"Next, Uzumaki Naruto…"
Hearing his name, Naruto slowly descended from the last row, his peripheral vision taking in the thinning crowd of classmates; quite a few had already left.
He walked into the adjacent examination room. The proctors were familiar: Iruka and Mizuki, both his instructors.
"The test is on the Clone Technique. You may begin," Iruka said, his gaze on the boy before him stirring a maelstrom of emotions.
Having also endured a harsh childhood, Iruka understood Naruto's feelings better than most. Yet, he also understood why the villagers 'persecuted' a child this way; he too had once blamed the boy for the death of his own parents.
But he understood even more clearly that the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox was the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, and Uzumaki Naruto was Uzumaki Naruto. The one he taught was Uzumaki Naruto, an innocent child.
Truthfully, he had worried that the boy wouldn't be able to withstand the suffocating ostracism. Putting himself in Naruto's shoes, even as an adult, he wasn't sure he could have persevered.
But Naruto's growth had completely defied his expectations.
Like a plum blossom born from the bitter cold, the hostile environment seemed to have become his nourishment.
Mature, composed, resilient, kind to others… these words, typically reserved for adults, fit the boy before him without the slightest awkwardness.
Of course, there was one minor flaw: the boy's verbal expressive abilities seemed to have… a slight issue.
But whenever Iruka recalled Naruto's living conditions, he could only sigh in resignation.
"May I proceed, Sensei?" Naruto asked again. Of all his teachers, Iruka was the only one who showed no prejudice towards him, and Naruto respected him for it. But for a teacher to be spacing out during an exam… that was a bit much.
"Hm?! Ah, excellent. You pass." Iruka recovered, looking at the two identical Narutos, cleared his throat, and nodded slightly. "Come get your headband."
Iruka stood up and personally tied the forehead protector onto Naruto's head. Looking at the young man before him, he nodded in satisfaction. "Naruto, you've grown up."
Naruto looked at the kind-faced teacher, his lips parting a few times. In the end, he could only dredge two words from his nearly barren vocabulary: "Thank you."
"You're a full-fledged ninja now. Go on!" Iruka patted his shoulder.
After Naruto left, Mizuki, noticing Iruka's gaze still lingering on the doorway, coughed lightly to get his attention. "Iruka-sensei, shouldn't we continue with the exams?"
"Oh, oh! My apologies, Mizuki-sensei!" Iruka said with an embarrassed smile.
"It's quite alright. You seem to be rather fond of that boy, Iruka-sensei. Of all the students, you only helped him with his headband. Naruto's scores are good, but he isn't the top student, is he?"
"Perhaps it's because I was an orphan myself. I understand his feelings better."
"Truly befitting of our finest teacher."
"You flatter me. Let's call in the next student."
"Next…"
It was already noon when he returned to his solitary apartment.
After a simple meal, Naruto sat cross-legged on his bed and began his daily meditation – a mandatory practice.
Meditation was a habit from his past life. The profession of a shinobi demanded constant, peak mental focus; the slightest lapse could mean utter defeat. Meditation helped him concentrate his spirit and maintain a clear, alert mind.
Drip. Drip.
When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a dim, sewer-like passage.
[I'm in here again.]
Apart from a brief moment of surprise during his first visit, Naruto had more or less familiarized himself with the place.
For instance, a few more steps forward and a left turn would reveal a towering iron-barred gate. The Nine-Tailed Fox imprisoned within, upon seeing him, would invariably slam its paws against the bars and roar:
"Little brat! Come here, let me tear you to shreds!"
Truly a cry terrifying enough to silence a wailing infant in the night.
Of course, there were different moments too. Like now. Naruto patted the iron bars and yelled at the resting fox inside:
"How can you still be sleeping at an age like yours?"
CRASH!
The Nine-Tails slammed its massive paw against the bars. Of all its many jinchuriki, it had to admit, this particular one was the most infuriating.
"Brat, believe it or not, I'll tear you to pieces!"
"Hah! All bark and no bite!" Naruto grinned. For some reason, when facing this fox, his tongue became exceptionally sharp. "Today, I'll just stand right here. If you can so much as touch a hair on my head, I lose!"
"Come on! Just take two more steps forward!" The Nine-Tails' voice was like that of a demon clawing its way out of hell. If looks could kill, Naruto was sure the fox's glare would have tortured him to death hundreds of times over.
After their daily verbal sparring match, the human and the fox took a short recess.
"Hey! Big Fox! We've been arguing for so many years, but we've never really gotten to know each other. What's your name?" Naruto patted the bars, calling inwards. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto… at least, that's my name for now. Probably for this whole life."
"…"
"Hey!!" Naruto stood up and slammed his hand against the bars. "Don't be like that! We've known each other for years, show some courtesy!"
"…"
"You don't have a name, do you?" Naruto's eyebrow arched. He waved a hand dismissively. "No worries, names are just labels. Want me to pick one for you?"
"…"
"Well?! Do you want one or not? Just say something!"
"…"
"Make a sound!" He kicked the gate.
"…"
Naruto: "…"
Confirming, as usual, that he'd get nothing more, Naruto sat cross-legged and resumed his meditation.
He didn't notice that the instant he closed his eyes, the Nine-Tails also lifted its eyelids a fraction, its enormous, slitted pupil silently observing the boy beyond the seal.
An hour later.
Naruto finished his meditation for the day. He glanced up at the Nine-Tails, whose eyes were still closed, and was about to withdraw from the mental space.
"You're not afraid of me?"
"Well, this is new." Naruto paused, looking at the giant fox in surprise. Seeing its fur begin to bristle, he quickly answered the question. "Who do you take me for? Afraid?"
What a joke. What grand scenes hadn't he witnessed? A thousand-year-old Great Serpent, large enough to coil around mountains – terrifying enough, right? He'd cut it down. The Divine Dragon, born of the Everblossom, capable of granting immortality – impressive, no? He'd beaten it until it wept. He'd seen plenty of things that were neither human nor demon, including some virago from a water village. He wasn't about to be scared by a fox that was just a tiny bit oversized.
And seriously, apart from its foul temper and venomous tongue, this big fox was actually quite aesthetically pleasing.
SCREEECH!
A sound that set one's teeth on edge echoed. Looking towards the source, Naruto saw the Nine-Tails sharpening its claws.
"Anything else?" Naruto asked. "I'm leaving!"
"…"
"I'm really leaving now!"
"…"
"I'm really, really leaving now!"
"Scram!"
"Right away!"
Watching the human figure vanish, the Nine-Tails slowly closed its eyes again.
Back in reality, Naruto opened his eyes and smiled faintly. Bickering with the Nine-Tails was one of his few current pleasures.
"Looks like the food supply is running low. Time to restock."
He rose, dressed, and headed for the door.
However, his path led not towards the commercial district, but to the forest outside the village.
It wasn't that he couldn't go to the shopping streets. People were generally forgetful. Due to his prolonged self-sufficiency and infrequent public appearances, the townsfolk had mostly forgotten what he looked like, at best only vaguely remembering such a person existed.
This wasn't mere speculation; no one had recognized him the last time he went to buy seasonings.
Still, he avoided crowded places as much as possible.
If someone did recognize him, it would be unpleasant for them, and annoying for him.
Foraging in the wild was more reliable. He'd managed this way for years; it wasn't like he'd starve out there.