Naruto: I'm in Konoha, my name is Uzumaki Menma

Chapter 345 Graduation Exam, Sasuke's 37th Challenge

Spring of Konoha 63.

During the cherry blossom season, the air in Konoha Village is filled with a faint fragrance of flowers.

The morning sunlight filters through the leaves, casting dappled patterns of light on the clean stone path.

In front of the Ninja Academy's teaching building, several huge cherry blossom trees were in full bloom, their pink and white petals falling in the wind like gentle snow.

Inside the teaching building, the atmosphere was completely different from the languid spring air outside; it was filled with a tense yet excited atmosphere.
For the students of the Ninja Academy, this is a day that determines the fate of many. Passing the test will earn them the Konoha headband and make them official genin; failing means either repeating a year or giving up the path of a ninja.

The atmosphere in the teachers' offices on the third floor of the teaching building was relatively relaxed.

"Iruka, your class's top student this year must be Menma again, right?" A middle-aged male teacher wearing round-framed glasses smiled and patted Iruka on the shoulder.

"I heard that kid defeated Saga in last year's combat assessment? He's a retired Chunin, a real combat expert, unlike us teachers!"

Iruka, who was organizing the assessment forms in his hands, gave a wry smile upon hearing this: "Mr. Yamada, please stop teasing me. Menma is indeed excellent, but you also know that we have Naruto, that troublemaker, in our class... I just hope they can graduate smoothly today and not cause me any trouble."

In a corner of the office, Shui Mu listened to her colleagues' casual conversation while quietly walking to the water dispenser and filling her cup with water.

He maintained his usual gentle smile, but his ears were slightly perked up, carefully catching every detail of Iruka's words.

The name 'Naruto Uzumaki...' flashed quickly through his mind.

The task assigned to him felt like a stone weighing on his heart.

The target's identity is extremely special, and I am just an ordinary Chunin teacher. How can I approach them without leaving a trace and obtain valuable information?
He felt a surge of irritability and powerlessness.

After getting the water, Shui Mu carried the cup back to her workstation, pretending to organize her lesson plans, but her brain was actually working at lightning speed.

"It's almost time, Iruka, Mizuki, we should head to the exam hall," Mr. Yamada said, glancing at the clock on the wall.

"Oh, okay." Iruka quickly stuffed the last form into the folder, stood up, and beckoned to Mizuki beside him, "Let's go, Mizuki-sensei."

Shui Mu finished the water in his glass, took a deep breath, suppressed the distracting thoughts in his mind, and nodded with his usual gentle expression back on his face, saying, "Okay."

He placed the cup on the table, picked up the assessment form that had been prepared beforehand, and left the office with Iruka and two other teachers.

The excited yet nervous conversations of the students could already be heard in the corridor.

The graduation exams have begun.

The corridor outside the third examination room on the second floor.

The students lined up in long queues, waiting to have their names called.

The atmosphere was both expectant and tense. Shikamaru had his hands in his pockets, leaned against the wall, and had a "this is so troublesome" expression on his face.

Behind him, Kiba Inuzuka, with Akamaru on his head, was arguing heatedly with Naruto, his face flushed.

"I'm definitely getting an A in this physical skills test! Akamaru can vouch for it!"

"Wang! Wang!"

"Come on! My clone technique has even been praised by Iruka-sensei!"

"Hmph, so what? My Beast Mimicry Ninjutsu, combined with Akamaru, will definitely be stronger than yours in actual combat!"

"What did you say?! Do you want to have a competition right now?!"

"Compete!"

The two glared at each other like fighting cocks, with Akamaru barking "woof woof" on Kiba's head to cheer him on.

Choji, completely unaffected, focused intently on eating potato chips, making "crunch crunch" sounds.

Ino and Sakura huddled together, whispering something, their eyes occasionally glancing at Uchiha Sasuke at the front of the group.

Sasuke stood alone by the window, arms crossed, watching the cherry blossoms fall outside, his face bearing his usual indifferent expression.

But if you look closely, you'll notice that his gaze occasionally drifts towards the back of the group.

There, Menma and Hinata Hyuga were standing together.

Mianma leaned against the wall, his hands in his pockets, looking languid.

Hinata lowered her head slightly, her hands nervously clasped together, and her cheeks flushed slightly.

