Clang! Clang! Clang!
In a blur of blinding speed, two agile figures collided and separated, only to crash together again in the next instant. The sharp ringing of metal echoed endlessly, like blades grinding against one another.
With his eyes closed, Uzumaki Naruto gripped a kunai with both hands, barely blocking Uchiha Shisui's short sword.
Whether this was the real Shisui or merely another illusion no longer mattered.
From the moment the battle began, Naruto had kept his eyes shut. Against a master of genjutsu like Shisui, visual information was a liability. Instead, he relied entirely on chakra sensing, launching relentless attacks guided purely by perception.
But only a few exchanges in, the instant Naruto's attack rhythm faltered, Shisui activated Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Technique).
That familiar afterimage appeared once more.
Naruto reacted instantly, forming hand seals and summoning a large number of Shadow Clones. It wouldn't defeat Shisui—but it would buy time.
As Naruto sensed his clones being eliminated one after another by overlapping illusions, he poured a massive surge of chakra into the kunai in his hand.
In the blink of an eye, the weapon elongated—
—transforming into a razor-sharp chakra blade, forged entirely from condensed chakra.
Shisui retreated at once, revealing a fleeting opening.
Naruto switched to a one-handed grip and lunged forward, thrusting the chakra blade toward Shisui's center mass. At the same time, his free hand flicked outward, releasing another kunai.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Thousands of shuriken exploded outward in a deafening storm, blanketing the battlefield. It was a barrage nearly impossible to evade.
And yet—
Naruto could still sense Shisui's chakra.
Was it an illusion from the very beginning?
Or did he swap places with the real body at some unseen moment?
Naruto opened his eyes.
Before him, dozens of identical Shisuis advanced silently from every direction, their expressions empty and cold.
Naruto inhaled slowly.
He released the kunai and formed a jet-black chakra sphere in each hand.
"Ōdama Rasenshuriken."
BOOM—!!!
The battle ended in a cataclysmic explosion.
Congratulations! You have gained Genjutsu Training Experience from Uchiha Shisui!
The system prompt floated before Naruto's eyes.
After exiting the battle, Naruto glanced at the notification, his expression calm and unchanged.
Time slipped by like sand through his fingers.
Another year was nearly over.
Over the past six months, every single reward he had obtained from fighting Shisui had been the same—genjutsu training experience. By now, he was already numb to it.
Without dwelling on the result, Naruto selected another opponent, reaching for Akimichi Chōji's icon—
—
Congratulations! You have awakened Lightning Release chakra nature!
A mechanical voice echoed throughout the Mirror World.
Naruto paused slightly, eyebrows lifting.
Before he could process it, Kurama's voice rang out lazily:
"Naruto, your homeroom teacher's calling your name. He wants you at the podium to collect your final exam results."
"Got it."
Naruto withdrew from the Mirror World instantly.
Back in reality, Umino Iruka was glaring at him with a stormy expression. Every student in the classroom had turned to look.
"Uzumaki Naruto!"
"Here."
"Come get your report card."
Iruka waved the papers impatiently as Naruto walked forward, suppressing a sigh.
Under the Sarutobi Hiruzen's instructions, Iruka had kept a close eye on Naruto all year.
And Iruka could swear by the Sage of Six Paths—Naruto never paid attention in class. Just moments ago, Iruka had called his name twice before he responded.
In practical lessons, Naruto had never once displayed real ninjutsu or taijutsu, always skating by on the minimum.
Yet what truly unsettled Iruka was this—
Naruto's written scores were excellent, and even his practical exam on the Three Basic Techniques had passed smoothly.
"Thank you, Iruka-sensei."
Naruto accepted the report card politely and turned to leave.
"Wait!"
Iruka's eye twitched.
"Aren't you going to look at your scores? Aren't you worried you might have failed?"
Naruto paused, turned back, and met Iruka's gaze with a calm smile.
"With such a brilliant teacher guiding me," he said mildly,
"how could I possibly fail?"
Later — Hokage's Office
Iruka placed the report cards on the desk, then handed over another envelope.
Across it, written in bold letters:
Resignation.
"Lord Hokage," Iruka said hoarsely,
"I can't do this anymore."
The Third Hokage glanced at the envelope but didn't touch it.
"Oh? And why is that?"
"From the results, all your students are performing well," Hiruzen continued evenly.
"What made you reach this decision?"
Iruka clenched his fists.
"I don't think I'm qualified to teach Naruto!"
"He never causes trouble—but it's like I don't exist to him. I can't connect with him at all. Please, assign someone else—"
"Iruka!"
Hiruzen's voice thundered through the office.
"Is Naruto the only student who doesn't pay attention? Should I remove Shikamaru and Chōji as well?"
Iruka's eyes reddened.
"But… I just can't face Naruto anymore!"
Hiruzen stood, holding Naruto's report card.
"Iruka, you know Naruto's identity. He's a jinchūriki."
"And beyond that—his childhood is very similar to yours."
"I hoped you could empathize with him."
"Didn't you once say your dream was to pass on the Will of Fire to the next generation?"
Iruka froze.
Those words struck deeply.
After a long moment, he bowed.
"I understand, Lord Hokage."
"Good," Hiruzen said gently.
"I believe in you."
Iruka left with renewed resolve.
The instant the door closed, the warmth vanished from Hiruzen's face.
Back in the classroom, Naruto murmured inside the seal:
"Father, my teacher just left the Hokage's office. Think he reported me?"
Namikaze Minato hesitated.
"Probably… though your grades are fine."
Naruto chuckled softly.
"Iruka-sensei keeps preaching the Will of Fire—always centered on glorifying the Third Hokage."
"It's a positive idea," Naruto admitted,
"but how many children actually understand it?"
"They don't know whether they want to become Hokage—
or just imitate Hokage."
Minato fell silent.
Naruto's smile was faint, almost distant.
"In the end," he said quietly,
"most lives just become cheap copies."
(End of Chapter)
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