It was not long after Naruto had celebrated his sixth birthday.
One day,
after finishing his daily training and eating enough, Naruto returned to his little home.
To his surprise, he found the Third Hokage there again.
But this was no longer a rare occurrence. Naruto quickly and naturally wore a delighted expression.
"Huh!? Grandpa Third!"
His mood changed in an instant.
"What brings you here today?"
Naruto ran straight up to the Third Hokage and looked up at him with the familiarity of an old friend, his face filled with delight and a little surprise.
"I came by because I haven't seen you in a long time, little Naruto. And I have some good news for you."
The Third Hokage leaned forward slightly and gently patted Naruto's head with his outstretched right hand. Smiling kindly, he spoke in a warm voice.
"Huh? Good news?"
This time, Naruto wasn't pretending. He genuinely froze for a moment, a puzzled look crossing his face. What good news could there be for him now?
"That's right. You've always said you wanted to become a great Ninja, haven't you, little Naruto? Well, learning is an essential part of that."
The Third Hokage patted Naruto on the shoulder and spoke gently.
"Grandpa Third, do you mean...?"
Naruto wasn't faking it. He was truly excited.
Though the Third Hokage hadn't said it outright, Naruto could easily understand what he meant.
"That's right. You're six now, so starting next week, you'll be going to the Ninja Academy, Naruto. That's the only way you can become a great Ninja in the future."
The Third Hokage spoke with a faint smile.
Naruto was, after all, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, as well as the Fourth Hokage's orphan.
Especially after spending these six years with him,
the Third Hokage had become certain that Naruto posed no threat to the village.
So, when Naruto turned six,
sending him to the Ninja Academy was inevitable.
"Really, Grandpa Third? I can go to the Ninja Academy?"
A bright sparkle lit Naruto's blue eyes. His excitement plain to see, he called out loudly.
"Mm-hmm, that's right. In a few days, a teacher from the Ninja Academy will come to take you to register. When the time comes, be sure to listen to your teacher, Naruto."
"Yes!"
The Ninja Academy!
Was he finally going to be able to attend?
Naruto clenched his hands slightly, excitement shining in his eyes. This was one moment when he didn't need to pretend, because these were his genuine feelings. Of course, he wasn't excited only because he could finally attend the Ninja Academy and receive proper Ninja training. The Third Hokage's decision to send him there meant that the last of his guard had been lowered. Now, Naruto's plans could proceed far more smoothly.
Seeing Naruto so excited,
the Third Hokage's expression softened even further.
Whether it was the Nine-Tails Incident six years ago or Naruto now,
he knew he owed the Fourth Hokage far too much.
Though certain reasons prevented the Third Hokage from truly giving Naruto much special treatment, he would never abandon the things he ought to uphold.
After all, deep in the Third Hokage's heart,
he held fast to what he believed was the "Will of Fire!"
The Third Hokage didn't stay long that evening. After telling Naruto a few things to keep in mind at the Ninja Academy, he left Naruto's apartment at an unhurried pace.
Once the Third Hokage had gone,
Naruto was still brimming with excitement.
This was an emotion he didn't need to fake.
Naruto was genuinely looking forward to life at the Ninja Academy. That would be the firm second step he took in this world!
A week later.
On the morning of the Academy's designated enrollment day,
"Knock, knock, knock."
The teacher from the Ninja Academy whom the Third Hokage had mentioned arrived at Naruto's door.
When Naruto opened it,
the figure before his eyes
was tall and slender, dressed in Konoha's standard Chunin flak jacket. A conspicuous horizontal scar ran across the bridge of his nose. Though this was the first time Naruto had seen the young man, he recognized him at once.
"Umino Iruka,"
Naruto murmured to himself.
That was right.
The person standing before Naruto was the one who had made such a great impact on him in the original story. He was the first to believe in Naruto and acknowledge him, and the only ray of light in Naruto's gloomy childhood.
If it was understandable for Naruto to resent the people of Konoha, including the village leadership and the Third Hokage,
then Umino Iruka was someone Naruto simply couldn't bring himself to hate.
Of course, that was what he thought for now. What would happen in the future remained to be seen.
Naruto would trust only his own eyes and judgment.
The original story was nothing more than a reference.
"You must be Naruto-kun, right? I'm a teacher at the Ninja Academy. My name is Umino Iruka. You can call me Iruka-sensei. Lord Hokage must have told you that today is enrollment day. I'm here to take you to register."
Looking at the blond boy before him, a complicated emotion flickered in Umino Iruka's eyes, then immediately disappeared. He bent down slightly, reached out his right hand, and gently ruffled Naruto's hair as he spoke warmly.
That fleeting change in his expression
didn't escape Naruto's notice.
Naruto also knew exactly why Iruka had reacted that way.
Iruka's parents had died only six years ago, and the cause of their deaths had been the Nine-Tails inside Naruto.
It would have been far stranger—and far more frightening—if Iruka had shown no reaction at all.
"Yes, Iruka-sensei."
Naruto smiled brightly and spoke with easy cheer.
When he saw Naruto's smile,
Umino Iruka was taken aback for a moment, then gently nodded and took Naruto's small hand with the one he had extended.
"Come on, Naruto-kun."
"Yes."
The broadest street, which led to the center of Konoha and the site of the Ninja Academy, was bustling that day.
It was the Academy's annual enrollment day.
Every resident of Konoha with a child of the right age would bring them to the Academy. Whether or not they could become a Ninja depended on the entrance test. Though the survival rate for Ninjas was not high, and even though Konoha was the foremost of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, it had been attacked on all sides during nearly all of the first three Shinobi World Wars. The Nine-Tails Incident had also broken out just a few years earlier, leaving Konoha's Ninjas dead or wounded in great numbers. Even so, many people still hoped their children could become Ninjas. In this world, being a Ninja meant having power, having status—it meant everything!
Just as it had once been the age of the samurai,
this was now the age of the Ninja.
What's more, this was the Land of Fire, and the village was Konoha. Becoming a Konoha Ninja meant even more here, so naturally, countless parents brought their children to register on enrollment day.