Naruto: Naruto's Uchiha girlfriend is too tsundere

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Days passed by like this. Nowadays, apart from having an increasingly clingy Zuo Yue by his side and needing to carefully care for that mysterious golden legendary egg, the main theme of life still seems to revolve around two most important things: going to school and training.

The changes were largely like this: peaceful yet fulfilling.

Time flies, day after day, year after year. Finally, Naruto's life reached a significant milestone—he was about to graduate from the Ninja Academy!

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(Still at 3 PM.)

Chapter 121 Becoming a Ninja

The day of the graduation exam finally arrived. The content of the exam was exactly the same as in the original work: the most basic clone technique.

However, this time Naruto had completely shed the title of "underachiever".

Ever since the day he entered school, after his fierce battle with Uchiha Satsuki that shocked everyone and was comparable to a ninja duel, he has been regarded as an absolute genius by his classmates and teachers.

Therefore, when it was Naruto's turn to be tested, he was not nervous at all. He calmly and unhurriedly formed the hand seal that he already knew by heart.

"The Art of Clone!"

Bang!Bang!Bang!

With a few clean, crisp sounds, three solid and stable clones, almost identical to the original body, instantly appeared in the center of the examination hall.

Iruka, the examiner, wore an undisguised smile of satisfaction and pride, and announced without hesitation, "Naruto Uzumaki, you pass!"

He picked up a brand-new ninja headband, a symbol of the Leaf Village ninjas, from the table and solemnly handed it to Naruto.

Iruka watched as Naruto received the headband, his eyes filled with a mix of emotions and deep concern. The child he had cared for for years had finally become a true ninja!

With the talent and character Naruto has shown so far, he will surely become a great and respected ninja in the future...

Naruto took the headband but didn't put it on immediately. Instead, he faced Iruka and bowed respectfully and formally, his voice clear and sincere. "Thank you, Iruka-sensei! Thank you for your guidance over the years!"

This sudden and heartfelt gratitude startled Iruka for a moment. Looking at the now grown-up blond boy before him, a surge of pent-up reluctance and excitement welled up in his heart, and his eyes involuntarily reddened.

He forced down his surging emotions, nodded vigorously, and replied in as calm a voice as possible, "Yes! Naruto, congratulations on graduating! Keep up the good work!"

This scene, filled with trust and gratitude between teacher and student, looked especially heartwarming in the sunlight.

However, amidst this heartwarming scene, Mizuki, who was also proctoring the exam, secretly turned his head away. The usual, insincere, gentle smile on his face was almost impossible to maintain, and his back teeth were grinding together.

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As Naruto and Satsuki walked side by side out of the Ninja Academy gates, Naruto immediately saw two familiar figures standing not far away, waiting for him—it was Fugaku Uchiha and Mikoto Uchiha.

"Dad! Mom!"

Satsuki's face beamed with the joy of graduation as she ran over to her parents, eager to show them the headband she had just received, a symbol of her ninja identity.

Seeing this, Mikoto smiled gently and with satisfaction, stroking Satsuki's hair lightly. "You've become a capable ninja so quickly. What would you like to eat tonight?"

Satsuki, her face slightly flushed, did not immediately answer her mother's suggestion about dinner. Instead, she subconsciously looked at her father, whose expression was somewhat serious.

Fugaku Uchiha took two steps forward, his gaze falling on the headband in his daughter's hand. Although his face remained expressionless, he said, "Hmm, as expected of my daughter."

Naruto stood a little distance away, watching this scene. He was filled with mixed emotions; Satsuki's life trajectory had ultimately been completely altered...

Although Satsuki experienced that nightmarish night, because both her parents survived, her personality hasn't become as cold and aloof as in the original work. No... it seems that apart from her parents and me, she still seems to be indifferent and aloof to everyone else...

Just then, Satsuki took her mother's hand and walked up to Naruto, saying in a lighthearted tone, "Naruto, Dad said we're going out for dinner tonight to celebrate graduation. Why don't you come along?"

"Huh? Can I do it too?" Naruto subconsciously looked at Fugaku and Mikoto.

