The classroom buzzed with life as Naruto stepped inside, the light from the hallway catching the edge of his blond hair. His sandals thudded softly against the wooden floor as he walked in, carefree and loose like he had no pressure in the world.
He paused near the door, scanning the room. His mouth stretched into a grin.
"Yo," he said to no one in particular.
Kiba turned around in his seat immediately, Akamaru's little head poking from under his hood. "You're late again."
Naruto shrugged, strolling past him. "Nah. Just arrived when it mattered."
"You miss half the boring stuff on purpose, don't you?" Kiba said.
"That's the trick," Naruto replied. "Skip the boring parts, keep life spicy."
He passed Hinata, seated near the middle, her fingers gently wrapped around a pencil. She looked up when he passed, and their eyes met briefly.
"Morning, Hinata," he said with an easy smile.
Her eyes widened slightly. "G-Good morning, Naruto…"
"You look sharp today," he added, casually.
Hinata looked down, blushing faintly. "T-Thank you…"
Naruto kept walking. No pause, no overthinking. That's just how he was.
Sliding into a desk near the window, he threw his arms behind his head and leaned back. Shikamaru, seated beside him, gave a long sigh.
"Too much energy for this early in the day…"
"Too much sleep in your voice, man," Naruto replied. "You need sunlight."
"Troublesome," Shikamaru mumbled, glancing out the window.
On Naruto's other side, Choji was eating a rice ball.
"Got any extra?" Naruto asked, peeking over.
Choji handed him a small wrapped one without a word.
"You're a hero," Naruto said, already unwrapping it.
Ino, seated one row over, glanced over from where she was brushing her hair out of her face. "Naruto, seriously. You always act like nothing matters."
Naruto raised a brow. "Does it?"
Ino rolled her eyes. "If you fail today, don't come crying."
"I never cry," he replied, biting into the rice ball. "Too much work."
In front of them, Sakura turned in her seat.
"You're not taking this seriously at all, are you?"
Naruto gave her his best innocent smile. "Of course I am. Look—clean shirt and everything."
"You're hopeless," she muttered, but her lips twitched slightly.
Finally, Naruto looked toward the front row, where Sasuke sat alone, arms crossed, eyes forward like stone.
"Sasuke," Naruto called lazily. "Ready to show off?"
Sasuke didn't turn. "Ready to leave the dead weight behind."
Naruto smirked. "Cool. I'll be sure to wave from the top later."
The classroom door slid open, and Iruka entered, voice sharp and clear. "Everyone settle down! Graduation exam begins now!"
The classroom was quiet now.
One by one, students were called forward to perform the clone jutsu. Most did fine. Some barely scraped by. But the excitement was building — passing meant finally becoming a real ninja.
When Iruka called his name, "Uzumaki Naruto!", the room stirred slightly.
Naruto stood up slowly, stretched like he had just woken from a nap, and walked to the front. He gave Iruka a half-grin and looked over at Mizuki, who watched from the side with a strangely neutral face.
"Alright, Naruto," Iruka said. "Show us the Clone Technique."
Naruto stood there, relaxed. Then with one hand lazily raised, he clapped his palms together.
"Clone Jutsu."
A puff of smoke.
A mangled, limp version of himself flopped on the floor. Barely formed, face twisted, not even breathing.
The room went quiet.
Iruka frowned. "Again."
Naruto looked at the failed clone, shrugged, and made no effort to improve it. "That's all I've got."
Iruka sighed, disappointed but not surprised. "I'm sorry, Naruto. You fail."
Naruto nodded simply. "Guess I'll try again next year."
He turned and walked back to his seat with no anger, no panic — just the same calm he always had.
As he sat, Shikamaru gave him a sideways glance. "You didn't even try."
"I did," Naruto replied. "Just not in the way you think."
Shikamaru stared for a second. "Troublesome."
After class, as students celebrated with parents outside or wandered off in groups, Naruto remained behind, still munching on something Choji had slipped him.
Everyone else slowly faded from the school grounds.
Until…
"Naruto."
He turned. Mizuki stood under a tree at the edge of the courtyard, alone.
"You've got a lot of talent," Mizuki said. "Even if others don't see it."
Naruto chewed slowly. "That so?"
"Iruka's too strict. But there's a secret way to become a genin — if you really want to."
Naruto looked at him, curiosity flickering across his face.
Mizuki leaned closer. "There's a scroll. In the Hokage's office. Learn one technique from it… and you pass."
Naruto was silent for a beat. Then he asked, "What kind of scroll?"
"A forbidden one," Mizuki said. "But it's the real deal."
Naruto scratched his cheek. "Sounds fun."
Mizuki smiled. "I knew you'd say that."
Naruto looked up at the sky, watching a cloud float slowly across the horizon.
"Okay this is getting exciting"
The moon hung heavy in the sky.
Naruto crouched silently on the roof of the Hokage's office, gazing down at the darkened window. The village was quiet. The guards were few, and his movements were light. His body moved not with stealthy perfection — but with relaxed, practiced ease, like someone who'd climbed trees and rooftops for fun since he could walk.
