Smack!
Sasuke was sprawled on the ground once again. He had lost count of how many times he had been blasted away, and the left side of his face was swollen beyond recognition.
He wanted to get up, but he realized he could not muster even a trace of strength. His consciousness was growing hazy as well.
Tap. Tap.
After a series of footsteps, Sasuke saw Naruto's feet stop before his eyes. Then he felt himself being lifted up.
"Why is the gap still so enormous?"
That thought flashed through Sasuke's mind before he fell unconscious again.
Whoosh!
Carrying Sasuke, Naruto returned to the training ground in the small forest. The moment he set Sasuke down, he sensed the Third Hokage entering the Hokage's Office with Iruka.
Not long afterward, Shikamaru and his father entered the Hokage Office Building as well.
"Hmm, looks like they're discussing how to handle the graduation application I had my Shadow Clone give Iruka today."
That morning, when Naruto had sent his Shadow Clone to school, he had also had it bring along a graduation application. During Iruka's final class, the Shadow Clone had placed it directly on the podium. Naruto wanted to test whether the Third Hokage would give him this chance.
If the Third Hokage refused, then following the plot, Mizuki would appear sooner or later. He should still have a chance to obtain the Scroll of Seals then.
If the Third Hokage agreed, that would be even better. He could graduate early and become an official ninja. He just did not know how they would arrange things for him as a Jinchuriki.
Would they assign him to a Jonin mentor and have him leave the village to carry out missions, just like in the Original Work?
At that thought, Naruto recalled an