150: Kurama: Impossible! Absolutely Impossible!
A few days later…
The time for the Ninja Academy graduation exam had finally arrived.
When the current class of students heard that the content of the exam was the Clone Jutsu, reactions were mixed—some were thrilled, others disappointed.
But for Naruto and his group, this was hardly an issue at all.
Even Naruto himself wasn't worried.
Sure, the Nine-Tails inside him messed with his chakra control, making it difficult to use jutsu precisely.
But Jiraiya had been back in the village for quite some time and had spent plenty of effort training him. There was no way Naruto had come out of that empty-handed.
What truly made them happy—so much so that even Sasuke let out a sigh of relief and cracked a rare smile—was that the examiner wasn't Kitagawa Gen.
"Hell yeah!"
The exam went smoothly. Even Naruto passed without trouble.
The moment Iruka handed him the forehead protector, Naruto was absolutely ecstatic.
But just as he was about to run off and show off to Gen, someone called out to stop him.
"Congratulations, Naruto. You passed the exam," Mizuki said with a warm smile.
"Hehe, thanks, Mizuki-sensei."
It was already dusk. Naruto had been scheduled last, and by the time he finished, the place was nearly empty.
He was in a hurry, but still took the time to politely respond to Mizuki.
"Don't get too full of yourself," Mizuki said with a gentle tone. "Graduating from the academy is just the beginning."
He smiled like a proper teacher, projecting warmth and wisdom.
"Once you leave the academy, you'll still need to undergo team trials with your Jonin instructor. That's what really matters. I heard you're close with Jonin Gen. You know his story, right?"
"Gen…"
Naruto's grin faltered as he recalled the legendary tale of Gen soloing his graduation exam by beating his teammates half to death.
And then there was Kiba, who kept saying he wanted to be on the same team as Naruto...
He couldn't help but grimace. Damn that Gen for setting such a brutal precedent!
"Gen's a true genius," Mizuki continued, a flash of envy in his eyes.
"Chunin in his first year. Jonin in his second. If things keep up, he might be the next Hokage."
"Hokage…"
That word struck a nerve in Naruto, tightening his expression.
"But anyway, I'm really glad you passed."
Mizuki patted Naruto's shoulder and leaned in, voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.
"Hey, did you know? There's a certain Sealed Scroll in the village. It contains powerful forbidden techniques. They say if someone masters just one of them, they could become as strong as the Hokage…"
"Hokage…"
"Yep, the Hokage," Mizuki echoed, watching Naruto's face twist with confusion.
Realizing he might be pushing too hard, Mizuki quickly added with a chuckle,
"Don't think too much about it. Just forget I said anything. It's just… I know you're close with Gen, and, well…"
He smiled with a hint of subtle manipulation.
"He's a genius, after all. Probably the next Hokage. As his friend, you don't want to fall too far behind, right? We're all rooting for you."
"Ugh, so that's the angle…"
High above, on the academy rooftop, Kitagawa Gen stood with Kakashi, watching the interaction below.
Gen pursed his lips in mild annoyance.
"Such a cheap trick. Though, who knows—it might just work on Naruto."
Kakashi chuckled. "You do have a lot of influence on him, you know."
They weren't ordinary ninja. Even from afar, they could catch snippets of Mizuki's hushed voice.
"No wonder kids these days are getting worse," Gen scoffed, crossing his arms.
"So last time, those two blew up someone's house and immediately tried to drag me into it. What happened to friendship bonds, huh?"
Kakashi gave him a deadpan look.
"…Can you not?"
Gen kept mumbling.
"Would it kill them to say, 'You go on ahead, I'll cover you'?"
"…"
"Is it any surprise Konoha's education system is collapsing? What I want to know is, I had Mizuki as a teacher too—how come I didn't turn out like that?"
"…Can you just stop talking?" Kakashi sighed.
Is it possible that you were actually worse than Mizuki?
And isn't the downfall of Konoha's education system kind of… your fault?
"Anyway, what are you planning to do?" Kakashi asked, brushing off the rant.
"And do you really think Naruto would fall for this?"
"Not likely," Gen said, shaking his head.
"Jiraiya's taught him for long enough. He's grown. But he probably will try to handle this solo. That idiot's been itching to show off for a while now. Let's just watch."
Gen understood Naruto well.
After all that training with Jiraiya—and sparring with Sasuke—Naruto's not the same clueless kid anymore.
Besides, Jiraiya's involvement had always been top secret. Hardly anyone knew, and those who did kept their mouths shut.
"There's no way someone like Mizuki would know. That's why he's making such a reckless move."
Gen shook his head again.
"In all likelihood, Naruto plans to go it alone. He's learned a lot. He's probably feeling cocky."
"But it's fine. He knows enough to avoid real trouble."
Having the Nine-Tails sealed inside affected Naruto's development in ways most didn't understand.
Jiraiya had to step in and guide him.
Aside from the full story about his parents, Jiraiya had already explained most of the truth.
"So yeah, nothing major will happen tonight. If anything, I might finally get a look at that Sealed Scroll myself."
