Graduation Day

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Three days later.

Hidden Leaf Village, Ninja Academy, the usual time for school to start. Today, however, was slightly special. It was the day of the annual graduation ceremony at the Hidden Leaf Ninja Academy. The students who had passed the graduation exam three days ago were spending their final day at the academy. Once the official team assignments were made, these boys and girls would formally become Genin of the Hidden Leaf Village.

Naruto arrived at school around the same time as everyone else. He sat in his usual spot in the far corner, watching his classmates, whose faces were filled with joy and excitement. While his expression remained unchanged, he couldn't help but shake his head inwardly.

It really is peaceful, isn't it...

There was no fear of the future, no confusion about what lay ahead.

Instead, the room was brimming with anticipation and exhilaration.

This couldn't be called wrong.

But in a world like this.

With this kind of mindset, how many of these boys and girls would actually survive in the end?

A so-called Ninja.

It was more than just a profession.

It was a symbol of the boundary between life and death.

The Hidden Leaf had been at peace for too long. While the lack of war allowed the academy to cultivate these talents more smoothly and safely, it also meant they lacked the tempering of the war-torn eras. How many of these so-called geniuses could truly grow into their own?

Perhaps it wouldn't be impossible for them to lose their lives in some low-level C-rank mission one day...

Naruto looked at the jubilant classmates before him, and this thought couldn't help but surface from the depths of his heart. It wasn't mockery; it was simply stating a fact. Flowers in a greenhouse—that was the most fitting description for these children graduating from the Hidden Leaf Ninja Academy.

Most importantly.

Naruto couldn't see a shred of tension in any of them.

It was as if becoming a ninja was a wonderful thing.

They saw only the light and ignored the darkness.

They enjoyed the benefits brought by peace.

But they had never witnessed the cruelty of war.

Naruto was absolutely unwilling to become such an existence. Knowing the plot well, he was keenly aware that he didn't have much time left. Every minute and every second was something he had to fight for.

In this classroom.

Perhaps only Sasuke could understand, even if just a little, what the darkness of a ninja truly meant.

His peripheral vision caught the still-indifferent profile of Sasuke Uchiha sitting diagonally in front of him.

A faint glimmer flickered in Naruto's pupils.

Only this Uchiha orphan and he shared even the slightest bit of similarity.

As for this game of ninja house...

Let these "innocent" children play it.

"Eh? Naruto? You're able to attend the graduation ceremony? Didn't you fail the graduation exam earlier?"

Just as Naruto was listlessly observing his classmates, a familiar figure appeared by his side. Hearing the slightly surprised, lazy tone, Naruto didn't even need to turn his head to know who it was.

As he shifted his gaze, the familiar ponytail came into view.

Sure enough.

It was the "brains" of the original series' Konoha 11—Shikamaru Nara.

At this very moment.

The lazy genius boy, rumored to have an IQ over 200, wore an expression of obvious curiosity.

After all, Naruto failing the graduation exam three days ago had already surprised Shikamaru.

As someone who consistently ranked in the top five, Shikamaru couldn't fathom how Naruto had failed a mere graduation exam.

And then, just when he thought Naruto would have to repeat the year and prepare for a retake.

He had seen Naruto at the graduation ceremony today.

Driven by curiosity, the notoriously lazy young master of the Nara clan had rarely taken the initiative to come over and ask.

"Oh? Shikamaru. They arranged a make-up exam afterward, and I passed it, so I'm able to attend today's graduation ceremony."

Looking at the lazy boy's face.

Naruto lightly tapped the forehead protector on his head and replied with a soft smile.

During his six years at the Ninja Academy.

In this class.

It could be said that Naruto got along reasonably well with the vast majority of the students.

Not just because of his grades, but also because of his personality.

Commoner classmates might have been influenced by their parents to keep their distance from Naruto, but those from the Hidden Leaf Village's prestigious clans, like Shikamaru, were naturally different. While Shikaku Nara, Hiashi Hyuga, Choza Akimichi, and the others would not directly tell their children about Naruto's special identity, they certainly wouldn't force their children to shun him like the commoners did. They neither encouraged deliberate closeness nor intentional avoidance, leaving it up to the children to make their own choices.

Therefore, Naruto maintained relatively good relationships with Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba, and Shino, all of whom hailed from these prominent clans.

"Oh? A make-up exam, I see."

Shikamaru nodded thoughtfully.

Although Shikamaru was clever enough to easily see through the trickery without even trying, the fact that Naruto was standing there today with the Hidden Leaf ninja headband on his forehead meant the Ninja Academy had officially passed him. Since there was no major issue, the lazy Shikamaru naturally wouldn't bother digging any deeper.

"Oh? Naruto, you managed to graduate too? That's great! You're one of the top students in our class, after all."

Choji, who was practically inseparable from Shikamaru, walked over while munching on potato chips and said with a cheerful grin.

"Want some? Shikamaru? Naruto?"

As he spoke, he held out the bag of chips toward them.

"No, I'm good. (You go ahead, Choji.)"

Naruto and Shikamaru replied one after the other.

"Team assignments are coming up in a bit. I wonder how they'll divide us. It would be best if I could end up in a team with someone like you, who's at the top of the class."

Shikamaru rested his hands behind his head, his tone sounding somewhat expectant.

"Anyone else could say that, Shikamaru, but don't you already know what your team assignment will be?"

Naruto turned slightly, resting his chin on his left hand as he looked at Shikamaru and chuckled.

Naruto's words caused Shikamaru's expression to collapse, and he nodded helplessly a moment later.

"Well, I was just saying."

The traditional Ino-Shika-Cho.

This was something almost everyone in the Hidden Leaf Village knew.

It wouldn't have mattered if they weren't the same age.

But since they were graduating in the same year, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio was destined to form a squad.

This had been a tradition among the three great clans of the Hidden Leaf since the village was founded.

This graduating class happened to have the three members of the Ino-Shika-Cho—Shikamaru of the Nara Clan, Choji of the Akimichi Clan, and Ino of the Yamanaka Clan. To put it bluntly, these three were the only ones in this year who were destined from the day they enrolled to form a squad upon graduation.

Shikamaru knew this well, and he wasn't the least bit surprised that Naruto knew it too. After all, Naruto was famous in class for his diligence; over the past six years, he had spent more time in the Ninja Academy library than the rest of the class combined.

It was no surprise that he would know such things.