Menma seemed to be talking to her, and Hinata nodded occasionally and responded softly, her blush growing more and more pronounced.

Sasuke frowned slightly.

If it weren't for the mission assigned by Kakashi-sensei—to infiltrate the Ninja Academy as a student and gather intelligence on these students—he wouldn't have bothered playing these kids' graduation exam games.

But every time Sasuke saw Menma's calm and composed demeanor, a strong sense of resentment would well up inside him.

Over the past few years, he has challenged Mianma every one or two months, a total of thirty-six times, and lost all thirty-six times.

Each time, Menma defeated him in a different way, sometimes with taijutsu, sometimes with ninjutsu, and sometimes even just with genjutsu or tactics.

Each time, Sasuke could feel the gap between himself and his opponent.

But Sasuke did not lose heart.

Under the training of Kakashi and Yamato, his strength improved by leaps and bounds.

At the age of twelve, he had already mastered a variety of B-rank ninjutsu, and his taijutsu had reached the level of Chunin. In fact, during a mission three months ago, his single-tomoe Sharingan evolved into a double-tomoe Sharingan.

Yamato commented at the time: "Sasuke, with your two-tomoe Sharingan at the age of twelve, you are already an excellent Chunin."

Even so, Sasuke was still not confident that he could defeat Menma.

That black-haired boy was like a mountain peak whose top could never be seen. Every time you thought you were getting close, you looked up and found that he was still higher up.

"Sasuke Uchiha!"

The sound of names being called could be heard from inside the examination hall.

Sasuke snapped out of his thoughts, put his hands in his pockets, and walked into the examination room expressionlessly.

This caused Sakura, Ino, and other girls to swoon over him.

The assessment is underway.

The students were called in one by one, and then came out one by one.

Some people had smiles on their faces, clearly having performed well; others were pale, probably having made mistakes.

However, most of the students in this class came from ninja clans or were exceptionally talented, so the basic Three Body Techniques test was not difficult for them.

Soon, it was Naruto's turn.

"Uzumaki Naruto!"

"arrive--!!"

Naruto charged into the exam room like a cannonball, nearly knocking over the table by the door.

Iruka sighed and rubbed his forehead in exasperation, while Mr. Yamada, standing next to him, couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Inside the examination room, Shui Mu sat on the far right of the examiners' table, holding a score sheet in his hand, his eyes slightly narrowed.

'Naruto Uzumaki... the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki... if he graduates smoothly, I'll probably have even less chance to meet him in the future. But judging from Naruto's usual grades in theory classes and his mastery of the Three Body Techniques...'

Shui Mu quickly made a mental calculation.

He knew that Naruto's theory classes were consistently at the bottom, and although the Three Body Technique had improved significantly in the last two years, its consistency remained a problem.

If Naruto underperforms today and fails the test...

As a teacher, I might have the opportunity to approach him under the guise of "tutoring," or even...

But the next moment, Mizuki's thoughts were interrupted.

“Let’s begin, Naruto.” Iruka’s voice was gentle yet serious: “First, the Shadow Clone Technique.”

"Look at me!"

Naruto formed hand seals. Although the speed of the seals was not fast, the movements were standard and the flow of chakra was stable.

"Clone Technique!"

Bang!
After a puff of white smoke, two clones identical to Naruto appeared on either side of him.

Although the details of the clones still need improvement, they have already met the acceptable standard.

“Not bad.” Iruka nodded. “Next, the Transformation Jutsu.”

"Transformation!"

Naruto formed hand seals again, and his body transformed in a puff of white smoke, becoming Iruka's appearance, perfectly mimicking the scars on his face and even his expression.

“Very good.” A hint of relief flashed in Iruka’s eyes: “Finally, the Substitution Jutsu.”

Naruto quickly formed hand seals.

"Substitution Technique!" *Bang!*
His figure instantly appeared three meters away, and a wooden stake appeared where he had been standing.

The exchange process was smooth and natural, without any delay.

All three basic assessments were passed.

After the demonstration, Naruto deactivated his clone and nervously looked at his three teachers, especially Iruka.

Mizuki's expression darkened almost imperceptibly, but he quickly regained his gentle smile.

Looking at the boy with blond hair and blue eyes filled with expectation and a hint of unease, Iruka felt a mix of emotions.

