Morning, inside the inner halls of the imperial palace.
"Did your clothes get small again?"
Mikoto looked at Sasuke's outfit, which seemed a bit tighter, and remarked, "You're growing so fast. I hardly even notice. I'll buy some new clothes for you and Naruto later."
Sasuke couldn't help but complain, "Can you not buy me and Naruto the same clothes? I really don't want to wear them."
"What's wrong with you brothers wearing matching outfits?" Kushina chimed in from the side.
Naruto, who was eating breakfast at the table, also complained, "Even if we don't wear the same clothes, people still know we're brothers!"
He was fed up with his moms' habits.
Neji was fine since he was a year older, so a lot of his things were different.
But for him and Sasuke, almost everything was identical—life essentials like toothbrushes, towels, and even their clothes.
Even their underwear was the same, just in different colors.
Sometimes, they almost mixed them up.
Makoto, seated at the head of the table, chuckled at their complaints.
"Naruto and Sasuke have their own opinions too. You shouldn't force your weird preferences onto them."
Kushina mumbled under her breath, "How is that a weird preference?"
Ayari shot him a look and said mockingly, "You never pay attention to the kids normally, yet now you're the one making sense? Have you ever bought them clothes before?"
Makoto let out a light cough, then lowered his head to continue eating, deciding not to say more.
But then, realizing that this made him seem lacking in authority as the head of the household, he turned to Naruto and Sasuke and said, "You two need to behave yourselves at school. Pay attention in class, and don't talk back to the teachers."
However, his words sounded somewhat stiff.
Naruto lazily responded, "Got it. Sasuke and I are super well-behaved at school."
Makoto didn't believe that for a second and added, "I've arranged for a new homeroom teacher for you. You'll meet them today."
Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata were all momentarily stunned.
Hinata asked, "Monju-sensei isn't teaching us anymore?"
"I've found someone even better for you," Makoto replied.
The three of them had no say in such matters.
Now that they knew, there wasn't much to discuss, though their curiosity about the new teacher was piqued.
Later, Sasuke discreetly pulled Mikoto into his bedroom, looking a little embarrassed as he said, "Mom, can you give me some extra allowance?"
Mikoto raised an eyebrow. "You already ran out?"
"It's the end of the month," Sasuke replied.
"Then just hold out a little longer."
"Mom, my allowance is way too little. It's not enough! Besides everyday expenses, I also need money for socializing—going out for meals and milk tea with my classmates. I'm the Emperor's son. I can't just let them pay for me, right?"
Sasuke spoke logically and convincingly, as if he had rehearsed these lines in his head beforehand.
Mikoto smiled but simply reached out and flicked his forehead lightly.
"Do we usually give you too little allowance? Even for socializing, it should be more than enough. Don't try any tricks. If you want more money, go ask your father."
Sasuke couldn't help but pout. "Dad is biased. He gives Hinata way more allowance than Naruto and me."
Mikoto raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Oh? Is that so?"
Only then did Sasuke realize that the moms at home weren't aware of this—Hinata had only bragged about it to them in private.
He quickly backtracked. "No, I didn't say anything!"
He hurriedly left the bedroom and called out to Naruto at the dining table, "Let's go!"
Naruto responded with an "Oh," then got up from the table, ignoring the moms' reminders to "finish your meal properly before leaving."
At the entrance, they quickly put on their shoes and stepped out.
"We're heading out." x2.
As they left the inner palace, Naruto impatiently turned to Sasuke. "So? How'd it go?"
Sasuke pouted and shook his head.
Naruto instantly looked disappointed.
Sasuke suggested, "Why don't you try asking Kushina-mom?"
Naruto shook his head frantically. "Do I look like I have a death wish? If you wanna try, go ahead!"
Sasuke sighed. "Forget it. There are only a few days left in the month anyway. We'll just endure it."
Yesterday, they had even gone to Itachi to complain about their empty wallets, but he only chuckled and refused their request, saying that Mikoto-mom had already warned him not to secretly give them any money.
Naruto and Sasuke were feeling quite helpless.
Recently, a card game had become popular among their peers.
The characters on these cards were all well-known ninjas of the era, but acquiring them was based on a lottery system—the rarer the card, the lower the chances of getting it.
The two had already poured quite a bit of money into it.
Someone from a neighboring grade had managed to pull a Uchiha Shisui from the Ten Crown Guards, a limited-edition legendary card.
Naruto and Sasuke were beyond envious, but all they could do was stare in longing.
Their luck was downright terrible.
"Dad said our teacher got replaced. It's not Monju-sensei anymore."
"Who is it then?"
"I don't know. Dad just said the new teacher is better than Monju-sensei."
"As long as they're not as strict as the teacher in Neji's class, it should be fine."
As they chatted, the two made their way to school.
The moment they stepped into their classroom, a group of boys immediately swarmed around them.
One of them eagerly handed over a well-crafted, rigid card. "Prince Naruto, this is a new purple-tier card I pulled yesterday—'Young Hatake Kakashi.'"
Naruto glanced at the card and said, "My new deck doesn't need it. Give it to Sasuke instead—he has 'Young Uchiha Obito,' so they can form a synergy."
