“Alright, everyone.”
Iruka smiled as he looked over the class.
“Today, every single one of you has successfully extracted chakra.
Congratulations—you’ve all passed!”
“Yay!”
The classroom immediately erupted into cheers.
The loudest celebrations came from those who had struggled the longest before finally succeeding.
“Now that everyone has learned chakra extraction, we can begin the real lessons.”
“Aida Ryohei, Mashishi, Akimichi Chōji, and Aburame Shino—come with me to the office to help carry the textbooks.”
“Yes, sir!”
The four boys seated near the front immediately followed Iruka out.
Unlike ninjutsu classes, the cultural and theoretical courses naturally required textbooks.
Of course, those books had to be purchased.
Naruto’s finances were tight, so buying them was out of the question.
Students without textbooks had no choice but to copy notes by hand.
But Naruto had no intention of putting much effort into the theory classes anyway.
Ever since gradually mastering the method of entering deep meditation, he had begun progressing toward the next stage—
Constant Meditation.
That meant that as long as he sat down cross-legged, he could enter a meditative state almost instantly.
As a result, both his spiritual strength and physical abilities were developing at an astonishing pace.
Naturally, the chakra within his body continued to grow as well.
Combined with his increasingly sharp senses…
His chakra control had reached an entirely new level.
At this point, even without Kurama’s ability to sense malicious intent, Naruto could easily pinpoint the locations of the ANBU agents watching him.
Honestly, if the surveillance hadn’t been so strict, he would have already begun learning the Rasengan.
Unfortunately, although the ANBU didn’t monitor students inside the Academy, there were practically no places on campus where he could practice in secret.
So he reluctantly suppressed the urge.
“Alright.”
“Today we’re beginning the course on the Will of Fire.”
Iruka declared energetically after handing out the textbooks.
“Only after everyone passes this subject will we begin teaching ninjutsu.”
“So if you want to learn ninja techniques, listen carefully and understand the Will of Fire.”
Although he was still a new teacher, after three months he had completely settled into his role.
“Repeat after me.”
‘Where the leaves dance, the fire burns.
The light of the fire illuminates the village and allows new leaves to sprout.’
Iruka led the class.
“This is the core principle of the Will of Fire.”
“It appears on the exams every year, so memorize it well.”
“Yes, sir!”
The children answered in unison.
Naruto, having no textbook, was perfectly content.
He rested his head on the desk and calmly gazed out the window.
“Alright, that’s enough for today.”
“Class dismissed.”
“…Naruto, stay behind for a moment.”
As soon as the dismissal bell rang, Naruto prepared to leave, only to be stopped by Iruka.
“Is something wrong, Iruka-sensei?”
Naruto followed him into the teachers’ office.
Iruka handed him a stack of books.
“Naruto, these are my old textbooks.”
“They’re from an older edition, so they differ a little from the current ones.”
“But every important exam topic is still inside.”
“Take them home and study hard.”
Naruto smiled politely and shook his head.
“Thank you, Iruka-sensei.”
“But there’s no need.”
“I’m not interested in studying.”
“I don’t really care about my grades.”
“You should give these books to someone who actually needs them.”
Iruka frowned.
“Naruto.”
“I know you had already learned chakra extraction before entering the Academy.”
“But having chakra alone doesn’t make someone an outstanding ninja.”
“A capable shinobi needs theoretical knowledge, intelligence analysis, and many other skills.”
“Those things can only be learned through academic study.”
“Don’t you want to become an excellent ninja?”
Naruto smiled faintly.
“No.”
“I don’t.”
Iruka frowned even more deeply.
“Then…
what do you want to become?”
Although he still carried prejudice toward Naruto in his heart, his sense of responsibility as a teacher compelled him to keep trying.
Naruto shrugged.
“Maybe…”
“I’ll grow up to be a shameless pervert.”
“Or maybe…”
“I’ll die before I ever become an adult.”
Iruka stood there silently.
The answer left him speechless.
“If there’s nothing else, Iruka-sensei…”
“I’ll be heading home.”
Naruto bowed slightly before turning to leave.
Iruka didn’t stop him.
As soon as Naruto was gone, Mizuki spoke.
“Honestly, Iruka…”
“Why bother?”
“That Nine-Tails brat can study or not study.
What’s it to you?”
Iruka sighed.
“He’s still my student.”
Mizuki sneered.
“Don’t forget.”
“He’s also the monster that killed your parents.”
Iruka fell silent again.
No matter how responsible he tried to be as a teacher, remembering his parents’ deaths at the hands of the Nine-Tails always left him conflicted.
Naruto, meanwhile, never took Iruka’s concern to heart.
He wasn’t the Naruto from the original story.
He hadn’t grown up desperately craving a father figure.
He didn’t need Iruka’s affection.
Nor could he ever regard Iruka as a father.
But Iruka was still the same Iruka who instinctively wanted to look after him.
The next morning…
Naruto found Iruka’s old textbooks neatly placed on his desk.
He frowned.
After a moment’s hesitation, he simply stuffed them into his drawer.
Three more months passed in the blink of an eye.
Unable to practice the Rasengan, Naruto continued following his own routine.
School.
Meditation.
School.
Meditation.
Eventually…
He reached the stage of Constant Meditation.
No matter where he was…
No matter when…
No matter what posture he happened to be in…
As long as nobody disturbed him, he could immediately enter a meditative state.
That…
…was Constant Meditation.
It didn’t dramatically increase his combat strength.
After all, it wasn’t fundamentally different from ordinary deep meditation.
The only differences were that he entered the state much faster and required far fewer environmental conditions.
However…
His spirit became increasingly vigorous.
His eyes remained calm and focused.
His body grew healthier and straighter.
He even became slightly taller than Sasuke at his current age.
In the original story, Naruto had been notably short.
Now, however, he carried himself with remarkable confidence.
The result…
He had become exceptionally handsome.
Unfortunately…
The six whisker-like markings on his cheeks were simply too eye-catching.
They concealed nearly ninety percent of his good looks.
Naruto had even tried shaving them off.
It didn’t work.
Unless each whisker mark was somehow completely removed at its root, they always remained.
His next goal…
…was the stage known as Perpetual Meditation.
Walking.
Standing.
Sitting.
Sleeping.
Throwing punches.
Delivering kicks.
Remaining in a meditative state during every action—
that was Perpetual Meditation.
“Excellent.”
Iruka looked around the classroom.
“Everyone has now passed the Will of Fire course.”
“So today…”
“We’ll begin learning your very first ninjutsu.”
“The Transformation Technique!”
“YES!”
The classroom instantly exploded with excitement.
“Finally!”
“We get to learn real ninjutsu!”
“Quiet!”
Iruka rapped the desk repeatedly.
“Do you still want to learn or not?”
The room immediately settled down.
“Now then.”
“I’ll begin demonstrating the Transformation Technique.”
“But first, I need one student to help me.”
“Who would like to volunteer?”
“Me!”
“Me!”
“Pick me!”
Nearly every child shot a hand into the air.
Children in Konoha loved being the center of attention.
Iruka smiled.
“You’ve all had chances to come up before.”
“This time I’ll choose someone who’s never stood at the front of the class.”
“Uzumaki Naruto.”
“It’s your turn.”
“Come help me demonstrate the Transformation Technique.”
Naruto sighed inwardly.
Although he had no desire to participate…
He still stood up and quietly walked toward the front of the classroom.