A few days later, the Ninja Academy graduation exam arrived.
For most students, the Shadow Clone Jutsu was the final hurdle.
Some succeeded, some failed.
Cheers and sighs intertwined above the training ground.
Uzumaki Naruto waited quietly, like a statue out of place with its surroundings.
When it was his turn, he simply stepped forward and formed the most standard hand seal.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
"Bang."
A Shadow Clone appeared beside him.
No more, no less, just one.
But that Shadow Clone, from the curl of its hair to the wear marks on its pant legs, was identical to the original, flawlessly perfect.
Iruka picked up the score sheet, his pen tip hovering in mid-air, unable to fall.
Not only was it a perfect score, but the overall assessment made him the valedictorian.
This result overturned the entire Ninja Academy's understanding.
The exam ended, and the successful students excitedly rushed to their parents, showing off their newly acquired forehead protectors.
Naruto had no family.
He walked alone towards the table where the forehead protectors were being distributed.
Iruka handed him the brand-new metal forehead protector, engraved with the Konoha symbol.
"Congratulations, Naruto."
He wanted to say more, like "You've really grown up" or "Your teacher is proud of you."
But the words froze on his lips, chilled by those cerulean eyes.
There was no joy, no excitement in them, only the calm of a completed mission.
Naruto took the forehead protector, not putting it on immediately, but just rubbing his thumb over the cold metal texture.
To him, it was just an identity marker.
A credential to enter this world's armed system.
He turned and left without a single extra word.
The afterglow of the setting sun stretched his shadow long, straight, and lonely...Night deepened.
The lights in the Ninja Academy office were still on.
A thick stack of student files lay open before Iruka, the top one belonging to Uzumaki Naruto.
He flipped through it again and again, trying to find even a trace of familiarity in the cold words and scores.
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
The past evaluations of 'inferior student' formed an absurd contrast with the now-perfect report card.
He picked up Naruto's theoretical exam paper, re-examining the answers.
"Discuss how to maximize breakout efficiency when outnumbered by the enemy."
Naruto's answer was just one line.
"Purge the chain of command, create panic, concentrate superior forces to tear through the weakest link, at all costs."
The four words "at all costs" were scored so deeply by the pen tip that they almost pierced the paper.
Iruka's finger touched those words, as if burned, and he quickly recoiled.
The office door was pushed open, interrupting his thoughts.
Mizuki walked in, carrying two cups of hot tea, with his usual gentle smile.
"Still here so late, Iruka? Still worrying about the students?"
He placed a cup of tea in front of Iruka, glancing at the file on the desk.
"Oh? It's Naruto's."
Mizuki's tone carried a hint of teasing.
"That troublesome student who always gave you headaches has now graduated as valedictorian. You should be happy."
Iruka picked up the teacup; the warm liquid slid down his throat but failed to dispel the chill in his heart.
He managed to force out a smile uglier than a cry.
"You're right, Mizuki."
"Maybe...I'm just too tired, thinking too much."
Mizuki pulled out a chair and sat opposite Iruka, leaning slightly forward, adopting a posture for a heart-to-heart talk.
"We are colleagues, and friends. If you have any worries, you can tell me."
He didn't look at the file but directly at Iruka.
"It's about Naruto's change, isn't it?"
Iruka was silent, his knuckles, holding the teacup, turning white.
Mizuki seemed not to notice his resistance and continued to speak on his own.
"I admit, on the day of the final exam, I was indeed startled by him."
"That taijutsu, that strength...it was completely unlike a twelve-year-old child."
He paused, seemingly choosing his words carefully.
"However, perhaps this is a good thing. You see, after all, sealed within his body is..."
"Mizuki!"
Iruka suddenly looked up, interrupting him.
"That rule, have you forgotten it?"
Mizuki immediately raised both hands in a gesture of surrender, his smile not diminishing in the slightest.
"Sorry, sorry, I misspoke."
"I just think, perhaps that power is starting to awaken, causing this change in him. Isn't this exactly what the Village's higher-ups hope to see? A powerful 'weapon'."
The word "weapon" was like a needle, deeply piercing Iruka's heart.
He couldn't refute it.
Because the cold logic Naruto had written on the exam paper all confirmed the correctness of this word.
"He's not a weapon."
Iruka's voice was low, yet it held a stubbornness.
"He's a child, he's my student."
"Of course, of course, he is certainly your student."
Mizuki agreed, but his tone became coaxing.
"But you've seen it, he's no longer the foolish boy you used to worry about all the time. He's become strong, rational, and even... ruthless."
"Iruka, people change. Perhaps we should accept his growth, rather than confine him with past perceptions."
These words sounded reasonable and full of concern for the student.
Yet Iruka felt an inexplicable irritation.
Every word Mizuki said was correct, but combined, they sounded incredibly grating to him.
"What exactly do you want to say?"
