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Over the past five years,
Naruto had stuck to a steady routine, living an exceptionally full life. After the Uchiha Clan Massacre, Konoha had entered a period of "true" peace. The Cloud Ninja, Rock Ninja, and the other Great Ninja Villages hadn't learned what had really happened on the night of the massacre. Konoha was still propped up by its old reputation, and the great villages hadn't truly recovered from the Third Shinobi World War. So the Fourth Shinobi World War, which might otherwise have broken out, had been forcibly suppressed.
During this rare period of peace,
Naruto had managed to stay completely out of everything happening beyond his doorstep.
Every day, he followed the same three-part routine:
Ninja Academy—home—forest training ground.
Naruto never wasted time on anything else. He focused on training himself and kept expanding his knowledge to grow stronger.
And over these five years,
Naruto had clearly noticed that the Anbu who had been watching him were gradually withdrawn.
Perhaps it was because he was about to graduate from the Ninja Academy and become a true Konoha Ninja. Or perhaps the Third Hokage had finally let his guard down after Naruto had behaved himself for years.
In short,
a year ago, Naruto had stopped feeling like he was being watched every moment of the day. When that prickling sensation finally disappeared, he had almost cheered aloud. Only then could he start putting his plans into motion instead of pretending to be a coward all the time!
Everything had gone smoothly.
Now all he had to do was wait until he graduated and was assigned to a team. Then he could move on to the next step of his plan.
But at this crucial moment, Naruto had forgotten one extremely important thing.
The Ninja Academy graduation exam!
And it was only when the day of the graduation exam arrived
that he remembered.
In the exam room,
it was his turn.
"Clone Technique!"
"Poof!"
A familiar golden figure.
A steady voice.
A burst of white smoke that seemed to billow forth with great force.
But then,
as the white smoke cleared,
instead of the two clones he'd hoped to see,
there lay the same two lumps of orange-yellow, unidentifiable stuff as always. Yes, two lumps of orange-yellow stuff. Compared to a few years ago, Naruto's Clone Technique had improved, at least enough for the color and a rough human shape to be recognizable—if you were being generous.
Even so, the situation before him
wasn't funny at all.
This was the Ninja Academy exam room.
It was Konoha Year 60, and Naruto was twelve years old.
Naruto had always ranked in the top five in his class. His theoretical knowledge was among the top three, and he sometimes even came in first. Yet now, during his graduation exam, he had failed the Clone Technique again.
Even Naruto couldn't help the corner of his mouth twitching as he looked at the two lumps beside him.
He'd known this was coming.
But seeing for himself that he still couldn't master the Clone Technique after five whole years—
Naruto didn't even know what to say to himself.
Especially when he saw Iruka nearby, struggling so hard to hold back his rising temper. Naruto shrank his head a little, his face turning sheepish. He scratched the back of his head and opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, while Iruka wore an utterly defeated expression.
The kid was quick to learn just about anything.
He'd mastered the Substitution Technique and Transformation Technique, two of the Three Body Techniques, in just a few days. His theoretical knowledge and Taijutsu training had always been excellent, and his overall grades were among the very best in the class. Even the C-rank Wind Release Ninjutsu Iruka had taught him three years ago, after Naruto had pestered him relentlessly, had been mastered in no time. (Naruto had casually brought up his chakra nature from time to time three years ago, and Iruka had tested him. Since he had a Wind nature, Iruka taught him a C-rank Wind Release Ninjutsu. Iruka wasn't a Wind-type himself, but that didn't mean he couldn't use the technique. It simply took a different amount of chakra and had a different level of power. As an experienced Chunin, it wasn't strange for Iruka to know one or two C-rank Wind Release Ninjutsu.)
Yet for some reason, when it came to the Clone Technique,
no matter what method he tried,
the kid just couldn't learn it.
Iruka was starting to wonder if the kid had been born incompatible with the technique. But the graduation exam almost always tested the Clone Technique, so he'd decided to let the kid give it a try anyway. Well, the result was exactly what he'd expected.
That wasn't a clone. It was just a lump of—
Ahem...
At that moment, Iruka didn't know what to say.
"Sigh..."
Iruka silently sighed to himself. Then he put on a stern face, looked at Naruto, and said gravely,
"Failed!"
Iruka wanted Naruto to graduate, too, but rules were rules. The Ninja Academy's graduation exam was already a fair assessment. Those who passed could become Genin; those who failed had to go back and study again. On this point, Iruka was a bit of a stickler.
Those few words made Naruto's face fall.
Seriously?
If he really couldn't graduate,
wouldn't that be a disaster?
He'd have to go back and do it all over again.
Naruto didn't have the time or patience for that.
Of course, the original story had mentioned that the original Naruto seemed to have taken the graduation exam several times. But Naruto, in this life, seriously doubted whether that was true. The Ninja Academy's exam was an annual event. Anyone could apply to graduate early, but usually that happened during wartime, and even then, it depended on whether the academy approved. You couldn't just say you wanted to graduate early and expect to be allowed to take the exam. The academy had to agree before arranging a special graduation exam for you. So the original Naruto had taken the graduation exam several times?
That was the biggest plot hole ever.
Putting that aside,
Naruto didn't want his graduation delayed.
It was already Konoha Year 60—in other words, the beginning of the story.
Every step from here on out was important.
Naruto didn't have time to waste on this.
So what if he couldn't use the Clone Technique? He could learn another kind of solid-body clone technique later!
"Iruka-sensei, um, I think I can—"
But
before Naruto could finish,
Iruka waved his hand and cut him off.
"No, Naruto. A failure is a failure. Those are the rules, and they're there for a reason. The graduation exam is meant to assess your abilities across the board. The Three Body Techniques are basic. If you can't even master them, you're not qualified to become a Genin!"
Iruka folded his hands on the desk and looked at Naruto with a solemn expression.