"Mom, I'm off to school!"
After saying that, Ino stepped out the door. In the next moment, a flash of light cut across the morning sky, accompanied by a click that made Ino freeze in surprise.
Soon, she realized that Shali was standing there, holding a camera and taking pictures of her.
Xiali frowned slightly at the camera in his hands. Although it wasn't one of those old-fashioned cameras that needed a cloth over it to take photos in low light, it wasn't exactly convenient either. At this moment, he couldn't see what he had just captured—he'd have to wait until the photos were developed to know.
Still, it had taken him searching the entire village to find it. After all, not many sold such cameras. It seemed to have been brought over from the Land of Snow, so it wasn't easy to come by.
"Hey, good morning~" Xiali greeted as he saw Ino at the door, then turned to his little girlfriend.
Her light blonde hair was tied into a neat ponytail, and her round, yet not chubby, face made Xiali want to pinch her cheeks. At this moment, Ino was also wearing Xiali's mask and dressed in his familiar purple clothes, with bandages wrapped around her waist.
"Shali, what are you doing here?!" Ino's voice was full of surprise.
"Well, I used to be part of this class too. Iruka-sensei invited me over, so I came to give you a little surprise. Is that okay?" Shali said with a smile.
"Sure!" Ino agreed, taking Shali's hand happily, and they headed toward school together.
Mrs. Yamanaka, standing upstairs, was slightly startled when she saw her daughter walking with Shali but soon smiled.
She knew that after Shali became a Special Jōnin, she must have felt satisfied with marrying a reliable partner, but most importantly, it depended on her own feelings. Seeing this scene, she felt pleased. She planned to find time to formalize this relationship.
However… Mrs. Yamanaka's expression was a bit puzzled. She remembered Shali and her daughter were the same age, so why was there such a height difference?
Seeing them together, they looked almost like siblings. She knew her daughter's development was normal, so… had Shali developed ahead of her age?
Ah, whatever. These were minor concerns. As long as the kids and grandchildren were happy in the future, there was no need to worry too much.
When someone is truly exceptional, it feels as though the world itself is helping them.
Chapter 108: Naruto and Sasuke's First Kiss
After Shali guided Ino into the familiar classroom, the previously chaotic room fell silent.
All eyes immediately turned toward Shali. While her body had matured quickly, her facial features hadn't changed much, so everyone quickly recognized her.
"Hello, everyone. Long time no see," Shali greeted the class first.
The room instantly erupted. Although Xiali had graduated two years ago, his popularity in this class seemed undiminished.
Moreover, as the girls looked at Xiali, who had grown more mature and handsome, their eyes lit up. When they noticed Ino beside him, some felt disappointed but still wanted to interact and have fun.
Next, Shali was surrounded by a crowd, almost suffocating her. This time, it wasn't only the girls—some boys couldn't resist coming over to ask questions too.
Sasuke's eyes lit up when he saw Xiali, a spark of fierce determination flashing within. He had grown a lot over the past two years and wanted to see just how much he had improved compared to Shali.
Originally, Sasuke wanted to go directly to Shali like before, but seeing the crowd around him, he had no choice but to step back.
"Later, then. If I go myself, he probably won't refuse."
Sakura witnessed all of this. Especially when she saw her friend Ino holding Shali's hand and walking in, her eyes widened. At first, she had worried about Ino's recent situation, and her temper had even made her call Shali a scumbag. But now, it was clearly not the case—they were very close.
Sakura suddenly felt a twinge of envy. Xiali had made remarkable progress—what about her?
She looked at Sasuke and sighed, but there was no reaction from him, and she felt a hint of hostility, leaving her frustrated. How could she get close to him…?
Noticing that there weren't many people near Sasuke, her eyes brightened. She stood up and walked toward him.
"Ugh, what a hassle. He's back now at the worst time. Isn't this annoying?" Shikamaru muttered, lying on his desk, watching the scene with a hint of exasperation.
After the commotion, Shali finally sat down with Ino. Since they were now in different classes, the seating was flexible.
Ino smiled, feeling proud as she noticed envious glances from her classmates. She was glad she had woken up early, or she might have ended up like Sakura, chasing after Sasuke.
Soon, Naruto, running late, arrived and brightened when he saw Shali. Unfortunately, Ino was already seated next to her, with others on the other side, making it difficult for him to squeeze in, so he followed her. Shali greeted everyone and scanned the classroom for empty seats.
Then he noticed an open spot next to his favorite, Sakura! But… seeing Sasuke sitting next to her, his expression darkened. That annoying guy again. Naruto couldn't understand what Sakura saw in him.
Confused, Naruto crouched at Sasuke's desk, staring at him, trying to figure out what made him so appealing to Sakura.
Sasuke and Naruto stared at each other, both puzzled, unsure what the unusually powerful Naruto might do next.
"Hey! Naruto, what are you doing? Get off the desk!" Sakura, seeing this, gave up resisting. She had never been this close to Sasuke.
Meanwhile, Xiali quietly raised the camera he had bought. His actions caught Ino's attention, and she followed his gaze toward Naruto and Sasuke.
Soon, Shali witnessed the most dramatic moment from the original story unfold. As she leaned back, she bumped into Naruto. The already-close distance between Naruto and Sasuke shortened even more…
Next, Sakura and Ino's eyes widened, and Naruto and Sasuke were dumbfounded. They quickly reacted, separating and wiping their mouths, then gagged…
Sakura was terrified. Sasuke's first kiss seemed to vanish before her eyes, leaving her heart shattered. She almost wanted to kiss Naruto herself and throw him over her shoulder.
