"Full marks? That's amazing." Sakura froze for a moment, murmuring, "Naruto seems a little different than before."
Ino was completely stunned, thinking to herself that today must be cursed. How did that dead-last suddenly become so strong?
"Che, that guy…" Kiba, with the white pup on his head, turned around and walked away.
As part of the truancy trio, he had always relied on Naruto pulling down the average so his own scores didn't look too bad.
Sasuke stared for a long while before turning away too, his eyes carrying the same indifferent look as always, reflecting the lush trees at the end of the hallway.
"Sasuke-kun, now that we've graduated, do you want to grab a meal together?" A nervous girl clutching her headband had just passed the exam and asked him at the corner of the hallway.
"I've got things to do. Ask someone else." Uchiha Sasuke was proud, unwilling to stand still. He was already planning to double down on training.
The hatred from the massacre was what kept him alive, and he had no interest in anything else. He rejected her without hesitation.
Sakura, among the crowd, watched as Sasuke turned down the unfamiliar girl, her heart filled with mixed feelings. Suddenly, a hand patted her on the shoulder, startling her.
"Ino, what are you doing?"
"Hehe, don't bother watching. Sasuke-kun won't go on a date with you alone," Ino teased smugly.
For some reason, Naruto's annoying face flashed in her mind, his irritating voice echoing in her ears.
"Sasuke doesn't even like women! Women! Women!"
"Ahhhh!! Damn it!" Ino clutched her head and squatted down, wearing an expression of pure agony.
The graduation exam passed smoothly, and Naruto's life went back on track. With a three-day break, he simply stayed home for two.
Naturally, he didn't run into Konohamaru.
On the last day of the break, Naruto was half-asleep, the sunlight streaming through the window, warm and cozy.
Suddenly, a blinding light made him frown and snap his eyes open.
An ANBU in an animal mask crouched on a tree branch outside his window. Cold eyes stared through the mask's holes as a flat voice spoke:
"The Hokage is looking for you."
Before Naruto could react, the ANBU vanished on the spot.
Naruto stared at the ceiling for several minutes, confirming that someone had indeed been there. But… where was he supposed to go again?
"To…"
"The sun is so warm, so comfortable… like soaking in a hot spring."
"Hot spring…"
His breathing slowed into rhythm, and Naruto fell asleep again.
When he woke up, it was already night.
The room was dark, but a shadow sat at his desk, flipping through Naruto's training plans. The faint rustling of pages stopped abruptly.
"Awake, Naruto?" An old, familiar voice carried warmth and kindness.
The light clicked on, brightening the room.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sat at the desk, smiling as he turned to Naruto. On the desk lay Naruto's new headband, his diary, and a recipe book.
"Hokage-sama." Naruto rubbed his eyes, still groggy, and called out.
"Didn't you used to call me Grandpa Hokage?" The Third paused, then laughed heartily. "What's this? Now that you're a ninja, you're acting distant?"
"Hehe." Naruto scratched his head sheepishly. "I'm already a real ninja now. Calling you that doesn't feel right anymore."
Hiruzen chuckled and let it slide, then asked,
"Did you forget something today?"
"Something?" Naruto frowned, trying to recall. After a while, he remembered—the ANBU had told him to find the Hokage.
"Ah! I forgot!"
"You little rascal… honestly." The Third shook his head helplessly. "Still, resting isn't a bad thing."
"So why were you looking for me, Hokage-sama?" Naruto asked.
"Well, it's not really a big matter," Hiruzen said. "I just wanted to ask about your dream for the future."
"My dream is to lie flat," Naruto answered without hesitation.
"Lie flat?" The Third was puzzled.
"It means to live a stable and relaxed life," Naruto explained.
"So the youth of today really are like this now? Seems I can't keep up with the times," the Third said with a self-deprecating smile.
"But wasn't your dream before to become Hokage?"
"What's life like after becoming Hokage? Is it happy?" Naruto asked.
"Well…" The Third coughed lightly. "Most of the time it's busy. Sometimes Konohamaru complains I don't spend time with him.
"But to protect the village and everyone in it, this responsibility drives me forward, even to the point of giving my life for it. I think I am happy, in a way."
"Mm, that's Hokage-sama's life, and it really is tough," Naruto said, sitting cross-legged on the bed. "But I don't want to live that hard. I don't want people looking at me with those eyes anymore.
"People like me have to worry about whether a shopkeeper will even sell me fresh vegetables. Even if I became Hokage, that wouldn't change."
"If you became Hokage, Naruto, the whole village would admire and respect you," Hiruzen encouraged.
"But Hokage-sama, I think my life is fine as it is now," Naruto said, holding his head. "If I don't make mistakes and slowly become an ordinary person, people will forget their hatred for me.
"I don't even know why so many people treat me like an enemy. But now that I'm a ninja, maybe I won't face those looks anymore."
The Third wanted to say more, but the words stuck in his throat. He realized it was his own negligence that let this child grow into such a state.
A frozen river doesn't form in a day. Naruto had always been optimistic, but to become like this showed years of hostility had worn him down.
Changing his attitude would require slow, careful guidance in the future.
"Naruto, if one day enemies invade the village and threaten the people you care about, what would you do then?" the Third asked.
Naruto thought for a moment, then looked at him seriously.
"I don't know."
The Third left without another word.
Naruto sat at the desk where he had been, running his hand over the headband, his gaze turning distant. Though called the "Lie-Flat System," it was really an engine of growth.
Naruto could "lie flat," yet his strength would keep rising. If there's an easier way to get stronger, why not lie flat?
Lie flat yourself, let others toil.
In this world where power rules, without strength you can only be slaughtered.
Tomorrow would be the day they were assigned team leaders. Kakashi… they would be meeting very soon.
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