The final exam venue at the Ninja Academy was filled with the unique scent of teenage sweat and a subtle, underlying tension.
The afternoon sun lazily cast its rays upon the training ground, gilding everything in gold. The final exams were immediately followed by the graduation exams for this cohort. Although the graduation exam only consisted of the Three Ninjutsu, and the results of the final exam did not affect graduation, serving only as a check of progress, it was also a form of assessment.
The final rankings would be recorded in their files, and no one wanted to start with a bad mark in their records. Surrounded by peers of both genders, no one wanted to be outdone by male classmates or embarrassed in front of female classmates.
"Next, Uzumaki Naruto!"
As the examiner called out the name, several Loser students on the sidelines immediately beamed, exchanging a knowing glance of relief.
A spiky-haired boy even shouted unceremoniously, "Hey, Naruto, we're counting on you! This year's last place in the grade is all on you to defend, hahaha!"
A burst of laughter erupted around them.
In the corner, Hyuga Hinata nervously poked her two index fingers together, her small face flushed crimson. She was terribly anxious but dared not speak up to retort.
Sakura, on the other hand, habitually sighed, glancing at the blonde idiot, already envisioning every moment of his impending embarrassment.
She withdrew her gaze, looking dreamily at Uchiha Sasuke beside her; that was where her attention should be.
Normally, the blonde youth would either flush red and loudly retort or defiantly rush forward to argue. But today, he just stood quietly, as if the harsh taunts were merely wind passing by his ears.
His gaze wasn't even directed at the provoking classmate but fell upon Konoha Village in the distance, bathed in sunlight.
Rows of roofs, lush green trees, and the faint outline of Hokage Rock in the distance. A scene of peace and tranquility.
However, above this bright scenery, in Naruto's mind, another image instantly superimposed itself. Under a crimson sky, black scorched earth stretched endlessly, the air filled with a mixed scent of ozone, blood, and decaying corpses. Amidst deafening artillery fire, countless human soldiers in crude armor roared, "For the Emperor!" as they launched a desperate charge towards twisted, indescribable Chaos monsters.
That was the "homeland" he had fought for, a world constantly struggling on the brink of destruction.
"Uzumaki Naruto! It's your turn! What are you spacing out for?!" The examiner, Chunin Mizuki, urged impatiently. In his view, this perennial Loser was merely going through the motions.
Naruto pulled his thoughts back. In his azure eyes, the last trace of past confusion was completely erased, leaving only a deep-sea calm and coldness.
He stepped into the arena.
"The exam content: combat. Your opponent is me." Mizuki casually assumed a stance, a hint of disdain on his lips. "If you can withstand three moves from me, you pass."
The implication was that this was already a huge concession.
Naruto didn't reply, simply lowering his center of gravity slightly, adopting a seemingly simple yet flawless combat stance.
Mizuki sneered, his figure blurring as he charged towards Naruto, intending to end this boring exam in the simplest, most direct way.
Just as his fist was about to connect with Naruto's face, an unexpected change occurred!
Naruto's figure was like a phantom, shifting slightly at an angle impossible for an ordinary person, perfectly evading the punch's wind. Immediately after, his elbow shot upwards with lightning speed, striking Mizuki's jaw with pinpoint accuracy.
The entire movement was fast, precise, and ruthless, without a hint of wasted motion, full of the pure efficiency born for killing.
Mizuki's pupils contracted. Instinct, honed by years of combat, made him forcefully lean back, awkwardly dodging the elbow strike that could have knocked him out cold.
Before he could regain his balance, Naruto was already upon him. A whip kick, carrying a tearing whistle through the air, aimed directly at his vulnerable ribs.
Mizuki only had time to cross his arms to block.
"Bang!"
With a dull thud, Mizuki was sent flying sideways by a powerful force, rolling several times on the ground before finally stopping. He felt his arms numb, his bones feeling as if they had cracked.
The entire venue was deathly silent.
The students who had been watching for a laugh now gaped, as if they could fit an egg in their mouths.
This... this was still one move?
This was a one-sided annihilation!
Mizuki struggled to his feet, his gaze at Naruto filled with shock and incomprehension. He could feel that the opponent hadn't even used Chakra, relying purely on physical strength and technique. That kind of technique was cold, brutal; every move seemed like a refined killing art.
On the sidelines, Uchiha Sasuke's body trembled violently. In those eyes, usually filled with arrogance, an emotion called "shock" appeared after a long absence.
He stared intently at Naruto, replaying the combat sequence over and over in his mind.
The replay was quick, the conclusion undeniable.
If he had been standing there just now, he would have been ten times more pathetic than Mizuki-sensei.
He might even... not have been able to dodge that fatal blow.
