Naruto's Graduation Ceremony

As a Chunin of the Hidden Leaf Village, and specifically the instructor assigned by the Third Hokage to guide Naruto, Iruka naturally knew things that ordinary ninja did not, including the special existence within Naruto. Upon seeing that Naruto's wounds were healing much faster than an average person's and that the bleeding had stopped almost immediately, Iruka was able to make the connection at once.

Is it because of the Nine-Tails? If so, then that's certainly a relief...

He looked at Naruto, whose mental state seemed slightly better than before.

Iruka thought silently to himself.

Of course, the reason Naruto's wounds healed so quickly was partly due to the Nine-Tails, which granted him a recovery ability far exceeding that of a normal ninja. However, there was another reason: the half of the Uzumaki Clan's bloodline flowing through Naruto. One had to know that Naruto's biological mother, Kushina Uzumaki, was a member of the most orthodox Uzumaki lineage. The Uzumaki Clan was originally renowned for their incredibly formidable vitality. Before the Land of Eddies was destroyed, the Uzumaki Clan was synonymous with two things: sealing techniques and immense life force. This was why the first two Nine-Tails Jinchuriki of the Hidden Leaf Village were both from the Uzumaki Clan. While an ordinary person would die instantly upon having a Tailed Beast extracted, an Uzumaki could survive for a period of time thanks to their powerful vitality; Kushina Uzumaki was the best example of this. As her son, even if Naruto did not possess the purest Uzumaki blood, his vitality was still far more vigorous than that of an average person.

Such minor injuries were naturally nothing to him.

Furthermore, setting that aside, even an ordinary ninja would not be in life-threatening danger after such an encounter, provided they received timely rescue. After all, in the battle just now, Naruto had already avoided all his vital points.

Iruka had simply been blinded by his own concern.

Realizing that Naruto was not in any serious trouble, he regained his composure.

"Hmph, Naruto, you must never act so recklessly again, do you hear me? Stealing the Scroll of Sealing, and then doing something like this..."

Once he understood that Naruto's life was not in danger.

Iruka returned to his usual self. To be fair, Naruto's actions this time had truly kept Iruka on edge.

Although the outcome seemed okay for now.

Whether it was the Scroll of Sealing being taken away by Mizuki.

Or Naruto suffering any kind of accident.

None of those were scenarios Iruka wanted to see, and they would have been losses the village could not afford to bear.

"Yes~~ Iruka-sensei, I know I was wrong. I definitely won't do it again next time. It was just because I couldn't graduate that I got tricked by that jerk Mizuki. But considering I made up for my mistake, Iruka-sensei, please forgive me this once!"

Feeling his own super-strong self-healing ability and realizing he was in no danger of dying.

Naruto revealed a rare, playful expression. He looked at Iruka and spoke with a hint of acting spoiled. This was not a pretense; it was a side of himself that Naruto only occasionally showed in front of Iruka.

Listening to Iruka's familiar nagging and seeing his face full of concern.

A warm feeling flooded the depths of Naruto's heart.

This was the best result.

This was everything he wanted to protect.

Perhaps there was resentment.

Perhaps there was hatred.

But at the very least, in this moment, Naruto had only one thought in his heart: to protect the Iruka before him. For the current Naruto, he was one of the two most important existences. There might be others in the future, but for now, there were only two.

Watching the expression Naruto wore and hearing the words he spoke.

Iruka felt both annoyed and amused deep down.

As someone who had spent every day with him for six whole years, how could Iruka not know the thoughts in the heart of this "younger brother" of his? After all these years, Iruka knew better than anyone that while Naruto usually appeared gentle and indifferent, once he set his mind on something he insisted upon, he would never give up.

He was a child more sensitive and stronger than anyone else. Of course, Iruka did not know that this was merely the side Naruto chose to show him. It wasn't a deception, as this was indeed Naruto's most authentic side; it was just that, relatively speaking, the other side of him remained hidden from Iruka.

"Hmph, you're still thinking about having a 'next time'!"

Iruka first stiffened his face, scolding Naruto as if he were very angry.

As Naruto shrank his head and gave a sheepish expression.

"However, you did well, Naruto."

Iruka's expression softened, and a gentle smile appeared on his face. He reached out his right hand, ruffled Naruto's blond hair, and looked at the boy who was now barely able to stand, speaking softly.

"Naruto, close your eyes."

Before Naruto could say anything, Iruka continued.

"Eh?"

Naruto was slightly stunned at first, but out of absolute trust in Iruka, he obediently closed his eyes. That slight sense of playfulness caused a somewhat silly, nonsensical thought to pop into the depths of his mind at that moment.

However, that thought only lasted for a second.

The next moment.

Naruto felt the cold, metallic texture of something pressing against his forehead, along with a slight weight.

"This is?"

His heart skipped a beat.

Before Naruto could even open his eyes.

"Naruto, congratulations on your graduation!"

The gentle words rang in Naruto's ears.

Following that.

As Naruto slowly opened his eyes, Iruka's gratified smile filled his vision, and his right hand reached up instinctively.

Naruto felt the metallic texture of the forehead protector on his brow, momentarily lost in a daze.

"Iruka-sensei..."

"Naruto, you are already an outstanding Ninja. You are fully qualified to wear this forehead protector," Iruka patted Naruto on the shoulder, his tone filled with encouragement. "Isn't your goal to become a great Ninja and gain everyone's recognition? This is your brand-new starting point. Keep it up, Naruto! I believe you will definitely surpass everyone and become the Hokage!"

A glimmer of trust and a kind, benevolent expression shone in Iruka's pupils.

It made Naruto's heart tremble, and his eyes grew slightly moist with emotion.

"Yes, Iruka-sensei!"

Naruto nodded heavily as he spoke.

Though he answered this way with his mouth, his inner thoughts were not the same.

To Iruka, Naruto was undoubtedly walking on the correct path of the Will of Fire. Wanting to become a great Ninja and gain everyone's recognition were words Naruto had kept on his lips since he was a child; these were not false words, but truly Naruto's most genuine thoughts.

Yet, Iruka also assumed that Naruto wanted to become the Hokage, wanted to gain the recognition of everyone in the village, and become a hero of the Hidden Leaf Village.

However, this was not Naruto's ultimate goal.

It was not to say that the future Naruto would necessarily choose to betray the village and take revenge on the entire Hidden Leaf Village, but as things stood, Naruto's future was absolutely not the one Iruka or the Third Hokage envisioned!

But these were words that could not be spoken aloud.

Naruto could only silently offer an apology in his heart.

"Then, to celebrate you becoming a Ninja, let me treat you to a big meal."

"Really!? That's awesome! I want to eat Ichiraku Ramen, a large bowl!!"

"Haha, no problem, let's go."

"Ohhhhhhh!!!"

The faint light of dawn shone upon the earth.

A glimmer of the future had already quietly emerged.

In this world, Naruto had finally taken his own true first step.