"I'm not your servant."
Naruto looked at Sakura indifferently.
"There's no need for me to grovel to you and let you insult me."
He gently let go of Sakura's hand, turned to look out the window, and ignored her.
Sakura's face paled.
Just now...
It was as if she hadn't been facing the usual loud, impulsive Uzumaki Naruto.
But a...
Sky-Covering Giant Beast radiating an overwhelming aura of menace!
She could feel that with just a single thought, her life could be snuffed out!
Uzumaki Naruto...
When had he become so terrifying...
The farce finally came to an end.
Iruka looked just as displeased.
What did they mean, he'd taken a bribe from God of Wealth?
That was blatant slander!
At most, Uchiha Jing had treated him to a few bowls of ramen...
"All right, there's no doubt that Uzumaki Naruto came in first. Next, I'll continue announcing the results..."
Iruka continued reading.
The little ones whose names were called beamed with delight and cheered.
Those whose names hadn't been called yet watched the platform anxiously, ears perked up, afraid they might miss their names.
"That concludes the list of students who passed this exam."
Iruka folded the paper and smiled at the students below.
"Whether or not you pass the exam and become shinobi, I don't think that's what matters."
Iruka's gaze grew gentler.
When this bunch of little ones had first come to school, quite a few of them still had runny noses.
Now they were all young teenagers.
Especially Uzumaki Naruto...
Iruka turned his gaze to Naruto.
To be honest, his feelings toward Naruto were complicated.
He resented him as the incarnation of the Fox Demon, and Naruto's parents had died on the Night of the Nine-Tails.
Yet he also felt sorry for Naruto's miserable childhood. Wherever Naruto went, people looked at him differently.
There had been a time when Iruka had considered ostracizing Naruto.
But his responsibility as a teacher wouldn't let him do that.
After all...
Naruto was his student!
"Konoha is our home. This home needs more than just shinobi; it needs people working in every walk of life."
"Every profession is part of Konoha. We're all family."
The dejected expressions on the faces of the little ones who hadn't passed gradually faded.
In their place came hope.
Hope that Konoha would keep getting better!
"All right, those who passed the exam, head downstairs and gather in the playground."
The children reluctantly said their goodbyes to one another.
Going downstairs this time meant facing a different kind of life.
Once everyone who had passed had gathered in the playground, the parents watching from the sidelines widened their eyes and searched the crowd for their children.
"Hey, I see my son!"
"I see my daughter too!"
"Hahahaha! I told you long ago, my son Kiriro had the makings of a Kage!"
"Wait... who's that?"
"Looks like the Fox... Uzumaki Naruto?"
"How did he pass the exam too? Didn't they say he'd been dead last for years?"
"I heard he's really close to God of Wealth... Could it be..."
The murmurs below gradually turned to Naruto.
Standing among the crowd, Naruto had clearly heard them, and his expression grew darker and darker.
Training with Jing had toughened him up quite a bit.
But having so many people point and whisper about him still made him uncomfortable.
It was as if...
He'd returned to those lonely days...
Alone in his room.
Alone with an empty stomach.
Alone...
Watching the lights in Konoha's homes.
Naruto's head, held high, slowly lowered.
"Naruto, over here~"
A teasing voice cut through the chatter, standing out like a sore thumb.
Naruto froze. His lowered head slowly rose, a smile spreading across his face.
You came?
Naruto lifted his head and looked toward the voice.
There stood a slightly lean figure, with a handsome face and a carefree smile.
I knew you'd come.
Jing!
Uchiha Jing stood among the crowd and raised the card in his hand.
"A lifetime Ichiraku Ramen pass~"
Naruto's eyes lit up.
A lifetime...
Free pass!
"Just you wait! I'll come get it in a minute!"
Seeing Naruto full of energy again, bouncing around, Uchiha Jing let out a sigh of relief.
All these years, he'd deliberately trained Naruto every now and then so he could withstand the rumors and gossip.
He'd thought this would make Naruto happier.
Who could have guessed that over the past three years, Naruto had grown more and more taciturn, only returning to his old self around Jing?
His presence hadn't brought Naruto joy.
Instead...
It had affected him...
"Ahem, ahem."
On the platform built in the playground, Sarutobi Hiruzen stepped into the center.
"Children, congratulations."
"Congratulations on passing today's exam. Starting today..."
"You will officially become Genin!"
"Three years ago, I stood here and told you that you would be Konoha's future jewels!"
"Today, I say the same thing. I have never doubted your futures!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen took off his Hokage hat and gazed at the lively faces below, filled with emotion.
"Children of Konoha, Konoha belongs to you! The future belongs to you!"
"Ours! It's ours!"
The little ones below were flushed with excitement.
Hadn't they worked hard for three years just for this day?
Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled with satisfaction, placed his right hand over his chest, and grew solemn.
"Wherever the leaves dance."
"The fire will never cease to burn!"
On the playground.
Children and adults watching alike placed their right hands over their chests.
"Wherever the leaves dance."
"The fire will never cease to burn!"
The words rang out, spreading from the playground to every corner of Konoha.
Everyone in Konoha who heard them turned toward the school and placed a hand over their chest.
"Konoha..."
Uchiha Jing, standing among the crowd, made the same gesture and murmured to himself.
"Third Hokage, Third Hokage... In the end, the old ginger really is the spicier one. You've turned things around again."
A smile played on Uchiha Jing's lips.
"But you're old..."
"There's no place for you in Konoha's future!"
After the Third Hokage's speech ended, the excitement on the playground took a long time to settle.
"Next, we'll assign teams. When you hear your names, the three of you should stand together."
The playground fell quiet.
Everyone turned their eyes to Iruka on the platform.
"Team 10—Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka, Choji Akimichi. Their teacher will be Sarutobi Asuma."
No one below seemed surprised.
The Ino-Shika-Cho trio had always been put on the same team.
The members of these three clans might not be very strong individually, but the power they could unleash together was impossible to estimate!
"Team 8—Hinata Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame. Their teacher will be Kurenai Yuhi."
Little Hinata below looked a little disappointed and stole a glance at Naruto.
I'm not on the same team as Naruto-kun...
What a shame...
"Team 3—Rock Lee, Neji Hyuga, Tenten. Their teacher will be Might Guy."
A figure dressed in green immediately leaped out of the crowd.
"Lee!"
The man with a bowl cut and a bright green outfit gazed at Rock Lee with tears in his eyes.
"Guy-sensei!"
Rock Lee looked back at him with the same heartfelt emotion, tears welling in his eyes as well.
Everyone nearby instinctively took a step back.
This...
This smell...
The sour stench of romance?
"Ahem, ahem. Next is Team 7..."
Iruka had goosebumps all over, but he braced himself and continued the announcement.
"Team 7—Uzumaki Naruto, Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno. Their teacher will be..."
"Uchiha Jing!"
Silence!
The children and the onlooking crowd—all of them, even Might Guy with tears in his eyes—fell utterly silent.
Uchiha...
Jing?
Before you continue