"I'm just worried about you, Iruka."
Mizuki put down his teacup with a soft clink.
"You've invested too much personal emotion in him. This will affect your judgment as a Chunin."
"I noticed that you gave him an overall assessment of 'Excellent', but in the remarks column, you wrote 'Psychological state requires close observation'."
Mizuki's finger tapped lightly on the table.
"This file is to be submitted to Hokage-sama. Writing this will bring unnecessary trouble to Naruto's future."
"An unstable 'valedictorian'? What do you think the higher-ups will think?"
Iruka's heart sank sharply.
He had indeed written that.
It was his last struggle as a teacher.
"This is my duty."
"Your duty is to train qualified Ninja, not to be his babysitter!"
Mizuki's tone for the first time showed a slight increase in emphasis.
"He has graduated, Iruka! He is no longer your student, but a Genin of Konoha! A... soldier who might be thrown into battle at any moment!"
"Soldiers don't need superfluous emotions, only obedience and efficiency. From this point of view, the current Naruto is more qualified than all of us!"
Iruka slammed the table, wanting to retort, but found himself unable to utter a single word.
Mizuki's words were like a surgical knife, precisely dissecting all his doubts and worries, then brutally classifying them as "womanly compassion."
"I...I understand."
He eventually conceded.
He picked up his pen and crossed out the remark.
Mizuki watched his actions, a gentle smile reappearing on his face.
"That's right. For the good of the students, sometimes we have to make some rational judgments."
He stood up and patted Iruka's shoulder.
"Get some rest early; you have to lead a team tomorrow."
With that, he turned and left the office.
The moment the door closed, the smile on Mizuki's face vanished without a trace.
In its place was a chilling calculation.
The previous Naruto was foolish, but not strong enough.
The current Naruto... seemed too strong.
However, it didn't matter.
No matter how powerful a beast, as long as its weakness is found, it can still be tamed.
And he just happened to know Naruto's weakness...The night was as dark as ink, blurring the outline of Konoha Village.
On the training ground, only heavy panting and the dull thud of fists hitting wooden stakes echoed alternately.
Sweat trickled down Naruto's taut jawline, hitting the ground and spreading into small, dark marks.
Every punch, every kick he threw, carried a mechanical precision.
The tearing sensation of muscles, the groaning of bones, were not pain to him, but a physical metric that had to be achieved.
"Physical limit... seventy-three percent."
"Heart rate... one hundred eighty-two beats per minute, still within the safe threshold."
"Reaction speed... increased by zero point two percent compared to yesterday."
His brain calmly processed every piece of data from his body's feedback; the peaceful chirping of insects and the night wind of Konoha Village were just meaningless noise to his ears.
It was too quiet here.
Quiet like a tomb, full of complacency and fatal flaws.
His thoughts uncontrollably drifted back to that world filled with the roar of artillery and the shriek of aliens.
There, every training session was a brush with death.
The instructor's electric whip could easily tear flesh, and the automatic machine guns on the training ground would mercilessly spray any "recruit" who fell for more than three seconds.
In contrast, Konoha's nights were nauseatingly tranquil.
A faint footstep came from the woods.
Naruto's movements instantly stopped, his body like a fully drawn bow, every muscle entering a combat state.
His gaze locked onto the direction of the sound, his blue eyes gleaming with a cold light in the darkness.
"Who?"
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable penetrative force.
A figure emerged from behind a tree, a smile on his face that was benevolent to the point of falseness.
It was Mizuki.
"It's me, Naruto. Still training so late, you're really diligent."
Mizuki's gaze swept over Naruto's sweat-soaked clothes and scarred fists, a flicker of undetectable disdain in his eyes.
In his view, this was merely an isolated child, venting his resentment in such a foolish way.
"I understand how you feel, Naruto."
Mizuki's tone became heavy, filled with the "empathetic" sincerity.
"They all treat you like a monster, ostracize you, isolate you... I understand that feeling too well."
"You must really want everyone's approval, right? Want to become Hokage, to make those who once looked down on you see you in a new light!"
Mizuki's words were like a key, trying to open the deepest door of resentment in Naruto's heart.
His voice was full of temptation.
Naruto's brain operated at high speed, dissecting Mizuki's words into individual information units.
"Appealing to emotion... exploiting identity... inciting personal ambition..."
These were all the lowest forms of heretical incitement methods from the Imperial Political Commissar's handbook.
How ridiculous.
In the depths of his memory, some images indeed surged forth.
Those dodging eyes, those parents hastily pulling their children away, those shopkeepers' unconcealed disgust.
"Get out, you monster!"
"Don't come near my child!"
These voices once pierced him like sharp ice picks, leaving him bruised all over.
But now, these so-called "pains," in the face of the mountains of corpses and seas of blood he had experienced, seemed so childish, so insignificant.
