Chapter 120: Uzumaki Naruko Appears!

"Has Shikaku-senpai not arrived yet?" Asuma Sarutobi scanned the room, curious.

"The Hokage Guard Platoon can manage without anyone, but not without Shikaku-senpai," Kakashi Hatake replied evenly. "He's not suited for team-leading."

"That's true," Asuma chuckled. "He's worth three of us combined."

Only three? Kakashi thought to himself, recalling the past five years working with Shikaku. Now he truly understood the meaning of being outclassed by sheer intellect.

"Kurenai," Asuma turned to the tall, elegant woman beside him, a goofy smile on his face, "I didn't expect you'd be leading a team too."

"Why not?" Kurenai Yuhi gave him a sideways glance, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course you can!" Asuma quickly backtracked.

"The students this year are quite promising," Kakashi changed the subject, asking, "Did the Hokage mention who you'd be leading?"

"I'll definitely be with the Ino–Shika–Cho trio," Asuma said with a grin. This tradition bound the three clans together through a ceremonial vow, swearing loyalty over three earrings. 

Historically, the Sarutobi clan had always been the witness.

"It's a shame," Asuma added with a tinge of regret. "If I were Shinho's sensei, I bet my job would be a breeze."

"Agreed," Kurenai nodded. "First place in the academy for six years, versatile in every way—Shinho is a perfect student."

Though she didn't say it aloud, Kurenai was also well aware of the additional advantage: Shinho was Tsunade's apprentice. 

Whoever was chosen as his sensei would naturally gain the Hokage's favor and enjoy numerous indirect benefits.

Kurenai sighed inwardly. 

It wouldn't be her; she lacked the strength and status for such a prestigious role. Based on her judgment, Shinho's sensei would either be Kakashi Hatake or Yamato. Kakashi was a student of the Fourth Hokage and had deep ties to the village. 

Yamato, with his unique Wood Release, was also a prime candidate. Asuma, while competent, wasn't likely— as he was the son of Hiruzen Sarutobi, and Tsunade had become Hokage after a political confrontation with Hiruzen. 

Allowing Asuma into the Hokage Guard Platoon had already been a considerable concession on Tsunade's part.

Kakashi remained silent, but he had one hope: he wanted Sasuke Uchiha as his student. 

Kakashi's relationship with Sasuke had grown strong after training him for five years, and Sasuke's combination of the Sharingan and Lightning Release techniques made him a natural fit for Kakashi's style.

At that moment, the office doors opened, and Tsunade entered with Shizune following behind.

"Hokage-sama," the jonin greeted in unison.

"Have we started yet?" Tsunade asked as she settled into her chair.

"Not yet, we still have five minutes to go," Kurenai answered.

"Alright then," Tsunade said, pointing at the crystal ball on the desk. "Let's all watch together."

Yamato moved the crystal ball onto the table.

As time passed, the crystal ball showed a view of the exam classroom, where Iruka Umino, the proctor, stood ready. The students, including Shinho and the others, were in the adjacent room, waiting to be called for their Three Basic Techniques exam.

"Inuzuka Kiba!" Iruka called loudly.

"Haha, I can't believe I'm first," Kiba laughed, standing up confidently. "This must be a sign that I'll ace this!"

"Woof, woof!" Akamaru barked in agreement.

"Wait for my good news," Kiba waved, heading into the examination room.

"Draw a card," Iruka instructed, holding out a box. "Whatever you pull, that'll be the jutsu you'll perform."

Kiba reached in and pulled out a card that read Transformation Jutsu. His face lit up with excitement. Out of the three basic techniques, this was his strongest, thanks to his clan's secret techniques.

Kiba quickly formed the necessary hand signs. With a puff of smoke, he transformed into Akamaru.

"Excellent!" Iruka declared after a brief inspection.

"Thanks, Iruka-sensei!" Kiba returned to his normal form, grinning ear to ear.

"Congratulations, you've officially become a ninja," Iruka said, handing Kiba a forehead protector.

The written test scores had already been calculated, though they hadn't been announced yet.

"Thanks, Iruka-sensei!" Kiba beamed, clutching his forehead protector as he returned to the classroom, drawing the attention of his peers.

"Let me see that!" Naruto's eyes sparkled with excitement.

"No way!" Kiba put the forehead protector on his head, showing it off. "It's mine."

"Cheapskate!" Naruto pouted. "My forehead protector will be way cooler than yours!"

"They're all the same, idiot," Kiba retorted.

"No, they're not!" Naruto declared with confidence. "The forehead protector of the number one student will be different."

