When Naruto Was No Longer a Loser, Everyone Else Could Only Weep

"Congratulations, Host. Your words were very blackened. You have been awarded 15 Darkness Value."

The system notification sounded. Naruto raised an eyebrow slightly and thought to himself:

Looks like winning with words only earns 15 Darkness Value. Compared to the 35 points from acting directly without wasting words, taking action gives better returns.

Then from now on, if I can fight, I won't waste my breath.

As Naruto walked, he sensed the changes in his body.

The wound on his forehead that had still been bleeding that afternoon was healing at a visible rate. Within just a few minutes, before he even reached home, his skin had become smooth again without leaving the slightest scar.

"The Sage Body plus the Nine-Tails bloodline—the protagonist template really is overpowered."

His fingertips brushed across his smooth forehead, and a trace of cold mockery flashed through his eyes. "So this was why I managed to survive and grow up? How laughable!"

Thinking of the cold stares, insults, and unprovoked violence he had endured over the past twelve years, hostility surged in his chest, only to be forcibly suppressed deep within his eyes.

When he passed a clothing store, Naruto paused and walked straight inside.

The owner's face immediately filled with disgust upon seeing him, and he was about to drive Naruto out when Naruto spoke casually. "Get me a fitted black combat outfit. Put it on the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi's tab. This is the relief money Lord Hokage gave me, an orphan."

The owner's expression froze instantly. Feeling the invisible pressure radiating from the boy before him, he did not dare argue and obediently handed over a combat outfit made from the finest fabric.

After returning to his apartment, Naruto changed out of his faded orange jacket and put on the sharply tailored black combat outfit.

The boy in the mirror stood tall and straight. The old timidity and eagerness to please had faded from his features, replaced by a cold, sharp edge. His whole body radiated the brilliance of someone breaking free from a cocoon.

He curled his lips at the mirror and chuckled. "The Naruto who used to wag his tail and beg for scraps is dead! Starting today, Blackened Naruto is officially online!"

The next morning, at the ninja academy.

"Iruka-sensei, sorry, I'm late."

Naruto pushed open the door, and as his clear voice fell, the classroom instantly fell silent.

Everyone's gaze gathered on him, their faces full of disbelief.

The dead last who used to wear an ill-fitting old jacket and sport hair that looked like a hedgehog's spikes was now dressed in a simple yet elegant black combat outfit. His hair was neat, his eyes bright but distant, and his entire aura had changed beyond recognition.

"Naruto? Why does he look like a completely different person?"

"Not gonna lie, he's actually pretty handsome..."

"What's the use of being handsome? He's still the dead last who can't even learn the Clone Technique."

Whispers rose and fell throughout the classroom. Some were impressed, some jealous, and others offered their usual put-downs.

Naruto acted as though he had heard none of it. His gaze swept across the classroom before he walked straight over and sat in the empty seat beside Hinata Hyuga.

His warm breath brushed past her ear. Hinata suddenly looked up and met Naruto's eyes, which carried a faint smile. It was as though she had been burned. Her cheeks turned red like glowing coals, her hands tightly clenched the corners of her clothes, and she did not even dare lift her head. Her heart pounded as if it were about to burst from her chest.

"Cough! All right, everyone, quiet down." Iruka coughed, suppressing the commotion in the classroom. His gaze lingered on Naruto for two seconds as he suppressed his surprise and announced loudly, "There are only two and a half months left until graduation. Today, we'll be holding practical training. Everyone, head to the training grounds."

"Yeah!"

The students immediately cheered and rushed out of the classroom in a swarm.

The sun shone brightly over the ninja academy's training grounds.

"Sasuke Uchiha, ten shots, all bullseyes. Perfect score!" As Iruka's voice fell, girls' screams immediately erupted from around the training ground.

"Sasuke-kun is so cool!" "As expected of the Uchiha Clan genius!"

"That's enough. What a bunch of fangirls." Shikamaru folded his arms and glanced at Naruto beside him, his tone probing. "Hey, Naruto, something's off about you today."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. As expected of Konoha's greatest brain. He noticed something was wrong this quickly. He casually teased, "What? You're allowed to be geniuses, but I'm not allowed to look a little better?"

