Yamanaka Flower Shop
Yamanaka Inoichi crouched in front of his daughter, carefully smoothing the wrinkles on her sleeves.
Little Ino, with her short light-blonde hair and small hairclip, yawned sleepily.
"Ino," Inoichi said seriously, "remember what I told you. Don't get too close to Uzumaki Naruto at school."
"If you run into trouble, ask Shikamaru. And stay with Chōji."
Ino puffed out her cheeks and turned her head away.
"You've said it so many times already… I know."
When she entered the classroom, it was already lively.
Groups of children chatted with familiar faces.
Uchiha Sasuke had arrived early and was surrounded by admiring girls.
Only one boy sat alone near the back window.
Naruto.
The memory of her father's warning surfaced again.
A complicated feeling rose in her chest.
Annoyance.
Defiance.
And something she couldn't quite name.
"…Ahhh, whatever."
She ruffled her short golden hair in frustration.
Let Dad scold me later if he wants.
She walked straight toward the back row.
The Classroom
"So handsome!"
"That's the Uchiha boy!"
"As expected of the Uchiha clan!"
Under the girls' constant praise, Sasuke maintained a cold expression—though he almost smiled.
He suppressed the satisfaction in his heart and walked in calmly.
Then his eyes landed on the blonde boy by the window.
That presence…
Naruto sat with fingers interlocked on the desk, gazing outside as if indifferent to the attention Sasuke had drawn.
Uzumaki Naruto.
Onii-chan said there's something like a beast in his eyes…
Naruto sensed the stare and turned his head.
Their eyes met.
Sasuke walked over, hands in his pockets.
"Uzumaki Naruto."
"I hope you won't disappoint me during combat training."
Naruto blinked.
Targeted on day one?
He sighed internally.
Reincarnations of Indra and Asura really couldn't escape each other, huh?
Still… first-year Sasuke was almost adorable.
So serious. So cool.
Very determined to act mature.
A year from now—after the Uchiha clan massacre—this innocence would vanish.
"Ahhh~ there's tension between them!"
"Sasuke-kun looks so cool declaring a rival!"
The girls squealed.
Naruto resisted the urge to rub his temples.
These are Academy first-years… why are they already this dramatic?
Haruno Sakura stepped forward eagerly.
"Sasuke-kun! I'm Haruno Sakura! Can we be friends?"
Sasuke glanced at her briefly.
"I'm not interested in making friends."
"And relationships only distract from training."
Sakura's heart sank.
She glanced at Naruto for a moment.
The blonde boy is pretty handsome too…
Maybe—
She shook her head violently.
No! Sasuke-kun is my type!
Naruto, watching her internal struggle written all over her face, almost laughed.
Between the two boys in this room—
One was the heir of the Uchiha.
The other was the son of the Fourth Hokage and the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki.
Even romance novels wouldn't dare set it up like this.
Suddenly—
A golden head popped into his view.
"Ohayo~ Naruto-kun!"
Ino beamed brightly.
Naruto smiled back.
"Morning, Ino."
Ino's face lit up even more.
She sat beside him and began chatting cheerfully.
Across the room, Sakura watched in disbelief.
She had been trying so hard with Sasuke—
And Ino was casually sitting next to two handsome boys.
Sakura clenched her fists internally.
I won't lose to Ino!
Soon, the rest of the class arrived.
Among them were most of the future "Konoha Twelve," except for Tenten and Rock Lee, who were in another class.
Hyūga Neji, a year older, was not present.
The classroom quieted as a young man with tanned skin, a Konoha forehead protector, and a long scar across his nose entered.
Umino Iruka.
"Good morning, everyone. I'm Umino Iruka."
"I'll be your homeroom teacher for the next six years."
"You may call me Iruka-sensei."
"Today we'll start with introductions, then I'll explain Konoha's history."
Excited chatter filled the room.
Sasuke was the first to walk to the podium.
He didn't technically need the Academy—his clan already trained him privately.
But he came for one reason.
To stand at the top.
Just like his brother.
"My name is Uchiha Sasuke."
"My brother is Uchiha Itachi."
"My goal… is to surpass him."
He lifted his chin confidently.
Gasps and admiration echoed through the room.
At that moment—
A system prompt appeared before Naruto.
[Option 1: "You can't surpass your brother."Reward: Attribute Points +1 Level]
[Option 2: Tease him playfully.Reward: Random B-Rank Ninjutsu]
Naruto's expression turned slightly strange.
This system really enjoys stirring up trouble.