Morning light filtered through the tall windows of the Ninja Academy, pale and cool, casting long rectangles across the wooden floor. Dust motes drifted lazily in the air, undisturbed by the stillness that lingered before the day officially began.
Naruto Uzumaki lay sprawled across his desk, cheek pressed flat against the scarred surface. Dark circles hung beneath his eyes, stark against his skin, making him look more exhausted than he ever had after a night of pranks or punishment.
He hadn't slept.
Not really.
Every time he closed his eyes, the scenes from Young A-Naruto replayed in his head—too vivid, too compelling. The rise, the humiliation, the stubborn struggle of the protagonist. The slow, intoxicating shift from ridicule to attention.
And somewhere along the way, without him consciously deciding it, Sakura's face had replaced the gentle cousin from the story.
Naruto groaned softly and rolled his head to the other side, a faint, dangerously inappropriate smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
No, no, no, he scolded himself belatedly. That's not right…
But his face still burned.
Students gradually filtered into the classroom, their chatter growing louder as desks scraped and chairs were pulled out. Laughter echoed, mixed with complaints and last-minute revision talk.
Footsteps stopped just behind Naruto's seat.
Sasuke Uchiha paused, eyes flicking down instinctively.
What he saw made his lip curl in instant disdain.
Naruto's expression was slack, eyes half-lidded, a stupid grin frozen on his face like he was dreaming of something obscene.
"…Idiot," Sasuke muttered as he walked past.
The word was quiet, but sharp.
Naruto's eyelid twitched.
As fellow orphans of Konoha, Sasuke had always viewed Naruto as an embarrassment—loud, talentless, desperate for attention. A stain that reflected poorly on those who had already lost everything.
Naruto lifted his head slowly and turned around, his blue eyes unexpectedly clear.
"What did you just say?" he asked.
Sasuke stopped.
He turned, brows knitting slightly in irritation. Naruto usually exploded or yelled back immediately, not this measured pause.
"The idiot," Sasuke repeated coldly, "is calling you. Dead last."
Naruto stared at him for a heartbeat.
Then he nodded, very seriously.
"Yeah," he said. "That's right. The idiot is calling me."
The air froze.
Sasuke's expression darkened instantly.
"…What?"
For a split second, his mind stalled. That wasn't how the exchange was supposed to go.
When did Naruto learn to talk like that?
"You—" Sasuke snapped, irritation flaring. "A dead last who can only run his mouth."
Naruto leaned back against his desk, eyes narrowing just slightly.
"And you," he replied, "are an idiot who can't even tell who he's insulting."
A crackle of tension snapped between them.
Choji Akimichi, seated a few rows away, paused mid-bite, then burst out laughing, crumbs spraying.
"Hahaha! Did you hear that!?" he shouted. "Naruto actually got Sasuke!"
He elbowed Shikamaru beside him, still chewing. "Did you see his face?"
Shikamaru sighed, hands laced behind his head, eyes half-open.
"Troublesome…" he muttered. Then, more thoughtfully, his gaze slid back to Naruto. "Though… It's not so clear anymore who the 'dead last' really is."
Choji blinked. "Huh?"
Shikamaru didn't elaborate.
He'd heard things. Not rumors—facts, passed quietly from his father the night before. A rogue chunin. A confrontation. Naruto at the center of it.
Shikamaru knew his own limits. Right now, if he ran into a chunin alone, escaping would be the best he could hope for.
Defeating one?
That was another matter entirely.
Before Sasuke could retort, the classroom door slid open with a sharp sound.
Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka rushed in together, voices already raised as they argued about who arrived first. Their rivalry crackled just as loudly as ever, drowning out half the room.
Hinata Hyuga slipped in behind them, shoulders hunched slightly, fingers twisting together. She'd intended to step in and calm things down—
Until she saw Naruto.
Standing tall. Facing Sasuke head-on.
Her face turned crimson in an instant. Any thought of mediation vanished. She ducked her head and hurried to her seat, heart pounding.
Sakura and Ino followed the line of gazes and immediately zeroed in on the confrontation.