"It's not about your appearance." Shikamaru frowned, his eyes unusually perceptive. "Your whole person has changed. The old you wouldn't hide everything behind a smile like you do now."

Naruto smiled, his tone calm but meaningful. "I've just figured some things out. Just like you still haven't figured some things out."

Shikamaru was completely baffled by that. He frowned and pondered it for a long time, but still could not grasp what Naruto meant.

At his age, no matter how brilliant he was, he still could not see the cannibalistic rules beneath Konoha's polished exterior. Nor could he understand Naruto's disappointment with the entire village, hidden deep within his eyes.

"Next, Naruto Uzumaki!" Iruka called.

A wave of laughter and mockery immediately erupted from the edge of the training ground.

"Hahaha, it's finally the dead last's turn!"

"What's the point of dressing so well? Don't throw your kunai outside the academy later... though can he even throw it that far?"

"I bet he'd be lucky to hit once out of ten!"

Amid the piercing mockery, Naruto's expression did not change as he walked slowly to the throwing line.

He picked up a kunai and gripped its handle steadily between his fingers. Without a single unnecessary movement, he raised his hand and threw. The motion was smooth and fluid, and even his breathing remained perfectly steady.

Whoosh—

The kunai sliced through the air and struck the bullseye ten meters away with pinpoint accuracy.

Then came the second, the third... Ten kunai flew one after another without the slightest pause. Every single one struck the previous kunai precisely, forcibly boring a deep hole into the target.

The entire training ground instantly fell silent. Everyone's eyes widened, their faces filled with disbelief.

Iruka stared at the kunai embedded in the target, his throat tightening. He stood there stunned for a full three seconds before announcing in a trembling voice, "Naruto Uzumaki, ten shots, all bullseyes. An above-perfect score!"

He stared fixedly at Naruto in the field, his heart pounding wildly. Was this really the dead last who could not even hold a kunai steady?

This level of precision, this level of chakra control—even he himself was nowhere close!

At the edge of the field, Neji Hyuga saw the undisguised light in Hinata's eyes as she watched Naruto, then heard the surrounding praise for him. His expression instantly darkened.

He clenched his fists and said coldly to Naruto, "It was just luck. Pulling cheap tricks like that, and you think you deserve an above-perfect score?"

Naruto withdrew his hand. As he passed Neji, he paused, calmly glanced at him, and said lightly, "If you're weak, train harder. Instead of standing here making snide remarks, why not throw a few more kunai? Don't you think so, genius of the Hyuga Clan?"

"When it comes to being a ninja, I used to lack interest. You, on the other hand, lack ability."

"What did you say?!"

Neji's face instantly turned livid, veins bulging on his forehead.

What he cared about most was his title as a genius. What he took the greatest pride in was his clan. And now those words had come from the mouth of the former dead last.

But Naruto's only response was his utterly dismissive back.

Neji was completely enraged. He abruptly turned to Iruka and shouted, "Sensei! I want a taijutsu spar with Naruto Uzumaki! I'll show him what true strength is!"

"A spar requires Naruto's agreement. You can't decide it on your own. Neji, calm down!" Iruka hurriedly tried to stop him. He had already sensed the intense hostility between them.

However, Naruto turned around and smiled, his voice brimming with ridicule. "Are you kidding me? Are you blind? You came over asking for a beating, and you really think you're some genius? Since you're so eager to die, fine. I'll oblige you."

Seeing that it could not be avoided, Iruka could only helplessly announce the rules: neither side could use ninja tools or highly destructive ninjutsu; the match would end at the proper point, and no serious injuries were allowed.

"Naruto-kun, be careful..." Hinata clutched the corner of her clothes and whispered her warning, her fingertips trembling with nerves.

At the edge of the field, Sasuke's Sharingan unconsciously activated, one tomoe appearing in each eye.

He stared fixedly at Naruto, astonishment filling his heart. He had not seen Naruto's throwing trajectory at all just now. He had no idea how much the dead last he had always completely ignored was hiding.

