Chapter 8: Prelude to Skipping Ahead
"Good morning, Sakura-chan~!"
The moment Sakura stepped through the classroom door, an excited voice rang out.
A blond kid came bounding over with the enthusiasm of a golden retriever.
So he really does switch between two completely different personalities — alone versus around people.
The commotion drew every eye in the room. Rumors about Naruto circulated through the whole village, and while this particular class wasn't as hostile as the general population, most students still kept their distance.
"Morning, Naruto."
Sakura greeted him with a smile, then headed straight to her seat.
"Heh heh~ Sakura~"
Naruto grinned and started to follow — but Iruka appeared right behind him, pinning the boy in place with a single look.
"N-Naruto…"
In the far corner of the room, a dark-haired girl with pale white eyes watched the blond boy timidly.
"Alright, everyone — settle down!"
"Today we'll be covering…"
Iruka launched into the day's lesson. Sakura pulled out her notebook, and after roughly fifteen minutes, set her pen down.
Today's topic was shuriken throwing angles.
Between her past life's knowledge and this body's natural aptitude, she'd absorbed everything Iruka had to say almost immediately.
She stared vacantly out the window.
The sky sure is blue…
That tree outside really does look like a tree…
While Sakura zoned out, a small folded note was slipped across the desk. She glanced at the pale-blonde girl beside her, who was putting on a masterful performance of I'm definitely paying attention to the lecture.
Sakura unfolded it.
"Sakura — I think Naruto has a thing for you!"
She turned and glanced at the back row. Sure enough, Naruto was staring at her like a lovesick puppy. The instant their eyes met, he whipped his head away and pretended to be fascinated by the ceiling.
Sakura's eye twitched.
So it begins…
Ten years of being pursued by a boy.
Honestly — if Sakura had been a girl through and through, inside and out, she might have eventually caved. Who could resist someone chasing them for a full decade without wavering?
But she was a guy, dammit!
Naruto — Hinata Hyūga is your endgame. The heiress is right over there waiting for you.
Godspeed. Don't let the door hit you.
She wrote a single line on the note.
"You're reading too much into it."
Just as she was about to slide it back to Ino, a hand came down on the paper.
"Sakura — see me in my office after class."
Iruka confiscated the note in one smooth motion.
"Yes, sensei."
Sakura answered without missing a beat.
Meanwhile—
Oh no… oh no no no…
Did I just get Sakura in trouble…?
Ino's face drained of color. Her stomach dropped.
Sakura had always been the model student. What if this made Iruka think less of her?
The rest of the period crawled by under the weight of Ino's anxiety. When Iruka finally put away his materials and beckoned to Sakura with a neutral expression—
"Come along, Sakura."
I knew it!
I got her in trouble! Iruka-sensei looks terrifying!
Ino practically tried to burrow headfirst into her desk, going full ostrich.
"It's okay, Ino."
Sakura patted Ino's pretty hair and smiled.
Sakura is so kind… even now she's comforting ME…
Ino looked like she was on the verge of tears.
Sakura followed Iruka to the faculty office. He said nothing about the note. Instead, he reached under his desk and heaved a thick stack of books onto the table in front of her.
"These are all the first-year textbooks. In one month, I'll give you a private exam."
Sakura's eyes brightened — but then Iruka's tone shifted, and his gaze hardened.
"Sakura. You need to understand something."
"We are shinobi. Good grades alone won't earn you a promotion."
"During this period, you won't just need to master the material. You'll need to demonstrate real combat ability."
"Endurance. Speed. Strength. Stealth. Intelligence gathering. These are all fundamental skills a ninja must possess."
"And even if you pass everything — you'll face a second-year Academy student in a one-on-one match."
"You have to defeat them to receive the second-year materials."
Iruka's voice was calm but left no room for argument.
"Because you're skipping ahead, the standards are far stricter than a normal exam."
"The first-year test might be relatively easy — but even so, I won't be going easy on you."
"Do you understand?"
He'd laid it all out as clearly as he could. He was hoping she'd reconsider.
Skipping grades in peacetime was far harder than during wartime. He didn't understand why this girl was so fixated on it, but he had his orders.
And personally, he thought there was nothing wrong with spending six quiet years at the Academy. For a Konoha shinobi, those were among the most peaceful days they'd ever know.
"I understand. I will pass."
Sakura met his eyes without flinching.
Iruka felt a twinge in his jaw. Wasted my breath…
"Oh — one more thing."
He fished the confiscated note from his pocket.
"It's nothing. Ino just got the wrong idea."
Sakura glanced at it flatly, then gathered the mountain of textbooks into her arms and headed back to class.
Iruka looked down at the note and Sakura's sharp, clean handwriting.
Is she really reading too much into it, though?
Still — the girl's penmanship is impressive…
When Sakura returned to the classroom, Ino was at her side in an instant.
"Sakura! Are you okay?"
"Iruka-sensei didn't give you a hard time, did he?"
Sakura set the stack of books on her desk, then smiled and patted Ino's head.
"Everything's fine."
"Don't worry about it, Ino."
Ino stared at her, blinking.
Sakura… is so gentle now.
She used to be the one who needed looking after…
But this new version of her… it actually feels nice.
I kind of want to stay by her side…
"Wait — what are all those books?"
Ino's eyes landed on the tower of textbooks.
"Remember what I told you?"
"This is everything we're supposed to learn in first year."
Sakura picked up the book on top.
The first one covered how to gather and use chakra.
She could already channel chakra to her feet and walk up trees. This one was basically a skim-and-done.
Next up — the twelve basic hand signs…