"Naruto..."
In the classroom of the ninja academy.
Naruto Uzumaki was fast asleep on his desk when he was suddenly awakened by this gentle and pleasant call. In a daze, he looked up and saw the face of the girl he had been longing for.
The morning sunlight was just right, shining softly on the girl's delicate and beautiful face. Her long pink hair was gently tied up with a hair clip, and her bangs fluttered gently, covering her slightly wide forehead. Her bright green eyes were slightly narrowed, looking at her with a gentle smile.
"Sakura-chan?!"
Naruto Uzumaki couldn't help but drool.
I don't know if it was from sleeping with him or from seeing my goddess.
"Are you awake?"
Sakura Haruno continued to ask gently.
Naruto was overjoyed. Why was Sakura suddenly being so gentle with him today? Could it be...?
Has she finally discovered her own charm and fallen in love with herself?!
He nodded vigorously.
"You're awake! You're awake, Sakura-chan!"
Sakura Haruno chuckled.
Then...
He suddenly threw a punch.
Bang--
With a loud bang, Naruto Uzumaki was sent flying, crashing through a large group of tables and chairs before finally falling heavily to the ground, looking utterly disheveled.
Everyone in the classroom looked over and burst into cheerful laughter.
"ah--"
Naruto Uzumaki was a little dazed from the beating. He covered his swollen face and asked, feeling both aggrieved and confused.
"Sakura-chan, why...why did you hit me?!"
Sakura Haruno, hands on her hips, scoffed, "I already told you I'm going to Sasuke's side!"
"And you've been sleeping here like a dead pig, blocking my way, and I can't wake you up no matter how much I call you!"
"Tell me, did you deserve to be hit?!"
As she spoke, she stepped over the tables and chairs that Naruto had knocked over, moved closer to Sasuke Uchiha, and instantly changed her expression to a bright, sunny smile.
"Sasuke-kun!"
"I brought you some rice balls with heart-shaped decorations, would you like to try some?"
"It was made by hand!"
Sasuke Uchiha snorted coldly, turned his face away, and looked out the window, completely ignoring her.
Naruto Uzumaki watched this scene, unable to help but grit his teeth and harden his fists.
"hateful!"
"That Sasuke guy, all he does is try to look cool and show off!"
"Why does Sakura have to like that kind of guy?!"
He angrily got up, patted his butt, and instead of blaming Sakura for hitting him, he strode towards Uchiha Sasuke, rolling up his sleeves.
The girls in the classroom couldn't help but shout.
"Naruto! Stay away from Sasuke!"
"You bastard Naruto, what do you think you're doing to Sasuke?!"
Naruto menacingly approached Sasuke, their eyes now almost touching.
Sasuke Uchiha gave him a disgusted look.
"You're the worst student, do you want to die?"
Upon hearing this address, Naruto flew into a rage.
"What did you say, Sasuke the bastard?!"
"Come fight me if you dare!"
However, before he could even make a move, Haruno Sakura couldn't hold back any longer and threw another punch.
Bang--
It hit Naruto squarely on the forehead, sending him flying again.
"What are you doing, Naruto!"
"Stay away from Sasuke!"
Naruto Uzumaki collapsed to the ground again, rubbing his aching forehead and looking at Sakura Haruno with a pitiful expression.
"Sakura, you...you..."
The students in the classroom burst into laughter again, looking at Naruto on the ground with mockery, pointing and whispering, but no one went over to help him up.
Naruto Uzumaki stood up angrily, once again feeling that loneliness and pain.
But he seems to have gotten used to it.
Or rather, I've gotten used to forcing myself to pretend.
"Hmph, what's so great about it!"
"One day, I will become Hokage and make all of you acknowledge my existence!"
If he has one and only skill, it's probably his ability to cope with his own emotions...
Otherwise, he might not have survived even a single day.
He wasn't exactly smart, but he wasn't stupid either.
He could sense the strange and indifferent attitude of everyone in the village.
That wasn't even dislike...
Instead, it was hatred.
But what exactly did he do?
He couldn't understand it.
Even though his favorite Sakura Haruno was rude to him, she was still willing to talk to him. For Naruto, who had been ignored and treated coldly for years, this was a luxury, a kindness...
Others, on the other hand, had no desire to get close to him.
At this moment, not only Sakura Haruno, but also Ino Yamanaka and the others had gathered around Sasuke, chatting and laughing, frantically displaying their charm and affection, trying to get Sasuke to look at them more.
