Note before reading: This story contains extensive original setting changes. The protagonist transmigrates into a version of Naruto who, after losing Asura's chakra, sank into darkness and ended up with an extremely terrible reputation in the eyes of others.
"Uzumaki Naruto, failed!"
Iruka Umino's cold voice echoed through the classroom.
His gaze swept over the limp, mud-like clone collapsed at Naruto's feet, without the slightest hint of wavering.
Naruto lowered his head, disappointment written all over his face.
Seeing this, Mizuki spoke up at just the right moment, as though trying to help. "Iruka-sensei, this is already his third time taking the exam. And technically, he did make a clone, so maybe we should let him—"
"Mizuki-sensei!" Iruka cut him off sharply. "Every other student here can create at least three clones with basic mobility. But him?"
He raised a hand and pointed at the half-dead excuse for a clone, the disgust in his eyes no longer fully concealed.
"Just one—and it can't even stand properly! Letting someone at this level graduate would be an insult to every student who worked hard to pass. More than that, it would be a desecration of the ninja profession itself!"
He practically ground out that final sentence through clenched teeth, as though some heavy memory had briefly risen from the depths of his mind like a ghost.
Naruto's head drooped even lower.
To anyone watching, it looked like the posture of someone whose spirit had been thoroughly crushed.
Mizuki gave a helpless shrug and said nothing more.
The classroom instantly erupted in laughter.
"Just like we thought—the dead last still can't do it!"
"Hahaha! Was that clone supposed to be a joke?"
"He failed three times already. He should just give up on becoming a ninja!"
Naruto kept his eyes lowered and said nothing. Under the barrage of mockery, he dragged himself back toward his seat with a defeated air.
Any child suffering that kind of humiliation would be scarred for life.
But Naruto would not.
Or rather—this "Naruto" would not.
Not only had he not sunk into depression, he was calmly using the corner of his eye to observe everyone in the room.
There was no one to blame. No one worth hating.
To this Naruto, the people pressuring him were nothing more than pitiful fools trapped in ignorance.
The civilian students knew nothing about the truth. They had simply inherited their parents' fear and hatred of the "demon fox," and so they laughed the loudest.
The children of ninja clans, on the other hand, mostly wore expressions of distance and indifference. Only the blockhead Inuzuka Kiba joined in the laughter outright.
Aburame Shino sat quietly in the corner, as though none of this had anything to do with him. Nara Shikamaru yawned, his face full of that familiar what a drag expression. Yamanaka Ino was busy arguing with her close friend, while Akimichi Chōji had already started sneaking snacks.
Uchiha Sasuke's mind was consumed entirely by hatred for his older brother and anxiety over growing stronger. He could not care less about what was happening around him.
As for Hyūga Hinata—the girl who, in the original story, held a special fondness for Naruto—even she was only sitting quietly at the front, without sparing him so much as a glance.
On this twisted timeline, there was no heroic rescue, no bright and inspiring example for her to admire. There was only a "monster" drowning in Konoha's darkness.
Naturally, the heiress of the Main House had no reason to pay attention to him.
Not a single person in the classroom looked at him normally.
Even Mizuki, who had seemingly spoken up for him just now, merely wanted to use Naruto for his own scheme. Naruto knew that perfectly well.
Up to this point, Naruto's situation was still more or less the same as in canon—
except for Iruka Umino.
Because the original Naruto had somehow lost the "lubrication" of Asura's chakra, he could no longer dissolve negative emotions as naturally as canon Naruto had. Long-term rejection and isolation had made him increasingly gloomy and withdrawn.
Just imagine it:
A student with a constant scowl, terrible grades, and a talent for causing trouble—who also happened to be, in your subconscious, the monster responsible for your parents' deaths…
Even the Third Hokage would have found it difficult to force Iruka to feel warmth toward a Naruto like that.
In fact, Iruka was already one of the very few teachers who could still treat Naruto with even a trace of fairness.
He had failed the exam. He was shunned by everyone.
This was a situation as bad as it could get. His future looked utterly bleak.
And yet, at the very moment everything seemed hopeless, a crisp voice rang out inside Naruto's mind.
[Ding!]
[Story Mission — Graduation Exam completed.]
[Reward issued: 10 gold coins!]
