Naruto: Ultimate Couchbound System

Konoha, Ninja Academy.

It had been exactly a week since the start of the new year, and everyone had gradually grown familiar with one another. Just like a tradition in Itsuki's past life, little groups were forming during these early days, though they would eventually narrow down to one or two genuine friends.

Everyone had spent enough time in class to form opinions about their peers. For instance, Jiraiya was already tagged as a "pervert" by most of the girls and had been firmly placed on the "do not approach" list. Orochimaru, on the other hand, was seen as a silent yet charming genius. Tsunade became a role model for many girls thanks to her strong personality, though a few also admired Harumi, who was not only strong but also kind and caring.

Yet, there were two individuals in the class who managed to attract the most attention: the famous napping duo, recently promoted to professional hall sleepers.

In the first three days of the week, this duo—Itsuki and Shikaro—slept through every lecture without waking up, not even to grab lunch. They'd come to the academy, nap their way through the day, and leave once classes were over.

This blatant lack of seriousness made it impossible for the teachers to hold back their anger any longer. From that point onward, the duo was punished to stand in the hallway every day during class. But even that backfired on the teachers—Itsuki and Shikaro had somehow turned the punishment into an opportunity to perfect their standing nap technique.

The Staff Room

At a desk piled with documents, the head teacher of Itsuki's class, Kazuya, sat in his chair, frowning as he stared at a piece of paper.

The paper was divided into two sections: one listing the names of students with good potential, and the other for those who had shown the exact opposite.

The "talented" section contained names like Orochimaru, Senju Tsunade, Uchiha Harumi, Dan Kato, and Hiruko. The other section had only three names: Nara Shikaro, Uchiha Itsuki, and Jiraiya.

"Jiraiya may be a prankster, but at least he stays awake during lectures and listens, even if it's half-heartedly. But these two…" Kazuya muttered, rubbing his temples in frustration. "Am I really going to produce black sheep? Ruining my spotless teaching career!"

His dream of one day becoming vice principal—or even principal—was slipping away. If two students from prominent clans like the Uchiha and Nara failed to show progress under his care, the blame would land squarely on him. Forget his ambitions—he might even get kicked out of the academy entirely.

Knock! Knock!

The sound of the door interrupted Kazuya's train of thought. Clearing his throat and masking his frustration, he called out, "Enter."

Two figures stepped into the room. Unsurprisingly, they were the two culprits he had just been thinking about: Itsuki and Shikaro.

"Ah, you're finally here," Kazuya said, attempting to sound calm. "Thankfully, you didn't fall asleep on your way here. Have a seat." He gestured to the chairs on the opposite side of the desk.

Itsuki and Shikaro exchanged a look, both wearing expressions of mild disinterest. They sat down lazily, leaning back in their chairs like they had all the time in the world.

A moment of silence followed as Kazuya stared at them, waiting for them to speak. Finally, Shikaro broke the silence, glancing at Itsuki. "So…" He tilted his head. "How can we help you, sensei?"

Itsuki nodded, feigning concern. "Yes, sensei. We're here to assist in any way we can. You just say the word!"

Kazuya's left eye twitched. He clasped his hands together, forcing a strained smile. "Help me?" he repeated, his tone polite but icy. "I'd say the best way you could help me is by not treating the academy as your personal nap station."

"This… you know the academy is still a new place for us sensei so it's taking some time for us to adapt to it but worry not, it'll be over soon" Assured Itsuki in a calm tone, his face showing a reformed look.

"Yes, It'll be over 'soon'" Shikaro also assured Kazuya, emphasizing on the word 'soon' a lot, though unlike Itsuki unable to bring a serious and reformed look to convince Kazuya.

Kazuya inhaled sharply, visibly trying to keep his temper in check. "Let me ask you something. Are you aware of what's happening tomorrow?"

His words fell and both Itsuki and Shikaro gave each other a quick look, trying to look for an answer in the eyes of other but finding nothing, eventually the former letting out dry laugh and while rubbing the back of his head, speaking up. "Ha…Ha… of course we are aware, isn't it just Hokage-Sama visiting the academy…. right?"

At the end Itsuki asked Kazuya in a hopeful tone, hoping for his guess to be correct.

At his response Kazuya's face went blank, as though his soul was leaving his body. Then, with a deep sigh, he pressed his palm to his forehead. "Just… study for the theoretical exam tomorrow. It will cover everything from the first week."

"Understood" Shikaro stood up and gave a respectful bow." We'll make you proud" adding that with a grin on his face and turning around to leave.

Though Itsuki didn't say a word in response and didn't even move a little from his chair, seem to have gone into a trance while gazing at Kazuya.

Itsuki's eyes were fixed slightly above the head of Kazuya, because of something that only he could see.

Name: Hikari Kazuya (1%)

Above Kazuya's head along with his name was a percentage bar floating, nothing else or any explanation about it.

"What's wrong?" Asked Shikaro seeing Itsuki also spaced out on the spot.

"Ah, nothing, let's go" His words brought Itsuki back to his senses, who after giving the percentage bar above Kazuya another look, bowing a little and leaving.