Sunlight

A group led by three boys blocked Naruto's path. One boy, shorter than Naruto, gave him a shove.

"Monster, I heard your dream is to become Hokage?"

Shikamaru and Choji pushed through the crowd just in time to hear this. They thought Naruto would argue back and loudly declare his dream of becoming Hokage. However... Naruto was unusually quiet.

Sunlight shone through the Ninja Academy's gates, casting a shadow at his feet.

Standing in the sunlight, Naruto's golden hair seemed to have lost its usual sharpness. Yet he didn't avoid it, staring directly at the boy. The innocence in his expression faded, crushed by indifference.

It was as if he had become a different person. His past self seemed like ashes, blown away by the summer breeze.

"Your stare is disgusting. Keep it up, and I'll beat you up!"

[System loading progress: 99%]

Another boy stepped forward and shoved Naruto, forcing him to take a few steps back.

The crowd around them watched, laughing and whispering, without any intention of stopping the bullying.

"Damn, those kids from small clans are such bullies!" Choji, unable to hold back, was about to intervene.

Shikamaru sighed, muttering, "Such a drag," and lazily started walking toward Naruto.

[System loading progress: 100%]

[Option 1: Push down the three in front of you and loudly declare your dream to be a Hokage stronger than the Fourth! Reward: Mastery of the Transformation Jutsu.]

[Option 2: Deny your dream of becoming Hokage and avoid any conflict. Reward: Elimination of chakra imbalance side effect.]

Naruto looked at the interface, realizing that no one else could see it, so he focused on the choices in front of him.

Mastery of the Transformation Jutsu would help him graduate, as it's essential for the academy test. But because of the Nine-Tails chakra, he had an imbalance, making it difficult to perform jutsu correctly.

One choice offered a shortcut to graduation. The other solved his chakra imbalance, though he'd still need to practice the jutsu later.

"Um... Naruto-kun, he..." Hinata timidly spoke up from somewhere nearby.

"Huh? What did you say? Can't hear you!" The tall boy named Taimoku ignored her entirely.

"Naruto-kun did nothing wrong..." Hinata, though afraid, gathered her courage.

"What are you babbling about? So gross."

Taimoku ignored her, his attitude downright rude.

"I don't want to be Hokage. Unlike you, I'm not childish. That's probably just a ridiculous dream for you, right?" Naruto said. "But it's kind of sad too."

"With your current strength, you might not even become a ninja."

Naruto shoved Taimoku without holding back.

"You think you can become Hokage? Does anyone in your family even have a chance?"

"You can't! They can't either!"

"W-What did you say?" Taimoku stepped back, stammering as he looked at Naruto.

Naruto's gaze remained sharp, fixed on him.

"People change, Taimoku."

"Go ask your father if he believes that I could burn your house down tomorrow and get away with it!"

"Use that muscle-filled brain of yours to figure out what you can and can't do!"

"Ugh, what a waste of space!" Naruto spat on the boy's face and walked away, his expression dark.

Skipping class wasn't unusual, but today he did it openly.

Taimoku was stunned, unable to say a word as he recalled Naruto's menacing tone.

"You're lying! We don't want that!" came the embarrassed voices from behind, as if Naruto's words had hit their sore spot.

[Reward successfully granted.]

After a mechanical beep, Naruto felt a refreshing sensation in his body, as if he had just drunk cool water on a hot day.

He tried to feel the chakra flow in his body. For the first time, he sensed it clearly. Previously unresponsive, his chakra had become lively.

It was like icy spring water suddenly boiling, with every cell in his body nourished by chakra, filling him with an exhilarating sense of comfort.

"Shikamaru, did I hear that wrong?" Choji tugged on Shikamaru's clothes as he watched Naruto's retreating back. "Naruto said he didn't want to be Hokage?"

"Wasn't that his dream? Why did he suddenly..."

"Who knows?" Shikamaru, with his lazy eyes, shrugged. "That guy was scary just now, and what's so great about being Hokage anyway?"

"Busy all day, no time to even relax."

"Forget it. Naruto's already gone," Choji said. "If Iruka-sensei catches him for skipping class, he's in trouble!"

Hidden in a corner, Hinata looked conflicted as she watched Naruto leave. Class was starting soon, but she worried something might happen to Naruto.

Naruto-kun must be hurting now.

With this thought, Hinata clenched her fists.

She wanted to chase after him, but her courage was spent from trying to step in earlier.

Without Naruto, the Academy was especially calm. When Iruka found out Naruto had skipped class that morning, he scolded him, as usual.

There was no one with a paint bucket causing trouble, nor anyone making a scene in the Academy; everything seemed harmonious.

Until sunset, Iruka hadn't spotted Naruto on the Hokage Rock. The class troublemaker seemed to have disappeared.

Just as Iruka began to worry, a soft voice spoke up.

"Iruka-sensei?"

"Hinata? What are you doing here?" Iruka turned around, slightly surprised.

The girl stood shyly in the orange sunset, her head down, face flushed as if she'd been caught doing something wrong.

"I... I'm looking for Naruto-kun," she whispered. "Naruto-kun didn't come to class all day... I'm worried..."

Seeing her red, embarrassed face, Iruka smiled kindly.

"Little Hinata is worried about Naruto too?"

"Don't worry, I'll find him. It's already late, though; you should go home, or Lord Hiashi will worry."

"No... No!" Hinata gathered her courage and raised her voice, "Iruka-sensei, I... I want to help look for Naruto-kun too!"

Iruka, touched, paused before looking at the sky and replying gently.

"Alright, but only for half an hour. If we don't find him, promise me you'll go home."

"Yes! Thank you, Iruka-sensei!" Hinata nodded enthusiastically.

...

"Uh? Were you looking for me?" Naruto looked up, confused at the sight of the two of them and surprised Hinata was there too.

"Hinata, you're here too?" Naruto asked, surprised.

"I..." Hinata lowered her head.

"I asked Hinata to help me find you," Iruka explained, "I thought she might know where you'd be."

"Oh, I see." Naruto scratched his head, "Iruka-sensei, are you here because of the skipping class thing?"

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