Chapter 8
That afternoon was their very first outdoor class.
Iruka had everyone start with a 3,000-meter run to test the kids' physical base.
Naruto, burning with competitive spirit, charged ahead with all his might, determined to leave Sasuke in the dust. But Sasuke, taking his glorious big brother as his role model, was just as determined to be number one in the class—especially when it came to Naruto. He simply couldn't lose to him.
As for Natsuki, he ran leisurely in the middle of the pack, pretending to be tired while secretly enjoying the drama unfold like a soap opera.
By the time the 3,000 meters were done, Natsuki barely had a drop of sweat on him. Naruto, meanwhile, had collapsed like a dead dog on the ground, barely able to breathe—and he didn't even place that well.
See? Having Uzumaki vitality and the Nine-Tails' chakra doesn't mean much if you're malnourished every day. That body's way too frail.
Naturally, first place went to Sasuke. The little pretty boy gave Naruto a smug glance, then stood coolly off to the side as the girls erupted into squeals and admiration.
Naruto shot up in a rage. "What's that Sasuke guy being so smug for, dattebayo?!"
Natsuki, meanwhile, noticed something interesting among the girls. They had already split into factions—one led by Yamanaka Ino, another by Haruno Sakura, and a few scattered cliques. While all of them were Sasuke fans, they clearly didn't get along with each other and looked ready to tear each other apart at any moment.
Ino and Sakura used to be close friends, but now their friendship lay in ruins—shattered by their shared crush on Sasuke.
They even started exchanging snide insults. It was quite the spectacle.
And just as Naruto began trying to impress Sakura with a barrage of praise and goofy grins, Sakura rolled her eyes and stared only at Sasuke, clearly finding Naruto annoying.