Setting aside the secret clash between the Third Hokage and Shimura Danzō, two Konoha heavyweights bound by decades of animosity, let's turn back to the other side.
After Naruto followed Iruka back to the village and handed over the Scroll of Sealing, just as Naruto had expected, the matter was brought to a close. Iruka had thought he would need to explain himself, and perhaps even endure some special interrogation. But even when the Chunin in charge of retrieving the Scroll of Sealing told him he could leave, Iruka was still a little dazed. After all, the Scroll of Sealing had been stolen! And one of the village's Chunin had gone rogue. Most importantly, the central figure in this affair—Naruto Uzumaki—was the village's Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. How could they just brush it aside so casually?
Iruka had thought that he and Naruto would be summoned by the Third Hokage for questioning.
At worst, they might even have to endure a special interrogation by the village's Interrogation Force.
But now, it seemed as though the whole thing had really just been a drill.
Even as they left the Hokage Office Building,
Iruka was still a little dazed.
Meanwhile, Naruto had quietly followed Iruka the whole way, saying nothing and wearing an expression that said, "I'm being good" and "I know I was wrong." But in his heart, he understood perfectly well that this whole affair had been a joke from the start. If Naruto weren't involved, and the Third Hokage hadn't wanted to use the opportunity to give him a little preferential treatment, then any other Ninja Academy student would have had this scheme nipped in the bud before it ever happened. A nobody like Mizuki, not even worth calling a grasshopper, had no chance of stirring up trouble in the Shinobi World's greatest village, Konoha. Even at its weakest, Konoha wasn't a place for someone like Mizuki to meddle in.
So Naruto wasn't surprised by the outcome in the slightest.
Afterward,
Iruka still took Naruto to the hospital.
Though his injuries seemed to be no problem now
and looked like they would heal on their own before long,
to be safe,
Iruka took Naruto to the hospital for another checkup.
As it turned out, Naruto was completely fine. All he needed was a little rest, and he would make a full recovery.
Iruka's injuries, on the other hand, were a little more serious than Naruto's.
That alone showed just how vigorous Naruto's vitality and healing ability were.
"Naruto, it doesn't look like anything serious, but you still need to rest at home for the next two days. Understood? The graduation ceremony is in three days, and the team assignments will be announced that day. Don't go training for the next few days."
After they left the hospital,
Iruka knew his student's personality all too well, so before they parted ways, he gave Naruto a stern warning. Even if he seemed fine and would recover soon, Iruka still wanted him to take better care of himself. Hard work and diligence weren't wrong; they were virtues worth praising. But it was also important to balance work and rest, especially after being injured in a fierce battle.
"Yes, Iruka-sensei. I understand, so don't worry."
Meeting Iruka's earnest, concerned gaze, Naruto looked up at him and nodded seriously as he replied.
Seeing Naruto act so obediently for once, Iruka paused, then eyed him suspiciously.
His ample experience told him that Naruto could be reasonable about most things, but when it came to training, he had an almost obsessive passion. It was more than ordinary diligence could explain.
Under Iruka's doubtful gaze,
Naruto broke into a cold sweat.
It seemed he really had no credibility in this regard.
"Don't worry, Iruka-sensei. I really won't lie to you this time. I'll rest properly."
Only after Naruto had reassured him again and again
did Iruka finally nod.
"That's good."
After reminding him about the graduation ceremony and team assignments, Iruka finally turned and headed back to his home.
Once Iruka had gone,
Naruto let out a sigh of relief. Iruka cared about him, but sometimes he just couldn't handle his sensei's nagging.
But honestly, Naruto really wasn't planning to play any tricks this time.
Even if Iruka hadn't said anything,
Naruto had planned to rest for two days.
He'd been planning to change up his training routine for the last two days before graduation, but now he figured he'd better rest properly. After all, the body was the capital of revolution. Besides, staying home didn't mean he couldn't train, right?
Over the next two days, Naruto planned to focus on improving his hand seal speed, as well as his control and manipulation of the chakra inside him.
Ultimately, ninjutsu and genjutsu
weren't simply a matter of forming hand seals quickly to make the techniques come out faster.
Hand seals were just a method.
Chakra control and manipulation were the foundation of releasing a technique.
Did the Sage of Six Paths need to form hand seals to release a technique?
Not at all.
That was because using chakra was as effortless for him as moving his own limbs, so he didn't need a medium like hand seals.
And even if you left aside a monster like the Sage of Six Paths,
the First—Senju Hashirama—could bring forth whatever he wanted just by bringing his hands together and calling it forth.
He might not have been on the Sage of Six Paths' level,
but that was still a sign of chakra control and use taken to the extreme.
So hand seals were only a medium. Chakra itself was the core.
Even the simplest Shadow Clone required more than just the "Ram" hand seal. It also involved controlling and channeling the chakra inside the body. If you only formed the hand seal without supplying chakra, it was just an empty shell.
Naruto, of course, wasn't yet at the level where he could bring his hands together and summon anything he wanted.
So chakra control, chakra use, and hand seal speed
were all areas he needed to focus on.
Especially his hand seal speed.
It was the quickest skill for a person to improve through conscious effort.
In the original story, Uchiha Itachi's hand seal speed
was Naruto's current goal.
"Yosh! I'll go home and get a good night's sleep first, then start training!"
Naruto lightly slapped his cheeks, then turned and headed home at an easy pace.
Over the next two days,
Naruto kept his promise to Iruka and mostly stayed home to rest. He didn't go off to train in the forest behind the mountain. During those two days, he further mastered the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique he had learned from the Scroll of Sealing, and also improved his hand seal speed a little for the C-rank Wind Release Ninjutsu, Great Breakthrough, which he had gotten out of Iruka earlier. After his first real fight with Mizuki, Naruto had become even more aware that a Ninja needed many qualities to win a battle. He reminded himself that in every fight from then on, he must never let his guard down or grow careless!