Naruto let out a soft huff and walked disdainfully toward the back of the classroom.
Sasuke, on the other hand, scanned the room, completely ignoring Mamoru's beckoning wave, and found an empty seat in the front row to sit down.
Seeing Sasuke show no appreciation, Mamoru lowered his arm and shrugged indifferently, muttering, "That personality isn't cute at all."
Shikamaru laughed gloatingly, having witnessed the whole scene. "You two brothers don't seem to get along very well."
Mamoru rolled his eyes. "How is that possible? We're twins who depend on each other, a bond of brotherhood so deep outsiders can't understand."
Before long, the classroom door was pulled open again, and a man wearing a Konoha ninja uniform walked in.
Just as everyone was guessing this might be their new homeroom teacher, he began his self-introduction.
After he finished, he had the students introduce themselves one by one.
Once the whole class was done, he picked up a register, flipping through the pages with a swish-swish sound as he said, "Next, we'll have an opening Ninjutsu test. I need to check everyone's current level."
As soon as they heard there would be a test, the classroom erupted into chaos, with protests ringing out one after another.
"What a drag." Shikamaru complained listlessly, propping his face up with one hand.
"A test on the first day? That fatty must be bored out of his mind." Mamoru crossed his arms and chimed in, raising an eyebrow.
"He's a teacher after all, it's probably not good to call him that. Be careful he doesn't hear you." Shikamaru glanced at him.
"You're right, one should indeed respect a teacher. Calling him fatty directly is too impolite,"
Mamoru tapped his palm with a fist, looking as if he had just realized something. "Fatty-sensei."
"..."
Shikamaru rolled his eyes speechlessly.
Hearing the protests in the classroom, the chubby homeroom teacher smiled reassuringly. "Alright, it's just a test of Clone Jutsu."
As the words sounded, the protests gradually subsided, with only one loud voice still clamoring from the back of the classroom.
Naruto shouted loudly, "A test on the first day, and it's Clone Jutsu?! I don't want to..."
However, when he realized he was the only one left protesting in the classroom, his voice grew smaller and smaller, until he finally had to shut his mouth obediently.
Seeing that the students had calmed down, the homeroom teacher began calling names according to the register.
The first one called was Sasuke.
Sasuke stood up expressionlessly and walked toward the podium.
The classroom immediately erupted with cheers from the girls, while some of the boys cast jealous glares.
Everything around him didn't seem to affect Sasuke. He stood calmly before the podium, his hands skillfully forming seals.
Poof!
A clone identical to him appeared beside him.
He performed the Clone Jutsu perfectly, and the result was another round of screams from the girls in the class.
The homeroom teacher standing by the podium smiled with relief. "I was worried that being absent for so long would affect your studies, but I didn't expect you to perform so brilliantly. It seems I worried for nothing. As expected of the Uchiha Clan."
Hearing the teacher's words, Sasuke furrowed his brows, a flash of complexity in his eyes.
Watching Sasuke return to his seat coldly, Mamoru subconsciously blurted out, "He really is an honor student."
"Next, Akimichi Choji."
...
Mamoru watched as the students whose names were called went up one after another, some with familiar faces and others who were just random extras.
"Ah... what a pain." Shikamaru complained as he walked back from the podium and plopped down in his seat.
Mamoru, sitting next to him, didn't respond. He just squinted his eyes, looking at the figure walking up to the podium.
Naruto walked to the front of the podium and gulped nervously. He formed a seal with his hands, and shouted loudly, "Clone Jutsu!"
Poof—
An object that looked somewhat like Naruto slumped on the ground, its tongue hanging out long.
Naruto was stunned, staring blankly at his "masterpiece."
This dramatic scene immediately triggered a roar of laughter from the entire class.
"Haha... that's hilarious!"
"What is that? Is he an idiot?"
"I didn't expect to see such a funny scene on the first day of school, hahaha..."
"Alright, quiet!"
The homeroom teacher quickly suppressed the laughter in the classroom, rejected Naruto's request to try again, and called out the next name.
"Next, Uchiha Mamoru."
When it was Mamoru's turn to go up, he received almost as much attention as Sasuke.
Walking down the steps and passing by Naruto, Mamoru glanced at him casually. As soon as the dejected Naruto met his gaze, he instantly seemed to be ignited, glaring back fiercely and refusing to back down.
Seeing his act of bravado, Mamoru chuckled and didn't take it to heart, thinking to himself, 'I don't think I've ever provoked him, have I?'
Mamoru went to the side of the podium, stood firm, and formed a seal.
Clone Jutsu!
Poof—
A wobbly black monstrosity suddenly appeared, startling the teacher into taking half a step back.
It hadn't even condensed into a human shape.
The classroom fell silent instantly.
Mamoru pinched his chin, examining his 'work'. He had cut off the Chakra flow halfway through the technique, it was a miracle anything had appeared at all.
The homeroom teacher scratched his head and said in confusion, "I remember your grades used to be very good. Although I don't know what happened this time, you need to practice more later."
Then, his tone turned serious. "But if this was a prank, don't let it happen again."
"Yes, yes." Mamoru nodded repeatedly and walked back to his seat.
Passing by Sasuke's desk, an intense gaze made Mamoru look at him, only to see Sasuke staring at him with a dark expression.
Scary.
Mamoru curled his lip and sat back in his seat speechlessly.
As soon as he sat down, Shikamaru's voice sounded. "Hey, did you do that on purpose?"
"Who knows?"
...
After class.
Mamoru stood up from his seat and walked down the steps with his hands in his pockets and a swaggering gait.
Walking all the way to Sasuke's seat, he sat on the desk, patted Sasuke's shoulder, and smiled. "Finally willing to come to school? I thought you were going to lie at home all day again."
However, Sasuke didn't look at him, still staring straight ahead with a cold expression, exuding an aura that warned others to stay away.
He said sternly, his hands clasped on the desk, "Mamoru, you've regressed."
Mamoru spread one hand and replied flippantly, "It's alright, just so-so."
"In this state, how are you going to take revenge on that man?"
"Revenge?"
Mamoru's lips twitched slightly as he gave a vague brush-off. "Um... definitely going to take revenge."
Your Uchiha grudge, what does it have to do with me?
—
"That's all for today, dismissed."
As the teacher announced the end of class and left first, the students began to pack their things and walk out of the classroom one after another.
Mamoru stayed in his seat, not moving. He was waiting for someone, he still had a very important matter to attend to.
In the back row of the classroom, two boys packed their backpacks and walked down the steps, talking and laughing as they left the classroom.
As soon as the two left the classroom, Mamoru pulled his backpack out of the desk, slung it over his shoulder, and quickly followed them out, keeping a close eye on those two figures.
The entire process was witnessed by Shikamaru, who knew exactly what Mamoru was up to without even thinking about it. So, he called Choji, who was sitting in the front row, and the two of them chased after Mamoru.