Headache Is Not a Disease, But It Hurts So Much
The morning was filled with introductions. Naruto spent most of it alternating between teasing the shy girls and flirting with the few bold ones. The second half of the day? He skipped class entirely.
In the afternoon, Naruto climbed to the rooftop, found a deserted spot, and then quietly teleported back home using his game system. After lunch, he left a Shadow Clone behind to work on crafting a small golem while his real body returned to chopping wood.
"I can't help it," he muttered to himself, hammering away at the tree. "If I don't do something with my hands, I get restless."
He often wondered aloud, "You called me a homebody. How could I fall in love with a tree trunk?"
But before he could finish pondering, his body would move on its own, the portal would open, and the sound of hammering would echo again. He was addicted to movement now—training had rewired his instincts.
---
Hinata had gone home during lunch. After eating quickly, she rushed back to class, her heart fluttering with anticipation. Maybe I can thank him properly this time...
She had said so little that morning—no thanks, no questions. Just a few timid words. But he hadn't come back. Not for the first class... not even by the end of the school day.
As she walked home, Hinata felt a deep sense of disappointment.
Just like before... here one moment, gone the next. Like a shooting star.
Will he vanish again for years this time...?
---
The next day, Naruto finished his tree-climbing training by ten in the morning and teleported to the school rooftop.
He checked the time. Konoha's Ninja Academy schedule ran as follows: morning classes started at 7:15 a.m., each lasting 45 minutes with 15-minute breaks in between. There were four morning classes and four in the afternoon. School ended at 5:00 p.m.
Naruto had come up with a balanced plan: attend one morning class and two afternoon classes, using the rest of the time to train or rest.
When he finally entered the classroom, he noticed Hinata giving him a hurt expression.
Huh? What's with that look?
"Who bullied you?" he asked directly. If anyone had touched her, he'd deal with them—painfully.
He recalled in the original timeline, only two people had dared harm Hinata: Neji and Pain. Neither had a happy ending.
Hinata shook her head gently... and then smiled.
Naruto blinked. What kind of mood swing was that? Crying and smiling at the same time?
He shrugged. I guess strength determines everything in this world.
---
Only two people knew that Naruto regularly skipped classes: Iruka and Hinata. Iruka, for his part, was too exhausted to care. And Naruto was more than happy that no one was breathing down his neck.
Everyone pretended not to notice... everyone except Hiruzen, the Third Hokage.
The old man rubbed his temples.
I thought sending Naruto to school would fix his bizarre schedule... but he just sleeps in the morning and hammers trees in the afternoon.
He sighed. You're even going to get married on the moon one day, huh? Are you trying to cut down every tree in Konoha before then?
What could they even do with this boy?
---
That afternoon, the class covered some dull theory on chakra control and shinobi ethics. Naruto wasn't interested.
Instead, he decided to practice entering Sage Mode.
Natural energy turns your body into stone if absorbed incorrectly, he recalled. But what if I just… don't move?
Stillness was the key to Sage Mode. But more than stillness, you had to empty your mind—something Naruto found harder than expected.
Back in the anime, Naruto had picked up Senjutsu training at Mount Myoboku surprisingly quickly. But this Naruto? He had two lifetimes of chaotic internet memory rattling around in his head.
Empty my mind? With all the nonsense I've read? Impossible.
But even if the protagonist's halo didn't activate this time, it wasn't like he had anything better to do.
You can turn me into stone, but I'll just stand here watching. Let's see who breaks first.
---
To Iruka and the Third Hokage, Naruto's daily routine was a mess: hammering trees, zoning out, sleeping, and occasionally whispering to his deskmate. It was almost offensively simple.
But Naruto thought his life was rich: training, preparing for Sage Mode, teasing girls (especially Hinata), annoying Kurama, and catching up on sleep.
"Naruto-kun!"
Pulled from his daze, he turned to see Hinata looking shyly at him.
"What's wrong, Hinata-chan?" he asked with a soft smile.
"T-that…"
"Go ahead," Naruto encouraged her. Is she about to confess?! Wait, is that even allowed at this age? This world is wild...
"Umm... why has Naruto-kun been staring at Sasuke all class?"
...Eh?
Naruto blinked. What had he been doing while spacing out? His eyes naturally drifted to Sasuke again.
Their eyes met. Sasuke frowned, scoffed, and turned away.
Why was I staring at him? Naruto wondered. Sharingan? No, stealing it means fighting like ten final bosses. Only an idiot would try that.
Then it clicked. Ashura's chakra! Could it be reacting to Indra's? That's probably it. Makes sense why I keep looking unconsciously.
Naruto smiled. Well, that's good. The biggest cheat is still active.
"Naruto-kun!"
"Hm?" He looked at Hinata again with his most charming smile.
"Why were you just smiling while looking at Sasuke?"
To her, it had looked like Naruto smiled lovingly at Sasuke just after speaking to her. The betrayal!
Naruto froze. Ashura, I swear, if you sabotage me again…
He scrambled to cover, "No, no. I was looking at that kid in front of him—Dōma Taihei. I was just thinking how cool it'd be to travel around the ninja world like him one day."
Hinata looked in that direction. It did seem like Naruto could've been staring at Taihei. She nodded, satisfied.
Naruto leaned closer and whispered, "If I want to look at someone, it's gotta be little Hinata. Hinata-chan is too cute to ignore."
"U-uh… D-don–"
Thud.
She fainted, her cheeks burning red.
Naruto calmly sat back down. Another one hit by the charm.
---
Meanwhile, others in class weren't so calm.
Sasuke was losing his mind. The intense stare from behind was driving him nuts. It wasn't like anyone else's stare—it was palpable, like being poked with senbon needles.
Why is that guy always watching me? Did he come back from the moon just to stalk me?
Iruka was even more distraught. The Jinchuriki, skipping classes, spacing out, and now... knocking out the Hyuga heiress?
She fainted from fear, Iruka concluded. Even a little whiff of the Nine-Tails' power could terrify a child!
He himself still woke up in cold sweats sometimes.
Maybe I should ask for a transfer... but wouldn't that make me look incompetent?
---
Naruto, meanwhile, was completely unaware that he had become a living headache for everyone around him.