[Detected: Host currently possesses 1000 gold coins. Use now?]
At last, the corner of Naruto's mouth curved upward into a smile so faint that no one noticed.
This was not despair.
This was the turning point he had been waiting for—the Naruto Mobile Game System that had bound itself to him when he transmigrated into this world.
Complete the system's missions, and he would earn gold.
And gold could be used to improve the eight fundamental attributes—Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, Genjutsu, Intelligence, Strength, Speed, Stamina, and Seals—or even directly learn and strengthen techniques.
It was precisely because he had this trump card that he—Kazuki Ren, a modern man from another world—had been able to remain calm even after becoming "Uzumaki Naruto" and learning just how miserable this body's circumstances were.
More than calm, in fact.
He had accepted it all with the detached amusement of someone playing a game.
That said, now was not the time to spend the initial 1000 gold.
A good blade had to be used where it mattered most.
"No," he answered silently in his mind.
The system interface faded away without a trace.
Naruto continued acting like a proper bystander, quietly watching as the next student stepped up for the Clone Technique exam.
After the graduation exam ended, the students poured out of the classroom cheering, rushing toward waiting parents or heading off in groups to celebrate.
Only Naruto lagged far behind, moving at a sluggish pace.
His lonely shadow stretched long under the setting sun.
He made his way to the familiar open space near the Ninja Academy and sat down on the rusty swing there, rocking gently back and forth.
The timing should be about right, Naruto thought.
With the soul of an adult, there was no way he would truly be crushed by something like this.
This miserable, dejected act was nothing more than bait—bait meant to lure out the venomous snake he knew would never be able to resist taking the hook.
And sure enough, before long, a voice full of false concern sounded behind him.
"Naruto, why are you here all alone?"
Naruto "forced" himself to look up, squeezing out a smile uglier than crying. "Mizuki-sensei…"
"Still upset about the exam?" Mizuki sighed and walked over, his tone gentle and sympathetic. "Iruka-sensei is fair, but sometimes he can be a little too cold."
Naruto lowered his head in cooperation, remaining silent, performing his disappointment to perfection.
A flash of satisfaction passed through Mizuki's eyes, as though his scheme were already succeeding.
He glanced around cautiously, then lowered his voice and said in a tone dripping with temptation, "Naruto, actually… I know another way. A way for you to graduate."
"Really?!" Naruto jerked his head up, "surprise" bursting from his eyes. His acting was flawless.
Mizuki nodded solemnly and lowered his voice even further.
"Do you know about the Scroll of Seals?"
Inside the Hokage's office, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, observed everything by way of a crystal ball.
"Mizuki… so he finally couldn't hold back any longer?" Hiruzen murmured, frowning slightly.
He had long been aware of certain thoughts brewing in Mizuki's heart. This time, he intended to play along and turn the trap back on him.
On one hand, it would allow him to clean up an unstable element within the village.
On the other, he wanted to see with his own eyes what choice Naruto would make when faced with overwhelming temptation.
Hiruzen needed to know exactly what kind of person Naruto had become after being shaped by Danzō's darkness.
Because that question concerned not only the future stability of the village, but also how he was meant to carry the guilt he felt toward the Fourth Hokage and Kushina.
"Go bring Iruka here," he ordered the shadow behind him.
An ANBU operative vanished without a sound.
Not long after, Iruka arrived at the Hokage's office.
"Lord Third, you wanted to see me?"
Hiruzen exhaled a ring of smoke and said slowly, "Iruka… about Naruto's graduation…"
That night, following the "top secret information" Mizuki had given him, Naruto quietly slipped into the vicinity of the Hokage Tower.
Just as expected, the security was far looser than it should have been.
Without much effort, Naruto found the enormous scroll in a highly visible room—
the Scroll of Seals.
Old man, you really are cooperating nicely… Naruto sneered inwardly.
There was no way a scroll containing forbidden techniques could really be stolen so easily.
This was obviously the Third Hokage's fishing operation.
Doesn't matter, Naruto thought, staring deeply at the Scroll of Seals. I'm not that Uzumaki Naruto. In front of the system, all your schemes are meaningless.
He hoisted the massive scroll onto his back, then swiftly fled toward the training ground on the outskirts of Konoha where he and Mizuki had agreed to meet.
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