Naruto: Blacksmith

Meeting the teacher at the registration office.

Kuro handed over his admission letter at the registration office and was met with a familiar face: Iruka Umino.

Although he already knew him from watching the anime, he had also seen him several times in person.

Iruka, with his characteristic thin scar across the bridge of his nose and his warm smile, always radiated kindness.

He was someone much loved by the children, and Kuro often saw him playing with them on the streets.

Iruka took the admission letter, quickly reviewed it, and pulled out a form, handing it over with his typical friendly smile.

"Fill out all your information here, okay?"

"Mmm!" Kuro nodded, writing quickly before handing the form back.

Iruka reviewed it, nodding in satisfaction.

"Perfect. Report to school tomorrow."

"Thank you."

Kuro nodded and stepped aside.

Although the crowd had thinned out a bit, there were still quite a few people waiting to register, especially children without adult supervision who had probably overslept.

Yes, this refers to Naruto.

Kuro hadn't seen the boy anywhere, which annoyed him a little. Although he knew Naruto wouldn't miss the registration, he couldn't help but worry.

"That kid needs constant attention. Sometimes it feels like he tries to be a mess."

With a sigh, he decided to wait near the entrance to make sure Naruto arrived.

Suddenly, a familiar voice sounded behind him.

"You again! What a coincidence!"

Kuro turned and found a familiar face: Ino Yamanaka.

She was wearing her characteristic orange sports shirt, pants, and ninja shoes, and her beautiful smile.

Looking at the girl, Kuro also smiled.

"What a surprise. Did you already register?"

"Yes!" Ino nodded cheerfully. "Did you come to sign up too?"

"Yes, I already did."

"What a coincidence!" Ino clasped her hands to her chest and said with bright eyes, "Maybe we'll be in the same class. Don't you think it's fate?"

"Maybe."

Ino lived near Kuro; her flower shop was on the same street as his house, so they often saw each other.

They could be considered close.

However, Ino always showed an overly enthusiastic attitude.

She seemed to enjoy his company too much, as if she always wanted to be around him.

It was as if she were in love and didn't hide her feelings at all.

This left Kuro a little unsettled.

Although he knew the girls in this world matured faster mentally, he still couldn't handle the bold affection of a five-year-old girl.

To his eyes, Ino was like the neighbor's daughter.

It was fine to joke with her or chat casually, but anything beyond that…

Sigh…

Her body isn't developed. How could I be interested?

Although Kuro knew Ino would be a top-tier beauty when she grew up, but...

To put it bluntly, he wasn't a Lolicon.

"Ino, it's time to go back."

Kuro quickly pushed those thoughts aside when a mature voice called from a distance.

Kuro looked up and saw three large figures approaching.

Three people, two of them men.

One of them was a blonde man, slightly older, with his hair tied in a ponytail and wearing a Konoha ninja vest. His face was square and serious, exuding an air of authority.

Inoichi Yamanaka.

Next to him were two more men. One had long hair tied in a ponytail and wore a fur coat over his green vest, with a calm yet imposing expression.

Shikaku Nara.

The third was a broad, burly man with messy hair tied back. He wore armor and seemed to radiate savagery.

Chōza Akimichi.

The Ino-Shika-Chō trio.

Behind them were two more children. One was slender, with black hair tied in a low ponytail.

Shikamaru Nara.

The other was chunkier, with chubby cheeks and a shy expression.

Chōji Akimichi.

"Papa~" Ino turned happily upon seeing her father.

Inoichi gently patted Ino's head and then directed his gaze at Kuro. "Ino, is he…?"

"This is Kuro. He lives on the same street as our flower shop," Ino introduced him with a bright smile.

"Hello, sir," Kuro greeted with a slight nod toward Inoichi and also toward Chōza and Shikaku, who were standing behind him.

Inoichi smiled upon seeing Kuro's politeness. "You're here to register too, right?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then it seems you and Ino will be classmates from now on. Please take care of my mischievous daughter, okay?"

"Papa!" Ino protested, puffing her cheeks.

Inoichi burst out laughing, ignoring his daughter's protest as he continued to pat her head. "Alright, alright. My daughter is the most obedient."

Ino, visibly embarrassed, buried her face in her father's arms as he smiled contentedly.

Looking back at Kuro, Inoichi nodded.

"Well, we won't take up any more of your time. See you around."

"Goodbye."

Kuro bid farewell to everyone.

Inoichi waved at Kuro before heading off with his friends.

Before leaving, Chōza and Shikaku nodded kindly in farewell, while Chōji smiled and waved.

As for Shikamaru…

True to form, he had his usual bored expression. Even so, before leaving, he said, "I hope we get along at school."

Kuro smiled.

"Likewise."

.....

As the day progressed, the Ino–Shika–Chō group disappeared into the crowd, just like many others who had already completed their registration.

The sun slowly climbed to its peak and began its descent toward the west.

The registration desk was empty, but Naruto still hadn't shown up.

"That guy..."

Kuro frowned, clearly annoyed. He could feel the urge to punch something growing inside him.

Naruto had promised they'd register together and then celebrate with a good barbecue. But now…

Before he could finish mentally complaining, a cloud of dust rose in front of him.

Kuro looked up and saw Naruto running at full speed, his clothes slightly disheveled, shouting as he rushed forward.

The boy's speed was surprising; in a blink, he was already in front of him. But he couldn't stop in time and ended up crashing into a nearby tree.

With a small groan, Naruto slid slowly down the trunk until he was in front of Kuro.

"Sorry! I overslept," he said, bowing ninety degrees in apology.

Kuro crossed his arms, evaluating the disheveled Naruto. The boy explained that the night before, he had been so excited about his registration that he couldn't sleep and ended up dozing off at dawn.

Kuro said nothing, simply pointing toward the registration window.

Naruto, confused, looked back and saw that the desk was closed.

The wind blew softly, carrying the scent of flowers. But for Naruto, everything felt like a heavy silence.

"NO! I HAVEN'T REGISTERED YET!" he shouted desperately, running to the window and banging on it repeatedly.

However, no one answered. The teachers had already left.

After a few minutes, Naruto slumped to the ground, frustrated and dejected.

Why does this always happen to me?

Why am I such an idiot?

Naruto pounded the ground with force.

Suddenly, an admission slip appeared in front of him. Naruto picked it up, somewhat stunned, and read his name: Naruto Uzumaki.

In an instant, his sadness turned into pure joy. Naruto jumped up happily, looked at the person who handed him the admission slip, and hugged him.

"Thank you, Kuro! You're the best!"

Kuro pushed him away in disgust. "Tsk. Next time, pay more attention. It's not like someone's always going to clean up your messes."

"Aw, come on! We're friends, aren't we?"

"Tch, whatever. Let's go eat. I haven't had lunch yet."

"Yeah, me neither!"

As the sun began to set, the two walked together toward Yakiniku Q.

____

Hokage Mansion

From the rooftop, Hiruzen watched the scene with a warm smile on his face.

________

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