Life wasn't easy.
Studying from eight in the morning until three in the afternoon, then heading straight to work, turned out to be far more exhausting than he had expected. Still, he couldn't deny the benefits. Ever since he started working, his physical progress had skyrocketed—hauling heavy objects back and forth every day was nothing short of brutal training.
By the second week, Ten Ten had already figured it out.
She suspected he was using the job as an excuse to train, and when confronted, Haru didn't even bother denying it. After hearing about his situation, she surprisingly agreed to lend him a weight-increasing seal stick, allowing him to apply it to other objects while working.
With that unexpected kindness, Haru silently handed her a Good Friend Card—the same kind the girls he liked used to give him back in his previous life.
Even so, while he had become completely unbeatable among the civilian students, he was still nowhere near capable of challenging monsters like Hinata or Sasuke.
He didn't complain.
He simply kept training.
Six months passed.
On a quiet Saturday morning, he headed into the forest as usual.
He liked training there—few people ever came this deep, and the solitude helped him focus. A clear river cut through the woods, its crystal-blue water revealing schools of koi swimming lazily beneath the surface.
Walking on water here always calmed his mind.
One step at a time, he placed his foot onto the river's surface. In a smooth, controlled motion, he guided chakra through his body and into the tenketsu on his feet. The energy spread evenly, forming a thin, stable layer between his skin and the water, producing just enough force to keep him afloat.
Soon, he lowered himself into a seated position atop the river. His legs crossed as he entered a meditative state.
This exercise was far more demanding than simple water walking. Increasing the surface area that required constant chakra output pushed his control to the limit. After all, the easiest tenketsu to access were limited to the hands and feet—anything beyond that required precision bordering on obsession.
Just as he was starting to find his rhythm, a voice rang out.
"Hey, how are you doing that?"
"Ah!"
That single sound was enough.
His chakra flow faltered, losing its steady rhythm. In the next instant, he plunged straight into the river, water exploding upward and soaking him from head to toe.
Lying there in the shallow water, Haru stared blankly at the sky.
He seriously reconsidered his life choices, wondering if laying low and becoming a cabbage seller might have been the wiser path.
"Are you okay?"
That same voice again.
Haru turned toward the sound, squinting against the sunlight. A figure stood there, partially silhouetted, the only clear detail being a pink hair tie peeking out from the glare.
"I'm fine," he muttered. "Would've been better if not for—ah, forget it. Who are you?"
"Shouldn't you introduce yourself first when talking to a girl?"
Haru lay there, ignoring the koi swimming around him—bumping into his sides, nosing at his clothes as if expecting food—and very much felt like cursing.
"That might be true," he replied flatly, "but considering you interrupted my training, wouldn't the opposite be more appropriate?"
The girl—her face still obscured by the irritating glare of the sun—tilted her head, clearly not understanding at first. A moment later, realization dawned. She touched her cheek awkwardly and nodded.
"Ah… sorry about that. I was just curious. I've never seen anyone do that before." She paused, then added, "My name is Sakura. Haruno Sakura."
"Sakura…"
The name instantly triggered a flood of memories.
Pink hair. Sasuke's loyal servant. Idiot. The girl who should've ended up with Naruto if the anime had followed the manga properly. And, most terrifying of all—the owner of punches that hit like a thousand Nokia phones falling at once.
Truly apocalyptic.
"I know you," Haru said. "We're in the same class."
"…We are?"
Sakura squinted at him, her green eyes scanning him from head to toe. They lingered on his face for a moment before she shook her head.
"Nope. Don't think I've ever seen you before."
A vein twitched on Haru's forehead.
"I sit at the back," he said through clenched teeth. "And I don't talk to anyone."
"Oh!" Sakura's eyes lit up. "The loner!"
Critical hit.
An invisible arrow pierced his heart, shredding his dignity and sending him tumbling into an abyss of emotional damage and existential regret.
"I'm not a loner!" he snapped. "You're a loner! Your whole family is lonely!"
Following the sacred teachings of Blue Star transmigrators past, he mentally cursed thirteen generations of her ancestors.
"If you're not a loner," Sakura said, rolling her eyes, "then no one else is."
With that, Sakura glanced at him again and finally voiced the question that had been nagging at her.
"Hey… how did you do that just now?"
"That?" Haru tilted his head. "Can you be more specific?"
Sakura rolled her eyes, puffing out her cheeks. "Don't play dumb. How were you sitting on the water? I know how deep this river is—it goes up to our knees."
Haru fell into brief contemplation.
An opportunity flashed in his mind.
If he could spark her interest here… maybe he could turn it into something useful. Sakura was good at theory—really good. His own grades were painfully average, not because he lacked intelligence, but because reading long blocks of text made him sleepy, annoyed, and dangerously close to zoning out. If someone could explain things directly…
His gaze softened, his tone turning casual and friendly.
"Oh, that?" he said lightly. "It's nothing special. Just a small technique that makes learning and using ninjutsu easier. You probably wouldn't like it."
Then he turned his back to her.
A diabolical smile crept across his face.
Hehe. Knowing girls, she'll definitely bite. And once she asks… I'll propose a trade.
"Hmph!" Sakura crossed her arms. "Who says I wouldn't like it? You haven't even explained anything yet. How could you possibly know?"
In her mind, Haru's image dropped another few notches.
He was starting to rank dangerously close to that annoying blond idiot.
"No, no," Haru said calmly, not turning around. "I'm pretty sure. Beautiful girls don't usually care about this kind of thing. It's tiring, you get dirty, it takes effort… mostly stuff boys enjoy."
Those words hit like a kunai.
"Y-you—!" Sakura stammered. "I—!"
She didn't know whether to feel angry or flattered, but the irritation gnawed at her chest until it became unbearable.
