*Chapter 28: Akamaru is Right!*

By the time Sasuke strolled into the ninja academy, the classroom was already buzzing with activity. Most of the students were seated, and their teacher for the day, Iruka Umino, stood at the podium, glancing toward the door as Sasuke entered.

"A little late," Iruka remarked, but his tone was kind, even approving. Sasuke was, after all, the best student in the class.

Sasuke inclined his head slightly in acknowledgment. "Thank you," he said, stepping into the room. His sharp eyes scanned for Naruto, eager to catch him off guard and demonstrate the new *Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu* he'd mastered. But what Sasuke saw instead stopped him in his tracks.

---

There, in the middle of the classroom, Naruto sat surrounded by girls. On his left was Sakura, on his right Ino, with Hinata behind him and other girls filling the space around him. Their attention was fully on him.

Naruto, for his part, looked as if he’d ascended to a higher plane of existence. His cheeks were flushed, his eyes unfocused, and his grin stretched impossibly wide. If there was a heaven for him, this was it.

Sasuke blinked, his mouth twitching. Naruto? Center of attention? This is...new.  

---

Shrugging off his surprise, Sasuke made his way toward an empty seat at the back of the classroom. It happened to be next to Kiba Inuzuka and Akamaru, the latter nestled comfortably in Kiba’s lap.

Without sparing a glance, Sasuke sat down.

---

Of course, Sasuke’s silent approach did little to deter Kiba. The boy leaned toward him, eager to chat.

"Sasuke, what do you think about all this?" Kiba whispered, gesturing toward Naruto’s suddenly inflated popularity.

Sasuke didn’t look up from his textbook. "I use my eyes to see," he replied coolly.

"Woof woof!" Akamaru barked, clearly excited by the exchange.

"Hey, quiet down!" Kiba patted Akamaru on the head, silencing him.

But Sasuke, his expression unreadable, muttered, "Akamaru is right."

---

Suddenly, a familiar notification flashed before Sasuke’s eyes: *+5 points.*

Kiba froze, staring at Sasuke in shock. "Wait...you can understand Akamaru?!"

Sasuke shook his head. "I can’t."

"...Then why did you say he was right?"

Sasuke pointed to his temple. "Intuition."

Kiba opened his mouth to retort but quickly gave up. Instead, he leaned back in his seat, muttering under his breath.

---

Iruka began his lecture on ninja theory, prompting Sasuke to focus on his notes. The scratching of his pen filled the quiet around him.

A few minutes passed before Kiba leaned over again, this time with a conspiratorial look. "Sasuke, why do you think Naruto’s suddenly so popular? Didn’t these girls used to flock around you?"

"Maybe Naruto’s more handsome," Sasuke replied without looking up.

Kiba choked on a laugh. "Him? Handsome? More than me?"

Sasuke finally turned to look at Kiba, his gaze pointed. "Are...you handsome?"

"Woof woof woof!" Akamaru barked again, wagging his tail.

"Akamaru’s got a point," Sasuke said, smirking slightly.

Kiba buried his face in his hands. "I regret sitting next to you."

---

Despite his earlier declaration, Kiba couldn’t stay silent for long. After a moment, he leaned in yet again.

"Sasuke, let’s be real. All those girls used to follow you around, and now they’re with Naruto. Doesn’t it make you feel...empty?"

"No," Sasuke said firmly.

"Come on, you don’t miss the attention? Not even a little?"

Sasuke’s lips curled into a rare smirk. "Nope. Actually, I feel relieved."

"Relieved?!"

"Being pestered by girls every day is exhausting," Sasuke replied, his tone tinged with mock seriousness. "I’ve spent years trying to figure out how to make them stop. It’s not easy."

*+5 points.*

Kiba gawked at Sasuke, utterly speechless. "You’re unbelievable," he muttered, slumping back in his seat.

---

Meanwhile, at the center of the classroom, Naruto couldn’t stop grinning. Glancing at Sakura, who sat beside him, he whispered, "Sakura, I didn’t think you liked sitting next to me so much."

"Shut up," Sakura snapped, not even sparing him a glance. Her mind was preoccupied with strategies to keep Naruto far from Sasuke.

"I feel like I’m dreaming," Naruto continued, completely ignoring her irritation. "I mean, you rushed to sit by me!"

Bang!  

Sakura’s fist collided with Naruto’s head, leaving a large bump as he yelped in pain.

"It hurts!" Naruto whined, clutching his head.

"Listen, idiot," Sakura hissed. "You’re sitting next to me because I chose to. But don’t get any weird ideas—I’ll never like you."

Naruto blinked, his hurt overshadowed by confusion. "Then why are you sitting here...?"

But Sakura didn’t answer. Her gaze drifted toward the back of the classroom, where Sasuke sat, unbothered and entirely in his own world.

(End of Chapter)