Naruto leaned back in his seat, trying hard not to grin.
Not only had he completed the mission and dodged another round of punishment, but he'd even earned a random bonus reward for "exceeding expectations."
Jackpot.
He could practically hear the triumphant background music playing in his head.
Still, he didn't want to stand out too much. Being the class hero was one thing—but being the center of attention for the teachers? No thanks.
"Ahem… I'll draw the reward when I get home," he muttered under his breath, pretending to cough as Iruka-sensei began reading out the results of the final evaluation.
The classroom went silent. Everyone held their breath, waiting for the next name.
"Last place in the evaluation…" Iruka announced dramatically. "Nara Shikamaru!"
A ripple of laughter passed through the room.
"Choji! Wake him up for me!" Iruka barked, pointing toward the sleeping boy slumped over his desk.
Choji blinked, halfway through a handful of chips. "Huh? Oh, uh—yes, Iruka-sensei!"
He shook Shikamaru's shoulder vigorously. It took effort, but finally Shikamaru stirred, rubbing his eyes.
"What is it, Choji? Can't a guy take a nap around here?"
Iruka's forehead vein throbbed. "Shikamaru! Cultural studies! You fell asleep during the written exam again, didn't you?!"
Shikamaru yawned. "Did I?"
Iruka held up a completely blank exam paper, shaking it for emphasis. "You actually handed this in! There isn't a single answer on it!"
"Oh… guess I did, huh."
Iruka nearly fell over. "Your Ninjutsu class score is sixty, your combat evaluation is zero, total—sixty points! What's wrong with you?!"
Shikamaru scratched his head. "Exams are such a drag."
Iruka sighed, rubbing his temples. "Why can't you be more like Naruto?"
Naruto froze. Wait—what? Me?
He folded his arms proudly, trying not to smirk. "Heh, guess I'm the model student now, huh?"
A few classmates groaned in disbelief.
At some point, the knuckleheaded troublemaker had turned into the "someone else's child" that teachers compared everyone to. Even Naruto couldn't decide whether to laugh or feel weird about it.
Iruka finally exhaled and said, "Alright, listen up! Classes for this semester are officially over. Starting tomorrow, it's summer vacation. But don't slack off! Remember—next term is graduation! The year that will decide your destinies!"
He pointed dramatically toward the sky outside. "Use your break to study hard and train harder! That's all—class dismissed!"
The moment he finished, chaos erupted.
"YESSS!"
"Finally!"
"Let's go swimming!"
Desks clattered as students rushed out. The room filled with the noise of laughter, plans, and the stomping of sandals.
Naruto stretched, grinning from ear to ear. "Summer vacation, huh…"
He knew the system wouldn't let him rest easy. If anything, this was the start of another round of training and missions. But still—summer break sounded nice.
He clenched his fist, eyes sparkling. "Alright! During summer break, I'll study hard and train even harder! Next semester, I'm graduating at the top of my class—dattebayo!"
And then he remembered something.
"Oh right—the random reward!"
His heart raced. "What could it be this time? A new Jutsu? Chakra upgrade? Some secret Hokage-level technique?!"
He rubbed his hands together eagerly.
Just as he was lost in excitement, the familiar chime of the system echoed in his mind.
[Ding! The host has completed the mission. The next objective: graduate first in the final evaluation after one year! Failure will result in punishment—Lightning Release Baptism!]
Naruto froze.
"Lightning Release… baptism?"
He swallowed hard. Yeah, that definitely didn't sound pleasant.
But the goal—it was perfect. It matched exactly what he'd already decided for himself.
"Graduate first place, huh? No problem!" he said confidently.
Naruto had already discovered the power of self-belief.
If he could climb to fourth place before, then first was totally within reach.
He already had a perfect score in Ninjutsu class and even bonus points from defeating Sasuke in the combat trials. His only weakness was cultural studies—the written exams.
"Alright then," he muttered, clenching his fists. "This summer, I'll work hard on my studies too! I'll make sure I understand every single boring book if I have to!"
Then a thought crossed his mind. "Hmm… maybe Hinata could help me study!"
As if summoned by fate, a soft voice floated from behind him.
"Na… Naruto-kun?"
Naruto spun around, instantly recognizing that gentle tone. Hinata was walking down the path outside the academy with Ino beside her, chatting quietly.
"Hinata!" Naruto yelled, running over to her.
Hinata froze on the spot, her face instantly turning bright pink.
"C-congratulations!" Naruto said cheerfully, patting her shoulder a little too enthusiastically. "You got first place again! That's amazing!"
"T-thank you…" Hinata stammered, eyes darting away.
Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Hey, uh, I was wondering… during summer vacation, could you maybe… teach me a bit? You know, for the exams?"
He pressed his palms together pleadingly. "Please! You're like, super smart, Hinata!"
Hinata's heart thudded painfully fast. "I-I would love to, Naruto-kun! If possible, I'd like to help you study every day…"
Naruto's face lit up like the sun. "Really?! That'd be awesome!"
