Chapter 14: He Doesn't Like Me… Does He?
Holy crap?!!
Since when did Naruto become this popular?
Iruka looked at Naruto in stunned silence.
Truly worthy of being the Fourth Hokage's son?
Gold will always shine eventually!
Iruka coughed awkwardly twice.
"Alright—the team assignments are based on everyone's strength rankings."
"It's an order from above. Sensei has no authority to change them."
Iruka immediately shifted the blame upward.
He hadn't expected such a huge upheaval either.
I don't know anything. I don't understand anything. If there's a problem, ask the higher-ups!
Iruka mentally gave himself a thumbs-up for his quick thinking.
"Huh?? There's such a thing?!"
"I really wanted to be on Naruto-kun's team…"
"Me too…"
"…"
Iruka raised his voice: "Okay, everyone quiet down. I'm going to announce the team assignments now."
"Listen carefully so you don't get mixed up…"
While Iruka read out the list,
Naruto scanned the girls in the classroom.
His eyes quickly locked onto one of his wives-to-be… Hinata.
Sitting beside her, Sakura opened her mouth as if to say something.
But seeing Naruto's complete lack of interest in her,
she ultimately chose to stay quiet.
Inside, she was filled with curiosity about what he was looking for.
Following Naruto's line of sight,
her gaze met Ino Yamanaka's.
Then Naruto flashed a handsome smile.
More precisely—
he was smiling at little Hinata, who was sitting right behind Ino.
But from Sakura's awkward angle,
it looked like Naruto was smiling directly at Ino.
A girl's sixth sense is often far sharper than a boy's.
That's an undeniable fact.
Moments after Naruto's gaze landed,
Ino sensed it.
She instinctively glanced toward him
and saw him smiling at her.
Thump thump…
Ino's heart raced like crazy.
Her small hands had nowhere to go—
putting them on the desk felt wrong, under the desk felt uncomfortable.
"Naruto… he… he doesn't like me, does he?"
"I remember he used to chase after that violent girl all the time… but he finally realized my charm, didn't he?"
"Mhm mhm… if he asks me out, should I act a little reserved before saying yes~?"
Puff—
Hinata had always been shy.
How could she handle the boy she liked staring at her so directly?
Her face turned bright red in an instant.
Visible puffs of white steam seemed to rise from her head.
Sakura felt like something had stabbed her heart.
It hurt.
The boy who used to chase after her every day,
begging her to be his girlfriend—
suddenly pursuing other girls instead.
The feeling of losing something important…
was painful.
"It's… it's just my imagination… just my imagination…"
"I mean… I… I don't even like Naruto that much anymore."
Sakura tried to comfort herself.
With Naruto's current heightened perception,
he easily noticed Sakura's behavior beside him.
Sakura was good-looking, sure.
But compared to Tsunade?
She fell far short.
Early development was steady as an old dog,
but in the end she turned into a disappointing finish.
Maybe it was because Sarada was too strong.
Kids need proper nutrition from a young age!
And the current Naruto didn't need Sakura Haruno anymore!
Are you kidding me?
You still expect me to keep being your simp?
What kind of dream are you having?!
To be honest, if anyone should be the simp here, it should be you.
Morning team assignments went exactly as Naruto expected.
The roster Iruka had prepared long ago matched the original story's three-man squads perfectly.
Many girls who didn't get placed on Naruto's team
immediately protested loudly, demanding Iruka reassign the teams!
Iruka looked helpless.
He once again dumped the responsibility on the higher-ups,
claiming he was just a lowly worker following orders.
After casually brushing off this batch of students,
he slipped away!
Because the students he had taught had all graduated.
The rest would be handled by other jonin instructors.
It was no longer his problem.
Afternoon – outdoors
"How should I put it… your first impression on me is pretty bad."
"Oh, right—there's a mission tomorrow."
"Meeting place is the small stream south of the village."
"Only one rule: don't eat anything tomorrow morning."
Kakashi, wearing his black mask, said lazily.
Teaching genin had never interested him.
If not for Hiruzen Sarutobi insisting,
he could still be lounging anywhere in the village right now,
reading Jiraiya's latest bestseller.
Damn it.
Reading novels is way more interesting than teaching you brats.
Even though that's what he thought inside,
he still felt some pressure.
One student was the last surviving Uchiha—Sasuke.
Back when he was in ANBU,
he had some contact with both Itachi and Shisui Uchiha.
Speaking of Uchiha…
his other eye was a parting gift from his dying friend Obito.
His connection to the Uchiha clan ran deep.
The other was Naruto.
The son of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze.
And Minato had once been his own instructor.
For a moment,
Kakashi felt a wave of emotion.
Things change, people pass on.
The wheel of fortune turns.
When I was young, your dad taught me.
Now it's my turn to teach you.
"Kakashi-sensei, can I ask why we can't eat anything tomorrow?"
Sakura raised her small hand curiously.
Sasuke stayed silent,
but a trace of curiosity flickered in his eyes.
Naruto, who knew exactly what Kakashi was planning,
chuckled inwardly.
Starve you all, then make you try to take the bells from his hand.
No matter how you look at it, Kakashi was still an elite jonin.
The famous Copy Ninja of Konoha!
Asking three fresh academy graduates to steal bells from him
was asking a bit much.
Clearly, Kakashi's standards for his students were extremely strict.
But Naruto wasn't some fresh academy rookie anymore.
Stealing a couple of bells would be child's play.
"Don't ask. You'll understand tomorrow. Just remember what I said."
"I have something to do, so I'll be going now."
Kakashi waved lazily.
He heard Jiraiya had released a new volume.
It was flying off the shelves in every bookstore.
If he didn't hurry,
it might sell out.
In an era with so few entertainment options,
finding something fun was hard!!!
Kakashi left.
Naruto saw no reason to stick around either.
Just as he was about to leave—
Ding!
Option 1: In an era with almost no entertainment, how can life lack a little joy? Go to the bookstore and buy Jiraiya's [Make-Out Paradise], then share it with ten buddies.Reward: Ninjutsu: Chidori
Option 2: Wander around the village casually.Reward: Stone of Idleness (an ordinary stone engraved with the characters for "idler")
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