"Alright… I guess that'll do for now."
Naruto lay sprawled on Kurama's head, hands behind his head like he didn't have a care in the world. But in truth, his consciousness had dived deep into his own spiritual core. Only after confirming that the layers of sealing he'd added had successfully encased the strange energy like a fortress within a fortress—no gaps, no leaks—did he allow himself to breathe out a long sigh of relief.
Then, with a slight furrow of his brow, he muttered to himself.
"Tch… If it still breaks through after all that, it just means the sealing techniques I've mastered so far are still too basic… Maybe it's time I really buckle down and master that golden lock-style seal my mom left behind. I mean, if it was strong enough to suppress even Kurama, then this thing shouldn't be a problem either."
"Hmph! What do you mean 'even Kurama'?! I was being controlled back then! Totally not in the right state of mind!" Kurama grumbled, clearly not thrilled at having his embarrassing past brought up again.
"Yeah yeah, 'not in the right state'." Naruto chuckled. "But if I remember right, after you were forcibly ripped from my mom, she—your previous Jinchūriki—was barely hanging on to life. She should've been in an even worse state than you… and yet she still managed to—"
"—Tch! That's just 'cause I pitied her, alright?! I didn't wanna go all out on a dying woman!"
"Ohhh? You? Pitying a human? The Kurama who used to hate all humans wanted to go easy on one? My, my~ how your tsundere is showing~"
"A-Ah shut up, you brat! Keep talking and I'll hijack your body right now!"
"Ooh, scary~ but I don't buy it. I know you'd never actually go that far~"
"Urgh! Can you act serious for once?! How did two such upright, proper humans like your parents give birth to a slimeball like you?!"
"Ehehe~ Mutation, probably!"
...
Despite their banter, the truth remained: they had no real solution for the bizarre energy that had taken root in Naruto's body. The most Naruto could do now was layer on more seals to suppress it. And while maintaining those seals constantly drained chakra and dulled his overall combat ability, at least it gave him a bit of emotional stability—enough to avoid more episodes of uncontrolled rage like before.
Thankfully, thanks to that suicidal delivery boy earlier, their team now had more Ration Pills than they knew what to do with. During the remainder of the exam, they devoured them like candy, keeping their chakra and stamina topped off even while sprinting full-speed through the forest.
For Naruto, who had monstrous reserves of chakra to begin with; for Sasuke, who had trained under Jiraiya and received several personal chakra boosts from Naruto; and for Hinata, who spent most of the trip being princess-carried by Naruto, the extra stamina wasn't a big deal.
But for the Ino-Shika-Chō trio—who were comparatively weaker—the pills were a godsend.
In fact, most of that big sack of Ration Pills ended up in their stomachs.
With the team now reinforced both physically and energetically, and the enhancements Naruto had previously given them still active, they were able to maintain breakneck speed despite all the earlier delays. It wasn't long before they firmly reclaimed their lead in the exam's first echelon.
Sasuke, who had been the first to dash out of the school back at the start, was the first to return, crossing through the academy gates without encountering a single ambush along the way.
Not because no one wanted to ambush him.
But because everyone else was still lagging far behind.
Of course, Naruto—who had resolved to maintain his slacker image during his time in school—arrived at the academy well before even Sasuke did. Technically, he had taken first place.
But not wanting to attract attention, he handed over the required weighted gear to Hinata so she could complete the test, and let Sasuke lead the team across the finish line. As far as the world would know, it was Little Uchiha Fan—scion of the proud Uchiha Clan—who had led the charge.
Meanwhile, Naruto quietly hid nearby, biding his time before slipping in last.
...
"Hmm? That kid over there… sniffing around like a dog… must be Kiba Inuzuka. And that quiet, mummy-wrapped one next to him—definitely Shino Aburame."
"Oho? Pink hair… Looks like she's friends with Ino… that must be Haruno Sakura. So that's our future teammate. Compared to the monster she'll become, she actually looks kinda cute right now."
Naruto smirked, crouched in the shadows as he watched the candidates trickle in one by one.
"Sasuke's still got that ridiculous zero EQ though… totally clueless about girls—just like in the original timeline. Though with Itachi alive and being a full-on bro-con, if she still wants to join the Uchiha Clan someday, that poor girl's got a hellish road ahead of her."
He snickered.
"Oh? Looks like a fight's breaking out. Now this is getting good… Just as I thought—some of the kids figured out the hidden rules."
"Huh? They're rotating the gear and making sure that pretty-boy crosses the line, even if the rest get disqualified? Must be some rich kid from a noble clan. Definitely not one of the Konoha Twelve. Probably just a background NPC."
"Oho! These little ones are interesting. No gear, no theft… did they misunderstand the rules? Wait, four people? That's not a real team. No fights, though. They're unusually harmonious… Hmm, curious."
...
Hidden out of sight, Naruto had planned to blend in with the crowd during the final moments, pretending to barely pass and avoid attention.
But what he didn't notice—
Was the very group of four he'd dismissed with a glance… the ones he thought would fail due to lacking the required weighted gear…
Each of them bore a chilling, unnatural gleam in their eyes. Not the kind a child should have.
And their gazes?
Unerringly, they cut through the crowd and locked onto one person.
Hinata.
Waiting anxiously at the academy gate for Naruto's return.