Chiba stared, slack-jawed, as the entire group of boys in the classroom suddenly rushed to the door, pushing aside the line of fangirl-like girls who had been eagerly awaiting Uchiha Hirohiko's arrival.
He was so stunned, he even forgot to bite into his steamed bun.
What the hell is this?!
What kind of grand formation is this?!
The boys had lost their minds?!
Girls staggered from the sudden push, some falling over. One girl helped her friend up and immediately started shouting, hands on her hips:
"You boys insane or what?! Trying to reincarnate early?! Can't you see you knocked someone over?!"
Her angry voice set off a wave of complaints from the rest of the girls.
But the boys ignored them completely. They were packed tight at the door like fanatics.
"Excuse me, please move aside."
A calm and polite voice came from within the crowd—cold and distant.
"She talked to me! The lady just talked to me!!"
One of the boys screamed in elation, nearly jumping for joy.
That kicked off a chain reaction.
"I'll carry your bag, Lady Yukina!" another boy shouted.
"Please accept this letter from me!" someone else said, bowing deeply with a letter in hand.
"Lady Yukina—!"
Boys scrambled over each other to offer assistance, flattery—even love letters.
Chiba silently took a bite of his bun, eyes full of curiosity.
Who is this girl? A noble lady? Has to be. This can't be the Naruto world, right? Feels more like a slice-of-life romance series…
"Excuse me, move aside."
This time, the girl's voice was clearly colder.
"I will not accept any form of affection. Please take back your letter. Also—if you boys have this much energy to chase girls, maybe spend it on training. I detest men with no ambition."
Boom—
Her icy words shattered the boys' hearts like glass. They stood there, eyes blank, expressions frozen like statues.
Oh my god. Are these kids actually… petrifying?!
In Chiba's vision, it was like watching a row of chibi-sized stone statues with stiff backs and black lines trailing down behind them.
And then—
A girl stepped out from the crowd.
Silky black hair cascaded down to her waist, gliding with every step like flowing ribbon.
Her face was cold as frost—delicate like porcelain. And her white Byakugan eyes gleamed under the morning light.
Chiba's eyes widened.
Isn't that… Yukina?
She's in my year?!
Then it hit him.
Of course she is.
She's ranked second in the entire grade, just behind Uchiha Hirohiko. A genius recognized by the school, a likely candidate for early graduation.
No wonder she looked so familiar.
Chiba blinked.
He suddenly realized he had been so obsessed with training in Eight Gates Mode, he'd never even noticed who the top students were.
Wait… do I know any of my classmates?
Nope. Aside from that one Three Basic Techniques class where he forced himself to stay awake, he'd probably slept through everything else.
Was he… even really attending school?
Still, Yukina looked well. No sign of injuries.
Chiba let out a breath of relief and took another bite of his bun.
Across the room, Hyuga Yukina also spotted him.
She was about to take her seat but paused. Her gaze swept over to Chiba.
At that exact moment, Chiba was sitting there, blankly munching his bun.
Yukina's lips curved slightly—a faint, nearly invisible smile.
Then she looked away and went to sit near the center of the classroom.
To anyone else, it just looked like a casual glance.
But Chiba froze.
That tiny smile seemed to say: "I'm glad you're okay."
He turned his head away quickly, the corners of his mouth twitching. He fought the urge to grin like an idiot.
Goddamn it. I'm being healed by a seven-year-old girl. Pull yourself together, Chiba!
Still…
In his past life, he had suffered bullying, isolation, betrayal.
Even after reincarnating here, he had been alone, shunned by everyone.
But now, someone had smiled at him—warmly, sincerely.
And just like that, a gentle warmth stirred in his heart.
He quickly forced himself to focus again.
The teacher had entered the classroom.
He frowned when he saw a bunch of boys still frozen at the door, but decided not to question it.
"Back to your seats. It's time for class!"
At his command, the boys snapped out of their daze and scrambled to their seats—none dared sit near Yukina. Her frosty aura returned, making her seem entirely unapproachable.
Once everyone settled down, the teacher set a stack of scrolls on the podium and announced:
"Today, we're doing ninja sparring."
Ninja sparring?
Chiba had just slouched into his nap position but suddenly snapped upright.
Ninja sparring means I can't nap! Damn it—I didn't sleep at all last night!
But then he paused.
Wait. This could actually be… a great opportunity.
If he wanted to become a specially nurtured candidate under the village's attention, then ninja sparring was the perfect chance to shine.
With three gates open, who in this academy could match his taijutsu?
This was the moment to prove himself.
The teacher added, "Alright, everyone follow me to the training field."
The class stood and began filing out in an orderly manner.
Some boys looked glum.
"Ugh… sparring again? My parents are gonna question me to death when I get home."
"Right? Hirohiko and the princess are gonna dominate again. What's the point?"
"No one wants to go up against Hirohiko. He's unbeatable."
Meanwhile, the girls were bubbling with excitement, already gossiping about how cool Hirohiko would look during the fights.
Chiba, walking at the very back, frowned slightly.
This is our first sparring session… isn't it? Why are they saying 'again'?
He searched his memory… but found nothing.
Then it hit him.
Aside from that one Three Basic Techniques class where he'd managed to stay awake…
He'd slept through every other class.
Which meant—
It was entirely possible that there was a previous sparring session.
And he'd just slept through it.
So soundly, in fact, that not even the teacher noticed he was missing.
He let out a long, dry laugh at himself.
At the same time, Hyuga Yukina glanced his way from the middle of the line.
The faint outlines of chakra veins at her temples slowly faded—deactivating her Byakugan.
Chakra levels… normal. But that crater...
She furrowed her brows, deep in thought.
Something about him isn't adding up.