Ensuring he reaches Six Paths Level is very simple; it requires almost no effort.
If I really had to try hard, it would just be reminding him every day not to be too much of a saint.
"Lin Mo-sensei, you're not joking with me, are you?" Iruka still found it hard to believe.
Naruto was disliked by the entire Village since he was young, and although it became less obvious as he grew up, the prejudice still remained. If Lin Mo became his guardian, he would likely be implicated as well.
Moreover, although Lin Mo was a teacher, he was still just an eighteen-year-old young man. Being a guardian might affect his chances of finding a partner.
Besides, Iruka remembered that Lin Mo, like himself, had parents who died in the Nine-Tails' Attack.
Even though it wasn't Naruto's fault, it was inevitable to feel some resentment towards him.
"How could I joke about something like this?" Lin Mo adjusted his glasses and said in a gentle tone, "Inheriting the Will of Fire, burning oneself for the Village and for the next generation."
"Although Naruto is... he is also a part of the Village, and I hope he can live well."
Lin Mo's words filled Iruka with respect.
He himself couldn't completely let go of his prejudice against the Jinchuriki.
Every Village had a Jinchuriki as a weapon of war.
So the saying that the Nine-Tailed Fox transformed into a child was purely a lie. Anyone with a little common sense knew that Naruto was not the Nine-Tailed Fox, but the Nine-Tailed's Jinchuriki.
However, those whose families were destroyed by the Nine-Tailed still vented their anger on Naruto, wishing for him to die along with the Nine-Tailed.
Furthermore, various Hidden Villages treated Jinchuriki as weapons.
The Hidden Cloud Village only changed its attitude after the Third Great Ninja War.
"I need to confirm this with Hokage-sama," Iruka said seriously.
Being a Jinchuriki's guardian was not something just anyone could do.
"Iruka-sensei, why don't you go ask now? I can cover the class this morning, right?" Lin Mo remained calm and composed, even though he knew he was lying.
Iruka gained a bit more trust but still remained cautious, nodding, "Then I'll trouble Lin Mo-sensei to cover the class this morning."
Lin Mo softly acknowledged.
At this moment, Naruto's disdainful mumble came from nearby: "Ugh, Third Hokage Grandpa is so boring. I'm almost a Ninja, and he's still assigning me a guardian."
"Naruto-sama doesn't need that kind of thing at all."
Lin Mo and Iruka heard this and secretly chuckled at the same time.
This guy was as stubborn as a rock, so why were his eyes red?
Clearly, Naruto was so touched by the guardian matter that he almost cried.
He was truly a child who was both endearing and lovable.
"Naruto, you're overthinking it," Iruka retorted casually. "The graduation exam topic has been decided: Clone Jutsu (Bunshin no Jutsu) from the Three Basic Jutsu."
"What!?" Naruto's face immediately fell into despair.
The Three Basic Jutsu were Transformation Jutsu, Substitution Jutsu (Kawarimi no Jutsu), and Clone Jutsu (Bunshin no Jutsu).
Naruto was excellent at the first two, but for some reason, he always had trouble with Clone Jutsu (Bunshin no Jutsu). Although he could perform it, the clones he created always looked a bit strange.
If the graduation exam was Clone Jutsu (Bunshin no Jutsu), he would definitely fail.
"Hey, hey, Iruka-sensei, can the topic be changed?"
"Hokage-sama decided it. Want to change it? No way!"
"Darn Third Hokage Grandpa, I'll go talk to him and make him change the topic."
"Naruto!!! If you talk nonsense again, do you believe I'll hit you?"
Iruka rolled up his sleeves.
Naruto immediately wilted and said weakly, "Then I'm going to be held back?"
"That's right," Iruka showed a hint of schadenfreude.
Naruto became even more desperate.
Seeing this scene, Lin Mo instinctively jotted a note in his diary.
[Sure enough, this old fox had a plan long ago.]
[Knowing that Naruto couldn't master Clone Jutsu (Bunshin no Jutsu) because of the Nine-Tails Chakra, he deliberately set the exam topic as Clone Jutsu (Bunshin no Jutsu) to make him fail.]
[Then he would seize the opportunity to let Mizuki, Orochimaru's lackey, entice Naruto to steal the Sealing Jutsu, so he could learn the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu, which is most suitable for a Jinchuriki of the Uzumaki Clan, and then grant him a special pardon, thereby establishing his image as a good person.]
[Killing three birds with one stone, truly amazing, truly amazing!]
"Old fox!"
In the Sealing Space, Kushina was so angry that her hair stood on end.
