After leaving the academy building, the graduates gathered at the training grounds.
At the very front, Hiruzen Sarutobi stood atop the platform in his Hokage robes, pipe in hand, looking kindly at the new generation of shinobi before him.
The Will of Fire.
Responsibility.
Protecting the village.
The familiar speech echoed across the field.
Most of the graduates listened excitedly, their faces filled with pride after finally becoming official ninja.
Yoruha stood quietly within the crowd, utterly inconspicuous.
No one noticed him.
Even the Third Hokage’s perception slid past him naturally.
Since inheriting Sakazuki’s abilities, Yoruha’s control over his presence had reached a frightening level.
The oppressive aura hidden inside his body was completely restrained, like a dormant volcano buried beneath the ocean floor.
Silent.
Yet capable of destroying everything once awakened.
At the edge of the training grounds, beneath a lonely swing tied to a tree, sat Naruto Uzumaki.
His head hung low.
Unlike the others, he had failed the graduation exam.
Yoruha did not even need to turn around to sense him.
Observation Haki spread outward naturally.
Every movement within the surrounding area entered his perception with absurd clarity.
Breathing.
Heartbeats.
Footsteps.
Whispers.
Even the sealed chakra hidden deep within Naruto’s body felt like a blazing furnace in Yoruha’s senses.
Although Kurama was suppressed by the Eight Trigrams Seal left by Minato Namikaze, the Nine-Tails’ chakra still possessed overwhelming malice and density.
To Yoruha, Naruto’s existence was as obvious as a bonfire in darkness.
Soon, another presence approached Naruto.
Mizuki.
Yoruha calmly listened to their conversation from afar.
“The Scroll of Sealing?”
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Mizuki’s voice carried temptation and false concern as he tricked Naruto into believing that mastering a technique from the scroll would allow him to graduate.
Naruto believed him completely.
Yoruha found the entire situation strangely suspicious.
The Scroll of Sealing was one of Konoha’s forbidden treasures, containing dangerous jutsu collected by generations of Hokage.
Yet Naruto, a dead-last academy student, managed to steal it so easily in the original story.
Too easily.
“Hiruzen probably already knows.”
Yoruha looked toward the Third Hokage on the stage.
“With his crystal ball surveillance and Anbu network, there’s no way he wouldn’t notice Mizuki’s actions.”
“More likely… this is intentional.”
Naruto learning the Shadow Clone Technique was ultimately beneficial to the village.
The technique suited Naruto’s monstrous chakra reserves perfectly.
Perhaps the Third Hokage simply allowed events to unfold.
Still—
None of it concerned Yoruha.
He and Naruto had almost no interaction throughout their academy years.
Yoruha had no intention of interfering with canon events unnecessarily.
After the speech ended, the graduates gradually dispersed.
Parents celebrated with their children throughout the streets of Konoha.
Restaurants became lively.
Shops filled with laughter.
The village was currently enjoying one of its rare peaceful periods after the Third Shinobi World War.
Most civilians had long forgotten the horrors of war.
Only shinobi still remembered the smell of blood.
Yoruha walked silently through the bustling streets alone.
Unlike the others, no one came to celebrate his graduation.
His parents in this world had died years ago.
They were ordinary civilians without ninja backgrounds, leaving behind only a small wooden house at the outskirts of the village.
Eventually, Yoruha left the busy district behind and entered the forest near Konoha’s edge.
Towering trees surrounded the area.
The dense canopy blocked much of the moonlight, leaving the forest dim and quiet.
A small wooden house stood among the trees.
Simple.
Old.
But clean.
This was his home.
After returning inside, Yoruha lay on his bed and stared quietly at the ceiling.
Today’s events still felt unreal.
He slowly raised one hand.
Then clenched it.
CRACK.
The air around his fist distorted faintly from sheer physical force and heat.
Yoruha’s pupils shifted slightly.
“So this is my power now…”
He could clearly feel the terrifying vitality flowing through every muscle in his body.
If he faced his former self now—
A single finger would be enough.
The current him could kill hundreds of his old selves effortlessly.
Eventually, exhaustion overtook him.
He closed his eyes.
Late into the night—
Yoruha’s eyes suddenly snapped open.
Observation Haki spread outward instantly.
His perception pierced through the forest with perfect clarity.
“…What a nuisance.”
Outside his house, Naruto landed heavily on the ground carrying an enormous scroll on his back.
The Scroll of Sealing.
Yoruha frowned slightly.
Of all places Naruto could hide, he had chosen the forest beside his house.
Naruto sat cross-legged near the wooden hut and opened the massive scroll excitedly.
“The first technique…”
“Multi Shadow Clone Technique!”
His eyes lit up.
Inside the house, Yoruha closed his eyes again.
“As long as they don’t destroy my home, I’m not interested.”
“A fight between two Chunin and one Genin shouldn’t be enough to affect me.”
Outside, Naruto trained desperately beneath the moonlight.
Hours passed.
Thanks to his absurd chakra reserves, he gradually grasped the essence of the forbidden technique.
At last, Naruto collapsed onto the ground while panting heavily.
“Finally learned it…”
“That was insanely hard…”
A moment later, another figure rushed into the clearing.
Iruka Umino.
“Naruto!” Iruka shouted anxiously.
“Return the Scroll of Sealing immediately!
That scroll is extremely important!”
Naruto instantly brightened after seeing him.
“Iruka-sensei!”
“I mastered the Shadow Clone Technique!
Can I graduate now?!”
Iruka froze.
Looking at Naruto’s exhausted appearance and the marks covering the ground, realization gradually appeared in his eyes.
“…He really only wanted to graduate.”
For a moment, Iruka’s expression softened.
Naruto had spent years causing trouble throughout the village, but this was the first time Iruka clearly saw how desperately the boy wanted acknowledgment.
Iruka stepped forward slowly and raised a hand toward Naruto’s head.
Then—
WHOOSH!
A storm of kunai and shuriken burst from the forest.
“Iruka-sensei!”
Naruto’s eyes widened.
Without hesitation, Iruka shoved Naruto aside.
Several blades pierced directly into Iruka’s body.
BANG.
His body slammed violently against the wall of Yoruha’s wooden house, pinned there by steel.
Blood splattered across the wood.
Inside the house, Yoruha’s eyelid twitched slightly.
“…Seriously?”
He listened to the chaos outside expressionlessly.
“If they tear down my house, I’ll kill them both.”
After considering it briefly, he closed his eyes again.
Outside, Naruto stared blankly at the injured Iruka.
“Iruka-sensei!”
A figure appeared atop a tree branch beneath the moonlight.
Mizuki.
His expression no longer carried the gentle smile he showed at the academy.
Only greed and malice remained.
“Naruto,” Mizuki said coldly, “hand over the Scroll of Sealing.”
Iruka immediately shouted:
“Naruto!
Don’t give it to him!”
“That scroll contains forbidden jutsu!”
Naruto looked back and forth between the wounded Iruka and Mizuki above.
Confusion filled his face.
“Mizuki-sensei…”
“You said if I learned the technique, Iruka-sensei would let me graduate…”
“Why did you attack him?”
Mizuki’s expression darkened.
“Tch.”
“That damn demon fox…”
Naruto stiffened slightly.
His brows furrowed.
“Mizuki-sensei…”
“Why do you keep calling me demon fox?”
“…Is that why everyone in the village hates me?”