"Naruto?"

"Hey, hey, what’s going on?!" Naruto bounded over to the group, his loud voice cutting through the lingering tension, his blue eyes wide with insatiable curiosity.

"Nothing is going on," Hiruzen replied simply, looking fondly at the hyperactive genin. "Did you just get back, Naruto? How was your mission to the Land of Waves?"

"Ah, it was totally awesome, Gramps! The mission was a huge success! We were actually just on our way to report to you!"

Hiruzen smiled softly as he listened to Naruto eagerly recount the highlights of their journey. He briefly glanced over at Kakashi, noting the severe, bone-deep exhaustion radiating from the elite Jonin. Given the highly classified intelligence Kakashi had already sent ahead, Hiruzen knew the mission’s true details were incredibly grim.

"..." Kakashi offered a tired, single-eyed stare in return.

"Let’s discuss the official mission details inside the office," Hiruzen instructed smoothly.

"Ah?!" Naruto blinked, startled by the sudden shift to formalities. "But I haven’t even finished the best part!"

"Suzuki just returned from a long training trip as well. Let him go home and rest," Hiruzen added, effectively dismissing his newest disciple.

"Ah, okay."

Naruto didn’t overthink the dismissal. Suzuki had always taken good care of him, frequently buying him ramen and offering advice, so Naruto genuinely considered him a close friend. However, the rest of Team 7—Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura—could clearly see the unprecedented level of indulgence the Third Hokage openly displayed toward the boy.

Sakura remained silent. She was smart enough to understand her place as a civilian-born genin; it wasn’t her place to question the Hokage’s favoritism. Kakashi also kept his mouth shut, well aware of the dark, convoluted political currents that ran beneath Konoha’s surface.

Sasuke, however, violently clenched his fists.

But, right now...

Sasuke had just witnessed true, terrifying power in the Land of Waves. He had unlocked his Sharingan. He had evolved, pushing himself to the brink of death to grow stronger. Yet, standing here in the village, feeling the suppressed, monstrous aura rolling off Suzuki... it wasn’t enough! He was still too weak!

"See you later, Naruto," Suzuki said calmly.

"Okay! See ya later, Suzuki!"

Suzuki had absolutely no intention of lingering. He was mentally exhausted from playing the relentless political drama of Konoha. There were simply too many overlapping plots, too many traumatized characters, and too much baggage in this world. Instead of getting tangled in Team 7’s mess, he just wanted to go home and secure his stable, comfortable life.

Yet, as Suzuki turned and walked away without giving the Uchiha a single glance, Sasuke’s fists tightened even further.

The Chunin Exams, Sasuke thought fiercely. That is where I’ll prove it. I’ll show the entire world that the Uchiha are the truly strong ones!

Meanwhile, Ino shot a highly smug, triumphant look at Sakura before happily linking her arm through Suzuki’s right arm. Naturally, Hinata quietly stepped up and gently held onto his left arm.

"...." Everyone stared in absolute silence as Suzuki walked away with two of the village’s highest-ranking heiresses clinging to him.

Sakura watched them go, a complex feeling twisting in her chest. It felt like she was just imagining things, but Suzuki seemed... different somehow. More imposing. More mature. Her interactions with him at the Academy had been minimal because she had poured 100% of her energy into aggressively fangirling over Sasuke—just like every other girl in their class.

Yet, Sakura couldn’t help but pay slightly more attention to Suzuki now. After all, he was the boy Ino liked. Back in the Academy, her friendship with Ino had been beautiful until Sasuke drove a wedge between them.

None of this matters to me, Suzuki thought with an internal sigh, utterly indifferent to the brewing teenage drama.

He just wanted to sleep. He needed to properly digest the new jutsu and combat data he had acquired. However, with the Chunin Exams rapidly approaching, he couldn’t help but notice the sudden influx of foreign ninja in the village. As he walked past an alleyway, he caught a brief glimpse of three Sunagakure genin—a trio that would soon become highly problematic.

"What is it? Why are you looking at me like that?" Shikamaru asked, noticing Suzuki’s sudden, knowing smirk.

"Nothing." Suzuki shook his head, highly amused by the knowledge that the ’spring of youth’ was about to forcefully enter Shikamaru’s lazy life in the form of a violent, fan-wielding blonde.