They couldn't even stir a ripple in the lake of his heart.
However, in this cold ruin of memories, a completely different scene emerged.
A girl with straight bangs always hid in a corner, secretly looking at him with her pure, slightly timid white eyes.
There was no disgust, no fear in those eyes.
Only a… clumsy, misplaced concern.
Once, he was knocked to the ground by older kids, covered in mud.
Everyone watched the spectacle from afar, but only she, clutching a small ointment, wanted to step forward but didn't dare, her eyes red with anxiety.
Hyuga Hinata.
This name was like a faint star, emitting a tiny, insignificant light in his cold universe filled with "loyalty" and "reason."
A "variable" that couldn't be explained by logic.
"I have a way to make you gain everyone's approval overnight, even surpassing the Hokage."
Mizuki's voice pulled Naruto's thoughts back to reality.
Naruto raised his eyes, his blue eyes still calm and unmoving, but under his precise expression control, he feigned intense joy.
"What way? What way?"
Mizuki's heart swelled with delight, thinking, "This kid really took the bait."
He lowered his voice and spoke mysteriously.
"In the Hokage Office, there's a Scroll of Seals hidden. It records powerful forbidden jutsu left by past Hokage-sama; as long as you learn one or two of them, you can become the strongest Ninja in the Village!"
"By then, who would dare look down on you?"
Mizuki's face was full of incitement; he seemed to already see Naruto gratefully handing the Scroll of Seals over to him.
This foolish monster was indeed still the kid who craved recognition.
He completely failed to notice that while he was painting a beautiful blueprint, Naruto's gaze was like watching a clown.
Full of loopholes.
Confused logic.
Crude motives.
Would a Chunin loyal to the Village incite a Jinchuriki to steal the Scroll of Seals containing forbidden jutsu?
Conclusion: Mizuki, a traitor.
Solution: Capture, interrogate, purge.
"Alright."
Naruto uttered a single word, crisp and decisive.
Mizuki's smile grew wider.
He meticulously told Naruto the route to infiltrate the Hokage Building and the method to obtain the scroll, then patted him on the shoulder.
"I'll be waiting for you in the forest outside the Village; come immediately once you have it!"
With that, he disappeared into the night.
In the forest, Mizuki leaned against a tree, his mood incredibly relaxed.
The plan was flawless.
Let that monster steal the scroll, then he would appear as the hero who recovered it, shifting all blame onto Naruto.
Not only would he obtain powerful forbidden jutsu, but he would also eliminate this "menace" from the Village.
Killing two birds with one stone.
He even began to imagine his future, rising through the ranks in the Village after mastering the forbidden jutsu.
Meanwhile, Naruto had already infiltrated the Hokage Building like a ghost.
For him, the defenses here were practically nonexistent.
The Anbu patrol routes had fixed cycles, and the barrier's energy fluctuations were too faint to be ignored.
He easily obtained the huge scroll.
Unrolling the Scroll of Seals, he quickly scanned it.
Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu?
Edo Tensei?
Reaper Death Seal?
A trace of disdain flashed in Naruto's eyes.
Through these forbidden jutsu, he saw the Second Hokage's insecurity, a Hokage incapable of integrating the Village into a solid whole, attempting to use forbidden jutsu as a trump card against risks.
But in reality, these so-called trump cards were more likely to become the greatest risks.
Naruto recalled the neat formations and firm, cold expressions of the Imperial soldiers in his mind; ideology, too, was a powerful weapon.
He rolled up the scroll, slung it behind him, and walked towards the location Mizuki had specified.
Forest clearing.
Gekko filtered through the sparse branches, casting dappled light and shadow.
Mizuki saw Naruto appear with the scroll on his back, and his face immediately filled with a greedy smile.
"Well done, Naruto! Quick, give me the scroll!"
He eagerly reached out his hand.
Naruto stood still, unmoving.
"Before you get it, I have a few questions."
His voice was exceptionally clear in the silent forest.
"First, as the Village's top secret, why was the Scroll of Seals so easily stolen by me, a newly graduated Genin?"
"Second, as a Chunin, why are you so familiar with the Hokage Building's defense arrangements?"
"Third, you incited me to steal forbidden jutsu and promised me a future you couldn't deliver. What is your true objective?"
A series of questions, like sharp knives, instantly pierced through Mizuki's hypocritical mask.
Mizuki's smile froze on his face.
He stared at Naruto in astonishment, as if seeing this kid for the first time.
"You… what nonsense are you talking about? Give me the scroll!"
Naruto took the scroll from his back and casually tossed it at his feet.
"Based on my judgment, you have long betrayed Konoha, attempting to steal forbidden jutsu to defect to other forces, or… to serve an organization lurking in the shadows."
"And I am just a pawn and a scapegoat in your plan, to be discarded at any time."
"Your plan is crude, Mizuki. Your disguise is even more full of holes."
