A few minutes passed, and the door slid open with a quiet click. Naruto didn't bother turning his head. He kept his cheek pressed to the desk, eyes half-lidded as if he was trying to catch a nap.
More footsteps echoed in as students trickled into the room, chatting, yawning, or dragging their feet.
Then, like a sequence lining up perfectly, the main cast began arriving one by one.
Their reactions were almost comical.
Shikamaru paused in the doorway, squinting like his brain was still booting up.
"Do my eyes deceive me?" he muttered, frowning in mild disbelief as he stared at Naruto's early presence.
Choji wandered in beside him, already halfway through a bag of chips. He didn't even flinch — just nodded absently and kept chewing, eyes on his food, not the social miracle happening in front of him.
Kiba stepped in next, his forehead scrunched, and Akamaru perched sleepily on his head.
"Naruto? Early?" Kiba blinked. "It must be opposite day or something."
Naruto leaned back in his chair, arms crossed behind his head, still not sparing them more than a glance.
Then the room shifted slightly. A small wave of quiet moved through the class as he walked in — Sasuke Uchiha, the unofficial top student and heir to the tragic emo aura.
His sharp gaze flicked briefly toward Naruto as he took his usual seat. Naruto smirked as he watched him from the corner of his eye.
'He's top of the class for now. My first benchmark... my current rival,' he thought with calm focus.
Shikamaru wandered over to his desk, hands in his pockets, posture slouched like always. He paused again and looked down at Naruto, eyes narrowed.
"Hey, Naruto. What's up, man? Did you get swapped with somebody else or something?"
There was no malice, just that typical bored sarcasm in his tone.
Naruto smirked without lifting his head.
"You could say that."
Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "Yeah... that's the only logical explanation. Normally, you'd be annoying Sakura by now."
Naruto's eyes subtly scanned the room.
He spotted Sakura sitting a row up, already mid-argument with Ino, both glued to Sasuke like moths to a flame.
'Right. There she is. And her... fan club. Guess I haven't missed much,' he thought dryly.
"Well... people change," Naruto said, shrugging as he leaned further back.
A soft shuffling near the door caught his attention. Hinata stepped inside quietly, eyes low as always. She moved gently across the room and sat in the far corner, practically folding into herself.
Naruto glanced at her discreetly, his expression softening for a second.
'Still cute as ever. One of these days I gotta help her get over that fainting problem,' he thought. 'Wouldn't mind getting close to her either...'
Shikamaru made his way to his usual seat beside Choji, already forgetting about Naruto's shift in personality. Then came Shino — the quietest of them all — slipping into the classroom like a shadow, marking the final arrival.
Seconds later, the door slid open with a louder clack, and Iruka-sensei stepped in with his usual energy.
"Alright, class! Hope you all had a wonderful morning," he said, walking up to the front with his clipboard in hand.
"And I hope you remember that tomorrow is your test, so make sure to study, okay?
Even if most of you plan on becoming ninjas, that doesn't mean you should be dumb."
He paused, scanning the room — then locked eyes with Naruto.
"I'm talking to you, Naruto," he added with a smirk, making a wave of laughter ripple through the class, especially from the usual NPC-like students.
But Naruto didn't take the bait.
He just smiled calmly, hands folded behind his head, completely unfazed.
No protest, no yelling, no wild declaration of becoming Hokage.
Iruka blinked in surprise.
'What the…?' he thought, caught off guard.
'What happened to him?'
Something had changed. And Iruka wasn't the only one beginning to notice.
The rest of the school day blurred by in a haze of lectures, sparring demonstrations, and the occasional whispered conversation.
Naruto kept his head low, paying just enough attention to avoid suspicion.
He answered questions when called on — short, sharp, no more wild yelling or exaggerated arm flailing like before.
Even Iruka kept glancing his way now and then, as if waiting for Naruto's usual outburst that never came.
'Man, this Naruto really was a handful, huh,' he thought with mild amusement.
When classes finally ended and students began to file out in noisy little groups, Naruto stayed seated for a moment longer, watching them go. Some left laughing, others roughhousing or dragging their feet.
Naruto stretched his arms above his head and let out a small sigh. His first day of being "new Naruto" had gone pretty smoothly, all things considered.
As he gathered his stuff and stood up to leave, Iruka's voice called out behind him.
"Hey, Naruto! Got a minute?"
Naruto turned, raising a brow.
"Yeah, what's up, Sensei?"
Iruka smiled, a little sheepish.
"You, uh... did really well today. Honestly, I was expecting you to fall asleep halfway through class," he chuckled.
"But you surprised me."
Naruto just grinned, shrugging casually.
"Guess I'm full of surprises."
Iruka chuckled again, then rubbed the back of his neck like he was hesitating about something.
"Anyway... how about we grab some ramen? My treat. You earned it."
Naruto blinked in surprise, but his grin widened into something genuinely warm.
"Ramen? Man, you're speaking my language, Sensei."
Iruka laughed. "Come on, let's go before the evening crowd rushes in."
Together, the two left the Academy, the late afternoon sun painting long shadows across the village. Naruto couldn't help but feel a flicker of happiness he hadn't expected — it was a small thing, but it felt good. A tiny piece of the loneliness inside him... chipped away, even just a little.
He followed Iruka toward Ichiraku Ramen, the scent of rich broth already drifting through the streets, making his stomach rumble.
'Guess today wasn't such a bad start. I've already introduced my newself. Just need to continue building on that' thought, smiling to himself.
TO BE CONTINUED
[A/N: I'd like to make it clear that I plan on taking this story slow. No need to rush],