"Lord Kakuzu, if I may ask, why did you specifically choose this class among all the ones at Konoha's Ninja Academy?"
"Kakashi, don't you find it interesting that all the promising young ninja heirs of Konoha seem to be concentrated in this class?"
Kakashi fell silent. Kakuzu had a point—one that was difficult to refute.
Glancing down at the class roster, Kakuzu's interest was piqued.
"The most outstanding student in this class is the Uchiha brat?"
"Yes, Uchiha Sasuke. Whether in taijutsu or ninjutsu, he's unquestionably the top-ranked student at the academy."
"And who is second?"
Kakashi scanned the list before responding.
"The second-ranked student has a connection to me—he's my teacher's son, Uzumaki Naruto."
Kakuzu didn't bother checking the rest of the list. Instead, he turned his gaze toward the training field, where the students were gathered. One figure immediately stood out—seated in the back row, arms crossed, a mess of spiky blond hair, and half-lidded eyes that betrayed his struggle to stay awake. Beside him, a boy with a ponytail lay on the ground, lazily watching the clouds drift by. Another student, a chubby kid, was munching on chips, completely uninterested in the instructor's lecture. And at the far end, a boy with red fang-like markings on his cheeks was busy playing with his dog instead of paying attention.
"Uh…" Kakashi scratched his head awkwardly. "Lord Kakuzu, please don't take offense. I'll go remind them to pay attention."
Just as Kakashi was about to act, Kakuzu stopped him.
"Forget it. Let kids be kids. No need to fuss over such details."
Instead of annoyance, Kakuzu seemed intrigued by the four troublemakers.
"Tell me about the Fourth Hokage's son."
"Of course."
...
On the night of the Nine-Tails attack, Minato Namikaze didn't die. Kushina Uzumaki survived as well. Naruto never became an orphan, nor did he suffer the scorn of the villagers. His life had taken a completely different trajectory.
Because of this, the Naruto of this world was slightly different from the one in the original timeline. Of course, his love for pranks remained unchanged—though perhaps a bit more restrained. Skipping class, arguing with classmates, and dozing off during lessons were still part of his daily routine.
Despite his classroom antics, Naruto excelled in his studies. Thanks to the meticulous guidance of Minato and Kushina, he had grown rapidly. Though he lacked the Nine-Tails, his natural Uzumaki chakra reserves were staggering. Even when sleeping through lessons, he still managed to rank among the top students in the academy.
"Minato probably taught him the Flying Thunder God Technique, didn't he?"
"Well…" Kakashi hesitated before answering. "Even if Sensei did teach him the technique, Naruto is still too young to master it."
"He may not have mastered it, but I can already sense the faint presence of space-time chakra on him."
Kakuzu left it at that, his gaze filled with curiosity. Naruto was the reincarnation of Asura. His fate in this altered timeline had shifted significantly, and Kakuzu couldn't help but wonder—what kind of prophecy would this child fulfill?
After observing Konoha's students, Kakuzu turned his attention to the students from Ryugakure.
...
Iruka, as the class instructor, was humble and considerate. He knew that the students from Ryugakure had likely faced harsher conditions than those in Konoha, with many already having real combat experience. To bridge the gap, he invited Ryugakure's students to share their insights on the ninja way.
The first to step forward was Haku.
The moment Haku took the stage, every pair of eyes in the room fixated on him. Even Kiba Inuzuka, who had been playing with Akamaru, abandoned his dog and stared, slack-jawed.
"Hey, Rarudo, Shikamaru, look at this girl—she's so cute! And Chouji, stop stuffing your face and pay attention!"
Chouji remained unfazed, continuing to munch on his chips. Shikamaru rubbed his temples.
"Troublesome…"
Naruto, jolted awake, looked around groggily.
"Is it lunchtime already?"
Still lying on the ground, Shikamaru smirked.
"Not yet. But I did just see Aunt Kushina… and she was holding a broom."
"Wha—?!"
Naruto leapt up in panic, his outburst drawing the attention of the entire class.
Despite the changes in his life, Naruto's jumpy nature remained as animated as ever. Perhaps he had inherited it from Kushina.
Their impromptu 'cultural exchange' was unexpectedly interrupted, and Iruka, thoroughly irritated, stormed over to land two swift punches on Naruto's head. With a sheepish grin, Naruto quieted down, allowing the session to continue.
Realizing that the class was abuzz with speculation about his gender, Haku smiled and calmly clarified, "I'm a boy."
A stunned silence fell over the classroom.
One second. Two seconds. Three seconds.
And then—chaos.
"No way! A guy can't be this pretty!"
"Haku, are you free after class?!"
"I can't believe this!!"
The excitement was no longer limited to the boys—now the girls were joining in too. Haku, clearly flustered, was at a loss. He couldn't understand why the boys had been excited when they thought he was a girl, and why now that he had clarified, everyone seemed even more excited.
...
After sharing his thoughts on being a ninja, Haku gracefully stepped down amidst thunderous applause. The next speaker was Suigetsu Hozuki.
Unlike Haku, who focused on the fundamentals, Suigetsu was here to share combat experience.
"Alright, listen up! I'm going to tell you about my last mission, where I took down two Chunin and one Jonin—"
Before he could finish, a chorus of boos erupted from the Konoha students.
Suigetsu frowned. Why was he being treated like an unwelcome guest?
The first reason was obvious—Haku had stolen the spotlight. Both the boys and the girls adored him, leaving little room for Suigetsu to make an impression.
The second reason? Suigetsu had come off as arrogant. Despite being barely older than Naruto, he boasted about defeating Chunin and Jonin, which seemed absurd to his peers.
Most importantly, the students felt that Suigetsu had no right to act superior. They were all still academy students—why should they listen to him?
A quiet but sharp "Hmph" cut through the commotion.
The sound came from a boy with jet-black spiky hair, clad in a dark blue shirt, his arms crossed as he sat with an aloof expression. Sasuke Uchiha.
The moment Sasuke scoffed, the entire class erupted once more.
"See? Even Sasuke doesn't believe this guy!"
"Exactly! Sasuke-kun is way cooler than that shark-toothed freak!"
"Bragging about fighting Chunin and Jonin? Sasuke has dominated the academy without ever boasting! What makes you so special?"
"Forget him! I'd rather hear about Sasuke-kun's battle strategies!"
...
And just like that, Suigetsu had completely lost the audience.
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
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