The next day, in the classroom.
Sasuke arrived early and sat down, immediately closing his eyes to meditate.
"If only Sasuke-kun and I could be in the same class when the assignments are made," Ino murmured wistfully, her eyes shining with infatuation. "Then I could—"
"Get lost, Ino-pig!" Sakura snapped, not wanting to be outdone. "Stop daydreaming! Sasuke will definitely be in the same class as me!"
"Hmph, forehead monster!"
"Tch, Ino-pig!"
"..."
Sasuke ignored the girls' bickering, continuing to sit with his arms crossed and his eyes closed, meditating.
Before he knew it, he had already graduated from the Ninja Academy.
'I don't have much time left.'
Sasuke had actually quite enjoyed his time at the Ninja Academy.
Though his classmates were generally precocious, they hadn't yet developed the darkness and scheming of adult shinobi.
He had also been temporarily shielded from the world's turmoil.
But this tranquility would vanish forever after graduation today. The enemies he would face in the future would swarm upon him like a violent storm, each one more dangerous than the last.
Sasuke felt a fondness for the peaceful life at the Ninja Academy, but he wasn't afraid of the future dangers. On the contrary, he felt a sense of eager anticipation.
Tap!
Just as Sasuke was lost in thought, someone suddenly stepped onto the desk in front of him. The entire classroom, previously buzzing like a marketplace, instantly fell silent.
Sasuke frowned, opened his eyes, and, as expected, it was Naruto again.
He was half-squatting on Sasuke's desk, his expression serious. "Sasuke," he said earnestly, "no matter which team you end up on, don't forget that I, Uzumaki Naruto, am your eternal rival. Don't get complacent just because you're a ninja now, or I'll crush you easily in the future. Hmph!"
Sasuke raised an eyebrow, looked at Naruto's glaring face, and chuckled softly.
"Heh, still worried, are you?"
'Damn it!'
Sasuke's expression darkened as a memory flashed through his mind.
He immediately stood up and took several steps back, his voice icy. "Stay away from me!"
"Huh? What's gotten into you?" Naruto looked genuinely puzzled. It was the first time he'd ever seen such a drastic change in Sasuke's demeanor.
Sasuke ignored him completely. Seeing Naruto still rooted to the spot, he simply walked over to the last table and sat down alone.
'If I can't beat him, I can at least avoid him, right?'
Soon, their teacher, Umino Iruka, entered the classroom, gave a brief speech, and began announcing the team assignments.
"Team Seven... Uchiha Sasuke."
Iruka glanced at Sasuke, who calmly returned the gaze.
"Ahem... Uzumaki Naruto!"
Naruto crossed his arms, muttering with annoyance, "Huh? So I really ended up on the same team as that Sasuke guy?"
Despite his feigned annoyance, Naruto was secretly thrilled.
Unlike in the original timeline, he didn't slam his fist on the desk or shout in protest.
Naruto turned his head just as Sasuke's calm eyes met his. The moment their gazes locked, Sasuke quickly looked away.
"Hmph! Smug jerk," Naruto muttered under his breath.
Just then, Iruka continued, "And Haruno Sakura."
"Yay! X2"
Before the words had even left Iruka's mouth, Naruto and Sakura erupted in simultaneous cheers.
'Sakura's on my team!'
'I'm on Sasuke's team!'
Two conflicting thoughts surged through their minds simultaneously.
After the team assignments were announced, most of the classmates remained quietly in their seats, except for Ino, who looked utterly dejected.
Sakura, on the other hand, beamed with delight as she walked over and sat beside Sasuke.
"Sasuke, we're teammates now! Please take good care of me!"
After a short while, the newly appointed Genin in the classroom were led away by their respective Jonin Teacher, who came and went in quick succession.
Eventually, only Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura remained in the empty classroom.
Time ticked by relentlessly, and the trio sat there from morning until noon, but their Jonin Teacher still hadn't appeared.
Naruto grew increasingly impatient, his face twisted with annoyance. "Does this guy have no sense of time at all?"
Four years ago, after resolving to train diligently, Naruto had become meticulous about time management.
He not only created ten Shadow Clones to train simultaneously, engaging in multiple activities at once, but also cherished every minute and second of his practice, becoming a true master of time management.
As he spoke, Naruto glanced at the blackboard.
A mischievous idea suddenly struck him, and he strode forward to grab the eraser, intending to place it above the door.
Sakura stopped him. "Naruto, don't you think that's a bit much? He's going to be our teacher."
Naruto grinned mischievously. "Just a little punishment for being late."
"But..." Sakura hesitated, secretly harboring her own resentment toward their tardy teacher.
"Don't worry, Sakura. It'll be fine!"
"I advise you against such pointless actions," Sasuke suddenly interjected, his voice calm and steady.
As soon as Sasuke spoke, Sakura nodded vigorously, as if she'd found her anchor. "Sasuke's right!"
"Hmph!" Naruto scoffed, about to put down the eraser when Sasuke retrieved a storage scroll from his person and unfurled it. "You could try this."
With a puff of white smoke, a massive, jet-black iron mace materialized before Sakura and Naruto's eyes.
Sharp iron spikes studded the hammerhead, glinting menacingly in the sunlight.
Sakura: '...'
Naruto: '...'
"What's wrong?" Sasuke asked blandly, noticing their speechless expressions. "As an Uchiha, it's perfectly logical for me to carry ninja tools, isn't it?"
'...'
Hiding in the shadows and eavesdropping, Kakashi felt a bead of cold sweat trickle down his forehead. He cleared his throat and pushed open the door.
"Ahahaha, hello everyone! I'm your Jonin Teacher, Hatake Kakashi."
Kakashi greeted them, but he was met with two pairs of disgruntled stares. Sasuke, without betraying any emotion, calmly retracted his spiked club.
Naruto immediately voiced his displeasure: "Hey! You masked white-haired teacher! Arriving this late is totally outrageous!"
Kakashi stroked his chin, offering a perfunctory explanation: "That's because today I got lost on the path of—"
"Life," Sasuke interjected, finishing his sentence.
Kakashi's eyebrows shot up, and he quickly changed his story: "That's because today—"
"I got lost!" Sasuke finished again.
"I..."
"Overslept."
"I met an old woman trying to—"
"I met an old woman trying to cross the street today. After helping her across, she told me she was lost and had too many things to carry, so I helped her carry her belongings all the way home. On my way to the ninja academy, a girl stopped me to chat, and I couldn't refuse. Finally, when I reached the school gate, a black cat blocked my path."
Sasuke delivered the entire story in one breath, then glanced coolly at Kakashi. "Teacher Kakashi, anything you'd like to add?"
Kakashi: "..."