[Onoki: Is this the curriculum of Konoha's Academy? Hmph. As expected, there are things worth learning from, though it seems soft.]
[A (Fourth Raikage): Sexy Jutsu? What a boring Ninjutsu! Is this what Konoha teaches?]
[Rasa (Fourth Kazekage): At the end of the day, they're just kids. Quite lively, aren't they? They even have the gall to graffiti the faces of past Hokage.]
[Mei Terumi: With grades like that, he wouldn't survive graduation in the Hidden Mist.]
[Hiruzen Sarutobi: We are all aware of the Blood Mist's... unique graduation rituals. This old man hardly thinks forcing students to kill one another is a policy to be proud of.]
[Onoki: The Third Hokage is as soft-hearted as ever. But an exam without blood won't produce strong soldiers.]
[Hiruzen Sarutobi: This is just a small glimpse of daily life at our Academy, Tsuchikage. It does not represent the entirety of our training.]
"Kakashi-sensei, look! Gramps is chatting up there too!"
Naruto pointed at Hiruzen Sarutobi's name in the global chat, looking rather indignant. "Why did he get to talk and I got yelled at?"
"Lord Third is communicating with the other Kage. This is a formal diplomatic exchange between Villages," Kakashi corrected Naruto, his tone lazy but firm. "It is completely different from you showing off and spamming the channel."
Naruto tilted his head, staring at the scrolling text. In his eyes, chatting was chatting. What was the difference?
[The Transformation Jutsu exam ended relatively smoothly, with no major issues—aside from Naruto's antics.
After the exam, Iruka dragged Naruto to the Hokage Rock, forcing him to scrub away the oil paint until late in the evening.
But Iruka didn't just punish him; he took Naruto out for ramen afterward. The next day, the real graduation exam began. This time, the subject was the Clone Jutsu.
Cruelly, this happened to be the one Ninjutsu Naruto was worst at.
"It's okay. I can do this. I'll succeed!"]
[Naruto cheered himself up as he walked into the exam room.
But positive thinking can only take you so far. If you're bad at the Clone Jutsu, you're bad at it. The clone Naruto produced was a pale, sickly blob that collapsed onto the floor instantly.
Fail.
Even with Mizuki pleading on his behalf, Iruka stood firm. Naruto did not pass.
After the exam, the schoolyard was filled with students and their parents. Fathers patted sons on the head; mothers hugged daughters. The air was filled with laughter and pride.
Only Naruto sat alone on a swing in the distance.
He watched the heartwarming scenes with hollow eyes, the squeak of the swing's chains emphasizing his isolation. In that moment, he looked as if he had been abandoned by the entire world.
While Naruto sat in sorrow, Mizuki approached him with a gentle smile and a suggestion—a secret method that would allow him to pass the exam.
The specific method wasn't shown on screen. The scene shifted immediately to nightfall. Suddenly, all of Konoha was in an uproar.
Naruto had stolen the Scroll of Seals!
"Let's see, the first Ninjutsu... Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu?" Naruto squinted at the massive scroll in the moonlight. "Oh man! Are you kidding me? The very first one is a Clone Jutsu? That's my worst technique!"]
"He really is the Demon Fox!"
"To think he actually stole the Scroll of Seals!"
"So that's what happened that night!"
"They even let him become a Ninja after that? Lord Third is too soft."
"But didn't the broadcast just show that Mizuki manipulated him?"
"Even if Mizuki orchestrated it, is that Demon Fox blameless?"
"Exactly! In the end, he was the one who physically stole the scroll!"
The villagers of Konoha watched the images on the Sky Screen, their voices a mix of fear, anger, and confusion. They hadn't expected such twists and turns in Naruto's journey to becoming a Ninja, but their prejudice remained deep-seated.
[A (Fourth Raikage): Is Konoha's security really that poor? A child—an Academy student—could easily steal the Scroll of Seals?]
[Onoki: That's no ordinary child, Raikage. That is the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.]
[Hiruzen Sarutobi: We in Konoha place trust in our villagers and Shinobi. When one of our own moves through the village, we do not treat them as a prisoner. Unlike some other villages that guard against their own people as if they were enemies.]
[Hiruzen Sarutobi: Furthermore, Naruto is a good child. He was manipulated into stealing the artifact. Once he obtained the Scroll of Seals, his only thought was to learn a Jutsu so he could graduate and contribute to Konoha. He is completely different from what you imply.]
[Mei Terumi: My, such a poor little fellow. He looks so lonely on that swing. He wants to protect Konoha, but it seems the people of Konoha don't treat him very well in return.]
[Hiruzen Sarutobi: Hmph. I doubt the Jinchuriki in your villages live lives of luxury either.]
Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned. He was naturally aware of Naruto's living situation, but he couldn't air dirty laundry in front of the other Kage. He could only deflect.
When it came to the treatment of Jinchuriki, no village had clean hands.
"Eh? Kakashi-sensei... are the other Jinchuriki like me too?"
Naruto's eyes lit up as he looked at Kakashi.
He had always thought he was the only one who felt this specific kind of loneliness. But if the other Kage were talking about it... were there others?
Were they in the same situation? Could they... become friends?
"Jinchuriki are the ultimate weapons and deterrents of each hidden Village. They are strictly protected and regulated," Kakashi said carefully, shaking his head. "I don't know the personal status of the Jinchuriki in other Villages."
Naruto nodded ignorantly, but a seed of curiosity was planted in his mind.
Strictly protected?
Sakura looked at Naruto, then at the lonely figure on the screen. Why had she never felt that Naruto was being "protected"? It looked more like he was being ignored.
Sasuke also glanced at Naruto in surprise. He hadn't expected the Dead Last to carry a secret that even the Kage of other villages were discussing.
[On the screen, Naruto had just learned the Shadow Clone Jutsu when Iruka found him in the forest.
Breathing heavily, Iruka asked Naruto what exactly was going on.
Naruto recounted Mizuki's promise innocently. He explained that Mizuki had told him that as long as he demonstrated a Ninjutsu from the scroll, he could graduate.
"So it was Mizuki!"
Iruka's eyes widened. He instantly realized the danger.
Whoosh!
The sound of sharp metal cutting through the air screamed from the darkness.
"Look out!"
Iruka instinctively shoved Naruto aside.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Several Kunai slammed into Iruka's limbs and chest, the force pinning him against a wooden shed. Blood immediately began to soak his flak jacket.
"Naruto, give the scroll to me."
Mizuki landed on a tree branch above, his friendly academy demeanor replaced by a cold sneer. He reached out a hand.
"This... what exactly is going on?"
Naruto scrambled backward, clutching the scroll. He looked at the bleeding Iruka, then at Mizuki. His mind couldn't process the betrayal.
"Don't give him that scroll! Even if you die, Naruto!" Iruka shouted, gritting his teeth as he ripped a Kunai from his leg. "That scroll records forbidden techniques that could destroy the village. Mizuki used you just to get his hands on it!"
"Iruka is just afraid of you having that scroll, Naruto," Mizuki said smoothly, his eyes locking onto the confused boy.
"He's afraid because you are the Demon Fox."]