Hyuga Hiashi could never have imagined that such a seemingly minor request from a child would, due to his own glaring lack of intelligence detail, completely expose a critical vulnerability—one so obvious that it instantly confirmed the suspicions stirring in the heart of the little Uchiha fan and allowed him to deduce without effort that this man was a fraud, an imposter in disguise.
Unfortunately, even with the truth so blatantly laid bare, the gap in strength between himself and the impostor—evident in the man's chakra—forced the clever Sasuke to pretend like nothing had happened. He had to swallow his pride and allow Hinata to be taken, helplessly watching as she was scooped into the man's arms and carried away, the sound of fading footsteps echoing in his ears. Only once the intruder had fully disappeared did Sasuke's cheerful smile begin to unravel, revealing a twitch of unease and growing panic.
Whoever that man was, he was no ally. Just from his ignorance of the major clans in the village, Sasuke could tell he wasn't from here. That alone, paired with his impersonation of Hiashi, screamed hostile intent. Worse still, Sasuke was beginning to suspect the truth: the very man he had spoken of earlier—the outsider who'd infiltrated the village—was standing right in front of him the whole time.
The more he thought about it, the more his mind unraveled into knots of chaotic worry. Sasuke wracked his brain, desperate to think of some way to help Hinata. And in that panic, a familiar face surfaced in his thoughts—Naruto, grinning like an idiot. For a heartbeat, Sasuke stared blankly, then suddenly lit up like a man drowning who'd just spotted a floating plank. He clapped his palms together with a loud slap.
'Hinata's in danger! I... I... that's it! I've got to get word to Naruto—fast!'
But then another problem hit him.
Where the hell was Naruto?
Was he nearby, running errands? Or had he already gotten fed up with the noise and gone back to Training Ground Three to continue his masochistic, high-intensity workouts?
Knowing Naruto, both were possible. And that was the problem—despite practically living side by side, Sasuke couldn't say for certain where his partner had gone.
'Argh!! That idiot Naruto! Why'd he have to vanish now of all times?!'
Realizing this was the immediate issue he had to face, Sasuke's face stiffened mid-smile. He began stomping the ground in frustration, completely ignoring his usual cool image. Once he'd vented enough to regain a sliver of rational thought, he clenched his teeth and flexed his fingers, launching into hand seals at lightning speed.
'Whatever. Like Naruto says... if the horse's already dead, try pretending it's still alive and ride it anyway… Hinata, you'd better hope Naruto likes you enough not to wander too far.'
Just like during the exam, when he'd shot Fireballs into the sky to get Naruto's attention, Sasuke repeated the same plan—create a flashy enough signal to draw him in. Only this time, because they'd discussed alternatives in advance, he didn't use the usual Fireball Jutsu. Instead, he activated a different C-rank Fire Style jutsu they had designated for emergencies.
Rat — Tiger — Dog — Ox — Hare — Tiger...
Fire Style: Phoenix Fire Jutsu!
With the final hand seal completed, his throat swelled slightly, as though something inside was preparing to burst. Then, with a sharp inhale, Sasuke tilted his head back and opened his mouth. One by one, glowing orange-red fireballs launched from his throat into the sky, each exploding in midair into bursts of vivid flame. Against the clear blue above, they looked like blooming firework petals—drawing eyes from every direction.
'This time, don't zone out... notice the signal, you moron!'
…
The number of examinees who passed... turned out to be slightly higher than expected, especially among kids from non-ninja families.
Meanwhile, as Sasuke and Hinata were unknowingly walking straight into the clutches of the infiltrator disguised as Hiashi—the Cloud Village's elite recon squad captain—Naruto, completely unaware, was casually striding through the academy grounds. Hands behind his head, he walked with the relaxed air of a critic, though he was clearly searching for Sasuke and Hinata. As he wandered, he mumbled commentary on the examinees passing by.
"I was worried the test might be too hard and we wouldn't have enough students to form even one proper class, but turns out I was just being paranoid... Even civilian kids have decent physical conditioning. I guess that's Konoha for you—always investing in the next generation."
Despite his complaints, Naruto was genuinely surprised—and pleased—by how many students had made it this far.
Of course, setting aside differences in difficulty level, Naruto's real "test" was the hidden rules embedded in each stage. From the first exam, which encouraged line-cutting in a twisted interpretation of "initiative," to the third exam full of trap-like logic puzzles, and even the final segment designed to provoke fighting between candidates—every phase followed the scheming style of the Chūnin Exams Naruto remembered from his own youth.
