Kaito looked at the figure with pink hair standing up to introduce herself. His gaze was complicated—after all, she could be considered the female lead of Naruto.
Though Naruto eventually married Hinata Hyuga, her presence in the series wasn't as prominent, so Haruno Sakura took on the role of the main female character.
Of course, if you consider Uchiha Sasuke as the "female lead," well... let's just say, you'd have a point.
Haruno Sakura, although not well regarded in the original story, was undoubtedly a very capable individual, reaching the upper echelon of power for ordinary ninjas. Her dedication and intelligence were notable.
As far as Kaito knew, Sakura's poor reputation was mostly due to her being portrayed as obsessed with romance—her infatuation with Uchiha Sasuke appeared to be nothing more than a schoolgirl crush, even less justified than Karin Uzumaki's affection for Sasuke.
Another reason was her reaction after Sasuke's later defection. She couldn't do anything herself but instead cried and begged Naruto to bring him back. Although Naruto would have done so out of his own will, Sakura's behavior came off as manipulative and was largely seen as unpleasant.
In fact, in Kaito's previous life, he didn't like Sakura either, though his reasons were simpler. He'd identified with Naruto's perspective, and since she treated Naruto poorly, he didn't like her. Later on, as he grew older, those feelings mellowed—he didn't like her, but he could appreciate her qualities.
The reason Kaito felt slightly guilty about Sakura was simple: his goal was to take her place in the team. More specifically, to replace her role within Team 7.
Sakura was the only member he could potentially replace. Considering the background of others, Kaito knew that replacing anyone else wasn't feasible.
Firstly, there was Team 10: Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Choji, and Yamanaka Ino. These three represented the traditional Ino-Shika-Cho trio of Konoha, which was impossible to break apart.
Next, Team 8 consisted of Inuzuka Kiba, Aburame Shino, and Hyuga Hinata. They all had unique attributes. Hinata, a member of the Hyuga main family, couldn't be replaced. Kiba and Shino, while perhaps theoretically replaceable since their clans weren't among Konoha's major families, were both highly specialized. Kiba's nin-dog and Shino's insects were unique skills that were irreplaceable in scouting.
To replace either of them, Kaito would need to demonstrate extraordinary talent in reconnaissance. This was uncertain, and the possibility of being sorted into another group remained high. Given how uncertain things were, Kaito had to rule it out.
Lastly, there was Team 7, which included Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha. Naruto, as the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails, and Sasuke, the last surviving Uchiha, were irreplaceable.
Thus, after considering everything, Kaito's focus fell on Haruno Sakura. She came from an ordinary family, and while she had a certain knack for theory, it wasn't anything that Kaito couldn't surpass. Her only edge was being a girl.
And that was no small thing—Konoha teams were typically composed of two boys and one girl. To replace Sakura, Kaito needed not only to surpass her in theory but also to be the best in the class. That way, it would be more likely for him to be assigned to the "elite" team. If Kaito proved to be the best, then the Third Hokage would have little choice in the matter. Even though most teams followed the two-boys-one-girl format, there was no rigid rule about it—there had been three-boy teams or teams with two girls and one boy in the past.
Kaito wanted to grow stronger, and his goal was the elite team. Even among the elite teams, there were clear differences. Team 7's Kakashi Hatake was an elite Jonin despite having let himself go for a while; Asuma Sarutobi from Team 10 was an upper-mid-level Jonin, and Kurenai Yuhi from Team 8 was essentially an ordinary Jonin with some skill in genjutsu.
If the so-called elite teams were like this, then it wasn't even worth thinking about the Jonin who led other teams. If you got a regular Jonin, you were considered lucky; more often, the team might end up with a Special Jonin.
For these reasons, Kaito knew that in order to achieve his goals, he had to aim for the elite team. He felt a bit bad about displacing Sakura, but his priority had to be himself.
Besides, Sakura's potential was already quite evident in the original story—she was one of the new generation's Sannin, but while Naruto and Sasuke clearly surpassed their predecessors, Sakura's ceiling was to become a "Little Tsunade" at best.
Tsunade was the princess of the Senju clan with a unique constitution, something Sakura couldn't match. If Sakura took a different path, she might have surpassed Tsunade, but instead, she followed the same path as Tsunade, and overtaking her was almost impossible.
So, if Sakura's ceiling was what it was, what about Kaito's? As an ordinary person, he wasn't interested in trying to acquire a special bloodline or Kekkei Genkai. He just wanted to see how far he could go with his own strength. Could he surpass Jiraiya or briefly unlock the Eight Gates like Might Guy? Or would he fall short of even Sakura's level?
No matter what, he had to try. Reborn into this world, there was nothing more interesting than aiming to achieve something unique here.
"Kamikawa Kaito."
Iruka finally called Kaito's name, and Kaito stood up, giving a simple self-introduction.
"I am Kamikawa Kaito. I don't have any particular favorite foods. I like myself and my mother. I dislike cilantro and currently have no one I particularly dislike. In the future, I want to become the strongest ninja."
Kaito's introduction didn't cause much of a stir. The idea of becoming the strongest ninja didn't feel real to them. Many of them wanted to become Hokage, after all, and to them, the strongest ninja meant the Hokage. So Kaito's self-introduction wasn't anything special.
When it was Naruto's turn, Kaito watched as Naruto cheerfully announced a similar goal, only replacing "strongest" with "Hokage." The jeers of the surrounding children made Kaito sigh. It was still much better than on the streets, but the adults' influence on these kids was undeniable.
During break time, Kaito had no intention of actively making friends. Sitting next to Naruto naturally meant that no one else would come over. Kaito wasn't particularly remarkable—he looked decent but not extraordinary, with black hair that was quite ordinary, though he was noticeably taller than his peers.
Looking at Naruto, who seemed eager to talk but was hesitant about bothering him, Kaito thought for a moment and finally leaned over to quietly say, "In the classroom, you don't need to be as cautious as in the village. Just don't act too close, okay? We can maintain an ordinary classmate relationship."
Kaito figured that as the future of Konoha, Danzo likely wouldn't interfere directly within the Academy. He hadn't noticed any kids with the surname Shimura, so maintaining a simple and ordinary relationship with Naruto as a classmate should be fine.
After all, someone had to be Naruto's seatmate, and as long as Kaito didn't act too friendly, it shouldn't matter.
And besides, Kaito needed to stand out quickly in order to get into the Third Hokage's sights. If that happened, even if Danzo took notice of him, his safety would be relatively assured, at least for some time. The only uncertainty was when that opportunity to prove himself would arise.
Hearing Kaito's words, Naruto's eyes lit up, and he nervously asked, "Does that mean we can be friends?"
Kaito looked at Naruto, seeing the anticipation in his eyes. He recalled the mistreatment Naruto had faced before and smiled.
"Of course we can!"
However, Kaito quickly withdrew his smile, reverting to his cold expression, glancing around. It would be best if he could maintain this indifferent demeanor in front of others. He needed to appear like a guy who was stuck being Naruto's unlucky seatmate.