"Idiot," Sasuke scoffed. "You think you'll be number one?"

"Of course I will!" Naruto clenched his fists, his face glowing with determination. "I've prepared a special secret for today's exam!"

Sasuke looked at him skeptically. Could this be true? While Naruto was no longer the class dead last, his skill in ninjutsu was still lacking. His only real strength lay in his taijutsu.

"Sorry, Sasuke," Naruto said, clasping his hands together in mock apology, "but my target today isn't you—it's Shinho."

Sasuke's face darkened immediately. Of all the things he has to bring up! 

He hated being reminded that he always came second to Shinho, a position Naruto frequently mentioned when proclaiming his goal of surpassing Sasuke before taking on Shinho. Now, Naruto had the audacity to skip over him entirely!

"Shinho!" Naruto declared, his fighting spirit surging. "Prepare yourself for the final dance of my youth!"

Final dance? That's a bit much, Shinho thought, amused.

With the exam focused solely on the Three Basic Techniques, the tests moved quickly. In less than thirty minutes, more than half the class had completed their exams.

Iruka's grading scale ranged from Poor, Average, Pass, Excellent, to Perfect. 

Most students scored a passing grade, while only a handful achieved Excellent—those from prominent clans like Kiba, Shino, Hinata, and Ino.

"Sasuke Uchiha!" Iruka called.

"Sasuke-kun, good luck!" Sakura cheered, followed by a chorus of girls from the class.

Sasuke kept a stoic expression, ignoring the cheers as he entered the examination room and drew a card that read Clone Jutsu. Without hesitation, he formed the hand signs, and with a puff of smoke, three identical clones appeared beside him.

"Perfect!" Iruka announced without delay.

"Thank you, Iruka-sensei," Sasuke said calmly, a slight smirk on his lips as he accepted his forehead protector and left the room.

"How'd you do, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked eagerly as soon as he returned.

For the first time, Sasuke didn't mind her enthusiasm. It gave him an excuse to announce his score.

"Perfect," he said calmly as he glanced at Shinho, as if expecting acknowledgment.

"Sasuke-kun, you were amazing!" Sakura Haruno cheered excitedly.

"Yeah, that was impressive," Kiba Inuzuka agreed. While Sasuke could be arrogant, his abilities were undeniable.

"I just hope I pass," Shikamaru Nara muttered, resting his head on the desk. Only he, Naruto Uzumaki, and Shinho Aburame were left to take the exam.

Sasuke frowned slightly. He had anticipated the reactions of others, but Shinho's lack of response irritated him. There was no fun in winning if the strongest didn't acknowledge it.

"Naruto Uzumaki!" Iruka Umino called out loudly.

"My turn!" Naruto leapt to his feet, giving a thumbs up. "Watch me surpass a perfect score and show you the power of youth!"

"It's a shame Guy isn't here," Asuma Sarutobi remarked, chuckling as he watched the scene through the crystal ball. Naruto's energy reminded him of Might Guy's exuberance, especially with that youthful enthusiasm.

"..." Kakashi remained silent. 

Are you sure you'd want him here? he thought, picturing Guy sobbing with pride over Naruto's performance in the Hokage's office. It would be a spectacle no one could easily handle.

"Guy and his team are on a mission," Shizune explained.

"I heard Naruto usually ranks somewhere between third and tenth," Kurenai Yuhi mused. "Do you really think he can surpass a perfect score?"

Naruto's inconsistent ranking was due to his unpredictable performance on written tests.

"It's hard to say," Kakashi admitted, feeling conflicted. Naruto was always full of surprises, but sometimes not in the best way.

"Look, we're about to find out," Asuma said, pointing at the crystal ball. "He's up, and he's drawn the Transformation Jutsu."

"Naruto, are you sure you're ready?" Iruka asked, offering him a chance to redraw. "If you're not confident, I can let you pick again."

"Of course, I'm ready!" Naruto grinned mischievously, forming the hand signs and shouting, "Transformation Jutsu!"

A puff of smoke surrounded Naruto, and when it cleared, Iruka was left stunned. Standing before him was a beautiful blonde woman, barely dressed, with fair skin and twin ponytails.

"Teacher," the transformed Naruto purred, batting her eyelashes and blowing a kiss, "how about giving me a score beyond perfect?"

Iruka's nose erupted with blood. He desperately tried to stop the bleeding, but it kept pouring out. As a single man, he had never experienced such a sight, and it was a bit too overwhelming.

The chaos in the Hokage's office wasn't much better.

Asuma Sarutobi was left wide-eyed and speechless, instinctively swallowing hard. Soon, he felt a warmth at the corner of his mouth—his nose too had started bleeding.

