"Izayoi-kun, it's time to wake up. We're about to be divided into new classes."
The next day, Izayoi woke up again to Hinata's call.
He didn't know when it started, but the self-disciplined Izayoi had developed a habit of staying in bed, enjoying his princess-style wake-up service every morning.
Hinata had also gotten used to waking up early every day to bring him breakfast and wake him up, and both of them enjoyed it.
"I was drained of chakra by you guys yesterday, so I can't get up."
Izayoi didn't get up immediately. Instead, he extended his hands to Hinata and whined, "Hinata, pull me up."
"You're lying, clearly, we absorbed chakra from you, and our recovery speed is faster than yours."
Hinata playfully scolded him but still reached out to pull Izayoi up.
However, as soon as her small hand touched his, Izayoi grabbed her wrist and pulled hard.
Hinata's body was immediately sent crashing onto Izayoi's chest.
But with a physique that outclassed her peers, Izayoi effortlessly absorbed the impact, leaving Hinata unscathed and resting on him.
"Ah..."
Although she wasn't hurt, the sudden movement made Hinata gasp in surprise.
Izayoi enjoyed the sensation of her being so close, and in an instant, he switched positions, rolling over and pinning her beneath him. He placed his hands on either side of her head, looking down at the now flustered girl who had transformed into a "steaming maiden."
"I... Izayoi-kun..."
Over the years, Hinata's immunity had grown remarkably, but at that moment, she seemed to revert back to a shy and bashful state, avoiding his gaze.
Seeing Hinata like this, in a rare moment of cuteness, Izayoi felt a strange surge of emotions.
But then, thinking of her age and the fact that their relationship hadn't fully crossed any boundaries yet, Izayoi suppressed his feelings.
Just as he was about to get off the bed, his eyes happened to fall on the black fishnet lining of Hinata's attire. A memory suddenly resurfaced, and without thinking, he said in his hometown dialect, "Hinata, I want to... squeeze one of those."
"Huh?"
Hinata tilted her head cutely, confused by Izayoi's words.
The next second, her face flushed a deep red, her pale purple Byakugan eyes narrowing like spirals.
Her emotional gauge quickly shot up, ready to breach the limit.
Izayoi hastily got out of bed and ran into the bathroom.
Hinata, meanwhile, felt as though she had been holding her breath for too long. She took deep breaths, trying to calm her rapid heartbeat and the slight discomfort.
By the time Izayoi returned from the bathroom, Hinata was no longer in the room.
Izayoi didn't immediately leave the room. He opened the wardrobe and took out the battle attire he had ordered at the beginning of the year, which he had yet to wear.
This battle uniform was similar to the one worn by Otsutsuki Indra, a white robe.
The only difference was that Izayoi's robe didn't have the large collar, and the collar didn't feature the black chakra symbols.
After putting on the robe and tying the black belt, Izayoi took out the items he had bought the previous day.
They were two white armbands with storage capabilities.
Izayoi placed his shuriken and kunai inside them, strapping them to his wrists.
The sleeves of the robe were very wide, and unless an enemy had the ability to see through things, they wouldn't be able to see Izayoi's hands inside.
Fully equipped, Izayoi left the room.
Hinata, already at the dining table, had opened her bento box and was waiting for him, her eyes lighting up as soon as she saw him. Her heartbeat, which had just calmed down, sped up again.
It was impossible to deny; Izayoi, with his black hair, blue eyes, and handsome face, now looked even more noble in his white robe. He had an air of dignity that made him appear as though he were a noble young man, not a poor orphan raised without a father and without anyone to teach him manners.
At this moment, Hinata suddenly regretted wearing the ordinary white windbreaker and pants. She should have asked her younger sister for advice on having a custom-made kimono, just like her.
If she had done that, she and Izayoi would have looked even more well-matched.
Thinking this, Hinata immediately made up her mind to ask her sister about it as soon as she got home.
Izayoi, of course, had no idea what Hinata was thinking.
After finishing breakfast, the two of them left the house and headed for the ninja academy.
"Yo... Izayoi, Hinata, good morning!"
"How nice, still inseparable as always. I hope you two can be in the same team after the class division."
On the way, Izayoi and Hinata ran into a few classmates who were also walking to school together.
The two of them were always so close, and naturally, they couldn't escape a little teasing.
Izayoi just smiled without saying anything, while Hinata lowered her head shyly, recalling the recent ambiguous moments.
When they arrived in the classroom, most of the students had already arrived.
Originally, only Naruto hadn't graduated, but now that he had passed the graduation exam, the entire sixth-grade class had passed.
Of course, how many small teams would be approved by Jonin instructors was still unknown.
Since everyone had graduated, the students weren't sitting at their usual spots but were chatting with their closest friends.
Izayoi and Hinata also casually picked a spot to sit.
Before they could start whispering to each other, a highly anticipated figure sat next to Izayoi.
Izayoi glanced at him and smiled, greeting him. "Good morning, Sasuke."
"Good morning."
Uchiha Sasuke nodded and said with a bit of anticipation, "I hope we can be in the same team after the class division."
Besides Naruto, the only ones in the whole grade who were worth Sasuke's attention were Izayoi and Hinata.
If he could be on the same team as them, he could challenge them often and improve his skills.
Izayoi smiled and shook his head. "I'd love to be in the same team with you and Hinata, but you know as well as I do that the top three in the grade can't be in the same team. Otherwise, the other teams wouldn't stand a chance in the Chuunin exams."
"That's true."
Sasuke nodded, feeling a bit regretful but agreeing with Izayoi's reasoning.
Just as he rested his chin on his hands and waited for the class division to start, a figure suddenly appeared in front of him.
Looking at the blonde fox-like face and the narrow-eyed gaze, Sasuke felt an inexplicable annoyance and made a face of distaste.
Izayoi, watching from the side, couldn't help but smile, as though remembering something.
Sure enough...
"Naruto's got no manners whatsoever."
"Yeah, Sasuke-kun, teach him a lesson!"
"..."
Looking at Naruto, who was provoking Sasuke, the girls nearby couldn't wait to rush over and knock Naruto to the ground.
But seeing Izayoi and Hinata standing nearby, they hesitated, as if they were intimidated by the pair.
At that moment, a male student in front of Sasuke suddenly got excited and elbowed backward without noticing that Naruto was sitting behind him.
The elbow hit Naruto's backside, causing his body to lean forward, and Sasuke's face, which was growing closer, became large in his vision. Naruto's eyes went wide in shock.
Sasuke, too, couldn't react fast enough.
Mu~~a!
In front of the dumbfounded girls, the moment became frozen as Naruto and Sasuke were nose to nose, sharing a dramatic "kiss."
"Wah!"
Izayoi almost couldn't hold back a whistle. He regretted not bringing a camera.
Hinata, her hands covering her mouth, blushed as she looked at Naruto and Sasuke.
The scene was just... too overwhelming!
"Ugh..."
A few seconds later, Naruto and Sasuke seemed to realize what had happened, quickly pulling away and gagging in disgust.
Sasuke, while gagging, shot a murderous glare at Naruto. "I'm going to kill you, you loser!"
However, before he could do anything, a shadow fell over them.
The girls who had just witnessed Sasuke's "first kiss" being stolen, led by Sakura, immediately disregarded Izayoi and Hinata's presence. They shoved the male student in front of Sasuke away and dragged Naruto off the desk, where they proceeded to beat him up underneath the podium.
"Ahhh... mercy, please!"
In the cloud of dust, Naruto's cries for mercy echoed.