Every word was like a heavy hammer striking Mizuki's heart.
The greed in his eyes was instantly replaced by terror and rage.
This brat… how did he know?!
"You monster! I should have gotten rid of you!"
His conspiracy completely exposed, Mizuki flew into a rage out of humiliation. He drew a huge shuriken from his back and violently hurled it at Naruto.
"Die!"
He wanted to dispose of both the person and the scroll!
The huge shuriken whistled through the air, aimed directly at Naruto's head.
However, Naruto stood still, not even blinking.
Just a split second before the shuriken was about to hit him.
His body tilted slightly at an angle no ordinary person could achieve.
The shuriken grazed his cheek, catching a strand of golden hair, and deeply embedded itself in the tree trunk behind him.
Precognition.
On the battlefield, any soldier who couldn't predict the enemy's trajectory had already turned to dust.
Mizuki's pupils contracted sharply.
This was definitely not a coincidence!
Before he could react, Naruto moved.
No hand signs, no flashy movements.
He simply charged forward, his body closing the distance instantly.
So fast!
Alarm bells rang in Mizuki's heart, and he instinctively retreated to block.
But Naruto's attack was not the taijutsu he was familiar with at all.
A hand chop, precisely aimed at Mizuki's wrist joint holding the kunai.
"Crack!"
The crisp sound of bone shattering echoed through the night.
The intense pain made Mizuki scream, and the kunai flew out of his hand.
Naruto's attack didn't stop; a knee strike landed heavily on Mizuki's abdomen.
"Pfft—"
Mizuki curled up like a cooked shrimp, flying backward and hitting a large tree before stopping, spitting out a mouthful of acidic fluid mixed with stomach contents.
How is this possible… how could this kid's taijutsu become so… efficient, so deadly! And it's not the usual Ninja style at all!
Just then, an anxious voice came from outside the forest.
"Stop! What are you doing?!"
Iruka arrived, panting, just in time to see Naruto slowly approaching the fallen Mizuki.
"Naruto! Stop! What exactly is going on?"
Iruka stood in front of Naruto, trying to stop him.
However, Naruto merely glanced at him with his cold blue eyes.
"Iruka-sensei, this doesn't concern you."
"This is a purge of a traitor; please do not obstruct official duties."
That cold tone made Iruka feel as if he had fallen into an ice cave.
Official duties? Purge of a traitor?
What kind of words were those?
Iruka subconsciously spread his arms, completely blocking the way. "What nonsense are you talking about! Mizuki is a Chunin of the Village; even if he made a mistake, Hokage-sama and the Anbu should handle it! You can't…"
His words abruptly stopped.
Because Naruto made a simple movement.
He took a step forward, his body leaning slightly to the left.
It was such a simple movement, yet Iruka felt an invisible pressure surge towards him. He even had the illusion that if he didn't move aside, the opponent's attack would land on his most vulnerable vital point without hesitation in the next second.
His body reacted faster than his will.
He stiffly and unconsciously took half a step back.
It was in that half-step gap that Naruto had flowed past him like water, his clothes not even stirring a breath of wind. The entire process was smooth, efficient, without any superfluous movements, as if practiced a thousand times.
Iruka spun around, only to see Naruto's familiar yet unfamiliar back.
Iruka opened his mouth, but not a single word came out.
Shock, then fear.
That wasn't the Naruto he knew.
The Naruto who would cheer for a bowl of ramen, who would grin foolishly at receiving recognition, was gone.
He walked step by step towards the terrified Mizuki, his strides not large, but so steady it was unnerving, each step's distance precise, as if measured with a ruler.
Naruto bypassed Iruka; his target was only Mizuki.
"You… monster!"
Mizuki struggled to get up, his eyes filled with terror.
He looked at Naruto, who was closing in, and that gaze, that aura, reminded him of the most cold-blooded interrogators in the Torture and Interrogation Unit.
No, even more terrifying!
It was an absolute indifference, treating life as mere grass!
"Don't come any closer!"
Mizuki's psychological defenses completely collapsed. He turned and ran, looking utterly pathetic.
A barely perceptible curve formed at the corner of Naruto's mouth.
It was the expression of a hunter seeing his prey finally reveal a weakness.
He didn't give chase.
He simply formed hand signs quickly.
"Ninja Art: Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Hundreds of Narutos instantly appeared in the forest clearing, completely sealing off the entire area.
Every Shadow Clone carried the same cold killing intent as the original.
Iruka and Mizuki were both stunned.
This… this was a forbidden jutsu from the Scroll of Seals!
When did he… Mizuki was surrounded by a dozen Shadow Clones, with no escape in any direction.
Naruto's original body slowly walked in front of him, looking down at him.
"Game over, traitor."
He extended his hand, fingers splayed, pointing at Mizuki, who was slumped on the ground.
"Now, execute judgment."