17: Chapter 17: My Image! I am NarutoAs Hiruzen Sarutobi listened, he silently puffed on his pipe, his deep gaze sweeping over Naruto's vibrant yet concealing-a-great-secret body, finally confirming once more:
"Based on the characteristics you described—toughness, elasticity, stretchability… I have officially named it 'Bullet Escape'."
It will be yours alone, Naruto Uzumaki's bloodline limit!
Time slipped into the afternoon.
In Naruto's small apartment, a fierce "battle for image" is unfolding in his consciousness space.
"No way!Absolutely not!Your orange tracksuit is so tacky!"
Ichigo, holding his Zanpakuto, declared resolutely, "Graduation photos are for the ninja register!It's a lifelong commitment!They have to be sunny, handsome, and spirited!"
"Hehehe, what does it matter!Comfort is the most important thing!"
Luffy, oblivious to everything, swung his rubber leg aside, picked his nose with his pinky, and retorted:
"Anyway, when I shoot pirate wanted posters in the future, I'll definitely shoot them however I want!"
"That's right!" Little Naruto chimed in, but his confidence seemed a little lacking.
"Shut up!You aesthetically idiotic!"
Ichigo held his Zanpakuto upside down, slamming the hilt hard against Luffy's rubber head with a dull thud.
"Naruto!Listen to me!"
"Don't forget that your image will be engraved on the Hokage Rock!"
Imagine how others would feel seeing you grinning like an idiot on the Hokage Rock!
Under Ichigo's insistence, Naruto finally gave in.
He rummaged through his drawers and found a relatively clean set of dark blue short-sleeved shirt and beige trousers—the closest he could find to his imagined "handsome image."
He washed his face carefully and even tried to comb his signature blond hair to make it more tame, although a few strands still stubbornly stuck out in the end.
When he stood in front of the mirror, even he was stunned for a moment.
Sunlight streamed through the window, bathing him in its crisp blue fabric, which accentuated his brilliant blond hair.His azure eyes sparkled with anticipation, and a youthful, clean-cut air of confidence graced his lips.
The pure, sunny disposition between his brows vaguely evoked the blurry image of the golden-haired figure on the Hokage Rock in his youth…
'Tsk!'
Ichigo mentally scrutinized the scene, but his tone softened considerably.'If those bastards in the village hadn't treated you like a monster… just looking at you like this, one might really suspect you're the Fourth Hokage's illegitimate son…'
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When Naruto walked onto the streets of Konoha in this "carefully dressed" appearance, the effect was indeed extraordinary.
Many pedestrians subconsciously stopped in their tracks, their eyes drawn to the strikingly handsome blond boy.
Those familiar blond hair and blue eyes, that youthful energy under the sunlight, were like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, instantly awakening long-forgotten memories.
"That child."
"His hair.his eyes."
"It looks like.it looks like the Fourth Hokage when he was young."
An old woman murmured to herself, her eyes slightly moist.
"Yes, it really looks like it."
The middle-aged man next to him was also lost in memories.
However, this brief moment of amazement and nostalgia was quickly shattered by the cold hammer of reality.
"Hmph!So what if it's similar?"
A sharp voice rang out, filled with undisguised disgust.
"Don't forget that fox face!Look at the fox fur on his face, a fox is a fox!Don't try to become a hero by putting on human skin!"
"Exactly!Pretending!"
"Stay away from him, he's bad luck!"
The whispers quickly turned into open contempt and avoidance.The crowd dispersed from him as if avoiding a plague, and the warmth that had just begun to rise instantly froze, leaving only faces filled with indifference and hatred.
Naruto's smile froze, his bright blue eyes dimmed for a moment, but were quickly filled with stubbornness again.
He straightened his back, ignored the gossip, and strode towards the photo studio.
"Tsk, why are they having to work overtime at the last minute."
The old photographer had barely uttered a complaint when he looked up and saw Naruto walking in.The rest of his words caught in his throat.
He adjusted his reading glasses, looked the completely transformed young man up and down, and a hint of surprise flashed in his cloudy eyes:
"Hey?Kid.you're dressed pretty smartly!This.this look."
He squinted, carefully examining Naruto's face."Hmm.He looks really familiar.He looks about seven or eight points like that guy on the Hokage Rock when he was young!"
Naruto remained silent for a moment, not jumping up to refute or defend himself as usual.
He thought of Iruka lying in the hospital bed and just managed a faint smile: "Excuse me, sir, could you please take the registration photo?"
As the experienced photographer adjusted the camera, he kept exclaiming, "It's so lifelike!Especially the eyes."
"I don't want to live in anyone's shadow."
Naruto suddenly spoke, his voice not loud, but very clear.
He looked calmly into the camera and said, "I am Naruto Uzumaki."
The experienced driver paused for a moment, then nodded: "Good lad!You've got ambition!Come on, look at the camera!Smile!"
"Click!" The shutter sounded.
The photo captures the boy's clear blue eyes and slightly upturned lips, conveying a hint of stubbornness and anticipation.
Although dressed simply, his radiance was enough to touch people's hearts.
After taking the photos, Naruto immediately ran to a corner, quickly messed up his carefully combed hair, and changed back into his favorite, slightly dirty orange tracksuit jacket, transforming back into the familiar, somewhat dull-looking "underachiever" Naruto.
Holding the freshly taken photo, he took a deep breath and headed towards the Hokage Building—to complete his official initiation into the ninja profession.
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In the Hokage's office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi picked up the genin registration form that had just been submitted and the small photograph.
When his gaze fell upon the radiant, blond-haired, blue-eyed face in the photograph.Suddenly, his fingers stopped.
Amidst the swirling smoke, time seemed to flow backward.
Golden glint, a warm smile, resolute blue eyes.faintly overlap with the face of the boy in the photo.
An indescribable bitterness and immense regret welled up in his heart, causing his hand holding the pipe to tremble slightly.
"Watergate."
He murmured unconsciously, looking at Naruto's eyes in the photo, which resembled his father's, as if he were seeing an infinitely possible future through time.
A sentence, suppressed for so long, carrying complex emotions and a faint glimmer of hope, slipped out involuntarily:
"If it were you.perhaps.you really might become Hokage."
"grandfather!"
A childish roar suddenly came from the direction of the window!
A small figure wearing goggles and a long white scarf had somehow climbed onto the windowsill, clutching a small shuriken in its hand, and was glaring menacingly at the Third Hokage.
"I'm going to assassinate you!Then I can become the Fifth Hokage!"
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