Sasuke accepted it without hesitation, but he wasn't one to take things for free.
"Let's trade instead. I'll bring you a 'Master Builder' card tomorrow."
The Master Builder card, fully named "Imperial Legendary Architect—Uchiha Obito," was also a purple-tier card.
With outstanding defense and self-recovery abilities, it was highly sought after in various deck strategies.
The boy grinned sheepishly and said, "Thank you, Prince Sasuke."
Outside, the sky was bright and clear.
It was early autumn, and though the temperature was a bit stifling, the classroom was equipped with climate control to keep things comfortable.
As the bell rang for class, a somewhat familiar face walked in.
Naruto and Sasuke vaguely remembered this person—he hadn't been one of their regular teachers before.
The man picked up a piece of chalk and wrote his name on the blackboard.
Then, with a warm smile, he introduced himself, "Hello, everyone. My name is Umino Iruka. Due to a transfer in Monju-sensei's work assignment, I will be taking over as your homeroom teacher from now on."
A wave of murmurs spread through the classroom as students whispered among themselves, surprised by the change.
Iruka continued, "I hope we can all get along well. To start things off, let's have a simple ninja assessment so I can better understand everyone. Please leave the classroom in an orderly manner and gather at the training grounds."
Groans of reluctance filled the room.
Naruto grumbled, "Why do we have to do a test in this heat?"
His complaint was quickly met with agreement from the group of boys around him.
Still, he wasn't actually worried about the test.
When it came to overall performance, he, Sasuke, and Hinata consistently held the top three spots in the class.
Despite their reluctance, the students had no choice but to follow their teacher's instructions.
One by one, they got up from their seats and made their way to the training grounds.
Meanwhile, Iruka stood by the classroom door, watching the children pass by, his heart filled with determination.
I must not let His Majesty down!
The first-year students weren't the only ones on the training grounds—there were also students from the higher grades.
At the ninja academy, the older the students, the more extracurricular skill-based lessons they had.
Fortunately, the training grounds were spacious enough to accommodate both classes, leaving plenty of open space in the middle.
The air buzzed with the sounds of daytime activity, and dappled shadows stretched beneath the trees.
Many students couldn't help but be drawn toward the upperclassmen's side of the field.
There, Neji and Toneri were engaged in a sparring session.
Their small figures flickered rapidly across the open ground, clashing in quick, precise exchanges.
Neji was the aggressor, launching relentless attacks, yet Toneri skillfully deflected every move.
Since they were in a higher grade and considered top-tier students among their peers, their strength far surpassed that of Naruto and Sasuke's class.
The younger students watched in awe.
"Prince Neji is amazing!"
"Yeah, so strong!"
"I think Toneri-senpai is really impressive too!"
Hinata listened to the excited chatter of the girls around her, feeling increasingly irritated.
That show-off Neji is hogging the spotlight again…
What was so handsome about him anyway?
He always had that arrogant look on his face, acting superior just because he was born a little over a year earlier.
She pouted at the thought.
Meanwhile, Iruka noticed that his students were too distracted by the older kids to pay attention to their own lesson.
His calls for them to get ready for their test were completely ignored, causing a flicker of frustration to rise within him.
"Everyone, get ready. I'll start calling names now—first up is the shuriken throwing assessment…!"
Naruto noticed Iruka's predicament and couldn't help but snicker to himself.
He even nudged Sasuke, motioning for him to watch.
But in the next second, Iruka's furious roar echoed across the entire training ground.
"EVERYONE! STAND STILL AND PREPARE FOR THE TEST!"
His voice was so loud that it even startled the upperclassmen in the distance.
Neji, who was sparring with Toneri, got distracted for just a moment—enough time for Toneri to land a punch that sent him flying to the ground.
Toneri looked surprised as well.
He glanced down at Neji and quickly stepped forward to help him up.
Neji let out a quiet sigh, grabbed Toneri's hand, and got back on his feet, rubbing his chest where he'd been hit.
"Are you alright?"
Neji gave a calm shake of his head and exchanged the seal of reconciliation with Toneri.
As he rejoined the crowd, Kensuke eagerly tried to comfort him.
"Don't be discouraged, Prince Neji! You'll definitely win next time!"
Neji couldn't even be bothered to respond.
He knew full well that there was still a considerable gap between himself and Toneri.
Back to Naruto's group—
Under Iruka's sudden eruption of authority, the students finally straightened up and behaved.
They quickly realized that their new teacher wasn't to be trifled with.
Compared to their previous teacher, Iruka had a much shorter temper.
The first test was shuriken throwing.
Since they were still in the lower grades, their skill levels varied greatly.
Those from prestigious families had an advantage, having been exposed to ninja training from an early age.
As expected, the prince and princess—Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata—performed exceptionally well, earning cheers from their classmates.
Seeing this, Iruka made a mental note.
These three weren't just troublemakers—they actually had talent and skill.
When it was a girl named Haruno Sakura's turn, her performance was somewhat underwhelming, and the girls' side immediately erupted in boos.
