Kairi Shinatokawa's eyes lingered on the pink-haired girl who stood up to introduce herself, his gaze a little complicated. She could be considered one of the heroines of Naruto.
Although Naruto eventually married Hinata Hyuga, Hinata's presence in the story was minimal. That's why Sakura Haruno came to be viewed as the female lead by default.
Of course, if you considered Sasuke Uchiha the "female lead," then… well, that's on you.
Sakura Haruno didn't have the best reputation in the original story, but there was no denying her strength. Among ordinary people, she stood at the very top. Her intelligence and work ethic were commendable.
Her poor reputation, at least from what Kairi remembered, mostly came from her being overly obsessed with Sasuke. From the audience's perspective, her feelings for him seemed like shallow infatuation, lacking the depth or backstory of someone like Karin Uzumaki, who loved Sasuke later on.
Another point against her was her helplessness during Sasuke's defection. Instead of doing anything meaningful, she just cried and begged Naruto to bring him back. Naruto would've done it anyway, but her plea gave off the impression of emotional manipulation. It left a bad taste.
Back when he first watched the series in his past life, Kairi hadn't liked Sakura either. His reasoning was even simpler than what he thought now: "I'm seeing the world through Naruto's eyes. If you treat Naruto badly, I don't like you." As he grew older, that sentiment mellowed. He couldn't say he liked her, but he did develop a sense of appreciation for her.
Now, though, the complicated feelings came from something else his target was Sakura Haruno herself. More precisely, her position.
When Kairi thought about it, she was the only person on Team 7 he could realistically replace. Everyone else was out of reach.
Take Team 10, for instance Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akimichi, and Ino Yamanaka. They were the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, a traditional formation passed down through generations. No way that team would be split up.
Then there was Team 8 Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame, and Hinata Hyuga. Each of them had unique abilities. Hinata's Byakugan and her status as a Hyuga from the main family made her irreplaceable. Kiba and Shino might not be from major clans, but their clan jutsus the Inuzuka's ninken and the Aburame's insects offered unparalleled tracking abilities. Replacing them would require Kairi to demonstrate an extraordinary scouting talent, and even then, it was uncertain. Plus, he didn't know if the academy's six years would even give him enough of a stage to prove it. Too risky.
That left Team 7. Naruto was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and Sasuke the last surviving Uchiha both untouchable. Sakura, however, came from a civilian background. Her theoretical grades were excellent, but that wasn't something Kairi couldn't surpass. Her only advantage was that she was a girl.
That wasn't a joke. While there was no official rule, Konoha generally formed three-person cells with two boys and one girl. To take her place, Kairi would not only have to outshine her academically, but also prove himself to be the strongest in the class. If he could achieve that, his chances of entering the elite squad would skyrocket. It wouldn't even be about whether he got in it'd become a matter of how the Third Hokage decided to distribute the talent. Surely they wouldn't toss a prodigy like him into an average squad.
Thankfully, while most teams were 2:1 male to female, there had been known exceptions three boys or two girls weren't unheard of.
Kairi wanted to become strong. His sights were set on the elite class. Even within that tier, the quality of instructors varied greatly. Kakashi Hatake of Team 7 was an elite jōnin, even though he'd slacked off for years. Asuma Sarutobi of Team 10 was solidly mid-to-high-tier. Kurenai Yuhi of Team 8 was a skilled genjutsu user, but otherwise a pretty average jōnin.
That was just the elite teams. The other squads might only get special jōnin, or worse. Kairi couldn't afford that kind of setback.
So, for the sake of his future, Sakura Haruno… he'd just have to say sorry. He respected her, but he was his own top priority.
Besides, her potential had a clear ceiling in the original series. She eventually became one of the new generation's Legendary Sannin but with a caveat. Naruto and Sasuke, with their god-tier hacks, surpassed even the previous generation. Sakura's ceiling never reached Tsunade's. She was more like "Little Tsunade."
Tsunade was royalty granddaughter of the First Hokage, a Senju with legendary genes. Sakura? Just a talented civilian. If she'd taken a different path, maybe she could've surpassed Tsunade. But by following the same route? That was nearly impossible.
So if Sakura's limit was already defined, what about Kairi's?
He wanted to find out.
As a plain, powerless civilian with no kekkei genkai and no family name how far could he go?
Could he reach the level of Jiraiya, the pinnacle of "ordinary" ninja? Or perhaps open the Eight Gates like Might Guy and burn bright for a fleeting moment? Or would he never even catch up to Sakura?
No matter what, he had to try. Reincarnated into this world, with nothing else to pursue, this was the only path worth walking.
"Shinatokawa Kairi."
Iruka finally called his name. Kairi rose from his seat and gave a simple self-introduction.
"I'm Kairi Shinatokawa. I don't have a favorite food. The people I like are myself and my mother. I dislike cilantro, and I don't have anyone I hate right now. My dream is to become the strongest ninja."
His declaration didn't stir much reaction. After all, saying you want to be the strongest ninja wasn't anything special. Plenty of students claimed they wanted to become Hokage and to them, that was the strongest ninja.
But when Naruto's turn came, he stood up with that same boundless energy and shouted his dream to become Hokage. And sure enough, the classroom erupted in laughter and mockery. Kairi sighed.
It was better than the streets, but the prejudice still ran deep. The influence of adults on children was obvious.
During the break, Kairi didn't try to socialize. Sitting next to Naruto already meant no one else would approach him anyway. He didn't stand out in looks, though he was tall for his age. His black hair was plain, and while not bad-looking, he wasn't handsome enough to attract attention.
Kairi noticed Naruto glancing over, wanting to speak but hesitant to bother him.
After a moment's thought, Kairi quietly said, "You don't have to be so cautious here at school. Just don't act too friendly. Keep it to a normal classmate relationship."
He reasoned that inside the academy, Danzo's reach probably didn't extend too far. He hadn't seen any kids with the Shimura surname in his year, either. As long as he acted natural and avoided drawing too much attention, he should be safe.
Besides, Naruto had to sit next to someone. As long as Kairi didn't show obvious closeness, no one would suspect anything.
Still, to achieve his goals, Kairi needed to show exceptional talent in a short period. Only by catching the Third Hokage's eye could he secure a future. If he succeeded, even Danzo wouldn't dare move against him too easily. The question was when would he get that chance?
Naruto's eyes lit up and he nervously asked, "So… can we be friends?"
Kairi looked at him at the hope in his eyes, at everything he'd been through. He smiled.
"Of course we can."
But that smile quickly faded. He returned to his cool expression and glanced around.
Better keep up appearances. Let people think he was just the unlucky guy stuck with Naruto as a seatmate.