He thought of Naruto's mischievousness over the years, the loneliness hidden beneath his bright smile, and the sacrifice of the Fourth Hokage and his wife. The resentment he felt for the night Kurama killed his parents, which had been transferred from Kurama to Naruto, finally dissipated completely.

Iruka wore a relieved and contented smile. He picked up a brand-new Konoha headband and solemnly handed it to Naruto:

"Congratulations, Naruto. You have graduated successfully. From today onwards, you are a full-fledged genin of Konoha Village."

"yeah--!"

Naruto cheered and eagerly took the headband from Iruka, immediately tying it to his forehead.

"Thank you, Professor Iruka! Thank you, all the teachers!"

He bowed to the examiners and then rushed out of the examination room excitedly.

His excited shout came from outside the door: "Brother Menma! I passed! I'm a ninja now!"

Mizuki watched Naruto's departing figure, his fingers lightly tapping on the score sheet. A fleeting, almost imperceptible disappointment flashed in his eyes, but he quickly concealed it.

Plan A failed... so we have to execute Plan B.

One hour later, the assessment was completed.

The entrance to the Ninja Academy was bustling with noise.

The children who successfully graduated excitedly showed off their brand-new Konoha headbands to their families, while their parents proudly patted their children on the shoulder and said encouraging words.

Under the cherry blossom trees, laughter and cheerful voices filled the air.

Naruto stood alone in the shade of a cherry blossom tree, watching his classmates surrounded by their families, and the bright smile on his face dimmed slightly.

But he quickly shook his head, banishing that feeling of loneliness from his mind.

At least, he still has Menma, Hinata, and Iruka-sensei... and from today onwards, he is a true ninja!

"Naruto."

Menma and Hinata walked over.

Both of them wore headbands on their foreheads; Menma's headband was neatly tied in the center of his forehead, while Hinata's was worn around her neck.

"Brother Menma! Hinata!" Naruto immediately perked up, pointing to his headband like a puppy waiting for praise.

"Look at me! I'm a ninja too! To celebrate becoming ninjas, let's go eat Ichiraku Ramen! It's on me!"

Hinata lowered her head slightly and said softly, "Um... Naruto-kun, Menma-kun, I'm sorry... My family has prepared a dinner party tonight. Father, Mother, and Hanabi are all waiting... to celebrate my graduation... so I can't eat ramen with you."

"Oh, I see..." Naruto was a little disappointed, but he quickly cheered up: "It's okay! Let's do it together next time!"

Menma nodded understandingly and patted Hinata on the shoulder: "Go ahead, clan matters are important. We'll contact you later."

"Um... thank you, Menma-kun." Hinata's face turned even redder. She stole a glance at Menma, then, like a startled little rabbit, quickly lowered her head, whispered "goodbye," and turned to run away.

Once Hinata's figure disappeared at the school gate, Menma's gentle expression softened slightly.

His Kagura Mind Eye silently unfolded, covering an area of ​​several hundred meters around him.

On the third floor of the teaching building, behind the window of a teacher's office, a familiar chakra was "watching" this way.

The person was well hidden, but in Mianma's perception, he was as conspicuous as a candle flame in the dark.

Mizuki.

A cold glint flashed in his pockmarked eyes.

'He's been observing Naruto since the assessment began... Was it Orochimaru's order? Or... Danzo?'

He quickly analyzed the possibilities in his mind.

Orochimaru is probably still conducting research in the Land of Stars and is unlikely to be interested in Naruto.

Danzo is a possibility. That cunning old fox has always coveted the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, and Mizuki, as Orochimaru's pawn in Konoha, might have some connection with Root.

Mianma shook his head, temporarily suppressing his doubts.

In any case, Mizuki's conspiracy in the original work has failed today.

Under his guidance, Naruto mastered the Three Body Techniques quite well and graduated smoothly.

Once Naruto becomes a full-fledged genin, he will be assigned to a team that trains jonin, receiving even tighter protection, making it even more difficult for Mizuki to make a move.

"Let's go, Naruto, let's go get some ramen," Menma said to Naruto, snapping out of his thoughts.

"Great!"

Just as the two were about to leave, a figure blocked their way.

Uchiha Sasuke, with his hands in his pockets and a cool, sullen face, walked up to Menma.

He raised his head, staring directly at Mianma with his dark eyes, his gaze filled with undisguised fighting spirit, and issued a challenge:
"Menma, now that we're all official ninjas, let's have a ninja duel."

