"Wow~ That's amazing!"
"Sasuke-kun is the most handsome~"
"Nonsense! Naruto-kun is handsome too!"
"But... but my parents won't let me get close to him."
"..."
The classroom buzzed with chatter as the girls whispered excitedly among themselves, many of them sneaking glances at Sasuke with infatuated expressions.
"So troublesome... Just throwing a few shuriken? I'd rather be napping in the classroom," Shikamaru muttered, rolling his eyes.
"Naruto, you better be more impressive than Sasuke," he added.
"I know. The other day, Lee wouldn't stop challenging you, but you punched him so hard he shut up for three days," Shikamaru remarked while munching on potato chips.
"Of course! Naruto is way better than that smug Sasuke!" Ino declared proudly, pulling Hinata along. "Don't let Naruto-kun lose later!"
"Ouch!" Ino winced. "Stop knocking on my head! So annoying~"
Naruto chuckled, shaking his head. "No more messing around."
The new semester had begun, and with it, the day of the Uchiha clan's impending annihilation drew closer.
During this period, the merchants who had been secretly disguised as Anbu stationed near Naruto's apartment had all disappeared.
Yet Sasuke remained oblivious, still caught up in his own world.
The results for the previous semester were out.
Naruto had passed all his written exams, despite intentionally holding back his scores. Even so, he had ranked first in the entire grade—something he hadn't expected. Then again, this was Konoha under the Third Hokage's rule, where the "Will of Fire" dictated many things.
"Next, Uzumaki Naruto."
No one understood shurikenjutsu better than the Uchiha. Their innate dynamic vision gave them an advantage unmatched in the ninja world. If Sasuke activated his Sharingan, he could reach special jōnin level purely through shuriken techniques alone.
However, Naruto had inherited Uchiha Shisui's talent in this area, making his own skills equal to, if not superior to, the average Uchiha.
Even Sasuke.
Especially since Naruto had already awakened his Sharingan.
Even without using it, his natural dynamic vision surpassed that of ordinary Uchiha.
Swish!
Three shuriken appeared in Naruto's hand. With a flick of his wrist, they shot forward simultaneously.
Bang, bang, bang!
Each shuriken hit the target, though none landed dead center.
Sasuke exhaled in relief.
Hmph! So this is the so-called top student? he thought smugly. I'm still the real number one!
He straightened up, his face full of pride.
"Passed," Iruka announced, marking a check next to Naruto's name.
Naruto, unlike in the original timeline, had no interest in drawing unnecessary attention. He returned to his seat without any unnecessary flair. If he wanted, he could hit the bullseye blindfolded, but such feats were best avoided.
With Konoha teetering on the edge of chaos, it was better to keep a low profile and move unnoticed.
Iruka, unlike in the original story, wasn't particularly warm toward Naruto. In fact, he seemed dissatisfied even when Naruto merely passed.
As the semester progressed, lessons shifted from indoor lectures to outdoor training, including survival exercises.
Naruto now attended school in his real form, leaving Bai Zetsu's clones to handle his training. His main focus was meditation and monitoring the village's shifting atmosphere.
"Today, we'll be doing taijutsu sparring. When your name is called, step forward."
"Inuzuka Kiba, Nara Shikamaru—step forward. Be mindful of your movements."
Tch! Sasuke clicked his tongue. Why not me against Naruto?
I'll show everyone that Uchiha are the strongest!
For some reason, Naruto's presence irritated Sasuke.
The taijutsu matches were predictable. The children of prestigious clans mostly faced each other, while civilian students sparred among themselves. Unsurprisingly, few civilians could defeat those from shinobi bloodlines.
Ino and Hinata's match ended swiftly. While Hinata had superior taijutsu, Ino forfeited after a brief exchange, making a peace sign before pulling Hinata back with a reassuring smile.
Haruno Sakura, standing on the sidelines, clenched her fists. Ino used to treat her like that... But now, it felt like Hinata had taken her place.
"Next, Uchiha Sasuke."
The girls erupted into cheers.
"Sasuke-kun is up!"
"Even the way he walks is so cool!"
Sakura quickly joined the chorus, fangirling over him.
"Um... Uzumaki Naruto, step forward," Iruka hesitated.
Though Naruto was officially the top student, his combat skills were unimpressive in the academy's records. Facing an Uchiha, he would likely be overwhelmed.
"Naruto, kick that arrogant jerk's ass!"
"Yeah, take him down!"
What are they even saying? Naruto sighed.
Sasuke smirked as he finished the seal of reconciliation. "Heh... Finally, I get my chance."
What? Naruto blinked in confusion. What did I even do to piss you off?
"You're the first and last person to ever take the top student ranking from an Uchiha," Sasuke declared.
Naruto rolled his eyes. Seriously, this guy sounds just like Kakashi...
"But that title belongs to the Uchiha! Accept your fate—I will protect my clan's honor!"
"...Huh?"
? ? ?
What?
Naruto was completely lost.