A familiar sense of powerlessness, like a poisonous vine, coiled around his heart, as if taking him back to that bloody night, making him see the cold gleam reflected off Uchiha Itachi's blade again.
"Next item." Naruto spoke calmly, as if he had only done a trivial thing.
At the examiner's table, Iruka and the other teachers exchanged glances, all seeing intense shock in each other's eyes.
"Ahem... Next item, shuriken throwing." Another examiner cleared his throat, forcing the procedure to continue.
The target stood fifty meters away.
Naruto picked up five shuriken, casually weighing them. His posture was standard, yet it exuded an unusual steadiness. His arm, wrist, and fingers formed a perfect straight line.
Without the slightest hesitation, his wrist flicked.
"Swish swish swish swish swish!"
Five cold glints shot through the air in a 'pin' formation, almost simultaneously.
The next second, crisp metallic impacts sounded in quick succession.
"Thud thud thud thud thud!"
On the distant humanoid target, five shuriken were precisely embedded in the exact same spot on the bullseye. The tail of the last shuriken was even still trembling slightly, pushing the previous four deeper.
If the Taijutsu earlier was shocking, now, it was utter stupefaction.
The entire examination ground was silent, even the rustling of leaves in the wind was clearly audible.
At this, even Hinata forgot to be happy. Her small mouth slightly agape, her eyes filled with disbelief. She was delighted by Naruto's change, but the unfamiliarity in those cold eyes made her feel a surge of panic.
Naruto-kun... what exactly did he go through?
Everyone's gaze converged on the blonde youth. He still maintained that unperturbed demeanor, as if he himself wasn't the one who had performed such miraculous feats.
That wasn't skill; that was machine-like precision.
At the examiner's table, Iruka subconsciously pushed up his forehead protector, muttering, "This... how is this possible...?"
He suddenly remembered the theoretical test paper he had just graded. That paper, from Ninjutsu principles to historical knowledge, to tactical analysis, was all correct. Perfect. The answer to every question was perfect. Even on some open-ended questions about tactical application, Naruto's answers... were cold, efficient, filled with the iron-blooded logic of "minimal sacrifice for maximum victory."
Iruka felt a chill run down his spine.
This was definitely not the Naruto he knew. What was revealed between the lines was an unsettling, absolute rationality.
After the exam, a few classmates who had once been on good terms with Naruto mustered their courage and approached him.
"Hey... Naruto, you brat, did you take the wrong medicine today?"
Naruto merely swept them with those cold blue eyes. The look, devoid of any emotion, instantly made those classmates shut their mouths and instinctively take a step back.
He said nothing, turned, and walked straight away.
His back was straight, his steps steady, each stride precisely measured, exuding an absolute aloofness that warned others to keep their distance.
Hokage Office.
Through the crystal ball, Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi silently watched Naruto's entire examination process. When Naruto embedded five shuriken into the same spot, the pipe in his mouth nearly dropped to the floor.
His expression was more solemn than ever before.
He could no longer feel the sunshine and mischievousness of the past from that child. Instead, there was a complete, deeply ingrained change.
It was a gaze... of someone who had experienced mountains of corpses and seas of blood, who had crawled back from purgatory.
Naruto walked on his way home.
The bustling crowds on the street transformed in his eyes into disordered, unguarded "biomass units." The familiar shops and houses became "tactical strongpoints" whose defensive value needed to be assessed.
This wasn't home.
This was a fortress awaiting reinforcement and rectification.
His thoughts drifted back to that world of blood and fire.
It was on the training grounds of the "Zhongsi Academy," the cradle of Imperial Political Commissars. An instructor with a face like cast steel, holding an electro-whip, roared.
"You are not men! You are weapons! Extensions of the Emperor's will!"
"Forget pain! Forget fear! Forget mercy!"
"The only things you need to remember are loyalty and obedience!"
The electro-whip lashed his back, the intense pain almost making him faint, but he still kept his spine rigidly straight. Because he knew that any hint of weakness would result in immediate execution.
It was that kind of training that forged his Taijutsu today. Every strike was for the most efficient elimination of the enemy.
Late at night.
The door to the Hokage Office was urgently knocked upon.
Iruka rushed in, his face filled with anxiety and worry.
"Lord Third! About Naruto... everything today was too out of place!"
"His theory, his Taijutsu, and his eyes... those aren't the eyes a child should have!" Iruka's voice trembled slightly. "They're like... like a killing machine!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi silently smoked his pipe, the swirling smoke obscuring most of his face.
It sounded a bit like the fanatics from the Land of Hot Springs.
After a long pause, he slowly spoke, his voice hoarse and heavy.
"I understand, Iruka."
"I will personally conduct a deeper observation of him."
He put down his pipe, looking out at Konoha under the moonlight.
"This child, I'm afraid, will bring a huge variable to Konoha... one that none of us can predict."