That thought made Gen blink curiously.
"…Wait, do you think there are multiple versions of the Sealed Scroll?"
---
Late at night, in a secluded training ground within Konoha.
Naruto stared down at the Sealed Scroll in his hands, lips pressed into a line.
"That… was way too easy. Should I take a peek?"
After a brief moment of hesitation, he gave in and opened the scroll.
Right at the top, an entry caught his eye.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu? Tch. Already learned that one."
"But… why hasn't anyone shown up yet?"
As he thought that, he suddenly sensed someone approaching.
Looking up, he was surprised to see—Iruka.
"Iruka-sensei? What are you doing here?"
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!"
Iruka looked angry. Naruto blinked, confused.
"Mizuki-sensei said there was a scroll. He told me that if I learned a technique from it, I could become strong—strong enough to make Gen proud!"
"Make Gen proud? Mizuki?"
Iruka was stunned.
He and Mizuki had been in charge of monitoring Naruto during the exam.
He'd felt a mix of pride and relief watching Naruto graduate earlier that day.
But the good feelings didn't last long. That evening, Mizuki had sent him a chilling message:
"Naruto has stolen the Sealed Scroll and may be planning to leave Konoha."
The news left Iruka deeply unsettled. The Scroll was stored in the Hokage's home and heavily guarded—even by the ANBU.
How had Naruto succeeded?
Still, as a teacher, Iruka rushed over without hesitation. But what he saw shocked him.
"Mizuki!!"
He froze as a chill shot down his spine.
Suddenly—the sound of weapons slicing through the air.
Iruka instinctively shoved Naruto aside. A barrage of kunai rained down. Though he tried to evade, he was still hit.
"Iruka-sensei!"
Naruto panicked, catching sight of Mizuki approaching from afar.
"What's going on?!"
"Just hand over the scroll. After all…"
Mizuki stood atop a tree, sneering down at them.
"You're just a cursed child of the village."
"Cursed?"
Naruto frowned. Iruka's expression shifted.
"Shut up, Mizuki!" Iruka snapped.
"Let me tell you the truth," Mizuki grinned darkly.
"Twelve years ago, the village made a rule—one rule that no one was allowed to tell you. That you're not a normal child, but the Nine-Tailed Fox demon in disguise!"
"You're the one who killed Iruka's parents… and nearly destroyed the village!"
"…"
Naruto stood in stunned silence. Before he could say anything, Iruka shouted:
"Naruto, don't listen to him! You're not a demon!"
"Oh? How can you say that?" Mizuki sneered. "Did you forget? Your parents were killed by him!"
"Shut up!" Iruka roared.
He turned to Naruto and, after a moment of silence, spoke firmly.
"Naruto is not the Nine-Tails. He's different. He's my student—and he's excellent."
"He's hardworking and earnest. Not the smartest, maybe, but he tries his best in everything."
"Gen already recognized him. So has the Hokage. His classmates are beginning to, too."
"And I believe, one day, the entire village will recognize him."
"Because he's not the Nine-Tails… he's Uzumaki Naruto of the Hidden Leaf Village!"
Iruka's voice rang out across the silent night.
Naruto stared at him, his blue eyes wide with disbelief.
"You really are a pain in the ass," Mizuki muttered.
He pulled a giant shuriken from his back.
"I was going to finish you later, but now I'll just kill you first. You say he's worth recognizing? Then…"
"Thank you, Iruka-sensei."
Naruto suddenly spoke. Tears sparkled in his eyes, but he wore a bright smile.
"I thought you hated me…"
"Na… Naruto…"
Iruka opened his mouth, trying to tell Naruto to run.
But Naruto looked at Mizuki and declared:
"Actually, I already knew what you said. The Pervy Sage told me everything!"
"Pervy… Sage?"
Mizuki was dumbfounded. Even Iruka froze.
Naruto nodded, stepping in front of Iruka and setting down the scroll.
"Iruka-sensei is right. I'll earn everyone's respect—because I'll become Hokage!"
"Tch. You little—"
But Naruto continued:
"You think I'm that easy to trick? Gen may be a jerk, but he was the first to acknowledge me! You bastard!"
"Tch… this brat…"
From a distance, Kitagawa Gen had been watching silently.
Hearing Naruto's furious shout, he chuckled.
But then, sensing Naruto's chakra surge out of control, he rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Maybe I should take a closer look… at the Nine-Tails."
Not just the Nine-Tails. He remembered—weren't Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki's chakras also sealed within Naruto?
He was genuinely curious about how that worked.
With a single thought, Gen's eyes turned pale white—Byakugan activated.
In an instant, the world changed.
In a dark, damp sewer-like space, an enormous cage sealed off a sinister presence—calmly breathing in the dark.
"Hmm?"
The giant creature stirred, opening its eyes.
In a flash, its red fox-like eyes widened.
"Old man?!"
The Nine-Tails instinctively spoke—but quickly sensed something was off.
"No… not him. This presence—"
Muttering, it stood up, nine tails lashing violently, fur bristling, roaring with fury:
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
"Who are you?!"
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