Hinata hesitated, her eyes dimming slightly. "B-but… I might not be allowed to go out much. Father doesn't really…"
Naruto blinked. "Oh… right." He remembered what he'd heard about the Hyuga clan—strict, traditional, protective to a fault.
He smiled warmly. "It's okay, Hinata. I understand. Just help me whenever you can, alright? And if not, don't worry about it!"
Hinata nodded shyly, her lips curving into a faint smile. "Hmm…"
Ino, watching the whole exchange, couldn't help but giggle. Slinging her bag over her shoulder, her long blonde hair swayed in the afternoon breeze.
"Oh my gosh," she teased. "Doesn't this sound like a summer romance to me?"
"Hinata, are you two going on study dates now? I'm so jealous!"
Hinata gasped, face turning crimson. "Ino! D-don't say weird things!" She lightly punched Ino on the arm.
Naruto, completely oblivious, just laughed. "Huh? What's so funny? I'm just talking about studying!"
Ino sighed dramatically. "Typical Naruto."
"Anyway!" Naruto said, grinning. "This summer's gonna be awesome! I just hope Hinata has time to help me!"
He waved at them and dashed off toward home, shouting, "See you later!"
Hinata stood there watching his retreating figure until he disappeared around the corner. Only then did she let out a quiet breath she hadn't realized she was holding.
"Ino… you're teasing me again…"
Ino covered her mouth, trying not to laugh. Then she leaned closer, nudging Hinata's shoulder. "You know, when I said 'date,' he didn't even deny it. He just smiled. Didn't you notice?"
Hinata's eyes widened. "R-really?"
"Mm-hmm," Ino said with a playful grin. "Though honestly, it's probably just because he didn't get the joke."
Hinata let out a small, helpless laugh. "Yeah… probably."
Still, a faint smile lingered on her lips.
The summer sun hung high above them, the blue sky stretching endlessly. The warmth of the day wrapped around them like a soft blanket.
The sound of cicadas buzzed in the trees, mixing with the laughter of students running past, their voices echoing through the village.
The air was thick with the promise of long days, ice pops, and training under the golden sun.
Summer vacation had truly begun.
---
Meanwhile, on the other side of the street—
Uchiha Sasuke walked alone, hands stuffed in his pockets, expression as unreadable as ever.
Behind him, a small crowd of girls followed at a distance, whispering to each other, too nervous to approach.
Sasuke had grown even quieter lately. His aura had turned colder, more distant. The more mysterious he became, the more the girls whispered—but fewer dared to speak to him directly.
Except for one.
"Sasuke-kun!"
Haruno Sakura jogged after him, her pink hair bouncing. "Do you have any plans for summer vacation?"
No response.
She bit her lip but pressed on. "Well, I was thinking… maybe we could go out sometime? Like, on a… you know… date?"
Still silence.
Sakura smiled awkwardly, trying to hide her embarrassment. "Or maybe just training together? I mean—you're still amazing, Sasuke-kun! You came second in the whole class! That's incredible!"
She hurried to walk beside him, matching his pace. "Hinata only beat you because of the bonus points from the combat test! If not for that, you'd be first for sure!"
Her voice softened. "Honestly, I was so useless… I couldn't even last a minute against Naruto. I'm sorry."
Sasuke suddenly stopped walking.
Sakura blinked and stopped too, startled.
Sasuke turned his head slightly, his dark eyes cold as ice.
Sakura felt her heart skip a beat. She couldn't read him at all—was he angry? Annoyed?
But before she could say anything, he simply muttered, "…Don't compare me to them."
Then he walked off again, leaving Sakura standing in the sunlight, the breeze tugging gently at her hair.
She sighed softly. "Sasuke-kun…"
Even though his words were sharp, there was something lonely in his back as he walked away—a quiet determination burning beneath the cool exterior.
---
Back at home, Naruto flopped onto his bed with a groan. "Man, what a day…"
The room was dim except for the warm glow of sunset filtering through the window. He pulled out his notebook, flipping through pages filled with doodles, training plans, and half-written ideas.
He stared at the empty space on the page titled Goals for Summer.
Then, with a grin, he grabbed a pen and wrote in big bold letters:
"1. Train every day!"
"2. Learn at least one new Jutsu!"
"3. Study hard—become top student!"
"4. Make Hinata smile at least once a day!"
He looked at the last line, blinked, and rubbed the back of his head, chuckling. "Heh, not sure where that came from…"
But he didn't erase it.
Naruto closed the notebook and lay back, staring at the ceiling.
Outside, cicadas buzzed lazily. The summer air was heavy, yet somehow peaceful.
He clenched his fist and whispered, "Just wait and see, everyone. This summer… I'm gonna prove it. I'll become the top student of the Academy, no matter what."
The faint sound of thunder rumbled in the distance, like the system's Lightning Release giving a playful warning.
Naruto grinned. "Heh, bring it on."
---
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