Chapter 5: Shackles of Fate
"Uchiha Sasuke, full marks!"
As Iruka's approving voice rang out, the students crowded around the doorway, craning their necks to look inside.
"As expected of Sasuke!"
"So that's the Uchiha kid—full marks!"
"Amazing!"
Compliments poured in, and every gaze was drawn to the youth with the cold, sharp features. His brows and eyes were stern, his nose straight and high, his facial contours clean and defined.
His sideburns tapered back into short spikes, and in his eyes lingered a practiced indifference.
Naruto, too, was watching Sasuke, lazily sizing up the teammate he would have in the future. He no longer cared to forge any bonds with Sasuke—he had long given up on that.
"Next, Uzumaki Naruto!"
The moment his name was called, murmurs rippled through the crowd. They whispered among themselves, stealing sidelong glances at Naruto.
"The dead-last loser again. Gonna use that pervy jutsu of yours?"
"Hahaha!"
"Last time Iruka-sensei kicked him out for that."
"Disgusting! Using such a jutsu—gross!"
The comments even made Uchiha Sasuke, on his way out, glance back in that direction. Just as Naruto stepped into the classroom, he turned his head and caught Sasuke's gaze.
Naruto's lips suddenly curled into a provocative smirk as he stared straight at Sasuke from afar.
"Full marks," Naruto said evenly. "Nothing impressive about that."
Bang! The classroom door slammed shut. Those left outside erupted in an uproar, shocked by Naruto's brazen words.
"Who does he think he is?! A dead-last trash-talking Sasuke?!"
"Outrageous! Why drag innocent Sasuke-kun into this?!"
"Just wait till he comes out. He's bound to fail anyway. Can't wait to see him looking like the pathetic mutt he is!"
The exam itself took less than a minute. Sasuke remained where he was, not out of any desire to see Naruto fail, but because that mocking smile of Naruto's stuck in his mind—unpleasantly so.
"Naruto's lost his mind, huh?" Shikamaru sighed, rolling his dead-fish eyes. "Provoking Sasuke—what a drag."
"The moment he steps out, those fangirls will tear him to pieces," Chōji muttered nervously around a mouthful of chips, crunching loudly.
"Serves that idiot right!" Ino flicked her blond bangs with a haughty snort.
A minute passed quickly.
The classroom stayed silent for a moment before Iruka's voice rang out again, tinged with disbelief.
"Uzumaki Naruto, full marks!"
Full marks? He got full marks too?!
Faces around the doorway froze in stunned disbelief. The notorious dead-last… scored perfectly on the exam?
Even if the Clone, Transformation, and Substitution techniques didn't represent the final overall score, they were a core component of the curriculum. A perfect score here meant… graduation was practically guaranteed.
The door opened. Naruto stepped out, his gaze sweeping past the crowd before finally settling on Uchiha Sasuke in the distance.
As if to say, See? Full marks really aren't that special.
Sasuke didn't react. He gave Naruto one indifferent glance before turning and walking away without a word.
Naruto got no satisfaction from that—but he didn't care. His actions hadn't been meant to provoke Sasuke anyway. Sasuke, consumed by vengeance, would never bother to acknowledge him.
His real audience was the classmates around him—to show them that the former dead-last had climbed to a height they could no longer reach.
People bully the weak and respect the strong.
Naruto just wanted to prove that you didn't need to become Hokage or repay hatred with kindness to earn recognition. A weakling could do a hundred good deeds, but one mistake would erase them all.
A strong man, however, only needed overwhelming power—and a few small gestures of kindness—to be worshipped with gratitude.
That was Naruto's ninja way now: a life of effortless ease.
And to live that way, he needed to erase the odd, judgmental stares aimed at him. For that, he had to keep getting stronger.
Strength could improve his living conditions. It could earn him more money.
Right now, Konoha's shinobi forces were in a state of decline. If, in a moment of crisis, Naruto stood at the forefront, he could easily gain public favor.
Popularity and prestige had elevated the Third Hokage and countless powerful ninja before him in the villagers' eyes, bringing them benefits beyond mere strength.
Hm… kind of like celebrities in the outside world. Individual power combined with immense popularity makes life so much easier.
But fame was one thing; being Konoha's workhorse was another. Naruto had no intention of slaving away for the village. His dream was to change the system—to live free and easy.
He would choose his own path, not the one forced on him by the Third Hokage and the village elders.
"Naruto, you…" Shikamaru stared, speechless.
"No time to chat—I've got stuff to do! Later!" Naruto breezed past the Ino-Shika-Chō trio with a bright grin.
As he passed Hinata at the very end of the line, he suddenly stopped, leaned in, and looked her straight in the eyes.
"Hinata, do your best."
"Huh?" Hinata squeaked, startled by his sudden closeness.
"What's wrong?"
"N-Naruto-kun, I… I will… thank you…" she stammered, face flushed to the tips of her ears, an adorably shy smile tugging at her lips.
"Good. See you later, Hinata!" Naruto waved and jogged off.
[Nine-Tails' Approval: 2.1%]
A trickle of crimson chakra flowed gently through his meridians. Naruto's lips curved upward. The Nine-Tails would inevitably be his to command—completely and utterly.
The Lying Flat System was truly perfect. No need for grueling training; just make the right choices in life.
With this system, his dream of living comfortably in Konoha would soon be reality.
Night fell.
By a forest riverbank, a small campfire flickered softly, roasting several fish over the flames.
A blond boy sat fishing, moonlight pooling silver over the silent woods. The rippling water glimmered, now and then flashing with the scales of passing fish.
The forest lay hushed, the pale crescent moon reflected on the water's surface—like a painting of quiet dreams.
Suddenly, a figure appeared beside Naruto as if out of thin air.
Body Flicker Technique.
Naruto sensed the presence and jerked his head around. A white-haired shinobi stood before him.
"Mizuki-sensei?" Naruto asked, feigning surprise. "What are you doing here?"
It was none other than Iruka's friend, Konoha's foremost schemer, Mizuki. Oblivious to the fact that the Third Hokage's crystal ball had him under surveillance, Mizuki smiled warmly.
"Naruto, do you want to become stronger?"