Konoha: Naruto's abnormal life choices

"Naruto, we're heading out. Wait for your sensei, okay?"

"See ya!"

The jonin instructor for Team 10 had arrived. Choji and Shikamaru waved goodbye to Naruto, who gave them a casual nod and wave before leaning back in his seat again, staring up at the ceiling with boredom written all over his face.

Then, unexpectedly, Ino, who had already made it to the classroom door, suddenly turned around and softly said, "Bye."

But Naruto didn't respond.

Not because he was ignoring her—but because he honestly didn't think she was talking to him.

Their relationship wasn't exactly on friendly terms, especially after all the ways he'd messed with her lately. If anything, he thought she would rather spit at him than say goodbye. So the idea that she'd offer a sincere farewell? Didn't even register.

Ino, however, had been looking directly into Naruto's clear blue eyes. She waited for a reaction… and received none.

Her heart sank.

"Why are you so stingy?" she muttered. "No one's talking to you anyway."

The words came out sharp—harsher than she meant them to be—as she pouted, turned her head, and walked away with quick steps.

From tomorrow, they'd be on different paths. No more seeing each other in class every day. Deep down, Ino had wanted to ask Naruto a few things before they parted.

She wanted to ask why he'd spent so much time acting like a fool in front of Sakura. Was it all just a show for her?

She wanted to ask why he got so upset when she cheered for Sasuke. Did he really… have feelings for her?

But Ino had always had a temper. Even when Naruto ignored her, she couldn't bring herself to swallow her pride. She just stiffened her back and walked faster to catch up with her team's instructor, Asuma.

It was only after she left that regret kicked in.

What if I'd waited just a second longer? Maybe he would've said something…

Back in the classroom, Naruto turned toward Sakura, who was sitting not far away.

"Was she talking to you just now?" he asked, scratching his head.

Sakura, with her pale skin and slightly delicate features, was undoubtedly pretty—but her obsession with Sasuke clouded almost everything else.

"Probably," she replied, uncertain. She hadn't been paying attention. Her mind was too busy trying to figure out what life would be like now that both Sasuke and Naruto—two of the strongest and best-looking guys in their class—were her teammates.

Sasuke was her crush.Naruto… liked her.

It was a love triangle that could get very messy.

Naruto considered her answer. The way Ino had looked toward him when she spoke… he'd almost been convinced she was talking to him.

That afternoon, the classroom slowly emptied until only Naruto and Sakura remained.

Sakura walked the corridor restlessly, occasionally pacing in and out. She wanted to talk to Naruto—anything to kill the boredom—but he'd had his head down on the desk for ages, apparently fast asleep.

A breeze drifted through the open window, carrying fallen leaves from the trees outside. One of them floated down gently and landed on Naruto's face.

In the warm light of the setting sun, his skin practically glowed.

Sakura found herself mesmerized. As a girl who valued looks highly, she couldn't help but think: this scene was so beautiful it belonged in a painting.

"Naruto, when did you get so handsome?" she whispered to herself. "It's hard to decide between you and Sasuke."

At that moment, Naruto's eyebrow twitched.

Choose? Who said you were choosing anything?Seriously… humble much?

Naruto wasn't really asleep. He was just ignoring her. Girls in this world matured fast—way too fast. All they ever seemed to talk about was which guy they liked or who looked the best. No one cared about becoming stronger.

Out of everyone in the class, Naruto felt like he was the only one who truly understood what being a ninja meant. He didn't want to be cool—he wanted to survive and grow stronger.

Eventually, the third member of Team 7 arrived.

Sasuke.

And with him came their instructor: Hatake Kakashi.

As Sasuke walked in, Sakura's face lit up like a lantern. "Sasuke-kun! You're finally back! Are you okay? Were you badly hurt?"

Sasuke didn't even look at her. His eyes immediately locked on Naruto, who stood up and stretched. The tension was obvious.

This guy… Naruto… had defeated him with a single punch.

He hadn't believed it at first. But when he woke up in a hospital bed and saw a white-haired jonin explain everything, there was no denying it.

"Naruto. I will fight you again." Sasuke said coldly.

Naruto yawned and scratched his head. He wasn't surprised. In fact, he had expected this kind of response.

Sasuke was hot-headed, sure—but he was brave.

"I'll be waiting," Naruto replied with a lazy grin. "By the way, when are we leaving? The classroom's been dead for hours."

Kakashi finally spoke. "Sorry for keeping you two waiting. I had to retrieve your teammate from the hospital."

He raised a hand in greeting. "I'm your instructor, Jonin Hatake Kakashi. Follow me."

Kakashi led the three of them to the school rooftop.

"Alright," he said casually. "Let's start with some introductions. Name, likes, dislikes, hobbies, dreams. Just say whatever comes to mind."

Sakura nearly burst with excitement. She'd been waiting all day to speak.

"My name is Haruno Sakura. My hobby is… um, my interests are… my dream is…"

She kept glancing over at Sasuke—and even though she tried to hide it, her eyes also flicked toward Naruto now and then. When she finally shouted out "Ahh!" in excitement, even Kakashi looked confused.

Is her dream Sasuke? Or is it both of them? he wondered. Geez, kids these days are already playing love triangle games.

Next was Sasuke.

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. I hate many things. I don't particularly like anything. My dream… is to kill a certain man."

He paused, then turned to Naruto with burning eyes.

"And now, I have a second goal: to avenge my defeat. Naruto, I'll definitely defeat you."

"Then come at me," Naruto replied flatly.

Before the fight, Naruto had looked forward to seeing what Sasuke was made of. Now? After how easily he went down, Naruto couldn't help but feel bored.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I like freedom. My hobby is living happily. My dream is to become Hokage."

That last part wasn't exactly true. Naruto's real goal was survival and peace of mind—but he said it for the benefit of the Third Hokage, who was probably keeping tabs on him. Better to appear like he was still on the same path as before.

"Alright," Kakashi said. "Now that we're all introduced, let me explain tomorrow's exercise."

He paused, holding up two small bells.

"Be at the training field by 5:00 a.m. sharp. Your objective is simple—take these bells from me before noon."

His visible eye curved upward in a smile.

"Oh, and one more thing: don't eat breakfast. You'll just end up puking."

With that cryptic warning, Kakashi vanished in a puff of smoke.

Sakura was stunned. She'd been so excited to be on the team—and now they were being thrown into some kind of hardcore drill.

The next morning…

Naruto rolled over in bed and glanced at the clock.

Six o'clock.

He yawned, closed his eyes, and went right back to sleep.

Why should I rush to be tricked by Kakashi when I know he's going to be late?

Meanwhile, Sasuke and Sakura had already been waiting at the training field for nearly two hours—completely geared up, eyes scanning for their missing teammate.

It wasn't until 9 a.m., after finishing a big breakfast, that Naruto finally strolled into the field.

Both teammates glared at him.

"You're so late!" Sakura snapped. "Why are you even here now?!"

Naruto just shrugged.

"A black cat crossed my path… I lost my way in life."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Kakashi appeared out of nowhere, repeating the exact same line:

"A black cat crossed my path… I lost my way in life."

Sasuke and Sakura's faces darkened immediately. The mood dropped into stunned silence.

Kakashi gave an awkward chuckle before holding up the bells again.

"Alright," he said cheerfully, "Let's begin the test. Your objective is still the same: take these bells from me before noon."

[Passive Selection Triggered!]