Compared to the warm glow inside the Fujimoto household that evening, Kawauchi-sensei walked home from the Hokage's office like a deflated balloon.
He hadn't gone there to complain, of course.He'd been summoned—dragged in by ANBU for a "conversation."
The Hokage spoke kindly, almost gently, telling him not to take yesterday's incident to heart.But Kawauchi-sensei was old enough to read between the lines.
The message was simple:Don't cause trouble for Fujimoto Tōma. Don't even think about it.
And honestly? Kawauchi hadn't planned to.
He'd lived in Konoha long enough to know the difference between a bruised ego and an early grave.A kid like Tōma—raw talent, frightening composure—would someday stand much higher than a mediocre Academy instructor like him.
Revenge? Ridiculous.If Tōma wasn't destined for greatness, he was still easily strong enough to snap Kawauchi in half someday.No amount of pride was worth that.
All he could do was indulge in petty fantasies like rigging a future exam to force Tōma to perform a substitution technique on command.Would it work? Probably not.But a man could dream.
Kawauchi sighed deeply.
Iruka is so damn lucky…
Time moved quickly after that.Tōma trained relentlessly, as usual—and the cursed title "First-Year Demon King" refused to die.
Just when the rumors began settling down, another incident struck.
This time, the troublemaker wasn't Naruto.
It was Chōji.
Apparently, an older student had casually commented, "You're kinda round,"and Chōji detonated like an exploding tag.
To be fair… Tōma eyed Chōji's figure.The description wasn't inaccurate.
Still, a friend was a friend.He'd help Chōji, then apologize afterward if needed.
But before he even arrived, the older kids recognized Tōma.
Their anger evaporated instantly.
They sized him up, remembered the infamous fourth-years on the ground…and made a collective strategic retreat.They chose diplomacy over disaster.
Chōji apologized for losing his temper.The other boy apologized for the insensitive comment.
Then—unfortunately—
"…But you are kind of really fat though—"
Chōji exploded again, only saved from round two by Tōma dragging him away.
"I'M NOT FAT! I'M FULL-BODIED!"
The older kids stared after them, speechless.
Full-bodied? How is that different?!
Tōma prayed—truly prayed—that this nonsense wouldn't spread.
He was a fool.
By the next day:
Fujimoto Tōma: the boy who can win fights without fightingbecame the new Academy legend.
His seat was instantly surrounded again.
Tōma's soul quietly left his body.
Fine. Whatever. I give up.
He buried himself in textbooks instead.Better to focus on the upcoming final exam.Even if he'd already studied everything, reviewing never hurt.
He wanted first place across the board.
Final Exams
Predictably, Tōma topped the year again.
Shikamaru groaned, flicking his test sheet.
"Yeah, yeah. He's first. Obviously. Troublesome…"
Ever since the fight incident, Shikamaru had been observing him closely.He even asked his father about learning with clones.
The answer?The Shadow Clone Technique existed, but was far too advanced and dangerous for children.
Which meant Tōma was using it every day.And Iruka knew.And wasn't worried.
Shikamaru gave up trying to understand the logic.Even if it had no drawbacks, he'd never willingly double his workload.
Theory scores were unsurprising—Tōma aced them again.But he wasn't the only one.
With Ino's help pulling her out of her slump, Sakura had also earned a perfect score.
Tōma felt a mix of admiration and dread.
Thank goodness the Academy is only six years. If this were like my old world—with middle school and high school exams—there's no way I'd keep up with Sakura forever. Academic monster…
Physical exams went even more predictably.Tōma was first by a landslide.
The shock, however, was Naruto catching up to Sasuke and stealing second place.
Thanks to his monstrous healing factor, Naruto's training progress was absurd.Tōma was pretty sure Naruto could now take on his old bullies one-on-one.
Though beating Tōma was still a distant dream.Lightning Release enhancements plus years of extra training were no joke.
"Tōma! That's the reward for being first?" Naruto leaned over, staring at the silver kunai in Tōma's hand.
"Yep," Tōma nodded.
"…I want one."
"Here."Tōma tossed him the kunai. "You can play with it. But don't get the wrong idea. This one's mine. And you're probably never getting your own."
Naruto puffed up instantly.
"I'll pass you someday! Just you wait!"
Tōma smirked.
"I'll believe it when I see it."