Natsuro looked at the figure with pink hair who was about to speak, his eyes showing a complicated expression. She could be considered the female lead of Naruto. Although Naruto's eventual wife was Hinata Hyuga, Hinata didn't have much screen time, so the role of the female lead fell to Haruno Sakura.
Of course, if you consider Sasuke Uchiha as the "female lead" well… you might not be entirely wrong.
Sakura, while not highly regarded in the original story, undoubtedly reached the pinnacle of strength among ordinary people. Her efforts and intellect were actually quite impressive.
Sakura's poor reputation, from what he knew, likely stemmed from her intense focus on romance. Her affection for Sasuke Uchiha mostly came off as fangirling from the audience's perspective, without the solid reasons that other characters, like Karin Uzumaki, had for liking Sasuke.
Another reason for her unpopularity was probably Sasuke's later defection. Sakura, unable to do anything herself, cried and begged Naruto to bring him back. While Naruto would have done so anyway due to his personality, Sakura's actions came across as emotionally manipulative, which wasn't very endearing.
In fact, when he was younger, he also didn't like Sakura, though his reasons were even simpler. Since he identified with Naruto's perspective, anyone who treated Naruto poorly was someone he didn't like. Later, as he grew up, he became more indifferent. While he didn't particularly like Sakura, he had enough appreciation for her.
The reason he felt somewhat guilty toward Sakura was because his goal was to take her place—specifically, her spot in Team 7.
After all, Sakura was the only person he could realistically replace. The others were too entrenched in their positions.
First, there's the Ino-Shika-Cho trio in Team 10: Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akimichi, and Ino Yamanaka. The tradition of this formation in Konoha made it nearly impossible to break them apart.
Then there's Team 8, with Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame, and Hinata Hyuga—all of whom have unique abilities. Hinata's Byakugan and status as a member of the Hyuga clan's main branch make her irreplaceable. Kiba Inuzuka and Shino Aburame could theoretically be replaced, as their clans are not among Konoha's elites. However, both possess unique skills—Kiba with his nin-dog and Shino with his insects, both of which are crucial for reconnaissance.
If he wanted to replace them, he'd need to demonstrate extraordinary reconnaissance abilities, which could lead to being placed in a different team altogether. There was too much uncertainty, and it was questionable whether he'd even have the opportunity to showcase such talents during his six years at the academy. Thus, he ruled it out.
That left Sakura on Team 7. Naruto, being the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails, and Sasuke, the last surviving Uchiha, were irreplaceable.
After much thought, he realized that Sakura, from an ordinary family with notable but not exceptional theoretical abilities, was his only chance. Her only real advantage was that she was a girl.
This isn't a joke; Konoha's team formations usually consist of two boys and one girl, though there are exceptions. If he could surpass her in theoretical abilities and become the strongest in the class, his chances of being placed in the elite team would significantly increase. If he succeeded, it wouldn't be a question of whether he'd get in, but rather how the Third Hokage would choose to allocate him. After all, it wouldn't make sense to put a highly talented student in an ordinary team. Fortunately, while the two-boys-one-girl formation was common, it wasn't mandatory; there had been three-boy teams and even two-girl-one-boy teams in the past.
So his goal was to become stronger, and to do so, he aimed to get into the elite team. Given that, he had to apologize to Sakura. Although he appreciated her, his priority was himself.
Moreover, Sakura's potential had already been made clear in the original story. She might become one of the new generation's "Three Legendary Sannin" but Naruto and Sasuke would undoubtedly surpass their predecessors, leaving Sakura's potential capped at becoming a "Little Tsunade."
Tsunade was a princess of the Senju clan, blessed with a special constitution. In contrast, Sakura had an ordinary constitution. If Sakura took a different path, she might surpass Tsunade, but since she was following in Tsunade's footsteps, it was almost impossible for her to exceed Tsunade's achievements.
Given that Sakura's ceiling was already set, what about his own? He wanted to see how far he could go. As an ordinary person, he wouldn't seek out special bloodlines or abilities. He just wanted to see how far he could go as a normal person—whether he could surpass the peak of ordinary ninja like Jiraiya or even the short-lived Might Guy when he opened the Eight Gates. Or would he not even be able to surpass Sakura?
Regardless, he had to try. Reincarnated into this world, with nothing else interesting to do, his only option was to pursue the unique aspects of this world.
"Shindōkawa Natsuro."
At this point, Iruka finally called his name. He stood up and briefly introduced himself.
"I am Shindōkawa Natsuro. I don't have any particularly favorite foods. I like myself and my mother. I dislike cilantro. I don't dislike anyone in particular right now. In the future, I want to become the strongest ninja."
His introduction didn't cause much of a stir. After all, the idea of becoming the strongest ninja didn't resonate with them. Many others also aimed to become Hokage, and to them, the strongest ninja was probably just another term for the Hokage. So, Natsuro's introduction wasn't particularly special.
However, when it was Naruto's turn, he listened to him energetically declare a similar goal—except Naruto said he wanted to become Hokage—and then heard the other children mock him. he sighed. While it wasn't as bad as on the streets, the influence of adults on children was already evident.
During breaks, he had no intention of making friends, and since he sat next to Naruto, no one came to talk to him. He didn't have any outstanding traits that would attract others. His looks were decent but not exceptional, and his black hair was ordinary. The only notable thing was that he seemed taller than his peers.
He noticed Naruto beside him, wanting to talk but afraid of bothering him. After thinking for a moment, Natsuro quietly said, "In the classroom, you don't have to be as careful as you are in the village, but don't act too close to me either. Just keep things normal between us."
He reasoned that as the future of Konoha, Danzo likely wouldn't interfere within the academy. He hadn't noticed anyone with the last name Shimura among his peers, so having a normal, non-special relationship with Naruto shouldn't be an issue.
After all, Naruto would eventually have to sit next to someone, as long as he didn't show special concern for Naruto.
Besides, to achieve his goal, he needed to demonstrate enough talent in a short time to get on the Third Hokage's radar. If he managed that, even if Danzo took an interest in him, his safety would be assured for a while. The only question was when the opportunity to prove himself would arise.
Naruto's eyes lit up at Natsuro's words, and he nervously asked, "Can we be friends?"
Natsuro looked at Naruto, seeing the hope in his eyes, and recalled the mistreatment Naruto had suffered. He smiled.
"Of course!"
But he quickly withdrew his smile, returning to his usual indifferent expression. He glanced around and thought it would be best to maintain this cold demeanor most of the time, so others would think he was just an unlucky guy forced to sit next to Naruto.