Seeing Naruto's expression, Sasuke felt as if he were punching cotton—completely ineffective.
"Stop talking so much!"
"I won't let the glory of the Uchiha clan be tarnished!"
"Ah!"
With a shout about honor, friendship, or some kind of bond, he charged straight at Naruto.
"Why is he so immature?" Naruto mused, genuinely confused. "Could it be because I'm different from the original timeline? Did that make him even more of an edgelord?"
"No, maybe he got stood up by his dear father again and decided to take it out on me, the unfortunate top student in the class."
"My mere existence really does make people redirect their frustrations onto me."
Watching Sasuke's fist approach in slow motion, Naruto pondered.
"Should I let him land a hit?"
But the Nine-Tails' voice echoed in his mind, brimming with amusement. "Beat up the little Uchiha first—consider it collecting interest."
Just then, Naruto received a mental message from his wooden clone, hidden among the trees.
White Zetsu's clone has relayed information.
"After taking Takako out of Root, you went straight back to the Uchiha compound and met a masked man?"
At the same time, Root operatives were being deployed en masse—targets: the Uchiha clan. The major ninja families suddenly fell silent, and many shinobi stationed outside the village were recalled home.
"So tonight is the night... The Uchiha Massacre. No wonder Sasuke is acting so unhinged."
"It makes sense why there's an emergency drill today. I doubt we'll be attending school until late evening."
Buzz—
Sasuke's fist finally landed.
But to the shock of everyone watching, his punch passed right through Naruto's body.
"A clone technique?"
Sasuke froze, disbelief written all over his face. I, an elite of the Uchiha, was fooled by a simple clone jutsu?!
Before he could recover, the afterimage of Naruto spun around and delivered a swift kick to Sasuke's backside.
It didn't do much damage—but the humiliation was immense.
"Hahaha! That little brat is gonna be livid!" The Nine-Tails howled with laughter inside Naruto's mind.
Naruto sighed, turning toward a stunned Iruka. "Can we announce the results now?"
"A high-level Shunshin technique...?" Iruka muttered in shock. "That movement—it's just like Shisui Uchiha's fighting style!"
"Naruto is so cool! Naruto is the best!" Ino cheered, while countless fangirls clutched their chests in agony—because their beloved Sasuke-kun had been humiliated.
Sasuke, teetering on the edge of a breakdown, demanded, "How do you know his techniques?!"
His fists clenched as memories surfaced—how the clan suspected his brother of murdering Shisui, how they whispered behind his back.
"Damn it!" he seethed. Brother was accused of killing Shisui... But if Naruto learned his moves, does that mean—?!
He leapt back, forming rapid hand seals.
Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!
The moment Naruto saw his stance, he knew what was coming.
Iruka, alarmed, intervened immediately. "Sasuke! This is a taijutsu exercise! You've already passed! The Seal of Reconciliation—now!"
After successfully stopping Sasuke's attack, Iruka sighed in relief.
Sasuke, still fuming, didn't respond.
Naruto smirked inwardly. Well, I have a reason to act now. Soon, the Hokage will investigate. That means… I'll have the perfect opportunity to set things in motion.
If he played his cards right, he could frame it as a breakthrough in his unique fighting style, an inheritance from his stepfather and mother. That would give him an excuse to ask about the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu.
Of course, the real objective was the Scroll of Seals.
If Naruto wanted the villagers to recognize his talent and his potential as Hokage, he needed access to powerful techniques.
Now, all that was left was to obtain information on the Scroll of Seals—and steal it from the Hokage's office.
Mizuki, looks like you're the perfect pawn.
It would be called theft, but in truth, it would be carried out with the Hokage's unspoken approval.
While he could use the Mayfly Technique to sneak in unnoticed, he had no idea where the scroll was kept. Plus, the Hokage's office had a barrier—once the scroll was taken, an alarm would sound. That would create chaos, and chaos wasn't safe.
Besides, in the original timeline, when Naruto took the Scroll of Seals, Akimichi Chōza was present among the responding ninja.
Was he there to capture Naruto? No.
He was there to protect him—from being killed and having the scroll stolen by other parties.
That was why Mizuki targeted Naruto in the first place. Forbidden techniques were powerful, easy to learn, and extremely dangerous in the wrong hands.
But the real goal? To prove his talent to the Hokage.
If successful, Naruto would no longer be under constant surveillance by ANBU—or monitored through live-feed surveillance tools.
They're so damn annoying!
Iruka clapped his hands, bringing the class back to order. "Alright, today's lesson is longer than usual. We'll be dismissed a little later."
"Okay, let's continue the combat training. Next pair—"
As Iruka called the next students forward, Naruto waved Shikamaru and Chōji over. "Let's head to the bathroom."
Moments later, Naruto returned to class.
But the one who walked back… was merely a wooden clone.
The real Naruto had already used the Mayfly Technique—slipping unnoticed toward the Uchiha compound.
The Night of the Massacre is approaching… My Sage Mode clone is already in position.
…
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