"Really?"
Naruto only remembered making friends with Iruka-sensei yesterday. He couldn't recall anyone else. He studied the boy in sunglasses, then turned to his other friends.
"Do any of you know if this person is my friend?"
"Don't know." Sakura shook her head.
"Nope." Choji shook his head.
"I don't think so." Hinata shook her head.
Everyone denied knowing. Shino felt tears threatening. It's because I'm too low-key. My presence is so weak that even my own classmates don't recognize me.
"I really don't remember making friends with you," Naruto said seriously.
"How about this—wait for me after school, and we can go through the process."
Hearing those words, Shino panicked and waved his hands frantically. "No, no, no!" He absolutely did not want to get beaten by Naruto again. His insects couldn't penetrate Naruto's defense, and even his taijutsu techniques had been completely useless.
His only hope now was making Naruto remember that they'd already completed the process yesterday.
Suddenly, inspiration struck like a ray of salvation.
Shino immediately pulled off his sunglasses with dramatic flair. "Naruto, look! There's a fist print here—compare it to your fist. It matches perfectly!"
Indeed, a dark bruise in the shape of a fist marked Shino's eye socket. Naruto made a fist, held it up for comparison, and his face brightened. "Oh! I remember now! You're Shino Aburame—we became friends yesterday!"
"Everyone, come meet my new friend Shino Aburame!"
Shino exhaled in profound relief. He made a silent vow: from now on, he would not be so low-key. He needed to be high-profile. Otherwise, Naruto might forget about their friendship and he'd have to endure another beating.
Shino decided he would become the life of the party—the star of the Happy Club.
With that resolution, he quietly tucked his sunglasses into his pocket. No more hiding behind dark lenses. He needed to be visible, memorable. No more pretending to be mysterious.
Ring, ring, ring.
The class bell rang.
Students returned to their seats, waiting for Iruka-sensei—who also sported bruises—to arrive for class.
Right on schedule, within a minute, Iruka entered the classroom with his swollen face. He quickly scanned the room, deliberately avoiding prolonged eye contact to prevent a repeat of this morning's awkward staring contest.
Finding that all students were present except Kiba (who'd requested sick leave), Iruka nodded internally.
Finally, he shot Naruto a resentful look.
Naruto returned a brilliant smile.
"Ahem." Iruka coughed awkwardly.
After all, he'd lost to his own student yesterday. Not only that, he'd treated said student to dinner and now owed Ichiraku Ramen over ten thousand ryō. Thinking about the money made Iruka's heart ache.
And then there were the wooden substitutes destroyed during yesterday's sparring—also costing money. Without props, he'd have to purchase more out of pocket.
"Alright, class. This morning we're covering the Substitution Jutsu. Has everyone acquired the necessary props?" Iruka asked.
"Yes, Iruka-sensei!" The students each produced a wooden block and placed it on their desks.
Naruto had no idea they'd be practicing Substitution today. He hadn't purchased any props.
"Naruto-kun, I have an extra one. Please take it."
Hinata's soft voice reached him. She pushed her wooden block across to his desk.
"What about you, Hinata?" Naruto asked with concern.
"You're more important, Naruto-kun. I'll be fine." Hinata's face flushed pink.
Warmth flooded through Naruto's chest at her kindness. He shook his head and pushed the wood back. "You're just as important, Hinata. Don't worry—I have another way."
"The principle of Substitution Jutsu," Iruka explained from the podium, "is to infuse a prop with your chakra, making it temporarily appear as yourself to confuse enemies..."
He held up a wooden block. "Watch carefully. First, release your chakra like this..."
Iruka set down the wood. A kunai suddenly flew through the doorway, aimed directly at him. The instant before impact, he vanished—replaced by the wooden block.
"This demonstrates the practical application of Substitution." Iruka's voice came from the doorway. Students turned to see him standing there, still holding his throwing stance. "Now, everyone will practice."
Time passed quickly. The afternoon Substitution practice session soon ended.
Hinata breathed a sigh of relief during class. It turned out Naruto-kun didn't need wooden props at all—he'd executed a perfect Substitution using only a sheet of paper.
This surprised Iruka tremendously. He'd always assumed Naruto didn't know any ninjutsu whatsoever.
This demonstration elevated Naruto's status not only in Iruka's eyes but in the view of their classmates as well. His technique had been flawless—perhaps the most technically perfect in the entire class.
Even Iruka, who'd taught for many years, felt humbled by the execution.
After school, Iruka asked Naruto to wait in the square outside the main building while he retrieved Mizuki from the teachers' office.
"Mizuki, let's go. I'll introduce you to that friend now."
When Iruka found him, Mizuki was chatting and laughing with several female teachers. Their laughter filled the entire office.
Iruka felt a twinge of envy. Mizuki was handsome and smooth-talking—qualities that came naturally to him.
Seeing Iruka arrive, Mizuki apologized to the women and made plans to visit one of them later. He threw an arm around Iruka's shoulders and led him out, speaking in a conspiratorial whisper. "Iruka, let me tell you—last night, I was with Huiko-sensei."
Seeing Mizuki's smug expression, Iruka felt even more determined to introduce Naruto as Mizuki's friend. "Oh? How did that go?"
"Just one technique!" Mizuki's grin turned lecherous. "I learned it from Icha Icha Paradise. That senior Konoha ninja is truly talented. Shame I can't meet him in person—I'd love to learn more directly."
"Want me to share the secret with you, Iruka?"
Iruka shook his head firmly. "No. Come on, hurry up. We shouldn't keep them waiting."
Mizuki followed Iruka to the square in front of the teaching building.
His expression immediately soured.
Standing in the square was a student—1.6 meters tall, powerfully built, wearing a pink backpack.
Mizuki recognized him instantly.
"Iruka, are you messing with me?" Mizuki turned to his friend, anger flashing in his eyes.
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