Hokage Character Simulator

The next day, Naruto was walking to the Ninja Academy.

The system's next task was to achieve first place in the actual combat exercise.

For Naruto, this wasn't a difficult task anymore.

As he walked, a familiar voice called out from the side of the road:

"Naruto-san! Wait for me!"

Naruto stopped and turned toward the source of the voice, spotting Yamanaka Ino stepping out of her family's flower shop with her schoolbag slung over her shoulder.

Ino?

Naruto raised an eyebrow. Wasn't she scared enough yesterday?

While Naruto was still thinking about it, Ino approached him with a smile.

"I didn't realize we take the same route to school. I never noticed it before!"

In Konoha, almost no one wanted to talk to Naruto.

Naruto was surprised by Ino's sudden friendliness.

"Aren't you afraid of me?" Naruto asked curiously.

Ino shook her head, her blonde ponytail swinging slightly.

"I thought about it yesterday and realized you just have a weird temper. If it were Sasuke, he would've yelled at us for annoying him."

Naruto blinked, a bit taken aback by her bluntness.

The two walked toward school while chatting casually.

At an intersection, a pink-haired figure leapt out and joined them.

It was Haruno Sakura.

This wasn't unusual—Ino and Sakura typically went to school together.

As Sakura fell in step behind Ino, she raised an eyebrow at her friend.

Using a series of silent gestures and facial expressions only the two of them understood, Sakura communicated:

"I told you yesterday that Naruto-san likes you. And now you're here, walking with him!"

Ino narrowed her eyes, irritated, and responded silently:

"Stop making things up! I just saw Naruto-san passing by my house."

Sakura smirked and continued silently:

"Hey, did you notice Naruto-san looks a little more handsome than yesterday?"

Ino tilted her head in thought:

"Now that you mention it… Yeah, he does."

Sakura's grin widened:

"See? You do like Naruto-san. Hahaha! That means Sasuke is mine."

Ino glared back, silently snapping:

"Shut up, billboard brow! Don't spread rumors."

"But you have to admit," Sakura replied, "it's weird nobody noticed Naruto is kind of handsome before."

Ino shrugged:

"Maybe it's because he's too quiet? Otherwise, no handsome boy could escape my sharp eyes."

Sakura laughed:

"Brainless face control as always."

Ino shot back:

"Takes one to know one."

Naruto suddenly interrupted their silent conversation:

"What are you two doing?"

Startled, Ino immediately raised her hands.

"We weren't talking about handsome guys or anything!"

Naruto and Sakura: "…"

Humans are social creatures by nature.

After awakening the memories of his past life, Naruto had come to enjoy solitude.

But that didn't mean he liked being alone.

Though their chatter was mostly about trivial girlish worries and interests, Naruto found it oddly pleasant to walk to school with someone.

Before long, the group arrived at the academy.

Time passed quickly, and soon it was the afternoon, time for the practical combat exercise.

The most popular student in the class was undoubtedly Uchiha Sasuke.

He had maintained his position as the top-ranked student in actual combat exercises throughout the year.

The rules of the exercise were simple:

Students could challenge each other to sparring matches, and by the end of the day, any remaining students who hadn't participated would have opponents assigned by Umino Iruka.

Sasuke's strength was widely acknowledged. Even Inuzuka Kiba had been defeated by him.

As a result, no one dared to challenge Sasuke outright.

Naruto stood silently behind the crowd with Aburame Shino, blending into the background as usual.

When the exercise was nearly over, only four students remained: Naruto, Sasuke, Shino, and Nara Shikamaru.

Shikamaru glanced at the remaining students and said lazily to Shino:

"How about we fight each other?"

Shikamaru, known for his aversion to trouble, had no intention of going up against Sasuke.

Shino nodded silently. "Alright."

The two stepped forward as Iruka announced the match.

Though both Shikamaru and Shino were skilled in their own ways, their sparring match was awkward and unimpressive.

Shikamaru deliberately held back, clearly uninterested in the exercise.

Meanwhile, Shino hesitated to hurt Shikamaru.

After some time, Shikamaru pretended to slip and allowed Shino to pin him.

Iruka rubbed his temples, clearly annoyed but resigned.

"Winner: Aburame Shino."

The two exchanged the seal of reconciliation before retreating to the sidelines.

As a teacher, Iruka could tell they hadn't taken the match seriously, but he didn't call them out.

That left Naruto and Sasuke as the final pair.

Sasuke, having been the top student in the last exercise, would maintain his title unless Naruto defeated him.

Iruka glanced between the two and announced hesitantly:

"The final match: Uzumaki Naruto versus Uchiha Sasuke."

As soon as Sasuke's name was called, the classroom erupted in cheers from his fans.

Shikamaru grimaced and covered his ears.

Inuzuka Kiba scowled in envy, muttering, "Hmph."

Sasuke, ever the cool and aloof prodigy, scoffed:

"I don't think this match is necessary."

His words made the meaning clear.

Naruto's previous performances had been so unimpressive that Sasuke didn't consider him a worthy opponent.

But Iruka interjected gently:

"Sasuke, this is an opportunity to improve your combat experience. It's important preparation for your future ninja career."

Naruto, meanwhile, silently walked to the center of the field, his expression calm and indifferent.

Sasuke noticed Naruto's lack of fear and felt a flicker of annoyance.

Did this failure of a student think he could stand up to an Uchiha?

Sasuke snorted.

"I'll make you regret it."

Naruto ignored Sasuke's taunt, waiting patiently for the match to begin.

Iruka stepped forward and said, "Remember, friendship comes first, competition second. Let's begin!"

Sasuke didn't waste time. As soon as Iruka gave the signal, he rushed at Naruto, aiming to end the fight quickly.

"This is the gap between me and you—a member of the Uchiha clan," Sasuke declared coldly.

The female students in the crowd screamed in excitement.

Among them, Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino cheered loudly for Sasuke, their eyes practically sparkling.

Only Hyūga Hinata stood silently in the corner, watching Naruto with concern.

As Sasuke charged forward, Hinata unconsciously activated her Byakugan out of worry, wondering if Naruto would be hurt.

But Naruto remained calm, observing Sasuke's movements.

"He's popular, but… he's so slow," Naruto thought to himself.

Thanks to the physical enhancements Naruto had received from the system, combined with his Kakashi-level taijutsu abilities, Sasuke's attacks were riddled with flaws.

To the watching crowd, Sasuke's speed was a blur.

But to Naruto, it felt as if time had slowed down.

Naruto smirked slightly.

"Let's see how this plays out."