When Naruto walked into the classroom, most of the students were already there.
The big forehead girl, the chubby kid, the pineapple-head, the pretty blonde—all present.
And the moment Naruto stepped inside, the room's atmosphere shifted.
The air turned thick with malice.
But… not everyone was hostile.
Naruto ignored the stares. His steps were steady and focused as he walked straight toward the owner of a pair of pure, spotless, and gentle eyes.
Hyūga Hinata.
Around him, whispers began:
> "Why do we have to be in the same class as that thing? Talk about bad luck."
> "I heard that Beino kid nearly got skinned alive last year… now he barely speaks."
> "Serves him right! He actually dared to mess with that one. Doesn't he know how dangerous he is? My roof was torn off by that brat!"
> "Torn off? That's nothing! Remember those hills in our backyard? He threw them there! Took us days to move them."
> "Look, he's sitting next to the Hyūga heiress!"
> "Isn't that dangerous?"
> "You think he's planning to eat her or something?"
> "Why don't you go play hero and teach him a lesson?"
> "…Mind your own business."
But not everyone was joining in the verbal beatdown.
For example:
> "So annoying," muttered the pineapple-headed boy, glancing briefly at Naruto. He clearly didn't agree with the noise around him, but didn't speak up either. He just flopped onto his desk and stared off into space.
Beside him, the chubby kid was too busy munching on snacks to care.
> "Ino, I heard Sasuke-kun's going to be in our class!"
> "Really? That's amazing!"
Forehead Girl and the blonde cutie were deep in fangirl mode, giggling about a certain cool Uchiha.
> Naruto who? Is he hotter than Sasuke? No? Then we don't care.
---
Meanwhile…
> "I-I'm sorry, Naruto-kun!"
Hinata stammered, head lowered, eyes watery, cheeks burning.
> "I… I wanted to apologize. That day, my cousin Yōichi was punished by the clan too… F-Father grounded me at home. I tried to sneak out so many times but…"
She fidgeted with her sleeves, eyes brimming with tears.
> "I'm sorry… I didn't mean for you to get hurt… Please don't hate me."
Tears spilled down her cheeks like pearls on a broken string.
> Is Naruto-kun going to hate me?
> He's definitely going to hate me…
Just as she was about to break down completely, she felt a hand.
A small, warm hand gently resting on her head.
A voice—calm, gentle, warm.
> "It's okay."
Naruto softly stroked her silky hair.
Then he knelt, gently took her trembling hands, and looked her in the eyes.
> "I never blamed you, Hinata."
> "That day… wasn't your fault."
> "I wanted to see you too. But the Hyūga compound… isn't exactly easy to sneak into."
> Seriously, trying to escape a place full of people with X-ray vision? You're amazing, Hinata.
His words melted her panic like snow in spring.
> "Can we be friends?"
Naruto smiled kindly.
Hinata didn't respond right away. Naruto chuckled:
> "Or… maybe you don't want to—"
> "I do!" she blurted out before he could finish.
Then her entire face turned red as a tomato.
Naruto smiled. Truly smiled.
> I've never smiled this much in a single day.
His warm grin etched itself deeply into Hinata's heart.
> "Nice to meet you, Hinata-chan."
> The first true friend I've made in this world…
> "N-Nice to meet you too… Naruto-kun…"
She nearly fainted from how close he was.
> He's so close…!
Was that… steam?
Yep.
She was literally steaming.
So cute.
---
What Really Happened
This moment of peace?
Yeah, it wasn't nearly so smooth.
Hinata's crying had attracted attention. Several hot-blooded kids had stood up, planning to "save the princess" and teach Naruto a lesson.
But…
They never got the chance.
Naruto had already sensed their movement, and with a single sharp look each, shut them all down.
No Nine-Tails needed.
Just pure Turtle School aura.
He carried himself like Kame-Sennin when the sunglasses came off.
When he got serious?
He was terrifying.
That was true martial arts.
The opposite of flashy, arrogant styles like Crane School.
Power held back. Mastery in restraint.
---
> "Troublesome…" muttered the pineapple-head again, turning over on his desk. But his eyes kept flicking toward Naruto.
Students continued to file into the classroom.
Among them:
The much-fangirled Uchiha Sasuke.
A wild-looking kid with a dog on his head: Inuzuka Kiba.
A boy in sunglasses whose chakra fluctuated like a bad radio: Aburame Shino.
And finally—
Iruka arrived.
---
First Day — Self-Introductions
> "I'll be your teacher from now on. I'm Iruka Umino. Let's start with introductions. Name, what you like, and your dream."
---
Kiba Inuzuka:
> "I'm Kiba! I like dogs. I'm gonna be the Fifth Hokage!"
Shikamaru Nara:
> "I'm Shikamaru. I like napping. My dream is a life with as little hassle as possible."
Sasuke Uchiha:
> "I'm Sasuke. I like training. My dream… is to become a powerful ninja."
(…Like my brother, he added silently.)
Sakura Haruno:
> "I'm Sakura! I like… My dream is to be a great kunoichi like Lady Tsunade!"
Hinata Hyūga:
> "I-I'm Hinata… I like… I want to become a strong person."
Naruto Uzumaki:
> "I'm Naruto Uzumaki. I like… pure, kind eyes."
He paused.
> "And my dream… is to become someone as great as the Fourth Hokage."