The day of the graduation exam finally arrived. The assessment content was still exactly the same as in the original work: the most basic Clone Technique.
However, this time, Naruto had completely shed his title of "dead last."
Ever since his fierce battle with Uchiha Satsuki on the first day of school—a battle that shocked everyone and was comparable to a ninja duel—he had been regarded as an undisputed genius by his classmates and teachers.
Therefore, when it was Naruto's turn to be assessed, he wasn't nervous at all. He calmly formed the hand sign that he had long since mastered.
"Clone Technique!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
With a few clean, crisp sounds, three solid, stable clones, almost indistinguishable from his real body, instantly appeared in the center of the examination room.
Iruka, one of the examiners, showed an undisguised smile of relief and pride, and announced without hesitation, "Uzumaki Naruto, passed!"
He picked up a brand new ninja headband from the table, a symbol of a Konoha ninja, and solemnly handed it to Naruto.
Iruka watched Naruto accept the headband, his caring eyes filled with emotion. This child he had looked after for several years had finally become a true ninja!
With the talent and character Naruto now displayed, he would surely become a great and respected ninja in the future...
Naruto took the headband but didn't put it on immediately. Instead, he faced Iruka, bowed respectfully and perfectly, his voice clear and sincere. "Thank you, Iruka Sensei! Thank you for your guidance these past few years!"
This sudden, incredibly heartfelt thanks made Iruka pause. He looked at the grown-up blonde boy in front of him, and the accumulated reluctance and excitement instantly welled up in his heart, his eyes involuntarily reddening.
He forced down his surging emotions, nodded vigorously, and replied in as steady a voice as possible. "Mm! Naruto, congratulations on your graduation! Keep working hard in the future!"
This scene of trust and gratitude between teacher and student appeared especially warm in the sunlight.
However, beside this warm scene, Mizuki, who was also supervising the exam, secretly turned his head away. His usual, hypocritically gentle smile was almost impossible to maintain, and his back teeth ground audibly.
— — — — — —
Walking out of the Ninja Academy gate side-by-side with Satsuki, Naruto immediately saw two familiar figures waiting not far away—Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto.
"Dad! Mom!"
Satsuki's face was beaming with the joy of graduation. She ran over, eager to show her parents the ninja headband she had just received, symbolizing her ninja status.
Seeing this, Mikoto smiled gently and contentedly, lightly stroking Satsuki's hair, "You're already a ninja who can stand on your own so quickly. What do you want for dinner tonight?"
Satsuki, her face slightly flushed, didn't immediately answer her mother's dinner suggestion. Instead, she subconsciously looked at her father, whose expression was slightly serious, standing nearby.
Uchiha Fugaku took two steps forward, his gaze falling on the headband in his daughter's hand. Although his face still showed little expression, he said, "Mm, truly my daughter."
Naruto stood a little further away, watching this scene. He was filled with emotion, Satsuki's life trajectory had, after all, been completely changed...
The current Satsuki, despite experiencing that nightmarish evening, had not become as cold and reclusive as in the original work, because both her parents had survived. No... it seems that besides her parents and me, she's still that indifferent, aloof self towards everyone else...
Just then, Satsuki, holding her mother's hand, walked up to Naruto and said in a cheerful tone, "Naruto, Dad said we're going out for dinner tonight to celebrate graduation. You should come too."
"Eh? I can come too?" Naruto subconsciously looked at Fugaku and Mikoto.
Mikoto looked at Naruto with incredibly loving eyes, "Yes, of course you can. Naruto, you don't need to be polite with us." She had long since regarded Naruto as her own son.
Fugaku, seeing this, merely let out an almost imperceptible sigh and did not object, tacitly approving his wife's invitation.
Just then, out of the corner of his eye, Naruto noticed that Iruka Sensei seemed to have finished the follow-up work inside the school and was walking out of the Ninja Academy.
Naruto turned and looked at Mikoto with an inquiring gaze. After receiving her gentle, affirmative nod of permission, he immediately turned and ran towards Iruka.
"Iruka Sensei!" Naruto called out, "Satsuki and I are going out for dinner tonight to celebrate graduation, you should come too!"
Iruka heard Naruto's invitation and was not too surprised, readily agreeing with a smile. "Alright! Graduation certainly calls for a celebration, I'll treat tonight..."
However, before he could finish his sentence, he heard Naruto add, "Mm! And Satsuki and her mom and dad too!"
"Eh?! Wait... The Uchiha Clan Leader and his wife too...?!" The smile on Iruka's face instantly froze, replaced by a trace of flustered apprehension.
Although he and Naruto had a close relationship, and he often treated Naruto to Ichiraku Ramen and received surprisingly delicious homemade bentos from Naruto, suddenly having dinner with the always-dignified former Uchiha Clan Leader and his wife... This sudden "meeting important figures" atmosphere immediately made Iruka Sensei feel some pressure.
— — — — — —
That night, inside a well-known barbecue restaurant in Konoha Village, Satsuki's family, Naruto, and a slightly reserved Iruka Sensei sat around a grill table, having their graduation celebration dinner.
The charcoal crackled, and various slices of meat and vegetables sizzled on the grill, the aroma filling the air.
The evening's conversation mainly revolved around Naruto and Satsuki's interesting anecdotes during their time at the Ninja Academy. Iruka Sensei recounted their performance in class and training, and Mikoto listened with great interest, occasionally chuckling. Her words were also filled with emotion and anticipation for the two children, who had finally grown into ninjas and were about to embark on a new journey.
Naruto, while enjoying the delicious food, observed Iruka with some confusion. Logically, Iruka Sensei had eaten with the Third Hokage before and hadn't seemed so nervous even in front of that truly important figure. He didn't know why, but when facing Uchiha Fugaku and Mikoto, he always seemed a bit constrained and respectful, his posture much more upright than usual.
It wasn't until a pause in the conversation that Fugaku put down his teacup and turned his gaze to Iruka, "Iruka Sensei, these past few years, my daughter Satsuki has been at the Ninja Academy, and she's been under your care. Thank you very much."
Iruka immediately straightened his back, quickly waved his hands, his tone even a little flustered. "No, no, no! You overstate it! Mr. Fugaku! Rather..." He seemed to want to be polite and ease the atmosphere, but in his nervousness, words slipped out without thinking.
"In the future, I'll also have to ask you to take good care of Naruto!"
As soon as the words fell, the atmosphere at the entire dining table subtly froze for a moment.
Naruto: "???"
Iruka himself immediately realized that his words seemed a bit off, his face instantly flushed, and he opened his mouth, not knowing how to smooth things over.
And this sentence directly struck Uchiha Fugaku's heart. His body stiffened almost imperceptibly, and his fingers holding the teacup tightened slightly.
Me take care of him?
A mix of bitterness and stifling emotion instantly surged into his heart. He subconsciously looked up at the opposite side—only to see his beloved daughter, Satsuki, naturally picking up grilled meat slices from the grill and placing them into Naruto's bowl, her eyes, as she looked at Naruto, sparkling with undisguised reliance and joy.
Fugaku's displeasure and entanglement ultimately transformed into a deep sense of helplessness. All his emotions finally condensed into a single, extremely brief syllable, accompanied by an almost imperceptible nod.
"...Mm."