The next day, early morning, in the Ninja Academy classroom, Naruto propped his chin with one hand, idly flipping through the 'Mastery of Sealing Jutsu' on his desk.
The surrounding classmates gathered in twos and threes, chatting, and the air was filled with the relaxed atmosphere of a new semester.
Just then, the classroom door was gently pushed open, and a familiar figure walked in—it was Satsuki.
She was still the same as usual, with her dark hair falling smoothly, and a hint of coldness on her fair cheeks.
She walked straight to the seat next to Naruto and sat down, saying faintly, "Good morning."
It seems she really thought she had fooled everyone with the 'skiing' excuse...
Naruto couldn't help but inwardly grumble, but on the surface, he responded nonchalantly, "Morning, Satsuki."
Satsuki nodded slightly, then opened her textbook, appearing to be diligently reviewing.
However, Naruto keenly noticed that her earlobes seemed a bit red, indicating that her 'mistake' last night had not left her completely unaffected.
But, after a night of buffering, her shyness seemed to have been forcibly suppressed...
Naruto secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
If Satsuki had really become shy because of that remark, he wouldn't have known how to deal with it.
Like this, at least they could maintain their usual way of interacting.
However, just as Naruto thought this morning would pass peacefully, an unexpected voice suddenly came from beside him.
"Um... you're Naruto, right? Are you free right now?"
Naruto turned his head and saw a blonde loli standing in front of him, with a slightly nervous smile on her face.
Ino Yamanaka?
He certainly knew her.
In the original story, she was the 'Boar' in the Ino-Shika-Cho trio among the Twelve Rookie Genin.
She liked Sasuke, but now... Sasuke had become Satsuki, so would Ino still be interested in her like in the original story?
"Yes, I'm Naruto." He showed a friendly smile, "You're Ino Yamanaka, right? Is there something you need?"
Ino seemed not to have expected Naruto to remember her name, her eyes widened slightly, "You know me? That's great!"
She leaned in a little, lowering her voice as she asked.
"Um... are you and Satsuki close? I want to ask what her hobbies are...?!".
This question made Naruto a little confused.
In the original story, it was understandable for Ino to like Sasuke, after all, he was a handsome guy that a young girl would like, but now Sasuke was a girl!
Could it be that even with a change in gender, Nizhu Zi's charm was still so powerful?
Ino's words suddenly caught in her throat.
Her originally vibrant voice seemed to be cut off by some invisible force, the smile on her lips froze on her face, and her pupils slightly constricted.
...So, so scary.
Her gaze involuntarily shifted to Naruto's side—where Satsuki was quietly looking at her.
No, rather than 'looking,' it was more like 'staring.'
Deep within those dark eyes, something cold churned, like a bottomless cold pond.
A layer of cold sweat instantly seeped from Ino's back... Wh-what kind of gaze was that?!
Yesterday, Satsuki was clearly aloof and elegant in class, but now, those eyes held undisguised hostility.
"Hm? What's wrong, Ino?" Naruto asked, puzzled, looking at Ino's suddenly stiff expression, which even vaguely showed fear.
"Um... I'm fine now!... I'm so sorry!"
Ino abruptly took a step back, quickly bowed her head in apology, then turned and ran, not daring to look back.
"...Eh?"
Naruto stared blankly at Ino's rapidly fleeing back, completely clueless about what had happened.
He turned his head in confusion to look at Satsuki beside him.
However, Satsuki's expression had already returned to her usual coldness, as if that terrifying gaze from a moment ago was just an illusion.
"...Satsuki?" Naruto asked tentatively.
"Hm?" Satsuki tilted her head slightly, her tone carrying a hint of innocence.
"Just now Ino, she..."
"I don't know." Satsuki cut him off cleanly, then nonchalantly opened her textbook, "Maybe she suddenly remembered something."
On the other side, Ino ran back to her seat in a panic, her face terrifyingly pale, her chest heaving violently.
"How was it? Did you find out?"
Beside her, a pink-haired loli immediately leaned over, her eyes sparkling with anticipation, "Satsuki... what hobbies does she have?"
Ino Yamanaka, who was initially amused by her friend's sudden interest in a girl, abruptly grabbed Sakura's shoulder.
She took a deep breath and said in a serious tone.
"I think it's better if you stay away from that person, Sakura."
"Eh? Why?" Sakura couldn't understand her friend's sudden warning at all.
She was originally eagerly looking forward to Ino gathering information about the aloof Uchiha heiress.
Ino's gaze became extremely solemn.
"Listen carefully! This path is very dangerous! I was almost killed just now!"
"Killed? I don't understand what you're saying..."
"Just listen to me!"
——————
Naruto, completely unaware of the near-incident, began class.
Iruka's lesson today was about teamwork and survival skills for ninjas on missions in the field.
For example, identifying poisons, purifying water, and tracking and anti-tracking techniques.
Naruto felt it was very useful, and learning outdoor survival skills at the Ninja Academy was quite novel.
After the morning classes ended, the aroma of lunch gradually filled the classroom.
Satsuki, as usual, took out her carefully prepared bento box.
She was about to call Naruto to eat together when she noticed his gaze thoughtfully directed towards the back of the classroom.
"What's wrong, Naruto? Didn't make lunch? I'll share mine with you."
Naruto shook his head; he had made a bento today, even a lot of it.
His goal... naturally, was to make new friends, to forge bonds and gain system points.
"Satsuki, do you know? We used to train together because there were no other peers we could get to know.
But now..." His gaze swept over the classmates gathered in twos and threes in the classroom.
"Since we've entered the Ninja Academy, of course, we should make some friends."
Click.
The chopsticks in Satsuki's hand made a faint sound.
Naruto... wants to make friends?
Satsuki's eyes narrowed slightly.
The image of the blonde girl fleeing in panic this morning suddenly flashed in her mind.
She slowly put down her chopsticks, a perfect arc forming at the corner of her lips.
Sunlight shone from behind her, casting a faint shadow on her delicate face, making the smile appear exceptionally profound.
"Is that so... Then who does Naruto want to make friends with?"
Naruto eagerly pointed to the pineapple-head and the chubby boy at the back of the classroom.
"Look at those two, I told you yesterday, they are the heirs of the Nara and Akimichi clans!"
His voice held undisguised anticipation, "That's the next generation Ino-Shika-Cho combination, if I can become friends with them..."
Satsuki's gaze followed the direction of Naruto's finger.
Shikamaru was lazily leaning against the window, while Choji was intently unwrapping his bento, his face full of anticipation for the food.
...They're boys?
This discovery made Satsuki's eyes widen slightly.
She suddenly realized something, could it be!
In Satsuki's perception of Konoha's social circles, she was the Uchiha Clan's heiress, but Naruto was just an orphan with high talent but no background...
If their family backgrounds didn't match in the future...
Satsuki's heart rate suddenly quickened a few beats... If Naruto wanted to establish himself in Konoha, he indeed needed to build his own network of connections.
So that's it... He even considered things so far in advance...
"Oh, I see." Satsuki's voice suddenly became cheerful, she nodded, "You're right, you should get along well."
Naruto was stunned for a moment, not expecting Satsuki to agree so readily.
He felt that Satsuki's reaction was somehow off, but her sudden good mood left him bewildered.
"Then... I'll go over?"
"Mm, go quickly." Satsuki smiled and waved, watching Naruto walk towards the back of the classroom.