After all the students had introduced themselves, Iruka officially began the first lesson.
"Today, we will learn the most basic knowledge for a ninja—the kneading and application of chakra."
Iruka picked up a piece of chalk and drew a simple diagram on the blackboard. "Chakra is the energy produced from the 130 trillion cells of the spirit and body. It is the foundation for our use of ninjutsu..."
Naruto listened to Iruka's lecture with his chin in his hand. Although he had learned this knowledge three years ago, sitting in the classroom and reviewing it now gave him a strange sense of nostalgia.
After explaining chakra and how to knead it, Iruka moved on to hand seals.
Naruto thought the concept of hand seals was pretty cool. It was a shame that later in the series, it was mostly just clapping your hands together and shouting whatever you wanted. This kind of ritualistic hand seal method had become a rarity.
The latter half of the lesson shifted to the history of the ninja world.
"A long time ago, the concept of a 'ninja village' did not exist in the ninja world. Ninja fought each other in the name of their clans, and the average lifespan was less than thirty years..."
When he spoke of the history of Konoha's founding, Iruka only mentioned Hashirama Senju's achievement of pacifying the chaotic era and establishing Konoha. He didn't say a single word about the other founder—Madara Uchiha.
After the history lesson, sunlight slanted through the windows and onto the desks. It was lunchtime. Naruto eagerly opened his bento box, and Satsuki also untied the bento her mother had carefully prepared.
They naturally began to exchange food, a routine that had become a fixed interaction between them.
At the other end of the classroom, a few little boys were whispering together, their gazes occasionally drifting in their direction.
"Hey, did you see that? Satsuki and that blond kid..."
"Why is she eating with someone like that?"
"Maybe... we should go invite her over?"
After a fierce exchange of glances, one boy mustered his courage and walked over. He deliberately puffed out his chest, trying to show off his "elite aura."
"Um..." he stood in front of Satsuki's desk, his voice unconsciously rising. "You're from the Uchiha clan, right?"
Satsuki swallowed the food in her mouth and looked up. In the sunlight, her black eyes shone like jewels, making the boy who had come to talk to her instantly blush.
"Mhm," she replied curtly. "Is there something you need?"
The boy said nervously, "I-I heard that talented kids from the Uchiha clan start training before they even enter the academy..."
He grew more confident as he spoke. "Why don't you come eat with us? We can exchange training tips! My dad is a Jonin, and I started training before I even entered the academy!"
As he spoke, he shot a triumphant glance at Naruto. That's right, this was the plan the little kids had come up with. By only inviting Satsuki, they could have lunch with her and exclude Naruto at the same time.
Satsuki replied in a calm tone, "No, thank you. I already have a training partner."
Her tone wasn't polite, but it wasn't distant either, just a flat refusal. But even so, the little boy standing at her desk instantly turned red.
After all, children have thin skins. After being rejected so directly, he could only lower his head and quickly walk away.
After the boy had gone, Satsuki nonchalantly picked up her chopsticks, took a golden-fried shrimp from her own bento, and gently placed it in Naruto's.
"Here, try this. My mom made it especially for you, since she knows you've been looking after me."
This, of course, was a lie.
In reality, Satsuki had been the one to ask her mother to make an extra portion. Mikoto had given her a knowing smile at the time, but how could she possibly admit that?
"Really? That's very kind of Aunt Mikoto." Naruto immediately picked up the shrimp and took a bite. The crispy coating made a satisfying crunch, and the sweet shrimp meat melted on his tongue, making him involuntarily narrow his eyes.
This is delicious, way better than my cooking, was Naruto's assessment. As expected of the Uchiha clan head's wife.
After finishing the shrimp, Naruto took a piece of chashu pork from his own bento and placed it in Satsuki's bowl as an exchange. "Here, try my chashu. Though I'm sure it's not as good as yours..."
"Right, I also brought dessert." Naruto took a small bag from his schoolbag and opened it to reveal a few bright red treats.
A derivative of tanghulu—candied cherry tomatoes.
Satsuki stared at the small tomatoes for a few seconds before picking one up. She took a small bite, and the sweet taste immediately spread across her tongue.
He still remembered my favorite tomato dishes...
He already works so hard to cook for himself... and he still makes these special things...
Satsuki took small bites of the candied tomatoes, her peripheral vision catching Naruto deftly finishing his bento. A bit of sauce was stuck to the corner of his mouth. She subconsciously wanted to reach out and wipe it off for him, but halfway there, she forced herself to change the motion to handing him a napkin.
After a pleasant lunch, the afternoon class moved from the classroom to the training grounds for taijutsu.
But the lesson wasn't about running together or anything like that; it was sparring in pairs.
"First sparring match, Satsuki Uchiha versus Naruto Uzumaki!"
Satsuki's eyes instantly lit up. What good luck, she thought, completely unaware that this might have been arranged on purpose.
In her proud mind, in the entire class, only Naruto was worthy of being her opponent.
The two walked to the center of the field, and Iruka announced the rules sternly. "No real ninja tools. Touch-contact only." He looked at the two of them. "Now, form the Seal of Confrontation."
Naruto and Satsuki both raised their hands and formed the standard seal.
A commotion immediately broke out among the spectating students. A few little boys pushed to the front, their faces red as they shouted.
"Go for it, Satsuki!"
"Show that guy what you're made of!"
"Miss Satsuki! Can you teach me shurikenjutsu after you win?"
Satsuki paid no attention to the noise. Her gaze was locked on Naruto. A gentle breeze blew, ruffling the hair on her forehead, her black eyes filled with focus.
Satsuki took a standard taijutsu opening stance. "I won't hold back."
Naruto smiled and took his own stance. "I'll give it my all too."
Iruka's raised hand chopped down. "Begin!"
-------
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