Shino Aburame was the same, but no one noticed him.
Only Nara Shikamaru and Akimichi Choji remained unchanged.
As Naruto's only two former companions, these two were the least affected, one eating and one sleeping, stubbornly maintaining their personas.
During class, Iruka-sensei asked Naruto another question.
This time, for the first time ever... Naruto actually answered it completely correctly!
Not just Iruka, but the entire classroom let out exclamations of disbelief.
Hinata's small face was red, and she lowered her head with her fingertips touching, but the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up in delight.
"Naruto-kun... That's great..."
Her sweet, little secret, known to no one, was... that she also had a part in this.
This made Hinata feel even happier.
Sakura Haruno was also stunned.
"He actually answered it correctly..."
"Is that Naruto?"
She immediately subconsciously turned her head to observe Sasuke's reaction.
Sure enough, she saw him gnashing his teeth, his brows tightly furrowed, appearing very annoyed.