Kakashi blushed, eyes glued to the crystal ball, unable to look away.

Yamato, quickly shifted his gaze, stunned.

"You men are all the same!" Kurenai growled, slapping her hand over the crystal ball to block the image.

"Hey, wait! Let me explain! I'm not that kind of guy!" Asuma hastily wiped the blood from his nose, panicking as he tried to justify himself.

I couldn't control myself!

"Who taught him that?!" Tsunade slammed her fist on the desk, furious.

Everyone in the room froze, afraid to speak.

"Guy wouldn't teach that kind of technique," Shizune said, casting a sidelong glance at Kakashi.

"Kakashi!" Tsunade's voice was laced with anger. "I demand an explanation, now!"

"???" Kakashi's face filled with confusion. 

What did this have to do with him? He was innocent, yet somehow got caught in this storm.

"It wasn't me!" Kakashi shook his head vehemently. Admitting anything would mean certain death at this moment.

"Could it be... that he created the technique himself?" Tsunade asked, her frustration mounting.

Kakashi fell silent, but the thought crossed his mind. It was possible. Naruto had a knack for creating unexpected techniques.

Kakashi was known as the copy ninja, and was familiar with thousands of ninjutsus. And from his experience he knew naruto's technique, in essence was simple transformation technique. But the object of his transformation was quite a bit… outrageous.

Kakashi had his doubts.

Is Naruto really my sensei's child?

….

Back in the classroom, Iruka was barely holding it together.

"Naruto!" Iruka shouted, still unable to make eye contact. "Cancel that transformation, immediately!"

Naruto, sensing that he might have gone too far, quickly reverted to his normal form.

"Where did you learn that jutsu?" Iruka asked, exasperated.

"I came up with it myself," Naruto replied, scratching his head sheepishly. "Wasn't it good?"

Good?! Iruka thought, massaging his temples. 

Why can't he use his talents for something normal? If it had been a different transformation, Iruka would have praised Naruto's creativity.

"Do a proper transformation now," Iruka sighed, giving Naruto another chance. 

Despite Naruto's antics, he was still among the top students. Failing him would only draw unwanted attention, possibly from the Hokage herself.

"Alright..." Naruto sighed, disappointed that his masterpiece wasn't appreciated.

….

Meanwhile, the muffled conversation from the exam room caught the attention of everyone waiting.

"What's going on in there?" Ino Yamanaka asked, frowning in confusion.

"Sounds like Iruka-sensei's really mad," Kiba mused. "How bad must it be for him to react like that?"

"Hard to imagine," Shikamaru added, equally puzzled.

Sasuke let out a cold snort. He had briefly been worried about Naruto surpassing him, but now it seemed like a joke. Clearly, Naruto wasn't even in the same league as Shinho, his real rival.

Just then, Naruto returned to the classroom, proudly holding up his newly earned forehead protector.

"What did you do, Naruto?" Shinho asked, genuinely curious.

"Nothing much," Naruto grinned. "I just used a special Transformation Jutsu I came up with."

Special? Shinho's expression became complicated as realization dawned on him. 

He had a good idea of what kind of jutsu Naruto had "created." After all, even Kaguya Otsutsuki had once fallen victim to this ridiculous technique.

"Transformation Jutsu!" Naruto yelled again, recreating the transformation.

This time, he added an extra layer of clothing for modesty, wearing a kimono. However, the subtle allure of the outfit, paired with Naruto's transformation, made the appearance even more mesmerizing.

"Wait!" Shinho exclaimed, quickly stepping forward to cover both Hinata and Ino's eyes before they could see.

"What the—?!" Kiba jumped up from his seat.

Sasuke froze in shock, his entire body tingling as if hit by lightning.

"Cough, cough," Choji began choking on his chips, the sight too much to handle for his young mind. 

"Su-barashi!" Shikamaru's eyes widened in awe.

Sakura stared at Naruto, then back at Sasuke, completely bewildered. What is happening? Is Naruto seriously trying to compete with me for Sasuke-kun?

She looked at the two side by side, mentally comparing them. Her confidence wavered, realizing her own shortcomings.

[Achievement unlocked: 'Naruto Rules the Academy']

Shinho blinked in surprise as a notification appeared in his mind.

[Reward: Frost Moon Gu—rank 3 Gu Worm, upgraded from the Moonlight Gu, capable of releasing sharp, icy white crescent blades infused with a cold frost aura]

Shinho couldn't help but smile wryly. 

Only Naruto could pull off something like this.

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