The final exam was surprisingly difficult. Not in the way Naruto had expected—he knew the written test would be annoying, but this? This was just mean.
One of the math questions stood out in particular:
"A shinobi squad is being pursued by enemy forces at a speed of 15 meters per second. The squad must reach a safe zone 3 kilometers away before reinforcements arrive in 4 minutes. If each shinobi in the squad has a base speed of 12 meters per second but can boost their speed by 30% with chakra enhancement, will they make it in time? If not, by how many meters will they fall short?"
Naruto stared at it. Blinked. Thought about just writing "Use Body Flicker and pray." But no, that would just get him another glare from Iruka. He tapped the pencil against his desk. Maybe if he just wrote the bare minimum that made it look like he understood… Yeah. That was the plan.
He scribbled some numbers down, made it look like he actually tried, and moved on.
The kunai throwing test was easy. That was muscle memory by now. Ropes and wire? No problem. A shinobi had to be good at setting traps, and Naruto had long since learned to work with whatever was available.
Then came the sparring test.
His opponent? Sasuke Uchiha.
The whole class paid attention now. Naruto had drawn with him once before, but that had been years ago. This was different. They were both stronger now.
The match started, and Sasuke moved like lightning, fast and precise. Naruto dodged, countered, but never fully committed. He wasn't here to destroy Sasuke; he was here to pass. Sasuke, however, wasn't holding back. His hits were sharper, his movements carrying more frustration. Naruto had expected that. Sasuke had changed after the massacre, and every fight, every test, every moment was another chance for him to prove himself.
The match ended in a draw. Naruto could have won if he used his abilities, but he didn't. No need to show everything. Sasuke looked irritated. Naruto didn't care.
Finally, it was time for the viva—the final part of the exam. One by one, students walked into the room and walked out with their Konoha headbands. Naruto watched, waiting for his turn.
Then—
"Uzumaki Naruto."
He stood up, stretched his arms, and walked in.
Inside, Iruka and Mizuki sat at the desk, clipboards in front of them.
"Are you nervous, Naruto?" Iruka asked, his tone lighter than usual.
Naruto shook his head. "Not really."
Iruka hummed, then nodded. "Alright, let's begin. First, Body Flicker."
Easy. Naruto disappeared in a blur and reappeared on the other side of the room. Iruka nodded in approval.
"Henge."
Naruto transformed into the Hokage, then back to himself.
Iruka smiled. "Well done."
However, before they could move on, Mizuki leaned forward slightly, eyes sharp.
"Perform a Clone Jutsu."
Naruto's stomach dropped.
That… That was a problem.
He swallowed, hands forming the seal. Chakra surged, unsteady, unwilling. He focused, pushed, tried to mold it properly.
A puff of smoke.
And there it was. A single, half-dead clone on the floor. Pale, twitching, pathetic.
Silence.
Mizuki made a note. Iruka sighed, rubbing his forehead.
"Naruto…"
The rest of the night was… eventful.
Mizuki approached Naruto after his failure, his voice lower than usual, laced with something that made Naruto's nose wrinkle. He smelled off—like sweat and something bitter underneath, something like metal but not quite blood. Malice.
Still, Naruto listened. Mizuki spoke of an opportunity, a secret test, a way to pass and earn his headband. All he had to do was steal a scroll from the Hokage's office.
Naruto could tell it was a lie. But he didn't say no.
Breaking into the Hokage's office wasn't the hardest thing in the world. He'd snuck around the village plenty of times before, and getting past the old man's security was nothing compared to dodging shopkeepers with brooms. He slipped in, took the scroll, and left without anyone noticing. Simple.
Now, he waited in the forest, perched on a tree branch, the heavy scroll lying beside him. He had come too early. That was fine.
He drummed his fingers against the bark, then glanced down at the scroll. He could smell the ink, old paper, something musty. The forbidden scroll. Why was it forbidden? He untied it, unrolled it, and skimmed through the first technique.
Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu.
He tilted his head. Shadow Clones were normally inefficient, a waste of chakra for most shinobi. But this one—this one looked different. His eyes scanned the technique, and within minutes, he understood.
He closed his eyes, memorized the flow of chakra, and then—
Iruka's voice snapped through the quiet.
"Naruto! What have you done?!"
Naruto blinked, looking down to see Iruka staring at him with something between disbelief and anger. He could smell something else, too—concern? Panic?
Before he could answer, another voice slithered through the air.
"Ah, Iruka-sensei, you're early," Mizuki stepped into the clearing, his smile too wide, too sharp.
Iruka turned, confusion darkening his expression. "Mizuki? What's going on?"
Mizuki chuckled. "It's a special test, right?"
Iruka froze, his breath catching. His eyes flickered from Mizuki to Naruto, to the scroll in his hands. Naruto saw the moment the realization hit him.
It was too late.
Mizuki moved fast, faster than Naruto expected. A blur of silver, a spinning weapon flying straight toward Iruka. Naruto barely had time to react before Iruka shoved him out of the way, taking the kunai to his shoulder instead.
Blood splattered onto the ground.
Naruto landed on his feet, eyes darting between the two men. Mizuki was laughing. Iruka was grimacing.
"You know, Naruto," Mizuki said, voice smooth like oil, "there's something the village never told you. Something Iruka never told you."
Naruto stayed silent.
"You're not just some orphan. You're not just some random brat. You're the Nine-Tailed Fox that destroyed this village twelve years ago."
Iruka inhaled sharply. "Mizuki—!"
"You killed Iruka's parents, you killed so many people, and they all hate you for it. You think anyone actually sees you as human?" Mizuki's grin stretched wider, his eyes gleaming. "Iruka too. He's been pretending this whole time, but deep down, he must hate you."
Naruto waited.
Watched.
Studied.
Iruka's scent shifted. The blood, the pain, the sweat, but nothing sharp, nothing acrid, nothing that meant hatred.
Iruka, clutching his wounded shoulder, looked up at Naruto, his expression torn but steady.
"You're not the Nine-Tails," Iruka said, voice firm despite the pain. "You're a citizen of the Hidden Leaf. A member of this village."
Naruto tilted his head. "I am its jailor," he murmured.
"Not a monster," Iruka insisted.
Naruto stared. He had expected… something else. Humans loved revenge. But Iruka wasn't doing what a human should be doing.
Strange.
Mizuki growled. "Don't listen to him, Naruto! You think these people will ever accept you? They're just using you until they don't need you anymore. You're better off dead!"
He moved, another kunai already drawn.
Iruka yelled for Naruto to run.
Naruto did not run.
He crossed his fingers.
"Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu."
The world shifted.
A deafening boom echoed as the clearing flooded with copies of him, bodies appearing in a blink, filling every space. Dozens. Hundreds. They stood, identical, silent, watching Mizuki with blank, sapphire eyes.
"Dattebane," they muttered in unison.
Mizuki's breath hitched. His eyes darted around wildly, his kunai shaking slightly in his grip.
Naruto blinked. Ah. He's scared.
The clones moved.
A blur of fists and feet and impact. A storm of bodies overwhelming a single target.
The sounds of Mizuki's screams were swallowed by the sheer number of them.
It didn't take long.
When it was over, the clones popped out of existence, one by one, until only the original remained.
Mizuki was crumpled on the ground, battered, broken, and barely conscious.
Iruka, still kneeling, looked at Naruto with something unreadable in his eyes.
Finally, he exhaled.
"Come here," he said.
Naruto hesitated but stepped forward.
Iruka reached up, his fingers brushing against Naruto's forehead, and then—
A headband.
He tied it in place, the metal cool against Naruto's skin.
"Congratulations on your graduation, Naruto."