In the auditorium of freshman class A, Qiu Daoguang/Hikaru had already sat down in the back row.

He chose a seat in the middle of the back rather than by the window.

There was no special reason for it; he knew he wouldn't be allowed to draw the curtains in the classroom, and the light coming in through the window was obviously not very friendly to him, the "god of sleep."

The teacher hadn't arrived yet, and the classroom was still a little noisy.

Naruto was a person who couldn't sit still. He had already gone over to greet Kiba, whom he was familiar with. Choji joined him. He had to eat during class, so he didn't sit with his brother, Akimichi Hikaru, as it would disturb his brother's sleep.

Ino mingled with the group of girls, acting like an older sister, and from time to time, she would turn the girls' heads away from Akimichi Hikaru and wave at him, signaling that she had taken care of it.

Next to Akimichi Hikaru, only Shikamaru was lazily lying on his desk, feeling as relaxed as if he were at home.

"Don't you think Ino is great?" Shikamaru asked, tilting his head from where he rested it on his arm, joking.

"Not bad," Hikaru replied, not caring about the teasing but feeling a little helpless. He had always been very confident in his appearance.

He and Choji were twins and looked quite similar, but perhaps because he was slimmer and had inherited more of his mother's features, he was visually more pleasing than Choji.

Because of his constant sleepiness, his skin was very pale, and with his striking red hair, he was definitely a cute little boy. He had seen young Sasuke and could honestly say he was slightly better looking than him.

"Just wait until Uchiha Sasuke arrives."

Shikamaru seemed to be enjoying the situation, as he always thought women were trouble.

"Well, he should help me attract a lot of attention," Hikaru replied with a smile.

The appeal of Uchiha's cold, handsome image had already been proven. At this stage, Sasuke was more popular with girls than gentle, handsome boys like Hikaru.

Hikaru had originally been against discussing romance so early, but after experiencing it himself, he no longer minded discussing such an advanced topic with Shikamaru.

In the Ninja World, human development was much faster than on the Blue Planet, especially for ninjas who could use chakra. Their sexual characteristics and puberty were advanced as well.

Coupled with his professional reasons, Hikaru did not shy away from early relationships, even though he was just starting school. After his bloodline was further strengthened by his "talent," Hikaru felt more energized. Except for sleep, his energy was so strong that he could hardly keep up.

However, his aesthetics and values were already set, and the attention from these little girls only felt absurd to him.

The noise in the classroom suddenly quieted. It was as if something had caught everyone's attention, and Hikaru turned his head toward the door.

The legendary stress-resistant Uchiha Sasuke, who looked cute but pretended to be indifferent, walked in.

From his tightly clenched hands, Hikaru could tell Sasuke was nervous. If he wasn't mistaken, Sasuke even turned slightly sideways when looking at the many classmates in the room.

When their gazes met, Hikaru nodded in greeting.

It wasn't until Sasuke chose a seat in the front row and sat down that the classroom became lively again.

As expected, Sasuke had helped Hikaru attract most of the attention.

"Hikaru, this guy is more popular than you, but he's obviously a cocky guy," Naruto whispered, suddenly appearing by Hikaru's side.

"I don't mind. You can speak louder. It would be better if Sasuke could hear you," Hikaru teased with a smile.

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Naruto, having spent a lot of time with them, had mastered the art of complaining after meeting his "old enemy." It was safe to say he had made significant progress.

Of course, Hikaru could tell that Naruto had no ill intentions but was just venting his frustration.

"Well, forget it then." Naruto's face turned red. He had just spoken out of habit.

Since childhood, he had been the subject of gossip behind his back, and he hated people talking badly about others. No one understood how it felt better than him.

But for some reason, today, he felt a bit impulsive.

After spending nearly two years with a few people, he had been influenced by them and rarely acted out in public to attract attention.

Because he learned from others' reactions that such behavior would only make people dislike him.

For various reasons, he was supposed to enter school when he was four, but today was his first day at school. At this point, he still had high hopes for his life as a ninja.

"Okay, go back to your seat. The teacher is here," Hikaru said, pointing to the door as Iruka entered with a lesson plan.

"Oh, so fast!" Naruto quickly ran back to his seat.

PS: Naruto has a history of repeating a grade.

