"So it's Naruto this time."
Leon glanced up at the blue sky and white clouds.
With his hands in his pockets, he looked toward the distant cliff and the faces of the Hokage carved into it.
Then he looked down.
The gates of the Ninja Academy stood nearby.
Naruto Uzumaki sat alone on a swing, tracing circles in the dirt with the toe of his shoe.
The other students streamed away with the parents who had come to pick them up.
They were so close, yet they seemed to inhabit different worlds.
Leon quickly blended into the anime art style.
"Well, well. Right next to the protagonist again. Looks like there's a pretty good chance a random jump will drop me near the main character."
"As for this world... I'll study the Otsutsuki Bloodline and the God Tree Fruit before I leave."
"Oh, right. And the M-Body."
Leon sent out another M-Body and guided it swiftly into space, where it began merging with the universe.
By the time he turned back, Naruto had quietly risen from the swing and was heading away from the school.
He looked dejected. Some of the parents nearby whispered that the fox demon had failed his graduation exam and that it served him right.
"Hmm... So it's right at the start, when they're graduating from the Ninja Academy."
Leon rubbed his chin. "I've always liked Naruto Uzumaki. Watching him pull off one incredible feat after another was exciting—and a little enviable..."
"Wait. I'm even more overpowered than he is. Never mind."
"Next, Mizuki tricks Naruto into stealing the Book of Seals. In that case... I'll go take a look at it."
Leon had no intention of following Naruto Uzumaki.
Hands in his pockets and wearing an expression of absolute confidence, he strolled toward the Hokage's