The day of the graduation exam finally arrived. The test content remained exactly the sa as in the original story—the most basic Clone Jutsu.
However, this ti's Naruto had completely shed the title of "dead last."
Ever since that first day of school, after his shocking battle with Uchiha Satsuki that rivaled a real ninja confrontation and amazed the entire audience, he had consistently been regarded by his fellow students and teachers as an undeniable genius.
Therefore, when it was Naruto's turn to be tested, he felt no nervousness whatsoever. He calmly and unhurriedly ford the hand seals that he had long since mastered by heart.
"Clone Jutsu!"
Poof! Poof! Poof!
Accompanied by several clean, crisp sounds, three clones that were virtually indistinguishable from the original—solid and stable—instantly appeared in the center of the examination room.
Iruka, serving as the examiner, displayed an undisguised smile of relief and pride on his face, declaring without hesitation, "Uzumaki Naruto, you pass!"
He picked up a brand new Leaf Village headband from the table, symbolizing his status as a ninja, and solemnly handed it to Naruto.
As Iruka watched Naruto accept the headband, his caring eyes were filled with countless emotions. This child he had looked after for several years had finally beco—truly beco—a real ninja!
With the talent and character that Naruto had displayed, he would surely beco a great, respected ninja in the future...
Naruto took the headband but didn't imdiately put it on. Instead, he faced Iruka and bowed respectfully and properly, his voice clear and sincere. "Thank you, Iruka-sensei! Thank you for your guidance over these past few years!"
This sudden, incredibly solemn expression of gratitude left Iruka montarily stunned. Looking at this blonde boy who had grown up before his eyes, the reluctance and excitent that had been building in his heart suddenly surged up, and his eyes couldn't help but redden slightly.
He forcefully suppressed his surging emotions, nodded vigorously, and responded in as steady a voice as possible, "Yes! Naruto, congratulations on graduating! You must continue to work hard in the future!"
This scene between teacher and student, filled with trust and gratitude, appeared particularly heartwarming in the sunlight.
However, beside this warm scene, Mizuki, who was co-supervising the exam, secretly turned his head away. The usual fake, gentle smile on his face was almost impossible to maintain, and he was grinding his back teeth audibly.
---
Walking out of the Ninja Academy gates side by side with Satsuki, Naruto imdiately spotted two familiar figures waiting not far away—none other than Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto.
"Dad! Mom!"
Satsuki's face bead with the joy of graduation as she ran over, eager to show her parents the headband she had just received, symbolizing her ninja status.
Seeing this, Mikoto's face showed a gentle, relieved smile as she lightly stroked Satsuki's hair. "You've already beco a ninja who can stand on her own so quickly. What would you like to eat tonight?"
With slightly flushed cheeks, Satsuki didn't imdiately respond to her mother's dinner suggestion, but instinctively first looked toward her father, whose expression appeared sowhat serious.
Uchiha Fugaku stepped forward two paces, his gaze falling on the headband in his daughter's hands. Though his face still showed little additional expression, he said, "Hmm, truly worthy of being my daughter."
Naruto stood at a slightly greater distance, watching this scene. His heart was filled with countless emotions. Satsuki's life trajectory had ultimately been completely changed...
The current Satsuki, though she had experienced that nightmarish night, hadn't beco as cold and aloof as in the original story because both her parents had survived. No... it seems like aside from her parents and , she still maintains that indifferent attitude toward everyone else...
Just then, Satsuki pulled her mother's hand and ca to Naruto's side, saying in a light tone, "Naruto, Dad said that to celebrate graduation, we're going out for dinner tonight. You should co too."
"Eh? I can co too?" Naruto instinctively looked toward Fugaku and Mikoto.
Mikoto looked at Naruto with incredibly loving eyes. "Yes, of course you can. Naruto doesn't need to be polite with us." She had long regarded Naruto as her own child.
Fugaku, seeing this, only let out an almost imperceptible sigh and didn't voice any objection, essentially giving tacit approval to his wife's invitation.
Just then, Naruto noticed from the corner of his eye that Iruka-sensei seed to have finished handling the follow-up work at school and was walking out of the Ninja Academy.
Naruto turned to look at Aunt Mikoto with an inquiring gaze, and after receiving her gentle, affirming nod of permission, he imdiately turned and ran toward Iruka.
"Iruka-sensei!" Naruto called out. "Tonight Satsuki and I are going out to dinner to celebrate graduation. You should co too!"
Hearing Naruto's invitation, Iruka wasn't particularly surprised and readily agreed with a smile. "Sure! Graduation should definitely be celebrated. Tonight I'll treat everyone..."
However, before he could finish speaking, he heard Naruto add, "Yeah! And Satsuki and her mom and dad are coming too!"
"Eh?! Wait... the Uchiha clan head and his wife are also...?!" The smile on Iruka's face instantly froze, replaced by a trace of caught-off-guard panic.
Although he was close to Naruto, often treating him to Ichiraku Ran, and frequently receiving amazingly delicious homade lunch boxes that Naruto brought, suddenly having to dine with the forrly dignified ex-Uchiha clan head and his wife... this sudden "eting important people" atmosphere imdiately made Iruka-sensei feel so pressure.
---
That evening, in a rather famous barbecue restaurant in Konoha Village, Satsuki's family, Naruto, and a slightly nervous Iruka-sensei sat around a grilling table, having a graduation celebration dinner.
The charcoal fire crackled and popped, various at slices and vegetables sizzled with oil on the grill, filling the air with delicious aromas. The evening's conversation mainly revolved around interesting stories from Naruto and Satsuki's ti at the Ninja Academy. Iruka-sensei recounted their performance in classes and training, while Aunt Mikoto listened with great interest, occasionally laughing softly. The conversation was also filled with emotion and expectations about the two children finally growing into ninjas and being about to embark on a new journey.
While Naruto enjoyed the delicious food, he observed Iruka with so confusion. Logically speaking, Iruka-sensei had dined with the Third Hokage and hadn't seed this nervous even when facing that truly important figure. For so reason, when facing Uchiha Fugaku and Mikoto, he always appeared sowhat constrained and respectful, even sitting much more upright than usual.
The conversation continued until Fugaku put down his tea cup and turned his gaze to Iruka. "Iruka-sensei, these past few years, my daughter Satsuki has been under your care at the Ninja Academy. Thank you very much."
Upon hearing this, Iruka imdiately straightened his back, hurriedly waving his hands, his tone even sowhat flustered. "No, no, no! You're too kind, Fugaku-san! Rather, I should say..." He seed to want to be polite and ease the atmosphere, but in his nervousness, words slipped out of his mouth without going through his brain first.
"In the future, please take good care of Naruto too!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, the atmosphere at the entire table beca subtly tense for a mont.
Naruto: "???" Why would he ask Satsuki's dad to take care of ?
Iruka himself imdiately realized that sothing was wrong with what he'd said. His face turned red, and he opened his mouth, not knowing how to cover for his mistake.
But this statent directly hit Uchiha Fugaku's heart. His body stiffened almost imperceptibly, and his fingers gripping the tea cup tightened slightly.
take care of him?
Bitterness and stuffiness instantly surged in his heart. He instinctively looked up across the table—only to see his precious daughter Satsuki naturally placing grilled at from the rack into Naruto's bowl, her eyes looking at Naruto sparkling with undisguised dependence and joy.
Fugaku's inner displeasure and conflicted feelings ultimately transford into deep helplessness. All his emotions finally condensed into one extrely brief syllable, accompanied by an almost imperceptible nod.
"...Mm."
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