As a mother, how could she be in a good mood seeing her son being manipulated? Not to mention her fiery temper.
"If I could get out, I'd definitely * * you, seriously!!! Go to hell!"
[But I won't let your conspiracy succeed.]
Lin Mo reached out and patted Naruto's head, smiling as he said, "Don't be afraid, I have a way to teach you Clone Jutsu (Bunshin no Jutsu) and help you pass the exam."
"Really!?" Naruto instantly perked up, his eyes full of anticipation.
"Yes, that's right," Lin Mo nodded, then continued, "But you need to tone it down first, stop being mischievous, and also write me a letter of self-reflection."
"Alright!" Uzumaki Naruto readily agreed, turning and sprinting towards the school building, saying as he ran, "I'm going to write it now!"
"This guy." Iruka shook his head and said to Lin Mo with a touch of helplessness, "Lin Mo-sensei, you really have it tough."
In Iruka's opinion, Lin Mo said that only to appease Naruto.
Lin Mo understood his thoughts but didn't say much more.
"Iruka-sensei, you go find Hokage-sama, I'll go check on the class."
Iruka nodded and instantly disappeared using Body Flicker Technique.
Lin Mo adjusted his glasses, preparing to leave.
Just then, he saw a petite figure walk through the school gate, her clear eyes impossible to ignore.
It was Hinata!
He instinctively stopped, scrutinizing her.
Hinata's senses were very keen, and she noticed someone watching her.
She followed the gaze and saw Lin Mo.
"Lin Mo-sensei?"
Their eyes met, and Hinata couldn't help but recall the contents of the diary.
Thinking of Lin Mo calling her "Hinata Wife" in the diary, Hinata's face immediately turned red.
Oh dear... her head felt hot, Hinata swayed and fainted.
Lin Mo looked bewildered: "What's going on?"
"Hinata, Hinata..."
Hearing someone calling her repeatedly, Hinata slowly woke up.
The familiar ceiling, which she had seen countless times, came into view.
"Hinata, you're awake."
A beautiful face appeared before her, with clear blue eyes full of spirit, golden hair tied in a ponytail, and a fringe.
"Ino, Ino," Hinata softly called out the other's name.
She sat up and realized she was in the classroom, in her usual seat.
In front was Akimichi Choji, Choji's deskmate was still Nara Shikamaru, and her deskmate had changed from Inuzuka Kiba to Ino Yamanaka.
"What... what happened to me?" Hinata asked groggily.
"You fainted at the school gate," Ino Yamanaka said, resting her chin on her hand and looking at her sideways, "I happened to be passing by and caught you."
Fainted?
At the school gate?
Memories slowly returned, and Hinata remembered Lin Mo's undisguised, admiring gaze.
"Oh~"
Thinking of him calling her "Hinata Wife" in his mind and in the diary, and saying she could become a qualified wife in the future, Hinata's face turned red again.
Fortunately, Lin Mo wasn't present, so she could barely control her shyness.
Ino watched Hinata's reaction and found it even more amusing, blurting out, "Hinata, do you have this too?"
After saying that, she summoned Lin Mo's diary copy (Ino Yamanaka exclusive) and placed it in front of Hinata.
After doing this, Ino herself was momentarily stunned.
She had tried, whether subtly or directly, to tell her parents or Shikamaru about the diary, but she always felt an inexplicable flutter in her heart.
If she just blurted out everything about it, she would definitely get into * * trouble!
But just now, while Hinata was dazed, she had asked Shikamaru, who was sitting in front, if he knew the graduation class assignments, if the three of them would be in the same group, and if their teacher would be Asuma Sarutobi. Although Shikamaru complained that it was troublesome, he lazily replied, "We're Ino–Shika–Chō, always neutral, we support whoever is Hokage, so it's normal for Third Hokage-sama to try and win us over."
After getting confirmation from Shikamaru, she was convinced that everything written in Lin Mo's diary was true.
And, as long as it wasn't too excessive, revealing the contents of the diary shouldn't be a big problem.
But directly mentioning the diary was absolutely out of the question.
Yet now, she had told Hinata everything, holding nothing back.
"A diary?!" Hinata looked surprised, her eyes filled with panic.
But seeing that the name at the front of the diary wasn't hers, she realized it wasn't the one she had lost, and then breathed a sigh of relief, asking, "Ino, Ino-chan, do you have one too?"
"Too?" Ino immediately understood what was going on and nodded, saying, "Yes, it just suddenly appeared next to me. Is it the same for you, Hinata-chan?"