Iruka was momentarily stunned, wondering, Is there bullying going on in this class?
Naruto secretly nudged Sasuke's arm and shot him a knowing look on purpose.
Sasuke ignored him.
Ever since the whole alternate-world Hinata incident, he had learned that in another world, he would end up marrying this girl named Haruno Sakura.
Since they started school, Naruto had laughed at him about it more than once.
Still, Sasuke occasionally found himself paying attention to the pink-haired girl—after all, in another world, she was supposed to be his wife.
The test continued one by one, taking quite some time and lasting all the way until noon.
Afterward, Iruka called Haruno Sakura into his office for a private talk.
He assured her that if she ever had any concerns, she could always come to him for help, and he would do everything he could to assist her.
But Sakura didn't say anything.
After all, it wasn't like the girls in class actively bullied her—they just didn't include her in their group.
Of course, being isolated like that didn't feel great.
But even if she told the teacher, she doubted there was anything he could do about it.
Was he supposed to resolve their conflict with Princess Hinata?
The teacher would surely side with Hinata.
Neither she nor Ino was willing to bow their heads first.
After leaving the office, Sakura planned to return to the classroom to have lunch with Ino.
But as she reached the classroom door, she almost bumped into someone.
Behind this person stood a group of followers.
"Hey, Forehead! Do you not have eyes or what? Hurry up and apologize to His Highness!"
An unpleasant voice rang out immediately.
It was only then that Sakura realized she had nearly bumped into Prince Sasuke.
Haruno Sakura froze on the spot, while the person who had spoken reached out, seemingly intent on forcing her to comply.
However, before the hand could even touch her, it was abruptly stopped—Sasuke had firmly seized the person's arm, his grip so tight that it made the boy wince.
Sasuke frowned and said coldly, "Do I look like a school bully to you?"
The boy panicked and quickly apologized. "S-Sorry, Your Highness."
He had only wanted to show off and curry favor with Sasuke, but his attempt at flattery had completely backfired.
His fellow followers immediately pulled him away and shoved him aside.
Sasuke paid him no mind.
Instead, he glanced at Sakura, who was still standing there in a daze, then silently walked out of the classroom with his lunchbox in hand.
Naruto, amused by the situation, couldn't help but take another look at Sakura before following Sasuke.
The rest of the group quickly fell in line.
Naruto was the first to catch up to Sasuke, barely holding back his laughter as he whispered, "Hero saving the damsel, huh?"
Sasuke simply replied, "Stop talking nonsense. Hurry up and eat—then we'll have time for a few more matches so I can test my new card deck."
"You still won't beat my 'First Hokage.'"
"We'll see about that."
............
Ino came running over, rushing to Sakura's side with concern.
"Sakura, are you okay? Did they bully you? Who was it? I'll go teach them a lesson!"
Sakura snapped out of her daze and looked at Ino in front of her.
A flicker of light passed through her eyes, and gradually, her cheeks began to flush red.
"Sakura?"
Meanwhile, inside the classroom, Hinata was calmly eating her lunch while watching the entire scene unfold.
After some thought, she turned to the girls sitting around her and said, "I don't care what you think about Yamanaka Ino, but from now on, you are not to bully Haruno Sakura."
"Got it, big sis."
Even after saying that, Hinata felt it wasn't quite enough.
Sipping on her milk tea, she glanced at another unopened cup sitting beside her.
"Whose is this?"
"I-It's mine, big sis… If you want it, please take it," a timid-looking girl quickly raised her hand.
Hinata picked up the fresh cup of milk tea and stood up from her seat, making her way toward Ino and Sakura.
The others immediately put down their lunches and followed behind her.
"Here," Hinata said, placing the milk tea on Sakura's desk.
Sakura blinked in surprise at the drink that had suddenly appeared in front of her.
Looking up, she saw Hinata standing there, with a group of girls behind her.
"What do you want?" Ino immediately asked, her voice wary.
Hinata ignored her and spoke directly to Sakura. "This is for you."
Sakura was confused, glancing from Hinata to Ino before shaking her head.
"I don't want it."
Those words immediately angered the girls behind Hinata.
"Forehead girl, how dare you refuse something from Big Sis!"
"Big Sis is giving you milk tea—this is an honor for you!"
"Don't be ungrateful!"
Sakura glanced at Ino but firmly shook her head again.
"I don't want it!"
Ino added, "We can buy our own. We don't need your stuff!"
Hinata didn't get angry.
She simply said to Sakura, "Suit yourself."
Then, she turned and walked away.
Her followers muttered complaints like "So ungrateful" as they left.
Once they were gone, Sakura turned to Ino and said, "They're just trying to mess with our friendship. Don't worry, Ino, I won't fall for it!"
Ino, touched, nodded in agreement.
Meanwhile, one of the girls walking beside Hinata asked, confused, "Why are you being so nice to that Sakura?"
"Why do you ask so many questions?" Hinata replied.
The timid-looking girl from before quietly slipped away from the group and returned to Sakura and Ino's table.
Under their confused gazes, she awkwardly picked up the milk tea she had originally given up and took it back.
Ino: "…"
Sakura: "…"
--------------
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