Hokage : My Nine tails are getting more and more

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"Tsk~" Ino lifted her chin confidently, giving her slightly protruding chest a subtle push. "It's just you? If you lose, you have to agree to my terms."

"Who's afraid of who?"

"Hmph, arrogant wide forehead."

"Ino pig!"

While these two bickered, everyone else remained indifferent to the written exam. After all, strength determined rank in the ninja world. What really mattered was the actual results.

Iruka approached Naruto during the lecture, leaning close to him. "Naruto, this written test is important. It'll affect your final grade. Be sure to answer each question carefully."

"I understand, Iruka-sensei." Naruto nodded, his face obedient.

Iruka, seeing this, couldn't resist reaching out to ruffle Naruto's hair.

Naruto: "..."

Suddenly, a notification flashed in Naruto's mind.

[Ding~ Mission released: Place first in the written test.

Reward: One simulation opportunity.]

Mission? Naruto glanced thoughtfully at his textbook. The content wasn't challenging for him; after all, he'd been an average college student before he traveled back to this world. Even though he had been a poor student, his previous memories served him well.

The ninja academy taught general knowledge—basic math, ninja history, and reading. In Naruto's eyes, it all felt like elementary school material. And with the benefit of his past life, he could handle it without a problem.

When the exam began, Naruto breezed through it. Soon enough, the written test ended, and Iruka allowed the students to study independently while he marked the papers, preparing to announce the results.

Sitting at their desks, Sakura and Ino rested their chins on their hands, eyes glued to the first test paper in Iruka's hand. A peculiar expression crossed Iruka's face as he read the scores. "Even I'm surprised… The top scorer in today's test is… Uzumaki Naruto."

[Ding~ Mission completed. Simulation opportunity +1.]

[Ding~ New mission: Achieve first place in the upcoming combat exercise.

Reward: Simulation opportunity +1.]

Naruto remained calm, expecting nothing less. Using university-level knowledge for elementary questions was hardly a challenge. If he didn't place first, that would've been an embarrassment.

Meanwhile, Ino's eyes widened as she turned to look at Naruto, her gaze a mixture of curiosity and surprise. Sakura frowned, her expression one of confusion. (￣△￣)

In Sakura's mind, she scoured her memories for anything about Naruto. As mentioned before, Naruto was largely invisible in their class. Other than Hinata's attention, most students barely knew he existed. Even Iruka was his only point of regular contact. So, at this moment, Sakura was still piecing together just who this "Uzumaki Naruto" was.

Ino snapped her fingers in front of Sakura's face, breaking her trance.

"Hey, I thought you zoned out again," Ino teased.

Sakura wiped the corner of her mouth, puzzled. "Ino, do you even know who Uzumaki Naruto is?"

Ino shrugged, equally confused.

…

Soon, the school day ended, and Naruto eagerly prepared to head home and use his new simulation opportunity. Four characters could now be selected in the simulator. As long as he didn't get unlucky, he'd surely gain some serious power this time.

As he left the academy, Naruto barely made it out the door when two figures stepped into his path.

Haruno Sakura, her pink hair catching the afternoon light, casually leaned against Ino, who had her arms crossed, staring Naruto down with an intense gaze. Naruto stopped a few steps away, sensing something was amiss, but said nothing.

Sakura shifted uncomfortably, whispering to Ino, "Ino, he isn't saying anything. Are we… still playing it cool?"

Ino nudged Sakura with her heel, hissing, "Hold out a bit longer. If we act tough, he'll spill the truth."

"But keeping this act up is so exhausting, Ino," Sakura whimpered softly.

Ino's resolve wavered. "Maybe we're not fierce enough?"

Just as Sakura was about to break character, Naruto finally let out a sigh, looking at them both with a faint smile. "Are you two tired?"

Sakura blinked in surprise, sighing with relief. "I'm exhausted! If I'd known this was part of the bet, I'd never have agreed to it." She stretched, relaxing her stiff shoulders.

Only they knew the story behind this. Earlier, Sakura had lost to Ino by a single point, and though Ino had been close to a perfect score, she still ended up second to Naruto. Curiosity gnawed at Ino—how could Naruto, a kid with such unremarkable grades, score perfectly? Driven by this question, she decided to confront him. But nervousness over rumors that Naruto was a "monster" made her uneasy, so she dragged Sakura along for moral support.

To bolster their courage, the two had put on what they thought was a tough, intimidating stance. Yet, from Naruto's perspective, they seemed oddly out of place—posing stiffly and eyeing him with exaggerated glares. And when Naruto had tried to sidestep them, they had only shifted to block his way again.

Ino coughed to break the silence, speaking up firmly, "Forget if we're tired! Did you cheat on that test or not?"

She circled him with Sakura close behind, sizing him up.

Anyone who had read their class data knew that Naruto, at that age, wasn't even as tall as Sakura. So, with Ino and Sakura surrounding him, the scene seemed more comical than intimidating.

Naruto stifled a smile, regarding the two girls with an amused expression. A pink-haired "retriever" on one side, and a blonde one on the other. They both tried to look fearless, but he could sense their slight tremors—the "monster" rumors had indeed unnerved them. But they were too curious to stay away.

With a serious look, Naruto answered, "I didn't cheat."

Sakura relaxed and tugged on Ino's arm, saying, "See, Ino? I told you he didn't cheat! Maybe he just hadn't wanted first place before."

Unconvinced, Ino shot a fierce look at Naruto. "Next time, I won't lose! And if you have the guts, keep getting perfect scores!"

Naruto raised an eyebrow, amused by their childish competitiveness.

Sensing his gaze, Ino's confidence faltered. "What… What are you staring at?"

They locked eyes, and Ino looked away, flustered.

Sakura noticed and laughed, nudging Ino. "Maybe he's got a little crush on you, Ino."

Blushing, Ino swatted her arm in mock protest.

Just then, Hinata peeked around the corner, quietly observing the trio, her gaze fixated on Naruto. Her cheeks reddened, but she held back, her heart racing at the sight.

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