Beside him, Sakura stared dreamily at Sasuke's profile for a while before turning toward Naruto in the field, filled with confusion. Strange. That idiot didn't cling to me today. He didn't even look at me once. What's wrong with him?

"Are you ready?" Iruka looked at the two in the field and asked solemnly.

Naruto nodded casually without even taking a stance.

Neji, however, assumed the opening stance of the Eight Trigrams Palm and activated his Byakugan. Staring at Naruto with a gloomy gaze, he arrogantly declared, "Today, I'll show you the foundation of Konoha's foremost noble clan, the Hyuga Clan! I'll make you understand that some gaps are beyond your reach for your entire life!"

Before his words even faded, Neji pushed off the ground. His body shot forward in an instant, so fast that only an afterimage remained. A palm carrying a fierce gust of wind struck directly toward the chakra point on Naruto's chest!

Eight Trigrams Palm: Air Palm!

The strike was unbelievably fast. Everyone thought Naruto had no time to dodge. Iruka's expression changed, and just as he was about to call a halt, he saw the palm strike Naruto squarely!

"I thought you were strong. Turns out you're nothing special!" Neji sneered.

A chorus of boos immediately rose from the sidelines.

"What was that? He acted so tough, but one slap took him down?"

"As expected, he's still the dead last!"

But at that moment, Naruto's struck figure went "poof" and dissolved into a cloud of white smoke.

"A Substitution Technique? No, a Shadow Clone?!" Neji's pupils contracted sharply. His Byakugan instantly swept across the entire field, yet he could not sense Naruto's real body anywhere!

How could he fail to detect it?

After Ultimate Talent Enhancement, Naruto's chakra control had reached a microscopic level. The chakra fluctuations of his clone and real body were completely identical, making even the Byakugan unable to distinguish them!

"What? When did he..."

A chill suddenly crawled up Neji's neck. Just as he tried to turn around, a hand lightly struck the vagus nerve at the back of his neck.

The force was terrifyingly precise, without the slightest excess.

Neji's vision went black. Without even a groan, he fell stiffly to the ground and lost consciousness completely.

The entire training ground was deathly silent. A pin drop could have been heard.

Everyone stared with wide eyes and open mouths, their faces filled with shock and disbelief.

One move!

Just one move!

The Hyuga Clan's once-in-a-century genius had been instantly defeated in one move by the former perennial dead last! Even his Byakugan had failed to see the opponent's movements!

Naruto dusted off his hands and looked down at the unconscious Neji. His voice was calm, but every word pierced the heart. "Too slow, too weak. What a waste of those Byakugan. At your level, do you really deserve to be called a genius of the Hyuga Clan?"

At the edge of the field, Shikamaru's pupils abruptly shrank, and cold sweat instantly broke out across his back.

He finally understood what Naruto had meant that morning.

This guy's past stupidity, recklessness, and dead-last act had all been fake! He had hidden himself far too well!

Sasuke's Sharingan locked tightly onto Naruto. His knuckles whitened from how tightly he clenched his fists, and his heart pounded wildly.

For the first time, he felt an intense sense of crisis at being surpassed by someone his own age.

Iruka stood rooted in place, his whole body numb as turmoil churned within him.

He was both relieved that Naruto had finally escaped the shadows of his past and become strong, and afraid of the ruthlessness and unfathomable depth surrounding him.

He finally understood that the Third Hokage's worries last night had not been groundless.

On a treetop hidden in the shadows of the training ground, two ANBU watched the scene. They exchanged a glance, then instantly turned into afterimages and raced toward the Hokage's office.

Inside the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi listened to the ANBU report. The pipe in his hand abruptly froze, and the burning ash fell in soft flakes.

"One move... Neji Hyuga was instantly defeated?"

He repeated the words quietly. Amid the swirling smoke, the emotions in his eyes were dark and unreadable.

"Minato, your son... is something else. Is he becoming another you?" Looking out over Konoha's rooftops, the image of Minato Namikaze surfaced in his mind once again.

"Send someone to the Hyuga Clan to smooth things over. And... have Naruto come see me after school."