A gentle breeze swept across the Ninja Academy's training grounds, carrying dust that settled on the head of a blond boy.
Before him, children who had passed the exam were acting cute with their parents, seeking recognition.
The shadow cast by the setting sun enveloped him, separating him from the vibrant world.
"That child is..."
"It's him. I heard he was the only one who failed today!"
"Hmph, serves him right! My child told me he even had his eyes on that Sannin's disciple~"
"Haha, what a pipe dream!"
The adults' whispers were like poisonous thorns, laced with venom, piercing deeply into the blond boy's heart.
He pulled his goggles down over his head, a damp sensation blurring the lenses.
Tap!
Footsteps suddenly sounded beside him. Naruto looked up to see one of his teachers… Mizuki.
The breeze brushed past again, swaying the old swing.
Naruto and Mizuki's figures had already vanished.
Watching all this from outside the crowd, Hiruzen hid his face in the shadow of his Hokage Hat.
That night.
The darkness concealed the blond figure as he fled the village.
Naruto, carrying a massive scroll on his back, leaped rapidly through the trees outside the village.
The Scroll of Seals.
Following Mizuki's advice, if he could just learn the Ninjutsu on this scroll, he would gain everyone's recognition and become the Hokage!
'And Sakura... I'll prove I'm worthy of standing by your side!'
Arriving at his spot, Naruto unrolled the scroll, only to find the first technique was the one he was worst at.
"Ah, why?!"
The boy's wail echoed through the forest, attracting two Ninjas who had been tracking his trail.
Elsewhere.
After having dinner with her parents and Ino's family, Sakura entered her bedroom.
She took off her yukata, changed into pajamas, and was just about to climb into her family bed and snuggle under her beloved blanket when...
Tap tap tap.
The glass door of the balcony was knocked on.
Four Anbu wearing animal masks stood neatly in a row on the balcony outside Sakura's room.
"Tenzo-senpai, has anyone ever told you you're a real mood-killer?"
Facing Sakura's teasing, the leading Anbu showed no emotion at all, and simply mechanically conveyed the instructions: "Hokage's order, show the new generation's strength to those who covet Konoha. Life or death irrelevant!"
"Got it, got it. Tell the old man I'm on my way!"
Grumbling, she put on the combat gear the Anbu handed her. Sakura walked onto the balcony, took out a kunai, and hurled it with all her might!
A violent shockwave roared out in all directions.
Crack!
The kunai shot through the night sky like a blazing meteor, streaking towards the location locked onto by Sakura's Observation Haki.
On the ground, Iruka had tackled Naruto, using his own body to block the giant shuriken Mizuki had thrown.
"Cough!"
Iruka coughed up some blood, mixed with tears, which dripped onto Naruto's face.
"I'm sorry, Naruto. If I had been more reliable, you wouldn't have had such a terrible experience!"
Behind them, Mizuki, seeing the hesitation on Naruto's face, spoke with a twisted expression, trying to sow discord.
"How pathetic! Iruka has always resented you for being the demon fox!"
"Do you think the treatment you received was spontaneous from the villagers? Someone deliberately created this isolated and helpless situation for you!"
"And that monster from the Academy… Haruno Sakura, she's just a leash sent from above to keep you tied down!"
"A monster watching over a demon fox. You two are quite the pair!"
Naruto looked lost, like a wounded animal. Even his gaze towards Iruka was filled with wariness.
He was confused and at a loss.
'Why! Why!'
'I just want to gain everyone's recognition! What's wrong with that?'
'Why did I have to be the demon fox? Why did I have to endure this hurtful exclusion?!'
'-If only... if only they were all gone!'
Naruto was startled by the dark thought that surfaced in his heart. Finally, scrambling on his hands and feet, he fled in panic, completely ignoring Iruka's calls.
"Haha, got him!"
Mizuki chased after him, forcefully throwing the giant shuriken from his back. The metal blade whistled through the air, spinning directly towards Naruto.
Just then, the residual glow of Chakra burned out. A kunai descended from the sky, piercing and shattering the high-speed spinning shuriken.
This sudden change made the two present freeze, stopping their actions.
Swoosh!
A fleeting glimpse of light, gone in an instant. Stepping out from the illusory light of Space-Time was Sakura, dressed in black combat gear.
"Naruto!"
The full moon, the rainbow light, and the smiling girl together created an unforgettable, beautiful scene.
However, faced with such beauty, Naruto instinctively took a few steps back.
"S-Sakura..."
Naruto stared at the girl before him, stuttering.
Every cell in his body was screaming at him to run away from her.
'-She's a bad woman! A bad woman the village sent to deal with me!'
But the struggle in his heart didn't push his legs to move again. He swallowed hard and spoke: "...Is Sakura a leash?"
[...]
For a moment, Sakura almost laughed out loud.
Out of anger!
'I came out in the middle of the night, sacrificing sleep to save this little golden retriever, and he asks if I'm a leash?'
'Just watch me turn you into the leash!'
The girl swung her Personality Correction Fist. Naruto was punched in the face, turning pale all over as he collapsed beneath her.
Retracting her fist, Sakura looked towards Mizuki in the tree.
"Yo, Mizuki-sensei. You sure are bold, attacking my friend."
Mizuki's black eyes shifted uneasily, secretly scanning the area to plan an escape route.
After confirming that Sakura was the only one who had come, Mizuki gathered Chakra without hesitation, preparing to flee.
And then, he saw it...
Dark lightning crackled from the void, and the storm howled forth, raging violently!
The high-pitched and violent roar covering the sky and earth, the will of a conqueror declared its judgment upon Mizuki.
'Move another inch, and die!'
