[Actually this scene takes place before Naruto and Mizuki fight, but I made it here to elevate the MC. Hope you enjoy it. see how I elevate him]
.......
Naruto woke up early after a good night's sleep, feeling full of energy. Now that he understood chakra was just like qi, controlling it became very easy for him.
With a clear mind, he practiced the Transformation Jutsu and the Clone Jutsu. It only took him two tries to master both. His past experience gave him a huge advantage.
He pushed himself further by trying the Shadow Clone Jutsu again. By his third try, he got it perfectly right. Satisfied, he rested, feeling completely ready for the test.
The classroom buzzed with excitement.
Most students wanted to graduate and become shinobi. Nearly two-thirds of the class had applied for the examination. Everyone wanted to become a Genin.
Iruka-sensei stood at the front of the room. "The graduation test will now begin."
One by one, students were called forward.
Sakura went first. She created two perfect clones before transforming herself into an exact copy of Iruka.
"Pass."
Ino followed. She created a clone and transformed into Iruka as well.
"Pass."
Shikamaru lazily walked forward. "What a drag..." Even while complaining, he finished both techniques easily.
"Pass."
Choji stepped up next. His clone appeared holding a bag of chips, and then he transformed into Iruka. Several students laughed.
"Pass."
Shino calmly completed the test.
"Pass."
Kiba stepped forward with Akamaru. The dog made a perfect clone of Kiba, and then Kiba transformed into Iruka.
"Pass."
Hinata nervously walked forward. Despite her nerves, she successfully created two clones and transformed into Iruka.
"Pass."
One after another, students passed the exam. Eventually, only two remained.
Naruto. And Sasuke.
As Naruto stepped forward, several students began laughing. Akamaru barked, and Kiba leaned back with a wide grin.
"I bet Naruto fails."
Many students chuckled. Everyone expected the usual embarrassment to hit Naruto. The old Naruto probably would have shouted back at them. But this Naruto did not. He completely ignored them.
Naruto simply walked to the center of the room and formed a hand seal.
Shadow Clone Jutsu.
Poof!
Seven exact copies of Naruto appeared beside him. They were perfect.
The laughter instantly vanished. Before anyone could even react, Naruto formed another seal.
Transformation Jutsu.
One clone became Sakura. Another became Ino. Then came Shikamaru, Choji holding a bag of chips, Shino, Hinata, Kiba, and finally, Sasuke.
Eight different students stood side by side. Every single transformation was flawless.
Silence fell over the room. The entire classroom just stared. Even the students who were copied looked completely shocked. The resemblance was too perfect.
Kiba looked at his clone, then at Naruto, and then back at the clone.
What the... Sakura thought to herself. She stood frozen. She never expected this.
Even Shikamaru looked more awake than usual.
Hinata's eyes sparkled watching Naruto show off, her cheeks turning a pretty pink with pure admiration.
Ino was the first to break the heavy silence.
"That's..." Her eyes sparkled a little. "Actually pretty cool." Even Ino's cheeks turned slightly pink.
Sakura could not disagree. She just stared at the transformed clones, completely speechless. She had expected Naruto to fail. No one expected him to do something like this. Not even Iruka.
A wave of great surprise swept through the room. For a moment, it felt as if everyone's thoughts had just stopped.
Now it was Sasuke's turn.
Sasuke stepped forward silently. But inside, his mind was no longer calm. His ego had taken a massive hit.
Naruto...
The loser who always ranked last. The clown of the academy. The boy everyone mocked. Yet that same Naruto had just done something Sasuke himself never expected.
An unpleasant feeling settled deep in his chest. It felt like a sharp fish bone was stuck in his throat.
Ever since the massacre of his clan, Sasuke had only one goal: to kill Itachi. Everything he did was for that single goal. He had to surpass everyone. He wanted to be number one in the village.
Only then could he surpass Itachi. Only then could he get his revenge. He did not need attention, nor girls, nor friends. He only needed one thing: to kill Itachi with his own hands.
If he could not even outperform Naruto, then how could he defeat the man who destroyed his clan?
His fists tightened.
Determined to beat Naruto, Sasuke formed his hand seals. He tried to create more than seven clones.
Four appeared. That was his absolute limit. Frustration flashed in his dark eyes.
He immediately tried the Transformation Jutsu.
Poof!
Two of his clones just vanished into thin smoke. Only two remained. One transformed into Naruto, and the other transformed into Iruka.
Several boys exchanged looks. Kiba scratched his cheek awkwardly and smirked. Even Shikamaru looked like he was smirking.
Among the girls, Sakura and Ino looked very disappointed for Sasuke's sake.
Iruka remained completely impartial. As a teacher, he had to. But the final result was obvious to everyone in the room. Naruto had delivered the most impressive performance of the day.
Iruka stepped forward, and a warm smile appeared on his face.
"Congratulations. More than half of the students who applied for graduation have passed. Only a few failed. But don't worry. You can try again next year."
Then Iruka walked forward to give each passing student a headband. He placed one right into Naruto's hand.
Before they left too go home, Iruka reminded everyone, "Remember, tomorrow we'll have a photo session, so bring your headbands. It's the first of many memories as shinobi."
Sasuke walked out with dark face, having faced the first slap from Naruto
Naruto walked without any expression from the Academy. He had lot of things in his mind to do.
(....to be continued.)