Naruto: Blacksmith

"Women are really troublesome things," murmured a voice beside him.

Kuro turned and saw Shikamaru, slumped over his desk with a completely listless attitude.

Noticing Kuro's gaze, Shikamaru greeted him casually.

"Good morning, Kuro."

?

"How do you know my name?" Kuro asked, somewhat curious.

"Ino told us."

At that moment, a "click" sound came from the front of the classroom. Kuro turned his head and saw Chōji sitting at his desk, eating potato chips like there was no tomorrow.

So, they weren't going to miss this either.

The Ino-Shika-Chō combination required a deep connection from a young age to function effectively on the battlefield. As such, members of their clans knew each other from childhood.

Meanwhile, Shikamaru glanced toward Sasuke, who was sitting at the front.

"That guy belongs to the Uchiha clan. They're all elites, which is why kids who admire ninjas idolize him so much," he commented indifferently.

"Oh, that's true." Kuro finally understood.

At first, it had felt strange. I'm good-looking too, so why aren't there girls squealing around me?

Now it made sense.

It wasn't about his looks but because he didn't belong to a famous clan.

Well, that's better—less trouble.

"My name is Shikamaru Nara."

"My name is Chōji Akimichi."

The two extended their right hands toward Kuro.

Kuro shook both hands with a polite smile.

"My name is Kuro. We'll be classmates from now on, so please take care of me."

"Sure, sure…" Chōji replied between bites.

Shikamaru, however, let his head drop back onto the desk, as if he didn't even have the energy to stay awake.

At that moment, two figures burst into the classroom, one with long pale-yellow hair and the other with short pink hair.

They were Ino and Sakura.

The two exchanged hostile looks for a few seconds before suddenly flashing exaggerated smiles and trading hypocritical compliments.

Shikamaru watched them for a moment before looking away, "Women really are troublesome."

Chōji nodded silently, focused on his chips.

Ino, standing at the podium, seemed to hear Shikamaru's comment as if she had a special radar. In an instant, she ran over, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt.

"What did you say, Shikamaru?!" she yelled furiously.

Shikamaru raised his hands in surrender, but before he could respond, Ino noticed Kuro nearby.

Her angry expression froze instantly.

Ino glanced at Shikamaru in her hands, let him go quickly, and stepped back, trying to compose herself. She placed her hands behind her back and forced a nervous smile, trying to appear as charming as possible.

"Ehh... what a coincidence, we're in the same class, haha..."

"Yes, it's a coincidence," Kuro nodded.

"Yes... it is..." Ino repeated, her face turning a deep shade of red. She lowered her gaze nervously, rubbing her hands together and shifting uncomfortably.

"There are only three classes in total, a one-in-three chance..." Shikamaru murmured from the floor, holding his head.

"Hmm!" Ino growled, frowning at him reproachfully.

"N-No, I didn't say anything," Shikamaru quickly corrected, raising his hands.

Ino ignored him, turning back to Kuro with a bright smile and speaking warmly to him.

Shikamaru watched the scene from the floor with a completely incredulous expression.

"This woman…"

Women really are troublesome things.

At that moment, Naruto approached with a bruised nose and a swollen face, looking clearly aggrieved.

"Kuro, why did they hit me? Did I say something wrong?"

Why do you even ask…?

Do you really have no idea?

Kuro looked at him silently, speechless. He knew that trying to explain it to Naruto would be pointless. Naruto wasn't the kind of person to easily accept criticism.

After a moment of reflection, Kuro smiled faintly and adopted a serious tone. "People are always swayed by the illusions in front of them. The reason they hit you is because of that. But if you show them the truth behind your words, one day they'll acknowledge you."

Hearing this and knowing it was true, Naruto clenched a fist against his chest with determination and replied enthusiastically.

"Of course! Just like with the people who look at me weird. I'll show them that I, Naruto Uzumaki, am handsome, capable, and the future Hokage!"

Naruto-kun...

Sitting in the front row, Hinata lowered her gaze, nervously playing with her fingers as a soft blush spread across her face.

Is this guy an idiot or what?

Shikamaru, slumped over his desk, rolled his eyes.

Chōji continued eating his chips calmly, as if nothing had happened.

Meanwhile, Ino looked at Kuro with admiration, completely smitten.

He's amazing! Even when he speaks casually, his words sound deep and wise.

Kuro noticed Ino's intense gaze and began to feel a little uncomfortable.

How do I handle this girl's enthusiasm?

"Enough of the deep words. If you're really that capable, why don't you prove your skills to us, the 'ones fooled by falsehoods'?"

At that moment, an unpleasant voice echoed from near the window.

Everyone turned their heads toward the source and saw a boy with messy brown hair and red markings on his cheeks. He wore a hoodie and had a provocative expression.

"What did you say?" Naruto stepped forward, staring at him intently.

"Am I wrong?"

The boy shrugged, flashing a mocking grin.

His sharp teeth showed as he spoke, and a faint wild aura emanated from him.

Naruto instinctively stepped back two paces, startled by Kiba's intensity. But realizing his own fear, he grew angry at himself and prepared to confront Kiba.

Before he could move, Kuro stopped him by placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Kuro, what are you doing?" Naruto asked, confused.

Kuro shook his head slightly.

"He's right. Even though it was a misunderstanding, it's my fault."

That boy was Kiba Inuzuka, someone with a casual yet irritating personality.

Kuro then stood up and, with a calm demeanor, bowed slightly to Kiba.

"I'm very sorry. If my behavior caused you any trouble, I apologize."

Kiba opened his mouth to respond but held back when he noticed the sincerity in Kuro's words.

"It's fine..." he finally muttered, sitting back in his seat with his arms crossed.

'Another tsundere...' Kuro thought with an internal sigh.

The tension in the classroom eased, and the students began chatting among themselves.

After a while, the bell rang, and everyone quickly found a seat.

Moments later, Iruka entered the classroom with a stern yet kind expression.

He walked to the podium, looked at the students, and nodded in satisfaction.

"My name is Iruka, and I will be your teacher from now on," he said as he wrote his name on the board.

Then he turned to them and added, "If you have any questions in the future, don't hesitate to ask me. Now, let's start with introductions. We'll begin with the first row on the left."

One by one, the students introduced themselves in an orderly fashion.

"My name is Yoshida Daisuke. I'm five years old, and I like…"

"My name is..."

When it was Naruto's turn, he spoke with conviction and enthusiasm about his dream of becoming Hokage. However, his words only elicited laughter and mockery from some of his classmates.

Kuro observed the scene silently.

This isn't so different from what I remember in the anime.

________

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