Mikoto looked at Naruto with incredibly loving eyes. "Yes, of course. Naruto doesn't need to be so polite with us." She had long regarded Naruto as her own son.

Seeing this, Fugaku sighed almost imperceptibly and did not object, which was considered as tacitly approving of his wife's invitation.

Just then, out of the corner of Naruto's eye, he noticed that Iruka-sensei seemed to have finished dealing with the follow-up work at the school and was walking out of the Ninja Academy.

Naruto turned to look at Aunt Mikoto with a questioning gaze, and after receiving a gentle and affirmative nod of permission from her, he immediately turned and ran towards Iruka.

"Iruka-sensei!" Naruto called out, "Satsuki and I are going out for dinner tonight to celebrate our graduation, why don't you come along too!"

Iruka wasn't too surprised by Naruto's invitation and readily agreed with a smile. "Great! Graduation definitely deserves a celebration. Teacher will treat us tonight..."

However, before he could finish speaking, Naruto added, "Yeah! And Satsuki and her mom and dad are with us too!"

"Eh?! Wait... the Uchiha clan head and his wife are also...?!" Iruka's smile froze instantly, replaced by a look of unprepared panic.

Although he had a close relationship with Naruto, often treating him to Ichiraku Ramen and receiving many incredibly delicious homemade bento boxes from Naruto, the sudden prospect of having dinner with the usually dignified former Uchiha clan leader and his wife... this unexpected atmosphere of "meeting a big shot" made Iruka-sensei feel a bit of pressure.

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At night, in a well-known barbecue restaurant in Konoha Village, Satsuki's family, Naruto, and the slightly reserved Iruka-sensei sat around a barbecue table for a graduation dinner.

The charcoal crackled, and various slices of meat and vegetables sizzled and dripped with oil on the grill, filling the air with their aroma.

The evening's conversation mainly revolved around Naruto and Satsuki's amusing experiences at the Ninja Academy. Iruka-sensei recounted their performances in class and training, while Aunt Mikoto listened with great interest, occasionally chuckling softly. Her words were filled with emotion and anticipation for the two children finally growing into ninjas and embarking on a new journey.

As Naruto enjoyed his meal, he observed Iruka with some confusion. Logically speaking, Iruka-sensei had dined with the Third Hokage before, and he had never been this nervous in front of that truly important figure. For some reason, he always seemed somewhat awkward and respectful when facing Fugaku and Mikoto, and his posture was much more upright than usual.

When the conversation came to a close, Fugaku put down his teacup and turned to Iruka. "Teacher Iruka, my daughter Satsuki has been well taken care of by you at the Ninja Academy these past few years. Thank you very much."

Upon hearing this, Iruka immediately straightened his back, hurriedly waved his hands, and even sounded a little flustered. "No, no, no! You flatter me, Mr. Fugaku! Rather, it's more like..." He seemed to want to be polite and ease the atmosphere, but in his nervousness, the words slipped out without thinking.

"From now on, I'll have to ask you to take good care of Naruto!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the atmosphere at the entire dining table momentarily froze.

Naruto. "???"

Iruka immediately realized that his words seemed a bit off, his face flushed red, and he opened his mouth, not knowing how to make amends.

These words struck a chord deep within Fugaku Uchiha. His body stiffened almost imperceptibly, and the fingers holding his teacup tightened slightly.

I took care of him?

A wave of bitterness and frustration washed over him. He subconsciously looked up at the person opposite him—and there he saw his beloved daughter, Satsuki, naturally placing slices of grilled meat from the grill into Naruto's bowl. Her eyes, as she looked at Naruto, shone with undisguised dependence and joy.

The displeasure and entanglement in Fugaku's heart eventually turned into a deep sense of helplessness. All his emotions were condensed into a very short syllable, accompanied by a barely perceptible nod.

"……Um."

Chapter 122: The First Villain

That evening, after meeting with Satsuki's family and Iruka-sensei, Naruto returned to his small apartment building alone. However, as he went upstairs, he unexpectedly found a figure standing at his door.

A figure that he hadn't expected, yet seemed to appear according to some kind of "worldline convergence".

