章 16: Chapter 16: I’m Going to Beat Up That Uncle Who Hugged Me, and Every Hedgehog Head I See
After the Third Hokage left, the students at the ninja academy were directed to their assigned classes according to the roster. Naruto made his way to his classroom and immediately spotted Hinata sitting in the back row.
At this point, many students in the class had also noticed Uzumaki Naruto. The commotion earlier on the training grounds hadn't gone unnoticed, and the children had overheard their parents discussing what had happened.
Now, every child in the room knew that this blonde classmate was none other than the son of the Fourth Hokage.
Although they didn't fully understand the significance of the Fourth Hokage's deeds, one thing was clear—being the Hokage's son made Naruto something of a big deal. After all, the Hokage was a hero who had saved the village. Naturally, this made the kids warm up to Naruto instantly.
"Uzumaki Naruto, sit next to me!"
"No, sit here! I just got a new manga!"
"Come sit with me, Naruto! I'll share my snacks with you!"
...
The majority of the class quickly gathered around Naruto, chattering excitedly. Some even began arguing over who would get to sit next to him, nearly breaking into a fight over it.
Sasuke, observing the scene, let out a sneer before turning to gaze out the window.
'The son of the Fourth Hokage, huh?' Sasuke thought. 'I'll defeat you one day.'
Meanwhile, Sakura, catching a glimpse of Sasuke's cool and aloof demeanor, squealed with excitement. She grabbed Ino's arm, shaking her as she exclaimed, "He's so cool! Sasuke Uchiha is just so cool!"
Ino glanced at Sasuke and soon found herself falling into a dreamy daze too.
Hinata, who had been watching from her seat, felt her heart sink when she saw how much attention Naruto was getting. She buried her head in her arms.
'He's so popular now...' she thought, her heart heavy. 'He's probably forgotten all about me.'
Hearing the other kids laugh and joke around with Naruto, Hinata couldn't help but feel a deep sense of loneliness.
Naruto noticed Hinata slumped at her desk and, after quickly brushing off the rest of the students, he quietly made his way over to her. The seat next to Hinata was still vacant, with Shikamaru spacing out on her right and Choji snacking away on the other side.
Naruto reached out and lightly tapped Hinata's arm. With a friendly smile, he said, "Hey there, I'm Uzumaki Naruto."
Hinata looked up at Naruto, and for a moment, it was as if he was glowing. Her mind flashed through memories—three-year-old Naruto walking her home, five-year-old Naruto standing up for her... And now, the Naruto standing right in front of her.
The three images of Naruto overlapped, each one saying, "Hi, I'm Uzumaki Naruto."
Hinata was so lost in her thoughts that she completely forgot to respond, and even forgot to feel embarrassed.
Seeing her frozen in place, Naruto waved his hand in front of her face.
"Ah!" she gasped, snapping out of it. "S-Sorry... I... I'm Hinata... Hyuuga."
Hinata was so flustered that it took her a while to get her own name out. Then, as soon as she saw Naruto sitting down next to her, she immediately turned pale and fainted right onto her desk.
At that very moment, Iruka Umino, holding a class list and wearing a worried expression, walked into the classroom. As soon as he entered, he was greeted by the sight of Naruto knocking the Hyuuga heiress unconscious.
He sighed deeply. This wasn't looking good for his future years of teaching.
To be honest, Iruka had mixed feelings about Naruto. He had long since learned from the Third Hokage that Naruto was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. The Nine-Tails, sealed within Naruto, was the very beast that had taken his parents' lives. For a long time, Iruka couldn't help but see Naruto as responsible for the death of his family.
However, just earlier on the training grounds, he had overheard people saying that Naruto was the son of the Fourth Hokage. That revelation had left his mind completely blank for a full three minutes as he tried to process what he had just heard.
Finally, he began to piece together the full story.
The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, and his wife had sacrificed their lives to save the village, sealing the Nine-Tails inside their own son—Naruto.
In other words, the entire family had been the village's saviors.
