"Uchiha Sasuke..." a voice shouted from the room next door.
Sasuke stood up and walked toward the room. It was time for his test, as everyone whose name was called had to go to the next room.
Naruto watched him walk away, already convinced in his heart that Sasuke would pass the test with ease.
Just before reaching the exit, Sasuke paused and turned his head to glance at Naruto. His expression was flat, but he gave a meaningful smile.
"This guy... what's he doing?" Naruto muttered in his heart.
Not long after, Sasuke exited the classroom, and as expected...
The room erupted in excitement once more.
"I almost forgot!!!" a student suddenly exclaimed.
"Forgot what?" asked his friend beside him.
Kiba, who was nearby, was curious and joined in. "Yeah, forgot what?" he added.
"Did you all forget that Sasuke and Naruto are going to fight?" the answer was clear.
Everyone was startled. They had indeed forgotten. "Right, I totally forgot about that..."
"Wow, I didn't think it would actually happen..."
"Hey, hey, do you guys want to place bets?"
"Bets? Are you kidding? That's not allowed!" a girl scolded him.
"Ouch... okay, okay, but you didn't have to hit me..." he grumbled.
"But I guess it might be fun," another student suddenly agreed.
Kiba wanted to join the conversation but decided not to. He didn't want anyone to remember how he lost to Naruto.
"Yeah, you're right, this sounds good! I'm betting on Naruto!"
"I'm with Sasuke!"
"Naruto..."
They eventually placed bets on who would win between Sasuke and Naruto, completely forgetting about the second part of the exam.
Not long after, Sasuke returned holding a forehead protector in his hand.
It was clear that he had passed.
"I wonder what technique Sasuke used for the test..." a girl said aloud.
"Maybe Bunshin? Or Henge..." another replied.
The conversation continued until another name was called.
"Uzumaki Naruto!"
Everyone fell silent. Naruto stood up and glanced briefly at Hinata, giving her a small nod.
Then he looked over at Ino, but she turned her face away. This made Naruto frown slightly. "What's with her?" he wondered.
He then looked to Sakura's face for answers, but she only shook her head, equally puzzled.
In the end, Naruto ignored it and walked to the next room.
Some girls let out small screams, but Ino suddenly shouted at them.
"Shut up!!"
They all went quiet, and Naruto, who heard it outside the classroom, chuckled softly. "Stupid girl. Trying to ignore me but you can't, can you?"
Naruto entered the room. There, Iruka and Mizuki stood, greeting him with warm smiles.
He briefly glanced into Mizuki's eyes before shifting his gaze to Iruka.
"Naruto, you've done well. You've improved so much... I know it wasn't easy, which is why I'm genuinely happy to see you finally showing me that you, Naruto, are capable too..."
Iruka praised him. His words were sincere, soft yet deep, and warmed Naruto's heart.
"Thank you, Iruka-sensei..."
Iruka let out a breath. "Of course..."
"Now, back to the main matter... Naruto," Iruka called out his name with sharp eyes, "Which test will you choose?"
Naruto looked down at the floor, thinking for a moment. "I'll choose Henge..." he answered clearly.
Hearing this, Iruka and Mizuki exchanged glances and nodded.
"Alright then, begin..." They gave the instruction.
Naruto closed his eyes and began forming hand signs.
Bushhh.
A white puff of smoke appeared, and slowly, a figure emerged from it.
The figure had the same blonde hair, but it was longer. A symmetrical, slender face, and bright blue eyes.
The appearance wasn't too different from Naruto, leading Iruka to think that Naruto had used Henge to show his adult self.
But as the smoke cleared, everything became more visible.
That figure... was wearing a cloak with the words "Yondaime - Hokage" written on it.
Both Iruka and Mizuki's eyes widened.
Iruka gasped, and Mizuki stood as well, staring sharply at the figure before them.
"Naruto, you..." Iruka's throat tightened; he couldn't say anything.
"Isn't that... the Yondaime-sama... Naruto?" Mizuki's voice cracked slightly.
Naruto's transformation wasn't just a simple jutsu; for them, it seemed like a message Naruto was trying to convey.
"Naruto, are you imitating Minato-sama?" this time, Iruka asked.
Naruto nodded quickly. "Yes, I like him. I heard he was the fastest Hokage..." he said with a faint smile. Even his voice sounded like him.
"Is that so?" Mizuki asked.
Naruto glanced at him and simply nodded.
They finally understood why Naruto chose to mimic Minato's form, though they still found the resemblance unsettling.
Could it be? Iruka thought.
No way! Mizuki thought.
"Alright then, you pass the test. Watching you mimic the Hokage was more than enough—especially since we couldn't even find any flaws in it..." Iruka explained and looked at Naruto kindly.
"Really?" Naruto asked for confirmation.
"Of course," Iruka replied. "This is more than sufficient."
"Ohh..." Naruto canceled the jutsu, returning to his normal appearance—white shirt and black shorts.
"I thought you'd give me a hard time, Iruka-sensei," Naruto said lightly.
"A hard time?" Iruka raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah. You could've made it harder for me since I'm kind of a genius, you know. I haven't failed any training since that one time..." Naruto boasted, pointing to his chest and glancing out the window with a smug, saint-like look.
A vein popped on Iruka's forehead. He was annoyed. He felt like hitting Naruto, and Mizuki beside him was even more frustrated—his plans were ruined now that Naruto had passed.
But there was nothing he could do now. Maybe I'll have to lure him another way... Mizuki thought.
"Alright, Naruto. You passed..." Iruka tossed him a forehead protector. "Take this and get out before I hit you with a chair..." his voice raised.
Naruto caught it. "Fine. You're really not friendly..." he said as he turned and walked back to the classroom.
Iruka clenched his teeth in frustration, tempted to get up and swat Naruto's backside but held himself back.
Naruto had changed. Still annoying, but smarter now. Whenever Iruka tried to punish him, Naruto would vanish from his spot, and Iruka would end up hitting the wall or a desk.
"Let it go, Iruka. He's still just a kid," Mizuki tried to calm him.
Iruka nodded. "Yeah, you're right..."
And then, he called the next name.
"Haruno Sakura..."
Her name was called, and Sakura immediately stood and walked to the room.
At the doorway, she saw Naruto standing in front of her, blocking her way.
"What is it?" Sakura asked softly.
Naruto shook his head. "Nothing, I just felt like stopping you..."
Sakura smiled and quickly aimed a kick at his shin.
But Naruto dodged, shifting to the side swiftly and walking past her.
"You're still too slow," he whispered, making Sakura freeze before walking away.
Seeing that, Naruto smiled lightly. He was satisfied with Sakura's reaction, catching a brief look of annoyance on her face from his teasing.
More than that, Naruto was pleased with Sakura's growth—she was developing faster than he had expected.
He was waiting for her, hoping she'd one day reach the level of a Kage and assist him in his own plans. Even if that day was still far away.
Naruto shook his head, brushing off those thoughts, and sat in the seat next to Shikamaru.
They chatted casually until a cold voice suddenly cut in.
"Naruto, it's time... let's fight."
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If you ask why naruto chose minato it's because he wanted to. And sorry I was on vacation yesterday XD
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