Nikko

"Ah, it's Zaimoku and his crew."

A faction led by three youths blocked Naruto's path, and one of them, a boy even shorter than Naruto, shoved him.

"Monster, I heard your dream is to become Hokage?"

Shikamaru and Choji squeezed into the crowd just in time to hear the question. They expected Naruto to retort, to loudly declare he was the man who'd become Hokage.

But instead, Naruto was eerily quiet.

Sunlight streamed through the Ninja Academy gate, casting a line of light and shadow at his feet.

Naruto stood in the daylight, his blond hair seeming to have lost its usual sharpness, yet he didn't flinch or avoid it. His gaze locked straight onto the speaker.

The childishness had faded from him, crushed into indifference.

It was as if he'd become a different person, everything from before reduced to ashes, swept clean by the summer breeze.

"Your eyes are disgusting. Look again and I'll punch you!"

System loading progress: 99%

Another person stepped forward and shoved Naruto, forcing him back a few steps.

The onlookers just watched as usual, whispering and laughing among themselves, with no intention of stepping in.

"Damn it, those small-clan bastards are too much!" Choji couldn't hold back and moved to intervene.

Shikamaru sighed, muttered something about it being a hassle, and slowly ambled toward Naruto.

System loading progress: 100%

Option one: Push down the three in front of you and loudly declare your dream is to become a Hokage stronger than the Fourth Hokage! Reward: Three Jutsu mastery.

Option two: Deny the dream of becoming Hokage and avoid further conflict. Reward: Side effects of internal chakra disorder disappear.

Naruto saw the panel, but noticed no one around him reacted. He tentatively concluded only he could see its contents, then focused on the options.

The Three Jutsu were a key part of the Ninja Academy graduation exam; mastering them would guarantee passing. His chakra disorder, caused by the Nine-Tails' chakra, had prevented him from using jutsu properly.

One was a shortcut, directly solving the graduation problem. The other addressed the root cause of the chakra disorder, meaning he'd still need to practice the Three Jutsu later, but it was worth it.

"Um... Naruto-kun, he..." Hinata's timid voice came from somewhere.

"Huh? What are you saying? Can't hear you!"

The tall youth named Zaimoku seemed not to hear Hinata and looked straight at Naruto. As for Hinata, Zaimoku ignored her entirely.

"Naruto-kun didn't do anything wrong." Hinata, though scared, mustered her courage to speak.

"What nonsense are you spouting? Disgusting."

Zaimoku paid no attention to Hinata, unwilling to listen to anyone, his attitude downright crude.

"I never wanted to be Hokage. Not as childish as you—that's your pathetic dream, right?" Naruto said. "But it's pretty sad too."

"With your current strength, you might not even become ninja."

Naruto shoved the leader, Zaimoku, hard, speaking without mercy.

"Can you become Hokage? Can anyone in your clan?"

"You can't! Neither can they!"

"W-what are you saying?" Zaimoku stepped back, stammering as he looked at Naruto.

Naruto's gaze remained sharp, fixed on the leader Zaimoku.

"People change, Zaimoku."

"Go ask your father if I could burn your house down tomorrow and get away with it!"

"Use that muscle-filled brain of yours! Think about what you can and can't do."

"Pah! What a joke!" Naruto spat in the youth's face and left with a dark expression.

Skipping class wasn't new to him, but today he was doing it openly.

Zaimoku froze, replaying Naruto's fierce tone, and didn't dare say a word.

"You're lying! We're not!" The two behind him shouted in shame, Naruto's words hitting a nerve.

The youths who dreamed of becoming Hokage were inwardly insecure and sensitive. Having their dream stripped bare in the sunlight made them jump in outrage.

Reward successfully granted.

A mechanical chime sounded, and Naruto felt a cool sensation inside him, like a refreshing gulp of ice water on a hot day.

He tried to sense his chakra flow. Sure enough, he could feel its direction—the chakra that had barely resonated before was now active.

It was like icy spring water suddenly boiling, every cell in his body nourished by chakra, a wave of relief washing over him.

Naruto couldn't help but let out a shout, silently thinking, Damn, that feels good.

"Shikamaru, did my ears just break?" Choji tugged at Shikamaru's sleeve, watching Naruto's retreating figure. "Did Naruto say he doesn't want to be Hokage anymore?"

"Wasn't that his dream? Why suddenly..."

"Who knows?" Shikamaru's dead-fish eyes shifted, his tone indifferent. "That guy was way too scary just now. Besides, what's so great about being Hokage?"

"I'm swamped every day, don't even have time to space out."

"Don't say that—Naruto's already gone," Choji said. "If Iruka-sensei catches him skipping class, he's in for it!"

Hinata stood in an inconspicuous corner of the crowd, her face full of conflict as she watched Naruto walk away. Class was about to start, but she was terrified something would happen to him.

Naruto-kun must be in so much pain right now, she thought.

With that in mind, Hinata clenched her small hands. She wanted to chase after him, but she didn't have the courage. Just stepping forward to help him earlier had used up all her nerve, especially in front of so many people.

Without Naruto, the Ninja Academy felt unusually quiet. When Iruka learned Naruto had skipped class that morning, he threw his usual fit.

No one was causing trouble with paint buckets, no one was making a racket in the school—everything was perfectly peaceful.

By sunset, Iruka still hadn't found any trace of Naruto on the Hokage Rock. The most mischievous kid in the class seemed to have vanished into thin air.

Just as Iruka was starting to panic, a soft, timid voice suddenly spoke up.

"Iruka-sensei?"

"Hinata? What are you doing here?" Iruka turned, slightly startled.

The girl stood shyly in the orange glow of the sunset, head down, too afraid to meet his eyes. Her face was bright red, as if she'd been caught doing something wrong.

"I-I'm looking for Naruto-kun," she said, her voice barely a whisper. "He didn't come to class all day... I'm worried..."

Seeing Hinata's face so red it looked ready to bleed, Iruka smiled kindly and said, "Little Hinata's worried about Naruto too, huh?"

"It's okay—I'll take care of finding him. It's getting late now, so you should head home. Otherwise, Lord Hiashi will worry about you."

"N-No!" Hinata mustered her courage and raised her voice. "Iruka-sensei, I... I want to help you look for Naruto-kun too!"

Iruka's heart softened. His smile froze for a moment as he glanced at the sky, then said gently, "Alright, but only for another half hour. If we don't find him by then, you have to promise me you'll go home."

"Mm! Thank you, Iruka-sensei!" Hinata nodded eagerly.

"Huh? You're looking for me?" Naruto looked up, confused, glancing between the two. He was surprised to see Hinata there. "Hinata, what are you doing here?"

"I..." Hinata lowered her head.

"I asked Hinata to help me search," Iruka cut in to save her. "I figured she might know where you'd be."

"Oh, I see," Naruto said, scratching his head. "Iruka-sensei, is this about me skipping class?"