A few days later, at noon, the Ninja Academy classroom was filled with noise, and Naruto was squatting in the open space of the classroom, teasing the class's newest "special member" who had recently joined.
"Come, Akamaru, sit!"
Naruto gave the command, looking at the little dog in front of him, Akamaru, who was all white except for the black backs of its ears.
This was Kiba's recently acquired partner, a Ninja Dog that would grow to be human-sized in the future, but was currently just a palm-sized puppy.
"Woof!"
Akamaru immediately sat down obediently, raising its small head and staring at Naruto with its bright black eyes, unblinking.
"Good boy, next, shake hands!"
Naruto extended his palm, and Akamaru immediately raised its right front paw, smoothly placing its soft paw pad into Naruto's hand, shaking hands with Naruto.
"As expected of a Ninja Dog, it's so smart."
Naruto couldn't help but exclaim, reaching out his other hand to stroke Akamaru's small head. The puppy's fur was even softer than he imagined. Feeling the praise, Akamaru immediately narrowed its eyes, letting out a satisfied "woo woo" sound from its throat, its tail wagging rapidly like a small motor, tapping a cheerful rhythm on the floor.
A while ago, when Kiba walked into the classroom carrying a fluffy white creature, he generously announced his new partner.
"This is Akamaru, my new partner!" Kiba held the palm-sized white puppy in both hands. The little fellow seemed a bit shy, continuously sniffing the air with its wet black nose.
Naruto's eyes instantly lit up. He respectfully raised his hand, asking if he could pet Akamaru.
At the same time, he grumbled internally, *As expected of the Ninja Academy, students can actually bring pets to school.*
Naruto had been eyeing the big fox inside him for a long time but hadn't found an opportunity to pet a fox. Petting a dog to satisfy his craving wasn't bad either.
Kiba's reaction was even more enthusiastic than expected. "Of course you can!" He practically bounced as he handed Akamaru over.
In Kiba's life plan, his dream was to become Hokage, and the first command after becoming Hokage would be: "Everyone in the village must own a dog." Now, developing another dog lover brought him one step closer to his dream.
On the other side of the classroom, Satsuki gently watched this scene, propping her chin with one hand. In her opinion, Naruto was working hard to build connections—after all, the Inuzuka clan was also a prominent family in Konoha.
Thinking of this, a pang of heartache flashed in her eyes. For his future development, Naruto was truly going to great lengths.
The boys in the class quickly noticed this rare sight. The second young lady of the Uchiha clan, who was usually as cold as ice to everyone, was now showing such a gentle expression.
A few bolder boys secretly exchanged glances, but no one dared to approach her. After all, since the beginning of school, besides Naruto, all boys who had tried to approach Satsuki had been coldly rejected.
"Hey, Naruto, are you really going tonight? I've prepared an awesome gift!"
Choji, munching on potato chips, leaned closer to Naruto, who was playing with the dog, reconfirming the plan they had made earlier.
That's right, tonight's mission was to give Iruka Sensei a surprise.
If you asked why?
Because today was a special day—May 26th, Year 55 of Konoha, was Iruka Sensei's birthday!
Although Naruto already knew that the future Iruka would definitely acknowledge him, for some reason, he had felt an inexplicable fondness for this teacher since their first meeting. The last time he had felt this way was when he first met Satsuki.
At the start of school, Iruka's gaze towards Naruto still carried some of the aloofness caused by the Nine-Tails. But Naruto didn't back down—he consistently acted as a good student every day, listened attentively in class, helped classmates who didn't shun him after class, and even greeted Iruka proactively when they met in the hallway.
At first, Iruka would only coldly "hmm" and quickly avert his gaze. But as time went on, Naruto's persistence seemed to slowly melt that barrier—Iruka began to return his greetings, and later, even initiated small chats with him.
However, Naruto noticed that Iruka's eyes had changed.
From the initial complexity and distance, it had turned into... guilt?
It seemed Iruka was somewhat blaming himself for initially keeping his distance from Naruto.
Regarding Naruto organizing a birthday celebration for the teacher, Naruto also invited the other Genin. As close friends, everyone agreed in their own distinctive ways.
Satsuki: "Since you're begging me so much, I'll reluctantly help you out..."
Shikamaru: "What a drag... but count me in. Have you figured out how to get Iruka Sensei to the location?"
Choji: "Oh! Then let me join too, I'll bring lots of snacks."
Shino: "Hmm, if you want to throw a birthday surprise for Iruka Sensei, I'll come too. If you ask why, I also want to thank..."
— — — — — —
A moment later, the classroom door was gently pushed open, and Iruka walked in, holding the roll call book. After a quick roll call to confirm attendance, he announced that the afternoon would still be Taijutsu class, and everyone should gather on the training grounds.
The students lined up in somewhat untidy rows on the training grounds. The afternoon sun was a bit dazzling, carrying the unique laziness of late summer.
The Taijutsu sparring groups were announced quickly, and when they heard "Uzumaki Naruto versus Uchiha Satsuki," the surrounding classmates instinctively stepped back.
It was unavoidable that the two were paired together again, as their strength difference from the others was simply too great. If they sparred with other classmates, it often ended in one round, providing no training effect at all.
Iruka walked in front of the two and cautioned them. "Listen carefully, this sparring session is only for Taijutsu; no Ninjutsu or ninja tools are allowed. And you must stop before causing serious injury, understood?"
He still remembered their first Fire Style clash. If he let them fight with Ninjutsu, not only might the two get hurt, but even the classmates watching nearby would suffer. Iruka felt that if left unchecked, these two might end up demolishing the Ninja Academy itself.
"Yes..."
Naruto and Satsuki responded with drawn-out tones, a hint of reluctance in their voices. Especially Satsuki; her lips were slightly pouted, and her disappointment was practically written on her face.
"Snap out of it! Do you know how dangerous that kind of Ninjutsu is for you right now? What if someone else gets hurt? Now, form the Seal of Confrontation!"