Cold sweat slid down Mizuki's temple. Knowing he couldn't escape from the monster before him, his face twisted into a grimace.
"Who are you pretending to be? In the end, you're just another ambitious person coveting the demon fox's power!"
"Everyone craves power. Who are you putting on this act of purity for, you bitch!"
Mizuki's voice was shrill. On the ground, Naruto's expression grew even darker, bitterness churning in his heart. His hand gripping the dirt clenched tighter and tighter.
"Ambition? Ambition that relies on others is even more despicable than frog's piss!"
"Trash that can't even gather its own will, don't spout nonsense in front of me!"
Sakura scoffed disdainfully, crossing her arms and looking down to urge him on.
"Naruto, how long are you going to lie on the ground?"
"Hmph, anyway, I... I'm just a tool for you all to fight over."
The cold ground chilled his body. The boy's deep blue eyes trembled. Disappointment was like mud, clogging his heart.
Sakura bent down, grabbed him, and forced him to look at Mizuki above.
"Indeed, Ninjas are tools."
"Accepting that nature, pursuing the ultimate state of being used and using others… it's right in front of you."
"I ask you, Uzumaki Naruto, do you desire to become such a person? Or do you want to become a tool?"
Conqueror's Haki materialized. Black lightning wrapped around an impact that whipped against the nearby ground and trees, cracking them.
Naruto only felt a ringing in his ears. Sakura's spirit shook his heart, forcing him to face this reality.
The boy looked at Mizuki before him, at that face twisted and ugly from hysterically venting malice due to desire.
"No, I don't want to! Even if I die, I don't want to become like that!"
A young but clear will surged. With his innocent and fervent instinct, Naruto rejected this inherent duty of a Ninja.
"Then that's right! As long as the free will continues to sing its song, the pure soul will never become a tool! So make your move, Naruto!"
Sakura's smile was so bright, and she let go of Naruto.
Naruto, like a young tiger released from its cage, instinctively formed the Ram hand seal. A hint of tears glistened in his deep blue eyes.
A huge amount of Chakra burst out from the boy, and every bit and piece of the past flashed before his eyes.
'Iruka-sensei, Sakura, Kiba, Choji, Ino, Hinata, Shikamaru, Shino, that stuck-up Sasuke... The recognition and bonds I had painstakingly pursued had been by my side all along, hadn't they?'
'Why did I doubt the treasures forged by my own heart's blood because of someone as ugly inside as Mizuki? I'm so stupid!'
"Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!"
Bang, bang, bang...
The massive Chakra Reserves possessed by a direct descendant of the Uzumaki Clan was displayed to the fullest in this technique.
Hundreds of solid clones densely covered the entire forest. Orange figures of Naruto were everywhere.
"Well then, I'm going to make my move!"
The leading clone showed a teasing smile before attacking like a tidal wave.
Fists and kicks from Narutos came from everywhere. Even though Mizuki was a Chunin and could initially handle and pop a few clones, he was soon overwhelmed by even more Narutos.
After struggling for a whole night, Mizuki was beaten black and blue, spitting blood as he collapsed in the middle of the woods.
"Naruto!"
Iruka, dragging his severely injured body, leaned against a tree and called out from a distance.
"Iruka-sensei!"
Naruto's eyes widened. He quickly ran forward to support Iruka.
"Naruto..."
Iruka looked at the boy in front of him with relief. He had seen everything that just happened.
He smiled gently, realizing the feeling of his child growing up.
Under Naruto's puzzled gaze, Iruka untied the forehead protector from his own head and tied it around Naruto's forehead.
"Congratulations, you've graduated."
The light of the morning sun spilled from the distant horizon, passing through the misty forest to illuminate everything about Naruto.
He rushed forward and hugged Iruka regardless of everything. His lonely soul was finally no longer adrift… it had found its own unique harbor.
Not disturbing them, Sakura quietly walked up to Mizuki and lifted the dying man.
'The pleasant Ninja parent-child moment was over. Now it was time for savage pirate time.'
"Talk. Where is your contact?"
Facing a behemoth like Konoha, since Mizuki had committed the act of instigating Naruto to steal the Scroll of Seals, he must have arranged an escape route.
In the Ninja World, those capable of bearing Konoha's wrath and taking in the Scroll of Seals were, frankly, only a handful.
"Want... to know? Beg... me!"
Mizuki, whose face was swollen, provoked Sakura with a leaky voice, his twitching mouth forcing out a few mocking laughs.
"Never mind. Whoever is picking you up will have to come near the village anyway."
Sakura lifted Mizuki and threw him into the air with all her might!
The immense strength of a Giant Royalty's juvenile body, stacked with the secondary outburst of Boil Release: Unrivaled Strength, generated a propulsive force that instantly sent Mizuki hundreds of meters into the air.
"As long as the area is big enough, everyone will see clearly. Anyway, life or death is irrelevant~"
Sakura's smile was brilliant. A giant sword of ice was already resting on her shoulder.
'When it comes to deterrence, this move was definitely the one...'
"The Spear of Elbaf: Ikoku Sovereignty!!!"
A dazzling light suddenly roared and surged from the depths of the forest, visible to all peeping eyes.
It takes away the brilliant colors of everything, plunging everything into darkness.
Then, accompanied by the flash and spread of Haki, a spear connecting heaven and earth linked the sky and the ground.
Violent air currents burst forth centered on Sakura, howling in all directions.
Mizuki had completely turned into moisture, intimately combining with the land of the Land of Fire, inseparable.
Several kilometers outside Konoha Village, a group of cloaked Ninjas watched the girl's sky-piercing strike through Sensory Jutsu, falling into deadly silence.
It took a long time for the team leader, barely regaining composition, to let out a clear female voice:
"Mission failed. Retreat!"