Things unfolded exactly as Naruto had anticipated. Iruka didn't pass him, and to lure out Mizuki, Naruto went to the swing set outside the school, sitting quietly and watching.
He knew Mizuki would definitely appear. Through this person, Naruto would test the consequences of the experience orb's disappearance.
However, the parents of the children at the school gate always looked at him with cold eyes.
"Only that little brat didn't pass the exam?"
"Hmph, how can a guy like that be qualified to be a ninja?"
"Exactly, he's a..."
"Shh, don't say the rest."
The parents coldly watched Naruto, speaking words of dislike to each other, which also made the graduating children puzzled and ready to go back and ask what was going on.
Naruto sat quietly by the swing set, showing no anger at all. Instead, he was waiting for someone to appear.
"Naruto, let's go over there and chat for a bit."
As if on cue, Iruka, his teacher, finally showed up. He smiled at Naruto, looking very friendly.
"Okay."
Naruto stood up and smiled back, but his smile was completely different from the one he gave Hinata.
[Experience +1] [Experience +1]
The two of them walked away.
Naruto chatted with Mizuki on the way, discussing how to earn experience points while watching the experience orbs around Mizuki shrink.
They arrived at the meeting place.
Naruto looked around, thinking that this Mizuki was quite skilled. Their position was high, making it difficult for anyone to approach them silently.
If someone tried to get close, Mizuki would undoubtedly detect them immediately. Mizuki's anti-reconnaissance skills as a ninja were solid, a testament to his hard work.
But.
For a ninja like Mizuki, with no bloodline, no clan, and average talent, his strength had already reached its limit, making it difficult to improve further.
He could only seek other methods to increase his strength, which was also why he desperately wanted the Forbidden Jutsu Scroll.
"Naruto, don't blame Iruka. He has his reasons. He actually wants you to graduate," Mizuki said with a warm smile, trying to appear approachable and appeal to Naruto's feelings.
Naruto wouldn't expose him, of course. He wasn't about to pass up the chance to gain experience points, so the two of them, each with their own ulterior motives, chatted amicably.
Eventually, Mizuki goaded Naruto into stealing the Forbidden Jutsu Scroll. Naruto also finally made a judgment and conclusion about the experience orbs.
Because the experience orbs around Mizuki had disappeared, but Mizuki was completely fine, unaffected in the slightest.
This made Naruto vaguely feel that the experience orbs wouldn't affect people, perhaps they were just a byproduct of the plot characters. Of course, this needed to be verified multiple times; Naruto wasn't a hundred percent certain.
With a hint of doubt, Naruto left to steal the Forbidden Jutsu Scroll.
However, halfway there, he felt a sense of being watched, coming from the direction of the Hokage's Office.
Naruto continued on, seemingly unaffected. He soon arrived at the place where the Forbidden Jutsu Scroll was kept and easily stole it; the whole process was unbelievably simple.
Quickly arriving in the forest outside, Naruto sensed at least eight sets of eyes watching him, indicating that Konoha had already prepared for everything.
Naruto didn't express anything about this, but silently opened the Forbidden Jutsu Scroll and looked at the first jutsu, the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique.
His movements while flipping through it were a little exaggerated, allowing him to see some of the information behind the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique. However, the rest was blank, indicating that the Forbidden Jutsu Scroll only contained this one jutsu.
Naruto didn't say anything, pretending not to notice this, and continued to study the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique.
This Multiple Shadow Clone Technique could be considered a very good jutsu, especially its amplification in learning, which was simply terrifying.
Think about it, others learn bit by bit, but with this jutsu, there's a whole bunch of "you" learning, which is a completely abnormal learning method.
More importantly, with his Uzumaki Clan physique combined with Saiyan blood, he didn't care about the side effects and could use it as he pleased. Naruto would definitely not miss such a good ability.
Of course, Naruto actually had another idea.
That was the plan: use Shadow Clones to interact with the characters in the story and see if he could gain experience points. He'd been thinking about this for a while.
If it worked, this ability would be incredible. The entire ninja world would become his personal game to farm experience points.
Don't let me down.
Naruto took a deep breath and continued to study the jutsu.
\n\n
Soon after.
Naruto wrapped the scroll and put it behind his back, then leisurely began walking through the forest, waiting for Iruka to appear and earn him some experience.
"Naruto!!"
An angry voice echoed from a distance. Naruto didn't need to guess who it was; it was clearly Iruka.
"Naruto, what are you doing!" Iruka rushed in front of Naruto, yelling in annoyance.
"Of course, I'm learning the Shadow Clone Technique. That way, I can graduate," Naruto said, raising an eyebrow with a playful smile.
"What? Graduate?"
Iruka was stunned, feeling something was wrong. But just then, a dozen kunai shot towards Naruto from behind, carrying a chilling intent.
"Watch out!"
Iruka moved like lightning, quickly rushing towards Naruto, trying to push him away.
After all, even he found those kunai dangerous to dodge, and if it were Naruto, he would likely lose his life.
So, Iruka acted, putting his hands on Naruto's shoulders and shoving him hard.
Just as he was about to make his move, something frustrating happened. His shove didn't budge Naruto at all; in fact, he almost lost his balance.
Clang, clang, clang!
Sparks flew as Naruto's right hand moved like a dancing butterfly, effortlessly deflecting all the kunai. He was completely unharmed, and his expression didn't even change.
Iruka was stunned by this scene, frozen in place.
It wasn't just him; Mizuki on the other side was also bewildered. His kunai had been a sneak attack, and under normal circumstances, even a Chunin of the same rank might not have been able to block them.
But this ninja academy student, who wasn't even qualified to graduate, had blocked all of his attacks. This was truly unexpected.
"You little brat, I didn't expect you had some skill. But you'd better hand over the Forbidden Jutsu Scroll, or I'll kill you!"
Mizuki shouted angrily, taking the large Fūma Shuriken off his back and getting ready to attack.
"Naruto, don't give him the Forbidden Jutsu Scroll, Mizuki has bad intentions," Iruka urged urgently.
"Hahaha, you pathetic brat, do you know? You are the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, and Iruka's parents were killed by you. You think Iruka will help you? How laughable."
Mizuki sneered, beginning to recount the entire story. The surrounding ninjas, who were watching, clearly grew tense during this.
Even the Third Hokage, using the Teleportation Technique, was also intensely focused on the scene, not daring to be distracted for a moment.
A moment later.
Having finished speaking, Mizuki looked at Naruto with a cold laugh, continuing to shout, "See? This is the Konoha you live in. Everyone rejects you, everyone hates you. You shouldn't even be alive in this world. Wouldn't it be better if you were dead?"
"No."
Naruto shook his head, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Actually, I have a secret, a secret hidden deep within my heart."
....
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