"I've already explained the rules of the mock battle. I don't want to repeat myself."
On the playground of the Ninja Academy, a heated battle was about to unfold—Uzumaki Naruto versus Uchiha Sasuke!
As soon as Iruka gave the signal, it was Sasuke who launched the first attack. His eyes were calm and determined as he dashed forward, ready to end the match quickly.
But the moment he struck—
Naruto disappeared!
"H-How is this possible?!"
"Where did Naruto go?!"
Not just Sasuke—everyone watching from the sidelines was stunned. Their eyes frantically searched for any sign of the missing blond ninja.
Sasuke tensed up, eyes flickering around as he tried to locate Naruto's presence.
But there was nothing. No chakra signature. No movement. Nothing.
Then, a breeze blew gently across the training field. A few leaves floated down from the branches above.
Suddenly—
Bang!
A puff of smoke exploded behind Sasuke. Naruto appeared from out of nowhere!
He had been hiding in plain sight—using the Transformation Technique to disguise himself as a falling leaf.
Right when Iruka announced the start of the battle, Naruto had leapt into a tree, performed the jutsu, and turned into a leaf drifting on the wind.
Before Sasuke could react—
Bam!
Naruto landed a clean punch right to Sasuke's face.
"Sasuke!" several girls screamed from the sidelines, their hearts aching at the sight.
But Naruto didn't care. With a casual shrug directed at Iruka, he silently conveyed what he was thinking:
"Stop wasting time. Just announce my win already."
Iruka blinked a few times, stunned. Then he finally regained his composure.
"Uzumaki Naruto wins!"
The crowd erupted in whispers, shock, and disbelief.
Naruto had already turned and walked away from the crowd, hands still stuffed in his pockets, looking completely uninterested in the outcome.
Iruka's brows furrowed as he stared at Naruto's back.
"Teacher Iruka! Naruto didn't perform the seal of reconciliation!"
"Yeah! Why should he be treated differently?"
A wave of murmurs and discontent followed.
Iruka didn't respond immediately. But Sasuke's expression darkened.
Not performing the seal of reconciliation meant only one thing—
In Naruto's eyes, Sasuke wasn't even worthy of being called an opponent.
Clenching his fists, Sasuke stood up in silence and fled the school grounds.
"Sasuke! Where are you going?"
But he didn't answer.
Iruka watched the boy disappear into the distance, stunned and unsure of what to do.
---
Later that day, Iruka found himself standing in front of the Third Hokage—Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"I see. So that's what happened," the old Hokage said calmly after taking a long puff from his pipe.
Iruka blinked. "That's it? Just... 'I see'?"
He was genuinely confused. This wasn't the reaction he had expected from Konoha's leader.
Hiruzen smiled faintly and took a deep breath. Then, in a solemn voice, he began to speak of the Will of Fire.
"Iruka, I know you harbor resentment toward Naruto. It's understandable. You lost your parents the night the Nine-Tails attacked."
"But you must remember—Naruto is not the Nine-Tails."
"He's just a boy. A victim. Just like you."
"Despite everything, Naruto is part of Konoha's future. He carries the Will of Fire in his own way."
Iruka stood frozen, eyes wide. The Third Hokage's words stirred something in him. Emotions he didn't realize he was still holding onto bubbled to the surface.
"Yes… that's right…" Iruka whispered, eyes welling up with tears.
It was true—his parents died during the Nine-Tails' rampage, and because of that, he'd unconsciously projected his grief and resentment onto Naruto.
He thought Naruto's talent was undeserved. That he wasn't allowed to shine. That he was just… too perfect.
Naruto wasn't just good—he was exceptional.
Top of the class in academics. Unmatched physical ability. In every ninja physical test, Naruto earned full marks.
Iruka even suspected that Naruto only scored "full marks" because the grading system didn't go higher.
He remembered vividly the day Naruto completely outperformed Sasuke in the kunai training session.
Sasuke had thrown three kunai simultaneously from different angles, each hitting the bullseye perfectly—a feat worthy of the Uchiha name.
But when it was Naruto's turn...
His kunai flew with such speed and precision that one pierced through the bullseye—splitting it—and knocked Sasuke's kunai off the next target!
It was absurd. Ridiculous even.
You couldn't say Sasuke did better just because there was no kunai on Naruto's target.
This Naruto… he was just too good.
For someone like Iruka, who struggled through the ranks and became a teacher after barely scraping by, it was hard to accept.
Naruto had talent, strength, and now—respect.
Why? Why did someone who carried the demon that killed so many in the village get to have all this?
Was it even his own strength?
Or was it all because of that damn fox demon sealed inside him?
The Third Hokage could see through Iruka's conflicted heart. With the light of the Will of Fire, he guided Iruka's thoughts back onto the right path.
"Yes, Naruto is a victim. Maybe… maybe he isn't the demon fox at all."
Iruka looked at the Hokage, his expression now resolute.
"Thank you, Lord Third. I will guide Naruto properly from now on."
Hiruzen smiled gently and nodded. "Good. You may go."
After Iruka left, a gust of wind blew through the Hokage's office. A shadowy figure appeared, kneeling on one knee.
A female Anbu, distinguished by her flowing purple hair and the fox-shaped mask covering her face.
"How is the mission I assigned you progressing?" Hiruzen asked, voice low.
The Anbu agent responded calmly, "Over the past year of observation, Uzumaki Naruto has done nothing suspicious. He trains diligently every day."
The Hokage nodded, visibly satisfied.
It was time to move to the next step—a new plan to help Naruto grow.
Years ago, he had done the same for Minato.
Back then, the Namikaze clan was virtually unknown. Yet Minato had learned the Second Hokage's forbidden technique—the Flying Thunder God.
Such access and opportunity were only possible because Hiruzen had made it happen.
As Hokage, it was his duty to raise the next generation—to train his successor at the right moment.
He was not like Orochimaru, seeking immortality. He would age. He would fade.
But the Sarutobi legacy must continue.
As long as the Will of Fire burned in the hearts of his supporters, the Hokage's flame would never go out.
This was for the village… and also for the Sarutobi name.
The purple-haired Anbu listened quietly, but her thoughts were racing.
She remembered something Akamichi Choza had once said:
"The Akamichi clan will always protect the Sarutobi clan."
At the time, she hadn't thought much of it.
But now…
Now she understood.
Choza's loyalty wasn't just to the village. It was to the Sarutobi clan itself.
And he wasn't alone. Many of the great families in Konoha shared this sentiment. Their allegiance lay not just with the village—but with individuals, clans, and personal interests.
She couldn't help but shiver slightly.
So much of what she believed in suddenly felt uncertain.
Still, she knew better than to speak these thoughts aloud.
Because her lover—Gekkou Hayate—was also part of Hokage's direct Anbu.
She couldn't afford to risk his safety.
Some truths… were better left buried.
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