Chapter 52: My Name is Uzumaki Naruto
"What? Root clashed with Uchiha Itachi?"
Inside the Hokage Office, Sarutobi Hiruzen slammed the table and shot up upon hearing the ANBU's report.
He now understood the general situation and realized how bad it was.
Shimura Danzō's Root ambushing and killing Uchiha Shisui – that was within his expectations.
But, that idiot actually got discovered by Uchiha Itachi, and the two sides even clashed.
"Hooo~"
Although Sarutobi Hiruzen was old, he was still the Hokage, after all.
He quickly controlled his emotions.
Regardless, Shisui is already dead. That pair of Mangekyō Sharingan must have fallen into Danzō's hands.
That's enough.
As for Uchiha Itachi...
After some thought, he shook his head: "Itachi knows what he's doing. Bring them here later."
The Uchiha clan must have already learned of Shisui's death.
But he couldn't completely break ties with the Uchiha clan just yet.
And with the Uchiha clan having lost Shisui, a 'combat asset' and 'information channel', they probably wouldn't rebel directly, perhaps even postponing the coup.
Thinking this, Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Itachi, I hope you don't disappoint me."
...
At this moment, inside the Ninja Academy, it was still peaceful.
Naruto sat in the second-to-last row, by the window.
A smile played on his lips, his eyes slightly narrowed, observing his surroundings imperceptibly.
The civilian children only warranted a fleeting glance.
Only when he saw the few people sitting in the middle of the classroom did his gaze pause.
"Yamanaka, Akimichi, and Nara... is this Konoha's Ino-Shika-Cho trio?"
Under Menma's tutelage, Naruto also had some understanding of Konoha's history.
The families behind these three were all mainstay forces of Konoha, and also firm supporters of the Hokage.
Especially the Nara clan; heard their IQs are very high...
Just as Naruto pondered,
"Excuse me..."
A little girl with long blonde hair tied in a ponytail suddenly blocked his view, asking somewhat timidly: "Excuse me, may I sit here?"
"Of course, no problem. It would be my honor."
Naruto snapped back, stood up to let her pass, smiling gently.
Rather than asking 'may I', it's more like 'couldn't be better'.
The bright golden sunlight streaming through the window illuminated Naruto's blond hair even more dazzlingly.
Coupled with his warm, sunny smile, Yamanaka Ino was instantly captivated, her eyes full of wonder.
Mature, sunny, handsome – simply her perfect ideal type!
I thought that cool handsome guy from the Uchiha clan was already great, didn't expect someone even better here!
"...Classmate?"
Only when Naruto spoke did Ino's thoughts break.
She lowered her head somewhat embarrassedly, squeezed into the inner seat, and whispered: "Th-thank you."
"My name is Uzumaki Naruto. Nice to meet you."
"My name is Yamanaka Ino."
After a simple exchange, the two fell silent again.
Naruto didn't rush to find topics to chat with Ino, instead turning his head to look towards the classroom podium.
Haste makes waste. Leaving a good impression is enough for now. Being too eager will only make people suspect ulterior motives.
Seeing this, Ino also sat up straight, but her gaze still kept drifting towards Naruto beside her.
"How many kids should we have? What should we name them?"
Little thoughts constantly ran through her head, already progressing to the grandchildren stage.
Meanwhile, Haruno Sakura, hovering around Uchiha Sasuke nearby, watched her best friend fall for another handsome guy.
She rolled her eyes somewhat disdainfully, then turned her head back towards the cold-faced Uchiha Sasuke.
"Although... that handsome guy and Sasuke seem to each have their own merits..."
Just then, Iruka walked into the classroom and wrote his name on the blackboard.
"Hello everyone. I am your teacher, Umino Iruka."
Umino Iruka's1 gaze swept over each student's face, finally lingering on Naruto's face for several seconds, complex emotions in his eyes.
Although he already knew from Lord Hokage that he would become Uzumaki Naruto's teacher,
Upon actually seeing Naruto, Iruka couldn't stop the feeling of hatred from welling up inside.
His parents died in the Nine-Tails Rampage.
And Naruto was the Jinchūriki carrying the Nine-Tails.
Even knowing he was just a child who had done nothing wrong, the hatred in his heart couldn't be easily dispelled.
"Hm?"
Naruto, highly sensitive to others' gazes, also felt a sense of doubt: "This teacher... why does he hate me?"
From Iruka's gaze, he sensed hatred, and also a trace of struggle.
A bit familiar, somewhat like those villagers' gazes, but without the fear.
"So, this teacher knows my identity as the Jinchūriki, but still harbors hatred?"
Thinking this, Naruto focused his mind and asked: "Fox Teacher, do you know that person on the stage?"
Inside the seal space, Kurama, busy feasting, lifted his head and said nonchalantly: "Probably killed his relatives back when I was controlled by Uchiha Madara."
"Is that so..."
Naruto narrowed his eyes, setting aside his doubt, also paying no mind to the teacher's hatred.
Just as Menma-nii said: Stepping over ants without killing them – this power is difficult to master.
Meanwhile, Iruka on the stage had already calmed his emotions.
Wearing a kindly smile, he said: "Since this is our first meeting, please come up and introduce yourselves. You can say things like your name, dislikes, and likes."
"So, who wants to be the first to introduce themselves?"
Soon, the first classmate volunteered.
"My name is Inuzuka Kiba! I like ninja hounds! My dream is to become the Fifth Hokage!"
"My name is Nara Shikamaru. I like napping. I hate trouble."
"My name is Haruno Sakura! I like... My dream is to become a great female ninja like Lady Tsunade!"
As classmates introduced themselves one by one, soon only Naruto and Sasuke remained.
Sasuke glanced at Naruto sitting at the back, and their eyes met.
But as if burned by his gentle smile, Sasuke hastily turned his head away, not forgetting to give a cold 'hmph'.
He decided to go up first, putting on a rather aloof appearance.
"My name is Uchiha Sasuke."
After saying this, he walked straight back down, not mentioning likes or dislikes.
Sasuke's self-introduction also piqued Naruto's curiosity.
He had already noticed this guy pretending to be cool earlier.
"Uchiha Sasuke? Wonder if he's strong?"
A desire to test him rose in Naruto's heart.
The Uchiha clan had always represented geniuses. As the son of the clan head, Uchiha Sasuke was naturally a target of his attention.
"Uzumaki... Uzumaki Naruto."
Just then, Iruka called his name: "Aren't you coming up to introduce yourself?"
(End of Chapter)
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