Eighth Day of Ryuku's Transmigration
Location: Konoha Ninja Academy
Sitting quietly on one of the back benches, Ryuku kept his eyes closed, patiently waiting for the graduation exam to begin.
The classroom was filled with all twenty-seven academy students, who seemed both nervous and excited about the upcoming test.
Though it was called a "graduation," it was nothing more than a facade—meant to deceive students into believing they'd come of age. A laughable notion, really. Back during wartime, even academy students weren't spared. They were sent into danger zones as carriers, cannon fodder to boost manpower.
No matter how sweet or promising the words spoken by the higher-ups, the purpose of this graduation was simple: sort out the potential weapons, assign them a capable caretaker, and raise them until they developed a sense of duty strong enough to sacrifice themselves for the village.
A truly fucked up chain system… and they justified it all as the "Will of Fire." What ridiculous nonsense.
Ryuku's mind, as usual, drifted from thought to thought, focusing on whatever piqued his interest. Since the moment he arrived in this world, not a single moment had gone to waste under his sharp, calculating mind.
Opening his eyes slightly, Ryuku turned to the yellow-haired boy seated beside him.
"Hey, Naruto, from the way you're slouching and relaxing, it seems you've already mastered all three basic jutsu, huh?"
Naruto turned his head lazily without lifting it from the bench and yawned before replying, "Ahw, hmm, yes?" But the moment Ryuku's words registered in his mind, his brows furrowed, and his whiskers twitched slightly. "Uhh… I'm really bad at clone jutsu."
Ryuku nodded, feigning a little panic on his face. "Same here. I can't use clone jutsu at all..." He tapped his temples and added, "...Let's hope Iruka-sensei picks some other jutsu for the exam, or else..."
Naruto's eyes widened in alarm, his sleepy face quickly shifting to panic.
"But—but… what if we have to do the Clone Jutsu to graduate?"
"Sigh. That depends on Iruka-sensei..."
The next instant, the classroom door opened, and Iruka Umino entered, his expression serious.
The classroom fell silent.
Iruka stood at the front, his gaze sweeping across the room. After confirming that all twenty-seven students were present, he nodded and declared, "To graduate from the academy, you'll have to perform the Clone Jutsu!" He then walked to the door and added, "Head to the next room when your name is called."
He shut the door and left.
"Woah! It turns out to be Clone Jutsu—which I'm so good at! I'll be a genuine ninja from today, hehe."
"If it's Clone Jutsu, I can manage... though I'm not very good at it."
The civilian students lit up, their nervousness replaced by chatter and excitement.
As for the students from well-known clans? Well...
"Let's get this over with real quick..." Shikamaru said with a bored expression, yawning. "I didn't get much sleep last night. Why did I have to collect those herbs and antlers with my dad? What a pain..."
Grumbling, Choji clutched his stomach and muttered, "Ugh... I didn't get enough breakfast..."
On the other side, Yamanaka Ino sat dazed, her gaze occasionally drifting back to a certain boy—someone who had somehow become close friends with that Naruto. Every time she looked at him, her heart fluttered, and her face grew warm for reasons she couldn't understand. Her mind kept replaying that embarrassing moment from a few days ago.
"Yamanaka Ino!" a sharp voice snapped her out of her thoughts.
"Ah—who was that!? Which bastard—" She stopped, eyes darting around to find the whole class staring at her in surprise.
...Oh, dammit.
Realizing it was Iruka-sensei who'd called her name, she bolted toward the next room and muttered a quick apology on the way out.
"What's wrong with Ino?" Choji asked, puzzled.
"Who knows," Shikamaru shrugged. "I don't understand how girls think..."
At the back of the classroom—
"AGGGHHH! What should I do? What should I do!? I can't do Clone Jutsu, it's my worst skill! AGHHH!!"
Sasuke, sitting in the last row, covered his ears with his fingers and shot Naruto a death glare.
Damn, he's loud... Ryuku thought.
Is this the Uzumaki gene? Or just a coincidence? His mother, Kushina, was a bit wild too...
"Calm down, Naruto," he said casually.
Hearing his friend's calm voice, Naruto snapped. "You bastard! How are you so calm? You just said you can't do Clone Jutsu—don't tell me you lied to me!"
In response, Ryuku pointed a finger at his head and replied, "Use your head, idiot. Panicking won't help you graduate." His gaze then shifted, noticing how Sasuke gave a subtle nod to himself for some unknown reason—even though they were basically strangers. Ryuku continued, "And no, I didn't lie. What's the point of lying? If you really think I did, just wait for the results."
Naruto fell silent at those words, though he kept mumbling under his breath.
A moment later, Iruka's voice called out:
"Ryuku!"
My turn already?
Ryuku stood up and silently left the room.
The moment he did, Naruto started panicking again, causing Sasuke's eye to twitch in irritation.
This loser just can't stop for a damn moment... Sasuke thought.
His gaze shifted to the now-empty seat beside Naruto.
That guy… he's giving off strange vibes. He looks completely different from his past self. He's definitely hiding something...
Not just Sasuke—the Uchiha survivor—but others in the class had their own thoughts about Ryuku's new appearance.
The most shocked was a girl sitting at the same bench as Sasuke.
What the heck? He's that guy? I didn't even notice... He looks good...
Hmph, Sasuke-kun is still way better...
It was a girl with pink hair and a massive forehead—simp Sakura.
---
Shortly after.
Iruka and Mizuki stared at Ryuku's clone for a good moment—then deadpanned.
"Fail."
Iruka looked genuinely disappointed. He had expected Ryuku to pass with flying colours, but what he saw made him close his eyes in frustration.
Ryuku's face flushed red with sadness. A few tears rolled down his cheeks as he glanced at the clone—a slouched skeleton-like figure with a broken back. He nodded obediently and left the room in silence.
Mizuki muttered under his breath, "How did he even make such a clone? Even though he failed, it's impressive in its own way..." A smirk crept up on his face.
Iruka said sharply, "Don't insult the student's efforts, Mizuki."
"Eh—no, I didn't mean it that way."
Iruka didn't bother responding. Instead, he shouted, "Nazuki!"
---
The moment Ryuku stepped out, his sad expression vanished like mist. He wiped his face dry, cast a brief glance back at the classroom, and walked away from the Academy.
Now then... let's move to the next step.
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