บท 5: Sarutobi Hiruzen
"Teacher Iruka, is there anything I can do for you?" Haruno Sakura asked without thinking.
"Oh, it's like this. Do you know Naruto in your class?" Iruka asked gently, looking at the little girl in front of him.
Iruka then explained the situation. Naruto had always been very naughty but was extremely introverted when alone. Iruka was worried that Naruto might have psychological issues and hoped Haruno Sakura could spend more time with him.
"Sakura, don't just focus on Naruto. Even though he's mischievous, he's not a bad person by nature. In fact, he's a very good boy in private..." Iruka continued. "And those rumors in the village are just rumors."
Iruka observed the little girl's silence and thought she might be unwilling.
"Why me? Ino, Hinata, and the others don't seem to have any prejudice against Naruto, right?" Haruno Sakura asked, tilting her head in confusion.
"Ah, well..." Iruka hesitated. Truthfully, he didn't know, but this task was assigned by the Hokage. "Because... Sakura... Sakura... is very kind... Hahaha," he stammered, finally coming up with a weak excuse.
Haruno Sakura looked at him with disbelief, not convinced by such a flimsy reason. Seeing the look on her face, Iruka chuckled awkwardly. What a tough job—Hokage-sama even had to lie to a child!
Just as Iruka was struggling, Haruno Sakura sighed and said:
"Fine, I'll do it."
"So, you agree, Sakura?!" Iruka exclaimed in surprise. But before he could feel relieved, a small hand was extended in front of him.
"What's this for, Sakura?"
"Give me some money. Who visits your house for the first time without bringing something?"
"Iruka-sensei, you wouldn't want a penniless kid like me to pay for it, would you?"
!!!
Iruka was taken aback. Oh my God, Hokage!
To complete the Hokage's mission, he even had to pay out of his own pocket!
With a distressed look, Iruka reluctantly took three bills from his lucky cat wallet and handed them to Sakura. Three hundred ryo?
Looking at the money in her hand, Haruno Sakura couldn't help but nod in satisfaction.
In this world, three hundred ryo could entertain a six-year-old child for an entire day, with some left over for Sakura to pocket.
"So, Sakura, what do you want from me, teacher?" Iruka asked, breathing a sigh of relief as he saw the little girl take the money. Since Sakura approached him, she must have something to ask.
"Well, Iruka-sensei..."
Night
Haruno Sakura sat alone on the rooftop, gazing into the distance with a melancholic expression. Iruka hadn't agreed to her proposal immediately, instead asking her to go home and let him know her decision in two days.
She pulled out the three hundred ryo Iruka had given her.
She contacted Naruto.
How could Iruka be given a task like this?
This was clearly something assigned to him by the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, through Iruka.
Did Sarutobi Hiruzen witness what happened yesterday?...
But in a way, this was good, because it meant she could enter the Hokage's sight early.
But why did this situation feel so familiar?
Forming a bond with an important figure in the village, growing up together, and eventually falling in love, getting married, and having children... Isn't this Minato Namikaze's storyline?
I'm after the Yin Seal, and that disrespectful old man, Sarutobi Hiruzen, wants my body?!
So annoying!!!
Do I really have to sacrifice my looks?!
Hokage Building
Hokage's Office
At that moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, watched the pink-haired girl in the crystal ball, who suddenly seemed to go crazy for no apparent reason. He was slightly puzzled.
This child... is quite special...
Is she worried about how to contact Naruto tomorrow?
"Hokage-sama."
"Sakura, she's a very good kid..."
Iruka, standing in front of Sarutobi Hiruzen, looked at him uncertainly before speaking.
Sakura comes from a clean family background, one of the original families that helped establish Konoha. Her great-grandfather brought his family here when Konoha was first founded, so they have a prestigious lineage.
"Yes, I know," Sarutobi Hiruzen replied, nodding.
That day, Sarutobi Hiruzen had exposed all the details about the Haruno family. In the past few decades, only one or two ninjas came from this family, and they were of ordinary skill. Now, only Haruno Kizashi remained.
When Haruno Sakura grows up and marries, if nothing unusual happens, her family line will likely fade away.
"Sakura, she wants to skip a grade."
Upon hearing Iruka's words, Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at him in confusion.
Skip a grade?
A civilian ninja school student skipping grades?
"It's like this..." Iruka explained everything that had happened earlier. After hearing him out, Sarutobi Hiruzen fell silent.
Is she trying to skip a grade because she's no longer challenged in class?
A genius, then?
Looking at the girl in the crystal ball, sitting on the rooftop, chin resting in her hand as she enjoyed the evening breeze, Sarutobi Hiruzen thought for a long time. This was the girl he had chosen to help Naruto form a bond with.
Sarutobi Hiruzen hoped to replicate the story of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki.
But if Haruno Sakura skips a grade now, her chances of interacting with Naruto will be greatly reduced.
And given Naruto's personality, it would be very difficult for him to catch up with Haruno Sakura, who was capable of skipping grades...
But if they stop her from skipping, would they be wasting such a gem in the ninja school?
Sarutobi Hiruzen leaned back in his chair, deep in thought.
"Since she wants to skip a grade, give her a chance. Provide her with all the study materials for her grade, and have her take a test in a month."
"If she passes, give her the materials for the second grade, but she will still be in your class."
"She must complete all six grades of materials."
Sarutobi Hiruzen decided to give Haruno Sakura a chance.
The deterrent power of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki to Konoha far surpasses her combat abilities on the battlefield.
Konoha has never used tailed beasts in wars, and Sarutobi Hiruzen hoped it would remain that way.
The First Ninja World War had the Second Hokage, the Second Ninja World War had White Fang and the Three Ninjas, and the Third Ninja World War had the Golden Flash...
In that case, it was crucial to properly train the next generation.
Haruno Sakura, ah, Haruno Sakura, show me your talent.
I hope you won't disappoint me.
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