Their arguing stopped.
Then they moved—fast.
"Sasuke!" Sakura called, instantly at his side. "Are you okay?"
Ino shot Naruto a glare sharp enough to cut. "What are you doing now, Naruto? Causing trouble on graduation day?"
Naruto bristled.
"I didn't start it!"
Sasuke, however, was far angrier than Naruto.
The girls' presence, their automatic defense, only sharpened the humiliation. Around them, other students snickered and whispered, feeding the tension until the room buzzed like a disturbed hive.
Then—
"Enough."
Iruka Umino stepped into the classroom, flanked by two unfamiliar chunin. His voice was firm, cutting through the noise like a blade.
"Take your seats," he ordered. "The graduation exam is about to begin."
The room quieted immediately.
Iruka's gaze swept across the students.
When it reached Naruto, it lingered for half a second longer than usual—filled with conflict, hesitation, and something unspoken.
Then he moved on.
No special concern. No softening.
Naruto noticed.
Something in his chest tightened—but he straightened anyway.
It's fine, he told himself. I don't need that anymore.
The words graduation exam sent a jolt through him.
This was it.
He had learned an A-rank technique. One even many chunin couldn't use.
Today, no one would be able to ignore him.
Naruto turned halfway in his seat and grinned at Sasuke.
"Hey," he said. "My score today is definitely going to be higher than yours."
Sasuke scoffed without looking at him. "Stop dreaming, idiot."
The words had barely left his mouth when Iruka spoke again.
"Before we begin," Iruka said evenly, "there is one special case."
The room stilled.
"Naruto Uzumaki."
Naruto blinked. "Huh?"
"Step forward."
He did, confused murmurs rising behind him.
"Due to last night's incident," Iruka continued, voice steady, "and the fact that Naruto successfully defeated a rogue chunin, he is exempt from the practical exam."
Silence.
Then—
"He passes."
The classroom exploded.
"What!?"
"No way!"
"The dead last defeated a chunin!?"
"Is this a joke!?"
"Cheating! There's cheating!"
Sasuke's face drained of color.
He stared at Naruto like he was looking at a stranger.
Naruto panicked.
"H-Hey! It's true! I didn't cheat!" he shouted, jumping onto his desk. "I really did it!"
His frantic explanation only made things worse.
From within, Lock's voice cut in sharply, cold and unimpressed.
Idiot. Explaining won't help.
Naruto froze.
Show them, Lock continued. Form the seals. Use the technique.
Naruto's eyes lit up.
"Oh! Right!"
He slapped his forehead, then quickly formed the hand signs.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
The classroom vanished in smoke.
When it cleared—
Naruto was everywhere.
Dozens. Then hundreds. Filling every inch of space, standing on desks, crowding aisles, surrounding stunned classmates from all sides.
Iruka and the two chunin were pressed flat against the wall.
"NARUTO!" Iruka roared, vein bulging. "DISPEL THEM!"
The room was in chaos.
Naruto did—slowly.
Clone after clone vanished, leaving stunned silence in their wake.
Naruto stood alone again, chest puffed out, grinning shamelessly.
"A-rank ninjutsu," he announced proudly. "Multiple Shadow Clone. None of you know it, right?"
Silence.
No one argued.
No one doubted.
Even Sasuke said nothing.
Inside, Lock felt the surge ripple through their shared consciousness.
Attention. Shock. Envy.
Dark emotions—directed at Naruto, but feeding him all the same.
The exam continued.
But from that moment on, everything had changed.
Sasuke sat rigid at his desk, fists clenched beneath it, nails biting into his palms.
A-rank…
Defeated a chunin…
Naruto's occasional backward glances, the smug grin—
Each one cut deeper.
When it was Sasuke's turn, his hands shook.
He stumbled through seals he'd performed a thousand times flawlessly before.
Only Iruka's sharp eye and quiet decision to give him a second chance saved him from failure.
As Sasuke passed at last, sweat cooling on his back, one thought burned brighter than all the rest:
Naruto Uzumaki…
I won't lose to you.
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