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Three days later.
Konoha Village, Ninja Academy. It was the usual time for students to head to school, but today was a little different. It was the Ninja Academy's annual graduation ceremony. The students who had passed the graduation exam three days ago would be spending their last day at the academy today. Once the official team assignments were made, these boys and girls would officially become Konoha Genin.
Naruto arrived at school at about the usual time. He took his place in the corner as always and looked at his classmates, all of them wearing expressions of joy and excitement. Though Naruto's expression seemed unchanged, inwardly he couldn't help giving a slight shake of his head.
"Things really are peaceful..."
They weren't afraid of the future, nor were they uncertain about it.
Instead, they were filled with anticipation and excitement.
That wasn't necessarily the wrong way to feel.
But in a world like this...
How many of these boys and girls would actually survive with that kind of mindset?
A ninja...
Wasn't just someone with a duty to fulfill.
A ninja stood on the boundary between life and death.
Konoha had been at peace for too long. There seemed to be no threat of war, and the Ninja Academy could train these talented students more smoothly and safely. But without the unique environment of wartime to nurture them, how many of these so-called geniuses would truly grow into their potential?
"Wouldn't be impossible for one of them to die on some low-level C-rank mission one day..."
Looking at the lively crowd of classmates in front of him, Naruto couldn't help having the thought. He wasn't mocking them; he was simply stating a fact. "Hothouse flowers" was the perfect way to describe these children graduating from Konoha's Ninja Academy.
Most importantly...
Naruto couldn't see even the slightest hint of tension in any of them.
They seemed to think becoming a ninja was a wonderful thing.
They saw only the light, not the darkness.
They enjoyed only the benefits peace brought them.
They had never witnessed the cruelty of war.
Naruto absolutely didn't want to become someone like them. He knew the story well, and he was keenly aware that he didn't have much time. Every minute and every second was something he had to fight to claim for himself.
In this classroom...
Perhaps only that "Uchiha Sasuke" had any idea what the darkness of being a ninja meant.
From the corner of his eye, Naruto glanced at Sasuke Uchiha's still-cold profile, a little ahead and to the side.
A faint glimmer flashed in Naruto's eyes.
Only this Uchiha orphan was even a little like him.
The childish game of playing ninja...
He'd leave it to those "innocent" children.
"Huh? Naruto? You can attend the graduation ceremony? Didn't you fail the graduation exam?"
As Naruto idly surveyed his classmates, a familiar figure appeared beside him. The lazy voice carried a hint of surprise. Naruto knew who it was without even turning his head.
When he looked over, he saw a familiar braided ponytail.
Sure enough...
It was Shikamaru Nara, the "brains" of the so-called Konoha 12 from the original story.
At that moment...
The lazy genius, said to have an IQ over 200, wore an unmistakably curious expression.
After all, Naruto failing the graduation exam three days ago had already surprised Shikamaru.
As one of the top five students in their class year after year, Shikamaru couldn't understand how Naruto could fail such a simple graduation exam.
Then, just when he'd assumed Naruto would have to repeat the year and prepare to take it again, he saw him at the graduation ceremony today.
Curious, the famously lazy young heir of the Nara Clan had made the rare effort to come over and ask.
"Oh? Shikamaru. They held a make-up exam afterward, and I passed, so I get to attend today's graduation ceremony."
Looking at the languid boy in front of him, Naruto lightly pointed to the Forehead Protector on his brow and replied with a smile.
During his six years at the Ninja Academy...
Naruto had gotten along reasonably well with most of the students in his class.
It was due not only to his grades, but also to his personality.
His civilian classmates might have kept their distance from him because of their parents' influence. But children from prominent Konoha families, like Shikamaru, were different. Shikaku Nara, Hyuga Hiashi, and Choza Akimichi wouldn't tell their children about Naruto's special identity, of course, but they wouldn't make their children avoid him like the civilians did, either. They didn't encourage them to get close, or tell them to stay away. They simply let the children decide for themselves.
So Naruto had gotten along fairly well with Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba, and Shino, who all came from the major clans.
"Oh? A make-up exam. I see."
Shikamaru nodded thoughtfully.
With his sharp mind, he could have easily spotted some of the trickery without even thinking about it. But since Naruto was here today with a Forehead Protector marking him as a Konoha Ninja, the academy had clearly passed him. There was no real problem, and the lazy Shikamaru naturally had no reason to look into it further.
"Oh? Naruto gets to graduate too? That's great! You're one of the top students in our class."
Choji, who was almost always at Shikamaru's side, came over while munching on chips and said with a cheerful smile.
"Want some, Shikamaru? Naruto?"
As he spoke, he offered them some of the chips in his hand.
"No, I'm good. You eat them, Choji."
Naruto and Shikamaru replied one after the other.
"We'll be assigned to teams soon. I wonder how they'll divide us up. It'd be great if I ended up on a team with one of the top students in our class, like you."
Shikamaru put his hands behind his head and spoke with a hint of anticipation.
"Anyone else could say that, but Shikamaru, don't you already know which team you'll be on?"
Naruto turned slightly, propped his chin on his left hand, and said with a smile as he looked at Shikamaru.
Naruto's words made Shikamaru's expression droop. He gave a helpless nod.
"Well, I was just saying."
The traditional Ino-Shika-Cho.
It was common knowledge throughout Konoha.
If they weren't the same age, that would be one thing.
But if they graduated in the same year...
Ino-Shika-Cho would inevitably be formed into a team.
It had been a tradition of Konoha's three great clans ever since their founding.
This year, the three were Shikamaru of the Nara Clan, Choji of the Akimichi Clan, and Ino of the Yamanaka Clan. Put simply, they were the only three in their year whose team had been decided from the very day they enrolled.
Shikamaru knew that perfectly well. He wasn't surprised that Naruto knew, either. Naruto was famous in their class for being studious. Over the past six years, he'd spent nearly more time in the Ninja Academy library than the rest of the class combined.
It was no surprise he knew about it.