There was no surprise in the fact that no matter which school or world you were in, the first thing you did after admission was a fairly routine self-introduction.

This made Hikaru a little sleepy.

Sasuke and Naruto, who was about to become Hokage, were the only ones who really caught everyone's attention during the introductions.

The former was introduced by Iruka as a genius from the Uchiha clan, while the latter was still mocked by most people.

The only difference was that Naruto's emotions weren't as intense. Despite the laughter, there was applause from a few friends.

In addition to Choji and Hikaru, there was Kiba, who often argued with Naruto, and Aburame Shiki, who only gained attention after the applause.

During this process, both Hikaru and Naruto noticed Sasuke quietly raise his hand and then put it down.

Hinata Hyuga and Sakura Haruno watched the scene with flickering eyes, but ultimately, they didn't join in. They weren't familiar with the current Naruto.

Hikaru found it amusing to watch the situation unfold—the classmates still laughing at Naruto.

There were no actual lessons on the first day, and after the introductions, Iruka stood at the podium and announced the curriculum for the upcoming semester. The classroom grew quiet.

With Iruka's sleep-inducing voice, Hikaru laid his head on the desk and fell asleep.

His situation was special, and no one criticized him for it.

It wasn't until almost noon that he was awakened, and several people walked out of the school together to head home.

The first day of school ended uneventfully, with no conflicts.

After saying goodbye at the intersection, only the two brothers remained, walking home together.

"Hikaru, Naruto said he's going to make eel rice at home to celebrate the first day of school. We haven't had it at home for a long time, right?" Choji asked as he folded his snack bag and put it in his pocket. The bag was specially made and reusable.

"I just ate it a week ago. If you want it, ask mom to buy it this afternoon," Hikaru casually replied as he glanced at his brother, who seemed more interested in something else.

The snack task had unknowingly fallen to Hikaru since he showed his "talent."

As for Naruto, after meeting him two years ago, it wasn't long before the task of purchasing food fell on the Akimichi family. Later, with Hikaru's deliberate demonstrations, Naruto learned basic cooking skills in almost a month.

Although his cooking wasn't the best at first, it was still good enough to have a warm meal and maintain a balanced diet.

Surprisingly, Naruto had a pretty good talent for cooking.

"No problem, leave it to me. After we have dinner, I'll go to the market with mom," Choji said, his little eyes lighting up.

Hikaru smiled but said nothing.

This was the unique way the two brothers got along. In front of outsiders, Choji would shield him, but at home, Hikaru would unconditionally accommodate him.

Although Hikaru found Choji's behavior childish and considered himself more mature, he still found the feeling beautiful.

"By the way, Hikaru, you don't have to force yourself to become a ninja. I know you don't like it," Choji suddenly said seriously, looking up at his younger brother, who was slightly taller.

Hikaru paused for a moment, then continued walking.

He knew Choji was referring to the self-introduction session earlier, when Hikaru had declared for the first time that he wanted to be a very strong ninja.

"As for becoming a ninja, I've already come to this world. I may not like it, but I can't avoid it."

"I can't always have others protect me, right?"

"Also, I didn't lie, Choji. I'm really strong."

Hikaru walked ahead, channeling chakra to wrap around his body.

Though the strong aura only flickered for a moment, it still made Shikamaru feel a sense of unease.

Seriously, even though Hikaru's ninja education started later than Choji's, in terms of chakra alone, he was definitely the strongest among his peers. If you didn't count the Nine-Tails, he had about 1.5 times more chakra than Naruto.

His red hair wasn't just dazzling; it was a sign that the Uzumaki clan's bloodline had awakened. However, this was a secret, known only to a few.

As for why the Akimichi clan had traces of the Uzumaki bloodline, only the old sages from the Warring States period probably knew.

"Ah?" Choji was stunned by the chakra's impact, but then he grinned.

"Really? That's awesome. But I'll still protect you, Hikaru."

He wasn't jealous of his brother; he was extremely happy for him.

"I think I can have another bowl of rice at noon."

"Also, you promised me the eel rice."

He ran ahead to catch up with Hikaru.

"Okay, then I'll make you an extra serving with new flavors."

Hikaru smiled in reply.

The midday sun shone brightly overhead, casting a glow on his red hair, making it appear even more dazzling.

The two brothers walked forward, their shadows slightly overlapping underfoot.