Perhaps because they shared a common secret that couldn't be told to others, Ino's address to Hinata suddenly became more intimate.
"I, me too," Hinata nodded.
"Interesting, I wonder what the conditions are for getting a diary," Ino Yamanaka's eyes flashed with curiosity.
She was always very interested in mysterious things.
Of course, it had to be related to handsome guys.
And Lin Mo was, without a doubt, a super handsome guy.
"Um, um, Ino-chan, have you also read the contents?" Hinata fiddled with her fingers, asking softly, her eyes full of nervousness.
Ino turned her head to look at her, a mischievous smile on her face: "Hinata Wife?"
"Oh~"
With a bang, smoke rose from Hinata's head, and she almost fainted again.
Clearly, Ino had read the diary and knew about Lin Mo's "little crush" on her, and how he referred to and acknowledged her.
This was just too embarrassing.
"Hahahaha!"
Ino laughed, finding the situation increasingly amusing.
Why hadn't she noticed how cute and funny Hinata was before?
She had wasted all that time on that big-forehead girl, what an idiot.
"Being liked, what's there to be shy about?" Ino hugged Hinata, saying with a grin, "It's not like the person you like has been discovered."
"Could it be that you have feelings for Lin Mo-sensei...?" (The original symbols here were chaotic, so I adjusted them according to the context.)
"No, no!" Hinata sprang up from her seat like a spring, nervously telling Ino, "I absolutely don't feel that way about Lin Mo-sensei!"
Silence!
The classroom was silent, deadly still.
Although Hinata had shouted it out, her voice was still as faint as a mosquito's buzz.
Normally, only a few people nearby would barely hear it.
But as luck would have it, it was class time, and Lin Mo was standing at the podium, asking everyone to quiet down and prepare for his lecture.
As a result, Hinata's words were heard by everyone in the class.
"Whoosh!"
Hinata, sitting in the back row, instantly became the center of attention.
Lin Mo also showed a surprised expression, with a hint of confusion in his eyes.
Why was Hinata suddenly shy, and towards him?
"Ugh!"
Hinata's face turned as red as an apple, her body swayed, and she collapsed into Ino's arms again.
"Oops, I went too far," Ino stuck out her tongue, looking a bit embarrassed.
It was her first time, so she didn't have experience and didn't gauge the situation well.
Now she knew Hinata's limits and wouldn't be so reckless again.
"Lin Mo-sensei, Hinata is feeling a bit unwell. She'll be fine after a short rest." Ino had Hinata lie on the desk so she could sleep more comfortably.
"Ino, please take good care of her. If there's any problem, come find me," Lin Mo nodded gently, his tone quite mild.
"Got it!" Ino readily agreed.
"How annoying."
Shikamaru watched this scene and couldn't help but frown.
Although he didn't overthink it, his high intelligence made him feel that Ino was a bit off.
She wasn't arguing with Sakura or nagging about Sasuke anymore.
This change was too strange; he just hoped it wouldn't affect him.
"Ino–Shika–Chō..."
He glanced at Akimichi Choji, who was engrossed in eating potato chips, and sighed inwardly.
Meanwhile, Sakura Haruno, sitting diagonally behind Sasuke, looked at Ino and Hinata's "intimate" behavior and felt something was off.
Although she and Ino had gone from best friends to love rivals, she still cared about her.
Now Ino seemed to be befriending Hinata, which made her feel betrayed.
So much so that she no longer paid attention to Sasuke as she usually did, constantly peeking behind her.
After Hinata woke up, Ino pulled her aside and spoke softly, both their eyes sparkling with excitement.
Sakura Haruno's heart was itching, and she really wanted to know what was going on.
On the other side, in the Hokage's Office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi took off his pipe, his face behind the smoke showing a surprised expression.
"Iruka, what did you just say?"
"Hokage-sama, sensei said she accepted your request and voluntarily became Uzumaki Naruto's guardian, specifically responsible for teaching him. Is that true?"
Iruka thought Hiruzen Sarutobi hadn't understood and repeated it again.
This was not a challenge, merely a subordinate confirming a superior's order to avoid mistakes.
"What?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi was even more puzzled.
He had indeed told Lin Mo to be good to Naruto, wanting Naruto to feel a greater sense of belonging to the Village.
But when had he ever said that Lin Mo should be Naruto's guardian?
Joking aside, the Jinchuriki's guardian should be the Hokage himself!
However, despite his doubts, Hiruzen Sarutobi did not directly shake his head and say no, but calmly asked, "Why would Lin Mo tell you this?"
"Hokage-sama, it's like this..."