Time was like the leaves on a tree—falling one by one, slowly withering.
In the blink of an eye, it was already time for Natsuki's class to graduate.
Naruto, the usual troublemaker, had surprisingly stopped causing as much chaos. Turns out, his addiction to playing cards had grown stronger—he'd rather spend his time playing than messing around.
Besides, in Naruto's mind, graduating was already a sure thing.
Ever since he mastered tree climbing and water walking, his chakra control had improved by leaps and bounds. Using the Three Basic Jutsu was no longer a problem.
Or so he thought.
But reality was far more cruel.
On the day of the graduation exam, Iruka-sensei announced the test topic: Clone Jutsu.
Naruto was instantly confident. He had long since mastered clone techniques and had even, somehow, picked up Natsuki's Clone Combination Technique, using it to defeat several classmates during outdoor training.
Even Natsuki thought Naruto would pass easily.
"Next, Natsuki. Uzumaki Naruto, get ready."
Natsuki stood and entered the adjacent room. Iruka and Mizuki were waiting there to grade.
Natsuki honestly formed hand seals and created two solid clones. He immediately received full marks from both teachers and stepped outside. Naruto stood at the door, flashing him a big grin.
That smile practically said: Graduation? Easy win!
Naruto walked up confidently, stood before Iruka and Mizuki, formed his seals perfectly, and—poof!—produced a limp, lifeless clone lying on the floor. It looked… wrong.
"Huh? What? That's not right! What happened dattebayo?!" Naruto's face fell in disbelief.
"What's going on, Naruto?" Iruka frowned. Naruto had always used clone techniques just fine during outdoor classes. What was happening now?
Could he be goofing off on purpose? Impossible.
Naruto had always dreamed of becoming a ninja—he'd never mess around during the graduation exam.
Could it be… the Nine-Tails seal?
Iruka's expression turned serious. "Naruto, try using the other techniques—Transformation and Substitution. I want to see if something else is off."
Panicked, Naruto quickly followed his instructions.
But even his favorite Sexy no Jutsu malfunctioned. Instead of transforming into a blonde bombshell Naruko, he turned into a middle-aged woman with a bucket waist. Substitution didn't work properly either—it was all just… off.
Iruka made a quick decision: "Naruto, your graduation exam is suspended. I'm going to speak with the Hokage!"
With that, he rushed out of the classroom.
Naruto was frozen. "Iruka-sensei! What's going on, dattebayo?! I could use the Three Techniques just fine before! Why is this happening now?!"
Mizuki's eyes flashed—a calculating glint passed through them.
Outside the classroom, Natsuki hadn't left yet. He saw Iruka rushing off and heard Naruto's distressed voice. A deep frown formed on Natsuki's face.
"So Naruto suddenly can't even perform the techniques he was fine with before? Is this the plot asserting itself… or the Nine-Tails seal loosening? No… if the plot was 'destined' to move, then what about me chasing Tenten, mastering the Eight Gates and Hatake swordsmanship? That wouldn't make sense. It must be the Nine-Tails' chakra interfering—messing up Naruto's chakra control. That would explain why his techniques are failing. But if that's the case… doesn't that mean things are aligning back with the original story? Or could it be Hiruzen is behind this, trying to intentionally prevent Naruto from graduating?"
Natsuki couldn't be sure. His friends nearby were just as confused.
There were even some unpleasant whispers like "demon fox" and "serves him right." Natsuki ignored them.
Just then, Naruto stepped out, looking utterly defeated.
"I… I…" His voice trembled—and then he actually started crying.
Kiba twisted the knife: "Wow, Naruto. You seriously flopped. Did you get so nervous you forgot how to form hand signs?"
"I didn't!" Naruto snapped back. "I remember every seal perfectly! I did everything right—but it still didn't work!"
To prove it, he formed the signs again. His technique was spot-on.
But with a poof, his clone once again slumped to the ground like a dying fish.
Everyone went silent. Based on Naruto's usual performance in class, he had decent chakra control and could use all three basic techniques. If the seals were correct and the form was clean, yet the results were wrong—then something was clearly off inside.
Shikamaru and Shino exchanged a glance—both seemed to realize something.
The Nine-Tails…
Hinata, seeing her crush so upset, mustered up her courage and said, "Na-Naruto-kun… don't worry. Iruka-sensei went to find the Hokage. He'll definitely help you fix this."
"Yeah… thanks, Hinata."
At this point, Naruto could only place his hopes on the Third Hokage. If even the Hokage couldn't solve this, then he really might never become a ninja.
And he refused to accept a future like that!
Not long after, Iruka returned—his face was heavy with worry.
Naruto rushed over. "Iruka-sensei! What did the Third Grandpa say? Can my problem be fixed?!"
Iruka gave Naruto a complicated look and sighed. "Naruto… your case is a bit special. The Hokage said he'll find a way to fix it. But… for now, we can't count this as a pass. You'll have to try again next year."
"Wha—what?! No way!"
Naruto's expression collapsed—but quickly turned to determination. "Then I'll go ask the Third Grandpa myself, dattebayo!"
And with that, he bolted straight toward the Hokage's office. Iruka didn't stop him—he just watched the boy's figure disappear into the distance, eyes full of mixed emotions.
Natsuki stood by, thoughtful. The whole situation felt off.
If the Nine-Tails' seal really had loosened, disrupting Naruto's chakra control, maybe Hiruzen was taking advantage of it—using the opportunity to manipulate Naruto, pushing him toward dependence on Iruka, deepening their bond. That way, the village could more easily control the jinchūriki, making him willing to fight for Konoha.
Then again… maybe Hiruzen had someone sabotage Naruto behind the scenes...
No no—if he kept thinking like that, he'd end up diving into full-on conspiracy theories.
Still… conspiracy or not, it wasn't entirely implausible.
Shino asked quietly, "Natsuki, what should we do?"
Natsuki shook his head. "Naruto's status is too special. Whatever happens next, the Hokage will handle it. We can't interfere. But… if there's anything we can do to help Naruto, we should do it."
Shino nodded. That was all they could do for now. Everything else depended on the Hokage's decision.
Pushing those thoughts aside, Natsuki held onto his forehead protector and walked out of the school building.
At the gates, a certain adorable girl with twin buns was already waiting for him.
(End of Chapter)
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