With a head of white hair and a seemingly warm smile on his face, he is Mizuki, the first villain to appear in the Naruto story and one of the very few who was ultimately not tamed by "talk-no-jutsu".

"Hey, Naruto, are you free now?" Mizuki spoke first, his voice as gentle as ever.

"Oh! It's Mizuki-sensei!" Naruto immediately put on a surprised and polite expression. "Of course I'm free. Would you like to come in and have a seat?" Although he was inviting him, he subconsciously moved the backpack on his back a little further back.

Mizuki shook his head, his perfectly disguised "gentle" smile remaining unchanged. "No, I came to say something to you... First of all, congratulations on your graduation, Naruto. I'm sorry for the lateness of my congratulations; I saw you chatting happily with Iruka-sensei, so I didn't want to disturb you."

I have to say, this guy's acting skills are truly superb...

Naruto thought to himself, "This teacher-student relationship is so genuinely convincing, it's no wonder that even Iruka-sensei has been fooled by this guy since childhood."

The two exchanged a few more polite words at the door. Naruto's curiosity grew. This guy came to find me, surely to trick me into stealing the Book of Seals. But now that I've successfully graduated, what reason could he possibly have?

Sure enough, Mizuki changed the subject, his tone becoming more "sincere" and "earnest." "Naruto... you are truly remarkable. I know there may still be some people in the village who are prejudiced against you, but your talent... I, your teacher, have seen it all. In the future, you will definitely become a very powerful ninja."

"Really? Well then, thank you for your kind words, Mizuki-sensei." Naruto cooperated by giving a slightly shy and expectant smile.

Seeing this, Mizuki's smile deepened, and he continued, "But don't get arrogant. This is just the beginning. Actually, I'm here today with a special 'graduation gift' for you."

"A graduation gift?" Naruto feigned surprise at just the right moment. So that's what they were up to? Using a "gift" and a "secret" to lure me in?

Mizuki nodded solemnly, “Your talent is undoubtedly top-notch. However, from a teacher’s perspective, I believe that… the knowledge you can learn at the Ninja Academy is ultimately limited and cannot fully unleash your true potential.”

He leaned closer. "So, teacher, I know a... earth-shattering secret that can truly make you an outstanding ninja far surpassing your peers. How about it, will you accept this 'gift' from your teacher?"

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After "happily" accepting Mizuki's tempting "gift" and detailed "action plan" at the door, Naruto watched Mizuki's figure disappear around the corner of the street with just the right amount of excitement and anticipation on his face.

As soon as the door closed, Naruto's "innocence" vanished. The reason he agreed to Mizuki's persuasion was not for the so-called "secret," but because he had his own plans. First, the Book of Seals did indeed record many powerful forbidden techniques, especially the [Multiple Shadow Clone Technique], which was practically tailor-made for him.

He was determined to get this "cheat code." Secondly, it provided him with an excellent, unquestionable reason for a "fortuitous encounter" to properly master the Flying Thunder God Technique in the future as "Naruto Uzumaki."

More importantly, Naruto was absolutely certain at this moment that the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was definitely observing everything here in real time through that crystal ball using the [Telescope Technique].

The Book of Seals contains numerous forbidden techniques collected and created by Konoha since its founding. It is the village's top secret, and its importance is comparable to the nuclear weapon codebook of the previous life.

How could the top secret of the number one ninja village in the ninja world be so easily stolen by a newly graduated "genin"?

It was less a success and more a case of the guards—the ANBU and elite ninjas—collectively "letting the boat go." Their mission wasn't to stop Naruto at all, but simply to ensure that the Third Hokage's charade could proceed smoothly.

Naruto clearly analyzed the logic of the original work. This scene had two purposes. The first, and most important, was to make Naruto "accidentally" learn the [Multiple Shadow Clone Technique], which was extremely suitable for his enormous amount of chakra.

Secondly, this was an opportunity to induce the ever-scheming Mizuki to expose his plot, making it easier to purge his own ranks. The Third Hokage probably already suspected Mizuki.

However... Naruto thinks Mizuki was exposed simply because he was too stupid...

Naruto couldn't help but mentally criticize Mizuki's "glorious deeds."