Thinking back to his previous feelings toward Naruto, Iruka felt a heavy weight of guilt. It gnawed at him, making him feel deeply uneasy.
Iruka glanced at Naruto and made up his mind: after school today, he would take Naruto out for some ramen. Maybe that would help ease some of the guilt he felt.
But first... he had to get through introductions with his students.
Iruka stepped up to the podium and smiled at the class.
"All right, everyone, let's get started."
"I'll introduce myself first..."
"My name is Umino Iruka. I like hot springs and Ichiraku Ramen. I dislike rice bowls. My dream is for all of you to pass your exams and become successful ninjas."
Sitting in the back, Naruto was already feeling sleepy. He had been somewhat curious about the ninja academy before, but now that he was experiencing it firsthand, he found it dull and tiresome.
I've already lived a life in my past world, and now I have to sit through school again? Naruto thought, sighing. If it weren't for the fact that Hinata was sitting next to him, he'd have skipped out by now.
As everyone knew, feelings in the world of shinobi were cultivated from a young age. Just look at his parents!
Naruto found himself deeply conflicted.
It's like I'm holding up the Golden Hoop of the Monkey King himself. If I skip class, I'll miss out on bonding with Hinata. But if I stay, I'll be stuck enduring this torture.
Naruto had no intention of actually learning anything here. After all, no matter how great the academy was, could it ever compare to the Nine-Tails sealed inside of him?
Following Hinata's lead, Naruto rested his head on his desk and sent his consciousness into the sealed space to mess with the fox.
"Naruto?"
"Naruto Uzumaki!"
Naruto felt a nudge on his arm, and he slowly raised his head, blinking in confusion.
"Naruto, come up and introduce yourself," Iruka sighed, speaking gently as he motioned for Naruto to come forward.
Iruka already had a feeling... this kid was going to be nothing but trouble for him in the future.
Naruto slowly walked up to the podium, standing there in a daze for a few seconds. Since he had been completely spaced out earlier, he hadn't paid attention to how everyone else had introduced themselves. So, he turned to Iruka and asked, "Sensei, what am I supposed to say again?"
"Just your name, what you like, and what your dream is."
Naruto nodded, adjusted his clothes, and loudly announced, "I'm Uzumaki Naruto."
"My hobby is farming."
There was no issue with that statement at all. After all, Naruto had spent countless years in the sealed space messing around with the fox. Plus, as someone with deep roots in a farming country, that inclination was practically in his blood!
Watching through his crystal ball, the Third Hokage nearly yanked out his own beard when he heard Naruto's answer.
'I knew it!' he thought, groaning inwardly. This kid's been obsessed with farming for as long as I can remember...
In truth, the hobby itself wasn't bad at all—it didn't harm anyone, and it didn't get in the way of other things. But... Naruto was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki!
'Can't you at least aspire to something more?'
The Third Hokage took a deep breath, feeling his blood pressure spike. He quickly reached into his desk drawer for his blood pressure medication.
"And my dream..." Naruto paused, thinking. He had no desire to follow in the footsteps of his counterpart from the original series, constantly proclaiming that he wanted to become Hokage.
Honestly, Konoha is small and full of problems. There are no benefits, and the pay is terrible. It's worse than being a corporate worker back in my previous life. Just look at how often Naruto, as the Seventh Hokage, didn't even have time to go home!
Naruto wasn't about to let that become his fate.
After a few seconds of thought, he continued, "My dream is..."
"To teach a certain uncle I know a lesson."
"And then, to beat the crap out of every single hedgehog-headed guy."
Uchiha Sasuke: ?!
Hearing Naruto's peculiar "dream," the Third Hokage couldn't help but chuckle. Though it was a strange ambition, at least the core of it was still about becoming stronger.
As long as Naruto's focus remained on self-improvement, the Third Hokage could breathe easier.
Then, the Third Hokage suddenly recalled something—hadn't he recently sent Kakashi and Guy to check on Naruto?
"Wait... Is he talking about Kakashi and Guy?" The Third Hokage chuckled softly. "Well, that's not so bad. Shows he's at least ambitious."
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