After his self-assessment, Naruto felt deeply satisfied with his progress.
He moved through the forest with steps so light they barely disturbed the undergrowth. As he passed the grazing flock, every sheep lifted its head in unison, tracking his movement with wide eyes.
Sunlight filtered through the canopy above, dappling his path with spots of golden light. Where the beams touched him, they seemed to cling, wrapping Naruto in an almost divine radiance.
He approached one particular goat that stood frozen, mesmerized. Naruto gathered his long golden hair and swept it back over his shoulder, the silken strands flowing down to his waist. He crouched beside the paralyzed animal.
The goat didn't move. Couldn't move. Naruto's aura alone had overwhelmed its simple consciousness.
"Good," Naruto said softly, stroking the goat's head. "Don't be afraid. I won't eat you today."
He stood and walked away, leaving the forest behind.
The moment he disappeared from view, the goat snapped back to awareness. Its eyes cleared slowly, confused, as though it had no memory of the near-death experience it had just survived.
Back in the yard, Sasuke was deep in training. He knew the truth now, had accepted it fully: even with the Rasengan mastered, he couldn't beat Naruto in a straight fight.
So for the past three years, Sasuke had pursued a different path entirely. Sage Mode. If he could combine the Rasengan with natural energy, maybe then he'd stand a chance.
More significantly, three years of continuous defeats had pushed his Sharingan to its limit. Three tomoe now spun in each eye.
The final evolution had come during one particularly brutal sparring session. Naruto had used Opening the Netherworld, the spiritual attack form of Heavenly Ascension Fist. The technique had dragged Sasuke into a nightmare recreation of the Uchiha massacre, forcing him to relive that hell in excruciating detail.
The pain had nearly broken him. But from that abyss, his eyes had evolved.
Naruto never used that technique on Sasuke again.
"Naruto, you're back!" Sasuke straightened from his stance as Naruto entered the yard.
At twelve years old, Sasuke had lost all traces of childish softness. His face showed the sharp angles of approaching adulthood. He stood 1.6 meters tall, his black hair grown long and tied back with simple cloth strips. Clean features, defined and striking.
In terms of appearance, Naruto was certain of one thing: in all of Konoha, only two people could claim true handsomeness. Himself and Sasuke.
And Naruto held the edge by exactly one line.
A vertical line, technically.
"Keep training," Naruto said with an approving nod, walking past the Uchiha toward the kitchen.
Before he even entered, the aroma of braised beef hit him. The rhythmic clang of metal on metal echoed from inside.
Naruto paused in the doorway.
Nine-Tails stood on a small stepstool, wearing a light yellow pleated skirt beneath his cooking apron. He rose on his tiptoes to reach the stovetop properly, wielding his spatula with intense concentration. Several massive pots—each large enough to hold an entire cow—bubbled and steamed.
The fox's movements were precise, almost choreographed. A true master at work.
"Kurama, is dinner ready?" Naruto called.
Without breaking rhythm, Kurama glanced over his shoulder. He wiped sweat from his brow with the back of one paw. "Don't rush me! It'll be done soon!"
In those three years, Kurama finally accepted his fate and decided to tell Naruto his real name. Of course, only Naruto was allowed to call him by that name. Whenever Sasuke tried, Kurama would always beat the boy black and blue.
During the meal, Sasuke spoke around a mouthful of food, cheeks bulging. "Naruto, tomorrow's the graduation exam. We actually have to go to school in person."
"Right." Naruto nodded thoughtfully.
Finally becoming a real ninja. I wonder what that'll be like.
The next morning, after breakfast with Sasuke, Naruto said goodbye to Kurama. The two roommates headed toward the Academy together.
At the campus gates, Naruto spotted Iruka carrying an armload of teaching materials. "Iruka-sensei!"
Iruka stopped and turned. When he saw Naruto and Sasuke approaching, his face lit up with genuine warmth. "Ah! Naruto, Sasuke. Good morning!"
"Good morning, Iruka-sensei!" Sasuke returned the greeting politely. The Uchiha was relatively well-mannered compared to Naruto's more exuberant energy.
"Good morning!" Naruto beamed. Then his expression shifted to concern. "It's been so long since I've seen you. You look thinner. Haven't you been eating properly?"
Iruka's eye twitched slightly. I don't blame you, Naruto. But you eat so much that I owe Ichiraku a small fortune. I've been living on pickled radish for months.
He kept those thoughts to himself.
Then something occurred to him. "Wait. What do you mean it's been a long time? We see each other every day. You come to school, I teach classes. We literally meet daily."
"Ah, well..." Naruto scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "To be honest, Iruka-sensei, I rarely come to school. The 'me' you've been seeing? That's actually Sasuke's shadow clone using Transformation to look like me."
He threw an arm around Sasuke's shoulders. "Sasuke also sends a clone to attend. The real us train at the farm."
"You absolute idiot," Sasuke muttered.
The color drained from Iruka's face.
"Haha..." Iruka forced out a laugh, unsure how to respond to that confession. "Well. Today is the graduation assessment. You two... work hard, okay?"
"We will, Iruka-sensei!" they chorused.
"Right. I should go prepare the examination." Iruka nodded stiffly, then turned and walked away.
His shoulders seemed to slump as he moved. Naruto... you've been attending with a shadow clone this whole time. My heart can't take this.
His figure grew smaller, somehow more forlorn.
Meanwhile, in the Hokage Building, Hiruzen Sarutobi sat in his office.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Come in." Hiruzen took a long pull from his pipe, exhaling perfect smoke rings.
A young, attractive secretary entered, her hips swaying as she crossed to his desk. She placed a document folder before him. "Lord Hokage, this is the list of students graduating from the Academy this year."
"Mm. Leave it. You may go." Hiruzen glanced at the folder without picking it up.
"Yes, Lord Third." The secretary bowed and left, closing the door softly behind her.
Only then did Hiruzen retrieve the document and begin reading carefully.
The graduating class. Soon-to-be genin.
Yamanaka Ino. Nara Shikamaru. Akimichi Choji. Inuzuka Kiba. Haruno Sakura. Uzumaki Naruto. Uchiha Sasuke. Hyūga Hinata. Aburame Shino...
Team assignments were always delicate. Political considerations, clan balance, individual potential—all had to be weighed.
Hiruzen sighed, remembering the tall boy with the absurdly small pink backpack. "I promised Kakashi he could take Uzumaki Naruto as a student. So Naruto goes to him..."
His gaze moved to the next file. "Uchiha Sasuke. Poor boy." Memories of the massacre flickered through his mind. "He should go with Kakashi as well."
Then he picked up another file. "Hyūga Hinata. Main branch heiress..." He set that aside for consideration and grabbed the next one. "Haruno Sakura?" His eyebrows rose slightly. "Which clan is she from?"
He scanned her background information. Civilian-born. No notable lineage.
"A civilian student." Hiruzen nodded slowly. "She can go with Kakashi too."
The team was set.