Time passed at neither a fast nor slow pace, yet life at the Ninja Academy was exactly as Nara Shikamaru had described—boring.
It wasn't only Uzumaki Naruto who felt this way. Inside the seal, Namikaze Minato and Kurama were equally uninterested.
Minato had graduated from this very Academy, while Kurama had once left it together with Uzumaki Kushina, the previous jinchūriki.
Another month of classes passed. During this time, Umino Iruka guided the students through the fundamentals expected of a genin—from basic chakra refinement to today's taijutsu lesson covering the Three Basic Techniques.
Academy Training Field
Naruto sat beneath a large tree at the edge of the field, leaning casually against its trunk. His sensory perception spread outward, repeatedly sweeping across the village.
He had already purchased the sealing scrolls for corpse retrieval last year—
—but Uchiha Shisui still hadn't returned.
"Now, let's review what we learned a few days ago," Iruka said, scanning the field.
"Uchiha Sasuke, demonstrate the Clone Technique for everyone."
When Iruka's gaze briefly flicked toward Naruto, it hardened—then deliberately shifted away.
The moment Sasuke's name was called, the field came alive.
"Ahhh—Sasuke!"
"So cool!"
"He's definitely going to ace it!"
Sasuke stepped forward, arrogance plain on his face.
"Hmph. The Clone Technique is nothing more than a childish trick."
Despite his words, his posture betrayed his eagerness to show off.
Iruka nodded approvingly.
"Alright then. Begin, Sasuke."
With textbook precision, Sasuke formed hand seals.
Ram → Snake → Tiger
"Clone Technique!"
Puff!
Smoke erupted, and two identical Sasukes stood on the field.
"Oh!"
"That's amazing!"
"I can't even tell which one's real!"
Iruka's eyes lit up as he marked Sasuke's name in the attendance book.
"Excellent! That's nearly a perfect clone!"
Sasuke's popularity surged instantly.
"Ahem," Iruka cleared his throat.
"You may release the technique."
Puff! Puff!
Both Sasukes vanished at the same time.
"What?!"
"Does that mean both were clones?!"
"Then where was the real one?!"
Confusion rippled through the class.
Only Shikamaru calmly shifted his gaze toward the large tree at the edge of the field. He frowned slightly—then shook his head.
"Calling it a childish trick, yet you seemed to enjoy yourself quite a bit."
Naruto spoke suddenly, not even lifting his head.
"Hmph! So you noticed after all!"
Sasuke dropped down from the tree, pride written all over his face.
"Whoa—he was up there the whole time!"
"That's incredible!"
Naruto stood, glanced at Sasuke indifferently, then turned and walked away—clearly intending to find somewhere quieter.
Sasuke's expression darkened.
Once again, he had been completely ignored.
"Uzumaki Naruto."
Naruto stopped.
Iruka strode over, his tone sharp.
"Sasuke just demonstrated the Clone Technique. Now you'll do the same."
Shikamaru's expression changed instantly.
This is bad.
Naruto could use Shadow Clones.
Didn't the Third Hokage tell Iruka about that?
Naruto met Iruka's gaze calmly. A trace of amusement flickered in his eyes.
"Iruka-sensei," he said evenly,
"I'm not good at the Clone Technique."
Iruka's expression cooled.
"How would you know if you don't even try?!"
"I don't want to embarrass myself in front of everyone," Naruto replied politely.
"I'm certainly not a genius like Uchiha Sasuke. How could I possibly give such a perfect demonstration?"
The words were courteous.
The tone was faintly mocking.
Naruto understood Iruka's intentions perfectly.
For the past month, Naruto, Shikamaru, and Akimichi Chōji had often seemed distracted, earning them the label of problem students.
Meanwhile, Sasuke was Iruka's pride.
Shikamaru and Chōji were genuinely slacking off—
—but Naruto wasn't.
Every day, he was either tracking Shisui with his perception or shifting his consciousness into the Mirror World.
Yet Iruka had no proof. All three could answer Academy questions flawlessly.
Today was Iruka's opening.
Calling Sasuke first had been deliberate—meant to set Naruto up for humiliation.
If this were the original Naruto, he would have rushed forward eagerly to compete.
"If you know you're bad at it, then work harder!" Iruka snapped.
"With this attitude, you'll never graduate from the Academy!"
"Understood," Naruto replied calmly.
"Thank you for your guidance, Iruka-sensei."
He bowed deeply.
Iruka froze.
This wasn't the reaction he'd expected.
"…Go stand to the side," Iruka said stiffly.
"And watch how the others do it."
As he turned away, his eye twitched in irritation.
It felt like punching a pillow.
Soon, Iruka's attention shifted elsewhere. Students crowded around Sasuke again.
Naruto was ignored.
"You okay?" Shikamaru asked quietly.
"Why wouldn't I be?" Naruto replied, smiling faintly.
Shikamaru sighed.
"Looks like the Hokage didn't explain your situation to Iruka-sensei."
"He shouldn't have," Naruto said calmly.
"Iruka-sensei is just a teacher. If he knew too much, he wouldn't know how to treat me properly."
"The Hokage understands that."
"…What a pain," Shikamaru muttered.
"I really don't want to come to school."
"If you really don't want to," Naruto began—then stopped.
"…Don't want to what?" Shikamaru asked, suddenly alert.
"Nothing," Naruto said lightly.
"Come on. Next is shuriken practice."
Naruto's eyes gleamed faintly.
He had just sensed Uchiha Shisui's chakra returning to Konoha.
Which meant—
Starting tonight, he would be busy.
By his calculations, it was now May.
In just a few months, the calendar would reach Konoha Year 55.
The night of the Uchiha clan's destruction was finally approaching.
Naruto was looking forward to it.
After all—
He planned to detonate the explosive tags that very night.
And he was quite curious—
Would the Third Hokage step down afterward?
(End of Chapter)
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