The morning sun streamed onto the windowsill, casting a warm glow, as Chizhao meticulously adjusted her clothes in front of the mirror.
Having excelled in her previous life, being named an outstanding representative year after year, she intended to uphold that excellent tradition even in another world.
Moreover, today was the first day of school, and first impressions with classmates and teachers were very important.
Her gaze fell on the small king on her desk and the bird wood carving placed beside it, and she smiled faintly.
She reached out and straightened the wood carving before nodding in satisfaction.
"Chizhao, Naruto is here to wait for you!"
"Coming!"
Responding to the shouts from downstairs, Chizhao grabbed her backpack and hurried down.
Hearing the movement downstairs, Naruto jumped up from the sofa and ran to the stairwell, greeting her with full energy:
"Ohayo~ Chizhao-chan! Let's go to school together today!"
Naruto still wore his goggles on his forehead, his smile as bright and energetic as ever.
Seeing such a spirited Naruto, Chizhao's mood couldn't help but brighten as well.
"You seem very happy today, Naruto."
"Of course! Going to the Ninja Academy means I'm one step closer to becoming Hokage!"
Chizhao pointed to her own cheek, watching Naruto with an amused expression:
"Then, future Hokage-sama, are you really going to attend the freshman assembly with a dirty, smudged face?"
Naruto rubbed his cheek with the back of his hand in confusion, and indeed, a clear black mark appeared on his hand.
"Eh?! Where did I get this? Damn it, it must have been that cat this morning..."
Stopping Naruto from haphazardly wiping his face, Chizhao handed him a handkerchief.
"Thanks!"
He gratefully took the handkerchief and wiped his small face clean. The scent from the handkerchief made him blush unconsciously.
"Chizhao, since Naruto is here, don't forget to take these two bento boxes."
At this moment, Keiko slowly walked over, kindly offering the two bento boxes she held to them.
"Grandma Huizi's bento? And one for me? Yahoo!"
An excited Naruto took one of the bento boxes. Chizhao could almost see the tears of gratitude sparkling in the corners of his mouth.
"Thank you, Grandma! We're heading out!"
After stuffing the bento into her backpack, she and Naruto bid farewell to Keiko and set off for the Ninja Academy with eager anticipation.
As soon as they entered the Ninja Academy, they saw many familiar faces.
"Ah! Shikamaru! Choji! You're here too!"
Naruto happily went up to greet them. Choji, as always, had his potato chips inseparable from him.
Shikamaru still had his world-weary expression, muttering about how troublesome the freshman assembly was.
Chizhao also spotted Sakura and Ino from a distance. She was about to go say hello but noticed their gazes were all drawn in the same direction.
Not just them, almost all the girls' eyes were focused there, their cheeks flushed with shyness, their eyes sparkling with anticipation.
"He's so cool..."
"He's from the Uchiha Clan, isn't he?"
"I really want to be friends with him..."
From a few simple words nearby, Chizhao knew that the person was 100% that cool and aloof kid, Uchiha Sasuke.
Remembering their previous conflict, she decided it was best to avoid him for now.
"Hey! You!"
However, at that moment, an impolite voice came from behind. Chizhao, who had just taken a step forward, reluctantly retracted it.
She turned around helplessly, and there, as expected, was Erzhuzi, the cool kid with his hands in his pockets and a sling bag over his shoulder.
The gazes of those around them immediately focused on the two.
"I remember you..."
Sasuke frowned, recalling a scene from long ago.
"Is that so? I don't remember."
With that, Chizhao turned and walked into the school. She didn't want to argue with a child in front of everyone, even though she was also a child now.
"Wait!"
A cold touch came from her wrist, and she looked up to meet Sasuke's dark eyes.
Was he going to play the overbearing CEO card now?
Chizhao grumbled internally, asking with a hint of impatience, "Is there anything else?"
"I think we still have a Shuriken competition, don't we?" Sasuke's tone held a hint of challenge.
At this point, the whispers around them grew, and inquisitive glances darted between the two.
Chizhao felt a bit flustered. She tried to pull her wrist away, but Sasuke tightened his grip.
So, with a touch of annoyance, she taunted:
"What? Aren't you wearing your fried egg underwear today?"
Instantly, Sasuke's cheeks flushed crimson. He tightened his grip with a hint of anger.
Chizhao gritted her teeth in pain, frowning, and stared defiantly into his eyes.
Hinata, standing in the crowd, watched the two with concern. She could feel the tension lingering between them.
Suddenly, a force from behind pushed Hinata aside, and a yellow figure squeezed through, rushing directly in front of the two and forcefully batting away the hand that was gripping Chizhao.
"Naruto?"
Sasuke looked unhappily at the wary Naruto before him, with a rather condescending air:
"This has nothing to do with you. Don't meddle."
"Chizhao's business is my business! If you try to bully her, I'll beat you up!"
An enraged Naruto shielded Chizhao behind him, his tone full of warning.
"Hmph, with you, a dead last?"
"What did you say?!"
An enraged Naruto was about to charge forward and give Sasuke a good beating.
Luckily, Chizhao was quick to hug Naruto. Getting into a fight on the first day of school? What a reputation that would be!
"Calm down, Naruto!"
Sasuke took a step back, watching the furious Naruto with a mocking smirk.
Seeing the crowd of onlookers growing, Sasuke snorted and prepared to turn and leave.
"Hey! Stop! Don't run!"
"The freshman assembly is about to begin. Students, please enter in an orderly fashion!"
Iruka-sensei's voice came from afar, drawing the attention of the children around them.
The crowd gradually dispersed, everyone heading in groups towards the auditorium.
Suddenly, the area around them became much emptier.
"Damn it, don't let me see you again next time."
Watching Sasuke's retreating figure disappear into the crowd, Chizhao finally released Naruto.
It seemed this grudge was now firmly established.
"Are you okay, Chizhao? Did that guy hurt you?"
Naruto circled Chizhao, carefully checking her condition.
"I'm fine, don't worry..."
Besides, if it really came to a fight, with all her training, she might even be evenly matched with Sasuke right now.
"Let's go! The freshman assembly is about to start, and you've always been looking forward to it, haven't you?"
With that, Chizhao pulled Naruto along, following the flow of people into the auditorium.
The auditorium was spacious and bright. Under the organization of Iruka and the other Ninja, everyone stood neatly in the center of the hall.
After speeches from several school administrators, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, gave the final concluding remarks for the freshman assembly.
His brief address contained hopes for the children's future and entrusted them with even greater aspirations.
Hiruzen's gaze swept over the drowsy Naruto below, then turned to the focused Chizhao, who seemed to sparkle, and his voice unconsciously grew louder:
"The future of Konoha Ninja Village rests in your hands. I look forward to your growth!"