Inoiki arrived at the Ninja Academy alongside Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji. As soon as they entered the building, the three of them headed straight for the classroom. Inoiki made his way to his usual seat, only to find Naruto already sitting there, waiting. This surprised him for a moment, but then he realized it made sense.
"I shouldn't be surprised," Inoiki thought. "Naruto's new to the academy, and of course, he's excited about making friends. But soon enough, when he realizes most of the class barely talks to him, he'll start giving up. That's when he'll start skipping classes and pulling pranks around the village."
Naruto, noticing Inoiki's arrival, flashed a grin. "You came just in time. The class is about to start."
Inoiki chuckled lightly and sat down, shaking his head. "What's the point in coming early?" he said with a smirk. "There's no prize for showing up first. I had training to finish this morning, so I came when I was done with that."
Naruto's eyes widened slightly. "Training? You mean before class?" He looked a little impressed, though he quickly tried to cover it up with a shrug.
"Yeah," Inoiki replied, leaning back in his chair. "The real work starts long before the academy opens its doors." His tone was casual, but underneath, there was a quiet determination. He knew what it took to get stronger, and he wasn't about to waste any time.
As soon as Inoiki finished speaking, Iruka entered the classroom, and the students quickly quieted down. After the usual greetings, Iruka began the day's theoretical lessons, his voice steady as he walked them through the material. Once the lecture was over, he led the class outside to the training grounds for kunai and shuriken practice.
Today, however, was different. Instead of holding competitions like the day before, Iruka took a more personalized approach, guiding each student individually. He gave careful advice on how they could improve their throwing technique, pointing out where they were going wrong and how they could fix it. The class was quieter than usual, everyone focused on absorbing his feedback.
When Iruka finished guiding Naruto, the boy swaggered over to where Inoiki stood, a confident grin plastered on his face. "Just a few more practice rounds, and I'll beat you and Sasuke at kunai throwing, no problem!" he declared, his enthusiasm palpable.
Inoiki shook his head slightly, his expression calm. "Naruto, if you want the class to take you seriously, it's not enough to just talk about it. You need to work hard and show them what you're capable of. Do you think Sasuke and I became accurate with kunai without countless hours of practice?"
Naruto's face faltered a bit, but he remained silent, listening.
Inoiki continued, "I've put in a lot of effort, but Sasuke's probably been training even longer. He's from the Uchiha Clan, known for being experts in kunai and shuriken throwing. He was likely training before I even started. If you want admiration from the class, you'll have to earn it with hard work. Keep practicing, and the results will speak for themselves."
Naruto, brushing off Inoiki's advice with a wave of his hand, muttered dismissively, "Yeah... yeah, whatever." His casual attitude only made Inoiki sigh inwardly. Naruto always seemed to treat serious advice as if it were just another lecture to ignore.
Without saying anything further, Inoiki pulled a kunai and a shuriken from his pouch and handed them to Naruto. "Here, take these and practice."
Naruto's eyes widened in surprise. "No... no, I can't take these. They're yours!" He stammered, clearly taken aback.
But Inoiki, undeterred, placed the weapons firmly in Naruto's hands. "Don't worry about it," he said. "Remember when I told you I had to go to the ninja tool shop yesterday?"
Naruto nodded, still confused.
"Well," Inoiki continued, "I went to pick up my custom-made kunai. These ordinary ones? They're no longer of any use to me. So take them. Practice hard."
For a moment, Naruto stood there, speechless. He stared down at the kunai and shuriken in his hands, then back up at Inoiki. Tears welled up in his eyes, though he quickly tried to hide them. This simple act of kindness meant more to him than anyone could realize. Aside from his beloved Hokage grandpa, Inoiki was the first person who had ever shown him real care.
Naruto sniffled and nodded, his voice thick with emotion. "Thanks, Inoiki," he managed to say, his words more genuine now, as if he realized he had just gained a true friend.
Inoiki watched Naruto's reaction, feeling a pang of sympathy for him. "I'm sorry, Naruto,"
He glanced up at the sky, his mind racing. "If I get too close to you, the higher-ups of Konoha might start becoming suspicious—especially after what I said about the darkness in this village. They might link my actions to the Ino-Shika-Cho clans, and that's a risk I can't take. Not now."
Inoiki pushed those thoughts aside for the moment. Watching Naruto's happiness made it worth the risk, even if it was just a small gesture. As Naruto clutched the kunai and shuriken like they were treasures, Inoiki couldn't help but smile.
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