Konoha Village.
Yuuki only paid a little attention to how Kakuzu used Ninjutsu to break into various markets; he wasn't too invested.
At this moment, Yuuki, in his office, was looking at Konoha's freshly released Genin roster.
He wasn't focusing on any specific individuals, just the number of people.
Hmm, a multiple of three, is it?
Then let's add Sasuke.
Yuuki's attention to Genin was solely because the Joint Chunin Exams were about to be held, and he wanted his sister to gain some experience.
Natsuri, with her Three-Tomoe Sharingan activated, could defeat ordinary Chunin even if she didn't know a single Ninjutsu, simply by brute force.
He was looking at the Genin roster just to assign teammates to Natsuri.
Since the newly promoted Genin were already forming teams, he decided to let Naruto and Sasuke graduate early as well.
In Konoha, which was practically a one-man show, Yuuki's will was quickly implemented.
Ninja Academy.
Iruka arrived at the classroom door, gestured for the teaching instructor to pause, and then said,
"Uchiha Natsuri, Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto, come with me!"
Years of interaction had allowed Iruka to know the real Naruto, but he still harbored a lingering complex, making him somewhat uncomfortable around Naruto.
Without facing life-or-death choices, it's hard for people to truly understand their own hearts.
The three children who were called out followed Iruka out of the classroom and into the hallway of the teaching building. Naruto asked,
"Iruka-sensei, where are you taking us?"
Hearing Naruto's question, Iruka instinctively wanted to frown, but he managed to restrain himself before acting, instead patiently asking,
"Have you all heard about Konoha hosting the Joint Chunin Exams soon?"
Without a doubt, it was Naruto who answered again.
"Of course, we've heard! Konoha Voice talks about it every day!"
Sasuke and Natsuri, seeing Naruto's answer, simply nodded, indicating that they too had heard about it.
After receiving their confirmation, Iruka continued in a voice filled with pride,
"This Joint Chunin Exams is unlike any before. It has been confirmed that all Ninja Villages in the Ninja World will participate, and it is destined to be a grand event that will capture everyone's attention."
Natsuri, Sasuke, and Naruto all straightened up slightly upon hearing this, feeling a sense of pride that Konoha could host such a grand event.
The reaction of the three children met Iruka's expectations, and he continued to explain,
"Hokage-sama hopes that more Genin from Konoha can participate in this unprecedented and possibly never-to-be-repeated grand event, and you three are very lucky to have this opportunity."
After Iruka finished speaking, he observed the reactions of the three children.
Natsuri and Sasuke frowned slightly in thought for a moment, then their brows relaxed, clearly having guessed what would happen next.
Only Naruto continued to stare blankly at Iruka, waiting for further explanation.
When Naruto realized Iruka had finished speaking and he still hadn't understood, he pressed on,
"Iruka-sensei, what does that have to do with us being called out?"
"Idiot Naruto, the Chunin Exams, as the name suggests, can only be participated in by Genin. We are still just Ninja Academy students, so how can we participate?"
Before Iruka could answer, Sasuke, who had figured it out, seized the opportunity to mock Naruto.
"Smug Sasuke, you don't even know this! Genin who have completed certain missions can apply to participate in the Chunin Exams!"
Naruto was not as uneducated as in the original story; at the very least, he had memorized everything he was supposed to.
"Tch, idiot!"
Sasuke gave Naruto a disdainful look, just knowing how to memorize.
"Boss Natsuri, look, Sasuke is being smug again."
Naruto knew that arguing with Sasuke always led nowhere, so he decided to find a helper first.
Natsuri, who had long seen through everything, always maintained an attitude of not participating, not persuading, and not paying attention to the arguments between Naruto and Sasuke.
Until Naruto tried to drag her into this boyish argument.
Natsuri didn't indulge Naruto either, looking at him with the same 'you're an idiot' expression and saying,
"Naruto, you really are dumber this time!"
After speaking, Natsuri ignored the two of them and quickly followed Iruka's footsteps.
Seeing this, Sasuke lifted his chin, cast a sidelong glance of disdain at Naruto, and likewise strode away quickly.
Only Naruto remained, still dazed, standing rooted to the spot.
At this point, Naruto had completely forgotten why they had been called out.
He kept muttering to himself.
Why?
He had clearly followed Shikamaru's method, so why didn't it work?
Am I really not as smart as Shikamaru?
No!
It must be Sasuke's fault, it's all because Sasuke is too smug.
Having found the reason, Naruto became lively again and shouted at the three who had already pulled ahead,
"Wait for me!"
Then he quickly chased after them.
As for Natsuri and Sasuke calling him dumb, Naruto was already immune to it and didn't care at all; it was all fake anyway.
Naruto knew he was smart, and that was all that mattered.
A few minutes later.
In the Ninja Academy training ground.
The graduation assessment, specially set up for the three of them, also awaited its examinees.
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