The boys in the class, meanwhile, formed small groups of three or five and started laughing and joking around.
Only Naruto Uzumaki remained.
He lowered his head, a hint of sadness appearing in his eyes.
But he quickly overcame his inner pain, put his hands behind his head, strode through the noisy crowd, kicked open the classroom door, and headed out of the school.
The bustling crowd seemed to belong to a different world.
Why does nobody care about me...?
Naruto clenched his fist and kicked a small pebble on the playground with resentment.
Bang--
The pebble hit a wooden barrel in the distance, next to some painting tools.
Naruto Uzumaki stared at the brushes and paint buckets, then suddenly his eyes lit up, and he slammed his right hand into his left palm.
"Got it!"
...
"The Fourth Hokage, a hero who sacrificed himself to protect the village with his life..."
"Hehe, how about trying this!"
On the Hokage Rock in Konoha Village, Naruto Uzumaki was freely wielding his brush, applying paint and pigments evenly to the statues of the Hokage of past generations.
He added a small mustache to the Fourth Hokage with satisfaction, stepped back slightly to look at it from a distance, and was very proud of his work.
Just then.
Suddenly, Naruto felt a chill run down his spine, as if he had sensed something terrifying.
He struggled to turn back.
"Naruto Uzumaki!"
A voice suddenly rang out, startling him so much that he jumped up. After a struggle to regain his balance, he turned around and saw that it was Iruka-sensei.
"Teacher Iruka, you scared me to death!"
Iruka Umino snorted angrily, "It's class time! What are you doing here!"
Naruto Uzumaki was taken aback for a moment, then scratched his head and laughed.
"I'm creating something, so what do you think, Iruka-sensei? It's quite artistic, isn't it?"
"Especially the graffiti of the Fourth Hokage, that's one of my proudest works!"
Iruka roared, "Clean it up right now! Then come back to class with me like a good boy!"
Naruto Uzumaki: "...Oh."
He pouted in a huff, but eventually obeyed and cleaned up the paint graffiti.
On the way back to the ninja academy.
Iruka couldn't help but ask, "Naruto, why did you do that?"
Naruto chuckled, "Because I can do it! Nobody else would dare to do it, right?"
"Only I, Naruto Uzumaki, have such courage!"
Iruka, of course, understood his thoughts and comprehended his loneliness and pain.
He sighed, "Naruto, I know you want attention and recognition, but you can't achieve that through pranks. Shouldn't you be studying and training harder?"
Naruto Uzumaki hurriedly said, "I've already tried my best, Iruka-sensei!"
"But... there are many things I just can't learn. Let alone compared to that bastard Sasuke, I'm not even as good as any of my classmates..."
Iruka said in a deep voice, "Since you know you lack talent, you should work even harder!"
"Does skipping class and playing pranks every day make you stronger?!"
Naruto Uzumaki was also stunned.
He actually knew that Iruka-sensei was genuinely doing it for his own good.
But...
"Teacher Iruka, I really, really tried my best!"
"Maybe, I really am just too stupid..."
"I was born to be a loser..."
Iruka took a deep breath and gently patted his head.
"No, Naruto, I know you have potential and you can definitely become better."
"I know you're trying, but I hope you can try a little harder and be a little more diligent. Maybe then things will change..."
Naruto looked up and stared blankly at Iruka.
"Will hard work always make you stronger?"
Iruka's expression changed slightly.
He didn't want to lie to Naruto.
"Actually, in this ninja world, hard work doesn't always guarantee a reward, but..."
"If you don't try, there's no hope at all."
Naruto Uzumaki seemed to understand but not quite, but he still clenched his fist.
"Okay, Iruka-sensei, I'll do my best!"
Umino Iruka smiled slightly, patted his head again, and said softly.
"I believe in you, Naruto."
Naruto felt a lump in his throat, and tears welled up in his eyes...
Iruka-sensei...
He is the only person in the world who truly accepts himself...
he...
I really don't want to disappoint Iruka-sensei...
"I understand, Teacher Iruka!"
"From today onwards, I will put in ten times, a hundred times the effort!"
"I will never let you down!"
Right at this moment.
[Naruto Uzumaki, your determination to become stronger through sheer willpower has been detected. The Hokage System is now loading...]
[three...]
[two...]
[one! ]
[Tie successfully!]
[The Naruto schedule is being generated...]
Naruto was stunned.
"Roll...roll it up into the Naruto System?"
"What the hell is that?!"
(End of chapter)