Naruto: With Favorabiltity System

Chapter 272: School Days Begin

Haneda knew that Orochimaru held a special place in Jiraiya's mind, so he chose to ignore the latter half of Jiraiya's words.

He noticed Naruto bouncing alongside Sasuke as they approached the school gates and reminded Jiraiya:

"They're here."

"Where?!"

Jiraiya raised his binoculars, following Haneda's pointing finger to observe Naruto.

Sasuke's reluctant yet resigned expression, paired with Naruto's joyous demeanor, made Jiraiya see a reflection of himself and Orochimaru.

"He's indeed made a good friend. Their bond is strong—it's no wonder you haven't gone to disturb them."

Jiraiya then noticed Itachi silently following behind Sasuke and immediately frowned.

"Why is Sasuke's brother tagging along? Acting as a third wheel?"

"Cough, cough…" Haneda cleared his throat and explained in a low voice, "Itachi promised Sasuke he'd accompany him to the entrance ceremony."

"And Itachi is also very kind to Naruto, always taking care of him while looking after Sasuke."

"Ah… I see. Seems like they don't need me." Jiraiya put down his binoculars and turned toward the direction of Konoha Hospital.

He waved as he said goodbye, "I'll leave Naruto in your hands, Haneda."

As Jiraiya walked away, Haneda fell into deep thought.

Originally, he had considered following the timeline to entrust Naruto to Jiraiya's guidance in the future.

This was part of why he had brought Jiraiya to meet Naruto after Jiraiya's return to the village, and why Jiraiya had come looking for him again.

But considering how much the timeline had already changed, Haneda chuckled to himself and muttered:

"The future? Who can say for certain what it holds?"

...

Later, Haneda and Kakashi attended the entrance ceremony together.

Cheers, resounding and enthusiastic, echoed from all around.

This was genuine admiration and recognition.

The Hokage who had led Konoha to victory against the Hidden Cloud—Haneda's prestige in the village had reached its peak.

Kakashi leaned in and whispered, "When I was a kid, I listened to the Third Hokage's speeches. Now, it's your turn, Haneda."

Haneda scanned the crowd of adoring villagers.

Among them, he spotted the young members of Konoha's future Twelve, as well as many unfamiliar yet oddly recognizable faces.

"Unfortunately, there's still one person missing."

Kakashi knew exactly who Haneda was referring to, and his once-pleasant mood grew somber.

What they didn't know was that a man wearing a tiger-striped mask and a black cloak adorned with red clouds was seated atop Haneda's stone statue, silently watching the scene unfold.

When the time came, Haneda began his speech about the Will of Fire:

"Wherever the leaves of Konoha dance, the fire burns ever brighter."

"The flames will continue to illuminate the village, nurturing the budding new leaves."

…

Hearing the familiar lines, Obito adjusted his mask and recalled Haneda's past disdain for the Will of Fire.

He vividly remembered how much he used to admire the ideology promoted by the Third Hokage, and how he had often debated it with Haneda.

Now, the roles were reversed.

Obito understood why. He opened the book Haneda had written, flipping to the bookmarked page, and began to read.

When Haneda and Kakashi left the academy, Obito closed the book and vanished from atop the statue.

...

Morning, in Haku and Kimimaro's class.

At that moment, the teacher standing at the podium was preparing to teach the history of the Five Hokage.

Following the Hokage's instructions, the teacher instinctively glanced at Haku and Kimimaro.

By this point in the morning, Haku had already blended in with his classmates. His gentle personality made him well-liked.

Kimimaro, however, remained exceptionally aloof, with no classmates daring to approach him.

Out of goodwill, the teacher decided to ask Kimimaro a question.

"Kimimaro, how much do you know about the past Hokage?"

Kimimaro, resting his chin on his hand, had no intention of answering—until the Hokage was mentioned. At that, his mood inexplicably brightened.

"The Fifth Hokage, Uchiha Haneda, was the one entrusted by the Fourth Hokage in his final moments."

"His fame rose during the Third Shinobi World War, where he personally captured the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, and the Fourth Raikage, A."

"Last year and this year, he killed the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, and once again captured the Fourth Raikage."

"He is skilled in numerous techniques: the Hatake swordsmanship, the Uchiha-style Fire Release, the Flying Thunder God Technique passed down by the Second and Fourth Hokage, and he even pioneered a new Lightning Release technique—Chidori."

"His favorite food is grilled pork belly, and his favorite drink is orange juice."

"He dislikes scallions, ginger, and garlic, but still adds them when cooking."

"His most cherished person is Kakashi, and the one he misses most is Obito…"

The entire class was stunned.

The normally quiet and aloof boy who only occasionally spoke to Haku was suddenly so talkative when it came to the Fifth Hokage!

And the level of detail—he practically laid bare the Hokage's personal life!

Seeing that Kimimaro was about to keep going, the teacher quickly interrupted to protect the Hokage's privacy:

"Um, Kimimaro… what about the other Hokage?"

"The other Hokage?" Kimimaro's passionate expression instantly turned cold. "I don't know them."

The teacher twitched slightly.

But Haku found it completely normal.

He knew that Kimimaro often read the books written by Haneda and even went to the library to research related topics.

As for the other Hokage, they were just a side note in his studies.

For example, Kimimaro absolutely despised the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, to the point where he refused to even mention his name.

...

Meanwhile, in Naruto and Sasuke's class.

Their teacher, Iruka, entered the room.

He had been personally appointed by Haneda to be their homeroom teacher, tasked with focusing on Naruto's development.

Following the standard opening-day procedures, Iruka began:

"Good morning, everyone. Let's start with some introductions. My name is Umino Iruka, and I'll be your homeroom teacher from today onward."

"It's the first day, and none of us know each other yet. Let's start with introductions from the first row, left to right. How about that?"

Iruka gestured to the first student to begin.

Sasuke, as in the original timeline, sat by the back window, coolly gazing outside at the fading figure of his brother.

Naruto, seated next to him, unabashedly stared at Sasuke with his head tilted.

When it was Sasuke's turn, he reluctantly tore his gaze away from the window, stood up, and introduced himself:

"Uchiha Sasuke. I dislike idiots and fools. I like many things."

Sakura, smitten, whispered dreamily, "He has the same last name as the Hokage!"

Sasuke coolly replied, "He's my uncle. My father and he are as close as brothers."

Hearing Sasuke's connection to the Hokage, the entire class turned to him in awe.

Sasuke maintained a calm façade as he sat back down.

Naruto, unwilling to be overshadowed, jumped up and shouted:

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto! Uncle Haneda is my adoptive father, and the Fourth Hokage is my dad!"

"I'm going to become the Hokage, just like them!"

Hearing yet another heavyweight name drop, the class erupted in excitement, staring at Naruto with curiosity and amazement.

Unlike in the original timeline, no one questioned or mocked Naruto's dream because of his lineage.

But Sasuke wasn't so kind. He scoffed and retorted:

"Idiot, becoming Hokage isn't that easy! Uncle Haneda earned the approval of my brother, Shisui, and my father!"

"I'll still become Hokage, Sasuke!!"

"Not a chance, Naruto!!"

...