The moment those words fell, everything changed.
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Explosions echoed through the forest, countless and simultaneous!
Mizuki's face twisted in shock, and Iruka's eyes were wide with astonishment.
Thousands upon thousands of Naruto Uzumakis appeared, like bamboo shoots sprouting after a spring rain, instantly filling every corner of the forest!
On the trees, on the ground, in the bushes everywhere glowed a dazzling golden hue!
Each Naruto wore the same expression of volcanic anger!
"You… you…"
Mizuki's mind completely shattered.
He stared at the endless sea of Narutos before him, legs buckling, collapsing to the ground as he stumbled backward, muttering incoherently.
"Th… this… how is this possible… Shadow Clone… how can there be so many…"
This was a forbidden jutsu!
A forbidden technique recorded in the scroll difficult even for a jonin to master!
This brat… this bottom-of-the-class kid… how could he… just by looking at it…
Mizuki's thoughts froze in disbelief.
"Now, I'm getting serious!"
Thousands of Narutos roared in unison.
"Don't like fighting against overwhelming numbers?"
"Then watch me show you my strength!"
"Take this!"
Like a dam breaking, countless Narutos surged from all directions toward the trembling Mizuki!
"Aaaah! Help!"
Mizuki screamed, a shrill sound like a squealing pig.
Before he could even react, the first wave of Naruto's assault slammed him to the ground.
Then came the second, the third wave… fists rained down like a storm.
In the forest, only Mizuki's weakening screams and the muffled thuds of impact remained.
Iruka leaned against a tree, dumbfounded, staring at the spectacular yet absurd scene.
Was this really the same idiot student who couldn't even form a single clone?
Time passed in a blur, until finally the last Shadow Clone delivered a decisive kick that knocked the battered Mizuki unconscious. With a soft "poof," all the clones vanished in white smoke.
Only the small, panting figure of Naruto remained standing.
Naruto turned to Iruka, and the fierce aura vanished from his face, replaced by a childlike expression both eager for praise and tinged with uncertainty.
"Um… Iruka-sensei, did I… go a little too far?"
Iruka looked at him, at the tears that had yet to dry, at the clear and determined blue eyes.
The shock in his heart slowly transformed into warmth.
He smiled.
Truly smiled.
He struggled to stand and stepped forward to Naruto.
In Naruto's confused gaze, Iruka slowly removed his Konoha forehead protector.
Then, with gentle solemnity, he placed the symbol of a ninja's honor and will upon Naruto's head.
"Naruto, come here. I have a gift for you."
"Close your eyes."
Naruto instinctively obeyed.
He felt the cool metal against his forehead.
"Okay, you can open them now."
Naruto opened his eyes, touching the forehead protector with a hint of confusion.
Under the moonlight, Iruka's face shone with the gentlest smile.
"Congratulations on graduating."
The scene slowly froze on this warm moment, the teacher and student smiling at each other.
Above them, a line of text appeared in the sky:
[TOP 8: Dark Guardian – Iruka Umino, evaluation complete.]
…In Konoha, in Jiang Chen's apartment.
He stared at the system panel as the numbers flickered wildly, a broad grin spreading across his face.
[Emotion Points Earned: 3,280,000!]
[Shock Points Earned: 2,750,000!]
[Congratulations, main unit! Total score has exceeded five million. System functions upgraded!]
[New Feature Unlocked: World Line Disturbance Monitoring!]
[Current World Line Disturbance: 7.8%. Warning: Exceeding the critical point may cause unpredictable consequences.]
Jiang Chen's eyes lingered on the warning, lost in thought.
Yet now was not the time for such concerns.
He knew the true "world line change" had only just begun… The celestial screen vanished.
The massive display that had dominated the ninja world disappeared like a dream, leaving no trace.
But its impact was like a tsunami, sweeping through every corner of Konoha.
The village streets fell into an eerie silence.
Every villager, every ninja, still reeling from the breathtaking scene they had witnessed.
They saw the lonely childhood of the blond boy.
They saw him clumsily trying to earn recognition, resorting to mischief to draw attention.
They saw the cold, disdainful, and cruel expressions they had once directed at him.
Shame coiled like vines around every heart.
Especially the parents when they saw Iruka risking his life to protect the child who had been labeled the "murderer of his parents" and heard him shout, "He is Naruto Uzumaki of Konoha!" a wave of guilt washed over them.
They had protected their own children while hurting another child equally in need of love.
Among the crowd, Naruto still stood there.
He stared blankly at the place where the celestial screen had vanished, Iruka's life-risking words of recognition still echoing in his mind.
At that moment, an elderly vegetable vendor in the crowd, unable to contain her guilt any longer, bowed deeply and called out, choking with emotion:
"I'm sorry! Naruto!"
Her apology was like a stone thrown into a lake, sending thousands of waves crashing outward.
"I'm sorry!"
"We… we all misunderstood you! We're sorry!"
"Please forgive us, Naruto!"
"Sorry! Truly sorry!"
The apologies surged like a tidal wave from every direction.
One, two, ten, a hundred… eventually, the entire street, the whole village, countless villagers, bowed deeply to the blond boy standing at the center.
The tidal wave of apologies surged toward Naruto like a massive flood.
Naruto was completely stunned.
He looked at the scene before him the faces that had once avoided him, now full of remorse and tears, bowing and apologizing.
He was at a loss.
He instinctively stepped back, his small frame trembling in shock.
What was happening?
They don't… hate me?
Do they see me as a monster?
Why… are they apologizing to me?
Naruto's mind was a whirl of confusion; he could barely discern reality from illusion.
For twelve years, he had been accustomed to cold stares, rejection, and loneliness.
This sudden, overwhelming kindness filled him with an unprecedented panic.
He wanted to run, but his legs felt like lead, immobile.
He could only stand there, letting the recognition he had longed for twelve years consume him entirely.
Nearby, Sakura Haruno watched Naruto surrounded by the crowd, her eyes red but her smile sincere.
"Good… Naruto…"
Beside her, Sasuke Uchiha watched the scene, his expression unreadable.
He looked at the boy who had always been at the bottom, the one he once found noisy and foolish, now the center of the entire village.
Not because of power, not because of bloodline.
But because a teacher had given him recognition with his life.
This… is the power of human relationships?
For the first time, Sasuke felt a flicker of doubt.
On the roof of the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi watched the scene below, exhaling a satisfied puff of smoke.
"Iruka… you truly are an extraordinary teacher…"
The village's attitude toward Naruto, the worry that had haunted him for twelve years, was finally resolved in a way he had never imagined.
Yet, even in relief, a faint concern stirred in his heart.
He looked toward the outskirts of the village.
The Chunin Exams were about to begin.
Ninja from other nations would soon gather in Konoha.
Naruto's partially revealed status and the villagers' change of heart would it be a blessing or a curse for the coming storm?
At that moment, an Anbu ninja appeared behind him, kneeling on one knee.
"Hokage-sama, the recommendation application for Team Seven's Chunin Exam has been submitted."