Afterward

"Pfft."

The sound of nosebleeds filled the classroom. Uzumaki Naruto had used Sexy Jutsu to make everyone's noses bleed painfully.

Of course, Naruto didn't know that it wasn't just everyone in the classroom who'd been affected. Plenty of ninja in the Hokage Office had also fallen victim to the technique.

"Hokage, please let me take those three on as my students." Kakashi Hatake, wearing a mask, discreetly wiped his nose. He was doing a little better than the others. With his face covered—and his mask being black—no one could really tell if his nose was bleeding.

"Jonin Kakashi Hatake of Konoha, hear my command." Hiruzen Sarutobi wiped his nose, too, then looked at Kakashi with a perfectly serious expression.

"From now on, Nanfeng, Sasuke, and Uzumaki Naruto are in your hands. I'll keep a close eye on their training. As their teacher, I expect you not to shirk your duties. Pay attention to their progress, especially Naruto's technique. I think there's still a lot of potential to develop."

"Hokage, I won't let you down," Kakashi said solemnly.

Well, no one was going to say what the two of them were really thinking. There were only two words for it: shameless.

But could you really call that shameless? It was an appreciation of beauty. In the face of everyone else's disdain, these two old lechers had their own ideas about beauty and art.

"Naruto!" Iruka's roar rang out. He could understand Naruto fooling around during the exam; Naruto's Clone Technique was no good to begin with. But this kind of embarrassing Ninjutsu was simply too much.

That was enough. Watching it made your back ache and your legs go weak, and your nose could barely take it.

"But I really am bad at the Clone Technique... Teacher Iruka, I've already developed such a powerful technique. Can't I graduate?" Naruto asked, looking a little dejected.

"No. The rules are the rules. If you have a problem with them, you can take it up with the Hokage." Iruka firmly rejected Naruto's request, but when he saw Naruto's sorrowful expression, his heart softened.

"Fine. I'll talk to the Hokage about it later. I'm off tomorrow. How about I take you to Ichiraku Ramen?" Iruka said, looking like he had no choice but to give in.

At the mention of Ichiraku Ramen, Naruto's face brightened at once. It seemed that eating, drinking, and having fun really did come first for that guy...

"Well, that concludes the graduation exam." Everyone except Naruto was happy. As they left the school, they could be heard speculating about their lives ahead and wondering who their future teachers would be.

Some even made fun of Naruto. But he was clearly in no mood for it. After saying goodbye to Nanfeng and Sasuke, he quietly walked over to the swing in the corner of the playground and sat there alone.

"Brother Nanfeng, is Naruto all right?" Hinata looked at Naruto with concern. Thanks to Nanfeng, she and Naruto had become good friends. Seeing him so down made her worry.

"Don't worry. He bounces back quickly. Besides, what he needs right now is some time alone. If we go over, we'll only annoy him. Let's go. It's graduation day, so I'm treating you all to a meal. We'll save Naruto's portion for him. When he's feeling better, I'll take him out by himself," Nanfeng said with a smile.

Sasuke looked at Naruto strangely, as if he were wondering what was going through his mind.

The previous night, Nanfeng had spent a long time analyzing what might happen to Naruto after the exam. Using the Communication Secret Technique he'd created, he'd told Naruto what to do next.

His time in Konoha had nearly driven Nanfeng crazy. Thankfully, he'd picked up this communication technique while treating someone earlier. Otherwise, even talking to each other in private might have been a problem.

"The Third Hokage probably deliberately made the exam difficult for you. Your identity might be a little special, and he may not want you to graduate so easily. That guy who's been following you may have figured this out and wants to take advantage of the situation to get you to help him with something..."

"But don't worry. The Third Hokage has been watching us train all these years. Do you really think he didn't notice what that guy was doing?"

"Go ahead and do it. The Third Hokage will take responsibility for everything. You might even get something good out of it."

Nanfeng's analysis had been thorough, but now Naruto was starting to panic.

Hadn't Nanfeng said someone might come looking for him? It was almost evening, and nobody had shown up. At this rate, would he spend his whole life unable to become a ninja, with that guy Sasuke laughing at him?

Just as Naruto's thoughts were in turmoil, someone appeared in front of him. He vaguely recognized him as a teacher from the class next door who sometimes came to substitute for their teachers.

"Naruto, I heard you failed the exam and couldn't become a ninja. I'm sorry to hear that..."

Mizuki appeared in front of him with a gentle smile and spoke softly.

Here it comes. Nanfeng was always like this. Whenever he spoke to them gently, it meant something bad was about to happen.

Naruto thought to himself, recalling the hard time he'd had training under Nanfeng over the past few years. His conflicted expression looked all the more natural.

"Teacher Mizuki... This time, it was my fault. I can't use the Clone Technique, and I'm slow at learning other Ninjutsu, too. Maybe I really don't have what it takes to become a ninja... But I'm still not ready to give up. I'm going to become a ninja." Naruto's expression was sincere as he said this. He wasn't pretending at all.

Maybe...

"You truly live up to the Will of Fire. You may have failed the exam, but I have a mission for you. If you can complete it, I promise you'll be able to become a ninja."

"Oh? If that's the case, I'll do whatever it takes to complete it. Just tell me, Teacher. Who do you want me to kill? Or do you want me to buy someone's hands and feet? I can't promise you much, but I know that line of work like the back of my hand." Naruto seemed like a different person as he rattled off the words to Mizuki.

"Hm? I don't make a habit of buying people's hands and feet, and Konoha wouldn't allow that sort of thing anyway. I just want you to go somewhere and get something for me: an item called the Scroll of Seals. If you bring it to me, you'll graduate." Mizuki paused in surprise, wondering why Naruto sounded like a little hoodlum. But to carry out his plan, he forced down his strange feeling and continued speaking gently.