Outdoor Class

Iruka himself was the most confused and surprised.

He stared blankly at the "himself" on the lecture platform, an exact replica.

Although top students like Sasuke and Sakura in the class could achieve this level.

Naruto was different; he never used to be so obedient.

After a brief moment of shock, Iruka simply assumed Naruto had become a little more normal.

* * *

After all, Naruto was already skilled at the Transformation Jutsu, especially his self-created Sexy Jutsu...

Soon, Naruto dispelled the Transformation Jutsu. Without waiting for Iruka to say anything else, he turned and walked straight back to his seat.

He ignored all the shocked or confused gazes around him.

Naruto inwardly sighed slightly, This kind of attention... it's only interesting the first time you experience it...

Iruka, having watched Naruto grow up, sensed the biggest change. However, he quickly recovered, coughed lightly, and said, "Uh... um, very good, Naruto, great progress. Next, Uchiha Sasuke!"

Sasuke walked forward with a frown. As he stood before Iruka, he glanced back at Naruto, sizing him up.

Naruto, however, acted as if he hadn't seen it, maintaining his pose with one hand propping up his chin, his gaze fixed on the window outside.

It was as if the stunning performance that had captivated the entire room had nothing to do with him.

"Hey, Shikamaru, did you notice Naruto's different today?"

Kiba turned and asked the boy behind him, who maintained a lazy expression.

"Mhm, he's certainly different. He didn't use the Sexy Jutsu in public this time."

Shikamaru replied casually.

"No, I mean, just now! Before I could even say anything, Naruto seemed to know what I was going to say and answered my question!"

Kiba's mouth twitched slightly.

But to be fair, Naruto's Sexy Jutsu was indeed quite good!

"You could guess what I was going to say? Maybe Naruto... was just lucky."

Shikamaru shrugged, indicating he didn't want to discuss it further.

Of course, he had noticed Naruto's abnormality, but what did it have to do with him?

Did it affect his ability to doze off in class later?

So why should he rack his brain trying to figure out what had changed about Naruto?

Choji held a similar thought.

Choji quietly stuffed potato chips into his mouth, believing he'd need energy to perform the Transformation Jutsu after eating his fill!

After that, under Iruka's supervision, the entire class lined up to perform the Transformation Jutsu.

If they replicated it perfectly, Iruka would naturally offer praise.

If there were flaws, Iruka would unleash his fury, yelling, "What have you learned all these years? You can't even remember my appearance? What will you do once you leave the Ninja Academy!"

As the Transformation Jutsu practice concluded, Iruka moved on to the next round of lessons.

During this time, Naruto remained in a peculiar state.

He didn't sleep or cause mischief, just stayed quietly.

At times, he looked at the very familiar Iruka on the podium; at other times, he looked at his classmates, some listening attentively, others daydreaming.

Occasionally, he would meet the gaze of a short-haired girl, ending with her face flushing red and her shyly averting her eyes.

"Ring, ring, ring..."

Shortly after, the dismissal bell rang.

The next class was an outdoor practical training session, so many students rushed out of the classroom in a swarm.

Naruto, however, was not in a hurry. He planned to leave slowly, last of all.

Unlike his first life, he wasn't planning any new pranks.

Naruto ambled onto the training grounds, found a patch of lawn bathed in sunlight and free from excessive noise, placed his hands behind his head, and lay down on his back.

The sky was as blue as ever, with a few white clouds drifting lazily.

He could hear the shouts from physical training classes in other classes in the distance, and the faint sounds of teachers lecturing from the adjacent building.

He had heard these sounds thousands of times.

At the beginning of each cycle, when Naruto desperately tried to find a way out, whether in anger, anxiety, or despair, he found these sounds unbearably grating, mere noise hindering his thoughts.

But this time, listening to Orochimaru's nonsensical advice to "stop and appreciate the scenery," he tried to think of... nothing.

He wouldn't think about how to break the cycle, nor about what he had to do.

Just listening and watching.

It was strange, that long-accumulated fatigue actually eased a little in this state of complete relaxation.

Naruto didn't feel any "ignored truth."

But his body did relax.

He just lay there quietly until the bell for the last class of the afternoon rang.

On the training grounds.

All the other students had already gathered. Naruto then quickly joined the formation, and no matter what, his mood had improved a little.

And he had already decided on his next goal: Mizuki, after the graduation exams.

"Today we'll review Shuriken Throwing! The target is the bullseye of the dummy 20 meters away. Line up and proceed in order!"

Iruka announced the lesson content, but his gaze involuntarily drifted to the blonde boy who was late at the end of the line.

Naruto still put on his usual indifferent facade, leaning against a wooden post behind him, his eyes unfocused as if lost in thought.

Others stepped up one by one.

Sasuke's score was, as expected, all bullseyes. His movements were standard and fluid, eliciting suppressed gasps from the girls.

He just walked back coolly, his eyes once again looking at Naruto.

Why isn't he provoking me today?

Shikamaru yawned, muttering, "What a pain."

But he still threw with standard posture and technique, achieving an excellent score.

When it was Hinata's turn, she noticed Naruto watching her, and her hands trembled slightly from nervousness. But unexpectedly, she also achieved a good result.

However, after finishing, she immediately retreated behind the crowd, blushing, and stole glances at Naruto.

Finally, it was Naruto's turn.

Iruka took a deep breath. He wanted to see what this kid was planning, since he was suddenly so quiet.

At this moment, all eyes were on Naruto.

Naruto slowly walked to the very front.

He didn't even make the standard throwing stance like the others.

Naruto gripped the training shuriken in his hand, his mind calmly flashing through memories of his past reincarnations.

"As long as I start reincarnating, no matter how amazing things I do, if I fail on graduation exam day."

"And can't graduate, Mizuki will find me to steal the Scroll of Sealing. So I don't need to deliberately perform poorly like in the first life..."

Of course, he also didn't need to deliberately pull off flashy moves like in some other reincarnations, such as not only hitting the bullseye but also hitting the area behind it, or deliberately using his non-dominant hand to throw, thereby attracting attention.

Now, he just needed to perform normally.

With that thought, Naruto casually threw.

"Swish swish swish!"

Several shuriken flew from Naruto's hand almost simultaneously.

They drew five clean arcs in the air, and then...

"Bang bang bang!"

The sound of the shuriken hitting the bullseyes came out almost at the same time.

They hit the center of five different targets 20 meters away, without any deviation.

During this, there were no superfluous showy moves, only a blank expression. He didn't even glance at the targets after throwing.

It was as if he had just completed something as natural as breathing.

The entire field fell silent again.

This time, even Sasuke's pupils contracted slightly.

This casual throw, hitting five different bullseyes with such precision, was beyond mere proficiency.

It carried a... a terrifying level of control over shuriken throwing techniques.

Is this guy really Naruto?

Inuzuka Kiba's mouth fell open, finding it even harder to believe.

You're definitely someone else in disguise!

Tell me, where did you hide the real Naruto?!

Give Naruto back to me!