Yin Xiang and Naruto

"By the way, since you've dismissed your nanny, I'm the only one who knows your true strength now, right? I think you should graduate from the Ninja Academy with your current abilities." Kakashi and Namikaze Yin Xiang sat together under a tree, the two of them engaged in conversation.

"I want to wait until Naruto graduates so we can graduate together; that way, I can be with him every day."

"Even if Naruto follows the standard graduation schedule, he'll be a year behind you. Your graduation exam is coming up soon. Among your peers, the ones with stronger skills are that genius from the Hyuga clan, Neji, and another boy with impressive taijutsu named Rock Lee."

"I know all of that, of course. My Shadow Clones have been performing quite well out there, always taking first place. Neither Neji nor Rock Lee are a match for me. The teachers have tried to get me to graduate early several times, but I've been waiting until now just for Naruto."

"Once the graduation exam begins, you won't be able to avoid graduating even if you want to," Kakashi said with a laugh.

"I can just stay back a year."

"Don't be ridiculous. With your grades, do you really think the Third Hokage won't see through your intentions? Just graduate with peace of mind. It's only a one-year difference; there will still be plenty of opportunities to see each other."

"I want to go see Naruto. I start school earlier than him and finish earlier, so I've never actually run into him."

"He's in Classroom 301. Go ahead." Kakashi stood up as he spoke. Namikaze Yin Xiang nodded, and then Kakashi vanished from before his eyes using the Body Flicker Technique.

After Kakashi left, Namikaze Yin Xiang picked up his black coat from the ground. Clad in black, he moved quickly toward the Ninja Academy. He soon reached the roof of the academy and scaled the wall to reach the window of Classroom 301, but he couldn't find Naruto anywhere.

"Don't tell me this brat ran off again." Namikaze Yin Xiang frowned, then vanished from the wall. He moved across the rooftops of Konoha until he finally spotted Naruto on the Hokage Rock, where the boy was busy scribbling all over Minato's face.

"You little brat." Namikaze Yin Xiang curled his lip and jumped down beside Naruto.

"Ehh-ehh-ehh-ehh!!" Naruto was so startled by Namikaze Yin Xiang that he nearly fell off the scaffolding, only to be yanked back by Namikaze Yin Xiang just in time.

"Why are you defacing the Hokage Rock?" Namikaze Yin Xiang asked, looking at Naruto.

"You're... huh? I know you, you're the Fourth Hokage's son!" Naruto squinted at Namikaze Yin Xiang, suddenly realizing who he was. Naruto often walked the streets feeling dejected, while Namikaze Yin Xiang was popular wherever he went, so Naruto had naturally taken notice of him.

"..." Hearing Naruto say that, Namikaze Yin Xiang didn't feel very good inside. It was clear that he was the one who was Minato's child.

However, when Namikaze Yin Xiang looked at the clothes Naruto was wearing, he frowned. It was the same yellow outfit he always wore. Didn't Brother Kakashi say he had been wearing the new clothes he'd sent him?

"Why are you still wearing these old clothes?" Namikaze Yin Xiang asked, looking at Naruto.

"Huh?" Naruto held a paint bucket in his left hand and a brush in his right, looking down at the clothes he had splattered with colorful paint.

"I only wear these when I'm painting. I don't know who it is that sends me new clothes every year, but I can't go and get those dirty, heh heh." Naruto rubbed his nose with the hand holding the brush.

"Heh heh... just like Mom." Namikaze Yin Xiang listened, a faint smile appearing on his face.

"Listen, Naruto, you can't scribble on the Hokage Rock, especially not on the Fourth Hokage's."

"Why not? Don't think just because you're the Fourth Hokage's son you can boss me around!" Naruto said dismissively.

"You little brat!" Namikaze Yin Xiang couldn't help but land a punch on Naruto's head, knocking the paint bucket and everything else over. "Come back with me right now. If I catch you defacing the Hokage Rock again, don't blame me for being unkind." As he spoke, Namikaze Yin Xiang tied Naruto up.

"Shadow Clone Technique." Namikaze Yin Xiang performed the hand seals, creating a Shadow Clone to clean up the Hokage Rock. This was, in a way, a big brother cleaning up after his younger brother.

Afterward, Namikaze Yin Xiang brought Naruto back to the Ninja Academy. "You better study hard, you hear me?" Namikaze Yin Xiang said, opening the door and tossing Naruto inside before closing it behind him.

"What's your problem! Don't act so high and mighty! When I become Hokage, I won't let you off the hook!" The tied-up Naruto wiggled on the floor, shouting at the door.

"Naruto!" Iruka shouted from behind Naruto.

"I-Iruka-sensei..." Naruto turned around slowly to see Iruka with a darkened face.

"Pay attention in class!" Iruka roared.

"Yes!!" Naruto shouted in response.

Namikaze Yin Xiang smiled at the doorway. "Naruto, you will become Hokage." With that, Namikaze Yin Xiang returned to his own classroom. After knocking on the door, his Shadow Clone inside vanished, and Namikaze Yin Xiang appeared at the entrance.

Although the teacher was puzzled, he let Namikaze Yin Xiang in; after all, his grades were excellent and his status was special, so the teacher wouldn't say anything even if he skipped class.

"When did Namikaze Yin Xiang go out?" Neji frowned as he watched him.

Although Namikaze Yin Xiang was still using the surname Insoro, the matter was kept confidential. Everyone knew he was Minato's child, so they naturally assumed his surname was Namikaze and addressed him as such.

Namikaze Yin Xiang walked straight to his seat in the middle of the back row. Every time he walked by, he became the focus of the entire classroom. He was quite handsome, and the girls in the class were all watching him.

"Yo, Tenten." Namikaze Yin Xiang returned to his seat, where his desk mate was Tenten.

"When did you go out? I didn't even see you leave," Tenten whispered to him.

"Just stepped out for a moment, don't worry about it." Namikaze Yin Xiang smiled. Although he had been using a Shadow Clone to attend class, once the clone vanished, all its experiences were transferred to his main body's brain, so he could still adapt to the lessons.

"We have the graduation exam tomorrow. We'll be assigned our team leaders then. I wonder who I'll be on a team with." Tenten leaned over her desk, her eyes occasionally darting toward Neji.

"So you like Neji, huh?" Namikaze Yin Xiang leaned over next to Tenten, his head very close to hers, and whispered into her ear.

"Huh?" Tenten's face turned bright red instantly—partly because Namikaze Yin Xiang said she liked Neji, and partly because he was so close to her.

"W-who said that? I don't like him." Tenten blurted out a denial.

"If you like him, just admit it. Denying it is no fun." Namikaze Yin Xiang curled his lip and rested his chin on his hand, looking at the information on the blackboard. It was all very simple stuff that he had already taught himself.