Chapter 4: The Graduation Fiasco
"Naruto Uzumaki!"
"Begin."
The result was exactly what everyone expected. Naruto managed to create only one clone.
Worse, the clone wobbled precariously, its pale face wearing the same panicked expression as its creator. It didn't even last a few seconds before it plopped onto the ground.
Iruka's gaze moved from Naruto, who was biting his lip, to the misshapen clone on the floor. Then, he suddenly spoke: "Naruto, you pass."
The words dropped into a classroom so silent you could hear a pin drop.
Mizuki shot up from his seat, the gentle expression on his face completely gone. "Iruka-sensei, you can't be serious!" he argued. "His Clone Jutsu is clearly a failure. This is completely unfair to the other students!"
Iruka turned to Mizuki, his eyes firm. "The path of a shinobi isn't judged solely on jutsu proficiency. In that attempt, Naruto demonstrated a tenacity and refusal to give up. That is an indispensable quality for a shinobi."
"But he can't even master the most basic Clone Jutsu! If he goes onto a battlefield like this, he'll just be cannon fodder!" Mizuki's voice rose, carrying a flustered anger he could barely conceal.
"Everyone has their own pace of growth." Iruka walked over to Naruto and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I believe Naruto will continue to improve in his training. From today, you are a qualified Genin."
Naruto froze, his eyes wide with disbelief. A second later, overwhelming joy surged through him, and tears welled up, blurring his vision.
Mizuki stood rooted to the spot, his face alternating between pale and livid. He watched Iruka hand the ninja headband to Naruto, and his fists clenched tightly.
He never imagined Iruka would make this decision. It completely ruined his plan.
"I won't allow it!" Mizuki lunged forward, snatched the Konoha headband from Naruto's hands, and threw it to the floor.
He then stomped on it. Twice.
"I will not agree to him graduating like this." Mizuki's voice was dripping with contempt and fury.
He stared daggers at Iruka, then shot a disdainful glance at Naruto. "If someone like him can become a shinobi, it will be the biggest joke this Academy—and this village—has ever seen."
Iruka's face instantly turned ashen with fury. He took a sharp step forward, planting himself in front of Naruto and glaring at Mizuki. "Mizuki! You've gone too far!"
His voice was hoarse with anger. "That headband is a shinobi's pride! How dare you trample it!"
"Pride?" Mizuki sneered, not backing down an inch. "Is he worthy of talking about pride? A failure who can't even perform a Clone Jutsu? What right does he have to a shinobi's dignity?"
"Failure?!" Iruka's voice boomed, the veins on his temples throbbing. "Have you ever seen a 'failure' who grits his teeth and gets back up after every defeat? Have you ever seen a 'failure' who has the conviction to become a shinobi carved into his very bones? Mizuki, you've been a teacher for years. Have you lost the ability to see a student's potential?"
Mizuki scoffed as if he'd just heard the world's greatest joke. "Potential? Those are the two most laughable words I've ever heard. Iruka, you've been fooled by his pitiful act! A shinobi needs strength, not tears and daydreams!"
"Strength can be trained! But that dedication, that passion for the shinobi way—not everyone has that!"
"Naruto has been alone his entire life, but he has never once given up on his dream. That spirit is a hundred times more precious than some perfect Clone Jutsu!"
Iruka was so worked up that the veins on his temples were bulging.
"And being alone is his excuse for special treatment?"
"I don't recall any Konoha regulation that says a pitiful backstory lowers the graduation standard! You let him pass with this pathetic jutsu today, and tomorrow the other students will question the Academy's fairness. The day after, Konoha's entire shinobi system will collapse because of this 'special treatment'! Can you take responsibility for that?"
Mizuki was not to be outdone, his own face red as he fumed.
Iruka's chest heaved. He pointed at the mangled headband on the floor, his voice thick with suppressed rage.
"I cannot take responsibility for letting prejudice destroy a child full of potential! The Konoha symbol on that headband represents inclusion and growth, not a shackle to nail someone to a pillar of shame after one test! Mizuki, your actions here today are the greatest blasphemy against the name 'shinobi'!"
"Blasphemy?" A dark look flashed in Mizuki's eyes. "I'm just defending the Academy's bottom line! You're the one, Iruka, who's playing favorites to the point where you can't even tell right from wrong!"
"Mizuki, you're not defending any bottom line! You're just scared! Scared that a brat you look down on will one day outshine you!"
That jab hit a nerve. Mizuki's face twisted with rage, and he raised his hand to strike. "What nonsense are you spouting!"
Iruka met his gaze fearlessly, his eyes as sharp as a blade. "Did I say something wrong?"
Just as the two were about to come to blows, Naruto suddenly yelled, "Stop!"
He ran between them. His small, thin body looked especially fragile between the two adults, but he stood his ground with a powerful stubbornness.
He bent down and picked up the headband, desperately wiping the footprints off with his sleeve. Tears mixed with the dirt on his cheeks. "I'll be the one to decide if I can graduate! You don't need to fight about it!"
He looked up, his red-rimmed eyes locked on Mizuki. "You say I can't do it? Then I'll prove you wrong! I'll master the Clone Jutsu, and I'll take back my shinobi pride all by myself!"
Finished, he clutched the bent headband and ran out of the classroom without looking back.
"Mizuki, you..." Iruka, forgetting his argument, looked at Naruto's retreating back and ran after him.
"Clone Jutsu."
"Clone Jutsu!"
"CLONE JUTSU!!!"
"Clone... Jutsu..."
When Iruka found Naruto, he was sitting on the branch of a large tree, his back to him, still clutching the warped headband.
"Naruto," Iruka called softly.
Naruto's body tensed, but he didn't turn around.
Iruka slowly walked to the base of the tree and looked up. "Come down. Let's talk."
Naruto still didn't move, but his shoulders were shaking slightly. He was clearly still distraught.
"Na! Ru! To!"
Startled by Iruka's sudden shout, Naruto yelped and jumped down from the tree.
"Iruka-sensei, I..."
"Don't say it." Iruka cut him off. He raised his hand.
"The Clone Jutsu is just a basic jutsu. With your talent, Naruto, I think you should learn a much stronger one."
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"