The auditorium buzzed with nervous chatter and the rustle of fresh uniforms. New students lined up row by row, holding their name tags like they were shields. The air smelled of new beginnings and cheap coffee.

Among them, Naruto stood out—not because he tried to, but because he couldn’t help it. His blond hair refused to stay flat, his smile was too wide, and he kept whispering jokes to the guy next to him even though no one dared to speak.

He had no idea this was supposed to be a serious event.

The moment the doors swung open, the entire room went silent. A group of upperclassmen entered—marching in perfect formation, wearing crimson jackets embroidered with the gear emblem of the engineering faculty.

Their leader walked in last.

Dark hair. Piercing eyes. Calm, almost too calm. There was something about the way he carried himself—like he didn’t need to say much to command the entire hall. Every senior seemed to revolve around him without him even trying.

That was Sasuke Uchiha. Every freshman in the room seemed to know the name. Everyone except one. Naruto leaned slightly toward the person beside him, whispering under his breath, voice too loud for a whisper. "Who’s the guy with the dead serious face? He’s glaring like we owe him money."

A few freshmen froze. One even gasped quietly. But Naruto didn’t notice.

Sasuke’s gaze landed on him like a laser.

He stepped forward. The soles of his boots echoed across the floor—one, two, three steps—until he stood right in front of Naruto’s row. His expression didn’t change, but the air felt heavier. "You. Blond. Step forward."

Naruto blinked. Then, almost cheerfully, he took a step—too casual, too confident for the situation. "Uh… yeah, that’s me. Naruto Uzumaki. Mechanical Engineering. Nice to meet you, senpai!"

The entire row flinched. Naruto thought he was being polite, but somehow it made things worse.

Sasuke’s eyes narrowed, slow and sharp. No one talked like that to him. Not here. Not during initiation.

But instead of raising his voice, Sasuke just stared—expression unreadable, like he was trying to decide if Naruto was brave or stupid. Maybe both.

Naruto scratched the back of his neck, clueless to the tension around him. '...What? Did I say something wrong?'

For a moment, the tiniest smirk ghosted across Sasuke’s lips—gone before anyone could be sure it was real.

And just like that, Naruto had made his first and most dangerous impression.