Chapter 235: He's Such a Good Guy, I Could Cry
Asuramaru sent Naruto out of the mental world.
His crimson eyes followed the boy until Naruto's figure disappeared completely.
For a moment, Asuramaru remained standing alone at the boundary between sky and sea.
"Time really does pass quickly."
Without realizing it, he had already accompanied Naruto for eleven years.
Thinking back, those early years had been rather entertaining.
Every few days, Asuramaru would enter the sealed space and beat up the Nine Tails for emotion points.
Unfortunately, Kurama gradually became accustomed to it.
After suffering several beatings, the amount of negative emotion he produced dropped sharply.
That had been disappointing.
Still, the important part was Naruto himself.
Over eleven years, the boy had grown almost exactly into the person Asuramaru wanted him to become.
And today was the graduation exam at the Ninja Academy.
Asuramaru already had a good idea of what would happen afterward.
If events followed their original course, Mizuki would eventually approach Naruto and trick him into stealing the Scroll of Seals.
That suited Asuramaru perfectly.
It would give Naruto a completely reasonable opportunity to study the forbidden techniques recorded inside.
The Flying Thunder God Technique.
And plenty of other useful ninjutsu.
Better still, Mizuki would take the blame for everything.
Asuramaru almost felt moved.
Sacrificing himself so Naruto could obtain a collection of forbidden techniques...
What a selfless man.
Such a good guy, Asuramaru could almost cry.
Naruto opened his eyes.
Morning light had already begun filtering into his room.
He got out of bed, washed up, changed into a black shirt, and left for the Ninja Academy.
The streets of Konoha were already bustling.
Shopkeepers opened their doors.
Vendors arranged fresh vegetables and fruit.
Shinobi moved between rooftops while ordinary villagers began another peaceful day.
Yet the atmosphere changed wherever Naruto walked.
People noticed him.
Then came the familiar looks.
Disgust.
Fear.
Hatred.
Some did not even bother lowering their voices.
Two women buying vegetables watched Naruto pass.
"Why is that fox demon still alive?"
One of them grimaced.
"Just looking at him makes me sick."
The other nodded.
"I don't understand why Lord Third allows something like that to remain in the village."
A nearby vendor noticed Naruto glance toward his stall and immediately snapped.
"What are you looking at?"
He pointed angrily toward the road.
"I'm not selling anything to you. Get lost!"
Naruto kept walking.
His youthful face remained calm.
There was no anger.
No sadness.
Not even surprise.
He had heard those words too many times.
For as long as he could remember, the villagers had looked at him this way.
He had stopped expecting anything different from them years ago.
Besides...
He was not alone.
As long as Asuramaru was with him, that was enough.
Before long, Naruto arrived at the Ninja Academy.
He entered the classroom and quietly took his usual seat beside the window.
The room was already filled with nervous excitement.
Graduation day.
For most of the students, this was the moment they had spent years waiting for.
Not far away, Sakura Haruno glanced across the classroom.
Her eyes first landed on Sasuke.
Then they drifted toward Naruto.
Her cheeks reddened slightly.
Naruto and Sasuke were both ridiculously handsome.
Which one was she supposed to choose?
The question genuinely troubled her.
Near the back of the classroom, Hinata Hyūga was having an entirely different problem.
Her pale eyes kept drifting toward Naruto.
Whenever she thought he might notice, she quickly looked away, her face turning red.
Naruto noticed none of it.
Or perhaps he simply did not care.
He sat quietly and waited for the exam to begin.
A short while later, the classroom door opened.
Iruka Umino entered carrying a stack of papers.
He walked to the front of the room and looked over the students.
"Listen up."
The noisy classroom gradually quieted.
"We're beginning the graduation exam."
Iruka held up the attendance list.
"When your name is called, go to the classroom next door."
He paused.
"This year's practical test is the Clone Technique."
The room immediately filled with murmurs.
Iruka ignored them and began calling names.
One student after another entered the neighboring classroom.
Inside, Iruka sat behind a desk together with Mizuki.
The two watched the students perform their techniques while occasionally talking between exams.
At one point, Mizuki leaned back slightly.
"Iruka."
He smiled casually.
"Who do you think is the strongest student in this year's class?"
Iruka barely needed to think.
"Uzumaki Naruto."
Mizuki glanced at him.
"You answered quickly."
"Because it isn't much of a question."
Before Mizuki could continue, the classroom door opened.
Naruto stepped inside.
Iruka looked toward him.
"Ready?"
Naruto nodded.
"Yes, Iruka sensei."
He walked to the center of the room and formed the necessary hand seals.
"Clone Technique!"
Poof!
Smoke erupted around him.
When it dispersed, three Narutos stood side by side.