"...I feel like something incredibly troublesome is about to happen," Shikamaru groaned, his instincts flaring.

"It is. But don’t worry, it isn’t necessarily a bad thing."

"...." Shikamaru.

"By the way," Shikamaru quickly changed the subject, aiming for self-preservation. "For the Chunin Exams... let’s form an alliance and work together, okay?"

"...." Suzuki.

Shikamaru was a genius. He knew a massive drag was approaching, and securing Suzuki’s overwhelming firepower was the most logical way to survive the upcoming exams with minimal effort.

While the Naruto Suzuki was busy preparing for the bloodbath of the Chunin Exams, the 7th Suzuki was living a vastly different life.

Yet, despite his immense aristocratic privilege, his life wasn’t nearly as effortless as the other Suzukis assumed.

In the world of High School DxD, raw, destructive power was the ultimate currency. If a devil possessed overwhelming strength, they could acquire absolutely anything they desired—including massive harems—regardless of how deranged, stupid, or blatantly perverted their personality was.

Fortunately, in the specific life the 7th Suzuki had been born into, there was a secondary currency that mattered just as much: Status.

It might have sounded archaic, and human society had long since abandoned the feudal system, but the Underworld still operated on strict aristocratic hierarchy. As a reincarnated soul, Suzuki knew it was vastly safer to quietly ride the political flow rather than stubbornly fight against it.

His demonic talent was, realistically, just above average. Despite his incredibly high-ranking family status, he kept a strict, low profile. He was frequently ignored by the broader Devil society because his peers were all incredibly flashy, destructive prodigies. He also preferred to remain within his family’s borders, meticulously managing his territory.

And frankly, the territory was immense!

If I don’t manage everything, the whole domain will collapse, he sighed inwardly. It was hilarious to him how the typical ’protagonists’ of this world could afford to just focus on training their magical powers and building their harems. As the heir to a Great Pillar, actual economic and territorial management was mandatory.

It was exhausting, especially since his parents had eagerly dumped 90% of the family’s administrative burdens onto his shoulders the moment they realized he was a logistical genius.

"Finn-sama, please take a moment to rest."

A gentle, deeply melodic voice pulled him from his spreadsheets.

A breathtakingly beautiful young woman stepped up to his mahogany desk. With her long, sleek black hair, traditional shrine-maiden elegance, and bombastic, gravity-defying curves, she was the absolute personification of Japanese beauty. She gracefully set down a tray bearing a cup of freshly brewed coffee and a plate of delicate pastries.

Looking at this young woman—someone he had rescued in their childhood, successfully stealing her away from the canonical protagonist’s future harem—Finn Balam felt a complicated wave of emotion. Yet, he didn’t regret his actions for a single second.

"Thank you, Akeno."

"It is my pleasure~!"

Akeno Himejima’s smile held a trace of that signature, captivating mystery. It was gentle as always, but Finn could feel a subtle, dangerous heat beneath it—a heat that made his youthful demonic body tremble slightly. He was growing up fast, and she was certainly noticing.

As he took a sip of the rich coffee, he turned his chair to gaze out the massive floor-to-ceiling windows of his office, overlooking the sprawling, gothic skyline of the Balam territory.

"It’s been a long time since we first came here," Finn murmured.

"Yes, it has..." Akeno’s violet eyes softened. She easily caught his nostalgic tone. Memories of the bloody, rain-soaked night when the young Finn Balam had saved her life surfaced in her mind.

Her smile deepened as she stepped behind his large leather chair. She placed her slender, soft hands directly onto his broad, muscular shoulders, expertly massaging the deep tension out of his muscles.

"Akeno?"

"You have been working far too hard lately, Finn-sama," Akeno whispered, leaning down so her breath tickled his ear. "Let’s just relax for a little bit, okay? Or... would you prefer to lie down on the bed, so I can give you a proper full-body massage?"

"...."

Finn blinked, glancing over his shoulder. Akeno’s flushed expression and half-lidded eyes conveyed a very specific, highly dangerous implication that made him gulp heavily.

Despite how luxurious and comfortable his life as the heir to the Balam Family appeared to be, he could never truly let his guard down. He was living in a terrifyingly absurd universe where the main protagonist literally powered up by groping breasts and screaming perverted battle cries.

Yes, the 7th Suzuki had reincarnated into the chaotic, hormonally-charged world of High School DxD.