Pretty soon all the students were called and those who passed the graduation exam were given the Konoha Headbands, formally making them a genuine Ninja of the village, albeit of the lowest rank.
The parents of the students had gathered outside the academy, praising or comforting their children in their own ways.
The voices of their chatter didn't seem to bother a particular kid at all, who was standing away from the crowd.
Ryuku stood casually, leaning against the tree, waiting for a certain someone to come out. He didn't have to wait long and finally a yellow-haired child exited the academy, his face down and mood devastated.
He noticed the other students and their parents along with their delighted smiles. He bit his lip tightly.
Forcing himself to move forward, he located a tall kid standing away from everybody else and his feet moved towards his direction all by itself.
He came besides him and sat himself down on the swing. "Iruka Sensei is a jerk... He didn't let me pass."
Ryuku chuckled. "And why do you think he would let us pass even though we clearly failed?"
Naruto suddenly turned his head around and looked at him directly with surprised eyes. "You failed too?"
"I thought I made it clear earlier." Ryuku started to move.
Naruto's shoulders slumped, his bright blue eyes dimming with disappointment before flashing with anger. "So we both failed? Damnit!"
"Hey—wait, where are you going?"
Ryuku paused, his gaze briefly landing on the sneering parents who openly cursed Naruto, despite Iruka and old-bone Hiruzen standing just a few meters away. Keeping his tone neutral, he replied, "Ichiraku Ramen." Then, turning to Naruto, he added, "My treat. You coming or not?"
Although Naruto loved ramen, he wasn't in the mood to eat. But seeing Ryuku in the same boat, he figured, He must be heartbroken too...
So, he nodded. "Yeah, let's go."
Without another word, the two left the academy grounds.
Watching them leave, Hiruzen gave a silent nod before turning to Iruka. "I need to talk to you, Iruka."
"Yes, sir." Iruka nodded and followed the Third Hokage without hesitation.
---
On their way, Naruto talked nonstop, and Ryuku listened patiently, responding whenever he got the chance—though with how talkative Naruto was, those chances were rare.
"You see, once I become Hokage, I'll hire old man Teuchi! That way, I can eat ramen whenever I want…"
Ryuku walked beside him in silence, his expression calm as he listened to Naruto's rambling. But his mind was elsewhere, focused on a particular chakra signature he had been waiting for. Using his Spiritual Sense technique, he extended his chakra waves around them, searching.
He didn't have to wait long.
Right at that moment, a familiar presence entered the range of his technique.
So he's finally here...
Shortly after, a blue-haired man stepped out from a narrow alley, glanced at them, and feigned surprise. "Oh, Naruto and Ryuku. What a coincidence."
Naruto immediately recognized him. "Mizuki-sensei? What are you doing here?"
Ryuku gave a slight nod but remained silent.
Mizuki barely spared Ryuku a glance before shifting his full attention to Naruto. His expression turned serious. "Naruto, I need to tell you something very important in private. It's crucial for you, so please follow me."
To Mizuki's shock, Naruto crossed his arms and flatly replied, "I don't want to."
What? Mizuki's eyebrow twitched slightly.
"But it's urgent. If we don't do this now, you might lose your chance forever," he insisted.
To his surprise, Ryuku suddenly patted Naruto's shoulder and gave him a gentle push toward Mizuki. "Go, Naruto. We can have ramen another day. If Sensei says it's important, you shouldn't ignore it. Alright?"
Mizuki inwardly smirked. Good kid…
Naruto still hesitated, but Ryuku's words swayed him. With some reluctance, he sighed and nodded. "Alright, but I won't be holding back next time."
"Yeah, yeah… you ramen-obsessed idiot," Ryuku smirked, watching them walk away before turning in the opposite direction.
Now then… onto the next phase.
His destination wasn't home—but somewhere else entirely.
---
Evening.
Konoha Hospital.
Hosho walked out of the hospital, his face slightly tired, but his gaze told a different story. "Today was graduation day... I wonder how it went for Ryuku?" he muttered.
The next moment, he chuckled. "Why am I even worrying about that kid? With how smart he is and his advanced chakra control, graduating from the academy should be nothing."
Laughing at himself, he began heading home.
---
Hokage Building.
"Sexy Jutsu!"
Seeing such a bizarre and unorthodox technique, the Third Hokage's mind went blank, and blood sprayed out of his nose like a broken dam.
"Wah!?" Sarutobi Hiruzen lost consciousness.
Naruto giggled at the sight and quickly made his way to the secret room where the most important scrolls were hidden. He didn't just grab any scroll—he swiftly searched for a specific one, as if deeming the others unworthy.
Found it!
He took a large scroll, smiled, and hurried out of the building.
A few buildings away, behind the water tank, Mizuki smirked wildly.
Southwest, huh... Stupid fox. Leaving the village barrier all by yourself? You're making it too easy for me... But first, I have some things to take care of...
Mizuki decided to spread the news that Naruto had stolen the Forbidden Scroll throughout the entire village. He needed Naruto gone, and making him look like a traitor who had fled with the village's most important scroll was the perfect way to do it.
I'll deal with you later, fox brat... Hahaha...
Naruto, unaware of the hidden schemes surrounding him, grinned from ear to ear as he made his way to his usual secret spot.
Meanwhile, deep within the Eight Trigram Seal, behind the prison bars, the Nine-Tails cracked open his eyes slightly, musing indifferently, "What are these humans playing at..."
---
Outside the Village.
Ryuku lay sideways on the roof of an abandoned cottage, leisurely sipping a mixed juice while reading a scroll titled Geography of the Ninja World.
He had been in this spot for hours, patiently waiting for his good friend to deliver the Forbidden Scroll. As he drank, he periodically sent out chakra waves, scanning for any disturbances before they could happen.
His Spiritual Sense technique had grown significantly more refined—through constant practice, it had reached a level where he could now recognize the chakra signatures of nearly every important figure he had encountered. At this point, calling him a Jonin-level sensory ninja wouldn't be an exaggeration.
Hmm... He's here.
Ryuku detected a figure dashing toward his location. Within moments, Naruto arrived next to the cottage.
"Yo, Naruto." Ryuku greeted casually from the rooftop.
Naruto, startled by the sudden voice, panicked and fell flat on his butt. "Huh?! Ryuku? What are you doing here?"
.....
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