A few days later at noon, the ninja classroom was filled with noise. Naruto was crouching on the floor, playing with the newest "special member" of the class.
"Come on, Akamaru, sit!"
Naruto gave the command, looking at the small, all-white puppy with black-backed ears before him.
This was the partner Kiba had recently brought in. The ninja dog that would one day grow to be as big as a person was now just a palm-sized pup.
"Woof!"
Akamaru immediately sat down obediently. He tilted his little head up, his shiny black eyes fixed on Naruto.
"Good boy. Next, shake!"
Naruto held out his palm, and Akamaru immediately lifted his right paw, smoothly placing his soft pad in Naruto's hand.
"As expected of a ninja dog, you're so smart."
Naruto couldn't help but praise him, reaching out with his other hand to pet Akamaru's little head. The puppy's fur was even softer than he had imagined. Feeling the praise, Akamaru immediately closed his eyes and let out a satisfied "whimper" from his throat, his tail wagging like a small motor, happily patting the floor.
A while ago, Kiba had walked into the classroom holding a fluffy white creature and grandly announced his new partner.
"This is Akamaru, my new partner!" Kiba held the palm-sized white puppy in both hands. The little guy seemed a bit shy, constantly sniffing the air with his wet, black nose.
Naruto's eyes had instantly lit up. He had politely raised his hand and asked if he could pet Akamaru.
At the same time, he complained inwardly, As expected of the Ninja Academy. Students can even bring pets to school.
Naruto had been eyeing the big fox inside him for a long time, but he had never found a chance to pet it. Petting a dog to satisfy his craving was a good alternative.
Kiba's reaction was even more enthusiastic than he had expected. "Of course, you can!" He practically bounced over and handed Akamaru to him.
In Kiba's life plan, his dream was to become Hokage, and his first decree after becoming Hokage would be "everyone in the village must own a dog." Now that he could recruit another dog lover, he was one step closer to his dream.
On the other side of the classroom, Satsuki watched this scene with a gentle expression, her chin resting on her hand. In her eyes, Naruto was working hard to build his network—after all, the Inuzuka clan was also a prestigious clan in Konoha.
At that thought, a pang of sympathy appeared in her eyes. Naruto is really going to great lengths for his future development.
The boys in the class quickly noticed this rare scene. The Uchiha heiress, who was usually as cold as ice to everyone, was now showing such a soft expression.
A few of the bolder boys secretly exchanged glances, but no one dared to approach her. After all, since the start of school, all the boys who had tried to get close to Satsuki, except for Naruto, had been coldly rejected.
"Hey, Naruto, are we really going tonight? I've prepared a super awesome gift, you know!"
Choji, munching on potato chips, leaned closer to Naruto, who was playing with the dog, reconfirming the plan they had made a while ago.
That's right, tonight's mission was to give Iruka-sensei a surprise.
Why?
Because today was a special day—May 26th, Konoha Year 55, was Iruka-sensei's birthday!
Although Naruto already knew that the future Iruka would come to acknowledge him, for some reason, he had felt a strange fondness for this teacher since their first meeting. The last time he had felt this way was when he first met Satsuki.
At the start of the school year, Iruka's gaze towards Naruto still held a hint of distance due to the Nine-Tails. But Naruto hadn't been deterred—he insisted on being a good student every day, listening attentively in class, helping classmates who didn't shun him after school, and even proactively greeting Iruka whenever he saw him in the hallway.
At first, Iruka would just give a cold "mhm" and quickly look away. But as time went on, Naruto's persistence seemed to slowly melt that barrier—Iruka began to return his greetings, and later, he would even make small talk with him.
However, Naruto noticed that the look in Iruka's eyes had changed.
From the initial complexity and distance, it had now turned into... guilt?
It seems Iruka blames himself for being distant with me at the beginning.
Regarding Naruto organizing a birthday party for their teacher, he had also invited the other members of the Konoha 9. As friends who were already familiar with each other, they had all agreed in their own characteristic ways.
Satsuki: "Since you're begging me, I suppose I can reluctantly help you..."
Shikamaru: "What a drag... but count me in. Have you thought about how to lure Iruka-sensei to the spot?"
Choji: "Oh! Let me join in too! I'll bring lots of snacks."
Shino: "Mhm, if you want to throw a surprise birthday party for Iruka-sensei, I'll come too. If you ask why, it's because I also want to show my gratitude..."
After a while, the classroom door was gently pushed open, and Iruka walked in with the attendance book. After a simple roll call, he announced that the afternoon would be taijutsu class and told everyone to gather on the training grounds.
The students lined up in a somewhat disorderly fashion and went to the grounds. The afternoon sun was a bit glaring, carrying the unique laziness of late summer.
The sparring pairs for taijutsu class were quickly announced. When they heard "Naruto Uzumaki versus Satsuki Uchiha," the surrounding students subconsciously took a step back.
It couldn't be helped that the two of them were paired together again. After all, the skill gap between them and the others was just too large. If they sparred with other students, the match would often be over in a single round, failing to achieve any training effect.
Iruka walked up to the two and instructed, "Listen up, this sparring match is limited to taijutsu only. No ninjutsu or ninja tools are allowed, and you must stop at first contact. Understood?"
He still remembered the scene of their first Fire Style clash. If he let them fight with ninjutsu, not only could they get hurt, but the spectating students would also be in danger. Iruka felt that if he didn't intervene, these two might end up tearing down the Ninja Academy.
"Yes..."
Naruto and Satsuki drew out their reply, their voices tinged with reluctance. Satsuki, in particular, was pouting slightly, the disappointment in her eyes almost written on her face.
"Get serious! Do you have any idea how dangerous those ninjutsu are for you at your age? What if you hurt someone? Now, form the Seal of Confrontation!"
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