Chapter 44: Chapter 44 Hiruzen's Speech
Iruka looked at the blond boy before him with a complicated expression. Although the Third Hokage had informed him about Naruto beforehand, he couldn't help but think of his parents, who had died during the Nine-Tails attack. The hatred in his heart surged uncontrollably.
He kept reminding himself that the boy in front of him was just a child, and Naruto hadn't done anything wrong. The real culprit was the Nine-Tails sealed inside him.
Iruka took a deep breath and said sternly: "Naruto, today is the first day of school. You need to explain why you're late."
Feeling the sudden rise and fall of malice from Iruka, Naruto's expression turned strange. He already knew who this man with a horizontal scar across his nose was.
'Umino Iruka… a decent teacher, all things considered.'
Naruto decided to humor him: "I was practicing Ninjutsu yesterday, and I went to bed too late, so I overslept."
Iruka frowned, and then remembered what the Third Hokage had told him yesterday. Despite being only six years old, Naruto had been training diligently and was already stronger than the average Chunin. His talent was even more terrifying than Kakashi, who had become a Chunin at eight.
Iruka couldn't help but sigh and rub his forehead, 'Hokage-sama was really giving me a tough task. If Naruto was already this strong, why send him to the Academy?'
Iruka himself was just a Chunin, and not even a combat specialist. What if he ended up being the one getting schooled by Naruto?
At this time, several children had noticed the commotion.
"Uncle, can I head to the classroom now?"
Seeing Iruka frowning and sighing, Naruto didn't want to stick around and draw more attention.
Iruka snapped out of his thoughts and asked, "Huh? Why are you in such a hurry to get to the classroom? Hokage-sama is still giving his speech."
"The speech is too boring. I want to go to the classroom first and take a good seat."
He needed to secure a spot suitable for napping. As for Hiruzen's speech, it was just the same old Will of Fire rhetoric, nothing interesting.
"This..."
Naruto's bluntness left Iruka momentarily stunned. Then, his expression grew even more serious.
"Naruto, the Hokage's teachings on the Will of Fire are profound and meaningful for all of you."
Naruto had already turned away, waving his hand dismissively, "It's okay, Uncle, I know Sandaime-sama very well, so I already know all that stuff."
Naruto's figure quickly disappeared from the square, leaving Iruka standing there, utterly bewildered.
"That guy is so rude."
"Is he the one?"
"Yeah, he's the one. My parents told me to stay away from him."
"That's right. If you get close to him, you will definitely be eaten."
Whispers spread through the crowd as most of the children who had witnessed the scene began murmuring among themselves. However, a few stood out.
"Shikamaru, is he Uzumaki Naruto?"
A chubby boy with spiral patterns on his cheeks asked the lethargic pineapple-haired boy beside him.
"Yeah. Our parents told us to look out for him at school, but he doesn't seem easy to get along with."
Nara Shikamaru couldn't help but yawn, then glanced at the glamorous Third Hokage on the stage. 'This was going to be troublesome. How much longer was this speech going to last.'
"Let's offer him some chips later."
Akimichi Choji thought of the chips in his bag, his expression a mix of reluctance and determination. His gaze then shifted to Yamanaka Ino.
Her golden ponytail swayed gently in the wind, her lips slightly parted, her cheeks flushed, and her eyes sparkling. Ino was completely entranced.
"Ino, are you okay?" Choji asked, patting his friend's shoulder with concern.
Ino immediately snapped out of it, wiped her mouth, and said a little embarrassedly: "I didn't expect there to be another handsome guy besides Sasuke. And he seems kind of... bad."
"Uh..."
Choji scratched his head and chuckled awkwardly, while Shikamaru remained listless, thinking to himself, 'Girls are so troublesome.'
There are two others who show a different attitude towards Naruto.
One was a pale-skinned girl with black hair and white eyes, looking like a porcelain doll. She watched Naruto's retreating figure with a happy expression. The class assignments had been announced earlier, and she was in the same class as Naruto. She wanted to become real friends with him.
The other was a cool-looking boy with black hair and eyes, sporting a messy fringe.
Uchiha Sasuke stared intently in the direction Naruto had disappeared, his eyes burning with fighting spirit, 'That blond guy was strong. More importantly, Nii-san had also acknowledged his strength.'
As an Anbu, Itachi had naturally learned about Naruto from his colleagues. At just six years old, Naruto already possessed Chunin-level strength, making him the most talented student in their year.
"Cough."
On the stage, Hiruzen cleared his throat, amplifying his voice with Chakra to draw the students' attention back to him.
He always had a smile on his face, as if Naruto's actions hadn't affected him at all.
"Children, the village is our shared home. Every villager living here should be considered family. We must not harbor hostility or exclusion toward anyone. If a family member strays from the right path, our duty is to guide them, not to harm them..."