"I'll have you know," she snapped, "that just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I don't like training! So—can you teach me or not?!"
Got her.
A malicious glint flashed through Haru's eyes.
For a split second, he felt like Kira—mastermind, manipulator, always ten steps ahead—
…no, wait. Bad comparison. Let's go with Near.
Cursing his runaway imagination, he turned back toward Sakura and smiled.
"Oh?" he said thoughtfully. "You want to learn my secret technique?"
He dragged out the words, putting on a hesitant expression.
"Hm… I don't know. Things like that are valuable, you know? It took me a long time to figure it out."
Secret technique.
Sakura's eyes lit up instantly.
If he called it that, then it had to be good. Really good. Maybe—just maybe—it could even help her catch Sasuke's attention.
Suppressing the greedy spark in her gaze, she asked eagerly, "T-then… is there something you want in exchange?"
"Something I want?" Haru pretended to think deeply, hand on his chin, milking the moment just a bit longer.
Finally, he sighed.
"I suppose… you could tutor me."
"…Tutor you?" Sakura pointed at herself, stunned. "Me?"
Why would anyone want her help? She couldn't even beat Ino, that pig-headed girl!
"Yeah," Haru nodded seriously. "You're great at theory. You always get the top grades, and Iruka-sensei is always praising you. When it comes to studying, you're amazing."
The praise landed cleanly.
Sakura's cheeks warmed, pride swelling in her chest.
That's right. I am smart. Hehe.
"So," Haru continued, "how about it? An amazing secret technique in exchange for you tutoring me from now on."
She barely processed the rest of his words.
"Okay! Okay!" she said quickly. "I'll tutor you! You teach me the secret technique!"
"Deal," Haru said with a satisfied smile.
Having successfully—
ahem—made a mutually beneficial agreement, he finally felt at ease.
At last, he wouldn't have to struggle alone with academy theory ever again.
And so, a few more years passed.
During that time, Haru surprisingly never grew close to anyone else. His only friend at the academy was Sakura. Outside of it, the only person he spoke to regularly was his boss, Ten Ten—the future woman who would seal Madara, pfft.
His body had undergone a drastic transformation.
The scrawny kid from before was long gone. In his place stood a solid, well-built boy with a powerful physique, broad shoulders, and clearly defined muscles. He had even grown a head taller than most of his classmates, the result of years of relentless grinding and training.
Carrying weapons that weighed dozens of kilograms was no longer a challenge.
From time to time, Ten Ten even compared him to her teammate, Rock Lee, claiming that Haru was stronger in raw strength.
Of course, that didn't mean he was better than Lee. Lee was an agility-focused monster, while Haru specialized in brute force.
Still, after all this time, he could finally stand his ground against the likes of Inuzuka Kiba—and even exchange a few blows with Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuga Hinata.
And yet…
When he thought about the sheer effort he had poured into training—morning until night, day after day—only to barely keep up with them, he finally understood Rock Lee's mindset.
Effort alone couldn't bridge the gap.
No matter how hard you worked, you couldn't even catch the dust kicked up by a genius who trained with a fraction of your dedication.
It really put things into perspective.
Strapping the weighted appendages onto his arms and legs, Haru glanced at himself in the mirror, looking a little tired.
Short blue hair partially covered his face, giving him an otherwise generic anime protagonist look. Paired with his blue eyes, he sometimes felt like the kind of guy who should only wear blue—some Sentai Blue Ranger or something.
Thankfully, his eyes were sharp enough to offset any childish impression his hair color might give.
Dressed in a white shirt and blue shorts, he looked… decent. Even handsome.
Since gaining this physique, girls had started noticing him too—though nothing compared to the attention Sasuke received. At most, he earned a few glances here and there.
Grabbing his things, he closed the door behind him and headed toward the academy.
He had walked this path so many times that he could probably navigate it with his eyes closed. Even so, it never stopped feeling strange. The atmosphere, the architecture—everything was alien compared to the world he had lived in during his previous life.
Still, he liked Konoha.
Despite its many problems.
Passing by the former Uchiha Clan compound, he slowed down and glanced at it. The eerie silence made chills run down his spine. He honestly couldn't understand how Sasuke managed to live there.
On the way to the academy, he stopped in front of a house that stood out clearly from the others.
Just as he arrived, the door opened.
A girl with pink hair, wearing a red shirt and white shorts, stepped outside.
"Oh, Haru! Good morning!" Sakura smiled warmly when she saw him.
After knowing each other for so long, they had long since dropped honorifics and simply used each other's names.
"Hm. Good morning, Sakura."
Walking side by side, they chatted casually—about school subjects, math, history, geography, military tactics. The usual.
It was routine by now.
Their relationship had grown steadily over the years. Calling Sakura his only friend wouldn't be an exaggeration. Ten Ten employed him and treated him kindly, but outside of work, their relationship remained shallow.
Sakura was different.
They spent a lot of time together, and naturally, they grew close.
Even so…
Glancing at her side profile, Haru felt a bitter taste rise in his mouth.
He truly couldn't understand how Sasuke had managed to make her fall so hopelessly for him.
She was smart, beautiful, attentive, caring. She knew first aid, could cook surprisingly well, and had developed an even better figure after training with him. And yet…
Haru let out a quiet sigh.
It seemed he had contracted friendzone syndrome once again in this life.
He didn't care what people used to say about Sakura in his previous world. The Sakura he knew—the one from the manga—was a good person. She had been Naruto's first real friend, the first to believe in him when even Hinata doubted him during the Chūnin Exams.
Now, though…
All of that was about to change.
Today was the final graduation test.
Tomorrow, they would be assigned to teams.
And everything would begin to shift.