"What a joke! It was clearly my feet that stepped into the school gate first!"
Rock Lee didn't care and just laughed. "We have to work hard today too, Naruto!"
"Oh, you too, Lee!"
The two of them parted ways, completely ignoring the strange looks from the others, and walked towards their own classrooms.
[Host, please continue practicing the Chakra Refining Technique before the class begins. Do not slack off even a little bit!]
Naruto had gradually become accustomed to being exploited. "Okay, right away!"
He immediately rushed towards his seat. His figure passed by Haruno Sakura.
"Naru…" Haruno Sakura was about to say something, but she found that Naruto had completely ignored her and didn't even seem to see her. She raised her hand, but it stopped in mid-air. Turning back, she realized that Naruto had quickly taken his seat and immediately started training.
Although Haruno Sakura still disliked Naruto, she couldn't help but feel a little lost.
*'Naruto… What's wrong with that guy?'*
If it was the original Naruto, what would he have done at this time? *'Good morning, Sakura-chan!'* He would have been smiling broadly, waving his hands wildly in greeting, and then rushing towards me excitedly…
But it was okay this way. Haruno Sakura shook her head; it was just right that she didn't have to be bothered by that guy anymore. Anyway, Sasuke was the only one in her heart.
As she said this, she heard the cheers of young girls. She turned around reflexively and saw the face she had been thinking about, surrounded by flowers.
"Sasuke-kun!"
Haruno Sakura's heart moved, her expression changed instantly, and she rushed forward to ask him questions.
"He's still so handsome… but why do you look so tired? Didn't you sleep well last night? Would you like something to drink?"
"Get out of the way!"
Haruno Sakura was startled and quickly took a step back to make way. "Sasuke-kun…"
Sasuke walked through the crowd indifferently, ignoring the girls' concern and flattery. He glanced at Naruto seemingly casually, his expression changed slightly, and his brows frowned once again.
*Sasuke gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, thinking of the scene he had witnessed yesterday. *'You're the dead last, and you really want to surpass me? Stop dreaming!'*
He also sat down quickly, his eyes full of fierce determination, and immediately forced himself into a state of cultivation.
The girls immediately started chattering. Yamanaka Ino also came close to Haruno Sakura. "What happened to Sasuke-kun? Although he said he didn't care, it seems to me that he was really provoked by Naruto… "
Sakura Haruno was doubtful and worried. She looked at Sasuke, who was training hard, and then looked back at Naruto, who was working even harder. For a moment, she didn't know what was going on in this world. She also knew in her heart that what Ino had said was probably true.
Could it be that… Sasuke cared about Naruto, even more than he cared about her? How could that be… How could that annoying, last-place student possibly compare to her, who was beautiful and a top student? But… Haruno Sakura's heart was pounding, and she felt a suppressed and irritated emotion welling up inside her.
Yamanaka Ino added, "Not only Sasuke-kun, but also Hinata…" She was delicate and sensitive, and was actually much more than her carefree appearance suggested.
Haruno Sakura looked at Hinata and found that she was also paying close attention to Naruto. Like him, she was working harder and had already started her own training, as if she was following in Naruto's footsteps.
What was going on? How had this world suddenly started to revolve around Naruto? Isn't this too ridiculous?! How could a mere last-place guy, who used to only follow her around and wag his tail for mercy, suddenly…
Her heart moved. *'Once upon a time… so that's already in the past tense?'*
*'Naruto… what kind of changed he has implemented on himself?'*
Haruno Sakura couldn't help but focus her attention on Naruto for the very first time.
"Hmm… He still looks so ordinary… Compared to Sasuke-kun, both his appearance and his temperament are far inferior…" This was the first time Haruno Sakura had ever looked at Naruto so carefully. *'Then… why do Hinata and Sasuke-kun think so highly of him? Hard work? Focus? But these have only happened in the last two days… Before that, he seemed to be completely useless.'*
Haruno Sakura shook her head and tried her best to understand, but she failed. "Forget it, there's no need for me to worry about Naruto." Having said that, Naruto's transformation was like a thorn stuck in Sakura's heart.
Yamanaka Ino's thoughts were far more delicate than Haruno Sakura's. Likewise, she possessed insights beyond her age. Although she didn't fully understand the relationship between Naruto and Sasuke, she had a vague idea of it. It was a kind of tacit understanding, born from a shared empathy. As the daughter of the Yamanaka clan's chief, she certainly had a vague idea of what had happened to Sasuke. These two orphans may not like each other on the surface, but deep down, they had a feeling of banding together for warmth. This was Yamanaka Ino's understanding.
As for Hinata… she seemed to have been keeping an eye on Naruto for a while now. Something must have happened between them. But this was not something Ino could have guessed. After all, there was essentially no difference between her love for Sasuke, Hinata's love for Naruto, Naruto's love for Sakura, and Sakura's love for Sasuke. However, as Naruto had suddenly become a different person, his attitude towards Sakura seemed to have subtly changed. The chain had suddenly fallen apart. Especially since Hinata and Sasuke were both paying attention to Naruto, she was afraid Sakura wouldn't be able to understand and accept this for a while.
Yamanaka Ino sighed and shook her head. The thoughts of young boys and girls are really complicated…
…
Naruto was still incredibly successful in his classes that day. However, there was much less ridicule from his classmates. When Naruto first started to transform, most people had thought that he was just a flash in the pan and would not be able to keep it up for long. Some had even ridiculed him for his small goal of getting into the top ten in the assessment a month later. But now, he still persisted as before, and the laughter had gradually subsided. Even those who didn't care about Naruto at all could feel that the atmosphere in the entire classroom was changing because of Naruto's transformation.
From Uchiha Sasuke, to Hyuga Hinata, to Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino, it seemed that everyone was different from before. Even Inuzuka Kiba, seeing Naruto's efforts, couldn't help but force himself to curl up and focus. Of course, the same thing happened to Aburame Shino, but no one ever noticed him. Only Nara Shikamaru and Akimichi Choji remained the same. As Naruto's only two companions, these two were the least affected. One ate and the other slept, stubbornly maintaining their own personalities.
During the class, Iruka-sensei asked Naruto another question. This time, for the first time ever… Naruto actually got the answer completely correct!
Not only Iruka but the entire classroom exclaimed in utter disbelief. Hinata's face was red, and she lowered her head and put her fingers together, but the corners of her mouth couldn't help but rise with joy.
*'Naruto-kun… that's great…'* The sweet little secret in her heart that no one else knew was… *'I have also contributed a lot to this.'* This made Hinata feel even happier.
Haruno Sakura was also stunned. "He actually got the answer right… Is that really Naruto?" She immediately turned her head subconsciously to observe Sasuke's reaction. Sure enough, he was gritting his teeth, frowning, and looked very annoyed.
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TN: Guys donate powerstones if you want rapido updates.