He slipped inside.
No alarms. No resistance.
Just shelves, scrolls, cabinets… and there, on a stone pedestal, the target.
The Scroll of Seals.
It was massive — tightly wound and bound in protective wrappings. Naruto stepped forward, touched it, and blinked.
"So this is it, huh?" he muttered. "Kinda ugly."
He hoisted the scroll onto his back and leapt out the window without a sound, disappearing into the night with nothing but rustling leaves behind him.
---
An hour later, deep in the woods, Naruto sat cross-legged near a small clearing. A tree trunk made a perfect bench. Fireflies blinked lazily in the shadows. The only sound was the rustle of paper as he unrolled the massive scroll across the dirt.
His eyes scanned the first few entries — Forbidden Techniques, written in chakra formulas and kanji swirls.
"…Looks ridiculous," he muttered. But his eyes sparkled. "Let's try it."
He skipped past the deadly ones, the chakra-draining ones. He wasn't interested in power-hungry garbage. But the Shadow Clone Jutsu caught his attention.
"Hmm… multiple real clones, not illusions. Full body, shared memory."
He tilted his head.
"That's… useful."
No hesitation. He stood, hands weaving into a seal.
He breathed in slowly, absorbing the forest's air — clean, crisp, so much better than the stuffy city he barely remembered in his fragmented past.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Poof!
Two perfect copies of himself appeared. They looked at each other, then at him, in silent approval.
Naruto crossed his arms, satisfied. "Cool."
He sat back down, opened a wrapped rice ball from his pouch, and started eating while the clones moved through basic practice routines — running, punching, jumping. Learning.
He watched them, then looked up at the sky.
---
Elsewhere, Mizuki crouched on a rooftop, grinning.
"He actually did it," he whispered. "Now… all I have to do is take it."
The forest wasn't silent anymore.
Twigs cracked. The wind shifted.
Naruto's eyes opened mid-bite as one of his clones puffed out in a quiet pop, memory rushing back. Footsteps — fast. Two people. One coming fast. The other cautious.
"Guests," Naruto muttered, still chewing. "Late-night hikers."
He calmly rolled the scroll shut, slung it over his shoulder, and stood.
A moment later, Mizuki burst into the clearing, panting, eyes wild.
"There you are!" he said, voice urgent but shaky. "You did it — good! Now, hand me the scroll, quick! Before anyone else gets here!"
Naruto looked at him, blinked once, then tilted his head.
"…Why?"
Mizuki's face twitched. "Because! That scroll's dangerous. It wasn't for you. I only told you so you could get it. Now give it to me."
Naruto yawned.
"You talk too fast. And you sweat a lot."
Mizuki took a step forward, face tightening. "Don't be stupid, Naruto. You don't know what you're carrying."
Behind them, another voice called out — louder, sharper:
"Naruto! Get away from him!"
Iruka dropped from the trees, kunai drawn, landing between Naruto and Mizuki.
"Mizuki's lying to you!" Iruka barked. "He used you to steal the scroll!"
Naruto scratched his cheek. "Yeah, I figured."
Iruka blinked. "…You did?"
"Uh-huh." Naruto pointed with his thumb at Mizuki. "Anyone who smiles that much while asking for something is either a salesman or a thief. He doesn't sell things."
Iruka stared at him. Naruto just shrugged.
Mizuki growled. "Fine. Then I'll just take it."
He hurled a giant shuriken — fast, deadly, spinning straight at Naruto.
Iruka moved without hesitation — stepping in front of Naruto, taking the full force of the blade in his shoulder with a grunt of pain. He hit the ground hard.
Naruto blinked slowly, still unmoved.
Mizuki snarled. "You want the truth, demon brat? You're not even human. You're the Nine-Tailed Fox in disguise! That's why everyone hates you! That's why they—"
"Yeah," Naruto said calmly, cutting him off. "I know."
Mizuki froze. "What?"
"I know," Naruto repeated, scratching his head lazily. "I'm not stupid. I've seen the way people look at me. I don't really care."
Mizuki gritted his teeth. "You—you don't care?"
"Nope."
He smiled.
"But I do care that you threw something sharp at me."
With a flicker of movement, two shadow clones exploded into existence beside him — this time, without hand signs. All three Narutos vanished in a blur of movement.
Thud!
Crack!
Crash!
Mizuki slammed into a tree, three simultaneous punches knocking the breath from his lungs. He hit the ground, stunned, eyes wide as Naruto stood over him, expression calm.
"Don't mess with my dinner time," Naruto muttered.
---
Iruka, bleeding but awake, watched from the ground as Naruto turned to him, still chewing on the end of his rice ball.
"You okay?" Naruto asked.
Iruka winced. "You… knew about the fox?"
Naruto sat beside him, unbothered. "I don't remember much from before I got here. But I've figured out enough. Doesn't change anything. I'm still me. I like food, naps, and long walks through weird forests."
Iruka smiled faintly, despite the pain.
"You passed, Naruto," he said. "You're a ninja now."
Naruto grinned, wide and bright like the moon overhead.
"Cool."