Chapter 7: First Day At School

On the second day of the entrance examination, Sato woke up on time and headed to the ninja school. Given Sato's current level of chakra, he could have sent a Shadow Clone to attend school in his place. The clone would easily outperform students from grades 1 to 6, including Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuga Neji. However, Sato chose not to do so. He wanted to establish a good relationship with his classmates first before considering the use of Shadow Clones.

Among the powerful individuals in the class, there were several potential allies that Sato wanted to befriend. He knew that unless his devouring ability was discovered, he had to maintain a good relationship with them. As long as the benefits outweighed the risks, he would remain in Konoha.

Although Sato wished to interact with Naruto, he refrained from doing so due to the surveillance by the ANBU. Naruto possessed the chakra of Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina, which intrigued Sato. He speculated that by entering Naruto's spiritual space, he might be able to devour their chakra and acquire powerful techniques such as the Flying Thunder God and the Uzumaki sealing techniques. However, he dismissed the idea to avoid drawing the attention of the Third Hokage.

Upon arriving at the ninja school, Sato located Class 1, Grade 1 and entered the classroom. Some girls who had been eagerly waiting by the door exclaimed in delight upon seeing him. Among them were Yamanaka Ino and Nara Shikamaru and Akimichi Chōji from the Ino–Shika–Chō trio.

Ino, captivated by Sato's appearance, couldn't contain her excitement and expressed her admiration. Sato couldn't help but smile back at her, acknowledging her attention. Nara Shikamaru, known for his laziness, warned Ino not to scare others and reminded her to maintain a proper image.

After exchanging greetings with Ino, Sato looked for Hinata in the classroom and spotted her sitting in a corner. Hinata, being her shy self, had chosen a secluded spot to minimize her presence. She glanced at Sato secretly and immediately lowered her head, likely blushing.

Approaching Hinata, Sato introduced himself, "Hi, my name is Sato. Nice to meet you." As he passed by Ino–Shika–Chō, he also greeted them and exchanged introductions. Ino, being outgoing, invited Sato to sit next to her, but he declined politely, stating that he had a friend to meet.

Sato pointed towards Hinata's location, apologized to Ino, and walked towards Hinata. Ino sighed in disappointment, suggesting that they rearrange the seating while there weren't many people. Nara Shikamaru agreed and moved to a vacant seat in front of Hinata, followed by Ino and Chōji, who joined Sato at Hinata's side.

With everyone settled, Sato engaged in conversation with Ino–Shika–Chō while Hinata listened in secretly. The rest of the classmates continued to fill the classroom. Sato recognized the remaining notable individuals, including Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto, Aburame Shino, Inuzuka Kiba, and Haruno Sakura.

Ino called out to Sakura, inviting her to join their group. Sakura, who trusted Ino and considered her a close friend, obediently went over and sat next to Shikamaru. Despite Sato's lack of personal interest in Sakura, he greeted her and extended his friendly demeanor toward her, just as he did.