Farming!

Sasuke Uchiha sat at his desk, arms crossed, eyes half-lidded in pure, unfiltered boredom.

This was hell. No, worse than hell.

Hell at least had fire. Maybe even some interesting demons to fight.

This was just a classroom full of idiots.

To his left, some random extra was picking his nose. To his right, Ino and a small horde of fangirls were whispering about his hair, his eyes, his mysterious aura.

He could hear them. They weren't subtle.

"Do you think he likes girls with long hair?"

"I read that dark, brooding guys always go for the mysterious type…"

"Ugh, his vibes are just so powerful."

Sasuke barely suppressed a sigh.

Why was he even here?

Oh, right. Team assignments.

Sasuke Uchiha had officially graduated from the Ninja Academy. Today, he would be placed on a team. It was supposed to be an important day. A new chapter in his life.

But none of it mattered.Nothing mattered.

Not until he was dead.

That man.

Sasuke's fingers curled into a tight fist on his desk. The wood creaked under the pressure.

He could still see it. The night of the massacre.

The glint of a kunai under the moonlight.

The way his father fell. The way his mother—

No.

Not now.

He forced his thoughts back to the present. Dwelling on the past wouldn't make him stronger.

Only training would.

Only revenge would.

Sasuke exhaled through his nose, tilting his head slightly to glance around the classroom.

Naruto Uzumaki was in the room, sitting on the same row, swinging his legs back and forth like a goddamn child.

Sasuke felt a vein throb in his forehead.

He didn't hate Naruto, exactly.

But he was so. Fucking. Annoying.

The loudmouth idiot had been pestering him since day one. Always shouting, always getting in his way, always trying to one-up him.

For what?

Naruto was a dead-last. A dropout. A kid who barely scraped by.

He was nothing.

And yet…

Sasuke had seen it sometimes. In rare moments, there was something in Naruto's eyes. A fire. A determination.

It reminded him, just for a second, of…

Sasuke shook his head.

It didn't matter.

Naruto wasn't competition. Not even close.

Even now, he was arguing with someone about how he was in the class. 

Even now, he was arguing with someone about how he had passed the exam, despite absolutely failing it.

Which, honestly?

Good point.

Sasuke distinctly remembered Naruto failing. He had seen it happen.

So why was he here?

He narrowed his eyes.

If Naruto cheated his way into the ninja ranks, then Iruka would kick him out before the day ended. That was the logical outcome.

Sasuke didn't care what happened to Naruto. He was just mildly interested in how the moron planned to keep up the lie.

That was all.

The only person who mattered was that man.

His fingers curled even tighter.

It was subtle.

A quiet, nearly imperceptible change in the air.

The classroom had been filled with the usual noise—conversations, laughter, the occasional scrape of a sandal against the floor. But now, without anyone realizing, the volume had begun to drop. 

The murmurs became softer, voices trailing off mid-sentence. It wasn't immediate, but gradual, like the entire room was reacting to something on an instinctive level.

Sasuke's fingers twitched slightly.

A presence.

The door opened.

And Sakura Haruno stepped inside.

Not the Sakura Haruno he had known before.

This was different.

Her movements were smooth. Not exaggerated, not clumsy, not trying too hard. Just effortless. 

There was no hesitation in her steps, no unnecessary noise. Her footfalls were so light that the floorboards didn't creak beneath her weight. 

It was the way a shinobi was meant to move.

Her expression was unreadable, a stark contrast to the girl who used to blush and stammer every time she was within three feet of him. 

She wasn't looking at anyone, yet somehow, everyone was looking at her. Even the ones who weren't looking at her were still aware of her. 

It was a quiet, creeping presence… one that didn't demand attention, but simply held it.

Her forehead protector sat snugly against her arm, the metal plate dull instead of shining under the classroom's dull light. Her pink hair, usually kept neat and orderly, was now tied back, covered in a black hood

In her right hand, she was idly spinning a single senbon between her fingers. Not fast. Not slow. Just a smooth, continuous motion, as if it was second nature.

Sasuke's gaze sharpened.

That was new.

No one said a word.

People were staring.

Somewhere, a girl let out a shaky breath.

Kiba muttered, "What… the hell…?"

Shikamaru actually sat up.

Ino, once the loudest girl in the room, had her mouth slightly open—like she had completely forgotten how to speak.

And Naruto?

Naruto looked personally offended.

Sasuke?

Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

***

Sakura Haruno stepped into the classroom, and the world breathed with her.

She didn't move fast. She didn't move slow. She just moved.

Every step was deliberate, every motion controlled, every breath measured. She didn't look at anyone, but she knew they were looking at her. 

It was an instinct, an awareness that came naturally… not because she was trying to be noticed, but because she simply was.

A window flickered in her vision.

[Aura System]

+32 Aura Points gained!

She didn't react.

The effects of the Presence Pill were working exactly as advertised. 

A subtle, overwhelming weight settled into the air around her, not crushing, not oppressive… just there. 

It was the type of presence that made people hesitate, made them second-guess themselves, made them feel like they were suddenly the ones who didn't belong.

Her fingers idly twirled the senbon between them, the motion precise, unhurried, hypnotic. The Senbon Mastery Skill from the starter pack had come in handy—it was a small thing, but small things mattered. 

There was no need for exaggerated gestures or flashy movements. Subtlety was key.

Sakura reached her seat.

She slid into the space beside Naruto without a sound, completely ignoring the boy standing next to the bench, her posture completely relaxed, yet perfectly composed.

Her arms rested lightly against the desk, her back straight but not stiff, her breathing even. She made no attempt to speak.

She simply existed.

And in doing so… she farmed Aura.

Naruto, normally the loudest person in any given room, had yet to say a word. He hadn't even turned to greet her. 

He was sitting up unusually straight, as if subconsciously trying to match her posture. His mouth opened slightly, then closed. Then opened again.

Nothing came out.

Sakura didn't react.

Kiba frowned, ears twitching.

Shikamaru, ever perceptive when he chose to be, had his head tilted just slightly, gaze flicking toward her in brief intervals… as if waiting for something, but not quite sure what.

Even Sasuke had noticed.

She felt his gaze. It wasn't blatant. It wasn't aggressive. But it was there. Watching. Assessing. Calculating.

A final ding echoed in her mind.

[Aura System]

+5 Passive Aura Points gained!

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This is actually fun to write. I don't need to take it seriously unlike my other fics.