The final test was still the same.
Clone Jutsu.
Unsurprisingly, I passed.
And even though I had enough chakra now to make a dozen clones, I only made three. After all, I'm not a showoff.
Anyways, I was a genin now.
Unfortunately, Naruto wasn't.
I didn't feel happy about that.
It wasn't that I didn't want to help him. But Naruto had so much chakra that pulling out just enough for a single clone took ridiculous control.
You can only get that kind of control after years of training, or if you have a cheat like mine.
And honestly… I didn't want to rob him of the opportunity to learn his signature jutsu.
By the time I walked out of the Academy wearing my Konoha Forehead Protector, Naruto was nowhere to be seen.
'Mizuki must've taken him.'
I decided to wait at the gate for Iruka to come out, and in the meantime...
[Konohagakure Forehead Protector]
Defense: 10
Upgrade Requirement: 2 Chakra Points
"Upgrade!"
[Konohagakure Forehead Protector] +1
Defense: 10
Additional Chakra: 1
Upgrade Requirement: 4 Chakra Points
"Holy Mother of Hamura, it's Chakra!" I almost screamed out loud.
Without waiting for another second, I upgraded it again.
[Konohagakure Forehead Protector] +2
Defense: 10
Additional Chakra: 2
Upgrade Requirement: 8 Chakra Points
[Konohagakure Forehead Protector] +3
Defense: 10
Additional Chakra: 4
Upgrade Requirement: 16 Chakra Points
[Konohagakure Forehead Protector] +4
Defense: 10
Additional Chakra: 8
Upgrade Requirement: 32 Chakra Points
'Damn it. I only have about ten Chakra Points left.'
I didn't have anything better to do, so I sat on the swing outside the academy and focused on recovering my chakra.
Whatever that Additional Chakra stat actually did, one thing was clear—it increased my body's maximum chakra capacity.
How it did that?
I had no idea.
Then again, I also had no idea how paper shuriken, that's literally made of paper, cut into wood when it didn't even have an edge to speak of.
Once I recovered my chakra, I had 8 more chakra points than before, that is 48 points of chakra.
"Upgrade!"
[Konohagakure Forehead Protector] +5
Defense: 10
Additional Chakra: 16
Upgrade Requirement: 64 Chakra Points
"Well, that's the best I can do for now."
Even with the additional stats, I only had a maximum of 56 chakra points; the next upgrade was gonna have to wait.
'If only my cheat had an EMI option.'
It didn't, so no point wondering.
Anyway, I just bypassed more than a month of hard work, but I was getting quite hungry.
Luckily, Iruka-sensei came out just in time, looking all tired.
When he saw me, he paused. "Takumi!"
I hopped off the swing and stepped into his path. "Hey, Iruka-sensei. You didn't forget your promise, did you?"
He blinked, then chuckled. "Don't worry. I didn't."
So we walked towards Ichiraku.
It was my first time.
My parents had died when I was still a baby. Nine-Tails incident, most likely.
Judging by my name—Daichi Takumi—they were probably craftsmen. Potters, maybe.
They hadn't left anything behind. No house. No money. Just a name, and a son to carry it.
Honestly, that was already more than most people managed to leave behind in the ninja world.
I'd never gotten an allowance, and there was no home with my name on it. So this, sitting down to eat out for the first time in this life, felt strangely momentous.
Ichiraku was just as warm as I'd imagined.
The curtain rustled as we stepped inside, and Teuchi looked up from behind the counter.
"Oh! Iruka!" he said. "Haven't seen you in a bit."
Ayame leaned over the counter, smiling. "Welcome back, Iruka-san. The usual today?"
Iruka opened his mouth, then paused. He glanced down at me and scratched the back of his head, a little sheepish.
"Actually… today's special. It's this little guy's graduation treat."
Ayame's eyes widened. "Graduation?"
Teuchi leaned forward, giving me a good look. "You graduated from the Academy?"
I nodded. "I totally did!" I said, pointing to my forehead protector.
"Well then," Teuchi said with a grin, "congratulations!"
Ayame clapped her hands together. "That's wonderful! So, what will you have?"
I didn't even hesitate.
"A large bowl of ramen," I said. "With every topping."
There was a brief pause.
"…Every topping?" Ayame asked, amused.
"Yeah," I said seriously. "Everything."
Iruka coughed into his fist. "Takumi, isn't that a bit much…?" he said, clearly embarrassed.
I waved it off. "Don't worry about it, sensei. You promised, remember?"
I grinned. "Besides, I told you I'd make your wallet hurt one day."
Ayame burst out laughing. "Well, in that case—"
She turned toward the kitchen.
"One large bowl of ramen with every topping on the menu, coming right up!"
Teuchi chuckled as he started preparing the ingredients.
"That's quite the order for a first visit."
I sat down at the counter, feeling lighter than I had all day.
"Well, Iruka sensei made us fight a bear to graduate."
"Fight a bear! Really?" Ayame asked, surprised.
"Nope, I just got really hungry waiting for Iruka Sensei," I said, chuckling.
Iruka sighed, but then smiled as well.
The ramen arrived steaming, the surface crowded with toppings I hadn't even known had names.
Thick slices of pork were layered on top, so tender they nearly fell apart at a touch.
Corn added a gentle sweetness, while bamboo shoots gave a satisfying crunch.
Dark sheets of seaweed clung to the broth, green onions floated on the surface, and a perfectly cooked egg sat split down the middle, its yolk just shy of runny.
Nestled between it all were pink-and-white spiral fish cakes—Narutomaki, along with bean sprouts and a few mushrooms I couldn't quite name, but I wasn't about to question.
I ate slowly, savouring every bite. This wasn't food you rushed.
Iruka watched me out of the corner of his eye. "Good?"
I nodded. "Yeah," I said honestly. "Really good."
Ayame smiled from behind the counter. "You've got good taste for your first time."
"I'm coming here every day," I declared.
Iruka laughed softly. "I'm only treating you today, Takumi."
"Hey, I'm a ninja now too, Iruka-sensei," I said, tapping the metal plate on my forehead. "I'll manage."
He gave me a sceptical look. "Oh?"
I grinned. "Just you wait. I'm gonna be the wealthiest ninja in the whole village. Believe it."
Ayame chuckled, shaking her head. "That's quite the dream."
Iruka sighed, "Being a ninja is about more than just money, Takumi—"
Before Iruka could complete his lesson, the curtain snapped open.
"Iruka."
Mizuki stood there, breath slightly ragged, "You need to come to the Hokage's office. Right now."
Iruka straightened at once. "What happened?"
Mizuki's gaze flicked briefly toward me before returning to Iruka."It's about Naruto."
The warmth in the shop seemed to thin.
Iruka set his chopsticks down slowly. "Let's go."
"Wait—sensei," I called out, half-rising from my seat.
But Iruka was already gone, the curtain settling back into place.
"…He didn't pay," I muttered.
'Damn that Iruka'
I stared down at the counter, heat creeping up my neck. "I—I don't—"
Teuchi laughed, waving it off. "It's fine. Consider it on the house. You graduated today, didn't you?"
Ayame smiled at me. "You can pay us back once you're rich."
I blinked. Then I stood and bowed deeply. "I will. I promise. I'll definitely pay you back."
Teuchi chuckled. "I'll hold you to that."
I nodded and slipped outside after Iruka. It was time to find Naruto.
-To be Continued...
Please consider supporting me at Patre@n/DreamyApe.