The clones were stable.
Their appearances were perfect.
Iruka nodded with clear satisfaction.
"Good."
He reached toward the table and picked up a Konoha forehead protector.
"Congratulations, Naruto."
"You passed."
He held it out.
"From today onward, you are officially a Shinobi of the Hidden Leaf."
Naruto stepped forward and accepted it with both hands.
A small smile appeared on his face.
"Thank you for everything you've taught me, Iruka sensei."
Iruka smiled back.
Naruto was talented, disciplined, polite, and far more mature than most children his age.
What teacher would dislike a student like that?
Unfortunately, the rumors surrounding Naruto had never disappeared.
Iruka pushed those thoughts aside.
"Go ahead and put it on."
Naruto nodded.
He tied the forehead protector around his head.
Then he gave Iruka another polite nod and left the room.
Mizuki watched him go.
His expression remained friendly.
But something calculating flashed briefly in his eyes.
Naruto had barely stepped into the hallway when Asuramaru's voice sounded in his mind.
"That looks terrible."
Naruto stopped.
"What does?"
"The forehead protector."
Naruto immediately touched it.
"You mean wearing it on my forehead?"
"Yes."
Asuramaru sounded completely serious.
"It does not suit you at all."
Naruto did not hesitate.
He untied the forehead protector and wrapped it around his neck instead.
He could ignore the opinions of practically anyone in Konoha.
Asuramaru was different.
The person who had remained beside him since childhood naturally held far more weight.
Naruto adjusted the protector.
"How about now?"
Asuramaru studied him for a moment.
"Passable."
Naruto smiled.
"That means it looks good."
"I said passable."
"Close enough."
Asuramaru ignored him.
Then his tone changed.
"Do not leave the academy yet."
Naruto paused.
"Why?"
No answer came.
Naruto waited for a few seconds.
"Asuramaru?"
Still nothing.
Naruto sighed.
"All right."
He obeyed anyway.
After leaving the school building, he remained on the academy grounds.
The graduation exams continued.
Eventually, afternoon arrived.
Naruto sat alone on a swing beneath the shade of a tree.
Not far away, newly graduated students celebrated with their families.
Parents hugged their children.
Some proudly adjusted their new forehead protectors.
Others laughed together while discussing where they would eat afterward.
Naruto watched quietly.
His expression did not change.
Then footsteps approached from behind.
"Naruto."
Naruto turned.
Mizuki walked toward him wearing his usual friendly smile.
"To celebrate your graduation, how about I treat you to Ichiraku Ramen?"
Naruto looked at him.
For a moment, he said nothing.
Then he understood.
So this was what Asuramaru had been waiting for.
Naruto allowed an innocent smile to appear.
"Sure."
He hopped off the swing.
"Thanks, Mizuki sensei."
The two left the academy together.
Neither noticed, or at least Mizuki did not notice, the gaze following them from a distance.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood among the crowd.
His eyes remained fixed on Naruto and Mizuki until the two disappeared from sight.
Then he turned toward Iruka.
"Iruka."
Iruka straightened.
"Lord Third?"
"Come with me."
Hiruzen's expression was unreadable.
"There's something I need to discuss with you."
Elsewhere, Naruto and Mizuki entered Ichiraku Ramen.
They sat down at the counter.
Mizuki smiled generously.
"Order whatever you want today."
Naruto glanced toward Teuchi.
"Then I'll have chashu ramen, Uncle Teuchi."
"Coming right up!"
Mizuki ordered a bowl for himself as well.
For a while, everything seemed perfectly ordinary.
Then Mizuki turned slightly toward Naruto.
"Naruto."
"Hm?"
"Why do you train so hard?"
Naruto did not need time to think about the answer.
It had never changed.
"I want to become Hokage."
Mizuki listened.
Naruto continued.
"And I want to surpass every Hokage who came before me."
His blue eyes remained calm.
"Then I'll change this cruel world with my own hands."
Mizuki almost laughed.
You?
Hokage?
What a joke.
The contempt never reached his face.
Instead, Mizuki gave Naruto an approving smile.
"That's an impressive dream."
He paused deliberately.
"But your current strength still isn't enough."
Naruto looked toward him.
Mizuki continued.
"Every Hokage in history mastered countless powerful ninjutsu."
"But right now, you only know the basic techniques taught at the Academy."
Naruto's eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly.
There it was.
Mizuki was guiding the conversation somewhere.
After eleven years under Asuramaru's teaching, Naruto was hardly naive enough to miss something this obvious.
Still, he played along.
He widened his eyes slightly and leaned closer.
"Then, Mizuki sensei..."
His voice carried just the right amount of curiosity.
"How can I learn those powerful ninjutsu?"
....
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