"Hehe, Naruto, I've seen your scores. Very impressive! But Iruka tells me you don't seem to take his lessons seriously. Do you dislike his classes?"
"Lord Hokage, I only find them a little boring. Sometimes I space out. Besides, you already had me learn all of this before I even enrolled. Have any other teachers complained about me in class?"
Dinner had barely settled in his stomach when Naruto sensed the Third Hokage leaving his office and heading his way. Combined with Iruka's complaints earlier that day, Naruto knew this was no coincidence. The old man had come for a home visit.
"Hmm… the other teachers haven't said anything directly. But since Iruka is your homeroom teacher, he was tasked with passing on the concerns of the faculty. They believe your attitude in class needs correcting."
Naruto's eyes gleamed faintly. "But my test results are flawless. My grades don't drag the class down, do they?"
Hiruzen paused for a moment, then smiled kindly as if nothing were wrong. "Naruto, the Academy is not about grades alone. When you graduate, your teachers will evaluate you in detail and make recommendations to me. Their words determine which jonin will take you as a student. If you do poorly in their eyes, then the jonin assigned to you might also begin with a poor impression."
Naruto stared at him strangely, then tilted his head. "Then I just won't graduate. Or maybe I should drop out now, while it's still early?"
The Third Hokage nearly choked. He had not expected Naruto to say such a thing. Clearing his throat, he forced his face back into kindly lines.
"Naruto, never say such things. Once you have learned chakra and ninjutsu, there is no retreat. You are already a shinobi. You cannot drop out, nor can you refuse to graduate. That is your path now."
Naruto lowered his head, hiding the cold gleam in his eyes. This was not what had happened in the tale he remembered. In the original history, when Iruka complained, Hiruzen had openly said Naruto could quit school if Iruka refused to accept him. Yet now, when he tested it, the answer was entirely different.
The Hokage mistook his silence for sulking. Just as he was about to offer more comforting words, a masked voice called from outside.
"Lord Hokage!"
Hiruzen's expression shifted. He rose and patted Naruto's shoulder with grandfatherly warmth. "Naruto, I will come see you again soon. And when you graduate, I will personally assign you a fine jonin instructor. You have my word."
Naruto did not reply. He only waited until he sensed the Hokage had gone far, then silently closed the door and walked upstairs to his room.
He sat upon the window ledge, eyes turned to the heavens. A full, silver moon glowed above, round and perfect.
The last full moon of the year.
"Advisor Danzo, what has happened that you had to summon me directly? The Barrier Team is here as well?"
Hiruzen had just returned to the Hokage's office. Danzo and the leader of the Barrier Corps were waiting, grim-faced.
"Old friend, intelligence has arrived. Uchiha resentment grows restless again. The Police Force is sharpening its weapons. And the Barrier Team has recorded suspicious intruders breaching the barrier, appearing repeatedly near the Uchiha compound."
Danzo stepped closer, cane tapping the floor, and handed over two reports.
Hiruzen skimmed them quickly. The first was expected. He already knew of the Uchiha situation; his ANBU had brought him similar news.
But the second… the Barrier Corps had confirmed the presence of a mysterious figure, one who slipped past their seals again and again, into the Uchiha district itself.
This reminded him sharply of past reports—of the shadow glimpsed when Orochimaru had been hunted, of the presence felt in the Forest of Death on the night Shisui Uchiha had died. That same phantom again.
Hiruzen paced to his chair, reading once more, and then flicked a look toward Danzo.
Danzo's single visible eye narrowed. With a faint nod, he turned and left, cane tapping steadily until the office was empty save for Hiruzen and the Barrier captain.
Moments later, Hiruzen moved to the window. His voice was calm, but the air seemed to weigh heavy. "Hayate."
A blur appeared. "Here."
"Bring Kakashi to me."
"Yes."
Not long after, a silver-haired figure entered, one eye covered, a great blade strapped to his back.
"Lord Hokage, you called?"
"Yes. Kakashi, you will investigate this matter."
He handed him the second report.
Time swept on. The year turned. It was now Konoha Year 55. The Academy opened its doors once more.
On the first morning, every student faced an individual exam. Iruka now held the new year's results in hand.
"Now, I will announce the top three students."
"First place: Uzumaki Naruto."
"Second place: Uchiha Sasuke."
"Third place: Haruno Sakura."
The class erupted.
"What! That dead-last is first? Impossible!"
"No way! Iruka-sensei must have messed up!"
"How could it be him!"
Chaos spread, but Iruka's eyes were fixed only on Naruto, who sat in his usual corner, absentminded, as if he had not heard a word.
His frown deepened. He glanced at Sasuke, expecting anger or pride. Instead, Sasuke wore a brooding expression, his thoughts clearly elsewhere.
Iruka's gaze slid to Sakura. Her face glowed with adoration as she stared only at Sasuke, utterly oblivious to her own ranking.
Problem students. All of them.
"Father, I placed first."
"Hm? Naruto, does that surprise even you?" Minato's voice filled the seal-space. Naruto was fully spread in his perception, searching for Itachi, only to find his chakra hidden behind the Root's barrier.
"You don't think it matches my style?" Naruto smiled faintly.
Minato frowned. "Honestly, no. It doesn't fit your usual way of doing things…"
"I had no choice. The Hokage already told me last year I can't refuse to graduate, and I can't quit. If I scored at the bottom, don't you think he would have summoned me instantly?"
Minato blinked, then chuckled awkwardly. "Well… when you put it that way, I suppose you're right."
But Naruto's eyes sharpened. "By the way, Father, there's something I've been wondering. You were the Fourth Hokage. Why do you know so few jutsu? I've heard the Third is called the Professor, said to have mastered every technique in Konoha."
"Impossible!" Minato's face grew stern. "The Third knows many jutsu, yes. He earned that title. But aside from a few forbidden arts and sealing techniques, he has simply mastered all five elemental chakra natures. That is all."
Naruto's gaze glimmered with curiosity. "Then why didn't you learn more yourself? Didn't each Hokage guard the Scroll of Seals, full of forbidden jutsu? Why didn't you study it?"
Minato's face went rigid. His voice dropped low. "Naruto… you aren't planning to steal the Scroll of Seals, are you?"
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