Before Menma could answer, Naruto jumped out like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, pointing at Sasuke's nose and yelling, "Hey! You stinky Sasuke! When will you ever stop?! This is the thirty-seventh time! You've never beaten Menma even once! Still won't admit defeat?"

Sasuke's face instantly turned bright red, as if he had been touched on a sore spot.

Over the years, he would challenge Menma every one or two months, and his record was a shameful 36 defeats!
Despite his rapid improvement in strength under Kakashi and Yamato's training, and even the awakening of the two-tomoe Sharingan, and Yamato's assessment that he possessed Chunin-level strength, he still suffered defeat time and time again when facing Ma.

Naruto's words were like rubbing salt into his wounds!

"Loser! Shut up! You have no right to speak here!" Sasuke roared angrily, his eyes flashing with the twin tomoe.

"Who are you calling a loser! Arrogant Sasuke! Come and fight me if you dare!" Naruto clenched his fists, not to be outdone.

Seeing the tension between the two growing stronger, Menma sighed helplessly, walked between them, and reached out to separate Naruto and Sasuke, who were almost touching.

"Alright, alright, you two stop arguing." Menma's tone was soothing. "Let's call it a day, Sasuke. Tomorrow we'll be assigned to different teams, meet the new Jonin instructors, and there might even be an entrance exam. It's better to save your energy."

Sasuke was taken aback upon hearing this.

He wouldn't be participating in the regular genin class assignments, but Yamato also informed him that there were new squad missions to be arranged, and that he should stay in shape.

Thinking that he was already an Anbu member, with a higher rank than newly promoted genin like Menma and Naruto, Sasuke suddenly felt a sense of superiority, like a little kid.

He snorted coldly, slightly suppressing his fighting spirit, but still said to Ma, "Hmph! Then let's talk about it another time! Or, let's have a competition to see who becomes a Chunin first!"

Menma chuckled softly upon hearing Sasuke's confident provocation and nodded, "Alright, let's see who becomes a Chunin first."

……

Meanwhile, at the observation deck atop Hokage Rock.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, dressed in a sacred robe and wearing a straw hat, was leaning against the railing, gazing into the distance.

His gaze pierced through the vast distance and landed on the small figure at the entrance of the ninja academy. He watched Naruto excitedly gesturing with Menma and Sasuke, and a gentle smile appeared on his face.

The evening breeze ruffled his graying temples, and his imperial robes fluttered in the wind.

Behind him, Kakashi Hatake, dressed in a standard Konoha Anbu uniform and wearing a white cat mask, appeared silently, kneeling on one knee with a respectful posture.

Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't turn around. He simply took a leisurely puff of his pipe, gazed into the distance, and slowly spoke, his voice carrying the vicissitudes of time and a hint of weariness: "Kakashi, you've had a tough time all these years."

After his son, Sarutobi Shinnosuke, and his wife were killed in battle that night, the heavy responsibility of the Anbu Captain-Commander fell on the shoulders of Kakashi, who was still very young at the time.

Over the years, Kakashi led the Anbu to handle countless dangerous and clandestine missions, making great contributions to the stability of the village, but he also became more silent and repressed.

Kakashi simply bowed his head slightly and replied in his usual lazy yet respectful tone, "You flatter me, Hokage. This is my duty."

Hiruzen Sarutobi turned around, looking at Kakashi kneeling on the ground, his gaze deep: "Life in the Anbu is tough, with darkness and death constantly by your side. I'm thinking of giving you a long vacation, how about it?"

Kakashi paused slightly, raised his head, and looked at the Third Hokage through the eye holes of his mask.

Hiruzen Sarutobi pointed towards the Ninja Academy in the distance with his pipe, and through the wisps of smoke, his voice carried a gentle tone: "Go and be Naruto's Jonin instructor. That kid... he's a bit mischievous, but his heart is pure, like the sun."

Kakashi's body stiffened almost imperceptibly.

He had served as a Jonin instructor before, but he was extremely strict with his subordinates' assessments, and no Genin class had ever passed them in the past.

But this time, the target is... Minato-sensei's child.

Looking into the Third Hokage's expectant eyes, Kakashi remained silent for a moment, then slowly lowered his head and replied in a deep voice:
"...Yes, Hokage-sama."

(End of this chapter)