"Tsk~" Ino confidently raised her slightly prominent chest. "Is that all you've got? If you lose, you have to agree to my conditions."
"Who's afraid of whom?"
"Huh, arrogant broad forehead."
"Ino pig!"
Aside from these two, everyone else was indifferent to the written exam.
After all, in the ninja world, strength is what really matters. What everyone truly cares about is results and rankings.
Iruka walked up to Naruto while lecturing him quietly. He leaned closer and whispered, "Naruto, this written test is very important and will affect your final grade. Answer the questions carefully."
"I understand, Iruka-sensei," Naruto nodded obediently.
Seeing this, Iruka couldn't help but reach out and pat Naruto's head.
Naruto: "..."
At that moment, a system prompt appeared in Naruto's mind.
[Ding~ Task released: Achieve first place in the written test.
Reward: 1 simulation opportunity]
Mission released?
Naruto narrowed his eyes and subconsciously glanced at the textbook on his desk.
The content was easy for him. After all, Naruto had been an average college student in his previous life.
Of course, ninja school taught basics such as reading, ninja history, and arithmetic.
Although he hadn't been a stellar student before, his past-life knowledge made this material simple.
Additionally, Naruto had traveled through time since childhood, so naturally, he understood everything.
Soon, the written test began—and soon after, it ended.
During the last self-study period, Iruka asked the students to study independently while he graded the papers, preparing to announce the results.
The two little girls, Haruno Sakura and Ino, rested their chins in their hands, eyes fixed on the first test paper in Iruka's hand.
Iruka, standing on the podium, had a slightly surprised expression. "Even I am surprised. First place in today's written test is: Uzumaki Naruto."
[Ding~ System task completed: Simulation opportunity +1]
[Ding~ System task released: Achieve first place in practical combat exercise.
Reward: Simulation opportunity +1]
Hearing the system prompts, Naruto was not surprised.
Using his college knowledge to answer elementary-level questions, it would be shocking if he didn't get first place.
On the other side, Ino's eyes widened slightly, and she glanced at the blond boy with a calm, calculating expression.
Haruno Sakura frowned and looked upward. That was probably her expression of disbelief.
The little girls' minds were desperately trying to recall memories of Uzumaki Naruto.
As mentioned before, Naruto was almost invisible in class. Except for Hinata's attention, no one really noticed him.
The only person who had truly interacted with Naruto at school was Iruka.
So at this time, Haruno Sakura still hadn't remembered who Naruto really was.
Bang bang~
Ino snapped her fingers twice in front of Haruno Sakura.
Sakura reacted, wiping the corner of her lips with her hand and asked doubtfully, "Ino, what are you doing?"
"I thought you were stunned again," Ino said casually.
To her surprise, Haruno Sakura didn't protest. Instead, she agreed: "I was stunned… but Ino, do you know who Uzumaki Naruto really is?"
Ino: "?"
…
Soon, it was time for school to end.
Naruto couldn't wait to go home and run simulations. This time, he could draw four characters. As long as luck was on his side, the character he created would be strong.
After school, Naruto packed his bag and walked out of the academy.
But after taking a few steps, he was stopped by two girls.
Haruno Sakura, with her pink hair, leaned against Ino's back, hands in her pockets.
Ino, on the other hand, hugged her chest, turned sideways, and stared at Naruto with a cruel, merciless gaze.
Seeing Naruto stop not far away, they remained silent.
Haruno Sakura couldn't hold back any longer. Her expression trembled slightly as she whispered to Ino, "Why isn't he saying anything? Are we supposed to stay silent too?"
Ino kicked Sakura lightly with her heel. "Be patient. We need to show him how powerful we are before he tells the truth."
"But it's so tiring to act tough, Ino," Sakura said, her voice hinting at tears.
Ino looked slightly concerned. "Do you think it's because we're not ruthless enough?"
Just as Sakura was about to break down, Naruto finally sighed and asked them, "Are you tired?"
Sakura froze for a moment, then replied pitifully, "I'm really tired. If I had known better, I wouldn't have made a bet with Ino."
After saying that, she relaxed slightly, her body moving with a faint stiffness.
Only the two of them knew about the bet. Sakura had lost to Ino by one point, and Ino had missed a perfect score by one point, losing to Naruto.
Ino was curious. Why did someone so invisible, like Naruto, suddenly get perfect marks? She wanted to find out the truth.
But rumors about Naruto being a monster had scared her.
To muster courage, Ino dragged Sakura along. The two even posed in what they thought was a fierce and cool way.
From Naruto's perspective, however, they looked a bit silly.
He saw them standing there for a long time, and when he tried to bypass them, they moved to block his way.
Ino coughed dryly. "Don't just ask if we're tired—tell us! Did you cheat?"
As she spoke, Ino pulled Sakura to stand beside Naruto.
Anyone familiar with the original story knew that as a child, Naruto wasn't even as tall as Sakura.
Now, with Ino and Sakura flanking him, it looked like a scene of schoolyard bullying.
Naruto's lips twitched as he looked at the two girls: one pink, one blonde, both trying to look fearless.
It was clear that Naruto's "monster" reputation had scared them, but curiosity had won out.
Naruto said seriously, "I didn't cheat."
Seeing that Naruto spoke calmly, Sakura grew bolder. She grabbed Ino's arm. "See, Ino? I told you—he didn't cheat! Maybe he just didn't want first place before."
Ino, still unconvinced, snapped at Naruto. "I won't lose to you next time! If you're capable, you'll always get perfect scores!"
The competitiveness of children…
Naruto stared at Ino with interest.
"Look… what are you staring at?"
Their eyes met.
Ino panicked and looked away.
Sakura smiled, tapping Ino's arm. "Uzumaki-san must have taken a liking to you."
Ino responded with a backhand slap.
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