During one of Mizuki's missions, one of his teammates injured his leg. Mizuki, fearing his teammate would slow down the mission and cause it to fail, actually killed him?!

I reckon Kisame Hoshigaki and Sakumo Hatake would both fall silent if they heard this.

Even more outrageous, he lied and claimed that his teammate's leg injury was beyond saving, and then smothered his teammate to death with his own hands... Did he think he was fooling the Hokage and the Anbu's intelligence system?

Then, this incredible maneuver was witnessed by Orochimaru, who was strolling nearby. Orochimaru thought, "Wow! This kid's ruthless and shameless, he's my type!" And so, Orochimaru easily swayed him.

However, since Mizuki is still incorrigible and has come knocking on Naruto's door, Naruto is happy to go with the flow. He can take advantage of this opportunity to secure the first "cheat code" in the original work and help the Third Hokage get rid of this stupid and wicked guy.

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(There will be one more update today... The pace is a bit slow, but the author will try to speed it up.)

(Also, Sakura is still the third member of Team 7. Her feelings for Satsuki are admiration and respect, not camaraderie.)

Chapter 123 A plan within a plan

"Well then, Third Generation Grandpa, I'll head over now! We made a promise—once I catch that guy by the tail, I'll have to borrow this thing and examine it for a while!"

At the entrance to the Hokage's office, Naruto, carrying a huge, seemingly heavy scroll on his back, waved with a grin at the Third Hokage, who was sitting behind his desk.

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the scene before him and nodded with a complicated expression.

He never expected that his carefully crafted script would be completely disrupted by this brat less than ten minutes after the start!

Just now, everything he saw through the crystal ball's [Telescope Technique] initially went exactly as planned. The ninja guarding the secret scroll storage room "perfectly" dozed off, while Naruto "sneaked" in but surprisingly smoothly slipped in and successfully obtained the enormous [Book of Sealing]...

According to the original script, Naruto was supposed to find a place to hide and try to learn the ninjutsu, then be found by Mizuki who had tracked him down. Ultimately, with Iruka's intervention, Mizuki would reveal his true colors and be captured.

However, what the Third Hokage saw next was—Naruto, carrying that huge scroll, didn't run to the training grounds or the Forest of Death, but instead… jogged straight towards the Hokage's office?!

When Naruto huffed and puffed as he placed the heavy scroll on the floor of the Hokage's office with a "bang," the Third Hokage's brain almost went blank.

Immediately afterward, before the Third Hokage could figure out what Naruto's completely unconventional actions were trying to achieve, Naruto cut straight to the point and proposed a deal that left him speechless.

"Grandpa, Mizuki-sensei... oh no, I think I've pretty much figured out what Mizuki is really like. How about this: if I help you lure him out completely and get him to blurt out everything he should and shouldn't say... could I borrow your 'Book of Sealing' for a while as payment?"

"........."

The Third Hokage remained silent for a good ten seconds, looking into Naruto's clear blue eyes, and finally could only sigh helplessly.

Well... it seems this kid saw through Mizuki's true colors long ago, and maybe he even guessed a bit about the scheme I set up? Minato... truly worthy of being your child.

Thus, what was originally a "test and cleanup" scenario led by the Third Hokage instantly turned into a "transaction" in which Naruto actively participated.

Considering that the purpose of this was to let Naruto come into contact with the Scroll of Seals and see if he could learn the techniques on it, especially the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique and the Flying Thunder God Technique, the Third Hokage finally nodded and agreed to this "agreement".

Watching Naruto leave the office carrying the huge scroll, the Third Hokage immediately composed himself, regaining his Hokage's dignity, and waved to the empty corner.

A ninja wearing an animal mask silently knelt down on one knee in an instant.

"Go and bring Iruka here immediately... Once we get here, tell him about Mizuki, the Book of Seals, and Naruto."

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In the forest surrounding Konoha Village, Naruto sat alone on the ground, the huge "Book of Seals" scroll spread out in front of him. He pretended to point at the words on it with his finger, deliberately talking to himself at a volume just loud enough for the lurking enemies in the distance to hear.