Naruto: AFK System

The next day, Yoruha arrived at school.

As soon as he entered the classroom, he noticed Naruto was already there.

Yesterday, Naruto had finally remembered who Yoruha was.

Unlike Shino, Yoruha didn't keep himself wrapped up or deliberately hidden.

Previously, people hadn't paid much attention to him because he didn't participate in many activities or play with his classmates.

He would simply go straight home as soon as class ended.

When Naruto saw Yoruha, he stood up and waved enthusiastically. "Yo, Yoruha!"

Yoruha was slightly surprised but responded with a polite smile and a nod before casually finding a seat.

Naruto's enthusiastic greeting drew the attention of many classmates.

Though he was often considered the class clown, Naruto always had a knack for attracting attention.

Many students turned to look in Yoruha's direction.

Several of the girls froze when they saw him.

"I never noticed before, but he's as handsome as Sasuke!" one whispered.

"No way, Sasuke is the best. No one compares to him. But... Yoruha is really good-looking, too," another added.

The girls began debating who was more attractive—Yoruha or Sasuke.

Most still favored Sasuke, not necessarily for his looks but for his overall strength and abilities.

However, some girls decided to seize the opportunity to get to know Yoruha first.

One such girl was Ino Yamanaka.

Being a self-proclaimed admirer of good looks, Ino's affection for Sasuke had largely been driven by his appearance.

Now, spotting a boy whose looks rivaled Sasuke's, she wasn't about to let the chance slip away.

Ino approached Yoruha, her cheeks flushed red. "H-Hi, I'm Ino Yamanaka. I-I don't know how I never noticed you before."

Yoruha furrowed his brow slightly, internally questioning himself.

"Was I really that invisible before?" he wondered.

"Sure, I didn't want to stand out, but to the point where they act like I never existed? This is ridiculous."

Feeling somewhat exasperated, Yoruha reassured himself that he wasn't trying to isolate himself entirely; he simply disliked unnecessary trouble.

Still, it amazed him how his classmates seemed to have no impression of him after six years of being in the same class.

Six years of attending the same school, and all he got was, "I don't remember seeing you before."

Looking at the blushing and shy Ino, Yoruha offered a polite smile. "I'm Yoruha. Nice to meet you."

His playful response left Ino flustered. "S-Sorry, Yoruha," she stammered awkwardly.

Yoruha, however, wasn't truly upset. He had only meant to tease her.

Besides, this misunderstanding was partly his fault for keeping such a low profile.

"It's fine. Let's just consider this our first meeting," Yoruha replied with a gentle smile.

Ino's heart pounded furiously at his smile, and she nearly fainted on the spot.

The girls in this world had a tendency to overreact—heart palpitations could genuinely knock them unconscious.

At that moment, Shikamaru strolled over lazily.

"You were always too focused on Sasuke. It's no wonder you didn't notice Yoruha," Shikamaru remarked casually.

He sat down next to Yoruha. "Hey. I noticed you usually leave right after class, so we never got a chance to talk. I'm Shikamaru."

He extended a hand toward Yoruha.

Yoruha was a little surprised that Shikamaru had been paying attention to him.

"Oh, I'm Yoruha," he replied, shaking Shikamaru's hand.

Given Shikamaru's intelligence, it made sense that he had observed Yoruha, even if others hadn't.

When Yoruha's presence registered, it became clear that, in terms of appearance, only Sasuke could rival him in the class.

After a few casual exchanges, Sasuke entered the room.

As soon as he arrived, all the girls' attention shifted to him.

"Ah, Sasuke! So handsome!"

A throng of girls surged toward him.

Shikamaru slumped onto his desk, sighing. "Women are such a hassle."

No sooner had he spoken than Ino, leaning over Yoruha, shot him a glare.

"What did you say, Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru turned his head, surprised that Ino hadn't joined the crowd around Sasuke.

"I... wasn't talking about you."

Ino rolled her eyes at him. "Hmph!"

Although Ino glanced at Sasuke a few times, her focus was mostly on Yoruha.

Sasuke had always monopolized her attention, preventing her from noticing Yoruha before.

But now that she had, she realized no one seemed to hover around Yoruha.

And his looks were no less impressive than Sasuke's.

Naturally, Ino knew how to make a choice.

While Sasuke was great, the competition for him was overwhelming, especially with Sakura in the mix.

In just an instant, Ino weighed her options and made her decision.

Meanwhile, Naruto noticed Sakura squeezing herself next to Sasuke, her infatuated expression clear as day.

Gritting his teeth in frustration, Naruto muttered, "Damn it, Sakura only has eyes for Sasuke. That bastard! I won't let him have her!"

With that, Naruto stormed toward Sasuke.

His bold actions caught the attention of the entire class, even Yoruha.

Naruto leapt onto Sasuke's desk, crouching and glaring directly at him.

Sasuke, unwilling to back down, stared daggers right back.

The girls around them were outraged at Naruto's behavior.

"You idiot, Naruto! Don't glare at Sasuke like that!"

"Naruto, get down! How dare you look at Sasuke that way?"

Yoruha watched the scene unfold with a strange sense of familiarity.

He couldn't quite place it, but something told him the situation was about to take a bizarre turn.

Sure enough, the next moment, someone accidentally bumped Naruto's rear with an elbow.

Losing his balance, Naruto toppled forward—straight onto Sasuke.

What happened next left Yoruha stunned.

The girls around them screamed in horror.

"Naruto, you idiot! What are you doing? How could you?! Sasuke's first kiss—it's gone!"

"You jerk!"

Yoruha's eyes widened in shock, his mouth twitching slightly. "W-What? These two... their relationship must be really close, huh?"

Even Shikamaru shook his head in exasperation. "Naruto's such an idiot."

Ino, wearing a similar expression to Yoruha, muttered, "Those two... that was probably their first kiss, right?"

Previously, Ino might have been furious over such an incident.

But now, she felt no such anger.

Unlike Sakura, who genuinely adored Sasuke, Ino's interest in him stemmed partly from her rivalry with Sakura and partly from his looks.

Her ability to shift her affections quickly made this situation less impactful for her.

The scene between Naruto and Sasuke, however, was one Yoruha knew he would never forget.

Dark thoughts crossed his mind. "Is the reason Naruto keeps chasing Sasuke later on because there's something special between them?"

The thought sent a chill down his spine.

"That's ridiculous. I need to stop overthinking this—it's terrifying!"

Meanwhile, both Sasuke and Naruto were gagging, visibly repulsed by the incident.

Sasuke glared at Naruto in disgust. "Naruto, you idiot! What are you trying to do?"

Naruto snapped back, equally enraged. "I should be asking you, you bastard! What are you trying to do?"

The two immediately started bickering.

Sakura had no choice but to step in, pulling them apart.

To prevent further arguments, she seated herself between the two of them.

From that moment on, Sakura became the mediator in their turbulent relationship.