In the Past Five Years
Naruto had been living a steadily fulfilling life, progressing step by step. After the Uchiha clan's extermination, Konoha Village entered a period of genuine peace. The major hidden villages—Kumogakure and Iwagakure among them—were still uncertain about what truly happened on the night of the Uchiha massacre. Despite that, Konoha retained its formidable reputation. None of the other great villages had yet fully recovered from the trauma of the Third Great Ninja War, and the looming possibility of a Fourth Ninja War had, for now, been forcibly suppressed.
During this rare window of peace, Naruto was finally able to pursue life like an ordinary child—or at least as ordinary as one like him could manage.
His daily routine was simple and fixed:
Ninja Academy – Home – Forest Training Grounds.
Naruto didn't waste time on distractions. He dedicated himself entirely to training, absorbing new knowledge, and refining his skills in every area possible.
And over these past five years, Naruto noticed something gradually changing.
The ANBU operatives who had once watched him constantly began withdrawing, one by one.
Perhaps it was because he was nearing graduation from the Academy and was soon to become an official shinobi of Konoha. Or maybe his consistent, upright behavior over the years had finally put the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, at ease.
In any case, a year ago, Naruto suddenly realized he no longer felt the presence of surveillance in his daily life. That persistent, invisible pressure—like needles pricking at his senses—had vanished. He'd nearly jumped up and shouted in celebration. After all, only without watchful eyes on him could he finally begin executing his true plans instead of pretending to be the naive and harmless prankster.
Everything was progressing smoothly.
All he needed to do now was graduate and receive his team assignment—and the next stage of his plan could begin.
However, in the midst of it all, Naruto had forgotten one crucial detail:
The Graduation Exam.
The day of the exam finally arrived.
Inside the examination classroom, students were being called one by one.
"Clone Technique!"
Poof!
With a burst of smoke, Naruto appeared on the testing platform.
His voice was calm. His chakra was steady.
A blast of mist-like chakra smoke surged outward, impressively dramatic.
But then—
The smoke cleared.
There were no clones.
Only two orange, vaguely humanoid blobs slumped pitifully on the floor. Yes, blobs. Compared to several years ago, there had been some improvement. The clones now had color and a vague shape that resembled a human being—if one squinted and used their imagination.
Still, in this context—
It was impossible to laugh.
This was the Graduation Examination Room.
It was the 60th year of the Hidden Leaf Village. Naruto was now twelve years old.
He had always ranked among the top five in the class and was even in the top three when it came to theoretical knowledge. Occasionally, he even claimed first place. Yet here he was, failing again at the Clone Technique—a basic requirement for passing.
Even Naruto himself couldn't help twitching at the sight of his malformed clones.
He had known this was coming. He had known this would be the sticking point.
But actually seeing it again after five years of effort...
He didn't know whether to sigh or laugh at himself.
And then there was Iruka—his instructor—standing a short distance away, veins popping on his forehead as he resisted the urge to yell. Naruto winced and scratched the back of his head sheepishly, trying to say something—but Iruka's expression was full of disbelief.
How could this be?
This was the same Naruto who mastered the Substitution Technique and Transformation Technique in mere days. In physical training and theoretical subjects, he had always excelled. He ranked near the top of the entire class.
Three years ago, Naruto had even pestered Iruka so persistently that the man relented and taught him a C-rank Wind Release ninjutsu. Despite Iruka not having a Wind chakra nature himself, he taught Naruto the technique anyway. After all, any skilled Chūnin could understand and teach ninjutsu of different natures, even if they couldn't use them effectively themselves. And Naruto had successfully grasped the jutsu in a short period of time.
But when it came to the Clone Technique?
No matter what he did—he simply couldn't get it right.
Iruka had often wondered if Naruto had some sort of innate incompatibility with the jutsu. But the rules were the rules. The Graduation Exam heavily relied on assessing one's mastery of the Three Basic Techniques—and the Clone Technique was essential.
So today, he let Naruto try once again.
And as expected—
No improvement. Just... orange blobs.
Iruka sighed deeply.
He looked at Naruto with a serious expression and said flatly:
"Unqualified."
As much as Iruka wanted to see Naruto succeed, the system was strict for a reason. The Graduation Exam was in place to fairly assess a student's comprehensive ability. If you couldn't perform the basics, you weren't ready to become a genin.
Naruto's face fell.
Seriously?
Failing now meant retaking the year.
He didn't have time for that.
Of course, the original manga mentions that Naruto had taken the Graduation Exam several times, but Naruto in this timeline found that hard to believe. The Academy typically only offered one graduation attempt per year. In wartime, early graduation might be arranged on a case-by-case basis, but normally it required formal approval from the school. You couldn't just show up and demand to graduate early.
Which made Naruto reflect—
If the original Naruto really did take the exam multiple times... that must've been some kind of plot hole.
Regardless, Naruto couldn't afford to be delayed now.
The 60th year of Konoha marked the beginning of the main story arc.
Every next step mattered.
He couldn't let a single jutsu slow him down.
Fine. So he couldn't use the standard Clone Technique. He could learn the Shadow Clone Jutsu later!
"Teacher Iruka, I think maybe I can—"
But Naruto didn't get to finish.
Iruka waved his hand and cut him off.
"No, Naruto. Unqualified means unqualified. This is a rule—and more than that, it's the system. The point of graduating is to prove that you're ready for real missions. If you can't even master the basic Three Techniques, you're not qualified to be a ninja."
Iruka rested both hands firmly on the desk, his voice stern, eyes locked on Naruto.