The Trend of Involution

Ninja Academy.

During the lunch break, Iruka called Naruto to his office.

Then, he took out the early graduation application from a drawer and said apologetically, "Naruto, your application for early graduation was rejected by Lord Hokage. The reason was that they can't arrange a suitable Jonin team leader for you. You should wait until next year to apply again."

"Got it, Iruka-sensei."

Naruto glanced at the returned application and nodded mechanically.

He had known even before submitting it that his application would definitely be rejected. The old Third Hokage would never approve it. On one hand, he wanted Naruto to form bonds at the Ninja Academy; on the other, he was afraid Naruto would become uncontrollable after becoming a ninja.

After all, compared to Ninja Academy students, Genin in peacetime had the freedom to choose their missions.

Still, applying for early graduation had not been entirely useless. The old Third Hokage, who had deliberately come to visit his home yesterday, had brought him new gifts: one of Konoha's Forbidden Jutsu, the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu, as well as some insights into ninjutsu.

It counted as compensation for rejecting his graduation application.

Iruka looked at the dull-eyed Naruto and sighed softly to himself.

Although Naruto did not pay attention in class, Iruka had seen his efforts. Branded as the Demon Fox incarnate, he had still managed to rank first in the class and had even mastered coursework from higher grades.

His only shortcomings were probably his excessive isolation and his identity as a Jinchuriki.

But those were not Naruto's fault. If Naruto were not a Jinchuriki and had parents, his personality would not have become so withdrawn and strange. Besides, Naruto was already outstanding as he was.

Casting aside those distracting thoughts, Iruka said, "Go back to class first. Life at the Ninja Academy isn't actually that bad. There's no need to put so much pressure on yourself. You need to learn to ease up appropriately."

Naruto nodded slightly, then left the teachers' office.

Once Naruto had left, the teachers' office became lively again.

A teacher beside him said jokingly, "Iruka-sensei, you really do care about Naruto. But with that kind of personality, even if you show concern, it probably won't do you much good, will it?"

Iruka looked at his friend Mizuki and frowned. "How can a teacher expect anything in return?"

Mizuki said disapprovingly, "So you're willing to remain a Chunin instructor forever? Your class has so many children from major clans. Haven't you ever thought about advancing further within the academy? Becoming a director, or even the principal?"

Iruka shook his head. "I'm not that ambitious. Being a teacher is enough for me."

Mizuki said with some regret, "You're wasting your chance to teach the elite class. If it were me, I wouldn't let any opportunity to rise pass me by. I'd climb upward even if I had to risk my life."

After lunch break ended, Naruto returned to his seat at the back of the classroom and began considering how to use the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu.

The only difference between the Shadow Clone Jutsu and the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu was the number of clones. The former had a limit of five, while the latter could create hundreds or thousands. It was a special ninjutsu intended for specific groups of people.

In the ninja world, aside from the Five Kage, only Jinchuriki could use the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu without restraint.

Yet this ninjutsu was still rather useless to Naruto. He was not the hotheaded fool from the original story who only knew how to overwhelm enemies with numbers. He focused more on Shadow Clones' uses in deception and intelligence gathering, while their quantity was secondary.

Sasuke returned to his seat at that moment and leaned over to ask, "Naruto, did your graduation application get approved?"

Naruto glanced at Sasuke and shook his head. "Grandpa Hokage rejected it. He said he couldn't find a suitable Jonin team leader and told me to wait until next year."

Sasuke let out a sigh of relief, but Naruto caught the change and frowned.

Sasuke hurriedly explained, "I applied for early graduation too, but I was also rejected. Looks like it wasn't because I'm too weak."

"Why did you apply for early graduation?"

Naruto was not questioning Sasuke's strength. Under his guidance, Sasuke was stronger than most ordinary Genin and could easily pass the graduation exam. He merely doubted Sasuke's motives.

Sasuke snorted. "You made such a huge fuss with your early graduation application that the whole class was talking about it. As the second-ranked student in the class, of course I had to apply too. What matters is making a statement."

Naruto rubbed his forehead. He had not noticed the commotion at all. Only after glancing at the classmates around him did he realize it belatedly.

At that moment, Choji, who was seated in front of them, turned around and said, "Yeah, I want to take the graduation exam too. Once I become a Genin and have money, I can eat delicious food every day."

Shikamaru still wore his lazy expression.

"I'm too lazy to apply. It's peacetime now, so there's no need for Ninja Academy students like us to become ninjas. Besides, being a ninja and carrying out missions is way too troublesome. It's better to rest at school."

Hearing the boys' discussion, Hinata quietly looked over as well, seemingly hesitating over whether to join the conversation.

But Naruto, at the center of the discussion, was a little too dazzling now. She did not dare approach him, feeling that she was somewhat unworthy of him now. She did not have the strength to graduate early.

Unless she could defeat her older cousin Neji head-on, despite him being in a higher grade.

Just like that, Naruto's early graduation application unknowingly sparked a trend of fierce competition in the class, and many people began considering early graduation.

Several months passed like this.

One weekend afternoon, Naruto used a Shadow Clone to fool Kakashi while his real body arrived in the Death Forest.

After Naruto's careful renovations, the once dark and damp underground base had become much brighter. The surrounding earth had also been buried with many Explosive Tags, ready to blow up the underground base at any time.

Hearing footsteps, Shisui, the prisoner beneath the stairs, raised his head and looked at Naruto with faint anticipation.

After spending several months together, Shisui and Naruto had developed a fairly good relationship. Aside from losing his freedom and having his Chakra sealed, Shisui was still able to move freely within his cage.

Naruto had even thoughtfully replaced Shisui's eyes with a new pair.

Naturally, the new eyes were not Sharingan. They had belonged to some unlucky, nameless spy who had mingled among the villagers and tried to make a move against Naruto. In the end, he had taken a Rasengan head-on and died outside the village, providing quite a lot of material.

After Shisui gained new eyes, it became much easier for Naruto to ask him about cultivation.

An elite Jonin's understanding of Chakra attributes was countless times better than that of the Chunin instructors at the academy.

Shisui also understood that having eyes made him easier to control with genjutsu, so he simply stopped hiding anything and truthfully answered many of Naruto's questions about cultivation.

What Shisui found somewhat strange was why a Jonin capable of defeating him lacked basic common knowledge.

Could it be that Jonin in the village no longer needed to study such things these days?

After teaching Naruto some advanced Chakra techniques, Shisui ate the boxed meal Naruto had brought him. The taste was familiar to Shisui; it came from a shop in the village.

After hesitating for a while, Shisui took a deep breath and asked, "How is the Uchiha clan doing now?"