"Thank you, big brother! I'm going to find Iruka-sensei right now!"
Naruto Uzumaki offered a quick thanks to Raizen and dashed off toward the Academy, his face radiating pure excitement.
"Naruto is actually amazing... he learned it just like that," Karin muttered, staring at his retreating back in shock. "Is that really the same guy who's always at the bottom of the class?"
"Naruto is very strong. Don't underestimate him," Raizen said with a faint, knowing smile. "Alright, let's head home and prepare a celebration feast. We need to congratulate Sasuke on officially becoming a ninja."
"Yay! Big feast!" Karin cheered, jumping for joy.
Sasuke, however, remained rooted to the spot, his gaze fixed on the distance where Naruto had disappeared. A complex swirl of emotions hit him. They had studied the same jutsu at the same time, yet he had been outpaced by the "dead last." It left a bitter taste in his mouth.
"Sasuke, let's go!" Raizen called out, noticing his nephew's daze.
"Oh! Right!" Sasuke snapped out of it and quickly caught up.
The Faculty Room
Inside the Academy, Naruto burst in and found Iruka.
"Iruka-sensei!"
Before Naruto could even explain why he was there, Iruka put on a stern face. "Naruto, even if you've come to beg me, it's no use. I won't change my mind. You can't even perform a basic Clone Jutsu; you're better off staying in school. Being a ninja is still too far out of your reach."
Iruka wasn't being cold-hearted. To him, becoming a ninja meant facing life-or-death missions. Letting a skill-less Naruto graduate would be a death sentence. He was determined to keep the boy safe, no matter how much he pleaded.
"Iruka-sensei, I learned a new jutsu! Big brother Raizen said you'd definitely let me graduate if I showed you," Naruto countered.
"Raizen? Raizen Uchiha?"
Iruka had certainly heard of Raizen. Among the men of Konoha, Raizen was a subject of envy, jealousy, and admiration alike—the man was legendary for his "domestic success." However, Iruka held no particular grudge. Moreover, Raizen was now the head of the Uchiha clan; his recommendation carried significant weight.
Iruka frowned. "Alright, Naruto. What jutsu did you learn?"
"Check this out, Iruka-sensei!" Naruto began forming the seals. Iruka watched with skeptical curiosity.
"Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
POOF! POOF! POOF!
In an instant, a literal army of Naruto clones crammed into the faculty room, nearly pushing Iruka out of his chair.
Iruka's jaw hit the floor. He reached out and touched one of the clones. His heart hammered against his ribs. These are solid entities... physical Shadow Clones... a Forbidden Jutsu!
"Naruto... when did you learn this!?" Iruka gasped, unable to process the sight.
The clones vanished in a cloud of white smoke. "Just now! Big brother Raizen taught me!"
"Just now? He taught you just now and you already mastered it!?" Iruka's eyes widened even further.
"Yeah! It felt really easy, actually. It clicked way faster than the regular one. So, Iruka-sensei... can I graduate now?" Naruto looked at him with puppy-dog eyes full of hope.
Iruka fell silent. A Forbidden Jutsu. Mastered in minutes.You brat... you couldn't do a basic E-rank Clone for years, but you nail an A-rank Kinjutsu on the first try!? Were you just playing dumb this whole time to mess with us?
Iruka didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He slowly opened his desk drawer, pulled out a forehead protector, and tied it around Naruto's forehead.
"Congratulations, Naruto. You've graduated."
"YES!" Naruto leaped up and squeezed Iruka in a bear hug. "Thank you, Iruka-sensei!"
"Ack—let go! You're choking me!"
"Oh! Sorry, Iruka-sensei! I got too excited and used too much strength."
Iruka took several deep breaths, still skeptical. "Naruto, are you sure you learned it that quickly?"
"Believe it! Big brother Raizen showed me once and I had it. It's way simpler than the regular Clone Jutsu."
Iruka's mouth twitched. The basic Clone was a foundation; the Multi-Shadow Clone was a high-level forbidden technique. Only a monster like Naruto would find the latter "easier." He felt a wave of irritation at the sheer "flex" Naruto was unintentionally pulling.
The Hokage Building
Iruka accompanied Naruto to the Hokage building to register his official ninja file. There, they met Hiruzen Sarutobi.
The Third Hokage looked at Naruto with a deep, contemplative frown. "Naruto... did Raizen really only teach you that one jutsu? Did he say anything else to you?"
Naruto tilted his head, thinking hard. "Nope. Just the jutsu. He didn't say anything else."
"Are you certain?"
"Mhm! Positive!" Naruto nodded vigorously.
"Fine. Go ahead and take your photo for the ID."
Naruto proceeded to take a photo wearing what he considered "intimidating" makeup, which Hiruzen immediately rejected. Enraged, Naruto unleashed his secret weapon: the Sexy Jutsu.
A cloud of smoke revealed "Naruko," and Hiruzen—unprepared for the sheer "potency" of the jutsu—suffered a massive nosebleed. After the smoke cleared and Naruto reverted, Hiruzen wiped his nose and said tonelessly: "Retake it."
Just then, the door burst open. A small boy charged in, wielding a shuriken. "Old man Hokage! Take this!"
He moved with spirit, but the floor was a bit too polished. He slipped, face-planting hard. His tutor, Ebisu, rushed in behind him, shooting a look of pure disdain at Naruto. Naruto felt the familiar sting of that gaze but remained silent.
The boy, Konohamaru, scrambled up and immediately pointed a finger at Naruto. "It was you! You tripped me!"
Naruto blinked. What a blatant lie! He wasn't about to take that from a brat, so he grabbed Konohamaru by the collar.
Konohamaru thought to himself: Hehe, this guy won't dare hit me. I'm the Third Hokage's grandson! No one in this village is brave enough to touch me!
SMACK!
Naruto's fist connected squarely with the top of Konohamaru's head.
Konohamaru stared at him in utter disbelief. How does this guy dare to hit me!?
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