Konoha mornings always carried the sweet scent of soy milk and dango.
Naruto arrived at the Academy chewing on the boiled egg Hinata had shyly slipped into his hands earlier. His faded backpack bounced lightly against his shoulders.
Kiba was at the gate, Akamaru peeking out of his carrier.
The moment the pup spotted Naruto, he barked excitedly and tried to leap out—only for Kiba to shove him back down.
"Hey, dead last," Kiba scoffed, still salty. "Don't think you're amazing just because I slipped once. Taijutsu class later—I'm beating you."
Naruto calmly finished a bite of egg. "Sure. I'll be there."
Kiba blinked.
No explosion? No shouting match? No wild bet?
What's wrong with this guy?
—
At the classroom entrance, Hinata was wiping down the windowsill.
She froze when she saw him.
"G-Good morning, Naruto-kun…"
"Morning." He lifted the egg with a grin. "Thanks. It's really good."
Her face instantly flushed crimson.
Inside, the early birds were scattered about. Chōji snacked in the back. Shikamaru stared at the clouds. Sasuke read by the window with his usual icy expression.
Naruto walked to his seat—and casually picked up a book someone had dropped.
"Y-You dropped this."
The girl receiving it stared like she'd just witnessed a miracle.
Iruka entered moments later—just in time to see Naruto wiping down the blackboard thoroughly.
The lesson plans slipped from his hands.
"N-Naruto?"
The class fell silent.
The kid who used to doodle mustaches on the Hokage Monument during lectures… was cleaning?
"You said your back hurt yesterday," Naruto replied brightly. "Thought I'd help."
Shikamaru slowly turned his head.
Something's off.
—
The lesson began: Third Shinobi War—Kannabi Bridge.
Half the class drifted toward sleep.
Iruka, halfway through explaining Minato's strategy, suddenly called out:
"Naruto. What flaws did the Fourth Hokage's operation have? How would you improve it?"
Snickers erupted instantly.
Kiba laughed loudest. "He probably doesn't even know where Kannabi Bridge is!"
Sasuke smirked faintly.
Naruto stood up calmly.
"There were three primary vulnerabilities," he said evenly.
The laughter died.
"First, the assault team was too small. If Iwagakure had prepared an ambush, total loss was likely."
Iruka froze.
"Second, the explosive tags were concentrated. A single wind-style counter could have disrupted detonation."
A pencil slipped from someone's hand.
"Third, there was no immediate backup. If the Fourth Hokage was delayed, the main Konoha forces risked encirclement."
Silence swallowed the room.
Naruto continued without hesitation.
"I'd deploy three squads. One feint. One plant layered tags along structural pillars—three-tiered redundancy to prevent failure. The third provides rear guard. An ANBU support unit positioned two kilometers out for rapid reinforcement."
Dead quiet.
Even Sasuke's pen had stopped moving.
Iruka stared, chalk snapping between his fingers.
"…How do you know this?"
Naruto scratched his cheek sheepishly. "Found an old tactics notebook at a bookstall."
The class did not resume laughing.
Kiba's jaw hung open.
Sasuke's grip tightened subtly.
But the most unsettled was Shikamaru.
He had nearly fallen asleep—now he was fully alert.
Naruto had scored twelve on the last tactics exam.
Twelve.
There was no way someone improved like this overnight.
And the way he structured the analysis—clear prioritization, layered contingency, operational depth—
That wasn't memorization.
That was an experience.
Shikamaru watched him the rest of the period, frowning and deepening.
—
Naruto didn't nap.
Didn't toss paper.
Didn't argue.
He even raised his hand twice more, offering precise answers that forced Iruka to double-check his own notes.
When the bell rang, Iruka wiped sweat from his brow and left in a daze.
Shikamaru approached immediately, hands in pockets.
"You possessed something?"
Naruto blinked a mid-bite cookie. "Huh?"
"You scored twelve last month. That wasn't book knowledge. That was command-level thinking."
Naruto grinned. "Future Hokage. Studying's part of the job, right?"
Shikamaru narrowed his eyes.
Troublesome…
Hinata hurried over, cheeks pink, placing folded notes on Naruto's desk.
"Y-You didn't write much during class… I copied everything for you."
She fled immediately after.
Naruto opened it.
Neat handwriting.
Detailed diagrams.
And a tiny doodle of him in the corner.
His smile widened.
Outside the window, a black-clad Root operative lingered briefly—then vanished.
Naruto didn't even react.
Shikamaru followed his gaze—saw nothing.
That calm expression only deepened his suspicion.
Chōji handed Naruto a bag of chips.
"Want some?"
"Thanks."
Chōji froze.
He used to grab snacks, not thank people.
Whispers spread again across the classroom.
Naruto leaned back in his chair, sunlight catching in his golden hair as he looked toward the Hokage Monument.
When he was young, he thought fighting made a Hokage.
After fifty years in the office, he knew better.
Strategy.
History.
Logistics.
That's what kept villages alive.
He tucked Hinata's note carefully into his book.
Being underestimated?
Watching everyone try to figure him out?
Naruto's grin sharpened slightly.
Yeah.
This was fun.