Chapter 10: The Two Missing Classmates
"Hurry up, you damn brat!"
Iruka was somewhat understanding of Naruto's sleepiness. After all, the boy had been in a coma for a long time, so his body probably still had some lingering issues.
But he couldn't let the entire class wait just because of Naruto.
"I know, I know… Iruka-sensei is so scary…"
Naruto quickly washed his face, pretending to be frightened as he shivered and hurriedly put on his clothes.
And just like that… he was carried off to school again!
Thankfully, Iruka still had a soft heart. This time he didn't grab him by the collar. Instead, he scooped Naruto up with one arm, carrying him upside down (head and feet pointing down) all the way to school.
It was still uncomfortable, but at least it was slightly better than being dragged like a kitten yesterday.
"Uzumaki Naruto, go back to your seat! If you dare fall asleep again, you're standing in the corner!"
The moment they reached the classroom and Iruka put him down, Naruto looked ready to sleep again. Iruka immediately roared in anger.
"Yes! …Please don't be so angry…"
Naruto put on a terrified expression and quickly ran to his seat. He didn't even glance at Sasuke beside him. Instead, he stared straight ahead at Iruka on the podium, finally managing to stop the teacher from getting even angrier.
Even a good-natured person like Iruka was quite frightening when he lost his temper.
"Alright, let's begin… Hm? Two students are still missing? What's going on today?"
Iruka thought everything would be fine once Naruto arrived, but when he looked up to start the lesson, he noticed the class was still short two people.
Still, they weren't special cases like Naruto, so he decided to ask about it in the office after class.
After all, in his class, the only student who didn't need to submit an absence note was this troublesome brat.
"Iruka-sensei, could you come here for a moment? There's a situation…"
Halfway through the lesson, Iruka was interrupted.
Mizuki stood outside the door with a gentle smile, waving at him and making a few hand signals.
Some things couldn't be said in front of the students — it might cause panic.
"How strange… Iruka-sensei still hasn't come back…"
Naruto, who had actually been listening seriously for once, noticed that more than ten minutes had passed since Iruka left. He shook his head and started to slump onto his desk again.
"Uzumaki Naruto, don't fall asleep! If Iruka-sensei comes back and sees you sleeping, he's definitely going to get mad again…"
Sakura Haruno, sitting right behind them, couldn't help but warn him.
She had no choice — Naruto sat in front of her. If Iruka came back angry, she would get caught in the crossfire too.
Before Naruto arrived, she could secretly watch Sasuke. Now that Naruto was under special surveillance, she was being watched as well…
"Huh? Sakura-chan, are you worried about me? Hehe… thank you, Sakura-chan~"
Naruto turned around with a deeply moved expression and gave her a big, bright smile. He knew it wasn't true, but the Third Hokage wanted him to form more bonds with Konoha, right?
One Iruka wasn't enough. He needed more — friendship, love… Anything the higher-ups thought was useful, he would prepare in advance.
The more bonds he had, the higher his freedom would become, making future actions much more convenient!
"Who's worried about you…"
Sakura felt strange under Naruto's big, innocent-looking eyes. She had only spoken up so she wouldn't get dragged into trouble. Why was this guy thanking her?
"I know, I know~ Girls get shy easily, right? I understand!"
Naruto turned back with an exaggerated laugh. His reaction instantly wiped away the tiny bit of guilt Sakura had just started to feel.
"Shut up! This is class time, you idiot! Be quiet!"
Worried that Sasuke might misunderstand, the short-tempered Sakura activated. She raised her hand and punched Naruto hard in the head, making him dizzy as he collapsed onto the desk.
Right at that moment, Iruka walked back into the classroom with a grim, dark expression — just in time to see Naruto get punched and slump over.
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