Straight through the corridors and courtyards.

  They arrived on the westernmost floor of the ninja school.

  This was the designated gathering pce for udents every year.

  And it was no different from the inal story.

  Naruto was brought by Iruka to the he was responsible for. It was evident that among the students in this css, there were many from prestigious families this year. Although there seemed to be a fair distribution ur children in the css, Iruka's css was undoubtedly the most important one for this year's udents.

  Naruto, due to his special status, was directly assigo this .

  And it was when Naruto followed Iruka into the .

  I was already buzzing with activity.

  Looking around, all those figures were the most "familiar" to Naruto, in the sense of familiarity from the inal story. In this life, however, almost everyone in this room was meeting Naruto for the first time.

  Except for that one white figure.

  In fact, it was the first paruto's gaze nded as soon as he ehe .

  Short hair that reached the ears, bright double pupils, that timid expression.

  The faint, seemingly uional aura of unease.

  The princess of the Hyuga , one of the noble families of Konoha - Hinata Hyuga.

  Even in his previous life, Naruto had a great fondness for this Hyuga princess, who was anything but delicate.

  In this life alone, a ter over a year ago had left a deep impression of this pure, white girl in Naruto's heart.

  "Hinata Hyuga..."

  Looking at the girl with cheeks almost the size of his palm, Naruto's expression softened slightly in his pupils.

  Because she was from the Hyuga .

  Even though she hadn't awake yet, Hinata's sensory perception was deeper than that of an average person. It was as if Naruto's gaze lingered on her for half a sed longer, Hinata immediately notiaruto's gaze. When she instinctively raised her head and their eyes met, Hinata's small eyes widened slightly, and her face revealed a hint of surprise.

  Naruto responded with a gentle nod.

  Just this slight movement.

  Hinata's cheeks instantly turned red. Steam seemed to visibly rise from her forehead. As she lowered her head involuntarily, her strands of hair shifted, making her look even more charming.

  This made Naruto's expression even milder.

  "Naruto, go ahead and find a seat for now."

  This brief exge of gazes, sting just a few seds, went unnoticed by the other students in the css, and even Iruka, who stood at the front, was unaware of the little iioween Naruto and Hinata. He gently tapped the table to quiet down the 's hen turo Naruto and spoke softly.

  "Yes, Teacher Iruka."

  Naruto immediately replied and walked toward the innermost part of the . He followed the side passage along the wall and found a seat in the farthest er of the .

  There was no need for excessive tact or iiht now.

  After all, his identity was quite sensitive.

  A ter from childhood.

  A special iion.

  The upper echelons of Konoha would not take notice.

  The Hyuga wouldn't pay it much miher.

  But if Naruto wao get close to Hinata Hyuga now, even if he had no ulterior motives and simply wao be closer to her, it would be interpreted with other meanings by Konoha's higher-ups and Hinata's father, Hiashi Hyuga, and others.

  In any case, until he had the ability to truly protect himself, he o be cautious in every a.

  Ag well was his top priority!

  These thoughts raced through Naruto's mind as he walked toward the back of the .

  Don't stand out too much.

  Follow the pn step by step.

  Gradually improve his strength acc to the established pn.

  When his body was strong enough...

  Then he would start trying to unicate with the ails sealed within him.

  As long as he could make tact with the ails.

  Naruto was fairly fident that he could persuade the someroud ails to help him. After all, knowing the plot gave Naruto a lot of room to manipute events. But for now, other matters were not within Naruto's sideration.

  In this , there were many figures Naruto was already familiar with, especially the Twelve Guardian Ninja from the inal story. Apart from Naruto, eight of them were in this css. These individuals were the core of the geion of the major ninja s in Konoha.

  In the inal story, these were the true ninja born from civilian families.

  It was likely only Sakura Haruno and Rock Lee eared to e from civilian backgrounds. But even for someone who seemed ordinary like Tenten, just look at how many resources she spent on ons. You'd know that this seemingly average girl came from a family with a lot of money. Naruto had no e to these people for now.

  He didn't pn to get close to them like he did in the inal story.

  In fact, in this life, Naruto not only wao survive but also to gain more. panions? There might be individuals among them who would bee his rades, but more of them might bee enemies iure!

  Naturally, at this stage, Naruto was not particurly ied in them.

  Except for one moment when he passed by a bck-haired youth who seemed quite "cool."

  But it was just for that moment.

  Even the bck-haired youth didn't notice.

  Naruto tio walk, heading straight for the st row of the . He found a seat far away from all the other students and sat down quietly.

  "Sasuke Uchiha..."

  No more words were said.

  His expression didn't ge at all.

  It was just a normal shift of his gaze.

  But when his eyes brushed over the emblem on the back of that boy's clothing for a split sed, the name surfaced in his mind.

  Down at the podium, Iruka naturally hadn't notiaruto's subtle movement. It was only when he saw Naruto take a seat in the far er of the that Iruka's expression showed a slight ge.

  This emotional shift was just for a moment.

  The sed.

  Iruka's face regais smile.

  *Cp, cp, cp, cp.*

  He lightly cpped his hands.

  Drawing the attention of everyone in front of him.

  "Everyone is here. Today is your first day at the ninja school. I am your instructor, Iruka Umino. Let me gratute you all first. In the six years ahead, you will learhing about being a ninja here, not just bat but theory as well. To bee an excellent ninja, both are indispensable. I hope that each of you will study hard, follow the guidand arras of your teacher, and, after graduation, truly grow into outstanding ninjas!"

  Iruka Umino spoke in a posed tone, surveying the three to four dozen childre, and said softly.

  (End of this chapter)