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Chapter 7 The Popular Guy
🕑 Added 2025-09-30 12:11:00 +0000 UTCThe next day, Naruto was walking to school.
The system’s next task was to get first place in the actual combat exercise. This was no longer difficult for Naruto.
At that moment, a voice called out from the side of the road.
"Uzumaki-san! Wait for me!"
Naruto stopped and glanced toward the roadside. He saw Ino walking out of a flower shop carrying her schoolbag.
Is it Ino?
Wasn’t she scary enough yesterday?
While Naruto was thinking this, Ino approached and smiled. "I didn’t expect that we’d be on the same road. I never noticed it before."
In this village, almost no one wanted to talk to Naruto. Her familiarity surprised him.
"Aren’t you afraid of me?" Naruto asked curiously.
Ino shook her head, her golden hair swaying. "I thought about it yesterday and realized, Naruto, you have a weird temperament. If it were Sasuke who had to deal with both of us, he would have cursed by now."
The two walked toward school, chatting.
At the intersection, a pink figure appeared and followed Ino.
Ino turned and saw Haruno Sakura. It was normal—they usually went to school together.
Haruno Sakura walked behind Ino, raising a thin eyebrow when she noticed Ino looking at her. She used the silent face-to-face communication only she and Ino understood:
Okay, I said yesterday that Uzumaki-san is interested in you, so that’s why you came today, right?
A “tic-tac-toe” mark appeared on Ino’s forehead: Don’t talk nonsense, I just happened to see Uzumaki-san passing my house.
Haruno Sakura: Hey, did you notice that Uzumaki-san is a little more handsome than yesterday?
Ino: Seems like it…
Haruno Sakura: See! You have a crush on Uzumaki-san, right? Hahaha! This way, Sasuke is mine.
Ino: You fart! Don’t spread rumors!
Ino: But you’re right… why hasn’t anyone noticed that Naruto is a little handsome before?
Haruno Sakura: Is it because he’s too quiet? Otherwise, how could a handsome boy escape my discerning eyes?
Ino: Haha… brainless face control.
Haruno Sakura: Same for you.
Naruto suddenly said, "What are you two doing?"
His sudden words startled Ino, who raised her hands defensively. "We’re not talking about handsome guys!"
Naruto, Haruno Sakura: "..."
After all, humans are social creatures.
Since awakening his past-life memories, Naruto had begun to enjoy solitude. But it wasn’t because he liked being alone.
Although the girls’ chatter was mostly trivial—their little worries and interests—being with others still felt good.
They arrived at school shortly after. Time passed quickly. Soon, it was time for the afternoon practical exercise.
The most popular student in the class was definitely Uchiha Sasuke. He consistently ranked first in actual combat exercises all year round.
The rules were simple: anyone could challenge another student, and those who hadn’t faced an opponent by the end of the day would be paired by Iruka.
Sasuke was so strong that even Inuzuka Kiba had been defeated by him. No one dared challenge him.
Naruto said nothing and stood behind the crowd with Shino, displaying his usual transparency.
By the time the exercise was about to end, only four students hadn’t fought yet: Naruto, Sasuke, Shino, and Shikamaru.
Shikamaru glanced at the others and said to Shino, "How about… we give it a try?"
Shikamaru was known for being trouble-shy and certainly didn’t want to fight Sasuke. Shino silently nodded. "Okay."
Shino and Shikamaru moved to the center of the field.
The battle began with Iruka’s announcement.
Logically, neither was weak. But the fight was messy. Shikamaru didn’t use his full strength, merely showing off. Shino hesitated, not wanting to hurt him.
After a while, Shikamaru deliberately exposed a weakness and was pushed to the ground. Iruka rubbed his forehead and announced, "Aburame Shino wins."
The two reconciled and retreated behind the crowd. As a teacher, Iruka knew they were messing around.
Only Sasuke and Naruto remained. Sasuke had placed first in the last exercise. If Naruto defeated him, he could claim first place and complete the mission.
Iruka hesitated before announcing, "The final match of the practical exercise: Uzumaki Naruto vs. Uchiha Sasuke."
The class erupted. Fans screamed. Shikamaru covered his ears. Kiba glared at Sasuke jealously.
Sasuke, wearing a cold expression, said coolly, "I don’t see any need to compete."
Everyone understood what he meant. The gap between Sasuke and Naruto’s past results was enormous.
But rules were rules. To improve combat experience, each student had to fight in every exercise.
Iruka said wearily to Sasuke, "Uchiha-san, this will improve your combat experience and prepare you for your future ninja career."
Sasuke didn’t think Naruto could offer much experience. Yet Naruto silently walked onto the field, calm.
Sasuke noticed that a low-achieving classmate was not afraid of him. Suddenly, he felt provoked.
"I’ll make you regret this," Sasuke snorted.
Naruto did not respond but waited for the competition to start.
Iruka announced, "Friendship first, competition second. The final practical exercise begins!"
Though he didn’t want to see Naruto get beaten, it was better now than letting him face danger as a ninja later.
Perhaps seeing Naruto’s nonchalant attitude angered Sasuke. As soon as Iruka finished, Sasuke rushed forward, aiming to defeat Naruto quickly.
"This is the difference between you and the Uchiha clan," he said coldly.
The female students screamed. Naruto, intrigued, observed: "So popular, but…"
So slow!
In Naruto’s eyes, Sasuke’s movements seemed slowed, likely due to the physical enhancements granted by the system.
Naruto’s taijutsu strength was now roughly equal to Kakashi’s. Sasuke’s every flaw was visible. To outsiders, Sasuke’s figure almost left an afterimage as he rushed toward Naruto.
Among the crowd, Haruno Sakura and Ino cheered wildly for Sasuke, while only Hinata watched Naruto worriedly, eyes instinctively widening in concern.
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