As for Naruto, he couldn't be bothered to argue with a little girl, so he simply walked to the front.
"Not bad, Naruto. You finally showed some initiative for once. Come on, Naruto, show us what you can do." Seeing Naruto step forward on his own, Iruka was delighted. The higher-ups had gone to great lengths to downplay the clans, so ordinary people knew little about them. But ninjas understood how powerful the clans were. Iruka was a Chunin, after all, and he knew the significance of the Uzumaki name.
Naruto smiled a little, then did little else.
He stirred his chakra slightly, and a huge amount of blue chakra instantly appeared around him. The sheer amount left all his classmates dumbfounded.
"What the heck? How can the dead last have that much chakra?"
"You've got to be kidding."
"That dead last..." Sasuke Uchiha stood at the back with his arms crossed. He'd been looking at Naruto with disdain, but now he was staring in shock, muttering something under his breath.
Sasuke, who'd had no elders to teach him, didn't understand the significance of the Uzumaki name either.
A person's chakra reserves depended heavily on talent. Every Jonin understood that, but nobody said it out loud. It would only discourage the children.
Though he'd long suspected as much, Iruka couldn't help twitching when he saw Naruto's chakra reserves with his own eyes. Standing beside Naruto, he could clearly feel the pressure of that chakra.
"My control still isn't good enough." Naruto had too much chakra. He'd only meant to let out a little burst, but this was the smallest amount he could control. Even so, he'd shocked everyone.
"How is that possible? Naruto's the dead last."
Sakura was baffled. She didn't understand why Naruto, the dead last, had so much chakra. At their age, chakra reserves were what determined who was stronger.
"Naruto isn't the dead last." Hearing Sakura call Naruto a dead last again, Hinata was upset. She couldn't help quietly defending him, but her voice was too soft for anyone to hear.
"Very impressive, Naruto. You really didn't disappoint me."
Watching Naruto's performance, Iruka couldn't help smiling warmly. A teacher's joy came from turning a problem student around, and that was exactly how Iruka felt now. Seeing Naruto, the dead last, do so well made him happier than being praised by the Third Hokage.
Hokage's Office
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat in his Hokage's chair, while Danzo sat on a sofa by the wall, half his body hidden in shadow. A crystal ball rested before them. It was the Third Hokage's Telescope Technique, and it showed what was happening at the Academy.
"Danzo, what do you think of this year's students?" Looking at the children in the crystal ball, the Third Hokage couldn't help feeling proud. To him, they were the fruit of his efforts. The Second Hokage had founded the Ninja Academy, but he had made it flourish.
"Hmph! It's a complete waste of time. Hiruzen, let me train these children. They'd be better off with me than in the Academy."
Danzo looked at the children, who couldn't even perform a single jutsu, with open disdain. At their age, they'd already be Chunins in Root.
Danzo had no concept of peace. Unlike the Third Hokage, he wasn't old and nearing retirement. The Third Hokage only wanted to maintain the status quo and avoid any trouble during the final stretch of his life.
"Don't even think about it. The Academy is where they form bonds. The Will of Fire must live on, and you know their backgrounds. Training them at the Academy is the best choice." The Third Hokage glanced at Danzo, disdain in his heart. His old comrade was good for nothing but scheming.
The Second Hokage had founded the Ninja Academy so the children would feel a stronger sense of belonging to the village and so the clans' influence would fade. It wasn't meant to teach them jutsu. The only jutsu taught at the Academy were the Three Basic Jutsu. Afterward, children either learned from the Jonin leading their teams once they became ninjas, or from their clans.
"There's no point in saying all that," Danzo said disdainfully.
Just as the two of them ran out of things to discuss, Naruto Uzumaki appeared.
The two men, who had been paying little attention, immediately became interested.
Then they saw Naruto's chakra burst forth. Though there wasn't much of it, its quality was beyond that of an ordinary ninja. The sudden burst interfered with the image in the crystal ball.
Hiruzen Sarutobi hadn't expected that. Since he couldn't directly locate Naruto, he didn't know the boy's recent situation. He was currently using another student at the Academy as his target.
"As expected of the Uzumaki Clan. His chakra reserves are truly astonishing." Danzo kept his expression calm, but his eyes were fixed on Naruto in the image. He could barely hide the greed in them.
In the Ninja World, no one but Hashirama could claim not to need more chakra.
Danzo hadn't cared much before, but now he was tempted. If he got his hands on Naruto's cells, his own chakra reserves might improve again.
"Indeed, impressive." Hiruzen didn't notice Danzo's expression. Naruto's chakra reserves had surprised them both, but given that he belonged to the Uzumaki Clan, it wasn't really shocking.
"Hiruzen, how about letting me train the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki? I can turn him into Konoha's most powerful weapon."
Seeing Naruto's chakra reserves, Danzo could no longer suppress his ambition. If he could control the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, becoming Hokage would no longer be a pipe dream.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression turned cold. Naruto wasn't just the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki; he was also the Fourth Hokage's son. Besides, all three generations of Jinchuriki had belonged to the Hokage's line. How could he let an outsider take control of Naruto? With such poor political sense, Danzo would never be anything more than a ninja.
"Danzo, you'd better give up. The Jinchuriki will never be handed over to someone else." Even the other members of the Council of Elders agreed with this. That was why Danzo never brought it up in meetings. They all knew it was impossible. Even if the Third Hokage died, Naruto would be entrusted to the next Hokage.
The Nine-Tails was Konoha's foundation. The Hokage might be weak, but the Nine-Tails would only grow stronger. As long as it remained in the hands of the Hokage's line, it would be Konoha's greatest source of confidence.
Danzo snorted and turned to leave, but he'd already decided he had to get his hands on Naruto Uzumaki's cells.
After finishing his demonstration, Naruto slowly returned to the back row and took his place. He stood far away from Sakura. His performance had shaken her, and only now did she notice how much he'd changed. His eyes, his bearing, and the way he looked at her were all as if he were looking at a stranger.
For some reason, she felt hollow inside, as though she'd lost something.