"Pfft~" Ino laughed at the scene.
Shali, satisfied with her camera, smiled. "The angle is perfect."
"Ino, how did you know they would… do that?" still laughing, she asked Shali.
"Well, I just wanted to capture their love triangle. Didn't expect to catch such an interesting scene… and maybe make some money from it," Shali replied thoughtfully.
"I did it," Ino nodded calmly, remembering Shali's mention of the love triangle. She supported Sakura, but Naruto's and Shali's relationship seemed good—or maybe Sasuke's and Shali's relationship was stronger…
Never mind, it wasn't her business. Sakura could be with anyone, as long as they were trustworthy.
Thinking this, Ino couldn't help but glance at Xiali. She liked him—he should like her too, right? She smiled happily once again.
Soon, the classroom returned to normal, though most eyes still occasionally drifted to Shali, especially the girls, who envied Ino from time to time.
When the bell rang, Iruka entered with a list in hand.
His eyes brightened when he saw Shali. He announced to the class that Shali had become a Jōnin, encouraging others to strive for the same.
Shali knew that encouragement didn't have much effect. Still, the class immediately stirred upon Iruka's announcement.
After all, not everyone, like Naruto, knew what a Jōnin was!
Even inside the classroom, students swarmed Shali. Iruka's calls had no effect.
It wasn't until the electric arcs around Shali flickered that the students reluctantly returned to their seats, slightly intimidated.
Iruka then shot Xiali a thankful glance, and Xiali shrugged helplessly, giving a look as if to say, "I saw this coming." He had to admit his own growth was a bit exaggerated.
The moment Iruka announced, Sasuke slammed the desk and stood up.
"What's so surprising? I already knew." Naruto, standing next to Sakura, said smugly.
Sasuke ignored him and sat back down, though his eyes were bright, remembering what Shali had told him:
"Who says you can't take revenge if you can't catch up?"
"I don't think I'm worse than that person you mentioned."
Initially, Sasuke had doubted these words, not really believing them. But now…
He somewhat believed them. Shali had become a Jōnin at 13, and Shali had done it a year earlier!
Sasuke also felt his own recent growth and understood that he had reached the stage of rapid improvement Shali mentioned. Looking at Shali, a complex emotion and a spark of confidence arose within him.
Although Sasuke had always sought revenge, he understood the gap between himself and Shali. Now, he could see hope, and his eyes shone brightly.
"Jōnin, really…" Shikamaru looked at Shali in disbelief, his usual laziness replaced by shock.
Next, Shikamaru suppressed his astonishment and steepled his fingers, thinking fast. Becoming a Jōnin was no easy feat.
As for Xiali's sudden promotion to Jōnin, he must have done something extraordinary. Achieving such a rank in a short time proved it wasn't easy.
However, he had never heard the name "Xiali" before, which suggested Xiali might not use his real name publicly.
Thus, this group that had suddenly appeared in the past two years had already gained a reputation and achieved remarkable success…
Shikamaru's eyes widened further as he stared at Shali.
Meanwhile, Xiali didn't know what Sasuke and Shikamaru were thinking. At this moment, he was chatting with Ino.
"Shali, who do you think my teammates will be?" Ino asked.
"Shikamaru and Choji," Shali replied decisively.
"Huh? How could it be them? One's fat, and the other has no ambition…" Ino frowned. "Why are you so sure?"
"Because the Juru butterfly cannot be split. You don't know this, but your father and their fathers created the Juru butterfly together. Each of these three families has unique skills that complement each other perfectly. Together, they're unstoppable," Shali explained bluntly.
"Then there really is no other hope," Ino blinked, thinking about her father's good relations with their fathers, feeling a bit disappointed.
"Who do you want to team up with?" Shali asked curiously.
"Of course, Sakura and Hinata! I think girls should be in the same class and form a girls' team, to prove we're just as capable as anyone else!" Ino said decisively, oblivious to Shali's expression change.
Shali was startled and chuckled to herself. Turns out she was just an ordinary person after all.
"Hey, why are you laughing? Do you think I'm wrong?" Ino frowned at Shali.
"No, I just think the strongest among the three ninjas is still Lady Tsunade—she's a woman," Xiali quickly said, agreeing. Tsunade had become weak due to her lover's death and blood loss, yet she maintained this state.
Even if an opponent fully devoted themselves to training, they might not stand against Tsunade, even if they reached Jiraiya-sensei's incomplete Sage Mode. And… Mount Myōboku isn't the only place with Sage Mode!
"Perfect," Ino beamed. Lady Tsunade was her idol—or rather, the idol of most female Konoha ninjas!
At this moment, Iruka finished his preamble and began announcing the group assignments.
Chapter 109: Still the First Kiss, but the Protagonist
"Class 10: Nara Shikamaru, Yamanaka Ino, Akimichi Choji."
When Iruka made the final announcement, Ino was utterly disheartened.
After the group assignments, teachers informed the students to wait patiently for guidance.
Before leaving, Iruka seemed to remember something, saying that students were not allowed to wander before the teachers arrived, or their Genin headbands would be taken away.
There hadn't been such an order before, but Iruka thought if he didn't issue it, Shali would probably run around like before.
The classroom fell silent. Most understood Iruka probably wasn't being completely truthful, but no one dared to test it. Failing to become a ninja because of this would have been a huge loss.
"Actually, Shikamaru and Choji aren't bad either," Shali said, nodding after hearing Iruka's arrangement, and then answered Ino's question.
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