Naruto is a go-to happy guy, both literally and figuratively. He lives in the moment, enjoying pranks and ramen. Totally content with a quarter of a dozen people he meets regularly, which includes the ramen chef, his daughter, the Hokage, and sometimes his sensei, Iruka.
It's not like he doesn't see what's happening around him or how the people of Konoha respond to his day-to-day life. Oh, he knows—as he feels the atmosphere around him while passing through the streets on his way to the academy. The stares and rebukes from parents of the children he just wants to play with. The greed in the eyes of storekeepers as they raise the prices of daily necessities under the excuse of a "shinobi tax" or who-knows-what. The side-eyes of shinobi watching him as if he were some Iwagakure spy sent to finish whatever those rock-heads left half-done.
Painting the Hokage monument was something he started just to gain acknowledgment—but this reaction pity and hate feels worse. He has asked his jiji many times about what he did wrong and all he got in response was silence or roundabout invitation to Ichiraku ramen for lunch.
The morning sun bathed Konoha in soft gold, but for Naruto Uzumaki, the day felt like a storm waiting to break.
He sat at his desk, still in pajamas, chopsticks in hand and cup ramen steaming in front of him. His fingers trembled slightly as he reached for the seasoning packet."Graduation day..."He whispered it to himself like a prayer.
He was going to do it this time. He had to.
No more prankster. No more dead last. No more being the outsider.
He slurped the ramen with fake enthusiasm, but his stomach was knotted tight.
As he walked to the academy in his usual orange jumpsuit. Villagers muttered when he passed—some avoided eye contact, others didn't bother.
A passing jōnin made a comment under his breath:"Why even let that thing try again?"
Naruto heard it. Of course he did, he always had better sensory skills. But he kept walking, grinning like always, trying to hide his hurt beneath that dumb smile.
"I'll show you all. Just wait." he muttered under his breath.
He arrived early and stood by the entrance swing, swaying slightly in the morning breeze. Kids started arriving in clumps, laughing and chatting. None of them included him.
While Chōji and Shikako gave polite nods they didn't come closer.
Sakura glared at him when he tried to wave. Sasuke ignored him.
He swallowed the sting.
Iruka-sensei's voice called everyone in. Naruto stood up, brushed dust off his pants, and walked in behind the others, pretending he belonged.
First theortical and later the basic three jutsu.
Naruto barely scraping by, and layering in his frustration, insecurity, and raw determination started answering as best as he could.The classroom was quiet, for once.No pranks. No loud Naruto announcing his awesomeness.
Instead, the room was filled with the scratch of pencils on paper and the occasional sigh from students hunched over their graduation exam question paper.
Naruto stared at his test sheet like it was written in Suna script.
"List the seal order for a C-Rank Fire Release technique."
He chewed on the end of his pencil.
Was it Ram → Tiger →… uh… Monkey? No, wait… Horse?
He marked something at random.
Soon the bell rang, Iruka stood at the front, clipboard in hand, while Mizuki collected answer sheets smiling.
"Alright, everyone," Iruka announced. "Today the practical portion of the graduation exam will is bunshin jutsu (clone)."
Naruto's stomach dropped.
Not shuriken throwing. Not even sparring.
Clone Jutsu.
The one jutsu he couldn't get right no matter how hard he tried.
One by one, the students were called up to adjacent room.
Sasuke made three flawless clones, perfection as always.Sakura's were thinner, but good.
Chōji, who often fumbled with hand signs, managed a decent set.Even Kiba's wild energy calmed down enough to manage decent ones.
Then—
"Naruto Uzumaki."
He walked up with a big grin and shaky legs. Sweat dampened his collar.
He pressed his palms together and inhaled. Focused all his chakra, just like Iruka had taught, and exclaimed.
"Clone Jutsu!"
A puff of smoke exploded beside him.
And then silence.
Two clones stood… if you could call them that.
One was upside down with its tongue sticking out.The other lay face-down on the floor, twitching slightly.
No one laughed—but only because they were too used to it.
Mizuki smirked. Iruka's lips parted, but no words came out.
Naruto looked up at them, eyes wide with pleading.
"I—I tried. Did you see? I made two this time!"
Iruka looked torn. "Naruto… I'm sorry. You fail."
Soon Naruto was sitting outside the academy on the swing. He looked down at his hands.They were shaking.He'd failed again.
What more do they want from me? I worked so hard… I really did…
He can now hear cheers of classmates and their parents who celebrated their graduation passing.
Mizuki approached later, crouching beside him.
"It's not fair, huh?"
Naruto looked up, suspicious. Mizuki today seemed… too nice.
"You know," Mizuki continued, "there's a special way to pass. A secret test the teachers don't tell everyone."
Naruto's ears perked up.
Mizuki smiled. "If you get a certain scroll and learn a jutsu from it… you can graduate immediately."
A secret test…? I could still become a ninja…?
Hope bloomed again in Naruto's chest. Desperate, wild hope.
"Where do I find it?" he asked.
Mizuki leaned in.
"The Scroll of Seals. It's locked away in the Hokage's office. But if anyone can get it, it's you Naruto."