"Uchiha Sasuke, full marks!"
As Iruka's approving voice rang out, students crowded the doorway to peek inside.
"As expected of Sasuke!"
"That's the Uchiha boy, a perfect score!"
"He's amazing!"
Praises piled on, everyone's eyes drawn to the cold-faced boy. His sharp brows and high nose gave his features a clean, defined look.
His sideburns fell long on both sides, hair spiked at the back, and his eyes carried their usual detachment.
Naruto also looked at Sasuke, leisurely sizing up the teammate he'd have in the future.
"Next, Uzumaki Naruto!"
At the call of that name, whispers rippled through the crowd. Students gossiped under their breath, throwing sidelong glances his way.
"Dead-last, are you going to use your Sexy Jutsu again?"
"Hahaha!"
"Last time Iruka-sensei kicked him out for that."
"So disgusting! To use such a jutsu... gross!"
Even Sasuke, who was leaving, turned back at the chatter, his eyes briefly fixing on Naruto. Naruto had just stepped through the doorway and happened to meet that gaze.
The exam itself took less than a minute. Sasuke didn't leave, simply stood waiting.
After a moment of silence, Iruka's hesitant voice sounded.
"Uzumaki Naruto... full marks!"
Full marks? Him too?
Shock spread across the faces in the hallway. The eternal dead-last had scored a perfect grade.
Though the Three Basic Techniques weren't the whole of the exam, they were a critical part. A perfect score here meant... graduation was secure.
The door opened. Naruto walked out, his eyes sweeping past the crowd before finally landing on Sasuke in the distance.
Sasuke's expression didn't change. He met Naruto's gaze briefly, then turned and left.
Naruto smiled faintly. As expected, the "Second Pillar" was still a tsundere.
Once his chakra disorder had been resolved, it hadn't taken long to master the Three Basic Techniques. Maybe this body's talent helped too — after all, it carried the blood of the Uzumaki clan.
Mastering the Three Basics meant he no longer had to worry about the graduation exam.
With the mock test finished, Naruto left without lingering.
Passing by Hinata, he remembered how she had helped him yesterday. He stopped to say thanks.
"I left in a rush yesterday, so... sorry for waiting until now. Thank you for standing up for me, Hinata-chan."
Hearing him call her Hinata-chan again, Hinata's cheeks flushed deep red. She looked both shy and quietly happy.
"I didn't really help much... Naruto-kun doesn't need to thank me specially."
She looked adorable speaking that way, dressed in a long-sleeved training outfit that covered her pale arms. Her shoulder-length hair framed her face, her skin glowing like milk.
However you described her, just standing there she radiated the poise of a clan's eldest daughter.
That poise, mixed with her shy air, made her even more striking. She was the very picture of the "noble lady" archetype.
"Not true. Thanks to you, Hinata-chan," Naruto said, noticing how embarrassed she was becoming.
Then he realized more eyes were gathering around them. Their relationship wasn't close yet, and lingering might spark gossip. Time to retreat.
"I'll go first, Hinata-chan. Anyway, thank you."
He waved as he walked down the school corridor.
He thought he should prepare a gift next time, so that thanking her again wouldn't feel awkward.
[Hinata route progress: Nine-Tails' recognition +2.2%]
The sudden mechanical voice in his head startled him.
The Nine-Tails had always been a thorn in his heart. In the short term, its power was useful. But in the end, it was just a mass of strong chakra — temporary strength at best.
And power was always coveted. By Konoha, who wanted him as a weapon. By the factions who would one day come to seize the beast.
Naruto was like meat on a cutting board. Any strong foe would target the Nine-Tails inside him.
Honestly, he'd rather the Nine-Tails be far away, find a new host, and never bother him again.
But if the Nine-Tails left, the jinchūriki would die. That cursed design made Naruto grimace. Still, with the System, even if the Nine-Tails left, he could still wield its power.
So... wasn't it best if the Nine-Tails never tangled with him in the first place?
Naruto knew clearly: having the Nine-Tails was like Eren gaining the Attack Titan. From the moment he received that power, he was no longer bound by Wall Maria or the towering giants, but by the vision of a fated future.
The instant Eren inherited the titan, destiny fixed him in place, shackling him to the world-ending choice he'd one day make.
Naruto was the same. From the moment he became host of the Nine-Tails, from "Child of Prophecy" to "Body of the Sage," step by step — it wasn't Naruto choosing to save the world, or choosing to be Hokage.
It was fate. An unbreakable chain forged of Jiraiya's death, Neji's blood, and countless sacrifices.
Naruto would lie flat — lie flat against that fate itself. Live for himself.
Night fell.
By a river in the forest, a campfire burned. Fish roasted slowly over the flames.
A blond boy sat fishing, moonlight pooling like water, scales flashing on the rippling surface.
The forest was silent. The pale crescent hung mirrored in the stream.
Rustle. A figure appeared beside Naruto as if from nowhere.
The Body Flicker Technique.
Naruto had sensed it already. He turned sharply, and saw a long-haired white-haired ninja standing there.
"Mizuki-sensei?" Naruto feigned surprise. "Why are you here?"
It was Iruka's colleague, Konoha's number one schemer, Mizuki. Mizuki had no idea the Third Hokage's crystal ball was watching. Smiling warmly, he said:
"Naruto, do you want to become stronger?"
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