Compared to those, his current entrance exam questions were relatively tame. Yes, they could catch kids off guard, but with some careful thought, none were truly difficult—aside from the added challenge of weighted gear. Naruto had designed it this way not only to reflect real missions but also to prep these students mentally. He hoped the experience would teach them caution—so next time an Orochimaru-type crisis hit, they wouldn't freeze up like helpless baggage.
With this many kids left, he could probably scrape together three classes. That was a solid result for day one. Now he just needed to—
"Whoa! Hey, look at that!"
"Whoa—so pretty! Are those fireworks? Is the academy throwing a celebration?"
"Huh? Fireworks...? Wait, don't tell me—Sasuke again?!"
Just as Naruto was internally celebrating the successful first day and mulling over class divisions, the crowd's gasps and a very specific word snapped his thoughts in half. His body stiffened.
'No. Please not Sasuke's Fireball again. Please not—wait, huh?'
He looked up.
It wasn't the Fireball Jutsu. The sky was filled with smaller, glowing embers—not huge explosions. But Naruto's smile didn't return. In fact, it vanished entirely, replaced by a furrowed brow.
Because he recognized it immediately: Phoenix Fire Jutsu. The exact technique he and Sasuke had agreed to use as an SOS signal. And the way it was being cast—rapid-fire, forming a clean line—left no room for misinterpretation. Sasuke was calling for help.
"That's definitely his chakra signature... He's the one casting it."
Naruto extended his sensory perception to its limit. Within a moment, he had scanned the entire training field and was expanding further. Using the fire trail as his guide, he pinpointed Sasuke's location—and noticed something else strange.
'If Sasuke's over there... why is the one-time Flying Thunder God tag I gave him moving in the opposite direction? And fast, too...'
It was supposed to stay on him at all times for emergencies. For it to be heading away from the village center—and moving farther—was a massive red flag.
Sasuke wouldn't part with that tag willingly.
Which could only mean... he'd given it to someone else.
'So this isn't about him being in danger—he wants me to go save the person he passed the tag to.'
Naruto's thoughts raced. Based on his complete trust in Sasuke and what he knew so far, he quickly assembled a working theory. Time seemed to slow around him. Taking advantage of the crowd's attention being drawn upward by the Phoenix Fire, he crossed his fingers.
Shadow Clone Technique!
Two clones appeared beside him in a puff of smoke.
"Sasuke must be in a hurry. No time to wait for an explanation. You two know what to do—one goes to him, finds out what happened. The other... go find Tenzo."
While the original Naruto disappeared into a blur heading toward the tag's location, the clones split—one vanishing toward Sasuke, the other sneaking through the crowd in search of the man known as Tenzo, the Root-affiliated squad captain posing as the entrance exam proctor.
Why Tenzo? Not Fugaku, not Hiashi?
Naruto didn't know why, but his gut told him—this wasn't something to hand over to brute-force fighters like the heads of the Uchiha and Hyuga clans. It called for stealth, subtlety, and secrecy.
Besides, disturbing the village's carefully arranged defenses to call in two clan heads felt... wrong. Better to leave them where they were, holding the line, while Naruto followed the escaping tag signal out toward the village's edge.
With both clones dispatched and their tasks clear, Naruto narrowed his eyes and changed course. Before anyone could react, he vanished in a flicker of black, shooting out of the academy like a silent arrow.
And meanwhile, the would-be kidnappers from the Hidden Cloud—who'd just stolen away Hinata and were starting to relax—were about to receive a very personal visit from her unreasonably protective husband.
What Naruto failed to notice, however...
…was that up in the academy's teaching building, a pair of eyes had been watching everything.
From the moment he created the clones, to the precise direction he fled, every motion had been seen—by a pair of eyes far sharper than normal.
'That strength... and he's heading out alone. Is he trying to save Lady Hinata by himself?'
As she whispered the girl's name, the watcher's eyes filled with hatred.
'Tch. Just like the Main Family... I thought I'd finally have a chance to make them feel the pain of losing their precious heir.'
Even that useless girl, so quick to trust strangers... still has someone ready to die for her. Born the Main Family's heir... always getting special treatment.
Moments later, the watcher dropped from the building, following Naruto's trail without hesitation.
'Tch... they can kidnap that waste of space if they want. But impersonate my father? That, I won't let slide.'